Sometimes, life does not go to plan…

Finding Our Grove: A Story About Life, Family and College Football

by James Gardner

Sometimes, life does not go to plan. Sometimes, things change in a heartbeat. Yes, sometimes life does the completely unexpected—and it is truly remarkable.

Finding Our Grove follows a small group of college football fanatics as they set out to visit a different college town each year. These trips—lovingly known as “guy trips”—initially began as a chance for the men of the family to spend a little more time together, while also enjoying a little more football.

Follow along, year by year and team by team, as these visitors experience, firsthand, college football’s most revered programs and traditions; learn about her most beloved names, mascots, and bands; and meet college football’s indomitable fans.

Praise for Gardner’s prior book, A Chance to Breathe…

  • "…a remarkable journey…an avalanche of information…[and]concise, thorough biographical sketches of the four main vagabonds."

    —Akron Beacon Journal

  • "A seminal work of meticulous historical research and a genuine flair for narrative driven, informative, and entertaining storytelling...all the more impessive when considering it is author James Gardner's debut as a published writer."

    —Midwest Book Review

  • "In the vein of Bill Bryson's One Summer In America, 1927, Gardner uses a little known fact about four seminal figures in American history to tell their stories, and the larger stories of America."

    —Peter Kageyama, Hunter's Point: A Novel of San Francisco

All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
— J.R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowhship of the Ring

Pee Wee 1.JPG
clemson after game.PNG
national.jpg
reunion.PNG
alabama.PNG
horned frog.jpg
Dan LSU.PNG
TCU game.jpg
the cedar porch.JPG

About James

James Gardner received his B.A. from The Ohio State University and his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University. As a practicing lawyer for more than thirty years, Jim is a passionate advocate for the disabled and those who have been injured. Penned as a love letter to his family and to the “guy trips,” Finding Our Grove is his second book. When not watching college football, he and his son are planning their next adventure and can’t wait to see you soon!

I’d love to hear from you!

You can reach me at: Jim@GardnerLawWC.com