Day 11-14

DAY 11: Making our way south, Shippensburg, PA was the next stop on our tour. As the temperatures grew higher our tempers grew shorter, and this church being without air conditioning, we were in for our most difficult set-up so far. Luckily, the basement provided a cool retreat, and we had time to relax and regroup before the show. By the end of the performance, we all rivaled Noah with our soaking sweaty clothes...however, Noah was still winner, for during the Prodigal Son Parable I could have sworn it was raining while I lay beneath him as the dead fatted calf. All in all, it was a privlege to perform in such a beautiful sanctuary, with tall stained glass windows on every wall and fantastic homestay families. Our family had just had a picnic, and we ate ourselves silly with leftovers. Probably the best hamburger I've ever had. and cara is the coolest and hottest dutchie ever ---> Cara sneakily added in this last bit while my laptop was being passed around....silly girl. Of course I proof read!

Kristin was....angry at the cantelope???



3/4 of the late house, stuffing our faces.



DAY 12: Another day in Pennsylvania, we had a speedy setup in Chambersburg and were able to have some cuddle time during lunch.



DAY 13: We had the opportunity of performing on a real stage at Johnson-Williams Middle School Auditorium in Berryville, Virginia. Cara, one of our costumers, had a day of wonderful laundry adventures when every single drier in the laundrymat was broken. As the set and sound crews trickled out of the auditorium to eat lunch, Cara could be seen out in the grass tenderly caring for our G-wear and mic belts. This fiasco was the last straw...and drove Cara clean out of her mind.





We had real dressing rooms with lighted make-up mirrors for the first time since Huntington, however, the hallway leading to them included a web forest complete with enough Daddy Long Legs to send Keeley whimpering in the corner up until curtain. Post show, we found the 1, 546th reason why Dan should have been born a woman. What a waste of lashes.



Then the guys packed into a mini van for their homestay...



and Kristin and I headed to the Potter house for a night of relaxation and pampering! We paddled around the pool with changing neon lights, and we lounged in the hot tub where Mrs. Potter brought us tea, turkey wraps, and fruit. After a rough week, that night was just what we needed!!




DAY 14: The next morning Caleb Nei, a Huntington alumn and our Berryville contact, took us to coffee at an awesome little shop. I had a Toffee Freeze which rocked my socks, and we were able to catch up on some current events while we relaxed...and waited for Mrs. Potter to bring the glasses I forgot on the nightstand. Oops.

When in Rome...

Finally, enjoying a day OFF from all things has proven a worthwhile endeavor. Don't misunderstand me...I'm exceedingly appreciative of Jeremy's schedule, allowing for some time in the cities. But, I've noticed that our days off wear me out more than show days. This may also serve as the reasoning behind why I sound like a bullfrog for the first half hour of each day. I need to let my voice rest for a while.

Goodness gracious, as a group, we just finished watching a horrible wretch of a film...First Daughter. This is absolute rubbish, and only as a group, when one can throw insults endlessly with full support of your peers, should such garbage ever air on your screen. End comment. If only it had been Dawson's Creek.

Last night, dear friend, Noah, and I had a relaxing night in a roadhouse-styled ranch home by ourselves. Or, so we thought. We hadn't even put our pajamas on when we found our quarters somewhat crawling with man-sized cockroaches. Noah succeeded in slaying one of the filthy warriors, but we slept with our heads under the covers for fear of leaving something exposed to their treachery. Pair that with finding out about Jeremy and Eric's armadilloes, and I've come to the conclusion that, maybe, everything is bigger in Georgia. Food for thought.

I think, tonight, we'll play a little Curses and call it a night. I have enjoyed the evening ritual of showering the day's journey from my back and hitting clean sheets. Today, there's a good deal of day to wash off, namely, the 230 miles I drove the bus through Georgia, then the 3 hours of riding everyone's luggage into Tennessee, during which, thanks to the Big Dog, I read Stephen Adly Guirgis's The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. It is amazing. You may need to maintain an open mind through this, as it is pretty gritty, but I stand by its intense ability to stir some intense thought.

Oh, heavens, I've forgotten...the sty that is our Magic Bus needs a stern cleaning, and we're nearing that time of necessary action. I bid adieu.

Fun in Georgia

Wow... last night was awesome. After the show, we put our stuff in the back of a truck and drove about 10 minutes with no clouds and no lights to keep us from seeing the stars. It was amazing. Then, when we got there, the wife of our host couple said to her husband, "Is that a possum?" After a few seconds, he goes, "No, that's an armadillo... Guess I'll shoot it." So, the next thing I hear is a gun being cocked. I was in the back taking bags off and I jump off to see Earl with a Glock pistol walking slowly towards an armadillo over by a picnic table. He fires and, lemmie tell ya, that thing is LOUD. The armadillo flies two feet in the air and then runs, or tries to because it just got shot. Then, Earl walks a little closer and BAM, shoots it again. It twitches for about three minutes, then dies. THEN, he looks around and stares at something about 80 feet away. "Is that another one?" We walk over and it's another armadillo. What does he do? BAM... BAM! The thing jumps and starts writhing and bleeding all over everything. "Oh, man, he's bleedin' all over the steps over here." Haha, man... it was crazy.

After that, we walk through this wooden meeting hall outside to a deck, which is next to a 40 acre lake. Earl turns the lights on and tells us to look over the edge of the deck. We look over and see some big fish, like 2-3 feet in length. Then, he sprinkles in some catfish food and these HUGE catfish show up. When I say huge, I mean four feet long 8-inch diameter catfish. They are monsters. Man... so awesome.

The next morning, we wake up to find another armadillo eating the DEAD ARMADILLOS. I never knew how crazy armadillos were.

Anyway... We're at a hotel just outside Knoxville, TN. We've got around a 3 hour drive tomorrow to Big Laurel, which should be fun. And theeennnnn, we're off back to Huntington for our week off! It'll be really nice to have a break for a while. Well, back to watching Seinfeld and chillin' some more on our day off. Peace out.

miles and miles...

lots of driving lately, folks. but there have been some really great moments along the way.
for instance, i think the most note-worthy of all conversations has been all the stories of how our ministry has impacted people. from canada to florida, there are people who have a greater understanding of Christ...and that is so moving, so exciting, to see the seeds begin to grow.
tomorrow is our last performance before break, and it will definitely offer its own challenges...outdoor singing? hmm? i'm up for it!
welp, time to relaxxx now...thanks for the constant prayers and encouragement. i've been feeling them alllll the time. thank you!

Day 10: Connecticut Craziness!

DAY 10: After a great night in New Jersey, we headed off to Old Greenwich, Connecticut. When we rolled in, we were greeted with an interesting surprise...our acting space included a 13' 3 1/2" wooden cross cemented into downstage center. Also, we were faced with being surrounded by audience on 3 sides, which we were not used to. The church said that they were expecting a large crowd, so we did not want to remove large amounts of seating for our lighting and sound equipment. However, we did our best in the space given, and I believe we received the best response from an audience at that show. The people were so wonderful, showering us with an amazing Italian meal, homemade ice cream cookie sandwiches, and abundant praise.

During set up, Dan and Dana enjoyed some Motown tunes




Jeremy, rocking out before sound check



Dana taking care of her babies...


Interrupted by Blair hiding in a box and making turkey call noises.




Uncle Brad, hard at work!


Blair, Dan, Josh, and Noah stayed at an amazing recording studio, a huge highlight of their tour!