The Mile High City

We may have been a little ways outside of downtown Denver, but the light rail was definitely an adventure.  This makes it my forth type of new transportation that I have taken since the start of tour! 

Learning new things! It was a successful trip, however we did have to sprint to catch the train home since it was a street over and we were just getting there as it was getting ready to leave.  We made it just in the knick of time!

Then, it was back to downtown Denver again to do some more exploring the next day. 

If you want a really cute place to shop and have a variety of choices for food, then I would definitely suggest the 16^th Street Mall; three stories of outdoor shops and places to eat! The Hard Rock Café, Coyote Ugly, small boutiques, and a variety of other shops are there!

A few streets down from the mall was a really cute area, called Larimer Square.  There were strings of lights overhanging the streets, at least two colleges and universities in the area, boutiques, special eateries, and the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory!  Of course, I had to get some sweets J  

It was so nice to get out and enjoy the sun especially with a Dairy Queen right down the street! Oh, that was so yummy and definitely hit the spot after a run through the Cherry Creek State Park across the street.  There was even a beach! It definitely wasn’t the kind of state park that was heavily wooded that I am used to, but it was a nice escape away from the city life and to see open land and listen to the flow of the water. 

Our time has come though, to move on after a heavy week of shows and continue going up in elevation!

 See you there!

Traveling Across the Country

From Pennsylvania to Colorado, we went...or we thought we were going to.  After packing our bags and starting the trek from Johnstown, Pennsylvania to Baltimore, Maryland we found out that our flight was cancelled.  Luckily, we were not stranded at the airport all day and night, but instead in a nice warm hotel where the breakfast was provided for us within a timely period of us arriving.  It may not have been the travel day that we were all looking for, but I am pretty sure we made the best of it! Plus, it was St. Patrick's Day!! The luck of the Irish!

Anyways, up again at the wee hours of the morning, we were ready for take two of the travel day.  This time, we were not all flying together, but instead on two separate flights and it was definitely lucky to be on the earlier flight.  Unfortunately, for the later flight, not only was it not direct, but the plane was delayed due to high winds at its connection and then a vast majority of luggage was lost for a period of time.  In the end though, we all made it Colorado and the luggage did finally show up as well.

Now, it was time to explore and adjust to altitude.

We could not have asked for a better location to stay.  The hotel was more than accommodating and everyone was so personable in Loveland, Colorado.  We were surrounded by restaurants, shops, malls, and outlets; not to mention the Rocky Mountains.  There was no hustle and bustle and a little ways off there was a nice residential area that was brand new.  Any direction that you looked, there were numerous possibilities and opportunities.

Even though the first day was a struggle, I found myself on day two running further just to do more exploring.  There was a sidewalk everyone if you wanted to go for a run or a walk and to make it that much better, it was warm!

It had been so long and way over due for us to see the sunshine and it actually be warm! I mean it was time to break out the flip flips and shorts! Unfortunately, we were a little too over joyous and ended up with snow before the week was over.  Oh well.

Hoping for some warm weather that lasts! See in you another level altitude!

Bringing Back the Memories - Johnstown

And we were off.  The stay at home was way too short, but there is no stopping now.  It was time to move onto the next city a few hours down the road.  

Heading back to Johnstown was definitely a big change being that the city is equivalent to a town, but it makes it that much more personable.  The arena was the very one that the movie Slap Shot was filmed in! It may be tiny and smaller than what we were used to, but it made it that much better for the audience and with all the changes in sizes and locations of each place, it is definitely teaching us all to be versatile.  

So, along the way not only are we getting to see places that we may have never been able to see, but we are also learning life lessons along the way. 

Luckily this was another close venture so I was able to see more of my friends and family and enjoy the scenery.  I mean there is an incline and even a Central Park in Johnstown!  And to top it all off, there is a cute little chocolate candy store there; so yummy!

This city is where we may be performing this week, but a handful of years ago I was actually competing here.  There are some really good memories that exist here and I just added to them this week.  

However, we are ready for some warm weather along the west coast!

HOME! - Pittsburgh

I cannot even describe what the experience was like being at home in front of my hometown audience.  It was absolutely amazing and something that I will always remember forever.  Walking around town and people know who I am and where I have come from and what it took for me to get to where I am today, makes the experience that much sweeter.  I definitely did not want to leave.

Even though it was a very busy week, there was still time to do a little exploring in the city.  Believe it or not, because I am a little distance outside of the city, there are still places that I have not gotten to see yet.  However, there are others that some never get to experience and one of those was performing at CONSOL Energy Center and getting a tour of the Penguins Locker Room by the CEO of the team!  Go Pens!!

Aside from all of that excitement, it was a gorgeous day for the walk down and around the Point and through the Market District.  There was even time to actually go home and spend some time with my family and even sleep in my own bed!  It may not seem like much, but the difference between a hotel bed and your bed is huge when you haven't been in it for so long. It is not just about the bed however, you never know the feeling of being away so long and how sweet it is to come home until it actually happens.  Seeing so many familiar faces was absolutely amazing.  

Also, getting outside the city in the outskirts of town and then slowly making my way to the country is definitely a breath of fresh air.  It was all about the little things that made this trip so much better and now I can finally have an answer to the question, "Where is your favorite place that you have been so far?"  Of course, it is going to be Pittsburgh!  There is nothing quite like you will experience when you perform in your hometown and it really is an opportunity of a lifetime!

However, the week did have to come to end, but we were not headed too far.

See you in the town where "Slap Shot" was filmed!

Back Where it all Began

Six months later and a very long travel day, we were back in the very place that it all started.   Welcome to Rockford, Illinois! 

It’s amazing how far we have come.  Just to think that without the experiences we had the first time we were here, we would not have the stories to tell that we do today.  It may not be the most entertaining place on the world, but it definitely brought us all closer together.  And to say that we were not all a little excited to go back would be an understatement. 

We all knew that we would at least have a decent week to catch up on some much needed sleep.  Also, already being here once, gave us all some comfort, knowing just what to expect and how close everything was.

I will say though, it is amazing how different times of year and weather can affect a place and how it appears.  Seeing Rockford in the summer time when we were able to sit down on the dock and go for a walk in the park is completely different than seeing everything covered in snow and ice. 

It may not be the number place to see in the world, but it will definitely have a special place in everyone’s memories and it will always be the place that we all started this year together. 

We have come this far, and there is no slowing down now!

See you in the Steel City!