Sunday, December 3, 2017

Sunday, Dec. 3 Tour Stop #3: Holiday Lightshow on Edison Road, South Bend, IN

I'm sitting in my hotel room, popping Vitamin C drops and Zicam and trying to ward off a cold.  "Can't get sick, can't get sick, can't get sick" is all I've been saying to myself all day.  On top of that I feel like I've already gained ten pounds and I've only been on the road since Wednesday! Tomorrow I shall begin the day in the fitness room here at the hotel.  This is my solemn vow!

Many, many thanks to all the folks who came out to the show tonight here in South Bend, and especially to Gary and Billie Mayfield and their boys who worked so hard to put on the show. Gary said we had a bigger crowd than he had expected!  I was very fortunate to have the donated services of a sound man, one of Gary's friends....Dale from DJ Fire and he did a great job.  I had a wireless mic so I was able to move throughout the crowd and even rubbed noses with a doggie!  It was really great to have someone doing sound and not have to worry about that aspect of things. We went live on FB for a little while and that video is still up if you want to watch it.  It's interesting for me to watch because I can hear voices from the crowd that I could not hear while I was performing.

Gary surprised me with a double batch of Wendy's chili before the show! He had been watching my posts about eating a lot of Wendy's chili on the road and did this very thoughtful thing. I had one cup before the show and just finished the second cup here in the room to warm up. Thank you for thinking of this, Gary!

Sometimes I feel uncertain after a show...and I'm having one of those nights tonight.  In this case, it was pretty cold out and some of the people got up and left before the show was over.  You know, no matter how many times that has happened throughout my career, it still always makes me feel bad. Even thought they may have a zillion reasons for leaving that have nothing to do with me, I still always feel like its my fault.  Maybe every entertainer feels that way?  In any case, I was worried that people were leaving because they were getting cold so I cut a couple of songs from the show, and now I'm feeling like I maybe didn't sing long enough.  Yes, I am officially loony. But my hosts do a lot of work to make these shows possible, and I never want to let them down. 

I signed a lot of autographs after the performance and people had very nice things to say, so that made me feel better.  There was a news woman there throughout the concert. I am very eager to hear from Gary and Billie about just how much of the show made it on TV!

I had great ambitions about getting a lot of stuff done when I got back to the hotel room, but now, as I'm writing this, I think I'm just gonna go brush my teeth and read a little bit.  I'm trying to Christmas shop online while I'm out here, plus do Christmas cards, and work on bookings for the new year.

One thing I want to mention before I sign off....people ask me sometimes how I manage all the driving. The secret is audiobooks. I always have a book going.  Right now I'm listening to Jan Karon's latest Mitford book.  I started out the tour by re-listening to the last one, just to refresh my memory.  I love this series of books about an Episcopal priest in a small town in North Carolina.  The writing and stories always serve to remind me that God is always in my life, and whether or not I'm thinking about Him, He's thinking about me.  I don't know how, and I can't explain it, but I know God cares about each and every one of us, because He made us and He is our Father. When I think of Him as a father, it is very easy to understand God and what my relationship with Him should be like.  So I'm trying to use my time alone on this tour to pray more and worry less.  Thank you all for your prayers and good will as I go on this journey. Tomorrow it's off to Illinois and the Dicken clan....it will be my third trip to their display since 2010 and I'm really looking forward to reuniting with them.  I sang at Bobby and Roxanne's wedding last year and it will be good to see the newlyweds.

Good night!


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