Midwest Lovin'.

You know you are back in the Midwest when....

• You expect 70 degree weather and you get 30 degree weather. 
• People smile. Yep, at you. That's right, you. Real, big, genuine smiles. 
• Halloween is celebrated more than Christmas. 
• Everyone and their brother drives an SUV. (What's pollution, again?)
• You have to buy a parka because of the weather change. 
• No fashion police exists; therefore (unfortunately), anything goes. 
• People bring 72 oz. styrofoam cups to meetings. Go green, baby! 
• Everything is planned around lunch and dinner. Every. Thing. 
• The weather is sunny, rainy, windy and definitely indecisive all in a day's time. 

I must say, it feels damn good to be back. This weekend's shows will be in Cincy, Indy, Detorit and Columbus. 

And the best news of all (drumroll, please): Tomorrow night I get to sleep in my very own bed. Let me remind you that this has not happened since August 27, 2012. Even if I'm home for 8 hours, it is well worth it. 

Lovie. Dovie. 

ANW 

Sound the alarm!

Well, this morning was quite eventful. We drove from Atlanta to Tampa overnight, which equates to about an 8 hour drive. A perfect amount of time to catch some shut eye. After placing our precious heads on our pillows and tucking ourselves into our bunks, we were all out. Not sure why we would be so tired after working an 18 hour day (sarcasm). 

I woke up to Jordan and Nastia telling me that we were the only 3 left on the bus and we have slept in an hour later than expected! We didn't even flinch when the bus stop to let off the rest of our 9 'roommates' at the hotel. After we gathered all of our belongings, we opened the bus door and the alarm sounded. Not only could we not figure out how to turn off the alarm, but we were locked in the bus. 

After a good 15 minutes, we were free. A good start to the day, for sure. Our sincerest apologies to all of the Hilton hotel guests that we woke up. And a special thanks to our Tour Manager, Jillybean who saved the day. To see a peek of the madness, click here. 

Miss you madly, 

ANW 

I've got sunshine.

Time is flying on the road! I can't believe we have less than one month left. Before I know it, I will be back to my stomping grounds. Very much looking forward to that, but enjoying the ride while it lasts. 

I have spent two full days in one city this week- a rarity, I might add. Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, I have resided in Louisville, Kentucky with a few of my co-workers; Jill and Jill. Not to be confused with Jack and Jill (although, that would make my life much easier). I might suggest that in our staff meeting tomorrow...

Jill, Jill and I spent today working from our mobile office; at a restaurant a few miles from our hotel. Catching a few rays of sunshine for a few minutes today made us all very, very happy campers. It's the little things in life...

As you can imagine, we rarely see the sun, as we move from hotel to bus to venue to bus to hotel every day. Can't tell you the last time I had a sunburn. But, boy am I thankful for this one. For my mothers sanity, I have to let you know that I was wearing SPF 15.  

More to come. Hold your breath. 

ANW 

Selfies.

Well, I officially feel like an old grandmother. Until very recently, I did not know what selfies were. Apparently this is a common term in 2012. You can thank athlete Jordyn Wieber for so kindly teaching me.

I have learned many things on this Tour: about people, about how to better work with people, about patience, about perseverance, about hard work and about what God's plan is for me. Oh, and about selfies.

Simply put, a selfie is a photo that you take of yourself with your phone; most commonly an iPhone, I presume. (All the young kiddos have them). You hold the phone close to your face, but not too close. Make sure the camera is pointing to you and not to the subject in front of you. Put on your best face and snap! Upload to various forms of social media and tag it with some catchy self descriptors. And now, you have yourself a selfie.

Now that my teenage vocab has expanded, I comfortably fit in with all the 17 year old cast members. And boy do I feel good.

Check ya later.
ANW

Tardy for the party.

Hi friends! 

After taking 453 flights from here to there and everywhere the past few years, today marked the first time I have EVER missed a flight. Yesterday, I flew with John Orozco from Memphis to the Bronx. It was a last minute arrangement, but a necessary one. John had an injury in a show earlier this week and wanted to get home to his doctor for a thorough diagnosis. I pushed John around in a wheelchair all around the airport, which counted for 3 full workouts. John told me this was my payback since he carried my bags (that were bigger than me) all over the place last week on our promo trips. 

Anyway, after taking care of that good boy John, I was able to spend the day in NYC! What a pleasant surprise. I hung with a few of my sorority sisters (Katie and Kerri) for the day. They were whispering sweet nothings about me making a move to NYC in the near future. We will have to see about that. I surely wouldn't mind it :)

After a fun day with the two of them, I turned in at an airport hotel and set my alarm for 4:30 am. Buzz kill. 

My flight this morning was scheduled for 6:00 am. I could not find my ID for the life of me. Unbeknownst to me, it was hiding behind a credit card in my wallet; what a little stinker! Who knew that trying to get organized would lead to such a disaster. Luckily, I will still make it to Birmingham in time for our bus to depart to the next city this evening. 

Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery for John and for my wallet to be a little more organized in the future. 
ANW 

1 month to go.

Tonight I am writing my blog from inside my cozy/claustrophobic bunk on the bus. Yesterday marked our one month out from the conclusion of the tour. I can't believe how fast it's going. Before we know it, it will be a wrap!

Today, McKayla and I had our first day of show appearance with one of our partners. With our extra time before the appearance, we hit up the local coffee shop and I got my iced pumpkin latte fix, which makes for an instantaneous good mood. Straight from the appearance, we went into show mode. It never stops, but we like it that way. Our management team always tries our best to make it fun along the way, as the athletes are undoubtedly tired from countless shows and promos. See below photo for a prime example.

Heading to Memphis now and must get some beauty rest. Hopefully 6 hours will suffice.

Still smiling (for now),
ANW

A napkin and a sharpie.

Wow! John and I had scheduled a visit to St. Jude Children's Hospital as a part of our pre-promo day in Memphis. Not expecting what we were going to run into (as usual), we walked in with open minds to hear quite an amazing story. 

We jumped right in and learned about how St. Jude's was built from the ground up. Danny Thomas, an entertainer from the 40's (comparable to Conan in our day), aways had a vision to do something big. As a struggling entertainer and a part-time employee at a local grocery store, he just wasn't making it. In fact, he couldn't even pay his hospital bill for his first born baby girl of $57.00. That being said, his wife sure was a strong advocate for him to leave the entertainment business. In pure desperation in the 40's, Danny got down on his knees and prayed with every ounce of strength in him to St. Jude - hoping that he would catch a break in the biz. His prayer to St. Jude included a promise that he would build a shrine in return of being able to achieve his dream. Not only did Danny Thomas share this prayer with St. Jude, but also with his good friend and mentor in New York City. 

Not less than a week later, Danny got a phone call for a gig (and his first break) in Los Angeles. And how much did this pay? You got it. $57.00. Coincidence? I think not. 

Many years later in the early 60's during the Civil Rights Movement, Danny heard about a young African American boy who was turned away from being treated due to his race. This really cut him up and he started to think; think big. His vision started on a simple restaurant napkin and a sharpie. (Most good ideas do - my dad is living proof). Danny scribbled his hope and vision of a children's hospital Memphis, TN, free of any and all discrimination. Danny's good friend and mentor from NYC agreed that it was about time to fulfill his vision that he shared with him over 20 years prior. And so it was built: St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Here, every single kid under 19 years of age, could receive treatment for free in an uplifting and positive atmosphere.

Notable supporters of this great mission are and have been Carrie Underwood, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. This story truly touched my heart and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to visit this place that holds so much hope. 

Will write more later. 
ANW 

The Frank Sinatra table.

Being in Chicago is special to me for two reasons: It is one of my top 5 favorite cities in the US and my funny little brother lives there. Mostly because of the latter. After a solid show in Chicago at the United Center, Nastia and I quickly wrapped with the Meet and Greet and ran (high heels and all) to catch a cab. If I would have known this was in the plan, I would have skipped my cardio workout that morning. 

Nick secured Table #1 for our dinner on Sunday evening at the Pump Room; also known as the Frank Sinatra table. It was so perfect to not have to go anywhere and just sit and relax. He of course spoiled us with a little sample of everything. From calamari to tuna tar tar, this crew did not go hungry in the least. We ended our evening by him showing us around to the theatre room - the best spot in the entire hotel. Oh how I wish I would have slumbered in there (see photo above).  


Nick was in true form during our visit- cracking jokes left and right. Let's just say lots of laughs were had at the Frank Sinatra Table. A good night with good people, indeed. 

Lovies. 
ANW 

Cracked.

Jumping right in for a quick recap and update on my life: 

This past weekend flew by. We celebrated 20 shows (half way through the Tour) in Omaha, Nebraska. This is the show where I also got to see Abby and Jeff and feel baby Morris kick! I can't wait for that little bundle of joy to join us in January. 

Today is our pre-promotional day in Lafayette, Louisiana. I am with John Orozco and we are in between morning media and club visits. Then off for another promotional day in Memphis. Like I've said before, we can sleep when we're dead. :) 

In the wee hours of the morning - let's say 6 am, as we were moving from one radio station to the next, I had John's phone in my hand. Or so I thought. Somehow, some way, his phone slipped from my measly fingers and landed face down on the hard wood floor. This has happened to me 1 million times, so when picking up the phone I didn't think anything of it. When I turned it over to return it to John, the entire screen was cracked from head to toe. Let's just say my bank account started off with a few more hundred dollar bills this morning. Lesson learned: don't hold people's phones for them? 

This weekend's line up of shows is Kansas City, St. Louis, Memphis and then Lafayette. Southern hospitality, here we come! 

Bye for now. 
ANW 

Other duties as assigned.

It has been a busy couple of days with little down time, which is why I haven't written in a while. Hopefully you all survived. :) 

This weekend's line up of shows consist of Minneapolis, Des Moines, Omaha and Chicago. Last night, our cast was looking for someone to assist in holding the silks for one of the girls numbers. Scott had the white sweatsuit on and realized that his boxers were dark blue. Whoopsie, daisy! That's where I stepped in and put on the men's white sweatsuit. Who knew I would have the chance to make a debut in the show. Not me! (See photo above for proof). 

Today, Abby is coming to the show with her husband – preggers and all. I am overly excited, as I can't even remember the last time I saw either of them. 

A few staff members from the USA Gymnastics office have joined us on Tour recently to assist with the Fitness Zone and "other duties as assigned." Quite the popular topic around here. I am very happy to receive the extra assistance so working with the girls this weekend on a little training and getting them comfortable with set up/tear-down/etc. 

Tomorrow's show is in Chicago and I get to see the best brother in the world. Yee-haw. 

TTFN. (M&D: That means Ta ta for now).

ANW 

Humbled.

Reporting from (a very windy) St. Paul, Minnesota. 

Thank you, God. Thank you for sharing with me not one, but TWO great stories today. Two different encounters with two very different strangers opened my eyes a little bit. And, it was just what I needed. 

With only 24 hours to spend in Des Moines, Iowa, I was definitely rushed for time. 

Early this morning, I found myself in a hotel shuttle - with every intent to run a few errands. While getting lost on the way to my destination, I decided to strike up conversation with the driver. We comfortably jumped right into chatting. He told me about his journey in this life and how he became a Christian. He openly shared with me the recent miracle of his church being saved from bankruptcy and how they were able to unite with another church to form 'one big happy family'. His church is called 'Words', rather than a 'nondenominational' church. Why? He says because we are all here for the same reason, so why try to separate us? I believe he is right. Before I hopped out of the car, I shared my 'life-driven purpose' and encouraged him to read the book, too. He seemed excited to do so. 

Later this evening, I found myself in a taxi cab coming back to my hotel. I was dead tired, but interested in having a conversation with someone. (Lucky or unlucky for the cab driver; you decide). Small talk turned into big talk. He told me the story of how he ran away from his country during the Rwandan Civil War. With nothing but the clothes on his back, and his dad and brother by his side, he walked for days to freedom. Although he was thankful to be rid of the turmoil in his country, he was forced to leave one thing behind; his wife. After arriving to the US, he spent 9 years trying to find her. He spent years and years working and waiting, working and waiting. And 9 years later - she miraculously reappeared. To this day, they are happily married and are raising three kids in the suburbs of St. Paul. 

Traveling is tough sometimes when you are away from the ones you love most. It is experiences like these that make me feel at ease and connected to the people around me. I am thankful for my experience in meeting these men and am happy they shared their stories with me. I feel truly humbled tonight.  

Until we meet again, 
ANW 

Smiles for JJ!

Barely keeping my eyes open to write this, but I must since I skipped out on blogging yesterday. Dedication. 

My highlight from this weekend (hands-down) was getting to see Jen at our show in Lubbock, Texas. She drove a few hours to see me; I think I'm gonna keep her around for a while. :) It was so nice to catch up right where we left off. Lucky for Jen, Sunday night was the cast party at none other than a Mexican restaurant. We spoiled ourselves and had Mexican food alongside a good, old 'beer-arita'. (Spell-check is going crazy and so am I). 

After Jen left in the wee hours of the morning, I ran into a crazy gymnastics mom that asked me for my autograph in the hotel lobby at 6:04 am. After I told her numerous times that I wasn't part of the team, she still insisted that I scribble my name across the white page for her son. I gave in. And after doing so, that still wasn't enough. She wanted me to write 'Management Team'. Finally handed the paper back to her and she still requested that I write 'Kelloggs Tour'. Enough already - this is worth nada, nothing, zero! Gymnastics groupies are one of a kind. 

Today, I spent most of my day at the airport traveling to Des Moines. Tomorrow is a Gabby day. Will report back when my eyes are a little more lively. 

Goodnight. Xo.
ANW 

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Good afternoon from good, ole Lubbock Texas! 

Only good news today, I've decided. I am happy to say that I got 9 FULL, uninterrupted hours of sleep last night. There is a first time for everything, eh? I woke up (dazed and confused, of course). Rolled out of my bunk to see my co-worker Jackie, full dressed and ready to go. I was still in my blue and white striped pajamas. She told me the time was 10:00 am - I expected it to be 6 or 7. Apparently, I was an itty bit tired. Now, I am fully rested, which I haven't been able to say since the Tour began. 

We have an early show today (5 pm) and I get to see Jen Jay! Words can't express how happy I am to see her. JJ is coming to see the show and we are planning to go to dinner and hang afterwards. Can't. Hardly. Wait. 

Tomorrow I am traveling with Gabby to Des Moines for some pre-promo stuff. In dire need of catching up on some reading. Probably a good thing since I am not sure what other entertainment Des Moines has to offer. No offense...

Just realized it is Sunday. It is next to impossible to get to church on Tour. Prayers are very much welcomed. 
ANW 

Holy hair.

TGIF to my dear, sweet friends and family! 

First and foremost, I must announce that my new favorite product is dry shampoo. This has already saved me a total of 7.6 hours on Tour. Holy hair! Major props to whichever genius invented this smell-good, look-good, feel-good bottle of fabulous. How have I ever lived without it? 

I spent the last 2 days in Dallas, which was such a great refresher (no, not the Starbucks drink). I was able to sleep in a real bed, take a long run outside, stop by the local Coffee Bean and spend some time with Nastia. Cheap thrills, huh? Oh yeah, and I shopped. Well deserved after a few months of being locked up on a Tour bus, right? I think so. 

Yesterday was also an appearance and a show day. Nastia and I knocked out an AT&T appearance in Dallas at 11:00 am, drove three hours to Oklahoma City and arrived to the venue just in time to take care of business. Yesterday was also the NBC taping of the Tour. The show will be broadcast on October 14 at 3:00 pm ET, so be sure to tune in! 

Now we are off to put on a show in San Antonio. I am very much looking forward to our Sunday show (in Lubbock) where I get to see my long lost best friend Jen Jay! 

The higher the hair, the closer to heaven. 
ANW 

Country strong.

Dear Indiana (and elsewhere) friends:

Today I am writing from my hotel room in Dallas. We just wrapped with a Hilton appearance at one of their corporate offices (see picture below). Chellsie, Steve and Chris did a great job, per usual. I was going to do a pommel routine as well, but didn't bring the right clothes. Plus, I didn't want to make them look bad. 

It was great to see new and old friends from The Marketing Arm and Hilton. We indulged in sushi for lunch, which I have been craving for the past couple of weeks. Who would have known I could get so excited over seaweed salad? Huge deal for me, especially since we have had 'venue food' for two months straight. 

The temperature changes in various markets where we do promo visits and shows in is slowly but surely KILLING me. Yesterday, I needed boots in Denver and the coziest sweatshirt I own. Today, I would be happy with sunglasses and my birthday suit on. Thank you God, for such diversity! 

Dallas is a great place to spend some time in. So far, I have spotted some solid cowboy boots and country boys. I will be staying far away from both. I vow to look and not touch. My country music (which makes this girl happy) is blasting loudly from the hotel room. I feel it only appropriate to do so. Plus, Eric Church would be offended if I turned him down. Fingers crossed for no complaints from my kind neighbors on my right or left. 

Tomorrow is AT&T appearance day with Nastia and then off to Oklahoma City for our show, which NBC is taping. Good stuff. 

Save a horse. You finish the rest. 
ANW 

A much needed swanky abode.

Hi from the long lost girl who forgot her zip code! Really and truly, I did. As I stopped by Fed Ex to mail a few things today, I could not remember if my zip code was 46022 or 46220. It is the later, for those of you who want to know (I'm assuming no one). 

Today was a good day. I finally got a chance to dig into my devotional and spend a little time with the big guy upstairs. I am almost finished up with reading "A purpose driven life". Although this book was supposed to be a 40 day challenge, mine has become more like 80. A challenge, indeed to finish in the proposed timeframe. Oh well - A for effort, right? With barely any time to think about other things besides shows, athletes, appearances, schedules, sponsors, my sanity, etc., I am so thankful for any chance (planned or not) that I get my hands dirty and think about why I am really here and how I can make a difference. This journey is an amazing one - and for it I will be forever grateful. 

In addition to devotional day, today also became postcard shopping day; just to make sure my friends and family haven't forgotten about me. Look for yours in the mail, ladies, and gentlemen, boys and girls. 

Also good news for the style snob that I am; our cast and crew was able to stay in a swanky abode right in the middle of downtown Denver. Not that I didn't like the floral patterns from 1989, but being surrounded by good design, makes this girl a happy one. I am my father's daughter. 

My recent learnings include (but are not limited to): 
1. People in Denver are nice. Doesn't measure up to our midwest hospitality, but sure does beat every single place we have been in California thus far. 
2. September has 30 days. Learned that the hard way. 
3. Chai tea latte just might be my new favorite drink. 

Happy October! Thanks for keeping up with me. 
ANW 

Genesis and Pepper.

Hi friends, 

Tonight's show is our 'Friday'. Last show of the weekend, with not another show until Thursday of this week. I am charged with a promo visit to Dallas on Tuesday and Wednesday. Until then, there's lots of work waiting for me in my inbox. Happy happy, joy joy! Getting an itty bit tired of living out of 4 suitcases, but all the while becoming quite the expert packer! Need to find a way to get all of my winter clothes sent to me. Hoping my trusty roomie will be able to assist. Ahem, Lindsey Schrage!

Interesting handful of things happened today, per usual. See the list below. 

1. Best/most recent line from Lonny is as follows. Someone asks: Where's the dessert? Lonny answers: These blondies over here. Thank you for the comic relief, as always, Lon. 
2. I needed to grab something from the bus and who do I run into? Jethro (our Tour bus driver), sitting in a lawn chair wearing his sunglasses with his hands folded on top of his belly. What a sight! After I saw this, I suddenly forgot what I had come to the bus for. 
3. Another responsibility of mine on the Tour is to manage the Dora the Explorer activation. This means I meet up with the Dora costume and her handler pre-event. This show's talent (straight from Broomfield, ladies and gents) was interesting to say the least. I worked with Genesis and Pepper and yes, it was as horrible as it sounds. 

Wowzers and then some. 

ANW