New Song 2011 Tour : Day 7

Day Seven. It's cold again today. For some reason I failed to pack a lot of warm clothes...so I"m wearing my long sleave p.j. shirt under my jacket. Our host family provided us a tip top breakfast. They are so cute. Before driving to the buses they took a few group photos of us and prayed for us. They were so nice. We went to the Jelly Belly Factory for a few hours today, to kill time again. We took the tour, which was fun, even though I've been on it before. They had a special event going on for Mr. Jelly Belly's b-day, which included free samples of candy. Courtney Ann tried the Skunk Spray jelly belly bean sampler....and quickly spit it out with a loud yell. I wasn't about to try it....however her response to it was amusing. The other candies were quite tasty. After sampling things, I headed to the store....to go to town on the candy. I may or may not have spent $27 on candy. Ahem. May or may not have. I got a little excited. Once everyone was back on the bus, we watched a movie - Remember Me. It was ok...but the foul language and s*x scenes really ruined it for me. That, and it ended on a tragic note and was overall a depressing movie. But it killed time, I guess. We had a five hour drive today. Finally, we arrived at our destination/church in Redding. The church is ginormous! We were pawned off to host homes after crew set up for tomorrow morning's concert. We didn't have a concert today today, which is nice. Didn't have to curl my hair. Our host home/family is real nice. They are a jolly, cheerful couple - Carol and I forget the guy's name. They served us a good dinner of ribs, corn on the cob, salad, and french bread. So good. For dessert they served us both ice cream and lemon meringue pie. After dinner we all played Mexican Train. It was really fun. I ended up coming in second, the host dad in first. I am staying with Bibby and Kim tonight. Two in one queen bed and one in a single. I have the single, which is nice, although I don't mind sharing beds with people, at all. My shoulder is still sore and creaky, so I've been trying to rest it and not use it as much. It should be better soon though. This bed is so soft and so comfy...it's going to be hard to get out of bed in the morning.

New Song 2011 Tour : Day 6

Day six of New Song Tour! Today I woke up more cheerful and alert than any other day/morning of tour so far. It was a beautiful morning. I curled my hair, put on my makeup, collected up my luggage, and then went into the house for a scrumptious breakfast of pancakes and scrabbled eggs. The host mom packed us all such a huge, great looking lunch - a sandwich on a lovely white roll, tons of snacks, and water. The entire family was so nice. They were Dutchmen too...pure dutch and the family...not the dad, but their other family members...owned the Almond grove their house was behind/amongst. The concert this morning went well. The children were cute and for the most apart, attentive.One little boy, Sean, kept saying he liked us. He was cute. After we performed, three girls came up to me and said they loved our singing and hoped we came back again. It was sweet and cute. Today was the one and only day I've been dress-coded for choir, ever. I forgot that when we perform in regular clothes for school concerts that our shoulders have to be covered and had worn a dressy tank top. Oh well. After the concert they gave us muffins for the road and off we went. We went to Pier 29 in San Francisco to kill time...again...before our next concert in San Mateo. It was freezing and the wind was blowing like crazy...but it was fun. I walked around with Adrian, Kayla, Brittany P., Miriah, and Victoria for the most part. We looked in shops and enjoyed the sights. This one magic store place had the guy working there performing card tricks. That was real cool. Kayla and I rode the carousel together and had a good old time looking and acting like fools. It was a fun time. While waiting for the buses to return to pick us up, Kayla and I continued to act like fools by talking to each other in British accents. The concert in San Mateo went really well. The bus took a wrong turn, delaying us for a bit, but we got there eventually. The people provided us with a great meal before the concert: Teriaki chicken and rice, a splendid and tasty salad, and strawberry lemonade with sliced strawberries in it. It's Creola's home church and they were quite warm and friendly. After the concert they gave us dessert: strawberry pound cake with vanilla ice cream and home made banana pudding. Both desserts were good (yes, I had both) but the pudding was to die for. My host home tonight is so nice. The host family is a cute oriental couple. They have two grown sons who attend Cal Poly University. I am with April, Tory, Jessica R. Daniel S. and Gabby. Life is good and God is great. Now, to bed, to bed, said sleepy head. I'm exhausted. But, it's been a lovely day.

New Song 2011 Tour : Day 5

Today was one of the best days of tour so far. I was pleasantly surprised by how good it's been. First, we had a school concert at the same church as last night. It was hard leaving home again...I just wanted to stay home. But I did it. Jack-o Bean was still asleep when I left so I just kissed him goodbye before leaving. The school concert went really well. I was dreading it, but it ended up being wonderful. The children were polite and loved music. This one little boy with glasses named Josh was so cute! He asked a few questions and explained to us how he was learning about the heart and left/right aorta in science class. He seemed like a very bright/smart boy. The school was such a great, tiny Christian school that I decided should I ever put my children in school (fat chance....very fat chance) this would be the school I"d put them in. After the concert we loaded up and drove to Tracy. Of course, our next concert wasn't till 7 at night so we had quite a bit of time to kill. There was a park across the street from the church so we spent some time there. AT first we were going to spend almost 4 hours at the park. But then they decided to split the time up by first going to the Tracy mall, thankfully. I wandered through the mall with Adrian W., Miriah H., and Kayla and eventually bough a drink before getting back on the bus to go to the park. I didn't need to buy a lunch since mom had pcked me a big lunch with lots of snacks. The park visit ended up being a great experience. There was a guy there with his spouse and kids. He asked us where we were from and why we were there. We explained to him how we were on choir tour and had a concert at the church a cross the street and invited him to come to it tonight. He laughed and said the church would burn down around him if he stopped foot in it. Then he asked us to sing him something right there in the park. So, a little group of us sang 'My Life Is In Your Hands' for him. He loved it and said it gave him chills. He also said he might try and make it to our concert. It was another 'wow' moment for me. So great. We were able to get our energy out of our systems in the park by playing tag. I chased Marissa all around the park....it was quite amusing. I've never seen her run so fast. After the park it was time to have our concert. The concert went great. The audience was full of energy , we were full of energy, and we fed off of each other. Darla and grandma Ina came too, which was real nice. It's always nice to have people you know in the audience at concerts. Tonight's home-stay is awesome!! We (Jess F., Creola, Alanna F, and I) were picked up by a young man named Ross. He goes to Dordt University/College in Iowa. He was very nice and friendly. At the house we met his three sisters, one attending the same college, one a high school freshman, and one a 5'11" 7th grader, along with his mom. The dad was in Reno at a business meeting. The house....the house is amazing. It is my dream house, country styled and beautiful. The guest house is attached to the garage and looks just like a red barn on the outside! I love it. I"m so in love. The mom was so sweet. She made us brownies and said she use to sing in choir and go on tours and knows how sometimes you just want to relax and not have to answer the host family's questions. So she sent us out to the guest house with milk and brownies to have a good time/night. The brownies were delicious and the bed....so fabulous feeling to my tired body. Alanna and I tiptoed outside after we went to bed to stargaze for a few moments, before going back to bed. Today has been a good day. Thank you God!

Side Note for day five of tour:
At the park I was pushing Adrian on the swings, and had a horrible popping/tearing sensation in my shoulder and an awful popping sound met my ears. I thought my shoulder was going to dislocate for a moment....or rip out of its socket. I talked to Nathaniel about it and he says it sounds like what happens to his shoulder....a rotary cuff tear. Anyways, it heart like the dickens and its still sore and makes occasional pops and clicks. I'm trying to rest it and iced it this morning, as well. Hopefully the pain will leave soon and it will heal. Me and my decrepit body.....

New Song 2011 Tour : Day 4

Day 4 of New Song Tour. Goodness, was it hard to leave the comfort and beauty of the mansion and the kind host family. They served us doughnuts for breakfast, which were quite delicious. They also made all of us cute sack lunches of PBJ sandwiches, chips, thin mint cookies, and water. It was another 4 hour long drive again today. But we were going to Pine Grove....home!!!! I was rather excited...to say the least. We stopped at a Walmart and then at Sutter Creek along the way, to kill extra time. I really didn't want to stop....I just wanted to be home. But alas, I had no choice. 84 girls walking around Old Town Sutter Creek was somewhat amusing though. Some old guys called us tourists, talking amongst themselves. Miriah H. was not pleased...hehe. Finally, we arrived at the church. Grandma and grandpa came to the concert and the family. when grandma and grandpa arrived, I was in sound check and almost bolted off the stage. I didn't know they were coming and so was pleasantly surprised. However, I contorolled myself and waited till sound check ended to run and hug them. I definitely skipped devotions with the girls to visit with my family.* A lot of people from my church came too - the Blands came, Walt and Marilyn, Pastor and Karen and quite a few more. The concert went splendidly and afterward I got to go home!!! I had a second dinner of home made spaghetti while chatting like a magpie. Jackson was very excited to see me and kept talking to me. He s howed me his pillow pet and told me his name was Tardy Turtle. Then he asked me if I knew why the pillow pet's name was Tardy Turtle, to which I replied no. "Because he's slow, Cara." he told me. He was so cute. He didn't want to go to bed. He wanted to keep talking to me all night long. After saying good night to him I set about getting ready for tomorrow. I curled my hair, washed laundry, repacked my suitcase, and switched laptop bags...all the while gabbing away to mom. I'm so tired and have to get up for anouther concert tomorrow morning....away from home. It's going to be so hard to leave home and family again tomorrow.....

*I'll have you know though, that this was the one and only time I skipped devotions whilst on tour.

New Song 2011 Tour : Day 3

Day 3 started up bright and early. The sleep I got in that hotel room was wonderful. There was a splendid complimentary breakfast provided by the hotel which was also quite nice. We ate the breakfast provided and skedaddled. One of the buses had a dead battery, so the bus I was on drove to Norco High-school to pick up those from host homes and family homes. We picked them up, everyone piled on one crowded bus, and we drove back to the 'downed' bus. A new bus soon arrived on scene, people and luggage were transferred, and we settled down for a 4 hour drive, slightly delayed, but none the worse for the delay. The concert for today was in Lemoore, near Fresno, at a small k-12 Christian school. The concert went well, for a school concert. The host family I stayed with tonight was great. They took 8 girls and the lady's dad took 4. We all went to her house though for dinner and hanging out. The house....oh my, the house. It. was. HUGE. It was a mansion. So beautiful. We slept in their guest house, which was also beautiful. Susanne and Jimmy were the parents names and they have 3 daughters, a junior in high school, an eighth grader, and a seventh grader. They had a beautiful backyard with a quaint rose garden, a pool with a slide, and a tennis court. They lived in Hanford, which is right next to Lemoore. The dad bbq'd steak for us for dinner! Best home-stay ever! they were so nice. We all talked to each other, played tennis, and watched "Life As We Know It" before going back to the guest room to prepare for bed. 3 of the girls left to stay at the host mom's parents house. And by the way, their shower was glorious! God is very good. He has supplied us with such fabulous, kind, and christian host families so far.

New Song 2011 Tour : Day 2

Second day of tour. No concert today, so the Tyler Mall was our point of destination. Christina got up at 5:30 and I got up at 6:00 a.m. I was so tired....but had to get up and get ready to leave by 7:15. We cleaned up, packed up, and painted our faces. Our host mom made us scrambled eggs and toast with fruit. We signed a thank you card, left it on the bed, and were off to the bus, our host mom chatting all the way. Before we got out of her car, she prayed with/for us. Some of the girl's were late so we didn't leave on time at 8:30 but it wasn't too big of a deal. I slept most of the drive back from San Diego to the mall in Riverside. When we got to the mall, I trouped around with Michelle A., Hannah, and Amanda. We walked every which way in the mall, then walked across the street to Barnes and Noble. While the others walked around inside Barnes and Nobel, I plopped down at a table, whipped out my laptop bag, and used the free Wifi. I ended up buying a peanut butter banana smoothie while there too. After wards we trekked back to the mall to get some lunch. Mickey D's for me. With our bellies satisfied, we went in some make up, perfume, and lotion stores, and used lots of sample lotions and perfumes, along with sample lip glosses. The best part of today was when we went into a little Christian shirt store in the mall. The friendly lady working there asked us questions and after finding out about our tour and who were were, asked to pray with us before we left. Right there, in the middle of a store, in the middle of a mall, we formed a circle and the lady prayed for us and our tour and prayed for God's glorification to happen throughout our tour. It was definitely a 'wow' moment for me. Aftger killing 4 hours at the mall, off to Norco High School we went, where Mr. Georgetti fed us homemade fajitas, which were quite tasty I might add. 16 girls were selected to stay in a hotel for the night, while the rest of the girls who didn't go to their own homes or friend's homes were put with host families. The hotel rooms were kindly paid by Mr. Georgetti. I was one of the ones selected for the hotel and it was a wonderful evening. I roomed with 3 other girls : Alysha B. Victoria P. and Sheree . We had such a good time laughing and talking and hanging out with a fifth girl from another room, Michelle A. It was great fun. :) The hotel had complimentary food, which was great (we definitely took advantage of that food eating opportunity) and the beds were so comfy. Needless to say, although we did stay up late-ish...I slept quite well.

New Song 2011 Tour : Day 1

I journaled every day whilst on tour. I wanted to record the memories and everything that happened on tour. I am going to share each journaled day with those who read this blog....but I will be changing certain things as there are some things that must stay in one's journal. Here is day 1. :)

Today was our first day of New Song 2011 Tour. I had to rise and shine at 4:00 A.M. to be ready and on the bus by 5:15 A.M. Well, maybe just rise without the shine....it was so early. We had two concerts this morning at a church in San Diego. Certain girls lost no time starting up their complaints. They were tired, it was early, they were hungry, they didn't like this, they didn't like that. If things keep up like this I'm going to go off on them before this tour is over. The people at the church during both services were very warm and friendly. They were full of life and warmth. The pastor spoke on baptism. It was a good message. After both services, they fed us - fried chicken, salad, and parfaits (amongst other goodies). After eating, back to the buses we went. We drove to Sea Port Village to kill time before our next concert. It's a cute place with little stores and such like. Some people rushed off the bus in search of Starbucks, some meandered off to wander around the shops (including me), and some remained on the bus to tired (and grouchy, in some cases) to get up. A slight mist spritzed those who ventured off the bus. However, it was nice to get out and poke around in the village. After the stop at Sea Port Village, we were off to our next concert. Tonight's concert went quite well. The people at this church were just as warm and friendly as the people in the morning. They gave us a dinner of pizza, salad and cookies before the concert. After we sang, we changed out of our dresses and rounded up our luggage. Then we sat and waited to be 'pawned off' to host families for the night. Christina J. and I went to the same host family. The family was a cute old couple and their granddaughter, Amy, who happens to attend CBU as well. The guy, obviously retired now, worked at some rocket/missal launching 'cove' and also had background in the military. The lady worked globally with refugees. their children occupied a lot of our conversations. All but one of their children live overseas or out of state. Amy's parents are missionaries in China. The lady kindly provided us a nice dessert before we showered and went to bed. No bed ever felt softer....