Andy and I met when we were rising seniors in high school, and we spent years at James Madison University together, remaining close friends ever since. So we’re talking about almost 30 years of history between the two of us. As such, I’ll be posting different videos, stories, or pictures along the way. Enjoy.

YOUNG LIFE CAMP

SPRING BREAK
Your dad and I once took a spring break trip we proudly called the “Tour of the South.” It started off a little rough—my tooth broke the day before I left—but we powered through anyway.

Our first big stop was Memphis, Tennessee. It was a Sunday night, so Beale Street was pretty laid-back. All we knew was that we wanted to go to B.B. King’s Blues Club, and that’s exactly where we ended up. I don’t remember much about the food—other than fried pickles, which were very exciting back then—but the music was unforgettable. We saw Preston Shannon perform, and later James Cotton joined in on harmonica. It was the perfect night: great music, the right vibe, exactly what we were hoping for. We stayed in a pretty terrible little hotel, but it honestly didn’t matter.

From there, we stopped in Jackson, Mississippi to stay with some friends of mine, and then headed down to New Orleans. One moment I’ll never forget was sitting in Slidell, Louisiana at this cool little restaurant. Your dad ordered soup, and I remember thinking, Soup? Really? From that moment on, I basically goaded him for the next 25 years to order soup wherever we went for dinner.

We spent time perusing around the French Quarter and went to the House of Blues, where we saw Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone play—super cool show. At one point, a homeless guy approached us selling flowers, and somehow I convinced your dad to buy a whole bunch. He was… not thrilled about that decision.

Eventually, we drove back home, stopping near Atlanta along the way. Looking back, it was my first truly epic road trip with friends, and I’m really glad I got to share it with your dad.

UP FOR ANYTHING
Andy was the perfect partner in crime in college and the early after years. He was YES to any and everything. Let’s try this new restaurant…. Sure. Let’s go see this concert….. okay. Let’s go hang out with these random people…. yep. Let’s see this movie….. No Problem.

So many of my memories of him are just being there so I could experience life with someone else by my side. As we grew older and started are families, those experiences disappeared, as they were supposed to.

Some of the things that stick with me most
– Aerosmith Concert – Richmond Classic Ampitheater 1997
– Big Bad Voodoo Daddy – 930 Club 1998
– Kenny Wayne Shepherd – Trax 2000
– Cast of Mighty Wind – 930 Club 2003
– Syracuse at Georgetown Men’s Basketball – 2003
– Multiple Dinner Dates at Awful Arthurs Seafood in Charlottesville – Always the FISH Sandwich

The thing I loved most was that Andy just fit in everywhere, but the place I loved the most was with my crazy family. I have no way to describe the Sadler clan, especially in the late 90’s / early 00’s other than “WE WERE A LOT” This was before Andy really found his voice. He would come, sit, and smile. It wasn’t an innocnet smile. He loved all of the craziness and drama AND Mom’s good cooking.

Even better was that Andy didn’t mind whether I was there or not. Andy found a home with my folks. Rumor is that he even crashed my house to watch a NBA playoff game with my dad who undoubtedly passed out halfway through the game.