Watch this.

I haven't updated for a minute, but I figured rather than me writing about my life, you could just watch what I've been up to. Enjoy. :]

http://blog.invisiblechildren.com/2010/03/life-as-a-roadie/

Relative reunion.

It's a beautiful Saturday in Macedonia, Ohio. The sun is shining down on us, and we're enjoying some free time this afternoon. Heard a rumor that it might snow again tomorrow, so trying to take this all in while it lasts. :]

Good week in Ohio overall, and especially fun for me. I had the opportunity to visit my Grandmother and Aunt Janet while our team made a stop in Kent. I hadn't seen either of them since October, and it was such a wonderful reunion.

We got to spend a few hours together, and it was all so surreal showing up in my Invisible Children shirt, without the rest of my family in tow. But it was so amazing nonetheless. I was really grateful for that time we had together, and even more so that my Aunt Janet was able to stick around for our screening that evening.

What a blessing to get to share with her what I'm involved with, for her to get to hear the story and meet Boni and Leo in person. I know she really appreciated the work we are doing, and I couldn't be happier that our team's schedule worked out this way. SO good.

As far as the rest of my family is concerned, Tom and Rita got to host team Middle America the past few nights. My parents getting to meet so many of my loves? Perfection.

Life continues to get better. Which I wasn't even sure was possible. Sigh. Now it's on to Michigan this Monday, and week five of tour already. I don't know where the time's going. So fast it seems...! I'll try my best to keep up.

Paul Mitchell party.

My favorite part of this past week week: Leo, Tyler and I had a chance to visit a Paul Mitchell hair school in Cincinnati last Wednesday. And it was a BLAST.

The students there, or 'future professionals' as they're called, had previewed the Rough Cut about a week before we showed up. So, they had some knowledge of what our organization does, but you could tell they were itching to know more. They were so attentive to the films we showed, and had a ton of questions to ask by the end. All of them were enthralled by Leo and his life back in Uganda, and were scrambling to pick up as much of our apparel as they could. All of these men and women were so appreciative of our mission, and wanted to know how they could become more involved.

After taking some group photos with us and the 50+ person class, it was time for us to get pampered...for FREE. Tyler got highlights, Leo got a facial, and I got my hair cut. But don't let me fail to mention that Leo and I also got manicures. :]

It was so fun hanging out with everybody, and it was very evident that the story of the invisible children had left an impact on their hearts. They were all moved by what they had seen, and I have complete faith that they will take what they've learned and act on it. Our team really enjoyed this visit, especially when all of the hairstylists broke out into an impromptu dance rendition of Cotton Eyed Joe in the middle of the salon. HA.

This is what tour is about for me. Seeing people's eyes opened. Sharing truth with others and giving them ways to get involved. Developing new friendships and creating memories. Challenging someone to experience a wider perspective. Advocating on behalf of those I may never meet, but loving them from half a world away. I have the best job. Ever.

Kentucky is for lovers.

Our team arrived in Cincinnati around 10:00 this morning after having spent the past week in the state of Kentucky. We're hanging out at Xavier University right now, swiping some free Internet. :]

I think all of us could agree that Kentucky was a blast. Last Wednesday we had the opportunity to attend the Miss University of Louisville pageant on campus at the U of L. One of the contestants, Melanie, had contacted our offices before we left for tour asking if the Great Lakes team would like to attend this event while we were in town.

Melanie is a huge supporter of Invisible Children, and has chosen our organization for her philanthropy work. Each contestant has a specific platform or issue they support as a part of the pageant, and Melanie just so happened to have been involved with IC for some time.

This night was definitely fun for everybody, but especially for Boni and Leo, who had never seen something quite like this back in Uganda. The talent portion was so great, as the ladies entertained us with batons, tap dancing, fiddling, and a few ballads. Sort of the pageant stuff you see in the movies. Haaa.

When it came time to announce the winners, Melanie won for Best Evening Gown, as well as Best Community Service [for the work she's done with IC in and around Louisville]. We were thrilled, and would have been so excited if that had been it. But wouldn't you know it - Melanie went and won the whole title. YAY!

As Miss University of Louisville, she'll spend the next year speaking and advocating on behalf of the children in Northern Uganda at different occasions in her community. Not to mention she's going on to compete in the Miss Kentucky pageant this July, and if she wins that, it's on to Miss America. Bahhh!

We were so proud of our girl, and definitely cheered louder than anyone in that room. Our team went up to meet Melanie after they announced her as the winner, and she was so gracious when we introduced ourselves. She began to cry and explain how much she admired what we are doing, and how she wants to 'be like us.' It was so sweet, and definitely an encouragement to continue on with what we've started, to remember how lives can change when challenged to serve and step out in faith.

Overall, we had a wonderful time in the land of the Derby. The landscape was beautiful, with all the tree-lined highways and broad pastures. I loved the hospitality we were met with - not to mention the sweet tea. Mmm...! Visiting Kentucky made me miss living in the South for sure, and I was so grateful that these stops had been placed on the tour. The warm weather and the charming accents will surely be missed, but I am glad to have had a week there. Now it's time to hit Ohio with some TRUTH. Yes, please.

Week one done.

*** I wrote this bit on Sunday, but didn't have Internet access readily available to post it until now. So, there's that.

Alright. The first week of tour is officially under my belt. And I can honestly say I’ve had a pretty wide range of experiences just in the past few days. We visited one high school where more than 900 people turned out to hear from Boni and the rest of our team, and two days later we had another function where less than 40 showed up. We stayed with a great farming family who introduced us to their cows and machinery, and then also spent the night in a home that boasted an elevator and a personal movie theater.

It's been fun traveling around Indiana and meeting countless people who are so supportive of what Invisible Children does. It reminds me of why I signed up to be a part of this. It’s encouraging to hear how lives are changing and schools are transforming by becoming involved with our organization, serving a need greater than their own. The contacts in this area have certainly done well to spur us on as we continue throughout the next few weeks.

Outside of our screenings, we have had some time to relax and explore. We caught some of the Olympic games this week, and had a free afternoon to visit the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The museum had four floors, and it was SO beautiful. I especially loved the level that housed the modern art – I could’ve spent hours getting lost in there. But probably the best part of that whole adventure was that admittance was free…! That’s what I’m talking about.

Another highlight of the week came last Tuesday, while we were in Fort Wayne. We woke up that morning to find snow falling all around us. I wasn’t too impressed, considering I’ve seen this same thing thousands of times before. But for Boni and Leo, it was the first time they’d watched flakes fall to the ground. So, it was definitely cause for a celebration. We laughed and danced around and took pictures in the beauty.

It’s so incredible to be traveling with these Ugandan friends. They help me to keep everything in perspective, and remind me that there is so much in my everyday that I take for granted. I am learning to appreciate even the most ‘ordinary’ things, because I am realizing that not everyone around the world can share in those. I am beginning to understand how small I am in comparison to the bigger picture, but I am so glad that this is the story I get to live out.

Let the tour begin.

The Legacy Tour is officially underway. [YES!] We had a beautiful launch dinner last Monday night with great food, a preview of our advocates' update videos, and an incredible Acholi dance from all of our Ugandan friends to top it off. The night was magical, a way to reflect on the weeks previous and look forward to what is to come.

Tuesday was a crazybusy day in the office marked by organizing all of our merchandise and packing everything into our two vans. Luckily we fit it all in quite nicely, with room to spare for our personal luggage. :]

Wednesday morning all ten teams and Invisible Children staff persons met at Mount Soledad in San Diego as a final send off. I've been told this is the highest point in the city, and it has such an amazing view overlooking the water and the residential areas below. We heard from two American and two Ugandan roadies, each with their own special words to share about embarking on this journey. Jason, one of the co-founders of IC, spoke last. He shared the famous words of Nelson Mandela with us all before we departed:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

After some tearful good-byes, each team packed in their respective vehicles and began the long trek ahead. My team, Great Lakes, had the opportunity to caravan with three other teams along the way - Mountain West, Middle America, and New England. We had SUCH a great time driving across the country together, sightseeing and swapping vans. I wish we could all do a HUGE national tour, going from city to city with 20+ people in tow. It would be ridiculous. And amazing.

Our route looked something like this: San Diego on Wednesday morning to Flagstaff, Arizona Wednesday night. Flagstaff to Amarillo, Texas Thursday night. Amarillo to St. Louis Friday night. And St. Louis to Rockford, Ohio Saturday night. As my dad pointed out, 4 time zones in 4 days. BAH! It was a whole lotta driving, but we made it and definitely enjoyed ourselves in the process.

We took Sunday to rest, and had our first official screening at Parkway High School this morning. It went pretty well, and makes me excited for all the other places we get to go and the faces we get to meet. I can already see how busy tour is going to be, but as I have been reminded so many times: This is what I signed up for. I think I am up for the challenge, and I know I am ready to grow. Here goes nothing...!

Valentine's Day. Best yet.

LOVE. My day was filled with it. As it should be, since this is a national holiday devoted to that very idea.

I walked to church this morning with my darling friend Shannon, who hails from New Zealand. The sun was shining bright as we headed over to Crosspointe, and it was quite warm at that time already. I'd say it was around 80 degrees, which is so much nicer than the 18 degree weather back in Iowa. :]

The service was really great. Neither of us had tried out this church before, but I'm SO glad that we did. It was such an incredibly honest time of worship, and exactly what I needed to begin this crazy week I have ahead of me. [Legacy Tour launches on Wednesday...! BAH.]

Shannon and I grabbed some lunch together, too, at this local coffee shop in a fun district of La Mesa. A lot of roadies had the exact same idea, apparently, as we bumped into a bunch of teammates while were there. YAY!

After that, our Ugandan friends joined a huge group of us at a soccer field near our house. A game broke out pretty quickly, as did a whole lotta dancing. [!!!!!!] Someone had driven a few of the IC vans over to the field, so we opened up the doors and cranked up the jams. We all danced together to the likes of Jay.Z and Lady Gaga, and a few Acholi artists, also.

It was maybe the most fun I've had since I got here, and I don't say that lightly. It felt SO good to let loose and laugh and have a good time with our new friends. The Ugandans have been in San Diego for just over a week now, and it's amazing to see how they've opened up in that short time. Friendships are forming, teams are growing closer, and stories are being shared. I am so blessed by their insight and perspective on life, and grateful to learn from their experiences [which are far removed from my own]. This tour is going to be phenomenal. Obviously. HA!

I don't think anybody wanted to break up the party, but everything died down after a while, and a van of Western roadies took off chasing the sun. We wanted to make it to the beach in time to see the sunset. Sigh. So a dozen of us headed out to Sunset Cliffs, which is exactly what it sounds like. An incredible lookout spot on some sharp cliffs over the ocean. Wonderful.

We made it in time to watch the sun go down, and took a thousand pictures in the process. I am going to miss so many of them when we travel to our separate regions in a few days, so it was beyond special to share in that moment with all of them. Not to mention we ruined many a romantic couple's evening on the cliffs by being loud and generally obnoxious. Oops.

I am in LOVE with reality. And it keeps getting better. Happy Valentine's Day!