Merry Christmas!

From:

Wes, Carol, Allie, and Zack

Allie's Big Score!

Today was picture day for Allie's soccer team, The Tinkerbells. They were pumped up over their huge 11-0 win over the Diva's last week. I don't know if it was they all got tired from being in the heat early for pictures because things didn't go near as well this week against the Hornet's. They seemed to come out with the same drive as last week and played excellent defense shutting out the Hornets in the first quarter where Allie scored the only goal, her first for the season (now I owe her a dollar). From there things fell apart...the Hornets came alive and scored 5 or 6 unanswered points. But, it's not about always winning...it's about having fun!

The Real Deal

This is what I have to put up with at work all day, everyday. His name is Duane Bower, but everyone calls him Grandpa because he is older than dirt.

Little Drummer Boy

Zack is showing his mad drummin' skillz.

Band of the Week

I heard this really great band. Day of Fire...check them out. www.dayoffire.com


Day of Fire - "Cut & Move"
With music that pounds the body and soul, Day of Fire's Cut & Move deals with cutting yourself away from the failures of yesterday, leaving behind the burdens of the past, and moving into the future," according to lead singer Josh Brown.
Not long ago, Brown was the front man for Full Devil Jacket, one of the hottest post-grunge, hard rock bands in America. They had it all: sold-out concerts, rabid fans, appearances with Stone Temple Pilots, P.O.D., Papa Roach, Incubus, Nickelback, and a high-profile set at Woodstock '99 that launched them on to tours with Chevelle, Type O Negative, Slipknot, Fuel and Creed. But it came at a price, which Brown paid out with addictions and a heart drained of hope.

Those days ended when Brown found peace with God. He was compelled to walk away from everything that controlled his life - fame, money, and addiction. He resolved to share his experience. Brown joined with Gregg Hionis, a friend back in his hometown of Jackson, Tennessee, to record Day of Fire in 2004. All of the energy that he once poured into songs of despair with Full Devil Jacket exploded into songs of freedom through Day of Fire's first album. Ambitious musical visions, built to fit the power of the message, turned Day of Fire into an unforgettable, Grammy-nominated, Dove Award winning debut.

In the ensuing time since the debut album's release, the band's faith deepened with greater understanding. Along with this understanding, the ambition of the band evolved as well. With a new resolve, Brown, Hionis, guitarist Joe Pangallo, his brother Chris Pangallo on bass, and drummer Zach Simms, set out to create an aggressive rock record with an uncompromising message.

Cut & Move, the latest album from Day of Fire, is the result of that resolve, bringing the passion and the intensity that has defined Day of Fire to fans around the world.

Day of Fire began the process of writing this record by going back to the groups who inspired them musically: AC/DC, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and Nirvana. Band members dug out their old records, played them again, and felt the creative impulses stir. "All of these bands had a genuine, raw sound," Brown explains. "They didn't do big, overly-produced stuff; they kept to the bare bones of their sound. That told us where we needed to go with Day of Fire."

It's this raw sound the band uses as a vehicle for its message. Tracks on the album, including the title track and "Run" communicate its vision. "I hid from the light inside the home of my darkness / the voice through the door said I alone hold the key to your peace / show me the way out of this" from the project's initial single "Cut & Move" symbolizes the desperate need of another way. "It's about a person caught in a lifestyle they want to get out of. It's a cry for help," states Brown.

"The song 'Run' is about running the race of life and not being weighed down by the things of the world," continues Brown. The song speaks through lyrics "The world keeps turning / this house is on fire / won't catch me sleepwalking again" to communicate this message.

After the release of its first album, the band tightened its music on the road, playing throughout America as well Germany, Sweden, South America, Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere overseas. To capture the adrenaline of the stage performance on disc, Day of Fire members wove their show and session schedules together, writing constantly and recording in quick, in-and-out dates. "We'd all be introducing ideas for songs at practices or even during sound checks," Josh remembers. "And we toured pretty much through the whole time we spent making the album. Maybe we'd quit for a month and hit the studio. Then, as we went out to do more shows, we could listen to what we'd done with fresh ears. We never stopped working until it was done."

The formula worked. Locked away for twelve-hour stretches with producer Pete Thornton at his Orlando studio, Day of Fire forged Cut and Move into arguably the hardest-hitting rock album in years. You'll feel it on June 6, as Cut and Move explodes nationwide.