Get your copy of FREE on iTunes!

If you haven't already, get over to iTunes and get your copy of Gavin DeGraw's FREE. It'll be the best 10 bucks or so that you've ever spent!

Only You Know When Something's Right for You

I have a friend that wants to lose weight and has been inspired by my success with Weight Watchers. She's done Weight Watchers before, so she knows it works. Although I've inspired her, I don't think it's enough to get her on the right track yet. In each of our lives there comes a time when we know that we must make a change. Sometimes it takes a while before we act on that knowledge, but we know what needs to be done. As I said before, I knew that I needed to lose weight, but my attempts at doing so were half-assed. We all have an epiphany or "Ah-ha" moment when we realize that the time is now. With weight-loss, it's usually what I refer to as the "pants size epiphany", where you realize that you have to go up another pants size and it's a size you never wanted to be. A lot of people talk about it in my Weight Watchers meetings. I had it when I was wearing a size 16 again for the second time in 33 years. It wasn't healthy and I didn't feel good physically or mentally. I have a history of depression and being overweight didn't help. Now that I'm a little over 30lbs. lighter, I feel much better health-wise and about myself. I keep wondering why it took me so long to get my butt in gear, but then I realize that I wasn't really ready yet. If you have a goal you want to achieve, whether it be weight-loss or continuing your education, when you're ready, you'll take the necessary steps to make it happen. Until then, try not to be too hard on yourself :-).

Taking Control of My Life

Although I've never been a huge person, my weight has gone up and down over the past 10 years or so. More recently, it was at a point where it was up. Add to that the fact that I have a history of high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes in my family; and I'd be the perfect candidate for a possible stroke or heart attack. I do have high blood pressure and have been taking meds for it for almost 3 years. According to my doctor, it's now controlled, but I knew that losing weight would be even more beneficial to my blood pressure. I also didn't really feel very good about myself because of my weight gain. I had been complaining for a while about the fact that I hated the excess weight and wanted to lose it, never taking any real action. Just some half-assed attempts at exercise without really changing my calorie intake. In January, I decided to join Weight Watchers. A friend of mine had been doing it since September and had good results. I'm happy to report that to date I've lost 31.4lbs! I'm back to the weight I was 3 and a half years ago when things were going pretty well in my life. I have more to lose, but I'm proud of what I've accomplished so far.

Review of Gavin DeGraw's FREE

On March 31st, Gavin DeGraw released his new album FREE, less than a year after the release of his self-titled album. Many fans felt that the album GAVIN DEGRAW didn't live up to CHARIOT and wasn't very true to the sound that we've come to know and love from Gavin. The same can't be said for FREE. His decision to forgo the bells and whistles of the previous album helps the listener to focus on his vocal talent and the content of his lyrics. Especially touching are the songs "Mountains to Move", "Stay" and "Lover be Strong". To me, they speak of the journey that is life. "Dancing Shoes", "Glass", and "Free" are 3 of the fan favorites that conjure up images of a live Gavin show, which is where he shines. His decision to cover Chris Whitley's "Indian Summer" was a great choice. It's a great tribute to Chris, and a perfect fit for Gavin's voice.

The best thing about this album is the fact that Gavin didn't record it for critical acclaim. He said that this is an album for his die-hard fans and speaking as one of them, I thank him from the bottom of my heart. If pure, unadorned music is what you want, then FREE is the album for you.

Get "Free" on iTunes!

Gavin DeGraw's new album "Free" is on iTunes. Get yours now!

A Musician to be Proud Of

Today Gavin DeGraw's new album "Free" drops and I must say that it's quite remarkable. His intent was to record it as an indie record so he only spent about 2 weeks in the studio. It's always great to listen to him talk about the recording process and what he wants to achieve. As you may remember, he also spent some time in Uganda as a part of his work with Nothing but Nets. To hear him talk about his time there shows what a true humanitarian he really is. The man's got a good heart, and he makes me proud to be a fan.