Life in Mitchell, SD

Church on Sunday turned out to be just what I needed after a long 2 weeks of shows everyday, sometimes twice a day. The music moved me to tears, and the people sitting around us treated us like family...and they were even encouraging to us in what we did for a living! I had been secretly hoping that they would have a potluck afterwards that we could partake in, guiltily, just for the sake of forgoing our ritual turkey sandwich lunch, but alas, the long line in the front room, was for cookies and coffee. And, the 28th turkey sandwich we ate for this tour.

We arrived in Mitchell, SD (home of Dakota Wesleyan University) in time to go to the grocery store and make dinner in our hotel room. The plan for dinner was originally to have a rotisserie chicken with spaghetti and broccoli on the side, however they were out of rotisserie chickens. So, I decided that I'd buy some ground turkey to make some protein heavy pasta sauce...only then to find that the family-owned grocery store in Mitchell, South Dakota does not sell ground turkey (I'm not sure why I was surprised by this in the moment). That is when I realized that dinner was going to be even better than I thought...they had fresh ground beef from a local farm! So, beef it was...2 pounds for the hungry boys.

Hotel room cooking...


While wandering around the grocery store, I was excited to see they sold Aseltine's Apple Cider...which is made down the street from where my parents live in Comstock Park, MI!


We didn't have to drive anywhere on Monday, so we decided to make a picnic and find a park to eat at...and play Rummikub (it's starting to be ranked up there with Scrabble...but don't worry, Scrabble still wins). I went to the grocery store (again), only this time to find a whole rotisserie oven lined with chickens. I bought one and brought it back to the hotel room to make an Asian Chicken Salad for lunch. The only problem, is that I (like most people) can't cut onions without crying...that is when Ryan dug into my bag and found the solution...


You may (or may not) have just noticed that I am wearing the same shirt in both pictures taken two days in a row...it is true, I pretty much wear the same thing everyday...I love having a simple wardrobe of two pairs of pants and 4 shirts. And, the great thing is that no one ever even notices that I'm wearing the same thing because we are surrounded by new people everyday. And, Ryan is too oblivious to even know what he is wearing right now to care what I am wearing (a quality I love about him!), and Cameron...well he's too busy still checking himself out in the mirror to bother notice what anyone else is wearing. :)

After our picnic and game of Rummikub, we headed for the infamous "Corn Palace" that everyone had been telling us about, and that Mitchell is supposedly "famous" for. We were pretty intrigued by the idea of a corn palace and had high expectations of the tourist attraction. Yet upon seeing it we just looked at each other and asked, "Why on earth did they make this thing?" It's basically a building decorated with murals made out of ears of corn that they change every year. The inside of the building...is a gymnasium used for DWU's basketball games and graduation. Luckily there was a sweet old woman inside who was able to answer our question of why the corn palace came into existence: They built it 3 years after SD became a state simply to attract tourism. The palace takes 100 acres of farming and $130,000 to decorate every year! That's a whole lot of mouths that could be fed! But, it is doing just what it intended...as we entered in as tourists along with about 20 others that day.

Day Off!

Last night was our 15th show in 13 days without a break...and today...we relax! The weather for the entire 13 days was gorgeous...nothing but blue skies and crisp fall air. The run of shows went really well...and ended with a bang at St. Olaf College! The room was a total rockin' concert venue with lights, a great sound system...and even a green room with delicious food! Those things are all great, and make the show really fun, but what really makes for a fantastic show, is the crowd...and they definitely came through and were totally engaged and connected...it was such a nice way to end a looong couple of weeks.

Right now we are driving to a Vineyard Church that we found mid-way between where we were last night and where we are staying tonight (Mitchell, SD). We are very excited to have the day off and be near a church we like so much!

Videos!

If any one is interested in watching clips of the tour, Ryan has been doing a video blog that you can check out at: www.ryanhood.com/video

Select Inn goes Super 8

It has the same rooms, the same pillows, the same checkered carpet, the same everything as last week, but now...a different name. I am certain the simple name change added an odor and haze to each of the rooms, therefore making me feel as if I am somehow getting less for my money. (Actually, the college is paying for it and not us...yet I'm still equally concerned about them getting the most for their dollar.)

Lake Michigan is even in Milwaukee!

While afternoon shows definitely don't have the "glamor" of evening shows, we are learning many added benefits...namely, we have our evenings free! We've been in the Milwaukee area for about a week now, and I am really enjoying all it has to offer.

*First of all, who knew that Lake Michigan was in Milwaukee too?? I had no idea! (I am constantly flabbergasted as I learn the geography of the United States while zig zagging across the country! :) We spent a late afternoon on the lake watching the waves lap in and feeling the spray on our faces...there is something so refreshing about hearing water, feeling the sun, and breathing in autumn air.

*They have Walgreens on every corner here too! (Tucson's Walgreens are equivalent to Boston's Dunkin' Donuts). And, we just so happened to find a spider man playground ball for $1.99 at Walgreens to play in the pool with. (The game, for all those who are looking for a new pool game...is that you can't touch the bottom of the pool while catching or throwing the ball)...very fun, and a great workout at the same time.

*We have seen the first signs of FALL with beautiful trees and their changing leaves!

*We found the Goodwill of all Goodwills today just outside of Milwaukee...it's such a landmark that the Student Activities Director at the school we played at this afternoon suggested it as something we do (along with a museum, movie theater, and ice skating rink)...this Goodwill ranks high. And, it definitely provided for us! We had been looking for the game Rummikub, and there it was on their shelf for only $1.99! We also got a couple of other board/trivia games to play in the car, a pair of pants for me, workout shorts and pajama pants for Ryan...all for the low low price of $20!

*We cooked dinner in our hotel room tonight...but unfortunately the hot plate was a little too hot and the base of it cracked the glass of the coffee table it was on...eeks! Thankfully we are staying at a Doubletree, and they are taking good care of us and said there was no charge for our incidental!!...thanks Doubletree!

random thoughts while driving through wisconsin on a sunny day...

When living a sort of "non-traditional" life, people often say things to make conversation that to them seem perfectly reasonable, but when it's something you've heard a gagillion times, it starts to feel judgmental and heavy, and instead becomes a total conversation stopper. I wish I didn't respond in this way, but rather had the patience to explain my point of view and experience and the fact that we do what we do, because we love it and feel that it is what we were made for.

Things we hear on a very regular basis...

"So what's your real job?" often complemented with... "My friend (son, brother, uncle, sister, etc) plays guitar too, I mean (s)he has a real job as well--(s)he's a lawyer--but (s)he plays in a band for fun."

--This is our "real job", and we feel totally blessed that we are able to do this full-time and be on the road together.


"You might as well do this while you're young and don't have any children."

--We plan on doing this for as long as God wants us to and provides the opportunity for us to do so. When we have children, we plan on bringing them on the road too, and doing road-school. I am excited for the field trips we'll be able to take the kids on, the learning that comes from seeing the world and the ways in which different people live (both in and outside of the US), and all of the benefits that come with being a family unit together, instead of being separated because of work.


"So Abby, are you like their groupie?"

--Yes, I am there number one groupie and fan...and I can often be spotted sharing a hotel room with the guy with a red guitar! :) I also do their booking, tour managing and accounting (on the side, of course).


"How can you stand to be together 24/7?"

--We got married because we love each other and love spending time together!


"I hear hotels have a problem with bedbugs."

--This may be true, however we haven't had a problem with it yet, please don't give me nightmares by suggesting this! I kid you not, I spent one night itching all night after someone said this, and the following morning I looked under the mattress pad to see if I could see any sign of them...so far so good, no bedbugs that I've seen, and no bedbug bites. Also, a friend just reported to me that most households have bedbugs, unless you are faithful to vacuuming your mattress.


"I hear drinking water from different areas of the country can give you a lot of GI issues."

--So can not drinking water, eating out too much, flying in a plane, eating too many prunes, running on a hot day, not eating enough prunes, having the flu, etc. I'd like to report that our GI systems are all in great working condition, thanks for your genuine concern. :)


All joking aside, we really do love talking about life on the road, and appreciate your interest in asking us questions...I just thought I'd help by answering some of the questions we get asked regularly, and perhaps put your wondering mind to rest. :)

Chicago 1/2 Marathon!

Covered in rain (supposedly 10 inches over the course of the weekend!!), the race went on! It was a humid morning with cold rain, not so bad for the actual running part...but the fact that puddles had accumulated and therefore feet were feeling heavy and squishy...the conditions were well, quite memorable. :) It was fun to be in the great company of friends running, and also cheering!



Natalie and Megan...


Kerry and Ryan...


Ryan's wet feet...


Feeling chilly!

Albion dear Albion!

Last night RH played at Albion college to a great crowd of about 100 students! I just love that place so much, and going back makes me so nostalgic. It was my dad's birthday, so we had a birthday dinner at Lopez Taco House before the show to make our Albion experience complete...followed by frozen yogurt at the Eat Shop after the show of course. Happy Birthday Dad!!...thanks for allowing me to go to such a great school!

A beautiful week in the land of 10,000 lakes!

We are just finishing up a week of touring in Minnesota. It has been gorgeous fall-like weather with blue skies for most of the week! And, we've been pleasantly surprised with a lot of great shows.

We started off the week on the St. Croix River visiting our friend Cori...








Ma and Pa Ingall's would have approved our accommodations...

Week 3!

This past weekend we were once again reminded of how wonderful it is to see familiar faces we know while on the road, and what great friends and family we have!

Megan and kids, Natalie, and Kerry all made the drive from Chicago to come to the show and hang out with us in Milwaukee!


Callum enjoying watermelon...



On our day off, I drove near Gurnee, IL to see Kelly and her family...




Kate having some tummy time...wanting desperately to get her arm out of the way to roll onto her back!



And for the past three nights, Ryan and I stayed with my mom's cousin Joe and his wife Nancy (my first cousin, once removed, as I learned). They are a very sweet couple in their early 70s who love to spend time with each other, eating oatmeal in the cookie form on Sundays for breakfast, studying genealogy, and Obama! We had a wonderful time meeting them and getting to really know them.