Our friend Heather from Tucson made Ryan and Cameron "tie t-shirts"...the amount of time and intricacy blows me away. The letter boxes are all attached to the shirt still...she only cut away where you see the stripes sticking through. Ryan's shirt reads, "The Maestro" and Cameron's reads, "Mr. Passion" (sorry, Cameron was unavailable for the photo)...
Cameron gifted Ryan with Super Scrabble for his birthday! Now our games can be twice as long, and our point totals reach the 800s! For those of you into Scrabble, Super Scrabble has more triple word score squares as well as added quadruple letter and quadruple word squares! There are also twice as many tiles...now you can play those words that have two z's, etc!
And, Ryan's new pull-up bar that rests over doorways...you may have seen the infomercial for it, THE IRON GYM. That's right ladies and gentleman, we no longer need to leave our hotel room to get super fit! In all honesty, it's pretty great actually. You can do pull-ups while it's in the door way, or if you put it on the ground you can do dips or sit-ups with it.
We are staying with Cameron's grandparents in Bloomington, IL for a few days. They are absolutely wonderful to stay with...as we try to come by whenever we are in the area. They are totally with it, love to hang out and talk, and also give us as much space as we like to do whatever we want, as well as come and go as we please. Their 10 year old granddaughter, Meredith, spent two of the nights while we were here. She's an only child, and acts like a small adult. For example, the first time that I came with Ryan and Cameron to visit his grandparents, Meredith took Ryan aside on her own to say (please read in your best old lady accent), "Ryan, I can't believe you are married...when did this happen?" She's an absolute riot to have around. To her dismay, we had to spend the entire next day at the conference...but when we got home at 12:30am that night, she had this cute note waiting for us... It was so sweet to read, knowing that she'd be up at 7am waiting for us, yet she was willing to write "take as long as you like".
This past weekend we were in Peoria, IL at a NACA (National Association of Campus Activities) conference for midwest colleges to book their spring entertainment. Ryan and Cameron were in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the first 2 days of the conference, so I was there on my own to represent. Thousands of college students were in attendance, and hundreds of performers were there to woo them in. The showcases all took place in a gorgeous theater. I had my "usual place to sit" in the theater, and afterwards I would usually go directly across the hall to the Ladies room before returning to the expo center. Well, for one of the showcases someone was in my "usual seat" so I ended up going down two rows and finding a seat there. After the showcase ended, I continued my routine of going across the hall to the bathroom before returning to the expo center. However, this time I entered the bathroom and was hit by an overwhelming smell of urine..."that's funny, I don't remember that from before...", I thought to myself as I ventured in. I also pondered that I had remembered the bathroom being much cuter...you know, the little couch and mirror in the "foyer" to the actual bathroom area, but I just blew it off thinking that I had been in a lot of different bathrooms over the past week's adventures of hotels, colleges, etc. and that I must be thinking of the wrong place. It wasn't until I was ALL THE WAY into the bathroom that I realized that there were very few stalls, and a whole wall of urinals!! ACK...moving a couple of rows down in the theater meant coming out there door directly across from the MENS bathroom! Luckily, there were no men IN the bathroom, but because I waited until the showcase was over to go to the bathroom, it meant that THOUSANDS of college students were streaming out the doors directly across from the mens bathroom, and I would for sure be seen exiting. So, I walked out quickly, head down, cheeks reddening, as I walked up three short stairs to the ladies room...where it smelled of potpourri and had it's cute little sofa waiting for me.
Ryan left last Tuesday to resume the tour, and I will join him come Monday. I must say that it is definitely easier to be home while he is away, than in a random state while he is away. At least while I'm here I can busy myself by doing random household things, visit with friends and family, etc.
Today though, was kind of my breaking point...all I wanted to do was figure out a way to teleport myself to Wisconsin to be with him! But, alas, I remained in Tucson...and it turned out to be a pretty good day!
This morning Grammie came over for lunch. We had soup and salad on the back patio. Although it is still hot in the sun here, the shade provides a great breeze. And, since it starts getting hot later in the day, I hadn't really planned my laundry duty too well, and well, the clothes were still drying on the line while we ate lunch...which might not seem like a big deal, until you see where our clothes line is in our backyard...we were pretty much "fenced" in on the patio with clothes blocking our mountain view. Oh well, the company was great, and anything to make Grammie give a belly laugh is worth it. :)
Then, I went to Ginger's funeral at the pet cemetery. Ginger was Gary, Mary, and Rachel's dog for the past 12 years, but died a couple of weeks ago from cancer. And, it just so happens that there is a pet cemetery right next to where Gary is buried. Originally Mary just planned on having Ginger buried there with a little headstone, but a funeral service comes with the package...so 6 of us went this afternoon to share our memories of Ginger. It was actually a cool ceremony. The woman leading it, read a children's book which she then gave to Rachel, recited a poem about pets, and also read an obituary that they wrote up about Ginger. All in all it was about 15 minutes long. I couldn't help but noticing on my way out that there were "family plots". At first I thought, "Gosh they have lost a lot of pets"...in my head thinking cats, dogs, etc. But then I read closer and they were for fish, gerbils, rats, etc...I kind of wish I could've met that family. :)
I often eat pretty random stuff when Ryan is gone (a can of soup, tuna out of the can, cheese, ...no real meal ever), but tonight was great!! Carne asada, salad, and leftover soup from lunch this afternoon.
After dinner, I took a great bike ride out Old Spanish Trail, and finished heading west looking out at the gorgeous sunset! I wish I would've brought my camera with me! But I thought the responsible thing to do was bring my cell phone, and well, I didn't have room to carry both. But here is a pre-ride photo...
A friend of mine just wrote a blog post with "pet peeve" in the title, and it reminded me of a post I had thought to do a while ago, but never got around to it...
So, apparently I am often "that person" who does what it is that soo annoys you! This has only become known to me recently when I've been part of discussions where people are stating their pet peeves, and I realize, that I do what they are talking about!! Only, I never realized anyone was annoyed by it...oops! When in these conversations, I never know if I should sheepishly admit to it, or be defensive that clearly there is nothing wrong with the action that has taken place. If you know me well, I usually just start laughing in awkward situations, so luckily that has taken care of the problem both times this has occurred.
Pet Peeve Confessions:
#1--I love getting on the plane, waiting until it takes off and I can once again lower my tray table, and then pulling out my dinner (usually with some sort of strong aroma) and eating it. I view this as waiting until I can really enjoy the meal and not be stressed out about making my connection, etc. Apparently though, this is really annoying to have to smell someone else's dinner in such a confined space...sorry!
#2--Well, I never realized that the reason why there is frequently paper towel all ready to tear is because someone took the time to do that before they washed there hands as to not re-contaminate with germs. I on the other hand see a lingering paper towel ready to be torn from the dispenser and use it...and then I'm out the door and on my merry way, totally oblivious to the fact that someone was probably giving me dirty looks the whole time I was drying my hands...oops!
Those are the only two I can think of right now...but I'm sure you will all post comments now and remind me of the gagillion other things I do that annoy you...please forgive me! :)
I haven't done a whole lot of RH work since we arrived home a week and a half ago. In fact, I think the only RH work I've done is email a few schools and make a deposit at the bank (unfortunately our bank is hard to come by in the midwest). So, today I decided to spend some time mapping out the last month of the tour, since the ideal time to buy flights was a month ago...and the prices are only going to increase...oops...I made myself book all the remaining flights today instead of cringing each day as I re-check the prices. The last week of the tour involves RH flying in to do shows in Montana and North Dakota before returning home...and during that time The Green Machine and I will be making our cross-country trek from NYC to Tucson. Anyone up for a road trip? Or perhaps you need to get to point b. from point a. but didn't know how you were going to get there? (Given that points a and b are between NYC and Tucson.) The dates I'll be driving are November 16-21st. Please feel free to join me for the whole trip, or just a portion...seriously...this is an honest to goodness invite...I'd love the company!! :)
Remember that magazine I was talking about a while back, Relevant? Well, I'm still loving it and requesting Chris and Melissa's back issues after they finish reading. Relevant recently turned me onto a website called Rosa Loves. It's a website that sells custom designed t-shirts to raise money for specific people or causes.
I know I don't have children yet, but I am one of those people who like to plan ahead and do research, and recently was introduced by Eileen to gdiapers. They are a hybrid between cloth and disposable diapers. You can flush them down the toilet, compost them, or throw them in the trash because they totally break down in about 90 days. And, they have really cute diaper covers with a little "g" on the butt...perfect for the last name "Green"! :)
I guess there are only two new website favorite finds...I thought I was going to have a list of them. Oh well...there they are. Have a great night!
This past Sunday was just one of those days where I felt so much love pouring in and pouring out. I couldn't have smiled more, cried more (joyful tears, of course), or felt more like we were living right where we are supposed to be. (This last one is a good reminder for me as I am often longing for the Boston T.)
The morning started out with arriving at church and seeing our Congo friends (whom didn't know we were in town visiting, and also whom don't normally go to the same church as us). They were seated right by the door and immediately there was a huge hugging fest, with bright smiles and laughter. It was honestly the best "welcome home" anyone could have ever given or received. I am not going to write it off as impossible, but I don't think Americans could have given the same greeting...it's as if they have an innocence about them that we don't have...their range of emotions are just so much greater and they aren't afraid to jump up and down even when they are "grown-ups" because they are so excited to see someone or share some news! The room was just filled with so much joy because of their presence.
After church we had lunch with Ryan's mom, sister, step-mom, and half-sister. I feel so lucky to be part of a blended family that is truly blended and love each other and spend time together.
We met up with our friends Ben and Heather for a mid-afternoon coffee date to chat and share what has been going on in life.
And then we topped the evening off hanging out with our friends David, Eileen and Kaia for more chatting and gaming (p.s. my new favorite game might be Portrayal).
I guess the day could have been looked at as booked to the brim, or even as mundane hanging out with people...but it wasn't either of those...it was just totally filled with smiles and feeling loved.
I am not a very good birthday person. In fact, I'm not a very good gift person. Gifts are not my "love language" I guess you could say. Ryan always comes up with fun and creative things, such as Little House on the Prairie themed dinner party, mountain biking excursions, etc. So when it came to "planning" Ryan's birthday this year, I got very excited when I had an idea of what "the perfect gift" would be, as well as a surprise date to go on! It just so happened that Weezer was playing at the Arizona State Fair the night of his birthday!
One of my favorite parts about the concert was that for their last two songs, they had winners of a local radio station contest "Who can jam with Weezer" join them on the stage to play whatever instrument they brought. 35 people joined them and jammed out on everything from the flute to a xylophone to a didgerydoo (sp??)...it was awesome!
Perhaps I should have thought more about the fact that I am totally scared of roller coaster/fair rides, and Ryan loves them, before taking him to a concert at a massive state fair where the temptation to go on a ride would be very likely. I couldn't make him go on a ride by himself...so the Mega Drop it was! The good thing about the Mega Drop is that a.) they harness you in, so there is no changing your mind once you are on and b.) it is over pretty fast, so I didn't totally lose my voice from screaming since it was only about 15 seconds worth of "falling".
It was great night with lots of fun memories! Happy Birthday Ryan!
Our time in Tucson has gone by fast, as expected, but definitely worth the trip.
We've gotten to have some fun time with Ryan's sisters...
See Melissa's growing belly...
Celebrate Ryan's birthday with his family...
Hike with "Flat Stanley" and my friend Lori... (Flat Stanley is a paper cut-out that my nephew, Roger, mailed me...his class is trying to learn about all the places Flat Stanley goes, so he'll be making frequent appearances on my blog for a while...
We were at Walgreens to get a prescription and while waiting for it to get filled, remembered that Ryan needed a temporary mouth guard to prevent him from grinding his teeth at night. I looked around, found a mold-able guard, and went back over the prescription counter. Unfortunately they weren't able to fill the script because of insurance chaos, so we decided we'd just come back for it at a later time. I then slipped the mouth guard into my purse (totally unaware of my actions), and proceeded to leave the store. The door beeped at me, and I looked at Ryan wondering why it beeped when we didn't even buy anything, and continued to keep walking. That is when Ryan asked me if I paid for the mouthguard? Oh yeah...the mouthguard that is in my purse, unpurchased...oops! Don't worry, I do have a conscious, we went back in and paid for the mouthguard, the clerk totally unphased by the fact that I almost shoplifted. :)
It feels soo good to be home! Unfortunately this phrase was first said last night while I was sick with the flu...so good to be home and in my own bed while sick, yet also the last place I want to be sick since I actually know people in this town!! :) But, I am feeling much better today!
I was at the grocery store this afternoon and realized how it's the little things that make Tucson home.
It's the peanut butter press (? I'm not sure that it's actually called a 'press', but it seems appropriate I guess) at Sunflower Market...
And, getting to go to the meat shop where they offer to make hamburger patties for me so I don't have to dirty my hands (not that I really mind).
Before I write Steven's story, I realized that I forgot to mention in my original Bitone post that another item I want to focus on collecting to bring over is mosquito nets!
Steven's Story...as told by Steven in a local language and translated for the newsletter. My name is Steven Kyobe and I came from the street. To come to the street my parents had died of AIDS and I was the only child at home with nothing to eat. And when I reached the street I found there many children who had different characters and many of them used to steal people's properties. So I decided to get one friend so that he could help me to get what to eat. I got a friend and his name was Herbert. He had some "tins" he used to play with and he also trained me how to play the tins. So one day my friend had gone to steal and I remained alone on the street playing my tins and two men came towards me and gave me sweets and told me that I should go with them because the sound of the tins I used to play from the tins was good and interesting. But as I was talking with them, my friend Herbert came back and asked me what those men were telling me. I was fed up with being on the street, so I accepted to go with them. After one month when I was in Bitone Children's Home, I found out that the situation was good and I went back for my friend when I was looking good and smart. Good enough my friend was also attracted to come to Bitone. We are now living at Bitone home and we are so happy that we were saved. We can dance, sing and even play music instruments which are very good. I thank God and I discourage children most especially those with talents from going to the street that one time God will remember them since he is their Creator. Lord I don't know how I can thank you, but thank you!
I love that feeling of having someone to look forward to...the stomach twists and turns that leave you feeling so excited you just don't know what to do and you end up busying yourself to make the time pass by more quickly. After having had two days to wander around Green Bay on my own...I was very much looking forward to picking up Ryan from the airport this evening! I went grocery shopping this morning, checked into the new hotel, cooked dinner on the hot plate (and put it in the fridge to make for a quick dinner prep this evening so all we would need is the microwave), considered going for a run, but took a bath instead...and then finally left for the airport! Somehow even though I was so excited, I still ended up being late so Ryan was out on the curb waiting for me when I arrived...oops...I don't know how that happened! We drove back to the hotel, ate our fancy dinner in tupperware down in the lobby, played a game of scrabble and then decided we needed to "get out". Our first plan was to go see a movie at the cheap theater, but the viewings were limited, so we decided to cough over the full price and saw "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist". I give it an "A"...very cute! Nick is the character from "Juno", another movie I also really liked. So, for those of you who aren't in Green Bay this weekend, I recommend going to see "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist"...and for those of you in Green Bay (which I don't actually think there are any of you that read this...), come to the RH show at Cup O' Joy! :)
Afosian's Story - as told by Afosian in a local language and translated for the newsletter.
**please be warned that Afosian's story is slightly graphic...**
My name is Afosian Joan. I am from war affected areas of Uganda (Gulu). It was one night when we were sleeping and the rebels attacked our home. They killed my father and they cut off my mother's breasts. Rebels did not kill me because they did not see me and I survived like that. I cried till morning and nobody could help me..when it came to evening time...a mother took me in, but after two months she turned against me and she told me that she no longer had money to look after me...so I decided to work in a nearby shop. I used to go to that shop every day and mop it and I even mopped all the verandas. There was a man who used to come to that shop everyday and he used to find me when mopping. So one day he came and asked, "Young girl don't you go to school?" and I answered him that I don't go to school and explained to him what had happened to me. He asked me whether I wanted to go to school and said he would pay my school fees. I was so excited about that! He then asked me whether I could dance and I told him that I could, so he brought me home to live at Bitone. And, that man was Branco. (Branco is the founder and director of Bitone).
It's been almost a day and a half since I dropped Ryan off at the airport...and already, I'm missing him like crazy! It doesn't seem to matter how much time we get to spend together every day, how long we've been married, or having had spent longer stretches of time apart in the past...I still miss him. I don't even have anything new to say, I'm still wearing the same outfit I was wearing when I saw him last (remember, I don't change my clothes? :), but still I am very very excited to get to pick him up from the airport in about 16 hours! :)
In just a little over two months Ryan and I will be leaving for our trip to Uganda! In addition to living with Liz's family and being apart of Charlene's baptismal ceremony, we will be spending some time at an orphanage called "Bitone".
Bitone was founded in 2004 by a native Ugandan, Branco, in his mid-20's. He is still the current director and runs the orphanage out of a rented home where he can accommodate up to 25 children.
The orphanage for 8-18 year olds whose MISSION is to restore the lives and hopes of Ugandan children who are traumatized by the death of their parents or loss of their home due to disease, war, or economic hardship.
Their VISION is to do this by providing basic food and shelter, a nurturing environment, counseling, an academic education combined with a unique and strong performance program of traditional Ugandan dance, music, and theater, the children’s lives can again become meaningful and joyful.
Over the next couple of days, I will be posting some of the children's stories of how they came to live at Bitone so you can get to know who we will be working with more.
Here is a youtube video with performance and interviews from Bitone!
Bitone is a very organized non-profit and has a list of specific needs. We are going to try to collect some of these things, and money to go towards larger items they are in need of to bring over with us when we visit in December/January. If you would like to contribute in any way, please let us know, or feel free to mail items to our home (email me at abby@ryanhoodmusic.com if you need our home address)..thank you!!
Twin-size bedding for the bunkbeds and toiletries are two things that I want to focus on collecting to bring over...but feel free to look at the full list and see if there is something that catches your eye! Please don't feel any obligation to give anything...I just wanted to share with you another aspect of our trip that we are excited about!
(I was going to shorten their needs list and only include items I thought would be easiest for people to contribute in some way, but I realized that some of you may have connections to items I would have deleted...so the full list follows...)
BITONES SPECIFIC NEEDS:
1.Rent: Rent for Bitone Center is gradually becoming a challenge. At the moment Bitone pays over $315 every month including water and electricity bills.
2.Nutrition: Bitone seeks to make improvements, so that all children at the Center can maintain a balanced diet. Currently, the daily diet includes maize flour and rice.
3.Tuition and Scholastic Materials: On average, the children spend approximately $140 USD every term of study. This adds up to about $420 in a year, which becomes increasingly difficult to fund.
4.16 Bunk Beds: Last year, the Albion group in Michigan raised money which funded 9 bunk beds for the children. We hope to continue to raise funds, as others are sleeping on mattresses on the floor.
5.25 Mosquito Nets for the kids: A must to prevent against Malaria and other sickness.
6.Blankets, Bed Sheets and Mattresses for each child: At the moment kids are sharing beddings and unfortunately they are also wearing out.
7.Clothes for each child: Sanitary items [underwear’s, towels, bathing soap, shavers etc]
8.Sound Equipment for Bitone Performances: These include; amplifiers, sounds speakers [bass and treble], microphones, mixers, stage lights, microphone stands, cable wires, CD-player, generator etc
9.National and International Performance Opportunities: This will help generate more revenue for Bitone
10.Musical Instruments: The Uganda traditional instruments can only be purchased in Uganda. Others include; guitars, keyboards, violins, trumpets, flutes, saxophones.
11.Costumes: Most of the costumes used are traditionally made according to the authenticity of various cultural dances and CAN ONLY be purchased in Uganda. Other costumes needed for Bitone’s performances include; T-shirts [single colored e.g. white, red, blue, yellow etc], dancing shoes, shorts and trousers [single colored], bandanas, vests, stockings [long-heavy material].
12.Television Set with a DVD Player: This is for study purposes of our rehearsals and performance and also to act as part of source of entertainment for the kids.
13.Means of Transport: This will help reduce on travel expenses we incur during our performances and in other emergencies.
14.Medicine: Often, kids are struggling with different illnesses of malaria, flu, cold etc. A well stocked and permanent “Drug Kit’/”First Aid Box” would be ideal.
15.Volunteers: We are always in search of volunteers on to assist in short programs such as: counseling, training in arts, education, health services, domestic-related work plus other developmental workshops and seminars.
16.Security: This is needed both during day and night periods. Bitone rents a house which has no fence and is prone to trespassers.
17.Marketing of Bitone: Our mission and activities!
18.A Lighting system: This include back up electricity when power goes out, which happens quite frequently. This may include; a standby generator, solar system, large-seized lamps.
19.Video and Sound Recordings: for Bitone’s artistic works; dances, songs and/or other practical activities that are done at the center.
20.Indoor and Outdoor games for the kids: During leisure time, kids need to engage in such games for health purposes, and to boost the socialization.
Listen to them on myspace: www.myspace.com/bitonetroupe
I am back in Wisconsin...yeah!!...I've really enjoyed this state! Ryan and Cameron are in Idaho for 2 days of shows, so I have the time off to just relax and get caught up on some business. I am currently sitting at a Starbucks, and enjoying the coziness of this particular location. Inspired by another blog, I decided to write a post about 12 things (I couldn't limit it to 10) that have made me smile lately (in no particular order)...
1.) The University of Wisconsin River Falls has an agricultural program and had "home made" fresh ice cream in the cafeteria! To get the most out of this experience, i decided to try a scoop of each flavor! (Vanilla and Maple Walnut were my favorites.)
2.) Blue skies and crisp air! For 22 days straight, we have seen nothing but blue skies...in fact the last day that we had anything but a blue sky was the 1/2 marathon.
3.) My not-so-new shoes. I got these shoes for the tour because of their versatility...they are great for warmer weather and can be worn without socks, and they are also great for chilly weather with socks.
4.) Friends and family!
Ryan's Aunt Jo and Uncle Donny drove to the RH show at St. Joseph's College in Indiana last Friday. It is always so nice to see familiar faces and have a conversation with people we know and that also knows us.
On Saturday, friends Brock and Kat who recently moved from Tucson to Bloomington IL, came to the RH show, and we later got to spend more time with them at their house.
And, on Sunday, we stayed with Cameron's grandparents in Bloomington, IL! They are a wonderful couple filled with life and vibrant conversation. Ryan and I borrowed their bikes and went for a great ride on a trail near their house and found ourselves at a bandshell with a Big Band playing...we did a little swing dancing...and rode on...a truly relaxing day.
5.) Buffalo Exchange. I am not sure if it would be considered a thrift store or what...but it's used clothing store, where you can sell your old clothes to them and buy "new" clothes! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! www.buffaloexchange.com
I bought this vest using credit, and have been wearing it pretty much everyday!
6.) FRESH CHEESE! This morning I went to the grocery store and found some fresh cheese whips...intrigued by the term "cheese whip", I had to try them...the layman's term is probably "string cheese" based on what I can tell. :) They were unrefrigerated and warm...delicious!
7.) Spending time journaling every morning...
8.) Relevant Magazine. Chris and Melissa gave us their back issues to bring with us to read while in the van. I'm not typically a magazine reader, and the thought of reading a "Christian" Magazine kind of made me want to gag a little...BUT, I love the magazine! It's a very progressive magazine with articles on the environment, other cultures, finances, meditation, music, etc...I love it!
9.) My merch money apron. I love wearing this apron at the shows because it makes me think of the friend who made it. And, it's so flippin' cute! I think I might try to start a new trend soon of wearing aprons as a daily accessory. :)
10.) www.vroomvroomvroom.com This rental car website not only has a great deals, it also pays for all of their customers to be carbon neutral. For every pound of carbon that each VroomVroomVroom rental car produces, they will spend money on neutralizing that carbon with various green initiatives.
11.) A blog of creativity and love... www.soulemama.typepad.com
12.) Knowing that we are going home to Tucson this weekend!!
Ryan and I have a 2 day layover in London on our way to Uganda. We are super excited for the chance to explore the city, but a little overwhelmed by the cost of hotels there. I was wondering if any of you know someone that would be willing to house us for 2 nights? We want to spend a lot of time "out of the house" and exploring, so they won't need to entertain us or anything like that...just a place where we can rest our sleepy heads. :)
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.
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!
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.)
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!
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. :)
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!
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!
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...
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.
