This weekend I had a show in Rock Island, Illinois. It went very well, and I had a lot of fun! Thank you all for showing up, I had a great time!

Today (technically yesterday now), October 10th, was my first day back on the job at Starbucks. The evening was pretty slow, which was nice for getting back into the swing of things. Around 8:00 PM I was vacuuming out the espresso machine, when I saw a customer walk in. I did a double take, as he looked JUST LIKE Steve Ballmer. For those of you who may not know, Steve Ballmer is now the acting CEO of Microsoft. (Or very close, I cannot remember). I went over to my register, and asked how his day was. Then I said, "You really look like someone familiar..." He said, "Now who would that be". I responded, "I would have to say you look like Steve Ballmer". Then he said, "Then you would be correct".

In case you did not know, I am a huge nerd. I watch documentaries about the history of computing in my free time, and Steve Ballmer has been in my top 10 list of who I would love to meet. I primarily use a Macintosh as my main computer, but that does not mean I hate Microsoft. They have done some incredible things, and are such an amazing company...

Anywho, because of this, and because of my studies on the history of computing, I said, "I am a huge fan". He stopped and said, "Thanks! That sure means a lot". I then asked him what brought him to Northwest Arkansas. His response? "Take a guess" I said, "Well, I think I have an idea but..." He responded, "I am here for a Wal-Mart presentation tomorrow". I hope that his latte and 3 pastries helped him to have a better evening. Sure was cool to meet one of the most influential people in the computer industry, and that he was patient as I fumbled at my register. What a cool day.

Hello everyone, long time no talkie! Truthfully there has not been much to talk about... However, I hope for that to change soon. Hannah and I have been busy working full time hours at Starbucks while we figure out how to complete the album. This will be the last big push to finish everything, which means delivery of the album. There is still a lot to figure out, so your prayers will be much appreciated.

I will be heading back in the studio to finish an early mix of All For You, with a full band, and a full orchestral arrangement. I am very excited, because I think this will help give a feel for where we wish the rest of the project to head. I will be posting this song sometime over the weekend, so make sure to come back by to check it out. Look forward to sharing more soon.

Friday's session was a lot of fun. It was great to jump back in after being away from the project for a little while. As mentioned in my last post, we specifically worked on "All For You". This is the first song we have ever tried to do even a partial mix on, and the results really have astounded us. I have to admit, I never thought this project would sound as well as it does already, and it is not even mixed or mastered! It is really coming together! Unfortunately I don't quite have the song ready to share, as we need to tweak a few things in the mix. However, I should have it in the next few days, and I think you will really enjoy it.

Just thought I would write a quick post before going into work. Hannah and I will be joining some friends this evening for Thanksgiving dinner. I hope that all of you are having a wonderful day and safe travel.

Last night I received the final rough cut of All For You. I have attached it below this post for you to listen to. So please keep in mind there is still a lot yet to do. However, I think it really shows where the project can go and is headed. Thanks for all of you love and support this year, it means so much!

I know it has been some time since a substantial recording update. Hannah and I have been working hard at Starbucks over the last few months to get by while we wait for answers and direction. It has been a time where our faith has been tested, and we wondered whether or not we were really headed in the right direction. At the same time, it has been a wonderful opportunity to help us regain our focus, and be reminded of the whole reason we are pursuing this: people. While this time has been difficult, it has been invaluable, and we feel much better prepared for the next steps and what is to come.

With that said, I am excited to share what exactly is to come! This last week we have had some incredible answers to prayer. We now have everything needed to finish the project, plus the addition of lots of help on the business end. (Help with setting up a tour, financial guidance, etc).

One week from today I will head back to the studio with Lendell to begin finishing everything. We will spend the time up until Christmas working each day. After Christmas, we will tie up the loose ends, and in early January head down to Lifeword Studios for a week of mixing. Once the mixing is completed, we will send off the final version for mastering, and then send that off with the album artwork to be replicated. This should put the CD in our hands sometime in February!

Instead of being focused on how hard the last six months have been, we are grateful for all of the lessons that we have and are learning. Had we completed everything in early May, we would not have had the opportunity to work with everyone that we have. Plus, these six months have allowed me to really listen over everything and improve. I know when this is all done, it will be so rewarding, and a great story.

None of this would have been possible without the support of you! This project is much bigger than Hannah, Lendell, and myself. You are all a part of it, and we are so thankful for your prayer, support, and sticking with us even though this has taken substantially longer than we had originally anticipated. We are also thankful to those of you who have helped provide advice, and affirmation. It has meant so much to Hannah and I that so many people care, and feel we truly are following the Lord’s leading. Look forward to continual updates as we finish this out. We can certainly use quite a bit of prayer, as this will definitely be the busiest month of the project, but we are so excited to finish it. Thank you for being such an integral part of this, we are so thankful!

Right now Hannah and I are waiting in the terminal at Tulsa International Airport to fly out to Chicago, hoping that our flight will not be cancelled. We have had quite a crazy couple of weeks, and are looking forward to somewhat of a break.

I will be returning to Bentonville next weekend, and will resume the recording project on Monday, December 31st. It is our goal to have most of the work done by the end of the week (January 4th). We will then have one more week to tie up loose ends, and finally will head down to Conway on the 14th for a week of mixing at Lifeword. If everything goes as planned, we will have the mixing finished! For those of you who might not know, mixing is where we take every individual recorded track (guitar, vocals, piano, etc) and "mix" them together. This will take a considerable amount of time, as one of our songs may use over 50 tracks!

The final process on the audio side will be to send this final mix to be mastered. The mastering process will help the CD flow from song to song, and will help finalize the sound. I know this is a bit of a vague overview of everything involved, but I hope it will help give you an idea of how it all works.

Of course after this, we will send the final master to be duplicated along with the CD artwork. This will put the final copies in our hands! I look forward to posting some updates along the way as we finish this out. Thanks for stopping by, and make sure to follow these final steps, we cannot wait to get this finished and in your hands!

From all of us here, we hope that you have a safe and restful Christmas, and we would once again like to thank you for all of your support this year. It is truly a blessing for which we are incredibly thankful!