One of the best parts of going on the road....

....is coming back home.

We've made it. And, I think I can speak for everyone involved when I say that the first Tyler Ward European Tour of 2012 was (with a few very minor snafu's), a resounding success. Everybody's safe back at home and fighting off the effects of a 9-hour flight that only takes up four hours of your day.

I've written a lot in the past month about dreams coming true because this tour was an exceptionally big one for me. Not only did it mark my very first journey to the continent of Europe, but I got to do it in the name of performing music for thousands of fans. I'm not sure it gets much better than that.

But, now, I get to come back to the wonderful place I call home. It is an amazing experience to travel abroad, to see the world, to revel in its history and take in the sights and sounds and tastes of other cultures and countries. It is equally amazing to have the privilege of coming back to a place that is just as enchanting, not only because of the natural beauty of Colorado, but because of the wonderful people who populate it along with me. There is nothing as important in this world as people, and God has seen fit to bless me with tons of great ones everywhere I turn.

Taking in the River Wien.

So, Europe, thank you. Thank you for an incredible experience and some wonderful adventures. Thank you for being so hospitable, kind, and welcoming to our little rock band. Your sense of friendship was palpable pretty much everywhere we went, and you were exceedingly gracious with a bunch of guys that struggle to say "Thank you" properly in all your native languages.The shows were amazing experiences, both the big and the small, and the band feels like it has taken a large step forward in its live performance acumen. Fans came from as far away as Rio de Janeiro to see us play this month, and we could not be more humbled or honored by that kind of incredible support.

A huge thank you to all of the amazing people at Ramstein Air Base and for all that they are doing to help our own country fight global tyranny and terrorism. They absolutely deserve their very own blog post, but words fail me when I try to communicate just how special it was for us to be contacted by the military for an invitation to visit the combat hospital on the base and meet some injured troops on their way back home. It's exceedingly hard for my mind to comprehend how a rock band on its way up (haven't even made the radio yet!) would be so appreciated by the people who sacrifice so much for our way of life. I don't want to belittle what I do, because I believe there is purpose to it beyond just playing drums and I sense how special it is to the people that listen. But, what we do in the Tyler Ward Band is nothing compared to being shot at or blown up by insurgents and terrorists thousands of miles away from one's family. And to see the honor and the integrity with which these men handle themselves in the midst of their injuries - just wanting to get better so that they can rejoin their units back in the field - creates a feeling of gratitude and appreciation far beyond what I find myself able to communicate in writing. It has been a dream of mine to tour the world. It has been a dream of mine to see Europe. But, it has also been a dream of mine to work with the USO, and the opportunity to do so on this tour is something for which I will forever be grateful and a gift I'll never be able to repay.

And now, onto other things. It's time for me to walk my dog and take my wife out for fondue. It's time to get back into regular workouts and sleep schedules. It's time for baseball. It's time for me to meet my new nephew (the reason Drew couldn't come out with us on this tour). It's time to hook back up with other musicians outside of the Tyler Ward Band for some new and exciting projects. It's time for Tyler Ward to write and record his first full-length original release. It may, in fact, be time for me to start a whole new writing project myself (we'll see, we'll see). It's time for me to do all the things that will allow me to come back to Europe in the future, God-willing, with loads of new energy, new songs, new experiences, and new life to imbue into my drumming performances for all of our fans abroad. After all, what is music if not life communicated through an instrument?

So, once again, thank you, Europe. From all of us in the T-Ward camp. You made this last month a dream and a wonder for us, and we will remember it forever.