As many of you know, I've been working multiple jobs for quite some time now. This last week our prayers were answered, and I will be working at only one now. In addition to taking care of our needs, it will allow all the flexibility we need to finish the CD and tour when the time comes. It is quite an amazing blessing.

We also got my Honda up and running again. Turns out there were two parts bad and not one. While working on it, our buddy Ralph took another look at the A/C unit in the car, and was actually able to repair it! This is awesome, because it routinely gets well over 100 degrees here in the summer, and I drive a couple of hours for work each day. And yes, for those of you wondering, I can finally start the car without popping the hood. My father-in-law was with us this last weekend and helped us figure out the issue. This car will only get us so far, as it has 230,000 miles on it, but we are thankful we will be able to continue to use it for the time being.

A lot of changes will be taking place in our lives soon, and we are excited to see where the Lord leads us. Wednesday I will be spending an entire day with Lendell working on some more things for the album. There are some more changes we wish to make, and we will be laying out a schedule for what needs to be done.

I look forward to sharing more this next week in this exciting time.

This has been a long time coming... But I can finally say we really, truly, definitely are finishing the album now. I finished working out some financial details today, and we are on track to cruise through the finish line!

Next week I will be working with my photographers to solidify the cover shot. Their work back in September was excellent, but I really did not know quite the direction I wanted it to take. Over the last few months, I have gotten a much better idea. They have been quite patient with me while I have figured this out, and it is going to be amazing when done. (Thanks, Aus10!)

I will be spending most of the weekend preparing some of the newer material to be mixed. Lendell will be in Little Rock, as a film he scored is premiering. When he gets back we will continue the mixing.

I will keep you all posted step by step as we complete this. I am not entirely sure what the timeframe will be, but we should at least be done with the mixing and the cover design in the next couple of weeks. Then we go to mastering, and printing. Almost there...

So life has been pretty much a total whirlwind lately. In addition to work at the computer shop, I am now doing some web design, and working for a good friend in Siloam Springs. What is fun is each job is in an area I love. Of course my first choice and ultimate goal will be to focus primarily on music. But we gotta eat somehow.

Today I was sitting at a stoplight waiting for that lovely shade of green when the light changed. I pressed the accelerator and it promptly died. Now normally this would be no big deal, but I have to actually pop the hood now to start the vehicle. So I get out of my car, trying to avoid the oncoming traffic, pop the hood, find the starter wire, touch it to the battery, it cranks, and cranks, and cranks... and get nothing.

A wave of mixed emotions hit me. On one hand I was proud it wasn\'t my fault the car had stalled, but I would have much preferred for the error to be on my end than the engine\'s. Fortunately I bought a AAA membership for this year (when it died last time) and will get it towed back tomorrow.

On the CD side of things, Lendell and I have continued to make steady progress on the record. Hearing where the final mix is headed, I can confidently say I am SO glad we have been patient. What we had before sounded excellent, but it now sounds phenomenal. It takes all the patience in the world to hold off on posting the new mixes, but they are coming soon.

This weekend I was able to catch up on some much needed rest, and spend time with my lovely wife. As I have mentioned before, things are quite hectic at the moment: working multiple jobs and staying on top of the CD project.

It has been nice to take a little extra time to mix the album, as it has allowed me to further refine/redo certain parts. I am sure Lendell now wants to kill me, I am just asking him to hold off until we are done with this record. Hopefully he can restrain himself.

It is funny to look back a year ago, and realize just how far we were from completion! When we began working on "The Sun Still Rises", we were thinking only a couple of songs would have a full band. Now almost all of them do. We recorded 15 songs, 12 of them will actually make it on the record. It's been a ton of work!

Not only has it been a lot of work, but a HUGE growing experience. I learned how to sing into a recording mic, how to properly play to a click track, what my songs would actually sound like with a band, etc, etc. Not to mention the personal lessons of patience and seeing something this difficult through.

I am presently working on a deal that will provide the rest of the necessary funding, so we can use prayer that everything will work out. We've chosen to cut no corners, and we can hear it paying off time and again in these final mixes.

Besides the album, I am also planning some other "new things" so make sure to stop by every now and then. It's been a fun ride, and will continue to get more exciting!

You've likely noticed by now that I write many of my entries late at night; this one being no exception. I've been working at a couple of jobs now, and it is keeping me quite busy, but it is helping us get caught up. On the transportation side of things, we FINALLY have two vehicles again! Awhile back we determined the radiator cap was bad on our Sidekick, and that it has a leak somewhere. So replacing this and keeping it filled up has been working wonderfully.

My Honda has been quite a different story, however. Turns out the distributor was shot. Our great friend, Ralph, has been so helpful, as he is an incredible mechanic. With his expertise, we fixed the distributor. I drove around for a day, amazed at how nice it was to once again have two cars! Went out the next morning to start it up, as I was beginning a new job, turned the key, and nothing! This time it was the starter. Or so I thought...

A week later and the cost of a new starter, turned the key, and.... Nothing! The starter WAS bad, but there was another electrical issue. I gave up on trying to do things the "proper" way, and ran a wire from the starter. To start it, all I have to do now is make sure the car is not in gear, pop the hood, and touch the wire to the battery terminal.

This is not a permanent solution, but will get us by for the time being. With this car being a manual, I deeply hope I do not happen to stall it.

So why am I still up tonight? I've been reading and learning so much about the process of mixing. Lendell and I have been making great headway on the final mix, and I am trying to learn all that I can in a short time. I know how I want it to sound, and want to learn how to actually accomplish it.

Each step of the way this project has turned into something larger. A sheer level of complexity was added when we decided to use a full band across the record. As a result, we have found things that needed to change, parts redone, etc. Everything is almost set in stone now, and it is such a great feeling. I'll keep you all posted on how everything is progressing.

I have to head out to work here in a sec, so this will be brief. But next week I will be working with Lendell at his studio to resume work. We now have what we need to finish the mixing, so things should move pretty quickly from here on out. I am so excited about finally finishing this, and am so ready to have this finalized and in your hands!