It's 6 a.m. on January 2nd in concourse C of the Atlanta airport. Every store is in the process of reopening, and the people are few and far between. I'm freezing cold, and I have been sitting awake in this airport for about 30 hours. All I can think about is how crazy 2008 is going to be. We start touring next week with All Time Low and meet up with Emery in February and March. By summer, we'll be doing all of Warped Tour, which is a blessing. Soon, THE WORLD!!! OK, maybe I'm wishful thinking, but this year's going to be the bomb. 2008 definitely wouldn't be possible without being given the opportunities like those of 2007 including a fun trip we just took to the mountains. Who knew we'd get this far?!

The days before New Year's were invigorating. We were flown out to Telluride, Colorado to play a show two miles above sea level in the Rocky Mountains. Telluride is an amazingly beautiful place to see. I heard Tom Cruise even had a house there, which made me more intrigued to visit. I love me some Tom Cruise! Now, on this “all expenses paid trip,” I was able to spend time with a couple of my band mates. Alex and Derek weren't able to make it until the day of the show and that was a bummer. Brooks, Jeremy, and our tour manager, Josh, were able to go snowboarding and eat amazing food at a variety of restaurants. We also had the opportunity to play with a band that I've always looked up to, Rooney. They were featured on The O.C. for crying out loud! Haha. But there was something about this New Year's that didn't hit home. Something that is hard to write about because I don't know exactly how to put it. Wait! I know what it was! I'm from Georgia and the weather there is just hot! The weather in Telluride was exactly 1 degree when the clock struck 12, and I was outside. Now that's cold. I'll never do that again.

This year was an amazing year for me. There definitely isn't much I can complain about. To start, we released our first full-length album, A Lesson in Romantics, in July and it is doing awesome. We have also toured just about everywhere in the United States, plus Japan and Australia. This year, we actually played the Vans Warped Tour. This is an improvement from last year when we just followed the tour, selling our EPs in the lines and begging kids to listen and buy it. In 2008, we have the opportunity to tour in the U.K., and I'm super excited. What I am not excited about though is the airports; I no longer want to wait 30 hours for a flight.

Finally, after so much hard work and touring, we've been at home catching up with friends and family. I think my favorite part of being home is seeing my dog Riley aka Monster!!! Think what you want, but I love my dog more than anything -- he even has a MySpace. After writing this, I can't wait to see what next year has in store for my band and me. If it's anything like 2007, then I'm in for a treat.

-- Jake