CD TOUR: Thief River Falls, MN

I woke up with just enough time to shower, eat some breakfast, and hop on the van. We had a brief lunch at McDonald’s before settling in for another long drive. We were happy to see that we were booked in the C’mon Inn—our favorite hotel from the last tour, in TRF. We checked in and took a 10 minute nap, and then headed to the venue for set up.

The show was so much fun, and we enjoyed the talkative fans during intermission and after the show. My favorite fan was a little German Shepherd pup that was a service dog in training. Chelsie and I couldn’t stop petting the cute thing—we even posed with a picture for him, which they are going to use on their service dog webpage! Groovy! I told the owners that I would’ve taken him if I had any extra room in my baggage. Fat chance. 🙂

After the show, there weren’t any restaurants open, but we stopped into the bar and grill next to our hotel and ordered a celebratory beer and some good old-fashioned Domino’s Pizza. We got a picture of our gang that I will cherish always—this group was seriously amazing. We all got along SO well…not even the slightest amount of bickering occurred, even after being in a close proximity for 5 weeks. I love you guys!

CD Tour: Pierre, SD

We started the trip to Pierre after an interesting visit at the local Sioux Falls IHOP. I ordered *drumroll please…* a waffle. I know, my menu is so varied. 😉

The trip went well, and it was funny to see how much snow had melted since we had been that way earlier in the tour. Everything looked completely different after losing it’s white camouflage. We made it to Pierre without any incidents (last time we traveled here during the TYFTM tour we hit a bird with our van and I cried a bit), and since we were so early, we headed to the local mall/music store to look for a new mic stand.

The venue was pretty packed, and the president said that we had inspired lots of people to purchase new concert association memberships, just so they could see our show. She also melted my heart by telling me after the show—lots of patrons commented that our show alone was worth the season ticket price! Yup, I couldn’t stop smiling. It makes me feel so good to know that our show brings joy to so many people. It brings back so many memories. Cool!

After the show, we packed up and headed back to Watertown, SD to shave some hours from the long drive to our next venue. There weren’t any restaurants open along the way, but we did manage to find one open gas station (after several miles of searching). I went to the cash register to pay for my personal pizza, and the cashier gave it to me for free. Apparently it had been sitting there for 7 hours…oh well, free pizza is the best pizza, even if it is a little dry! Ha! 😉

When we arrived at the hotel, I was so sleepy that I fell asleep before I even opened my bag to get my pajamas unpacked.

CD TOUR: Algona, IA

The workout room at the hotel was pretty sparse, so Chelsie and I started our morning with some lap swimming in the VERY heated pool. I wanted to stay in Albert Lea just for the pool alone…but we had to get on the road for our 2 show day in Algona. This gig was supposed to happen earlier in the tour, but it got moved when we ran into that random blizzard in Okoboji. Turns out, waiting was a good idea, because when we arrived at the venue, the weather was wonderful! Not the type of wonderful that many of you are experiencing in the Ozarks, but wonderful in a sense that you don’t feel like your lungs are locking up from the cold when you step out of the van. 🙂

After set up, I explored the haunted-looking basement with Chelsie and Justin (ahhh!), and went on a walk to see the downtown area. I also called the chamber of commerce to make sure I knew where to go to find the World’s Largest Cheeto. You read that right. I was happy to find out that it was still in existence at a restaurant called Emerald’s. After our 3pm matinee, we went straight to Emerald’s to check that thing out. While we were there, we got the soup and salad bar and OMG….it was the best soup ever. I know I keep saying that, but this was honestly better than anything I’ve had before. Our entire table ate several bowls of the creamy chicken fajita, and we left feeling like we were pregnant with soup-babies. I should add—there was some think cream featured in that stuff…no wonder it was good. 😉

The Cheeto was kind of hidden from view at the restaurant, but we got the waitress to show us where it was living. Yep…it was definitely a sight. A old and shrinking Cheeto sat perched upon a velvet pillow in a glass case. You don’t even wanna know how many selfies I took with that thing. Apparantly, it used to be much bigger, but it has been slowly shedding over time. Still—it was worth the trip. Just like the ball of twine. 😉

After the night gig, we packed up and drove a few hours to Sioux Falls, SD. We pulled in sometime just before 1am, and went straight to our rooms to sleep.

The tractor pic is for Bird…I knew that a picture with a chick and a tractor would be high on his list of favorite photos. Ha!

CD TOUR: Austin, MN

After a brutal morning of working out (I say brutal because I tried to do a bajillion lunges again…they’re evil) and a yummy lunch at the Green Mill, we got on the road to Austin, MN. The ride was only 3 hours or so, and we arrived in town pretty early, even though we had an earlier show that night. We decided to have an early dinner at a cool place called TenderMaid per Ross’ recommendation, and it was pretty darn cool. The restaurant was based off of a Maid Rite (or at least that’s the style of burger they made), and it had been built in 1938! The burgers were fabulous, and it reminded me of the days where I’d stop for a burger with my dad at Hamby’s or Taylor’s  (or even Steak ’n’ Shake) when I was a kid. There’s something about those old burger shops that make me feel like a kid again.

While driving to the venue, I was sad to see that the Spam Museum was closed….you better believe I would’ve been there had it been open, and I don’t even eat the stuff. I just love quirky stuff! Luckily, my appetite for quirkiness was sated when I found a liquor store with a giant brazier attached to the front of it. I almost crawled over Eric to get a good picture of that thing. Hilarious!

The venue was absolutely beautiful. It was a nice auditorium, but had just a touch of vintage flair, which I always appreciate.

After the show, we drove on to Albert Lea and had dinner at the good ol’ Applebee’s. I also got a pickle lighter for Ross….he hates pickles. He’s only allowed to light candles with that lighter…and he can use it for survival if necessary (just putting that in writing in case he reads this soon…no smoking!) 😉

CD Tour: Park Falls, WI and Off Day in Eau Claire

We left Oshkosh after running some errands, and decided to wait and stop for lunch in Waupaca, WI. We found a cute little diner/coffee shop called Little Fat Gretchen’s on Yelp. While the name is what drew us to the cute little place, the food made it so worth it! I ordered a spinach salad, and the homemade balsamic vinaigrette was hands down the best dressing I’ve EVER had on a salad. I was dipping crackers into the dressing after I finished my salad, just because I didn’t wanna waste any of it! I asked the waitress what they added to it to make it so good, and she said it was a secret house recipe. I guess I’ll have to make a stop here again if we ever make it back. If I wasn’t going home in a plane, I would’ve even considered buying a big container of it to bring home!

We arrived in Park Falls after a few hours of driving in some pretty wooded pine areas and a quaint little lake town. We’d been to this venue before, so set-up was pretty quick and easy. The show was a hit, and we were lucky enough to get a bag full of free cookies from the board before we left the venue. We’re pretty easy to please. 😉

We drove on to Eau Claire that night, to shave some hours from our next big drive. By the time we arrived at the hotel, it was all we could do to carry our bags up the stairs and make it to our beds. Something about driving wears us out!

Since we had less of a drive to the next venue, we were able to stay in Eau Claire for a day off. With no plans and nothing to do, I decided to check out some Trip Advisor finds. We found a cool local mall, and one of those awesome escape room games that are becoming popular now. The mall was a hit–mainly because I got to shop at Ross…seriously the best store ever. Also, I rented a big drivable bear and somehow talked Chelsie into riding around with me. Yes…I know we are adults. However, as my boyfriend likes to point out, I’m 12 in my heart! I laughed and smiled the entire time I drove that bear around. Justin said that Chels and I both looked incredibly smug and pleased with ourselves. He’s right. 😉 Plus, I mean….what else is there to do when you’re bored? It was great.

We had dinner at the Green Mill restaurant attached to our hotel, and then headed to our reservation at Tactical Escape 101. The escape room was SO MUCH FUN! We chose to do a room that was Pink Panther themed, and we had exactly one hour to escape the room. We barely made it–I think there was less than 2 minutes left on the clock when we finally made it out! I’m seriously in love with these things now–I can’t wait to try the ones in Springfield and Branson (Clue, Escape Code, etc). Btw, I don’t think I’ve used by brain that much since cramming for tests in college. Those puzzles and clues were very tricky!

If you’re in the Eau Claire area, here’s the site:

http://www.tacticalescape101.com/eau-claire.html

Also, they have a Groupon special at the moment! Check ’em out!

We finished our busy night with a swim in the pool and a dip in the hot tub. A great day off. 😉

 

CD Tour: Fond Du Lac, WI

After boarding the van in Chicago, we headed to Milwaukee for lunch. I’m always looking for interesting places on Yelp, and I decided to take a chance on a place called Georgie Porgie’s Tree Fort Restaurant. It was pretty cool—the entire restaurant looked like the inside of a tree house. The food was great too!

We split ways after lunch, and while the cast headed to the venue town, Ross and I headed to Manitowoc County to sneak a peek at the Avery compound. I was pretty obsessed with watching Making a Murderer on Netflix, so I felt like it was worth the trip. Ross and I stopped by the auto salvage sign, and also drove around the town a bit, looking all over the areas around the homestead. It was definitely a little creepy.

While we were en route to Fond Du Lac, we also stopped at the Calumet County courthouse where the Avery trial took place. It was so strange seeing it in person after seeing it on television so many times. It was definitely a little rattling.

We arrived in Fond Du Lac in time for a coffee and a snack before heading to the venue. I tried some coconut curry chicken soup, and it was amazing!

The venue was another big one, and it was so nice on the inside! I almost felt like a little ant there on that stage—there were so many audience members all around us! The crowd seemed to love the show, and we were there late just talking to the fans.

We had a late dinner at Applebee’s and drove on to Oshkosh for some shut-eye. What an interesting day. 🙂

Off Day-Chicago, IL

I started off the morning with some coffee and a waffle (duh) at the Hampton Inn. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw all of the cute signs they had created for our Valentine’s Day breakfast! A couple of them made me laugh out loud!

We left the hotel a couple of hours later and began our journey to Chicago. We had a brief stop at the local Starbucks, and they had a V-Day picture box, which made us giggle. The snow was coming down like crazy, so traffic wasn’t the best. We had originally planned on driving all the way to the O’Hare airport area, but we ended up in a HUGE traffic jam, and ended up parking by our downtown hotel instead.

The hotel was SO COOL. It’s called The Freehand Chicago, and it is a hipster haven. The rooms can be shared with strangers, or you can get a private one. We chose a private one, but I loved that we still got to have bunk-beds. You better believe I slept on the top one! I have always loved bunk beds. I even had one for a bit when I was a kid, even though I was the only child in the home and had my own room. Some things just never change. 😉

After settling into our room, I decided to brave the wind and snow and make the walk to Millennium Park. Nobody else joined me, but I figured it’d be worth it—I’ve always wanted to go, and I haven’t gotten to see it yet—somehow I was always busy doing something else during my previous Chicago trips. It was cold and wet, but I had a blast. I had my selfie-stick out and ready to go! I also got to stop at the downtown Ross store on the way back—It’s my absolute favorite store in the world. While perusing the clearance rack, I found a cute shirt that says “California Dreamer.” How fitting is that!? I had to grab it.

On our way to Dinner, we stopped at a dive bar called Snicker’s for some affordable drinks. The place was awesome—a cute little quiet pub in the middle of the city! Btw—the dinner was amazing. Eric had reserved us a spot at India House, and it was excellent. It was fancy, but we decided it was okay to splurge a bit since it was a holiday. I got the paneer tikka, and I ate my entire plate very quickly. Mmmm!

For dessert, we walked to Eataly, a local Italian market with 9 restaurants, a market, and lots of snack bars. I chose a Nutella croissant from the Nutella bar, and also took some bites of Chelsie and Stephen’s banana Nutella crepe. YUM! I wish we had an Eataly closer to home! I also bought some Italian chocolates and boy were they good. I should’ve gotten more!

For a night-cap, we headed back to The Freehand and stopped into the cute vintage-styled bar to check out the Valentine’s party. It sounded kinda scary—the event was literally called the “Bone and Moan!” Sorry for the awkwardness…I felt weird even typing those words! Luckily, everything was very calm and g-rated, and we had a couple of drinks with some smooth music playing in the background. The punch was fantastic, btw. I wish I could steal their recipe!

Chelsie, Stephen and I went to our room and went to bed almost immediately. We woke to a CHILLY room. So cold you could see your breath! We called the repairman at the front desk, and he was able to provide us with a heater after he was unable to fix the heater. I couldn’t even leave my bunk until the heater had been blowing for several minutes. I knew my feel would be cold on the floor and I’m a big ol’ baby. Sadly, Stephen had to leave for the airport really early, so we said goodbye to him in the lobby before heading downstairs for breakfast.

Breakfast was pretty cool—it was in the basement of the hotel, and it was a community kitchen situation. They had lots of pots and pans and cooking utensils, but we chose to keep things easy and just eat the toast and peanut butter. We sat with a man who looked identical to Snoop Dogg (or is it Snoop Lion? I dunno) and he told us all about the sewer in the town. Not sure how that happened, but it was somehow enjoyable nonetheless.

All-in-all, Chicago day was a pretty awesome success! I had a blast!

On another note–this was the first really good Valentine’s Day I’ve had in awhile. And by “awhile,” I mean several years. I’m so thankful that I’ve found an amazing man who loves me for me–quirks and all. Even though we weren’t together face-to-face on V-Day, we still managed to share the day with each other. I’m a lucky lady. I’ve included some mushy pictures, just because. And I know he’s probably blushing and wishing I hadn’t written all of this, but he’ll get over it. 😉

 

CD Tour: Kokomo, IN

We arrived in Kokomo after a few hours of driving, and yes, we sang the song Kokomo a few times. We checked into the Hampton Inn, and I got the crazy idea to get some exercise by running up and down the stairs…seriously, I need to not do these things before a show. My legs were killing me the rest of the day! At least I know it was good for me. 🙂

Justin’s parents surprised him by showing up that afternoon, and he was beyond ecstatic. They drove over 14 hours in 2 days just to see him perform in the show! How cool is that?! Chelsie’s parents also arrived, and it was SO good to see them again. They are always such a kind and supportive bunch.

The venue was a huge, well-designed, and had some awesome lighting effects! We also had a great crowd that night. It doesn’t hurt that we had some family members in the crowd too—they were cheering for everything!

After the show and a small reception at the venue, the board of the concert association took us out for an amazing dinner at the Half Moon Restaurant & Brewery. The Rusch’s were incredibly kind to us, and we were so happy to have the chance to get to know them better. They were definitely some of the most hospitable people we’ve met so far! I also enjoyed getting to know Justin’s parents during the meal. They were great people! 🙂

Btw–Bird has been told that he must send me pictures of my cat. It’s seriously adorable when he sends them. I dunno–there’s just something cute about a grown man attempting cat photography to make his lady happy. Thanks, B! 🙂

CD Tour: Centerville, IA

We packed up and left our hotel at check-out time, but had lots of time to kill before our call-time at the venue. We drove a couple of hours to Centerville, and parked Pancake at the town square. The town square was huge compared to most that I’ve seen! We started out by eating lunch at a beautiful restaurant called Lucile’s Steak and Spirits, which was located in the historic Continental Hotel. I had to take a few pictures of the building—the entire thing was filled with antique trim and tile…it was beautiful! We then went to some thrift stores (don’t worry, I didn’t buy the so-ugly-it’s-cute jacket), and had some coffee and fudge at a local cafe.

At call-time, we headed to the venue to set up for the show. The venue was a large theater inside of an old high school. It was like a blast to the past walking down those halls—they even had 5 panel doors!

After the show, the snow was coming down hard, so we drove on to our hotel and decided to get food from the commissary. Luckily, we only had to drag our suitcases through about 4 inches of snow by the time we arrived. 😉

Off Day–Des Moines, IA

Today we picked up Chelsie’s husband from the airport in Des Moines, and spent some time exploring the city. They were seriously cute when they first saw each other (they’ve never been apart for this long), and I am regretting that I didn’t have my camera ready to catch that first-hug moment. Yeah, they are so cute it hurts. Anyways…with Stephen safely loaded into the Grand Pancake, we headed to the local Vietnamese restaurant (my idea).

So….the restaurant I chose was called A Dong. Not kidding. Yes, it sounds funny, and yes we made lots of inappropriate jokes. However, I don’t know if Vietnamese is a favorite of my fellow cast-mates. I love those flavors, but it definitely is an unusual taste if you haven’t eaten it before…and none of them had. All I know is–I loved my pork vermicelli bowl! I left the place feeling pretty darn satisfied. I could seriously eat Vietnamese food every day–it’s just healthy-seeming enough that you feel like you were good to your body, even if you over-ate (which I always do…oops). 🙂

After seeing some touristy sights, we headed to the Lakeside Casino–our hotel for the night. After checking in, we hit the gym for a workout, and then hit the casino buffet. Now I’m just wishing I had stayed at the gym a little longer. All I have to say is–banana bread pudding covered in ice cream and hot caramel. 2 servings. And that’s just some of what I ate. 😉

After dinner we went to the casino area for a bit, and I lost $10 on my favorite cat slots. Seriously–the cats have never let me down! I did make up some of that money playing on the dog slots….it only made sense to switch sides after the cats turned their back on me. Guess I’m a dog-person for the night.

After that, we soaked in the hot tub, and now we are currently watching some of our favorite shows on television. A successful off day!

Note: While FaceTiming with Bird earlier, I took a screenshot of him doing the camel face. Since I know he doesn’t want me to post such madness, I’m just going to tell you all–he’s one of the only people I know that can do “the face.” If you see him, ask him to do it. It’s pretty perfect. 😉