Fourteen Days

Tomorrow it will be two weeks since I have slept in my big king size bed, worked in a one-person home office with nothing but the sound of iTunes or FoxNews in the background, gone to lunch with my sweet hubby and sat on the same side of the booth playing Words with Friends together, and kissed my two sweet punks before they went to bed. A long two weeks. It is true that the simple ‘tasks’ of life seem so much more precious when you don’t get to do them.

Fourteen days into the tour and I laugh about the list I actually wrote down of things I wanted to accomplish on this tour. Blog, work on getting pictures organized in my computer, take pictures of each new city, and other things I won’t even post because it seems so outlandishly ridiculous now that I’m sitting here fourteen days later with ONE blog post under my belt and literal days where I did not step one foot out of the venue in Different City, USA…much less take a picture. Where did the time go? Oh.my.gosh. Life on the road is so much different than what it looked like in my head…and what it looks like in yours.

Here are some observations from my first two weeks…

*There is NO private time…none…nada…zilch. MAYBE when you go to the toilet, but even then, you’re not guaranteed a private stall, or that the bus bathroom door does not open either by accident or on purpose while you’re sitting on the toilet. This is hard for a girl who likes her alone time.

*I can sleep on a moving vehicle. This is a shock to my husband I know…because of the fact that I don’t even like to let him drive when it’s raining because I need to feel in control of the vehicle. Baby…I have not once stayed up and sat next to the bus driver to make sure he doesn’t veer off the road or stop in time. Aren’t you proud of me?

*It is hard to accomplish even the smallest list of To-Do’s while sharing an office (and I use the word “office” very loosely) with 6-7 other people…and a host of other people coming in and out of the “office” all day long for various reasons. Although difficult to get things accomplished, this has become one of my favorite things and something I discovered I miss about working in an office with other humans.

*Although the artists do get some down time during the day working around interviews, sound checks, etc., the crew and production staff literally work from the time the buses roll into the venue in the morning until they roll out of the venue at night. I’m not saying they are rolling steel all day or performing surgery, but still available all day long...usually 7 or 8 a.m. until midnight. These are long days people.

*The dressing rooms at the venues are always a surprise as to how clean or dirty they will be. One of the crew guys made the joke by saying that as soon as you even walk into the arena at Billings, you instantly contract syphilis. After seeing that girls dressing room/shower area, I’m not sure he’s much off. Two words…shower shoes. Need I say more?

*My food schedule is wacky. I don’t usually eat breakfast…which is okay for me. Then I eat lunch in catering around noon or 12:30. Dinner is served from 5 to around 6:30, but I start my evening responsibilities at open doors, so I cannot eat dinner then. Which means I’m eating dinner at midnight usually with after-show food. That in itself could pose lots of issues…but thankfully it’s been okay.

*I’ve already seen someone in their underwear…but I won’t tell who. Our bus is the bus with girls on it so people are used to not being undressed on that bus. But sometimes I have to go to the MercyMe bus for things, so I always yell “girl on the bus” when I get on…but evidently I didn’t yell loud enough one time. Let’s just say…it brings workplace unity to a whole ‘nother level.

*Some of the most fun I’ve had is at night when we get on the bus to leave for our next city. I am sharing a bus with eleven other people consisting of Stacie, a pretty, young girl from Franklin, TN. who coordinates the VIP’s for the shows; Kyle, a young geek from Sacramento, CA who helps with getting the show online every night for viewers at home to watch; Francesca Battistelli, and her drummer hubby (who are newlyweds), and their crew of two; and Fee Band which is Steve Fee and three band members and their crew. It is a great mix of people…and some super nice and funny guys. We usually sit around in the front lounge until around 2 or later…until we can’t keep our eyes open…just talking, laughing, and eating (those guys are constantly looking for food to eat).

*Days off are a welcome break from work…and usually the only time I get to see the cities. I’ve enjoyed getting to see some of Casper WY, Spokane WA, Ashland OR, and today, Sacramento CA. It’s been so wonderful to step off the bus and see mountains, or look out my hotel window and see a river in the middle of a forest area. It just reminds me of how creative our God is, and how very, very blessed I am.

*I feel very blessed to be a part of the ministry of the Roadshow. Like someone mentioned on Sunday during our “church”, we tend to count the success of the show by how many people came, or how much merch was sold, but the stories of the people who came and were blessed, or hear how their lives were changed by what they heard… that’s the true success of the Roadshow…and I love that God is right in the middle of it all.

*I miss my friends. I miss my shower. I miss my mom and dad, and sisters…and nieces and nephews. I miss my Abby. I miss my sweet punks…and I miss my Mr. McWonderful. ‘Missing’ is undoubtedly the hardest thing about what I’m doing. In the words of TobyMac, “baby hold on…just another day or two…” And that’s what I’m doing…holding on until I get a few days closer to holding all three of my babies.

I Thought Twice...and I Did it Anyway

**Update: I tried to add pictures to this post until today and could not...so I'm posting anyway. Hopefully I'll get some pictures to work later.

Today was day one of my big adventure. About 6 weeks ago, it was decided that I would go on The Rock & Worship Roadshow as Tour Accountant. Even though I have worked for MercyMe for about six years now, I have never been out on the road with them, and this was a great opportunity for me to know “that” side of what I do from my home office every day. And since the Roadshow is only in its second year of existence, it was a good time for me to go and establish some organization to the accounting side of the tour. Right up my alley since my middle name is organization…or Denise…or whatever.

I immediately started planning for this awesome opportunity by…what else, buying some new jeans and a pair of Converse. For the past several weeks I’ve been going back and forth in my head…I’m excited about this opportunity…what the heck do I think I’m doing?…it could be fun…that’s a long time to be away from home…I’ll get to be in alot of places I’ve never been…Gina, you’re 46, you do not need to be sleeping on a bus! So it’s been like that for a while. And here I am…46 years old, living on a bus (a nice bus), going through 24 different states in 6 weeks…and getting to play a part in a great ministry!

I want to document my experience, especially for my kiddos to enjoy reading what I’m doing every day. Today was Day 2 of rehearsals for the 7 different bands that are out on this tour. I flew to Nashville with the MercyMe guys and arrived about 2:00 today. Most of you know…flying…not my most favorite thing to do, but I was prayed up and had lots of people who “know” me praying too. It was a great flight…uneventful, but I have to say I am paranoid about people and behaviors on planes. I sat next to some French people, who were quite pleasant, and spoke mostly in French. I guess there were quite a few of them who knew each other on the plane, and they kept getting out of their seats going and talking with each other. I wanted to scream at them that “the Fasten Seatsbelts sign is on for a reason people!!”, but I managed to refrain from yelling on the airplane…for the sake of being labeled as the crazy lady on Aisle 23.

We arrived in Nashville and went straight to the rehearsal warehouse. Here’s where the horror stories I’ve heard from the crew start coming to life…as far as the cleanliness of the facilities go. Let me just say…the bathrooms…not pleasant. I’m caught up on my shots though…so I think I’m good. I worked most of the day while listening to rehearsals…love to work during the creative process!

The buses pulled out of Nashville at midnight, and here I am. Trying to walk straight on a moving vehicle…trying not to think about whether I’ll be able to sleep on a moving vehicle. I’m pretty tired, so I’m not too worried.

I’m missing my Mr. McWonderful tonight and my sweet punks. They are away on a little vacation too…mountain biking in different scenery…and they are so excited. When we decided to do away with our home phone, and decided to add Caleb on to our mobile account...I never knew it would bring me to tears.

Tomorrow morning I wake up in Indianapolis, IN. for the first show of the tour. There’s excitement in the air with a new tour starting. Praying for God to show up at each and every arena…and that He’ll be glorified in everything that happens.

P.S. Francesca Battistelli is on my bus right now.

P.S.S. David Crowder is much taller in person than he looks in pictures.

P.S.S.S. The MercyMe band guys told me there would be days on this tour when I wouldn’t take a shower or want to change clothes. I hope to prove them wrong.

P.S.S.S.S. I hope I don't fall out of my bunk tonight.