Happy 46 Day!!

So...I'm nearly halfway through my VeggieTales Live touring experience. I thought this day would never come and yet now that it almost has, I am filled with the awareness that the next six weeks will seemingly fly by and I will soon be on a jet plane home once again. Orlando marks the exact center in both the number of our shows (92 in all) and weeks we're out on the road. I thought I'd give a little taste to any reading friends ; ) of what my typical day as a grape looks like...

I generally get up somewhere between the hours of 8:00 and 10:30 am...earlier if I've planned a phone date with my Italian transplanted sister who is 7 (sometimes 9) hrs. ahead of where I usually am...and later if it's been a particularly bumpy ride the night before. (Thank Heavens Colorado is behind us!)

I unsnap my bunk curtain and slowly push it down to the end of my bunk, hoping to not disturb any later sleepers.

Reaching my toes across the skinny aisle, I find the edge of Shannon's bunk and matrix my way out of my 3rd story loft gripping bunk ledges wherever blankets or arms aren't hanging out. Grabbing my carry on bag from the junk bunk and photo lanyard (so they know I'm legit) I fumble out into our bus's kitchenette and front lounge. Ben, our driver is usually enjoying some coffee or his last meal of the day before he heads to a hotel to sleep off the sunlight hrs and prepare for another night's journey. We exchange some pleasantries while I make my oatmeal and try to remember what city we've landed in.

If I'm not up too early, Daily Announcements might be posted so I check my duty for the day and find out what the schedule for eating and performing looks like. Most days we perform twice, but the times are different for each location. I head into the venue (nearly always a large church), ducking in and out of the crew's way as they instruct the local stagehands where to push all our equipment. I attempt to smile at some yet am fully cognizant of how ridiculous I look in pajamas, hair a-mess, clutching my things and searching around corners for the closest bathroom.

After getting all ready for the day I poke around and get to know the church layout a bit. How big is the backstage area today? Are we dancing on 4 marley or a tight 3? What nook will I return to later with my Biblia? Ahh...catering. I check out what's left from breakfast and eat a snack if I deem it worthy or need a little egg in my life.

Or maybe it's one of those days and I've completely missed the boat for breakfast and quickly get myself together before warm-ups and lunch. Two hours before our first show, the eleven performers assemble onstage and a few vie over who's playlist we'll warm-up to...30 stretch-filled minutes later we set ourselves to the routine tasks of unloading wardrobe cases and presetting. My everyday job is to locate electric outlets backstage and set up clip lamps. I feel I'm gaining skill at this job for it used to be quite a source of frustration in my day... or at least the last string of venues have been cooperative with my goal :D Regardless, it's usually an opportunity to remind myself I'm working for the Lord not men...

I pretty myself up and 10 min. to places pull on the white-washed jeans/leggings I wear for most of the show. Our first two numbers are hip-hoppy and our awesome costumer, Selina, heard my initial cries of not feeling "hip" enough and got me these Hannah Montana sunglasses so now I feel super-bad ;)

45 hyped-up minutes later and I've got a near half hour intermission (it takes these little ones quite a while to cycle through the restrooms!). This is usually the point in my day to check in with Mom or text friends. Hunter calls places and I'm back in position for another 50 min. of dancing around (and in!) veggies trying to match the energy levels of our dancing audience members. It's a joy to see them going crazy over bubbles or Mr. Lunt's ridiculous costumes. "there's never ever ever ever....etc.....been a show like VeggieTales" and I waddle off at the blackout. From there it's either a reset for the next show or a quick half hour of packing our things up so the crew can start load out.

At the end of our night, we grab a bite from our 4th meal and head to hotel rooms to shower. Once everyone is showered, our home comes rolling up and we pile on...some to watch movies, some to have a drink and party in the back lounge, or others like me don't take linger too long before curling up in our bunks with a book.

We don't really have a set schedule of days off, but sometimes we'll go a few days and then have a day off in a random city halfway between locations. Generally on our days off we chill at a hotel and explore whatever's around...I've seen enough malls to satiate any desire I had to be in one for a long time! But it's all good and I find that after a day off or a one-show day, I'm always ready to do the show again and I've missed elements of it. This is certainly a grand adventure and I feel so blessed to have a good job doing what I love to do with such a fun group of people!