San Diego Balloon Parade

Today, Sara and I had a chance to participate in the San Diego Big Bay Balloon Parade. The day started at 6:00 AM when we arrived at 'Balloon HQ'. Here, we got assigned to our balloon - The White Star - and put on our uniforms (which were USA t-shirts). After taking a quick lesson in 'Balloon Holding 101', we were able to walk around and see the other balloons as they were being inflated. Sara and I also had a chance to meet with a ton of great people, as well.

Just before 10:00 AM, we were all given the word to line up and prepare for the start of the parade. As luck would have it, 10 AM was also when the wind started to pick up! Perhaps the biggest lesson I learned was that carrying a big balloon is NOT as easy as they make it look on television! Especially when it's windy! It's as if you are holding onto the leash of a very, very bad dog who just keeps going every which way. It was SUPER hard. Below is a video I took during the parade:

The parade was an experience, to say the least, but one that I am glad I was a part of. I can now say I have carried a balloon in a parade, and I can cross it off the bucket list.

After the parade, Sara and I traveled to La Jolla, California (just outside of San Diego) to explore all the tourist traps they had to offer. Perhaps the coolest point of the journey was visiting the 'Man Cave', as I called it. It was a cave...that, well...looked like a man!

See? Kinda cool, eh? The hike TO the cave (and back!) was a long one, but well worth it for some awesome pictures :)

Overall, it was a very nice and enjoyable trip to San Diego. There's something weirdly calm, refreshing, and relaxing about San Diego, and I look forward to visiting again soon.

Sara Visits Hollywood...again!

Hey all!

I just wanted to quickly share some updates for everyone to enjoy.

First, my best friend Sara Albrecht has arrived in California again! She's out here for the next week or so checking out LA and soaking in everything she can. It seems that she is getting more and more serious about moving out here soon to pursue her dreams of becoming an actor, and I'm helping her to gain some industry exposure (and maybe even experience).

Second, Sara and I are traveling to San Diego this morning to be a part of the SAN DIEGO BIG BAY BALLOON PARADE. Apparently, this parade is going to be much bigger than the traditional Thanksgiving Parade in Times Square - with over double the amount of balloons. Not only will Sara and I be in attendance at this parade, but we will actually be CARRYING one of the balloons!! Sounds neat, huh?! We have been assigned to the 'White Star' balloon...which, I would venture to guess, is going to be one big white star... (Unless it's short for White Star Line, in which case we'll be carrying a Titanic balloon...).

The San Diego Big Bay Balloon Parade will be televised on New Year's Eve at 9:00 AM on the USA Network. It will be a nationwide broadcast. Be sure to look for us!!!

More to come soon from San Diego! For now, that is all! Fingers crossed this rain goes away soon...or it's going to be a wet parade tomorrow!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everybody! I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday.

This morning, I flew back from Milwaukee to Los Angeles on a Christmas morning flight. I had a chance to try out the new body scanners before getting on a plane ride that turned out to be more than what I had originally bargained for.

Long story short: About half way into the flight to LAX, the lady next to me started frantically squirming around and looking in her seat pocket. I asked what she was looking for, and she quickly responded, "BARF BAG". Before I could react, this lady began 'blowing chunks' all over my leg and on the floor. It was pretty gross.

I'll spare you from the rest of the details...but like I said, it was a flight that gave more than I had originally bargained for.

On the positive side of things, I got to spend Christmas evening with my cousin Tabitha and her family. Tabitha's husband, Chad, has family that live only 15 minutes from my house! Crazy, huh!? It truly is a small world. The Dillion Family was so kind to let me come over for a delicious Christmas Dinner and some wonderful family time. It was a time I greatly enjoyed.

More soon as we get closer to ringing in the New Year! Stay tuned for more updates!

Winter Visit 2010

Hello, everybody!

WOW! Time has truly been flying lately, as it does every year during the holiday season.

First, I'd like to wish a Merry Christmas to everyone reading this. I am sitting o

n the plane flying back to California as we speak, after spending an incredible week back

home with family and friends. As always, my visit back home was filled with fun and adventure.

During my visit to the Midwest, I had a chance to see tons of people I haven't had the pleasure in seeing for a while. Here are some of the highlights:

DeMolay Prom - I had the chance to catch up with the Campagna and Graeven families while Samantha, Miranda, and Paul enjoyed the dance. It was

also a fun little blast to the past from my DeMolay days.

Gamache Family Visit - At the beginning of my trip home, I had the chance to catch up with my Godparents and cousin (God cousin? Hmm...I'm not sure how that whole family tree thing works...God cousin makes her sound super important, so I doubt she'd argue with the title). It was a great night filled with more laughter than any one person can handle, and to top of the evening, on our drive home from visiting, my dad got pulled over for speeding :)

Chicago with Jessica - One of my best friends (Jessica Wiza) and I drove down to Chicago, IL for the day to check out the Museum of Science and Industry and to see Harpo Studios. It was a great time and we had a blast checking out all the sites along the way!

Camper Bowling Party - On December 23rd, I had a great time reuniting with most of the campers from my Summer Entertainment Camp. We bowled for a few hours at the alley, before going over to Culver's for some much needed custard.

Hangin' with 'The Guys' - Some of my 'best buds' also made an appearance at the bowling party, which was a great surprise. I also had the chance to hang out with Brandon and Boz more than I have in the past few years, and it was really nice to catch up with both of them and spend some time hanging out.

As you can see from above, my time home was quite eventful! Now, it's onto the next great adventure. Thanks to everyone back home for making my visit a great one.

Toy Story 3

It seems that Disney is really pushing for Toy Story 3 to be nominated as a 'Best Picture' contender. I really hope Disney's wish comes true! Furthermore, I hope they take the top prize and WIN the award! I know it's a bold statement to say without even seeing the other nominees, but I mean, c'mon! I'll let the ads speak for themselves....

Tis the Season!

Hi folks,

It's been a while. Sorry for the delay in writing lately, things have been crazy.

Recently, my folks came out to visit for a long weekend. We all had a great

time. It was the first time they've come out since coming out shortly after I moved in, so it was nice to be able to actually show them around this time! :)

In other news, I'm (still) busy on a screenplay I've been focusing on for a few weeks. Some people are gaining interest in the project, which is really getting me excited. More on that soon!

I'm also very excited to go home in about a week's time! I can't wait to see all my friends and family that I've been away from for SIX MONTHS! This is the longest I've been away from home, and it feels a little crazy.

After I go home, Sara is coming out to visit for a little while. I'm going to help show her MORE of Hollywood (more than the stuff she's seen on the previous visits) and get her even more pumped up for coming out here to pursue her career in the acting world. We have a lot of fun stuff planned, including being in a parade on New Year's Eve! If anybody is wondering what's on my Christmas list, it's some extra spending money that I can use when Sara's in town! :)

Today I received an interesting offer to attend an intense workshop at the end of January from a friend of mine who works at one of the studios. It's a class that specializes in some things that I am really looking to improve on, including Improv skills and voiceover skills. Other things that interest me are covered in the course, as well...and at the end, there's a big project we get to take on. I'm seriously considering the offer...

Lastly, if you haven't heard, 'The Sing Off' - Season 2 premiered a few nights ago. The show is such an incredible production where some of the best talents truly do melt together to create an amazing show. I am proud to say I am a part of this sensational show. If you haven't watched it yet, please do. It does not disappoint.

I'm off for now! More posts soon...I promise!!!