It's a wrap!

Well, the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions has officially wrapped and I am officially beat! What a crazy journey these past few months have been. I am so very thankful for each and every person I met and was lucky enough to get to know - from the crew, to the athletes, to the venue staff, to the volunteers, and not to forget our very own USA Gymnastics marketing team. 

As I reflect over my Tour journey, I am happy to report that I learned a lot. If you have half a day to spare, let me know, and I will give you the DL. 

Although my neck and back will be forever screwed up after sleeping in a bunk for 86 days straight, it was well, well, worth it. Part of this rewarding experience was being able to share it with my friends and family via blogging. My hope is to continue sharing my life experiences with you all. Stay tuned for news on that one. 

Thank you for reading. And, thank you for your support.  

Over and out! 
ANW 

7 days till normalcy.

Today was the mark of one week until I return home to Indianapolis. 36 shows down and 4 to go! Luckily, Sandy didn't affect our Tour routing or schedule. We are still very much on track. This week we will hit Washington DC, Pittsburgh, Hartford and Brooklyn. I can't imagine what it will feel like to sleep in the same city and same bed for more than two nights in a row.

Tomorrow, the 2012 Olympians are headed to The White House to meet the President, as they will be honored for their accomplishments in London. Also, this weekend I will celebrate my 25th birthday. Quarter life crisis, here I come!

Just today Jackie said "If this Tour has taught me something, it's that we can do anything." Well said, my friend. Well said.

Looking forward to normalcy,
AW

A perfect day in Bean Town.

Yesterday, I had a lovely day in Boston with friends. It was 60 degrees - perfect weather for a little shopping and sight-seeing. 

I started the day off at a local seafood restaurant on the water with a very good friend and sorority sister from college - Alex. It was so good to catch up. Oh, and the New England Clam Chowder. #ToDieFor. From there, we hit Newbury Street for a little shopping. We went to my favorite store 'Bobbles and Lace'. Need one in Indy, no doubt about it. Or maybe not having one in Indy is the perfect excuse to visit friends in Boston. :) 

Alex and I had all of our classes together in college and made frequent trips to Starbucks. That being said, the day wouldn't be right without sharing a skinny vanilla latte. So that, we did. 

In the afternoon, a few members of our Tour family (all female, of course), headed to get our nails done. This place was located on Shady Street and a trip to the restroom, spelled 'Resroom', was the scariest thing I have encountered this entire tour. 

I ended the perfect day at dinner with Shelley, sharing stories from high school and college. How did our parents ever make it out alive? Not quite sure, but kudos to them for putting up with our un-ruley selves. 

Headed to DC tonight and will be there until after our show on Thursday. 

Coming home to you in 1 week and 1 day!

ANW 

Cruisin' strong.

I am writing from the 'Money Train' as we cruise down the highway from Philly to Newark. Ironically (or not) listening  to 'Cruise'.  

The athletes spent the morning delivering Kelloggs products to shelters in the NJ area where Sandy victims currently reside. A really cool opportunity for them to get their hands dirty. Hope it helps. 

We are now on the second to last weekend of shows and I would be lying if I said I still enjoy crawling into a teeny tiny bunk to catch a few hours of sleep at a time. My back is feeling the pain of this long journey but we are still trucking along. Even if my back is a little beat up, it's worth it. 110% worth it. 

Last night, Stacia and Matt came to the show. It was great to spend time with them in between running around the venue like a chicken with my head cut off. :) Below is a photo of me and Stash with the 76ers. 

Crusin' along. Crusin' strong. 
ANW 

Chilly in Philly.

Still in Philly (for five whole days). It is FREEZING here. Can't believe it is already parka season. Bring on the extra hot coffee, people. 

Lucky me, yesterday we got to explore the city for a few hours. My day started off with heading to the Reading Market in the city. Talk about tough decisions. They have every type of food imaginable. I ended up with a burma (nut bar thing-a-ma-jig from Syria) and a smoothie. Not too far out of my element, I suppose. 

After the market, I met Stacia down the road from my hotel. We had no idea how close she lived to the hotel we are staying at. She picked me up in her scrubs (so cute) and then to peak inside of her apartment. We hit a local restaurant for dinner w/ Matt. So good to see them both! 

Today, I will be working from the hotel room and then meeting the Leonards for dinner later on this evening. I could really get used to working from 'home' thing. List of benefits are scribbled below. 

• If you have a small bladder, you don't have to feel bad about going to bathroom. 
• You can play your music as loud as you want. (Let's face it, I'm going to be deaf by age 30 anyway. Might as well live it up). 
• Slippers and sweat pants are appropriate dress attire. 
• When you get a fiery email, you can immediately head to the gym and burn off your frustration. 
• You can answer emails from bed (dangerous, but oh-so-good). 

More to come. Always more to come. 

ANW. 

Old & new NEWS.

Thank goodness for technology. I can still relay a message without having to talk! 
Typing and texting it is. If you followed my train of thought, you would know that I have a sore throat/scratchy voice. Hoping I heal up before our string of shows this weekend. 

A few updates, from yours truly: (I am in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by the way). 

SOCIAL LIFE -Got an email from my good friend Lizzy Dooms. She filled me in on her very fun social/dating life. Living vicariously through her in that world until November 20. First social outing on my to-do list would be a bonfire. Smores and hot chocolate will be involved. Join if you are interested. 

WORK LIFE - Same old, same old. Our team is working our booty's off -kudos to them all. We are definitely nearing the end of this crazy journey. By now, I thought there would be a lot more enemies, cat fights, etc. I consider it a great accomplishment that we all still like each other. :) 

NEW NEWS - We had a Tour family bowling night last night at Lucky Strike. Much needed for all of us. Bowling isn't my thing. I will not be publishing my score on this blog. That's how bad it is. I guess that part isn't really new news, is it? 

OLD NEWS - If you are reading this blog, I love you. AND miss you. 

From a sicky girl who WILL get better soon, 

ANW 

3/4 Willy reunion.

Hi everyone! 

Writing from my cozy room in Philly, roommate-less at the current moment and loving it. With very little personal space or privacy, you can imagine how nice it is to have some 'me' time (which comes along...never). 

I enjoy being in the room by myself so I can crank the heat up to 90 degrees and hibernate. Can't say that my pool of roommates are 'cool' with this temp. No pun intended. 

Because of the election, our promo trips were cancelled for this week. That means we get a few days to explore the city (in between working, of course). Our plans for today might be to hit the movie theatre, do a little shopping (pull my arm), and go bowling with our marketing team. Kind of sounds like a social life; which I know nothing about anymore. 

Got to see my momma and daddio last night at the Columbus show. It was so good. My mom literally screamed when I saw her! She then proceeded to touched my face to make sure it was really me. To her credit, I haven't seen her since August 28, which has been the longest stretch of time in my life that we haven't seen each other. Seems like they really liked the show (see photo below with them enjoying a quick photo opp w/ some of the cast).

Note: We greatly missed the presence of Nicholas Willy. Okay, now my Catholic guilty conscious can leave me alone. 

Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. 
ANW 

Hometown pit-stop.

Indiana was an amazing show, mostly because it felt heavenly to be in my hometown, surrounded by family, friends, Indy co-workers, etc. (Even if it was for less than 24 hours). 

Sleeping in my bed for no longer than 6 hours felt so very good. I was able to take half of my summer wardrobe and drop it off at me casa. Also picked up a few winter items, which have already come in handy. 

Through out the past couple of months, although this opportunity has allowed me to grow as a person and a professional, it has undoubtedly been a struggle to keep in touch with everyone back home. Sitting in the stands with a whole row of good friends and family made me realize how lucky I am to have a constant, loving support system. I am blessed. And then some. 

Tonight, I get to see my Mom and Dad. More commentary to come on this. Never a dull moment with those two. After this show wraps, we are Philly-bound, baby! 

Missing you, Indy.

ANW