Fam.

There's lots of things to be said about one's family...

What makes you, well, you? Are you the spitting image of an uncle? Are you just like your mom? Do you have beliefs just because your grandpa did? 

I am my mom. Down to a T. Don't particularly like to point that out, but I can't avoid it. Which means, I'm just like my granny because my mom is my granny. Vicious cycle, eh? 

"Adam, you're not doing it right. Do it like this." 

"Why is it wrong?"

"Well, no, but it's not Joy's way."

My sister's just as guilty of it, too. We call it pullin' a Joy.

I just want to take this time to say how grateful I am for my family. 

It's been awhile since both sets of grandparents were all together. Maybe it was my college graduation, but I was busy graduatin' so it really didn't register. 

Last week my sister graduated from the University of Texas. The whole fam-damn-ly went for dinner afterwards. 

In addition to the grandparents was my cousin and her partner. This is where I have a bone to pick with everyone - get over it. GET OVER IT. 

If my 77-year-old retired pastor grandad can accept his granddaughter's partner with open and loving arms without skipping a beat, so can you. 

They're happy. That's all that matters. Quit infringing on others happiness. It does not affect or influence any part of your daily life. (Random marriage equality rant thrown in there...sorry!)

Where am I going with all this? Good question - because I'm not even real sure. I'll say this though. I'm so blessed to have every member of my family. It's taken me long enough to realize we have something really special here. 

With that being said, not all parties are perfect. There are things that I'm blessed to have learned and observed and put in my back pocket to NEVER do what they do/how they did it. 

If I had to sum this whole thing up, I think this is all I'd want you to take away. Appreciate the people you're stuck with. Learn from them, but don't be afraid to break the mold if you need to. They'll love you anyway, and if they don't, they're not worth it.

Farewell to a Great Crew

Right now, 12:34 p.m. on February 8, 2013, I'm relistening to the last show ever of the Bobby Bones Show from their Austin studio on KHFI 96.7 KISS FM. The show concluded two and half hours ago, and amazingly I was there to witness it.

My journey with the Bobby Bones Show began in 2007 when I moved to San Marcos to attend Texas State. From then I was hooked. On a daily basis I wake up with the show on iHeartRadio, listen in the car to work, and finally listen to the rest of the show streaming from iHeartRadio on my office computer. Annnd, if I go out of town, I have to tune in. I can't miss a day. It may be a problem...

I got the brilliant idea to apply for the internship. Amazingly, I got an interview. Even more amazingly - I got the internship in the summer of 2009. I remember my interview like it was yesterday. Alayna interviewed me in the studio. I was paralyzed. I thought to myself, the show touches this stuff. It was amazeballs. THEN, Lunchbox walked barged in the door. Once he figured out I was in an interview, he asked Alayna, "Did she pass the shocker?" Again, I was paralyzed. I thought the shocker was a rite of passage, and I wasn't about all that.

Shortly after the interview I began as an intern. What a crazy summer it was. I worked with a group of great folks (shout out Manuel, Karina, Jordie, Intern Paul Wall and so many more!)

I was a nervous wreck meeting Bobby. He is such a superstar. I don't understand how he can be such a big collaborative ball of professionalism, friendliness, knowledge, and playfulness all while being an introvert. Weird, huh? I appreciated all my time on the show, and don't know if I portrayed that while there. I would always freeze when I got the opportunity to get on air. On my last day, Bobby gave me the nickname "The Statue".

For all of you who don't know, I'm still engaged to Lunchbox. I mean, I haven't heard otherwise, so I'm rolling with it. Whaaaaat, you may be asking. One morning LB and I went to a restaurant and he staged a proposal. It was extremely awkward, but so much fun. Despite his on-air ego, Lunch is such a genuine guy. We still talk occasionally thanks to Facebook chat. I had hopes that whenever I got married he might be there makin' an ass out himself and havin' a good time, but that might not happen with his big move.

As for Alayna, thank you. Thank you for taking a chance on me. Thank you for putting up with me. And, most importantly, thank you for not killing me. As I said this morning, I was such a stupid intern. Remember when Justin Bieber was on the show, and Bobby didn't know how to say his name? Yeah, I was the intern that uploaded his whole song (it might have been One Time) on the podcast. Whoops. I don't hold it against you for being not so pleasant in the wee-hours of the morning. Like I said, I commend you for not killing anyone. You're kinnda a hero in my book.

Being there this morning was an unbelievable experience. Seeing every.single.member of the show shed tears this morning was hard. These people love their job and they love each other. I'm not sad whatsoever that they're making the jump to country. I'm so, so excited for them. They're going to crush it. Yeah, it's not going to be the same when they talk about restaurants that I make a mental note about trying in town, but that's not the end of the world. They've made it, and I cannot believe I was able to sit back and watch all it happen before my eyes.