Most days I go to sleep thinking that when I wake up, I'll be back to doing nothing and hating my life. Every morning I say a little thank you for being able to do what I'm doing, and making a living doing it. I realize more and more every day just how lucky I am, and that I can pinpoint almost every turning point in my life that has led me to where I am today. This is a blog of thank yous and 7degrees of separation... (Part one)
Thank you to...
Jay, Pat, Dave, and John Thanks for loving Blink 182 so much 10 years ago that you started your own band, and let me make a fake Rollingstone cover for an art class assignment. I'll never forget my first band promos and how ridiculous they were.

Titul, the Warmblood to whom I owe everything. If you hadn't thrown me at that jump and broken my ankle I'd be cleaning stalls somewhere in the south. Thanks!

Matt, Doby, Lindsey the Boy, Matt, I spent that semester with a broken ankle and your band and realized I like sitting in the wings taking your pictures and making videos more than riding horses. Thanks for having me around for three months on crutches, and for nicknaming me crazy leg.

Annie Leibovitz, thanks for taking the incredible photo of The White Stripes that made me want to do the same. If I hadn't seen that image, I doubt I'd even be taking photos.

Woke up Falling. I know you guys broke up, but you let me come on "tour" for my first time and that bug bit me and played a major part in me doing what I do now. Thank you do much! I miss you guys.

Montana State University graphic design program. Thanks for thinking that I wasn't good enough to be a graphic designer. You saved me from what probably would have ended up being a soul sucking existence making logos for giant corporations. I owe you one.

Angela, thanks for being the coolest intro to photograph professor ever, and motivating me to not try to make the graphic design gate again. You're the reason I majored in photography. I owe you one too.

The following bands... The Sharktopus, Acadia and the Asteroid, Deny the Dinosaur?, Cagematch to the Death, From Aphony,1090 Club, Bank, Josephine, This Word is Weapon, Mistress and the Misters, and Goodnight Sunrise(times 1000). Thanks for thinking I was good enough at the time to trust me enough to do your promos... looking back, I was terrible, so thanks for letting me practice on you guys.

Thanks Ian, for assigning the book project back in Advanced Digital when it was still Advanced Digital. That assignment turned into a project I can look back on now when I'm homesick. The Forgotten State is one of the things I'm most proud of from college. Thanks!

Kyle, Zach, Trevor, Jon, and Nick... Thank you for letting me live on your couch for an entire month when I moved to LA. I owe you so much... I'm going to get all of your faces tattooed on my back or something.

Levi the Snakeskinner for starting my 7degrees in California. I am the Ocean led to Fear Before led to Lorene Drive led to Vogue in the Movement led to everything else. You're the greatest and I miss you so much!

Chris Anthony thanks for inviting me to show you my work, and sitting there looking unimpressed and telling me to "Just DO the kind of photography you want and put bands in it". Thanks also for not calling the police when the worlds most intimidated and nervous fan showed up and sweated all over your couch.

To be continued.... (I'm going to see Kevin Devine right now!)