It was the end of that hump summer: I’d made it halfway through college at Belmont U. I don’t know what your college experience was like, but all my friends and I just felt like older kids. Real life was still too far off to worry about, but that didn’t stop life from changing. Everyone had cars. Most of us had just moved out of the dorms to live off campus. Of course, it was the year we all turned 21. Before the year could really get going, we headed up to the Midwest. One of our good friends, Jill, invited us all up to Indiana to her parents' house on Lake Pleasant for the holiday weekend. The lake straddles the border of Indiana and Michigan, so we all piled in her Jeep Grand Cherokee at 5 am and headed north for the nine-hour drive from Nashville. 
I had just finished my first homework in songwriting class. It was an in-depth song analysis of Jay Sean’s new hit song at the time, "Down" (hilarious music video with dancing, a strange appearance by Lil’ Wayne, and light coming out of Jay Sean’s fingertips). The assignment was to pick a song and study its form, melodies, and lyrics. NO clue now why I picked that song; maybe I thought it would be funny. Suprisingly, I think I actually did end up learning something from it. I listened to the song so much of course, I knew the whole thing by heart. I wasn't a diehard listener of Top 40, so the fact that I actually knew this song cracked everyone up. I was into it: every time it came on the radio I pumped up that jam and even rapped Lil’ Wayne’s rap. The rest of the car quickly started to hate me. Jay’s song must have been pretty hot then, because the radio DJs kept playing "Down" about every 30 minutes. After about the fifth incredible rendition, laughter gave way to groans…except for Jill. She thought it was hilarious. Or at least I thought she did, but all I really remember is turning up the radio for the umpteenth time and seeing her smile and laugh. I was hooked. Here was my audience! Not only was she beautiful, Jill was as silly, if not sillier, than me. All of a sudden, something changed. I don’t know what happened, but there she was in my life, ready or not. I had been telling myself I wasn’t ready to go there, but it didn’t matter. Everything about her kept pulling me back, and it still is.
Today marks four years of making Jill laugh, having too much fun, and falling in love again and again. Relationships grow and change, but this love never grows old. Love ya Jill! Don't forget to check out the song, and I hope you enjoy. Also, shout out to my sister, Maria…happy birthday today! You are no longer a teenager...
Ross
(Sitting on the pier at Lake Pleasant)
I had just finished my first homework in songwriting class. It was an in-depth song analysis of Jay Sean’s new hit song at the time, "Down" (hilarious music video with dancing, a strange appearance by Lil’ Wayne, and light coming out of Jay Sean’s fingertips). The assignment was to pick a song and study its form, melodies, and lyrics. NO clue now why I picked that song; maybe I thought it would be funny. Suprisingly, I think I actually did end up learning something from it. I listened to the song so much of course, I knew the whole thing by heart. I wasn't a diehard listener of Top 40, so the fact that I actually knew this song cracked everyone up. I was into it: every time it came on the radio I pumped up that jam and even rapped Lil’ Wayne’s rap. The rest of the car quickly started to hate me. Jay’s song must have been pretty hot then, because the radio DJs kept playing "Down" about every 30 minutes. After about the fifth incredible rendition, laughter gave way to groans…except for Jill. She thought it was hilarious. Or at least I thought she did, but all I really remember is turning up the radio for the umpteenth time and seeing her smile and laugh. I was hooked. Here was my audience! Not only was she beautiful, Jill was as silly, if not sillier, than me. All of a sudden, something changed. I don’t know what happened, but there she was in my life, ready or not. I had been telling myself I wasn’t ready to go there, but it didn’t matter. Everything about her kept pulling me back, and it still is.
(Back in Nashville on my Craigslist sailboat)
Today marks four years of making Jill laugh, having too much fun, and falling in love again and again. Relationships grow and change, but this love never grows old. Love ya Jill! Don't forget to check out the song, and I hope you enjoy. Also, shout out to my sister, Maria…happy birthday today! You are no longer a teenager...
Ross