Yeah, playing anywhere from three to five gigs a week definitely [helped]. I think all the practice throughout the years and doing what I do paid off.

I think it has a lot to do with determination. I treat people the way I want to be treated and believe if you work hard you can have the things you want in life.

But whatever the Lord throws at me right now, I think I've been given more blessings than I ever deserved. If he wants to top it off with anything - boy, girl - I would love either of them.

I'd like to expand on doing what I love and venture out a bit more. I would like to play consistantly good music. Eventually someday I would like to open up a school and teach kids about music.

Obviously everybody knows that I'm an original songwriter and I got my band. And the guys in Sugar Money, no matter what, are part of my family and they always got something to do with me, and I don't care if they just hang out with me.

I'm not trying to be evasive, but when I say yes and no, I say 'yes' because there are narrow-minded people that won't look past the logo and 'no' because 'American Idol' put me in front of millions of people and I would not have a career without 'Idol.

I'd like to teach kids how to write songs. This will be my first year so I'm just as green as some of the rest of the folks. It's like a music camp and I get to hang out with some of the past contestants.