Bus Pics

Here are some pics from the bus.


This one is the back lounge where we can hang out when we are awake.




This on is also of the back lounge.



This one is from the back lounge looking past the bunks you can see Daniel.

:)

1st Sunday away from GCC

Well today is the first Sunday we've been out on tour. I really can't believe we've done this three times already. It's funny time is going by quickly and then again it also seems like we've been doing this forever. Such a strange feeling.

Anyway this is our first Sunday away. We are doing a show tonight at a church in Binghamton, NY. We are just hanging out waiting right now because the concert is in a church tonight and we can't unload yet because they are having their services this morning. We're at the hotel so people can get ready if they need to.
I actually slept late this morning which I am very thankful for.
It's hard to know what day of the week it is because we do the same things every day. But today I know that it's Sunday and that we are missing GRACE Community Church in Clarksville, TN. I love that place, those people, the service, seeing God at work there, everything about it.

Friday Night

We had a great show in Nitro, WV last night!!! We only had about 250 people there, but they had such great energy as a crowd and were so pumped to be there, which always makes it fun.

After the show the guys loaded out everything which takes about 2 hours then we had food from TGI Friday's waiting on the bus. We devoured it. Everyone was hanging out and happy to be there.

Here is a pic of us all hanging in the front lounge of the bus headed to the hotel.



Every night we head back to the hotel so the crew can take showers then we head out to our next destination from there.

I'm so very very proud of the Daniel Doss Band guys- last night the crew was short on volunteers and they stepped up and were helping out. I did not realize how out of the ordinary that was until I heard a couple of the seasoned tour guys talking about how usually the band/artist don't help with stuff like that. At one point Daniel, Brian, Derek and Joe each had a piece of the lighting gear waiting in line to put it on the trailer. Wow! Way to go guys.

Now I just woke up and we are in New York (state not city)!!! I've never been to New York before.

Maybe I can get some more pics today of the World Vision stuff.
later,
Emily

Bus Pics

Well last night was our first night on the bus!!!
I slept on and off which was wonderful for my first night ever on a bus. I was very pleased and feel well rested.

I'm waiting for the first trailer to be unloaded, and then I'll get the World Vision table ready (my stuff is on the 2nd trailer).

Here are a couple of pics- one of the bus and one of me saying goodnight in my bunk.





Each tour bus has a trailer attached to it. There are two tour buses traveling together on this tour. It's our home away from home. :)
I'll get some more pics of the lounge later, people were in there at the moment and I figured they wouldn't want me taking lots of pics early in the morning.

Rolling Rolling Rolling down the Highway

I'll get pics up tomorrow, but we are headed out and I'm in my bunk and it's very spacious. Some of you know that I was having anxiety about that. :)
We lose an hour tonight and we'll wake up in Pennsylvania. The bus is pretty and blue with swirls on the outside. The bus is decked out. I can't wait to get pictures up tomorrow.

Ready to Roll

I'm nervous and excited all rolled into one.
We leave in just a few hours. I've packed EVERYTHING I can imagine needing, plus some.
I've checked off everything on my to do list.
I could clean the house a little more, but that's not a must.
I'm ready to roll. We leave in about 3 hours.
Pennsylvania here we come!!! That's our first stop. I've never been to Pennsylvania before. It should be exciting!

Dreams do come true

When Grace Community Church was first starting we had a women's Bible study at Kelly Bullock's house. We went around the room and each said our "dream job" at Grace. This was before I was involved in Children's Ministry there and I couldn't really imagine what capacity God wanted to use me at Grace. I was working at a school with families who were in the lower income levels and I wanted to somehow bless those less fortunate than we were. In my mind I called it the Robin Hood Ministry- where were were able to get donations from the rich and give them to the poor. :) I thought it would be like a free yard sale or something. Little did I know what God's plans were.

Tomorrow we set sail on a new adventure. Daniel will be touring with Avalon and I will be representing World Vision- a well know corporation that receives donations and then supports communities in need all over the world. Far beyond my mind's comprehension I get to be a part of this organization and fulfill my dream in a much broader way than I ever imagined.

Thank you Lord that you know our hearts desire and that you allow our dreams to come true. You Lord are truly amazing!!!

Mission Trip

My dear friend Melanie is in Brazil this Easter on a mission trip with some of their youth group. She's heads up the Girls Ministry at FBC Smyrna. She is an amazing woman of God and I can't wait to hear her stories when she gets back. This is one of those times that will change her. This trip will affect her for the rest of her life. This is her first time in a developing country. I'm praying for her this morning. :)

iMarriage

Our small group is going through the iMarriage curriculum by Andy Stanley and it is wonderful.

The catch phrase is Transforming your Expectations.

That was one thing that I always talked about after we got married any time I was asked to speak to or encourage a group girls who were getting married....EXPECTATIONS!!! We all have them and we've all grown up with a view of marriage, whether healthy or not.

Andy's teaching are leading Daniel and I to look at our expectations once again and ask ourselves what they are doing there. It's funny how when you don't think about expectations they sometimes sneak into the picture.

I highly recommend iMarriage to any small group of couples that is willing to be open and honest and is ready to grow in this area...and we're only on our 2nd week.

Daniel and I have a great marriage and I'm so thankful that we can be real with each other and honest. Usually when we see a marriage series we think- oh glad this can help someone else cause we're good- but this series has even challenged us.

Irish Day Celebration

Today we went to Erin, TN where my grandmother lives. We went to see the St. Patrick's Day parade, which we do every year. We have the same parking spot each year. My dad gets there early to save our spot walks to my grandmother's apartment. Then we come and pick everyone up and take them to our spot. This year we brought my grandmother a sash that says: Irish Girl at Heart. She was too cute!
The rain came early that morning, and later that afternoon, but the during the parade the weather was wonderful. Nicer than it's been in at least 3 years.




Here she is posing with her sash we bought her.




WHERE IS DANIEL'S GREEN???




This year's theme was "Live, Laugh, Love."
I'm glad this is one of our family traditions. :)

Tour Countdown

We are 12 days out until the tour!!!

In 12 days we are heading on tour with Avalon, Michael English, Cadia and the DANIEL DOSS BAND!!!

Daniel and I will be on the bus with Avalon and their kidos, Cadia, and the tour manager. The band will be on the other bus with Michael English and the crew. I've never met any of the people on our bus and am about to move in with them. Eeekkk! It should be a great adventure!
Just looking at the schedule it looks like we'll be heading out for 12 days straight! :)

McMurray, Pennsylvania here we come- that's the first stop!

Update on Daniel's Mom

Mrs. Carolyn went today to get her scans and re-evaluate the Cancer plan. From the first scan they saw a 95% reduction today. We are thrilled! The diagnosis is two more rounds of chemo since it seems to be working. She'll have one today and then one next month. We are going to get to go visit around Easter.
Thank you Jesus- is all I can think to say!

Scrapbooking mishap

Yesterday I was scrapbooking- which I hadn't done in a long time. After finishing one page I picked up my favorite cutting tool and pop- it broke. I seriously almost cried. Daniel made a remark about how I picked it up and seemed to be saying it was my own fault. I quickly told him that that was not the right thing to say. That if he broke his favorite microphone then he would probably be upset at well. That all recording for that day would be done, even if it was his own fault. He immediately recanted and apologized. I had a little moment because this is not the time I want to be spending money on something fun, something that I already had. Usually I would have just thrown it away and gone out to get a new one, but we've been trying to reduce, reuse, and recycle as well as be frugal. So after my moment of mourning I went to find the super glue. There was just one little piece that broke that the other piece fit into to allow it to swivel. I glued that piece back on and IT WORKED...IT REALLY WORKED!!! I was able to continue scrapbooking after it dried. I was so excited. What a generation we live in though where we just throw stuff away if it doesn't work anymore. That made me think, are there other things that I have given up on that just needed a little mending? Things that were broken, relationships that needed work, jobs that I gave up on before they were finished. Hmmm. That was my thought for the day yesterday thanks to my scrapbooking mishap. :)

Howling Alarm Clock

This morning I awoke to a howl. Our dog Suzy has become and inside dog during the winter months and even though it wasn't cold last night it was raining and I didn't want her to get wet. So she slept on her bed right beside our bed. (She's a 60 pound black lab mix.) She wouldn't go out to use the bathroom last night because of the rain so I guess she had to go this morning. She howled. This is so rare, because she doesn't bark a lot (only if she gets startled or scared) but she let out a howl. That immediately woke us up. But hey I love a fresh start in the morning, maybe that means I'll have a very productive day. :)



The CD Release Concert was amazing. It went off without a hitch. Thanks to our wonderful Community Group and friends from Grace we had a rockin' Merch team and a great night all around!

It's 5am and everyone is wide awake!

Some of you might brave the each morning at 5am, but Daniel and I do not. Daniel sometimes has to get up on Sunday mornings at 4:30am to go to church and set up all the sound equipment, but not today. Today we are wide awake due to pure excitement. My mind is racing thinking about all the details that are in place. My body is excited and I'm proud that I got 6 hours of sleep because TODAY IS CD RELEASE CONCERT DAY!!!! I called Melanie yesterday- a little bummed that Daniel and I didn't get to hang out with our two best couple friends in Nashville- but mainly excited that we were going to have a rocking concert tonight. I was giddy with excitement.

List in my head right now:
Attend church
After church- set up tables and get merch out of our cars
Go home and eat lunch
3:00 Set up merch tables
5:00 Train merch volunteers (make list of comp t-shirts)
6:00 Start time
6:05 Take sign-up list and prizes backstage for drawing

Eeeeekkkkkk!!! I'm so super duper excited. I can't wait!!!
Hope to see you there!!!! (Rossview High School- 6pm)