Hello Friends, We thought we would let you be the first to catch your breath with us. Hope many of you enjoyed the year with us and it is looking like 2010 will be one just as full and fun, with more Hometown Opry, TV, Branson and maybe even travels to distances that will be just as exciting. Hang On!!

The year can be summed in three letters...WOW!

It was exciting to start the year off as a new homeowner and enjoying the skills of making it our home then the world found us.....and the race was on! We had a great year visiting ans singing for many of our friends and communities around the state from Franklin, Ne. with Melinda Feree to the Nursing Homes in Holdrege and Alma and Churches that were gracious enough to include us as entertaining guest. We enjoyed a trip to Omaha with the North Platte Blue Swing band, I was invited to be a guest on the Tom May River Folk Show in April and thought it only fitting to take some of my favorite musicians along, their music fits the bluegrass songs with a great twist in effects, we had a very nice time meeting Tom May and his new wife and his staff, the show was aired across the country on 150 stations and Sirius XM satellite radio throughout many months. From there without to many days to spare we were off to North Platte, Ne. to host and emcee the 2008 Nebraska Bluegrass Festival the talent there was beyond the prior years, it gets bigger and better with each visit along with the fun to be had with the entertainers. I was also led to find new adventures and friends through my own songs and being able to have my song "18 Wheels Roll On" published with Yet To Come Publishing and also have another song "Lines On The Highway" published in West Virginia, a song I co-wrote with my friend Cliff Abbott. Yet To Come contracted "18 Wheels Roll On" with Radio Active Airplay, a place that DJ's across the world go for new releases and music to play across the waves where artist and songwriters can be found and I am proud to be included on the charts and catalog with them. "18 Wheels Roll On" made it to #1 on the RAA charts for several weeks in 2009 it just kept rolling on.....up and down and still going! I was tickled to get my 1st royalty check...it is copied and framed. I am excited to finally, after all these years have all the hard work in this music world get noticed.

We traveled many many miles on the road to one of favorite spots "Branson" a couple times this year, the first time to meet the publishers and enjoy our honeymoon, yes Ms. B and I tied the knot and we plan to live happily ever after. There is a gathering of new friends in Branson that are now a big part of our hearts, they were so good to us with entertaining our honeymoon week and introcucing us to the Branson world of artist and songwriters, The Truckers Prayer Big Al's - #1 requested song by Sally Niner and Judy Morse, Julie Renee, D.K. and Sherrie Brewster , Randy Plummer, The Lakins and the list goes on including Gary S. and Vicki Sue Paxton, the writer and producer of thousands of hits throughout the years and getting to visit his archive of hundreds of original reels of music including "The Monster Mash".

The new friends of the Branson Singer Songwriter Association just consumed us with their love and friendship, they taught us what feeling "Welcome" really was about.

In "Awe" was the next three letter word we discovered in 2009. We returned to get the honor to host a tour of listening friends to the Bayard, Ne. Bluegrass Festival, we enjoyed horseshoes, great food cooked on the open fires at the Oregon Trail Wagon Train, of course I showed off my Big Al apron and Miss B got her chuckles and we enjoyed the best of relaxation and music in the open air, we visited Chimney Rock and just had a Great time and conversation with our traveling friends. One of the highlights of my year was a call from a listener a "Big Hearted Trucker" that lives in Montana who siad he had heard Big Al many times on Sirius XM and throughout the country and Canada and loved the Bluegrass and Americana Gospel programs and wanted to give me a gift, to me it was a honor to receive the gift of a family hierloom, he wanted to make sure went to someone he knew would appreciate his keepsake and I was honored to receive that title. It is a beautiful 1950's model mandolin with its case and has an old time tube and leather cased amplifier, it is a treasure to my heart and is proudly displayed in my studio as a reminder that others also love the music and have the passion to care for and preserve it. This special hierloom might find it's way to the stage with me someday, for all to enjoy.

As many know Miss B and I got married in July and hope to enjoy many more adventures, we thought we had three good years behind us and 30 to go, but the year was only half over we had already was seeing ourselves coming and going, we had the pleasure of performing with Les Gilliam, raising thousands of dollars for the Kosmos Children Museum with The Platters from Branson, a fundraiser for the Lexington Grand Generation Center with The Yearys - Sweethearts of Branson, enjoyed having Jim Salestrom with his John Denver tributes in the studio and other special guest in studio this year were Lorraine Worth-Sweetheart of the Sandhills and the Lexington's Living Waters Quintet, and Bailey Wilton-our little Kansas canary just to name a few. In December we gathered many sponsors along with Bailey Wilton, Living Waters Quintet, Luke Weekley and myself, KRVN's Ken Rahjes and Miss B hosted and created the Hometown Opry with the great show we gathered a pickup load of food for the Community Action Partnership Food Bank and got the pleasure of delivering a family that was nominated a nice christmas dinner and gifts on christmas eve. The Blizzard of the year hit us that day and made the day a hard one but we still prevailed with many braving the storm, it can be seen on our hometown TV channel so many have got to enjoy the show and we are looking forward to doing another soon.

The last part of the year was "Speechless" and went so quick "how the time can fly when your having fun" . As if the year hadn't been great enough "The Best Was Yet To Come" once more we made many miles to Branson as I was asked to Co-Host the Branson Gospel Singer Songwriter Associtaion Awards Banquet....WOW... right along with Charles Brady, now I am sweating! It was an exhausting trip as first we enjoyed the Branson Gospel Singer Songwriter Praise Gathering with talent that was just amazing and the rest of the weekend was with the Branson Gospel Singer Songwriter Seminar where I was asked to be on the panel for a professional radio prospective, along with Gary S. Paxton-Artist, D.K. and Sherrie Brewster-Publishers & Producers and Charles Brady- Caraway Media Group. It was a full house of songwriters and singers and much was learned and shared . Then another day of awesome events with the Awards Banquet, what an awsome event the Yet To Come Productions/BGSSA put together to recognize the singers and songwriters in the organization, if that wasn't awsome enough a surprise came our way when they called my name, I became the 2009 inductee and only the fourth Honorary Lifetime Member along with Dottie Rambo, Charles Brady, Karen Peck and New River, I was given a beautiful glass flame award and a lot of love in that day. Miss B and I also recieved the Branson Gospel Helping Hand Award.

Of course in our travels to Branson Miss B and I always tried to make the last day time a few antique shops and for a walk in Silver Dollar City and a few Rollar Coaster rides...as if the year wasn't a roller coaster for us already! We Loved and Enjoyed every up and down moment.

Looking forward to a Great 2010, if 2009 is any indication of what's to come in 2010 our year will be filled with friendship, love and music and we hope all of you will continue to join us.

Your Friends, Big Al n B [:D]