Thunder and Muffins.

Greetings earthlings (from one of my favorite spots so far)! 

Colorado Springs is drop dead gorgeous. The past two days we have taken runs up and down the mountains. Talk about something making you feel out of shape! The altitude around here (compared to good, ole' flat Indiana) is crazy and makes it hard to breathe when running. 

We have a few of our friends joining us from the USOC and USA Gymnastics at our show today in Colorado Springs. Saturday and Sunday shows make it a bit more manageable since our email inboxes aren't (completely) overflowing. Next stop: Denver. If only we had our show outside at Red Rocks. 

Was hoping to have enough time to do something crazy like skydiving. But for my wallet and my mother's sanity, I decided against it. Instead, a group of the Management Team went out for a little lot of fun. We traveled to The Golden Bee, The Loop and Thunder and Muffins (what a name, right?). Thunder and Muffins was my favorite spot in the lineup. Karaoke took place among a few staff members which was entertaining for all parties who were there. And lucky for us, a few videos resurfaced this morning so we could share with those who couldn't make it. Backstreet Boys was not my pick, but I rocked it anyway (alongside Scott). 

My mom and dad are traveling to Atlanta to see my Uncle Chris today. Wish I could be there, but duty calls. FaceTime will just have to do.  

Lovies. Dovies. XO. 

ANW 

Keep on keepin' on.

So, first and foremost I must report that Salt Lake City (the Mormon capital of the US) is so incredibly pretty! I could definitely die happy in this place. We have wasted absolutely zero time moving onto the next city. All 5 buses and those who travel in them are on our way to Colorado Springs, which isn't too shabby either. 11 hours to go, so practically no time at all! Sleeping pill, please and thanks.

Thank God for social media and videos from my fabulous friends. For one reason another (maybe the change in weather, or my crazy schedule which leaves me little time to catch up with everyone), I had the slightest twinge of being homesick. It was most likely the combination of Pearl's constant phone calls that I cant help but miss and the fact that I wasnt able to make it to the Josh Turner concert with my fambam tonight. Oh well - must keep on keepin' on.

Tomorrow will be the first Friday in I don't know how long where we will not have a show. We plan to have a group run with the cast. Can't wait!

Much more later,
ANW

Motor home memories.

Living on a Tour bus is definitely a challenge and a change of pace for me --and most people for that matter. Here are just a few (of the many) reasons why:
1. Privacy doesn't exist.
2. You have strict rules on where you can and can't store your stuff. This is pretty problematic for me and my bad habit of being a compulsive packrat.
3. The bathroom smells horrible, no matter how clean it is.
4. Even being the 5'2 little stinker that I am, I always, without fail hit my head on the top of my bunk. I have a nice collection of bumps to prove it.
5. Privacy doesn't exist.

On the bright side of things, I truly enjoy being on the bus with everyone. The good outweighs the bad (by far). Whether working, reading, catching up with the outside world, or praying that I make it thru November 18, 2012, I am happy to be surrounded by happy people - even if it is in close quarters. We collectively burn about 10,000 calories per night and are damn proud of it.

Being on the tour bus reminds me of my sweet Pop who left this world for a better life just a few years ago. He always took our family on road trips across the country in his motor home. I remember each and every trip we took to Florida for what seems like 10 summers in a row. I clearly recall the day I got entirely too much sun after i soaked my white skin with baby oil. My mom made me lay out on the pull out couch in the motor home in my underwear with aloe from head to toe. What torture! I can assure you this kind of exposure will not take place on our Tour bus. In fact- it's a promise.

Tucking in for the night.
ANW

True roadie life.

I now know what it is like to be a true roadie after my trip on the 'Crew bus', as we drove from Seattle, Washington to Boise, Idaho last night. A nine hour ride on the bus with no show the next day is a recipe for disaster. Sweet, little Adrienne had every single intention of getting to know all members of the Tour - including the crew. I was not-so-easily persuaded to join the guys on a bus with 10 plus testosterone-driven males, from age 22-52. That being said, you can imagine that these crew guys had one thing on their mind: Beer. And lots of it. After 2 hours, I was happy to retire to my cozy claustrophobic bunk. Let's just say when they invited me to partake tonight, I kindly declined. 

I did a complete 180 today and gladly participated in spa day with the girls. Hot stone massage was just what the Dr. ordered. Also tried to run this sore throat out of my system. Fingers double crossed that I did, as I have no time for this sick business. 

Coming back home to my homies on the Management Bus tonight. And HAPPY about it. 
ANW 

Locked up.

Greetings from Seattle!

Today is a 'non-show-day', as we are encouraged to say. I am going to be paying some special attention to this head of hair of mine. Trim and color are in order, no doubt about it. 

Hoping to be able to see a few spots in Seattle after I take care of a little bit of business. Fish market and the original Starbucks are a little too cliche, but I wouldn't be mad if I ended up there. I love the crisp and cold air here. Makes morning runs so enjoyable. My lungs are definitely thankful for no humidity. No offense, California. 

So onto the funnies from this past weekend: During one of our shows (can't remember where we were), I had to go onto the Tour bus to get some posters for our athlete Meet and Greet. The show was still going on and our runners were in the middle of stocking our Tour bus with food for the night. The runner must have not noticed I was in the bus and locked the door. Usually this would be no problem, but just my luck, the lock got stuck and so did I. Of course I didn't bring my radio or cell phone with me, so I am left pounding on the door of the bus trying to get the attention of one of the building guys. Not only did I learn that the bus is sound proof, but that this guy is terrible at reading lips (I was trying to scream the code to him). 20 painful minutes later, I was set free. What I learned from this? I prefer to be free; not locked up. 

New and exciting Tour news - it's the little things, right? 

• We installed a new bus wrap on the Management bus (see below). 
• We figured out how to watch YouTube videos after our shows. This could be dangerous. 
• Additional things that are not worthy of making this blog because my Mom reads this. 

Big ups to our cast who have absolutely rocked the past 10 shows. 30 more to go. 

Lotsa lovies. 

ANW 

Mrs. Bregman.

It's official. Everyone on Tour has now dropped my "Miss Willy" title. I am now named as "Mrs. Bregman", whether I like it or not. 

Scott Bregman (a good friend of mine) and I started to tell the athletes that we have a thing. Actually more than a thing - an undying love for one another. We event went as far to say that we are bunkmates. Sweet, little innocent Gabby Douglas fell for our cruel joke and now thinks that we got married in Las Vegas right before one of our shows this weekend. 

Attached is a picture of Scott and I in Vegas - living it up and living the lie of "Mrs. Bregman". One of these days we are going to have to break the news to her. In the meantime, we promise to thoroughly enjoy the joke. 

Until next time, 
ANW 

Freshly brewed awesome.

Lets face it: being on Tour is definitely tiring at times. It has been so nice to have a great support system both on and off the road. Little love notes like this from friends make all the difference in the world.

Keep 'em coming friends,
ANW

Non-existant Fridays.

To my very-much-missed friends and family:

Happy Friday! Oh wait, that no longer has ANY meaning to ANYONE on this Tour (including myself). The next time someone tells me to 'Have a great weekend!' or writes 'Happy Friday!' in an email, I will literally fly through the flipping' roof. 

In all seriousness, I have no complaints and am more than happy to be on Tour. But let's get real - weekends do not exist in my world until November 18, 2012. I am very much looking forward to the time that I do get to spend a 'real' weekend with the cast and crew of Kellogg's Tour, in addition to a few friends and family members in NYC. Not too shabby that the end of the this tour also marks 25 years of (an amazing) life here on Earth.

After this show wraps, we will have 32 more to go. Our lineup for this weekend was Las Vegas, Sacramento, Portland and Seattle. It is already going incredibly quickly, but I am still enjoying every single minute of it. 

Happy Friday,

ANW 

Oh boy. It's a boy!

Attention all baby-lovers:

I am so delighted to report that one of my best friends on the face of this planet is having a baby boy in January! Got the news a few days back, but as you can see I am days behind time in the 'real world' since I am currently stuck in fantasy land. Abby and Jeff are going to be the funniest pair of parents (in the best way possible). I can assure you that mommy will have every single last detail planned prior to the baby's arrival. This includes color coordinated everything and a to-do list waiting for the boy right when he comes out of the womb. 

On a serious note, it has been an amazing experience to watch both Abby and Jeff grow as a couple and I can only imagine what great role models they will be to their future bundle o' joy. God bless both of these wonderful people. So happy for them and so happy to have them in my life. 

From an excited soon-to-be Auntie, 
ANW

Money Train.

I just realized I have not yet written about the beloved Money Train. Coincidence or coincidence, the Management Tour bus is called the Money Train. For obvious reasons, all of the staff on the bus felt it was necessary to create a Twitter handle that was named after the big bad bus that gets us everywhere we need to go. All have access to this account, so it is fun to guess who is tweeting from the account throughout the day. Not so fun when the tweets are about you. :) This idea could be dangerous for all parties involved. 

And, so you know, Money Train t-shirts are in the works. Pictures to come, I promise. 

Choo-Choo. 
ANW 

All the right friends in all the right places.

This is a day late, but better late than never, right? Last night after 14 days without a day off, we were able to hit the town in Las Vegas! To top it all off, a good friend and co-worker got us backstage passes and tickets to see Mystere. It was an amazing show. In any other situation with acrobats flying 1000 feet in the air, I would undoubtedly get sweaty palms and my anxiety would fly through the rough (no pun intended). However, being surrounded by our gymnasts that flip and fly all over the place all day long (and then some), definitely improves my ability to handle such stressful situations. Mystere made it to the top of my favorite shows. 

Thank you, Mr. Bregman. IOU.
ANW

True inspiration.

Today was exhausting but heartwarming, nonetheless. Jake made appearances in Sacramento all day, beginning at 5 am. When our feet and eyes started getting tired around 1 pm, we stopped at the Shriners Children's Hospital...not really sure what we were in for. I expected a quick TV hit, a few interviews and an insane amount of autographs. Lucky for me, I was wrong.

When we walked up the stairs, a nice little lady with a heart of gold told us what we should expect. Mostly burned victims under the age of 10 - some Hispanic who could not speak English. It was quite an experience in the best way possible.

I had never seen so many children so badly burned and my heart hurt for them. It was truly an inspiration to see each and every kid so delighted with the presence of an Olympian in their "home". This was the perfect pick me up that reminded me there is absolutely no reason to complain about something so little as my feet hurting.

Thank you, God, for today.
ANW

How did I get here?

How did I get here? A term commonly used in my office when we don't believe what is in front of our eyes. 

I was fortunate enough to attend the Video Music Awards with John O. recently in LA. We attended with Disashi from Gym Class Heroes and his wife. It was such an honor and an awesome experience. One thing that I was surprised about were the seat fillers. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone sits in the same seats for the duration of the show. During commercial breaks, there are stage hands working to fill seats and switch people around. They also stage all of the people who will win the designated awards in the front row, which means those people know they are receiving the award prior to the announcement on air. Crazy, huh? 

One of the funniest moments of the evening was when Rihanna started walking toward our seats. For some (odd and strange) reason, I thought she had made eye contact with me. Stupid me, she was looking at John (obviously). He stood up to greet her and she shared how much of an inspiration he was to our country. When John sat down, I asked what Rihanna had said to him. He slumped down in his seat and said he had no idea. Starstruck much? 

As we were walking away from the VMA after-party, some of the girls on the Olympic Team told me this was their first party. Probably why they are Gold-Medalists. Maybe I could have been too, if I would have stayed away from the wrong people and things in high school. Oh well. You live and you learn. 

Going for the Gold at age 24, 
ANW 

Jumping Jacks.

I am pretty sure it's Monday, but not entirely sure. We don't have a show today and we are in another city. Process of elimination...

Today we flew from Orange County to Sacramento. I bought Tina Fey's new book 'Bossypants'. How fitting for me, considering my reputation from 3-16 years old. I laughed out loud at the airport and therefore recommend to all friends if in need of a little chuckle. 

After a dry spell from sushi, I was able to get some tonight with an athlete. My guilty pleasure, hands down. Tomorrow we are doing a 12 hour media day. Will need extra prayers for patience and hope that we don't have any criers like last week. After wrapping up with media day in Sacramento, we head to Las Vegas. Last time I was in Las Vegas, I witnessed my dear sweet mother doing jumping jacks to stay awake. Speaking of my mother, best news ever from her today. She booked a trip for the two of us to Puerto Rico this December. As long as jumping jacks are involved, I can assure you that we will have a good time. I am so looking forward to it. Lots of laughter will be involved, I can assure you. 

Lovies. 

ANW 

Fresh Prince Fever.

Hello my darling friends and family! 

Meeting Carlton from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air was the best thing that happened to me yesterday. Or maybe even during the month of September. He somehow, someway he ended up at a USA Gymnastics function in LA. Apparently his little girl is an avid gymnastics fan. I asked if he could do the Carlton (the ever-so-famous dance move he did on the show in the 90's), but he wouldn't accommodate my request. What I did end up with is a measly picture. Better luck next time, AW. 

Today we are in Anaheim. I am starting to forget where we are and what day it is, but I guess that comes with the job considering we work all days of the week and all hours of the day. It was nice to see a familiar face at the show today. My friend Kyle who moved out to CA a few years ago came with his roommate. We reminisced about all of the bad things we did when we were the age of the Fierce Five girls (15-18) and both decided that we turned out okay. So we don't have Olympic gold medals, but we are both happy. :)

The next few days I am on point for an advanced promo visit in Sacramento with Jake Dalton while the rest of the cast and crew is in Las Vegas. Hoping to squeeze in a Cirque show on Wednesday night and a little bit of fun with the homies if possible. 

Tata for now. 

ANW 

Jethro vs. Death Row.

Tonight marks show Numero 4 in Glendale, AZ. This place is hotter than Haiti with entirely too many cacti. This morning I went on a run with Nastia in the blazing heat and came back with scratches all over my right arm. Who knew gingerly running through pretty looking trees could beat you up so badly!

I am starting to become friends with our bus driver Jethro. A big guy with a big heart. Always a good idea to keep him on our good side since he is the ONLY means of transportation for the next few months. For the first couple of weeks of the Tour, we couldn't figure out if his name was Jeffro or Jethro so we just slurred our words together so he would (hopefully) not know the difference. One of the girls on the Management team bus just recently figured out that his name wasn't Death Row. As you can imagine, we all burnt about 500 calories laughing about this till the wee hours of the morning.  

Anywho, off to our next stop - LA at the Staples Center. 

In Jethro we trust, 
ANW 

Will sleep when I'm dead.

Hi friends! Yesterday was a crazy busy day. So busy that I didn't have the chance to open my computer to tell you what I've been up to (that's gotta speak to the validity of my previous statement). Wednesday was a non-show day and my day to do media in the San Diego market. We packed a million and one media hits into 14 hours, beginning our day at 6:00 am. 6:00 am was also the time that we ran into a super-fan who cried because he was so proud of the US Womens Gymnastics Team. I had to step in to do some serious damage control. There is no crying in gymnastics! We hit NBC, CBS, FOX, a handful of radio stations, a few gymnastics clubs and most importantly Sea World! What I learned at Sea World: Sea lions weigh approximately 600 pounds and you will never walk out of there with dry pants. My day ended with dinner in the hotel with some good conversation, which was much needed after our jam-packed day. 

Now onto today. Back to show day, where we are getting into the swing of things again after three days "off". A few show elements have changed, but it always keeps us on our toes. :) The Fitness Zone (my main responsibility on Tour) is really starting to come together. A few staff from USA Gym are coming out this week to see the show and help in LA (Saturday's show), where we will have a boatload of media in town at the Staples Center. Looking forward to seeing some familiar faces in an unfamiliar city. 

I am really missing everyone back home and time is already flying by. Still enjoying every single minute. I can sleep when I'm dead. :) 

XO. 
ANW 

Starbucks to survive.

It has been almost two weeks since I've been home. Although people and places are constantly changing around me, one thing stays the same: I need Starbucks to survive. I have recently increased my dose from a Grande to a Venti. I am not the only one who is stuck on Starbucks. The entire Management and staff has the habit of searching for coffee in every single city we visit. I think it's time for a Gold card. 

Livestrong, Caffeine-strong. 
ANW 

Afros and Fades.

This task falls under the category as "Other duties as assigned", which I have become quite accustomed to. One of our athletes (John O.) needed a haircut before he strutted onto the red carpet for the VMAs in LA. Lucky me - I was the one who accompanied him to get his hair(s) cut. Of course, a Great Clips wouldn't suffice. After a lengthy Google search, we pinned down the perfect place: Afros and Fades. And who was our hairdresser? hAIRdresser, Michael Jordan. Clever; and a good experience for all parties, nonetheless. 

Thank you hAIR Jordan for the business card, but I can assure you this will be my first and last time visiting Afros and Fades. 
ANW 

Sunny San Diego.

Greetings from Sunny San Diego! Last night we arrived to the hotel around midnight. I walked in to find two rooms, one with two bunk beds. Not sure what I'm going to do with all the extra space, but for now it makes for a good storage place for my millions of pieces of clothing. 

Today is our "day off". Since I had no advance promo visits, I was able to work outside and have lunch by the pool (see attached photo). It's nice to give my feetsies a rest and relax! Am now blogging from the patio of my hotel while my next door neighbor is enjoying some Mary Jane. Good for him. 

Tonight a few of us are planning on going out to dinner in the city. No rental car here so it's either walking, hitching a ride, or forking over some dough to pay for a cab. I vote for a cab. 

Cheers!

ANW 

Back home again.

We are what feels like 'back home again' in Ontario. After spending our first week on Tour doing rehearsals here, it is nice to finally be back in a building that we know (all to well) how to navigate. The cast is getting in their grove and the energy is growing with each show that passes. Unfortunately, two of our girls were hurt in tonight's show. Hoping for a speedy recovery since we can't afford to lose any of our cast. 

Our next stop is San Diego - only 2 hours away. We will be traveling to SD tonight, but won't perform again until our Thursday show. Always looking forward to a good bus ride with good friends. Monday through Wednesday is our day off so hoping to squeeze a little fun in where we can. 

ANW