Well, it's been over a month since I've blogged and the next one on my list is from February! Whoops. It's a fun one, though, because we got to do a Texas tour with MercyMe and Micah Tyler. What a memory for us (and my helpful mama).
If you remember, we had to cancel the Amarillo opening slot due to Trent's voice being nonexistent. But then, we were able to join up for 10 shows! Once we got the word, I called my mom and she worked with her schedule so she could come on the road with us. What a blessing.
In the past, Trent has been on several big tours. I have not, so I was excited/curious/nervous about what all would happen. Mostly, just hoping our kids would adapt to a different schedule. Our shows are usually early in the evening and we're back to the hotel before 9. The upcoming nights would be late, the kids would be with my mom a lot, and Amelia would be taking more bottles. Plus, Trent's voice wasn't 100%. With all that weighing on us, I'm not sure we FULLY sat back and enjoyed the moment. It was a first for this mama's heart.
<<<ANYWAY>>>
First stop, GREENVILLE. We dropped the kids and Grammie off at our relatives' house near Fort Worth. She watched them there while we headed to the venue, which was an hour away.
This stretch of shows was the first time (EVER) I had to pump and worry about bottles and having enough milk for my mom while we were gone. MY WORD. New respect for working mamas or moms who only can pump. SO hard, but we managed.
Dressing room selfie is a real thing.
Trent getting set up.
We only did 2 songs, which isn't enough to really WOW a crowd, but they did enjoy it and we sold some merch, so that's a win.
After the show, we drove the hour back to the house, got a few hours sleep, then got on the road for...
ODESSA
Oliver likes to help Daddy with gas.
No big deal, just parking our tour bus. 😉
We've played in Midland a few times and thanks to our contacts there, we were able to find a nice home (with toys and plenty of room) to stay for the night. People really are so generous. It was great for my mom to hang back and have space for the kids to play and keep their schedule somewhat normal.
The road manager (who Trent knew well prior to this tour) said we could do THREE songs for the remainder of the tour. Yay!! Going from 2 to 3 may not seem like a big deal, but it's huge. You get into more of a rhythm.
We ordered pizza for my mom and kids and had it delivered to the house. We got to eat the yummy catering. 😬
It was another late night, but we met some sweet people at the merch table. Also, it was here where Micah told Trent about oil of oregano for vocal troubles. We found a health store before heading out the next morning so Trent could start that treatment.
Oh. My. Goodness. That oil is no joke and Trent said it tasted what he could only assume motor oil would taste like. It did, however, make his breath/our car/my purse smell like an Italian restaurant.
Next stop...
LUBBOCK
We had a bigger dressing room here, so Grammie and the kids came and hung out and ate with us. And Trent's parents came to the show which was fun!
Tired babies. I swear, when we need to get up and get going, they sleep. When we aren't in a rush, they wake. What is that?!?
Oh! After the Lubbock show, we went to Whataburger (because TEXAS) and Dennis and his family bought our food! They were at the show and had nothing but nice things to say. People are so sweet.
Micah Tyler doing his thing. Seriously. If you don't know his music, go buy it. He is phenomenal. And so kind.
Okay, back at it. Next stop...
EL PASO
My personal favorite stop. The theater was amazing. The crowd was super into it. We sold the most merch here. (Granted, the venue took a cut - a normal thing - but still.) A little tidbit, we got people to see us at the merch table by doing water bottle flips. Hahaha! #noshame #comebuystuff #wehavekidstofeed
A mom and her two teenage girls came up to us at the table and shared how much they enjoyed us. One daughter said, "I want a story like yours." The mom shared that she was a single mom and loved our story and hoped her daughters would have that one day. I started crying and hugged them.
Then another group came up and a twenty-somthing gave me some jewelry that she made. One of the bracelets read, "Enjoy the Journey." I was moved. El Paso stole our hearts.
These guys. The real deal. There's a reason they've been doing this so well for so long. They are kind and genuine and giving and we appreciate the opportunity to be with them.
An El Paso view before heading to Salado.
We spent the week in Salado before the next run. It was beautiful weather and nice to regroup with family time!
The next stop was...
SAN BENITO
Waaaay down in South Texas. We decided to leave the kids with my mom in Salado and drive to San Benito by ourselves. It meant a lot more pumping (and washing parts in the bathroom) but it was the right decision. Had we not, the kids would've had to go to sleep at the venue, etc. Nope. That had disaster written all over it.
It was another great night with a fun crowd!
We drove back to Salado after the show and got there around 4:00 - 5:00 AM. I honestly can't remember. We were so tired and so glad to see these kids.
We loaded up for the next place...
WHITEHOUSE
We made the nursery (that wasn't in use) our dressing room and that worked out so well. Many thanks to the church staff for letting us do that. My mom and kids ate with us there as well and FINALLY, my mom got to see Micah and MercyMe play a little before we took them back to the hotel.
Trying to keep her quiet before everyone woke...
Onto the last stop...
TEXARKANA
The Perot Theater was the stuff of dreams. Old and lovely.
Merch was outside and it was cold and rainy. 😳 Also, we're very serious all the time.
We said our goodbyes and thank-yous and then got back to our hotel and snuck into bed. DON'T WAKE THE BABIES.
We said more goodbyes and took Grammie to the airport. #sadface
My takeaways from this tour:
- WHAT A BLESSING. We hadn't *yet* had this opportunity as a duo and we were (and are) so appreciative.
- We couldn't have done it without my mom. She took off work, bought hotel rooms, bought a plane ticket, and smiled the whole time.
- It was really hard. It was a different pace than we're used to, plus the whole pumping thing. BUT still so fun.
- Trent's vocal issues were stressful and he was never 100%.
- I got to meet the MercyMe guys and Trent got to reconnect with them.
- We got to meet (and listen to and enjoy) Micah Tyler. Turns out, he was a Monk and Neagle fan! #smallworld
Most importantly...
We gained new fans and were able to share a little bit of our story. We gave and received some encouragement along the way and for that, we are thankful.
