“On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with red roses?” - Meatloaf

On a hot summer night in July, despite my better judgement, I may do just that under the right circumstances. That is when Gavin DeGraw will be making a very rare appearance on my side of the border. Apparently the last time he was here was 8 years ago for a One Tree Hill promo tour. Needless to say, I missed his coming up in the music world.

From 2002 to 2009 I was with someone who pretty much only listened to new country and some of the old twangy stuff I couldn't stand. To find some common ground, I only listened to new country. He played guitar and I sang but it was a struggle to find songs we could do together. During my marriage, that was the only time in my life that I had put on weight. I think it was due to the fact that we were living out in the country, the long commutes, the late dinners, getting older but mostly being so utterly unhappy. It started about a year after getting married. All of a sudden he changed into another person. I was left wondering what the hell happened to the guy I had been with over the previous 3 years, first living together and then married. I guess he was pretending to be someone else all that time and not his true self. In the end, the one interest we shared, our mutual interest in music wasn't enough. Ultimately we found that we had nothing in common.

For many reasons, it finally came to the point where I said “I've had enough, I can't take anymore, I want out, just let me go”. All of the sudden, within a 2 week period, the weight just came off. The stress of going through marriage counselling, living in separate rooms, doing the legal paperwork, then packing up and moving out added to the weight loss. Since that time, my weight once again hasn't been an issue...until now.

I spend far too much time sitting in front of a computer, at work and at home. Although doing the fan pages has added so much to my life, it has also added to my waistline. With this upcoming concert in July, I feel motivated and compelled to look my best for some reason. Mostly for me because I'm fed up with it, partly just in case I finally get to meet Gavin. It probably won't mean anything to him but I feel I must do this for myself regardless. “I've had enough, I can't take anymore”. I'll have to work hard to let it go this time though. So from a hot summer night in July for my wedding to a hot summer night in July for my first Gavin DeGraw concert, things have come a very long way baby. The saga continues...and digresses to my past.