NACA TOUR

Hello!

Good news...I found the cord to import my photos onto the computer! Right now we are hanging out in Milan, OH at a my mom's friend's house. We've been on the road for over 2 weeks now touring NACA (national assoication of campus activities) showcases to book shows for the spring semester. So far it's been a great success. Our goal was to get 10 bookings per conference. We got 14 shows from our conference in Little Rock, AR and 19 shows from conference in St. Charles, IL!

Another one of our goals for this tour has been to stay with as many friends and family members as possible along the way so that it could be as much of a social trip as well as business. We figure that if we are going to drive all over the country, we might as well visit people that we love that live all over that we wouldn't otherwise get to see as often. Here's a little collage of our last couple of weeks...

These are photos with Cameron's dad and family in Kansas City, MO. His dad, aunt, and uncle are all in a band...so we had a great sing-a-long on the porch after dinner.

(Cameron's dad and aunt)




We got to visit our friends Holly and Kurtis, whom just moved from Tucson to Kansas City a month ago...they are euchre fans...so we got to get a game in! :)


Cameron's grandparents in Bloomington, IL:
Hub, Ryan, Cameron, Diane, and me...


Ryan and Cameron's old roommate, and the co-singer of our wedding song written by Cameron...the one and only Aubrey!


I also have more pictures on my camera from this weekend and tonight that I just haven't uploaded yet...and don't have time to do so now...but I promise to post soon!

xoxoxo!

El Paso!

Hello!

Well, somewhere between Arizona, Maine, and Michigan I lost the cord to upload the pictures from my camera onto my computer! :( So...no photos for a while...sorry!

Ryan and I were able to go back to Tucson for a little over a week to rest, re-connect, and re-pack! The weather was sooo gorgeous...I'm bummed that we aren't there to enjoy this season...but truthfully, fall is the best season anywhere in the country!

Last weekend I was back in Boston for another wedding! My friend Kristin from Americorps got married...it was a beautiful celebration and fun reunion!

Today I drove solo to El Paso, TX! This is actually the farthest I've ever driven by myself. I traversed in 3 states...AZ, all of NM, and into TX. I got to see highway signs advertising some funny cities: Truth or Consequences and Elephant Butt(e). Tomorrow morning Cameron flies into El Paso and then we'll drive to Dallas...eventually making our way to Little Rock, NM for a college conference (NACA) where Ryan will meet us!

Ryan and Cameron are both in LA right now (hence the solo drive), and Ryan will remain out there while Cameron and I drive to Little Rock. There is a HUGE possibility that they could be completely done recording by Thursday...so if you'd be willing, we'd LOVE your prayers for that! Ryan's birthday is actually on Thursday and he has to spend it in the studio all day...just him and their producer. As much of a drag as that is, finishing this record would definitely be the best birthday gift ever! If you'd like to send him some birthday wishes on Thursday, I know he'd be super touched to hear from you! His email is: ryan@ryanhoodmusic.com

Buenas Noches!

Tour de Greater New England!

Hello!

We just finished up a tour in New England. Actually, it encompassed New York and D.C. as well, hence the "Greater" New England Tour.

THURSDAY
The first show was at Smith College in Northampton, MA...such a cute town! All of the restaurants and shops are locally owned! It's a small town that is totally alive with people walking everywhere!

FRIDAY
Next stop was Middlebury, VT at Carol's Hungry Mind Cafe. Another little "locally owned and locally grown" village bustling with people all around.

(Check out the hot guys on the poster in the window!)


(That's Owen Plant with Ryan and Cameron)




SATURDAY
The show in NYC was in a new location near ground zero...the people putting on the show set it up great with candlelights and little tables. A fellow Albion-ite (Beth Snyder) was there by total surprise! As well as my friend Molly who was a roommate in Ireland. We got to the city early and walked around with Ryan's friend, former Boston roommate and bandmate Ryan Alfred (you can check out that bands music at www.myspace.com/iluminadamusic)...so fun to see them together!

SUNDAY
Northstar Cafe in Portland, Maine! YUMMY FOOD! Definitely check them out if you find yourself in Portland!

I've been selling jewelry that I make at the shows, and totally sold out on this tour! As soon as I make more and post it on my website...I'll let everyone know so you can check it out should you choose! :)

MONDAY
Back in MA on the south shore of Boston. We got to go to a "pre-show" event at a youth center with Owen where he played some tunes and talked with the kids about drugs and alcohol.
That evening was a college show with a great turn out (and free pizza!)

TUESDAY
Yeah...a day off in Boston together! Ryan and got ice cream at Emac and Bolios on Newbury Street, where we had our first date ever. Unfortunately the location in Jamaica Plain we went to for our first date is no longer open, but this was a great substitute!



We spent our nights in Boston with Will and Orla (see previous post for a photo)...friends from Ireland and Boston! They got a new condo in Malden that is soo cute and cozy!

WEDNESDAY
We spent the bulk of the day driving to D.C. We had dinner and spent the night at Jana and Jovan Giaimuccios!


THURSDAY
A day for touring the monuments...and walking 47million miles! :)








The evening was spent at Ebenezers Coffee where RH played a great show to a great crowd! In the crowd was my Boston roommate, Mo and friend, Vanessa!

(Suzanne, Vanessa, Mo, Me, Ryan, and Cameron)


FRIDAY
On the drive back to Boston, the guys wrote a new song called "Rubia" which they previewed at the show that night!...I'm impressed by how quick they turned it around and got it out there for people to hear!


The 7pm Club Passim show was sold-out! And, the 10pm show was 85% full! We love our Boston/Cambridge crowd!

Okay, this is long enough for one post....I'll write more soon!

p.s. I'm in MI now, and Ryan/Cameron are in LA recording...we'll reunite in MI on Saturday for a show they are playing in Comstock Park...all are welcome! Send me a comment and include your email address if you need more info!

Texas to New York

Hello!

While we were in Texas at the end of August, we were able to have lunch with two of the nurses (Elaine and Charla) who I went to Jamaica with in March. Since they weren't able to come to the concert in TX, Ryan and Cameron gave a private concert at Elaine's house. :)



On the drive home from TX, Ryan decided there was no better state to try his first Big Mac in, so sure enough he ordered one...didn't necessarily feel great the rest of the drive home. oops! :)


This past Friday, I flew a red-eye to Boston and then drove with some friends to Albany for Kolleen and Doug's wedding (Kolleen was a roommate from when I studied in Ireland). It was a really fun wedding with lots of dancing and tasty food!

Me, Kolleen, and Orla (3 of the 4 roommates in Ireland)


Orla and Will, who met while we were studying in Ireland (Will is from Ireland), now celebrating their first wedding anniversary!


Sunday night, I hung out in Brookline with Jana and Jill at their apartment...nice and relaxing.

Yesterday I went for a beautiful run around Jamaica Pond, and then took the T into Boston to explore all of my old favorite places. Government Center now has free wi-fi, so I sat near this Farmer's Market and did work on my computer for a couple of hours before meeting up with Meredith for dinner!

On the road...

Hello!

A couple of weeks ago we tried a new Mexican roadside stand, "Hermano's". It's right next to our favorite carne asada stand, and we've had our eye on it pretty much since we moved here. The thing that kept us away for so long was that it's a Sonoran Hot Dog Stand, and to be honest, I don't know if my stomach can handle a Sonoran Hot Dog! (For those of you unfamiliar with this Sonora, Mexico specialty, it's a pure-beef frankfurter, grilled until brown and plump, and wrapped in a strip of crispy mesquite-smoked bacon. This dog nestles gently into a fluffy bun baked fresh that day by the bakery down the street. Coated with a Mexican flag of ketchup, mayonnaise and green chile salsa tops the whole, before it's topped with grated cheddar cheese, finely chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapeños and/or salsa.) Well, we still haven't had the courage to try one of these hot dogs yet, BUT, Hermano's added a traditional Mexican dessert stand to his space...and we can always handle dessert! :) The dessert was fresh apple and pear slices, granola, and strawberry juice mixed together.


The next morning we set out on a 6 hour drive to Albuquerque, NM for 2 RH shows. Every time we drive by Truth or Consequences, NM, I have to laugh and wonder what it must be like having to give your address over the phone and say that you're from "Truth or Consequences".

Luckily I'm well paired with Cameron in the car and we both have to stop every couple of hours to go to the bathroom. Here's a very New Mexican looking rest stop we took a break at.

Both shows were part of a "welcome back students" festival going on at UNM. Right across from the campus is a great local restaurant called "The Frontier". The squeeze some amazing orange juice there that I honestly look forward to from the moment we book a show in ABQ.

I guess the difference between Mexican and New Mexican food has to do with chips and salsa being replaced with saltines and beans w/ green chilis.

We drove back to Tucson for about 24 hours, and then Ryan and I took a belated anniversary vacation to San Francisco! We're on the road together a lot, but it's always special when we can get away just the two of us with no work agenda. The first night we drove part way, and camped for the night in Blythe, CA. I had reserved our campsite online ahead of time, and didn't realize that it was largely an RV Park. In fact, we were the ONLY tent...which was nice to have the whole grassy area to ourselves! But, once we went to bed we realized why there were no other tent-ers...it had been a high of 113 that day, and it only got down to 94 at the time we went to bed. Oh well...it was a fun camping memory! :)

We drove the rest of the way to San Francisco the following day and stayed with some friends from Albion (Natalie and Analisa) in the Castro. They took us to an incredible Burmese Restaurant in Inner Richmond called Burma Superstar, that I highly recommend to anyone going to SF!
The following day we went to a Giants vs. Cubs game with free tickets that Natalie got for us! Giants won 4-1!


That night Analisa and Natalie took us on a great tour of the city. We had to bundle up for Ana's bug convertible...SF is nice during the day, but it gets super chilly at night!

On our last day in San Francisco, Ryan and I rented bikes to ride across the Golden Gate Bridge and through Sosalito (sp?) and Tiburon...two cute little towns on the other side of the bridge.


We loved San Francisco! In fact, we could see ourselves living there quite easily. It has perfect weather, a great city that is a manageable size, public transportation, the ocean, and Ana and Nat!
Our last stop was Windsor/Santa Rosa to visit my cousin Tristy and her husband Jason. They took us a to a really neat Thai restaurant where we all sat on the floor...the food was amazing too! It was so nice to see them, definitely wish we could've stayed longer...wish the whole trip could have been longer! :)


I'm writing you tonight from Midland, TX...The oh so lovely hometown of GW. Tomorrow we'll continue our drive to Commerce (just east of Dallas).

G'night!

WELCOME GAVIN!

Our friends Katie and Josh had their second baby on Friday night! Gavin Benjamin was born at 11:45pm weighing 8lbs 11oz and was 22" long! Ava (2 years old) is a very proud big sister!

Feeling HOT HOT HOT!

Ryan made it home safe and sound from LA last night in time for us to go out to dinner to celebrate his mom's birthday! They have a little bit more to do on the record, but what they have so far is sounding great!

It's been a funny morning in our household. We both woke up this morning feeling really hot and sweaty! At first we were thinking, "Wow, we just aren't used to sleeping in the same bed and body heat does make a big difference!"And then, we realized our A/C went out in the middle of the night!!

When we woke up it was 85 in the house, the last reading we had on it (about an hour ago) was 90! This is Tucson!! It's only supposed to get up to 94 today, but over 100 this weekend! So, granted the temps aren't that high for us, the humidity is because it's monsoon season. I just looked and the current humidity is 39% (I know you guys are probably laughing, but that's humid for us.) We are super fortunate that one of our friends (Randy) who is an electrical engineer offered to come over and take a look at it, so hopefully we won't need to pay a gagillion dollars for someone to come out. Randy and Ryan just came down from the roof with a completely fried electrical part, so they are at the store right now to see if they can just replace that part.


Then, my electric toothbrush fell on the floor and suddenly stopped working!


And then, I went to blow dry my hair, and was reminded that my blow dryer decided to start only blowing cold air, so my hair never really gets dried!


So, I think it's official, we're going to go back to the days of Little House on the Prairie where we don't need to use anything electrical!

Family and Friends!

My last night in Michigan was spent at the all-classy....RODEO! I have to admit that I love going to the rodeo (as someone of you may have gathered from my post in February about not getting into the Tucson Rodeo). I went with my parents, sister, and her kids. I consider my sister (Nichole) to be a very friendly person who can talk to anyone, yet would never volunteer to go on stage for anything. Which, is why I was a bit startled when she started tugging on my arm and pulled me (gently) off the bleachers to go participate in chasing cows to get the ribbon off their tails! I had the slight disadvantage of wearing flip-flops, paired with being afraid of the large charging animals, so needless to say, I did not get a ribbon...but it was fun!



My niece Emma turned 3 this past May, and she's one of the cutest kids, bubbling with personality. One of the things that makes me laugh every time I see her, is that no matter how much she grows, her crack is still too long for her body...she just can't seem to keep it tucked in those pants of hers! :)



My mom and drove to Chicago on Saturday. I met up with my friend Mira from college (who I hadn't seen in over 3 years!). She's living in a cool part of the city where block parties just seem to be a way of life...I'm glad to know the midwest is still as I left it. :)

Then, I went and stayed with my friends Megan and Donny from college. They have a wonderful family of 3 children and one on the way! It was nice to have lots of time to visit together and play with the kids!

I Survived!

Greetings from the Great Lakes State! Ryan and I flew to MI last Thursday to spend time with family...Ryan left on Tuesday to L.A., and I'm here until this coming Monday. The big excitement of the weekend was our immediate family reunion gone Survivor Game that my dad spent months planning. My aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, siblings, nieces, and nephew all gathered at Brown's Clearing (our family cabin) on Saturday for the 1st Annual "Survive Browns' Clearing".

Brown's Clearing...


The signing of the official documents...



The events...


Fortunately this was a friendly survivor game where no one was voted off...that would've been a bad idea for a family reunion.

Here was what really broke the ice and got everyone into the game...putting on the bandanas! The maroon team was Team Delta Force and the camo team was Team Banananas (yes, with that many "n's" :)
(cousins: Julie and Jeff, Nieces: Alyssa and Lydia)


(cousin Sharon, sister Nichole, and me)


Ryan and I were placed on opposing teams, as to not make a color upset!


Due to the intensity of the events, I didn't get to take too many pictures, but here's one of Lydia and my dad in the first event...


An unofficial event in this year's game, was the hula hoop competition...definitely an event that will take place next year!

Ryan and I tied for 2 minutes before giving up...


Tristy was good...but I think it had to do w/ the assistance of the baby growing inside...


Haleigh (niece) showing us up with her fancy arm tricks. :)


Other events of the week included taking my nieces and nephew on a hike through my parents backyard searching for "treasures" (aka trash)...a game my dad used to always play with us...




Ryan and I spent our 2nd anniversary with my Grandpa and Barb in South Haven/Saugatuck. We went dune buggying...a yearly tradition for me and Grandpa...


Then we went out to dinner at a restaurant with a beautiful outdoor patio...


After I dropped Ryan off at the airport, I met up with my Boston roommate Melissa for coffee...it was sooo nice to get to catch up with her in person!


Last night, I had a sleepover at my sister's with all the kids. Lydia made up a special bed on the floor for us to sleep together... :)


And, this evening two of my high school friends and I met up for dinner and dessert...I wish we could all just live in the same city!
Kelly, me, and Kelsey


Tomorrow morning it's babysitting and school shopping with my sister's kids and then to the rodeo at night!