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