A year ago today, I wrote the following entry in my SNC road journal:
12/7/08, 5:05 PM, Seat 5A, Midwest Airlines flight
"COLD day in Green Bay for the Packers/Texans game at Lambeau Field today. -3 with the wind chill when we pulled into the stadium in our limo (only half of which was heated...ugh). Will probably be in the air for 20-30 minutes en route to Milwaukee, then it's off to Toronto, a city I've never been to before. A cool highlight today (besides singing the National Anthem & Halftime show on the field at Lambeau) was watching Green Bay's tight end Donald Lee catch a touchdown right in front of us and us making way for him to "Lambeau Leap" into the stands. We helped hoist him into the crowd! Afterwards, we sang for some NFL ad agency folks, put a hurtin' on the food in our suite, and got some cool Packers gear (scarves, hats, etc.). All in all, the game was a great time - despite the Packers losing - and the day was the highlight of the tour so far. Everyone in Green Bay was very hospitable and friendly to us - even the suite next door to ours, as well as the Navy pilots and their crew (from the F-18 flyover!). Small world: the ground pilot who was calling in to the guys in the air has hung out in Bloomington in years past and knows some of our friends from IU. The airport crews are de-icing our plane right now before we can take off for Milwaukee & Toronto. I haven't been to Canada since coming home from working on the cruise ship in Quebec for home. I'd have to check my passport, but I think it was October of 2004. (Random memory.) The mini-snow drift on my window here on the plane has grown by a good 2" since I boarded. We hit the airport at the right time, it seems. Oh yeah: today marks the 10-year anniversary of the concert @ the Musical Arts Center in Bloomington, from which "12 Days" was filmed! Also, it's Dan's 32nd birthday today."
12/7/09, Room 230, Iowa House Hotel, Iowa City, IA, 10:57 PM
Funny how some things change (negative temperatures and snow) and some things stay the same (Dan's birthday, the anniversary of the "12 Days" filming, the Packers are playing tonight on Monday Night Football...). We have an early start tomorrow with a TV appearances in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a workshop with a local choir on campus, and a sold-out show in Iowa City. Time for bed...5 AM lobby call. It's going to be a long, cold day...wish us luck and keep sending prayers for safe travel, great health, and good spirits our way! We'll be home in 17 days, but still have a lot of work left to do before we get to share the holiday with our families. Thanks, from a hotel room in Iowa, for the support, encouragement, and well wishes. We appreciate you all.
PS - it's safe to say we're as cookied out as we could be on the bus, to all you beautiful bakers out there. Thanks to everyone who has pitched in and brought a slice of home our way after our shows; we simply can't put away all the treats everyone is graciously giving us, though :) Good night!
Ryan