First Project M Post

So, over at the Project M website (found here) we are encouraged to blog about the experience. I thought I would share my first one here as well :)

"The Great Outdoors"

Here we go! I am so excited to be a part of this season of Project M. This week's meeting was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed meeting and spending some time with the other contestants. The impromptu after-party at O'Grady's was particularly enjoyable! I look forward to not only spending the next few weeks with these guys, but also the connections and friendships that are sure to bloom.

Our first challenge actually got me pretty excited. Earth Day... I have always been a nature nerd :P As I thought about this first challenge, I started remembering everything from reading "Your Big Backyard" and "Ranger Rick" when I was a child to camping as a teenager--especially recalling the times I would spend with my grandfather in the woods of central Wisconsin.

I was born and raised on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, but my grandparents lived in Ripon, WI. I'd come up and visit every summer! My grandfather owned a couple tree farms up near Princeton, and we'd make sure we spent plenty of time there. He taught me almost everything I know about the outdoors and our stewardship of this planet. A lifetime member of the Sierra Club, he was personally instrumental in acquiring some of the land used in Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail. He has always been a hero of mine, and I feel like this challenge is the perfect topic to dedicate to my Grandpa, Joe Mills. I hope you enjoy the song half as much as I have enjoyed this unique trip down memory lane :)

-Josh