Thursday, Dec. 7th: Tour stop #6: The Journey of Lights

It's Friday and my drive today isn't as long, and I've time traveled back another hour, so I thought I'd take a break and settle in at Starbucks to blog while I'm feeling fresh.  It's a beautiful day here in La Grande, OR.  I'm on my way to see old friends Mark and Tracy Zembruski in Woodinville, WA.  I've known them since I went to their display on my first tour in 2010.

Speaking of old friends, on my first tour I went to Fruitland, ID, to Terry Hurrle's display.  I went there again in 2012. Terry and his wife have become wonderful friends, and, when our family dog Buffy passed away in 2012, they sent us a lovely handmade ornament of Buffy with angel wings that goes on our Christmas tree every year in loving memory.

Anyhow, Terry has retired from decorating, but at both of those shows at his house I met another decorator, Tyson Schmidt.  Tyson and his wife and four children live in Boise and he decorates their church, which is called The Journey:  a Church for the Spiritually Curious.  I'm not really sure what that means, but I like the idea of a person being able to question and look for answers to spiritual matters. Anyhow, I'm getting off track.  Since Terry wasn't doing a display in 2014, Tyson invited me to come sing at the church, which I did, and it was so much fun!  His whole family gets involved!

When he found out I was touring again this year he invited me back, and this time he offered to do the concert inside the church.  Hooray!  A warm place to perform in a pretty dress without a coat and hat and gloves and all that was quite welcome!  The charity they chose was Siah Smash.  Siah was a little boy who passed away several years ago (his full name was Josiah) and his parents have begun a charity in his name.  They are planning to visit hospitals in a high-tech superhero suit (Siah was REALLY into super heroes!) and cheer up the kids and bring them goodie bags, and provide encouragement to their parents as well.  A great cause!  Siah's parents and grandparents and siblings were there last night, and it was wonderful to meet them.

Tyson collected raffle prizes and many tickets were sold.  They had great prizes- including a couple of my CDs- and lots of happy winners!  It was a banner evening!!  I felt so warm, both literally and figuratively, surrounded by all that love and faith.

I do want to talk a little bit about the drive there.  Philip, my travel consultant and hubby, and I debated which way to go from Casper to Boise.  He was encouraging me to take the highway, but, being adventurous (and stubborn) I took a chance and went the back way.  I did, however, rely on the advice of a kind gentleman at McDonald's, who heard me talking to the cashier about my trip, and advised me not to go quite the way I was going because it would've taken me through treacherous territory ("2004 Toyota Van with nearly 550k Miles Flies off Ice-Encrusted Road"  I probably wouldn't even get in the headline.  It was would be about the van!).  So I went one way the GPS didn't advise, and that turned out okay. The back roads were all clear (except for the one that had taken me to that McDonald's in the first place. That one was really icy and a both-hands-rigidly-on-the-wheel deal).  The scenery was just gorgeous...hills and valleys and rivers and lakes and even some hot springs where I could see the steam coming off from them.  Nary a McD's in sight, but thank God for that little general store in the middle of nowhere where I was able to use a clean bathroom and gas up!

I made it to Boise in time to shower, get gussied up and head over to the church, where a good time was had by all.

OH...one thing I wanted to mention about the show in Casper, WY the night before. Brian Wagner contacted me and told me his donation bin for Joshua's Storehouse was FULL in the morning!  Maybe some people saw the concert on the news that night and came over with donations?  I'd like to think I had something to do with it!

I"ve now been on the road nine days and have so many wonderful memories as I head for the farthest west point on the tour.  From the carillon bells in Lititz that were chiming Christmas carols as I walked from the inn to the fire station for my big ride to the display, to Jason Reph's little cousin, a survivor of rheumatic fever this year, who was having fun at the concert and who inspired the Reph's to make the Ronald McDonald  House of Philadelphia their charity, to the wonderful visit to the Christmas Story House (they were actually sucking Flick's tongue with a suction tube through a hole in that pipe, and that's how they made it look like his tongue was frozen to the flagpole!), to the wonderful Santas along the way...especially the one at Lights on Edison Road who sat in a royal throne behind me during my entire show!, to  A Dicken Christmas, where I met the brand new baby of the couple who got engaged at my 2012 show there, to being serenaded by the Wagner's daughters on the piano at their house while I ate delicious home-made beef stew, to the warmth and love I felt last night...and at every single tour stop so far!  THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED THIS TOUR ...monetarily, through prayer and good wishes. I am grateful to you all!

Now, on to Washington!!!

Wednesday, Dec. 6: Tour Stop #5

Just got out of a long hot shower I took in order to thaw out my hands and feet. You know that horrible feeling you get when your toes are thawing out?  Yeah, that was it.  OUCH!   I think tonight set a record for possibly the coldest it's been when I've done one of these concerts.  Or actually, the coldest I've felt!  It was around 25 degrees in Casper, WY tonight, and there was frost on my keyboard and I could see my breath while I was singing.  But you know what? That's the risk I take when I plan these tours!  About 25 hardy souls came out to sing and dance with me at Brian and Danielle Wagner's "Christmas in Wyoming" display.  Brian said the last time I was here it was 45 degrees! I knew I didn't remember it being this cold.  The stars were shining in the big sky over Casper and it was a beautiful night.  When I was packing up I noticed Orion and thought how funny it is that I see him over my house in New Hampshire every night this time of year and now I'm all the way out here and there he is.  Small world, big universe.

A cameraman from one of the local news stations was there, and he recorded me doing "The House on Christmas Street" with Brian's animated display.   It's supposed to be on the local news tonight but I'll probably be asleep before it comes on.

Even though it wasn't a huge crowd I did see some people putting stuff in the donation box for Joshua's Storehouse and that made me happy!  Thank you, kind people, for braving the cold and donating to those in need.

The Wagners are wonderful people.  Danielle filled me up with homemade beef stew before the show and I was serenaded on the piano by their daughters.  They have a warm, beautiful home with lots of cool Christmas decorations inside too, including Santas that Brian has had since childhood.  It was Danielle's birthday today so we sang happy birthday to her at the conclusion of the show.

It was a seven hour drive here today but I left early and stopped a couple of times along the way to search for Weird Things I found on RoadsideAmerica.com. If you are ever planning a road trip with kids, I highly recommended this site.  You just look for the map of the states you're driving through and it will show you every strange roadside attraction out there, and ranks them in order of fun.  I love it!  You can have a lot of fun even if you're traveling without kids!

There was a time during today's drive when I thought the Orca II was going to give up the ghost. Suddenly she began losing power.  Then I realized that, even though the road seemed pretty level, elevation must be increasing.  I called hubby to check it out and that's just what was happening. It didn't help that there were wind gusts of 40 mph out there as well.  Believe me, I was praying out there on the highway watching tons of tumbleweeds go flying across the road.  My van has been faithful and true so far on this trip but we still have a long way to go together, and I'm counting on her.  Tomorrow we're going to drive over nine hours to get to Boise, ID and the Journey Church where Tyson Schmidt invited me to do the concert inside this year.  Hooray!

Thank you all for your prayers as I make this journey.  I know God is listening.  I admit that tonight, with a small crowd and not a ton of donations coming in because it was so cold, I had a moment where I thought, "Why am I doing this?"  But I trust that somehow God is working.  Maybe there was a person there tonight who needed a little fun, who needed to be cheered up, who just needed to get out of the house for a while. I don't know, but I know there's a reason I was meant to be there, and I just trust in that.  I am praying every day that God uses me on this tour, not just to help the charities but also to bring some fun and happiness into people's lives.  I've been on the road a week now, with over two weeks to go. I really miss my husband and my dog and cats, but  I look forward to the people I'll meet in the coming days and all the interesting things that are just down the road!  I hope you Christmas season is filled with lots of love and special people as well.

Hope to see you out there somewhere!

Monday, December 4th, Tour Stop #4

Out here in the middle.....

the weather is very weird tonight!  It was 64 degrees and the wind was blowing like a sonofagun during my concert at the Dicken residence in Hudson, IL tonight. Still, a hearty crowd braved the wind and I'm pretty sure a good time was had by all. I know I had a terrific time!  This was my third time performing at Bobby Dicken's display...the other two times he had a stage set up but this time the wind was blowing so hard that he dispensed with the stage and set me up in the garage!  The concert raised money for the Children's Home and Aid Society and Bobby just texted me to let me know that we raised about $200 in spite of the fact that it was a far smaller crowd because of the weather. So YAY!!!  Thanks to all who attended. I really did have a blast and it was a real treat to see how much fun the kids were having, especially when they started dancing with Santa Claus.

A really cool thing that happened was that a couple that got engaged during my 2012 concert dropped by tonight with their newborn!  Their first baby is a boy named Benjamin who is two months old. It was really great to see them again and meet the little doll-face!

Just like at the first tour stop in Lititz last Thursday night, almost as soon as I stopped singing the heavens opened up and the rain came pouring down. It was kind of miraculous that the rain held off on two different occasions!

My days of short driving times are over for now. Tomorrow I will begin a two day journey to Casper, WY.  I'll go as far as Kearney, NE tomorrow...that's about a nine hour drive...but staying in the Central Time zone.  Then the next day I'll have a seven hour drive but I'll go back in time another hour so I won't be too stressed out trying to get there for the 7pm show. The following day I'll log 9 1/2 hours going to Boise, ID and the day after that it's 71/2 hours to Woodinville, WA.  Time to hit the hay and rest up for the coming days.

I just want to say "thanks" once again to the Dicken family for hosting me for the third time. It was really great to see you all again!  Merry Christmas!!

Sunday Morning, Dec. 4th

I found out late last night the the donation bucket for the Food Bank of Northern Indiana at the Mayfield's "Holiday Lights on Edison Road" was filled to the brim by the end of the concert!  HOORAY! That makes me so happy!!!!

And it's official...I've got a cold. The Zicam didn't work.  Still popping vitamin C and drinking plenty of fluids.

Got a lot to do this morning before check out at 11am. Heading down to the fitness room now for a good walk.

A Dicken Christmas in Hudson IL....Bobby, Roxanne, Carla, Jerry and the whole gang....here I come!!!!!!!!!

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!

December 1 Tour Stop #2: Reph's Winter Wonderland, Nazareth, PA

As I write this I am safely ensconced in my hotel room in Cleveland after having visited the A Christmas Story House.  What a blast! That visit has been a goal of mine ever since I found out about the house, and it was worth the wait.  Like being right in the movie.  Now I wish I'd brought the DVD with me so I could watch it tonight!

Last night was the fifth time I've performed in concert at Reph's Winter Wonderland in Nazareth, PA.  Jason and his family are old friends now, and I always have a wonderful time there.  But it's also always really cold!!  Still, we had a good and enthusiastic crowd with a bunch of kids who got up and sang with me, and Jason's friend (and now she's my friend as well) Becca brought a girl scout troop who danced and sang and seemed to have a lot of fun.  Even Santa Claus was there!  The family selected the Ronald McDonald house of Philadelphia as their charity because family members recently stayed there when their daughter was seriously ill.  She's okay now and was at the concert last night. I'm very grateful for the donations.  $189 was raised. Hooray!!!

Jason and his father are firefighters and I'm trying to convince them to invite me back to perform for the kids and families at the Fireman's Carnival next summer.  I'd love to come to Nazareth when it's warm out!

Thank you so much, Reph family, for another wonderful and memorable evening.  Let's do it again soon!  Lots of love to all of you!

Tonight is an off night so I drove halfway to my next destination- South Bend, Indiana, and visited the aforementioned A Christmas Story House.  Sooooooo coool!  I even learned how they got that kid's tongue to stick to the lamp post!   Below are some pictures from my visit.
Tomorrow night I'll be at the home of Gary and Bobbi Mayfield...Holiday Light Show on Edison Road ....get ready, South Bend, here I come!   https://www.facebook.com/holidaylightshowonedisonroad/?fref=ts

Nov. 30th. Stop #1. Lights on Laurel in Lititz, PA

I am writing this from my hotel room near Nazareth, PA.  Soon I will head over to Jason Reph's "Reph's Winter Wonderland" for my second concert of the tour. I'm so looking forward to seeing Jason and his family and all of their guests.  I think this will be the fifth time I've been to their house since I started doing these tours in 2010!

I cannot stress enough what a wonderful time it was at my first concert last night at the home of Rich and Wendy Motz in Lititz, PA last night.  I was really exhausted when I got there because I'd had such a full day in NYC the previous day, going to a Broadway show in the afternoon - a Christmas present from my dear brother Michael Pierce- and then a HANSON Christmas concert with my daughter, Emma.  Which was SO MUCH FUN!!!  But anyway,  I was really beat when I got to Lititz, but the smiles on the faces of Rich and Wendy Motz and their family and friends when I arrived perked me right up.  They really went all out. THEY HAD SANTA ON THE ROOF!  They got a professional stage and, of course, their display was magnificent.  They had around 250 people out in the street with VIP seating in front of the stage!  AND as the concert was a benefit for the town  volunteer fire department they arranged for me to arrive at their house on a fire truck! It was a hoot! Many thanks to the wonderful firemen who made sure I climbed up and down safely and didn't fall off.  A photographer took my picture as I climbed down and I'm sure THAT will be a shot for the memory book.  HAHA!

Wendy and Rich have a neighbor named Frank who came over and helped with the technical part of the set-up so I could sing "The House on Christmas Street" along with the animated lights. He mentioned that he is a performer himself, so I got him up on stage near the end of the concert to sing "Candy" with me and he was a big hit! A real showman!  Thank you, Frank!

A bunch of kids came up to sing "Frosty the Snowman" with me and it's so funny....kids always SWEAR they know the whole song.  They get past the "eyes made out of coal" part and everything disintegrates! So if you are planning on attending one of my shows down the road make sure to bone up on your "Frosty" lyrics!  Go ahead, try to sing it now without looking at the lyrics and let me know how far YOU get!

Rain had been predicted but it held off until after the show when I had just finished signing autographs. Thank the Lord! I was being interviewed by the local cable station when it started raining and it was a big rush to get all the gear out of the rain, but everything survived--- I hope. I'll know when I set it all up at the Reph's in a little while.  Fingers crossed.

My dear friends Larry and Carolyn Heard came to the concert and took me out to an Italian restaurant for dinner after the show. We had a lot of catching up to do and closed the place down. They are both crazed Carpenter fans and that's how we met.  They are beautiful people and we had a wonderful time. Thank you, Larry and Carolyn!  I'm so lucky to know you!

I got to lay my head in a wonderful bed at the General Sutter Inn, a historic inn in Lititz and it was extremely comfortable. This morning Rich and Wendy met me and treated me to a Pennsylvania Dutch breakfast - there was apple pie on the buffet, for breakfast! - but I resisted that temptation.  It's a good thing because I ended up eating three of Wendy's delicious cookies (she gave me a giant bag of  them from last night) on the way to this stop.

Lititz is an amazing little town.  Not only beautiful, but interesting. There is a place called "Rock Lititz" that does staging, lighting and sound for major concerts all over the world and we dropped over there for a look around this morning.  They also took me to a huge, beautiful park where many events are held and I enjoyed watching the ducks in the canal.  Perhaps I'll come back to perform in the park on the 4th of July! We talked about that possibility.  Oh, and by the way, at the concert last night they gave me a basket of Lititz goodies, including chocolates from the Wilbur Chocolate company that I'm told are the forerunners of the famous Hershey kisses....but better! I haven't broken into that bag yet. I want to fit into my coat for the rest of the tour!

And here's the best news of all....this first concert on The House on Christmas Street 2017 Charity Tour raised just shy of a thousand bucks for the Lititz Volunteer Fire Department!!  HOORAY and many, many thanks to all the people who came out and donated generously!  You are all heroes in my book!