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On this page I'll include reviews of the shows I've seen by Barbara Bailey Hutchison.
March 10, 2000-- Richland Community College; Decatur, IL
This
was my first time to see Barbara perform, and what an experience!! I was just getting out of class, and saw (who I found out
later was Barbara's husband) Chris Hutchison setting up for Barbara's show. I love all types of music, so I decided to stick
around and check out the show. Boy Oh Boy, am I glad that I stayed that day. I was absolutely mesmorized by the talent of
Barbara Bailey Hutchison!! She was there as part of the Women's History Month celebration. Barbara, and her music, took me
through so many emotions...eventually bringing a tear to my eye. I sat there for the entire show in complete awe of her talent,
her voice, her wit, her sense of humor...everything!! I knew right then and there that I was going to be a fan for life!!
What I wasn't YET aware of was what fabulous people that Barbara and Chris are!! After the show, (which mind you, ended WAY
too soon in my book, even after 2 hours!), I waited my turn to talk to Barbara. I bought "Reconcile", and Barbara signed the
cassette for me (I am still amazed at how she writes backwards...if she's ever signed anything for you, you know what I mean!)
When it came time to talk to her, I was so overcome by emotion, I burst into tears. She said that that had never happened
before. I managed to pull myself together, and talk to Barbara and Chris while they packed up and got ready to hit the road.
Barbara had truly touched me with her music that day, and continues to do so. She is able to say things in her songs that
I could never put into words. She is truly a gifted singer, songwriter, and artist!!!! She is, above all, a very giving, loving,
and gentle spirited person. I left this show wanting so badly to see Barbara perform again. I didn't know at the time that
one year later, I'd get that chance...
March 20, 2001-- Richland Community College; Decatur, IL
Following
the concert in March of 2000, Barbara and I kept in touch via email. My parents bought me several more of her CD's for Christmas
(I got to talk to Barbara on the phone when we ordered the cd's! It was great fun!!), which I've long since memorized. One
day while checking email, I got an email from Barbara saying that she was going to be coming back to RCC in March. Needless
to say, I was ecstatic!!!! We kept emailing, and as the day of the show grew closer, I started counting down the days. Well,
the day finally came, and I was thrilled to not have anything to do except work in the later afternoon. I would be able to
be at Barbara's show...and with bells on!!!! I got to RCC about an hour early, and when I went in, Chris recognized me and
came over and gave me a hug. He said that Barbara would be inside in about 20 mins. I sat there and watched Chris finish setting
up, and chatted with a couple friends about the amazing show they were about to see. A few minutes later, Barbara walked in
and gave me a hug. We chatted about many things for a few minutes, until it was time for her to go on. At 12 noon sharp, Barbara
took the stage and played one heck of a 2 hour show!!!! I could not keep this goofy looking (I'm sure it was anyway) grin
off my face. This time, I had a lot of her songs memorized, so I was just singing along. When it came time for "Daughters
Of Feminists", Barbara forgot the words, so she asked me what they were. I gladly rattled off the first few lyrics, and she
took it from there. That was a moment that I will never forget. (I hope she doesn't mind me telling that story!! tehe) I was
sitting near the table where Barbara's CDs were on display for purchase. I would whisper to some of the people that would
approach the table, and tell them about the CDs...practically never taking my eyes off Barbara, and continuing to sing along.
The show was (again) absolutely amazing. Once again, it ended entirely too soon...even after 2 hours. After the show was over,
Barbara chatted with some people while Chris took down the sound equipment and packed up. When she had talked with most of
the people, we chatted for some time. Barbara is so amazing...taking the time to talk to each and every person. She introduced
me to a writer from our local paper that was there. He had written an article about Barbara to promote her show. We chatted
until he left, and I helped Barbara and Chris finish getting things ready to leave. After the van was loaded, we walked outside
and she asked me if I'd like to meet Lily The Wonder Dog. Lily is Barbara and Chris' dog. I, of course, said yes. She is a
beautiful dog, and just as sweet as she can be. She doesn't like to see people hug...that was funny. I played with Lily a
little bit, while still chatting with Barbara and Chris until they said they needed to be on their way. I gave them hugs goodbye,
and I left RCC with a huge grin on my face. Like the year before, I left wanting to see her again. To this day, we continue
to email and I am blessed to call Barbara a friend. Barbara and Chris will return to RCC on March 19, 2002...
December 5, 2002--Indiana East University; Richmond, IN
My roommate, another friend, and I took a road trip to Richmond, Indiana from Decatur, IL
where we live. Barbara was playing a show at Indiana East University, so we went. :-) It was a complete surprise to Barbara
and Chris that we were coming...they had NO idea!! It had been Top Secret info up to the point of our arrival!!!! :-)
My
roommate and I left at 12 noon central time (Indiana is on EST where we went), and picked up our friend at the AMTRAK
station in Champaign. After that, we got lost in Champaign an hour from our home of all places!! That cost us an hour, but
that was ok. We drove for what seemed like forever one LOOOOOOONG stretches of highway, itty bitty towns that you can hold
your breath through, in the dark out in the boonies, etc...I'm sure you get the point. ;-)
Anyway, we finally got there.
The show started at 7EST which is 6PM
CST. We got there 30 mins. late because we got lost. It didn't matter
though,
we had finally made it!! Mapquest and Yahoo said 4 hours...yeah right, it was 6 hours, but worth every second!!!!
Anyway,
my roommate and I went in while my other friend parked the van. When we walked in, I was going to sneak up on Chris ;-),
but he saw us first. Barbara was singing "Child Of Peace". Chris gave us this surprised look combined with this wonderful
huge grin. He jumped out of his chair and gave my roommate and me each one of his most fabulous hugs!!
My roommate
and I walked in waving at Barbara, and when the song was over she asked if it was me, and I said yes, that the 3 of us were
there. She asked if anyone else had come as far as we had, and
we had everyone beat!!!! :-) She was wearing a dark
green velvet dress, with these killer red snakeskin boots.
Barbara asked that we stick around after for a hug, and of course, we weren't going anywhere!!!!
:-) Barbara put on yet another (my 5th (6th including when she sang for my kids in March!), but first Christmas show) INCREDIBLE
show!!
From the time I walked in until the time she stopped singing, I had goosebumps!!!! She sang
many Christmas songs, and some of our other favorites as well. She had a black baby grand piano (which I
know thrilled
her to pieces! ;-D) and her guitar. I am not sure what
other songs we missed in that first half hour, except "Oh Come
All Ye
Faithful", but she sang sooo many of our favorites in the time we
were there. The show was one of my favorites
that I had seen. It was
just pure magic!!!! You could definitely feel the spirit of Christmas
in the room!!
After the show was over, there was to be hot chocolate and cookies
while Barbara signed.
We kind of sat back by Barbara and Chris while
she signed. It was amazing to see how much they loved her, her show,
and
her music. It made me so happy!! :-) There was one little boy who we thought Barbara had made dyslexic because he said he
needed a mirror to read the tape she had signed for him (If you've ever had anything signed by Barbara, you know EXACTLY what
I mean! ;-D) We all got quite a kick out of that!
Anyway, after Barbara had signed and everyone had pretty much gone home, Barbara and Chris
got to talking to the Art Instructor about the art exhibit that was going on at the college. Of course, he had Barbara's
undivided attention while Chris was packing up. You should have seen how big her eyes, and smile, got when Thomas Jefferson
Thomas (yes, that really was his name!) gave her one of his works of art!!!!! I didn't know if she was going to be able to
keep her feet on the ground from all the jumping up and down she was doing...she was quite excited...it was so cute!! :-)
(And it's a cool painting, too!)
Anyway, when she came back down from cloud 9 (!), she was asked to
sing "The Grandmother's
Song" for the people from the college. It was Chris, my 2 friends, me, TJT, and a couple ladies from the college
(and
by the end of the song, a small gathering of people at the
door!). It was all I could do not to cry...I had to bite my
lip BIG
TIME...it's a hard song to get through!!!! I wouldn't have been the only one crying though! ;-) This was
an incredible experience to hear this
song just for these very few people...I think you could have probably
heard
a pin drop while she was singing, and about 5 minutes following
the end of the song!!!!
After that, the people from the college pretty much went on their way. Barbara, my roommate
and I talked "girl talk" while Chris and my other friend finished packing up...then it was time to part ways. It was
about 9 central time I think, and we had a 6(!) hour drive home ahead of us, and Barbara and Chris had to get some rest before
heading to Ohio for the show the next night. Before leaving, we gave Barbara and Chris their Christmas gifts, and then
we went outside, so the maintenance men could leave. (whoops!) ;-) We took a couple QUICK pictures because it was COOOOOOOOOLD!!!!
We were all huddled together for the pictures to keep warm. The pictures turned out great for the most part!!!!!
Then, Chris and Barbara went on their way, and we stopped to get gas before beginning our
long drive home (we all had to work the next morning!). We FINALLY arrived home at 4AM...only for my roommate and me
to get up 90 mins later!!
It was quite an adventure, but one that I would not trade a minute of!! I would do it
again in a NY second if ever given the opportunity!!!!
Until March 18, 2003...
March 22, 2004--South Shores School/Holy Family School; Decatur,
IL
Barbara and Chris called me Sunday night when they
got
into town and they came over for a bit before checking into the hotel. It would have been a little bit longer of a
visit had I been better at giving them directions...NOT one of my strong points!! LOL In any case, they stopped by and it
was SOOOOOO good to see them!! It had been a year, and I have missed them terribly!! We spent some quality time together before
they headed to the hotel to get some rest for the next day, Monday. Barbara made me a Romance Lantern that I just adore!!
She makes paper, and that is what the Romance Lantern is. She even signed my guitar, and now I
have the one and only BBH Signature Series Guitar!! LOL
Anyway, it was going to be a BIG day for all of us, but especially
for them. Barbara was to do 3(!) shows.
I barely slept Sunday night, I was SO giddy with excitement!! When I got up
Monday morning, I couldn't get to work fast enough!! We had planned a morning show for the younger school children, an afternoon
show for the older kids, and an evening show for adults (and a few kids that tagged along!)
My preschoolers LOVE Barbara and Cat In The Sink, so they
were ecstatic!! They could not wait to get over to the other school where the 2 daytime concerts were being held (and neither
could I!), so we left just as soon as all the kids arrived.
When we got there, we made ourselves comfy, and I tried
to help out with any last minute details, while my co-teacher kept the kids occupied. I would've liked to have taken the day
off, but it didn't work out that way.
Before I knew it, it was time to introduce BBH (9:15)!! I
got that privilege for all 3 shows!! ;-)
Let me tell you, this was the first full on BBH Kids show
I'd seen, and I was completely blown away!!!! In addition, this was the first time I'd seen BBH wireless, and it ROCKED!!
At one point, she went up one side of the auditorium and stopped in the hallway, singing all the while, and came back down
the other side of the auditorium. The kids thought that was hilarious!! Barbara looked amazing (a "grass green" ;-) sweater,
black jeans, and her omnipresent black boots, that I LOVE!!) ;-) She just looked beautiful!! She absolutely has SUCH a special
way with the little kids...they just love her and her music!! She is a MASTER!! She had those kids rollin' in the aisles!!
:-)
I probably cannot remember everything she sang, but she did
sing most of the songs on Cat In The Sink, God Bless My Underwear (my preschoolers' new favorite BBH song!), I'm Goin' Down
To The Library, Listen to the Mustn'ts, Paint The Sky Green (with her guitar!!). She had those kids goin'!! She had them up
onstage, and dancing in the audience. It was a sight to behold!!
Before we knew it, it was time to wrap that show up (10AM), and I had
to get my kids back to school to get ready to go home (half day preschool) at 11:15. They sang "God Bless..." ALL THE WAY
back to school!!!! :-D I did not want to leave BBH and Chris, but I had to nonetheless.
After my kids went home, I
went back to my apt. for a little bit
while Barbara and Chris rested up in their hotel room. We decided to meet up
at 12:45 back at the school for the afternoon show. I pulled out onto the major street that leads to the school, and low and
behold who is in front of me but BBH and Chris!! ;-) I followed them all the way to school, and helped Chris get some stuff
set up/kept him company, while Barbara was preparing. It was SO good to get to visit some more with him because I didn't get
much of a chance at the morning show with my class there.
Pretty soon, Barbara came in, and before we knew it, it was time to introduce
her again (1:15). She ended up having quite a large age range for this show, but she is a pro and it worked!! :-) She sang
many of the songs she sang in the AM show, including It's The Phone, Potato, I'm Goin' Down To The Library, Listen to
the Mustn'ts, among others. She concluded with one of my favorites that I have been dyin' to, but have never heard her sing..."Big
Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell!! ;-) BBH ROCKS on this song...she sounded A-M-A-Z-I-N-G on it!!!! I hope she performs it more
often now, she said it had been a long time since she had last performed it.
After this show, we wrapped up things
at the school because the evening show was at the school where I teach. Following that, we decided to go out to eat before
heading to my apt./their hotel to rest up before the evening show. We decided to go to Panera Bread. We all love that place.
Barbara decided to ride with me, and it was fun to chat with her (and eat some chocolate...CAFFEINE!) on the way to the restaurant.
:-D We got there and met up with Chris. We ordered and just ate and talked and ate and talked for a good bit.
After we ate (and talked! ;-)), I went back to my apt., and they headed
to the hotel. I called my best friend, Lacey, for a few mins. (she loves BBH and Chris, and lives out of state!),
then I left to meet up with Barbara and Chris at the school where I teach, for the evening show. They were a couple
mins. ahead of me getting there because I had neglected to stop for gas Sunday, and I was running very low.
Anyway, I got there and helped them unload as much as I could. We had just
pulled our vans right up by the door, so we had to move them. LOL What happened next was so much fun. I am paralyzed,
and I drive with hand controls. I did not want to go to the hassle of moving my van, so BBH did. She didn't want
to until I told her that it COULD be driven "normally." She moved it, and I got a picture of her in the driver's seat. She
did a great job moving it for me!! :-)
After that, she went back to her van to prepare, while I went inside to help
Chris some more and keep him company. About 6PM, my best friend, Jonathan, arrived. Followed soon after by my mom, and other
family members and friends. It was first come, first served seating, so they knew to come early. We all helped Chris set up
and visited. Jonathan and I set up the merchandise table for Chris.
Pretty soon, it was time to open the doors (6:30), and then BBH came back
in. She had changed into a red velvet top that I love!! I LOVED it when she came in the doors, ALL the kids that were there
automatically surrounded her. It was SO neat to see, I even got a picture!! She signed for the kids, and then it was time
for me to introduce her (7PM). People were still rolling in. I could not believe that the day I had worked so hard for, and
waited so long for, was coming to a close. And let me tell you, B went out with a BANG!!!! The evening concert absolutely
BLEW ME AWAY!!!!
This show was geared more toward the adults, so we got to hear some of the songs that we hadn't heard
during the daytime shows (and some that we had...there were kids in the audience after all!) She sang many of the songs she
normally sings, including Paint (with keyboard this time!), Believe, Edge, Gandhi/Buddha and the counter (Hitler/Satan), and
It's The Phone (these are Cheryl Wheeler songs!), Let's Love Tonight, Cat In The Sink, Potato, Love Grows, God Bless My Underwear,
It's Love, Daughters, Sweet Dreams, BBH's Greatest Hits, The Last Day and Bless His Heart just to name a few.
Perhaps the highlights for me were the debut of two rather special
songs (after much encouragement and begging from me! LOL)!!!! She debuted "Breath by Breath" that night. This is the
working title of the new BBH CD, and it is a GORGEOUS song!!
AND, she debuted a song that will ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS hold a VEEEEEEERY
special place in my heart...a song she wrote for me called "Messenger!!" My family, friends, and I cried through the entire
song!!!! Chris hadn't even heard it yet. I cannot describe to you what it feels like to have one of your very best friends,
and your favorite singer, write and sing a song about you!! There are absolutely NO words to describe what that is like!!!!
I had my best friend, and a family friend, and one of my preschoolers, hanging onto me, trying to hold it (and me!) together.
I was BLOWN AWAY!!!! I was speechless, and y'all know (just look at this post! LOL) that that does not happen often (ESP.
when it comes to BBH and Chris!). ;-)
Anyway, the day I had waited so long for was winding down, and I was in a pure
state of bliss!!!! :-D One of my preschoolers (the same one on my lap for "Messenger") went up with me to give Barbara some
flowers I'd gotten her. Everyone had the opportunity to visit with Barbara and Chris as usual, and it was fun to get to chat
with everyone. They were all so very complimentary (How could they not be??!! It's BBH!) ;-)
After she had met with
and signed for everyone, they all pretty much went home. My mom and grandparents stayed for a few and chatted, but then they
left as well. Jonathan stayed to help with tear down and to visit a little more. We visited and had a blast!! I had Barbara
sign several things for me (surprise, surprise! LOL), not the least of which were 2 of her earliest records that I had
found..."Alive" and "Slow Down." :-D :-D It was fun to hear them reminisce about making those records.
Barbara and
I chatted some while Chris and Jonathan packed up, in between helping that is. ;-) And, Jonathan, Barbara, and I chatted while
Chris packed up at some points (poor Chris!) Barbara even called Lacey for a minute to say hi (she was truly missed!). :-)
Before
we knew it, everything was packed up in the van and it was time (after some digi-pics!) to say our see-ya-laters. This day
was pure happiness for me!!!! I was living this day "Breath By Breath" just as Barbara has always encouraged me to do. They
went back to thehotel for the night, so they could get a good night sleep before heading back to TN on Tuesday. Jonathan and
I chatted in the parking lot ("They paved paradise, put up a parking lot...") for a little bit, and then we went home as well.
This
day was a day I will NEVER EVER forget!! It was a day that will forever be engraved in my memory!! Thanks to Barbara and Chris
for making this day such a VERY special day for me.
October 19, 2006-- Richland Community College; Decatur, IL
On Wednesday (the 18th), I had some people in and out of the apt. just to make sure I was
safe and sound, and adjusting well to being home in my apartment as I'd been recovering from health problems away from home
for six months, but I only had one thing on my mind that day...Julie "Paint the sky green/Cat in the sink/ Little Bird" Rust
would be arriving later
that afternoon/evening, and I'd FINALLY be able to wrap my arms
around her...a day for which
I'd waited SO long!! She had decided
earlier the week before the make the trip up to meet me, and share
the stage with
BBH, and I was beyond ecstatic!! She stayed with me
in my apt. Julie is absolutely one of THE sweetest, kindest, most gentle
people I've ever met in my life!! She absolutely exceeded every single expectation I had. She was everything I thought she'd
be and more!!!! And, boy, can she play and siiiiiing!!!! ;-) If you don't have her CDs yet, GET THEM!! One is "Paint The Sky
Green" ;-) and her most recent one is "Leap of Faith." I was THRILLED that Julie was finally here!!
Julie and
I ate dinner in my apt. from Panera Bread, we talked to Barbara and Chris while they were on the road, and Julie
talked to her family back home in TN. Later that night, we talked and talked, and we also
watched WISDOM Holiday as she
wanted to, and hadn't yet, seen it.
That was fun, but most of all, we were together…finally.
Barbara and Chris
got in town from Akron, OH, about midnight and went to bed. After Julie and I talked some more, we also went to bed as
we
all had a big day on Thursday. the 19th.
On Thursday morning, Julie and I got up and got ready. I had
breakfast in bed thanks to Julie. :-) We'd planned to meet Barbara and Chris at the college sometime around
10AM, when they got there. Of course, I could not wait as I hadn't yet seen them since March…and Julie hadn't seen them
in several months either. I was SO excited!! I believe we got to RCC at 10:30 that morning.
Julie drove us there as I hadn't driven in a year due to my health issues. Chris was setting
up when we got there, and Barbara was out in the van preparing. They were both fighting a cold, but that didn't stop me, I
still wanted my share of the hugs they had to give (and to be able to give them, too!). ;-) I got comfortable in a couch as
I am still restricted on just how much I can sit in my wheelchair. I must still monitor it closely. We all hung out and talked
while Chris set up. I saw some old friends and co-workers as I hadn't been able to visit the college since Barbara and
Chris had been there in March. My friends and some of my family also arrived soon thereafter.
Eventually, Barbara came
in, looking beautiful as usual. We talked and
visited and I finally convinced her to give me a hug. She didn't
want
to get me sick, but I wanted a hug anyway. Let me tell you all, the energy in the room with Barbara, Chris, and Julie there
was absolutely incredible!! I knew it would be, but to feel it just made my heart swell. I couldn't believe one of my dreams
of finally seeing Julie and BBH in the same room...at the same concert...was finally coming true. And, it exceeded every single
expectation I might've had.
My friend Christine introduced Barbara at noon and she took the stage. Now usually, I can
pretty much remember the set lists, but I was so focused on soaking up the moment (by moment, breath by breath!) that I will
probably forget many of them.
I do know that Julie sang "This is how love feels" (a wonderful song
on "Paint
The Sky Green") at some point during the show. Julie also joined Barbara onstage for background vocals during several songs.
Let me tell you all, BBH and Julie sound absolutely PHENOMENAL together...their voices blend beautifully.
Barbara will tell you she didn't think she sounded all that great for
being sick, but
Julie and I agreed that she sounds better sick than
anyone we've ever known!! :-)
Let's see, B sang:
It's
The Phone
Messenger
Gandhi/Buddha and Hitler/Satan (at least I think she sang that one—I
know she sang it at
the night show.)
Breath by Breath
God Is In
All Kinds of Kinds
Paint The Sky Green
Daughters of Feminists
Believe
In Me
It's Love
At one point, I had to laugh, though I felt so badly for BBH. The
place for the noon set was
in the middle of the common area of the
college, right next to the cafeteria, and needless to say it can get VERY loud
in that area at NOON time. BBH has been wireless for some time now, so that makes it easy for her to roam around wherever
she wants...and did she ever!! She went right up to where these college kids were making all kinds of noise, dancing, and
just being absolutely very rude and obnoxious...she got right in all their faces to try to get them to pay attention. I was
laughing, but it was great how she handled it (what a pro!), as I know it was frustrating for her.
After the show,
we talked for awhile while Chris did tear-down. We
also took several pictures. We walked the equipment down to the
other
end of the building, where the evening set would be held. At
that point, Julie and I left to go back to my apt. Barbara
and Chris weren't
feeling all that well, and were tired, so they wanted to go back to the hotel and rest. Julie and I stopped
off and got Panera for lunch (it's easy to get to and a hop, skip, and a jump from my apt.!) and took it back to my apt. We
ate lunch together and rested up a little for the afternoon. We'd planned to meet Barbara and Chris back at the college at
about 6PM, so Julie and Barbara could rehearse as they'd planned to sing together at the evening show as well.
My dear friend, Karoline (the newest BBH and Julie convert...yeah!) came over to my apt.
at about 5PM. She was going to go to the college with Julie and me. I was finishing getting ready, so I asked Karoline
to please print out the intro as I was to intoduce BBH at the evening concert. Well, I guess my printer didn't like that I
had been away for 6 months, and decided not to print. (Note to self: Don't wait till 30 mins. before walking out the door
to print out such an imprtant speech!) Karoline fiddled with it for awhile until we really had to get going, so Julie came
to the rescue. While Karo tried to fix the printer, Julie sat at the dining room table with my laptop, paper, and a pen...she
wrote out my entire speech for me. I sat with Julie trying to keep my laptop from going to "sleep."
We left at
5 after 6, and I think we arrived at the college at about
6:15. Karoline drove us this time. We went in and I got comfy
on a couch
that was set out for me. I figured I'd enjoy soundcheck (even soundcheck was wonderful!), and get up in time
to introduce BBH.
I believe the doors were opened at 6:30 or so. I went out to chat with some of the people I knew who were
there, and had to stop them from opening the doors too early as Barbara and Julie were still rehearsing. At 7PM, Barbara,
Julie, and I went backstage. And, at 5 after 7, with Chris' prompting, I went out and introd ucedBBH. Then, she took the stage,
again looking wonderful in a different outfit.
During this show, Julie again joined BBH onstage. Julie also sang a
song
called "Believe" that she has yet to record...one that she
promised me she'd sing, and she made good on that promise. It's
a
WONDERFUL song. Julie also sang "Leap of Faith," the title track of
her most recent CD. (GET IT if you don't yet have
it!) Julie now has
the distinction of being the ONLY other person besides BBH to bring
me to tears. I was hugging on
BBH, and singing along, with tears
welling up in my eyes. That was a moment, and a feeling, that I will
NEVER forget!!
Pure contentment, pure joy, and pure bliss... That
feeling continued throughout the evening...throughout the
day...throughout
the visit.
It's neat to note that during both shows, when they weren't onstage together, the one not onstage was sitting
next to me, and they were
both singing harmony for each other off-stage. It was the neatest
thing to hear them both
sing harmony for each other, even if I was
the only one who could hear it at times.
At some point during the show
(again, I was so absorbed in the
moment that I didn't really take mental notes of the set lists!),
BBH sang "Messenger"
for me, with Julie singing back-up. I didn't
think it could get any better than that…I was wrong!!
After "Messenger,"
I was absolutely shocked and caught off guard
when they both made their way to where I was…and out comes a well-
lit
angel food cake (one of my favorites!), while Barbara and Julie
sang "Happy Birthday" to me, and Barbara sang HER version
of "Happy
Birthday" to me...and I sang it right back. I love it...it's great...hilarious!! :-) In a very depressed and
down tone, you hear BBH sing, "Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Pain and misery fill the air, People dyin' everywhere, Happy
Birthday..." tee hee!!
That was it, I was gone...to follow "Messenger" with such a surprise, coupled with the whole
emotion of the day and all, I was in tears…again!! (My 30th birthday was only days away, so we celebrated a little early.
:-) It was a moment I'll NEVER forget!! (I know I always say that, but I truly do always mean it...these visits
are all etched into the depths of my heart and my memory, where they will permanently stay.)
Let's see if I can remember
again what Barbara sang...
Gandhi/Buddha/Hitler/Satan
God Is In
BBH's Greatest Hits
Little Bird (with Julie—AWESOME!)
Messenger
Believe
In Me
Paint The Sky Green
You're Still Gonna Die
Sweet Dreams
After the show was over...again and as usual,
it ended far too
quickly and far too soon...we had a reception out in the main lobby.
I was surprised to learn that,
in addition to the angel food cake (a
gift from Barbara and Chris!), there were 3 more cakes out in the lobby. One
I had asked for for Barbara and Chris...their favorite...carrot cake. And, I believe a chocolate cake as well as a (yummy)
white cake. There was also punch.
I mingled while BBH signed CDs. At one point, I was looking for Julie as my Mom wanted to meet her, as she hadn't
had the chance to do so yet. I couldn't find her for the life of me...come to find out, she went BACK into the auditorium
to sing for two local friends of mine. Grrrrr...coughcough...I don't know why they didn't come and get me!!!! So not fair!!
(tee hee! Just kiddin'!! ;-)) I hear it was wonderful!!
After a lot of mingling and picture taking, I was NOT ready
to go, but as I'm still somewhat restricted on how much I can sit for medical reasons, I was practically dragged out the door
by Karoline and Julie. In fact, they had the keys and "threatened" (jokingly, of course!) to leave without me. BBH to the
rescue...with punch in my hand, trying very hard not to spill it, she quickly got me to the door to catch up with them. Of
course, I think it was Karoline who later jokingly pointed out that had they left me there, I would've HAD to go back to the
hotel with BBH and Chris. Bummer…oh well!! Tee hee :-D
So, Karoline, Julie, and I left. We considered going to
Taco Bell for a late night dinner as Taco Bell had been a major topic of conversation throughout the entire day, but we decided
against it and headed back to my apt. Karoline left soon after that, and Julie and I stayed up and talked for quite awhile
before giving into sleep. Julie was leaving the next day, and had a long drive ahead of her back to TN. She needed her sleep,
and so did I as I was tired from all the excitement.
The next morning (Friday, the 20th) was one that I had kind of
forgotten about, but dreaded at the same time. I knew everyone was going to have to leave, and I was NOT looking forward to
that AT ALL!! I had had FAR too much fun and was NOT ready for it to end!! I did NOT want to say my "see ya laters," but they
all know me so well, that we decided Julie would leave first, and BBH and Chris would stop by after Julie left, so not to
all leave at once. That was a MAJOR help to me, and I thank them for working it out that way.
Julie and I got
up early Friday morning and she got all packed and ready to go. We took some pictures, ate breakfast, talked, I opened my
last present (Julie had brought me a birthday present for every day she was here...and her sweet little girls even made me
these wonderful cards...how sweet they all are!! My gifts included one that will stay between us, but that I didn't find until
Saturday morning…leave it to wonderful Julie to do such a thing!), and we slowly worked our way into the "see ya laters."
It was SOOOOO hard to see Julie leave, but I knew that it was the first time, but it certainly wouldn't be the last that we
were together. That helped a lot. So, at 10AM, Julie got on her way back home. She called at 7PM to tell me she had arrived
safely.
At 11AM, BBH and Chris came over. That gave me just enough time to
compose myself, and be okay again, before
they came by. Again, we
had Panera for lunch (what would we've done without Panera?! Ha! :-
)) In fact, they said that
one lady who worked there told them that she enjoyed the show. :-D That was neat. So, we talked, ate lunch, exchanged gifts
(B drew this AMAZING "PORTRAIT" ;-) of me for my birthday gift and I absolutely ADORE it!!), and hung out for quite awhile.
Christine, from the college and who was responsible forgetting BBH back to RCC, stopped by to say bye to BBH and Chris.
One thing I must mention is how neat it really was to have Barbara and Chris here on Friday morning/afternoon.
One of the other things we did, in addition to everything I've already mentioned, was play "Alive"...yeah, the vinyl came
out!! :-D One of my very favorite moments, was with Chris looking on, singing back and forth with Barbara, a (favorite of
mine!) song on "Alive" called "Heartache or Two." I stopped singing along at times just to be able to listen to BBH singing
with her (recorded) self. It was a brilliant moment!! :-D
I think it was about 2PM when Barbara and
Chris had to get on their way. They were headed to MI, and it's a long drive north. Once they left, I didn't quite know what
to do with myself as it was the first time I'd been in my apt. alone. I had been alone on Tuesday night, but I was far too
excited to care. I think it was at that point, after Barbara and Chris left, that the impact of everything that had happened
during the week came crashing down. I knew it was going to happen and, boy, did it ever. I managed to get through the rest
of Friday, but Saturday was extremely difficult. I think it all sunk in on Sunday and I'm getting used to being in my
apt., with just my kitty cat. She's thrilled to have me home, and all to herself again.
Yet again, and as always, wonderful memories were made that I will forever hold close to my heart. Having Julie
here, along with Barbara and Chris, just made this visit all the more special. I hope and pray that this was only the FIRST
time that I am in the awesome presence of Barbara, Chris, and Julie altogether. What brilliant energy!!
Until next time...
October 3, 2008--Blytheville Middle School &
Ritz Theatre; Blytheville, AR COMING SOON!!!!
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March 19, 2002-- Richland Community College; Decatur, IL
This was a day that I will NEVER forget!!!! I had the time of my life!!!! As I have said
previously, I am a preschool teacher. I went to work Tuesday morning, anticipating Barbara and Chris' arrival at my school.
They very graciously agreed to come and sing a couple songs for my 4 year old class. Barbara and Chris got there, we
hugged, and the kids were thrilled. Barbara sat in a child size chair at the Circle Time area, and Chris found it comfortable
to sit on one of the counters. LOL Barbara proceeded to entertain my kids for about a half hour singing "Are You Ready," "Cat
In The Sink," "Love Grows," "Won't You Be My Friend," and "Potato." I had never seen her perform for children until
this day, and she is a MASTER!!!! She had my class in the palm of her hand, laughing and joking together, getting them involved,
and letting them touch her guitar!!!!
Barbara and Chris had to get to RCC for soundcheck at 10, so they needed to be on their way
about 9:30 or so. My kids watched them pack up Barbara's guitar and drive off, waving all the while through the window
in our room. My class continued to sing "Cat In The Sink" for the remainder of this day, and the following day as well!!
After they left, we made them a Thank You note for coming to our class. The kids loved it...a couple of them even wrote
lyrics to "Cat In The Sink". Up until this point "Potato" has been a favorite of my kids, but I think that has given way to
a new favorite.."Cat In The Sink." Anyway, to have Barbara and Chris in my classroom to sing for my class was a complete
dream come true for me...it meant the absolute world to me!!!!
At 11am, my class all went home, and it was off to RCC for the show that I had waited 364
days for!!
I got to RCC at 11:30. My best friend and grandma were there. I said hi to them,
after saying Hi to Chris and thanking him again for coming to my class. A writer on the local paper was also there with
his wife. He did a wonderful story on Barbara's return, and how much of a fan of hers that I am. After saying
hi to him, and meeting his wife, Barbara came inside. We hugged again as we really didn't get to say proper hellos with
10 4 year olds all around us. We chatted for quite some time, and I gave her the Thank You note we had made
for her. She met my best friend and grandma. She said hi to the newspaper writer and his wife. We both
had met him the year before after he'd done an article on Barbara for that show. We walked around, chatting, for a bit
while Chris finished setting things up.
Then, it was time for Barbara to go on...12 noon sharp. She did a "self intro"...I'd
have gladly done one for her!! LOL Anyway, she began with "Let's Talk Tomorrow, Let's Love Tonight", "Paint The Sky
Green"...and sang many others such as "Believe In Me," "It's Love," "I Know," "You're Still Gonna Die," "Crazy In
Alabama," "Cold Wind Blowin'," "Potato," "If Today Were The Last Of All Days," "Bless Your Heart" (for which she looked at
me for the line "You're fat as a tick!" LOL), and so many more!!!! It was yet another (my 3rd!) awesome, incredible, wonderful,
fabulous, magical show!!!! It seemed as though the show ended just as it had begun!!!! It was (once again) entirely
TOOOOO SHORT at 1 hour and 10 mins.!!!! An hour just isn't long enough of a show when it comes to BBH!!!!!
After the show, Barbara chatted with some audience members (including signing a poster
for a little girl who couldn't have been more than 5-6 years old, who came up to Barbara and said in the softest voice, "I
like your singing". Too cute!), while I said bye to my grandma. I, then, introduced Barbara to my instructor.
My best friend and I hung around chatting with Barbara until Barbara and my best friend decided that they'd better help Chris
with the tear down. This was only after Barbara had signed a CD for my best friend, and a CD for me...I got "Reconcile"
on CD, as my cassette is nearly worn out. Barbara also signed another poster for me to put on my wall along side
the one from last year, as well as the scrapbook I had made for her!!!! We, then, took several pictures.
There really wasn't much I could do to help in loading and packing, so I was the official
"guitar, keyboard, camera, equipment" guard!!!! LOL After everything was loaded, my best friend walked me out to
my car. He had to be on his way.
Barbara, Chris and I were on our way to lunch. They invited me to Red Lobster, though
I was planning on treating them!! They followed me there, and we had a ball...we just chatted and ate ourselves silly!!!!
LOL Following lunch, they HAD to be on their way as they were headed back to Nashville (about an 8 hour drive!).
We said our "see ya laters"...with countless hugs...and we went our separate ways.
It was a day that meant the WORLD to me, and one that I will NEVER forget!!!! Thanks to Barbara,
Chris, my best friend and the newspaper writer (you both know who you are!) for making this such an AWESOME day!!!!
Barbara and Chris will be our Keynote at a conference in October that we put on at RCC, so
now with yet another awesome day behind us, the countdown begins to October when Barbara and Chris will be back here again.
They have also been booked to return to RCC on March 18th, 2003...You had better believe I'll be there!!!! :-)
Until next time....
October 26, 2002--Richland Community College; Decatur, IL
Barbara was to be the Keynote Singer at the PrairieLand Early Childhood Conference. The conference
started at 8am...of course, I was up at the crack of dawn with excitement. My roommate and I got ready. We then went to pick
up some flowers for Barbara. After that, we headed to the college.
It was all I could do to contain my excitement while I went to the morning sessions of the
conference awaiting Barbara and Chris' arrival. They were to arrive around 11, so my roommate and I were hangin'
out at the front doors VERY intentionally!! :-) :-) At about 10 after 11, my cell phone rings and a very familiar voice asks
me how the conference is going so far!! :-)
About 5 mins. later, here comes a van from Tenn. pulling in the parking lot...it
was Barbara and Chris!!!! :-) We showed them where to park, and we chatted while they unloaded. We, then, went inside and
Barbara went to the van to prepare. My roommate and I kept Chris company at the merchandise table until he had to go
set up. When he did, my roommate and I watched the table.
After awhile, who should walk in (unbenounced to everyone!) but a camera man from the local
TV station. Well, Barbara was out in the van, and we found Chris out there as well. The cameraman wanted to interview Barbara,
so Chris got her and she came in a few mins. later, looking gorgeous as usual!! She had on a black dress, black boots, and
a gorgeous red velvet jacket that her friend gave to her. The cameraman set up and Barbara did her interview...AND I was also
interviewed!! WHOA!! :-D I have seen the piece, and they edited me completely out of the interview. Now, you must know that
for all of that week, I had laryngitis, and I was JUST starting to get over it, so not only was I nervous for being on
TV, I didn't sound like myself. I turned
out to also be very fidgity, BUT I wouldn't trade a minute of standing next to
Barbara on TV for anything in the world!!!!
After that, it was almost time for her to go on. We all walked into the
auditorium
where Chris was finishing getting things ready. We were talking to another local fan of Barbara's, and his wife.
At one point while almost finished setting up, Chris discovered that something
was wrong with one of the peddles on Barbara's keyboard, soooo...she got to use a gorgeous black baby grand piano from the
back of the theatre...now if that wasn't a wonderful site (and sound!). Chris fixed up that piano and got everything situated
in minutes. What a guy!! ;-)
Then it was time...the moment I had waited for for so long...I was going to introduce my favorite
singer, my friend!!!! Although I couldn't talk at full voice, I had a mic and I think it went well. I felt so honored to be
able to do that considering that a couple days before, I had absolutely no voice at all and was wondering if I'd even be able
to talk enough to do the intro. At any rate, I did it, and it went well!! :-)
Barbara took the stage and she wow'd everyone!!!! She sang so many of my favorites, and some
new ones that we hadn't heard before.
After her show, my roommate and I walked up on stage and handed her the flowers that
we had gotten her. We walked off stage with her and congratulated her on yet another (my 4th (5th if you include when she
sang for my class in March!)) FABULOUS BBH concert!!!!
We all hung out while Chris loaded up everything, and then it was off to Red Lobster for
some more time together with my family, and some wonderful food in celebration of my birthday (which was in 2 days).
We had a wonderful time, and it was great to get to spend a little extra time with Barbara and Chris.
After we finished eating and visiting, it was time for Barbara and Chris to be on their way.
It was a day that I will never, ever forget...Barbara and Chris made my birthday even that more special!!
March 18, 2003--Richland Community College; Decatur, IL
It was a gorgeous Spring day outside (Thank goodness...They
said it would rain...I guess Barbara and Chris really do radiate sunshine wherever they go!) , and it was a great day for
a BBH concert.
Barbara and Chris VERY graciously agreed to come sing for my pre-school kids, and the kindergarten class.
(They had met many of the kindergarteners last year when they were in my class.) They got to school just a couple minutes
before 9. They stayed until 9:30. We walked across the hall to the Kindergarten room, simply because it is bigger.
Barbara had those kids going!! :-) She sang "Potato", "The
Library Song", "Cat In The Sink", and "Love Grows". The kids loved her!!!! I had taught them parts of (if not all) of
the songs she sang, so they were familiar with them.
Anyway, Barbara and Chris had to get to RCC at
10 for set-up for the noon show, so we took some pictures, and then, they were on their way. My kids made them a Thank You
note for our activity. At 11, all the kids went home, and I was off to RCC for the show there.
I got there at 11:30, and
talked to Chris for awhile while he set
up. Not too long after that, my sister, grandparents, and a couple
people
arrived. While talking to them, the newspaper writer, and his wife, arrived. He did another wonderful article for Barbara's
return this year.
We all chatted until it was time for the show to begin.
Now,
you must know that Barbara was in an auditorium as of the last
minute pretty much. The place where she normally
performs (in the middle of all the hub bub of the college) is being gutted, and they are re-doing it all, so she could not
perform there. Instead, she performed in the same auditorium as she did in October at the conference.
Anyway, let's just
say it was a very intimate gathering of
friends!! :-) There were about 10 of us there for the show. Barbara had on a black
shirt, skirt, hose, and her black boots...and this GORGEOUS jacket/wrap (?!) that she got in Japan!!!!
Barbara did an amazing job singing!!!! You could probably
hear a pin drop that entire hour!! She did sing several new songs that I have already told her she HAS TO record!!!! She also
sang Let's Love Tonight (as requested by Chris!) ;-), Paint, Believe, Daughters, Bless His Heart, Crazy In Alabama, Potato,
Towards A Dream, The Albert Einstein song (Can ya tell I don't know the actual title of the song?! LOL), Sweet Dreams,
Edge Of Wisdom, It's Love, and I think that is it. I may be wrong, though. LOL
After the show, Barbara talked to everyone
while Chris did the ttear down, and I said bye to my family. I hung out a bit longer and did what I could to help them pack
up. Then, they had to be on their way. We took a few digi pictures, and I now want
a digi cam more than ever!!!!
We said our "See ya laters" with
several hugs, and they were off. They were heading back to MI, as they had a gig there
the next night.
It was a wonderful time spent with great friends, and wonderful
music.
Until Barbara and Chris return to the area...
November 30, 2004--Vincennes University; Vincennes, IN
My best friend and I drove 3.5 hours to Vincennes, IN from IL where we live to see the kick-off
of the 2004 BBH Holiday Tour, and what a kick-off it was.
We had planned to leave at noon, but had to run a few errands, and finally got on the road
at 12:30 (CT). There was an hour difference, so it was 1:30 (ET). The show was scheduled for 7PM ET. I drove there, and my
best friend drove back. We didn't have any trouble to speak of getting there--we just went through a bunch of little
towns. We found some pretty cute towns actually. It took us 3.5 hours just as we had expected. We found the college (and
student union where Barbara was to be performing) with very little trouble, so that was great. We went in and
asked a worker if she could direct us to the food court, so she did. We found Chris there setting up, and getting things all
ready for Barbara. We kind of snuck up on him, so it was neat to see the surprise on his face when he turned and saw us. We
arrived about an hour before Barbara was to go on, so there was a Burger King there in the union. My best friend and
I decided to get something to eat, and I was so excited I ended up not eating but probably 5 bites!! (Not to mention the fact
that my best friend was teasing me about eating a whopper! You just had to be there!)
Anyway, we soon found out that Barbara had left something at the hotel and had to hurry back
there, so she was not there when we arrived. About 30 mins. after we got there, she came in. She was frazzled because she
had trouble with her hotel key, and then got stopped by 2 (count 'em 2!) trains!! In any case, she got there in time and everything
was okay. She walked in and chatted with Chris for a moment, and then came to say hi to us. We gave and got hugs, and chatted
for a couple mins. before she had to go tune her guitar.
Prior to Barbara performing, the college had a Christmas Tree lighting ceremony. Students from
different clubs made ornaments, I guess, and then put them on the tree during the ceremony. After the ceremony, we moved
to a closer table, so we could be right up front.
After that, Barbara was introduced. She looked great!! She had on her green velvet dress and
her red lace up snakeskin boots (Those boots ROCK!! I love them!). I'd say there were probably around 30 or so people there to
begin with, but finals are coming up, so by the end of Barbara's show, most of the students had gone on their way while many
of the adults remained.
This was, of course, her first show of the holiday season, so she is getting into the
groove of things. It was wonderful!! She sang so many traditional and BBH Holiday songs, as well as many of her well-loved
audience favorites. Some of the songs she sang were: O Come All Ye Faithful, Jingle Bells, Breath of Heaven (this song ALWAYS
takes my breath away!), It's Christmas Eve, On Christmas, Little Drummer Boy, Silent Night (she ended the show with this one!),
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, BBH's Greatest Hits, It's Love, You're Still Gonna Die, Paint The Sky Green, Potato,
It's The Phone (she began the show with this one! It's a Cheryl Wheeler tune.), Gandhi/Buddha and Hitler/Satan (Cheryl Wheeler),
God Is In (a Billy Jonas tune.) and Sweet Dreams. She also decided to do "God Bless My Underwear" because she felt like
singing it and "getting it out of her system!" HA! :-D
Barbara's shows, no matter how long, always seem to go by so quickly. I was in awe as
I always am. She sounded PHENOMENAL!!!! I found myself saying "wow" to myself after most, if not all, the songs she sang. If
this was the first show of the year, the rest of them will be amazing!!!! I think she finished up singing about
8:30 ET.
She stopped to talk with us for a moment after she finished, and then went to meet
with some of the audience members. My best friend helped Chris with tear down while Barbara chatted with audience
members. I just kind of stayed by her and joined in the conversation. She introduced me to several people, and it
was fun to get to meet some of them. This was the first time that I didn't have Barbara sign anything for me. :-O
:-D
After everyone had pretty much left, we did our picture taking (they turned out GREAT--I
posted some on the In Pictures page!) as we always do. We took pictures in front of the newly lit Christmas Tree.
We did our mini-Christmas exchange. They gave me this sweet little ornament that they'd made. It's got pictures of us all
over it. I LOVE IT!! Not to mention, they gave us some homemade goodies--YUM!! We then visited for a bit while
doing load out into their new van.
Then, it was time to say our see-ya-laters, give and get some hugs, and be on our way. Barbara
and Chris had decided to leave for home instead of staying in the hotel, so we had about the same distance drive home. They
got home about the same time we did. We got caught in the midst of a snowstorm and got lost a time or two, so that held us
up a little bit, but we made it home safe and sound.
It was a wonderful, fantastic evening spent with great friends and holiday music sung by an
outstanding (and my favorite!) singer. I am now in the spirit of the holidays, and looking forward to it with a smile
on my face and a happy heart. What a way to begin the holiday season--I personally think that a BBH Holiday show is the best
way to start the season!!!!
Until next time...
March 1, 2006-- Richland Community College; Decatur, IL
From Febuary 27th through March 2nd are four days
that I will never forget. BBH and Chris were set to arrive in town on Febuary 28th for their two shows on March 1st.
What they did not know was that BBHFans member, Sam, flew here to IL from CA on the 27th to meet me, and see Barbara and
Chris. :-D It was a HUGE surprise to BBH and Chris!!!! So, I had to hide it from them every single time they called from the
road on the way. NOT an easy task, but I'd been keeping it a secret for months...what's a few hours, right?! :-)
Sam and I visited, got to know each other, and worked on
a gift for Chris and BBH while we awaited their arrival. We made them a "You're Still Gonna Die" themed collage, with the
help of Jonathan. This collage had been in the works for weeks. It turned out AWESOME!!
I wish I had had my camera
ready for Barbara and Chris' reactions when they found out who the strange man in Ann's apt. was. Barbara's jaw was on
the floor for what seemed like 2-3 mins. when she found out, and realized, just exactly who it was!!!! They were both truly
stunned, I think!! :-D It was such an AMAZING surprise!!
That evening, we all went over to my parents' house for a
wonderful dinner of salmon, asparagus, rolls, and pineapple upside down cake. It was a yummy dinner, and the company was unmatched...as
was the conversation. B and C had not yet (even after all these years!) met my father, so I was thrilled that they were FINALLY
able to meet each other!! After dinner, we piled in the Living Room at my parent's house to give them their gifts. I had drawn
a "PORTRAIT" of BBH that I gave to her, and we gave Chris the collage. They LOVED them both!!
After we left the house, BBH, Chris, and Sam headed back to the hotel, while I headed home.
We all needed to get a good night's sleep as we all had a BIG day ahead.
The next morning, I got up and got ready bright and early. Sam arrived at my apartment at 10AM
and we headed to the college. We said hi, and I introduced Sam, to many of my friends and co-workers while Chris was
setting up. We helped when we could.
Soon after, my family began arriving, as well as the writer from the local paper and his wife.
My best friend was unable to attend due to pain from a dental problem, for which he had surgery 2 days later!! BBH soon came
in and took the stage shortly after greeting Sam and me, my family, the newspaper writer and his wife, and a few others whom
she knew from previous shows here in town.
The
set list for the noon show, as best I can remember, included:
It's The Phone
All Kinds of Kinds
Paint The Sky Green
Daughters
of Feminists
Messenger (MYYYYYYY SOOOOOONG! :-D)
Edge of Wisdom
You're Still Gonna Die
Potato
Crazy
In Alabama
and a few she only does live for Women's History Month, like the Albert Einstein song (which I still to this
day do not know the title of!)!! :-)
BBH had on a springy long shirt/dress over black pants and a shirt. It
was
just a bit chilly out. She looked so pretty...she looked ready for Spring!! :-) She was in fine form, though she hadn't performed
in quite some time.
BBH met with audience members as Chris and Sam did tear down after the noon show was over.
We decided it would be best to take everything down to the auditorium for the evening show instead of having to load it all
back in the van, and unload it later on in the day again.
After we did that, we all met back at my apt. when Sam, Barbara, and Chris went and picked
up lunch to bring it back to my apartment. We sat and ate...and visited. After everyone was done, BBH and Chris went back
to the hotel, while Sam and I hung out some more. After awhile, he went back to the hotel to freshen up.
Barbara and Chris were going to be back at the college at 5:15 to set up, so Sam and I
showed up back at RCC at 6. Sam and I were just hanging out, trying to help whenever we could with whatever we could. Chris was
setting up, and Barbara was warming up. She was playing a piano that night, instead of her keyboard (awesome!), and she was
singing and playing as Chris finished set up. Among the songs in soundcheck were "The Grandmother's Song" ("It's Only Lonely...")
and the Joni Mitchell tune, "River." It was A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!!! I LOVED IT!!!!
Anyway, after awhile, people began showing up, so we all decided to open the doors. This show
was special--in celebration of Women's History Month, ALL THE PROCEEDS were donated to a local women's shelter. After everyone
got situated in their seats, I had the HONOR of introducing BBH. I guess I was ready and rarin' to go
because I checked with my friend (who was in charge of the event for the college), checked with Chris, but neglected to check
with BBH if she was ready. BIG MISTAKE!!
Well, I flubbed up and introduced her when she wasn't ready, so I ended up introducing her TWICE!!
It was a MAJOR mistake on my part, but actually the second intro was much better...and I did try to make a little bit of a
joke out of it. "Here she is AGAIN!" Note to self: When introducing an entertainer, ALWAYS make sure she is ready to
go onstage first!!!! ::sigh::
Well, the second intro went much better...BBH was ready, so she took the stage then. Here is
the song list for the 7PM show, as best as I can remember it:
It's The Phone (Cheryl Wheeler)
All
Kinds of Kinds (Don Henry)
Breath By Breath (title track of the
new CD!)
Gandhi/Buddha and the counter, Hitler/Satan (Cheryl Wheeler)
Messenger (MY SONG! MY SONG! 2 times in one day...yeah!!)
Edge
of Wisdom
Unforgiven (Brand spankin' new song...GOOOOOOOOORGEOUS!!!!!!!!)Gonna Be Myself (A song written by BBH for BBH and her niece!)
BBH's
"Greatest Hits" (including Heinz! :-D)
Paint The Sky Green
Is It Love (This night was a benefit for a women's shelter, so this song was PERFECT!! My first time hearing
it live, and it BLEW ME AWAY!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Potatopotatpo
Love Grows (with two little boys...sons of a friend of mine...who were there)
Daughters of Feminists
God Is In (Billy Jonas)
You're Still Gonna Die
Okay, I'm struggling to remember what else she sang that night...I say this every single time,
but I should've written them all down. I just never want to take the time to do it...I want to absorb every single moment
of the entire show!!!!)
Okay, so anyway, after the afternoon show, Barbara drew for a raffle and an RCC employee won.
After the evening show, Barbara drew for a gift certificate to the local Hallmark store that I had secured. (Nice tie-in,
right?! :-) Considering BBH is the voice of Hallmark!!) and MY COUSIN WON IT!! :-D He was here from FRANCE, so that was pretty
cool!! Then, BBH donated a free CD and the Director of the Women's Shelter won that...PERFECT!!!! Barbara said, for the
entire audience to hear, "Ann, you CANNOT win this!" HA!! No need...I have them all already!! :-D
So after all the drawings were done, BBH was thanked. Sam took flowers up to her onstage that
I had gotten her. Then, we all went out into the lobby where Chris was selling, and BBH was signing, CDs and meeting audience
members. We all just stood around and visited and mingled. It was a ton of fun chatting with Barbara, Chris, Sam, the newspaper
writer and his wife as well as everyone else. We decided that the question of what kind of music B sings
should be answered with "You Decide." PEEEEEEEEEEERFECT!!!! And it's even a BBH song title!!!!
We had gotten carrot cake for refreshments because it is one of Barbara and Chris' favorites.
We ended up taking a bunch of it home. Sam and I (with the help of a mutual friend here in town) had also gotten BBH a "chocolate
eclair as big as her head"!!!! HA!! That was a riot!! :-D It's a "It's Better Than That" reference. The baker took a pic of
her face and put it on edible paper on top of this pile of eclairs. The eclairs were YUUUUMMY, too!!!! (Check out the BBHFans
Quiz on this site to see the reference to the song, "It's Better Than That," and why we thought this was an appropriate treat
with which to surprise BBH and Chris!)
We all had them for breakfast the following morning (with root beer!)!! :-D (That's okay...B
had pineapple upside down cake the previous morning for breakfast from dinner at my parent's house!! :-D) BBH LOOOOOOOOOVES
CAKE and she LOOOOOOOOOVES CHOCOLATE, so I think she was in Heaven!! :-D :-D :-D
So, after everyone had gone home, we talked and finished packing up. Then, it was time to say
our "see ya laters" to Sam because he had to leave the next morning at 5AM to catch his flight. BBH and Chris said their "see
ya laters" to him, as did a bunch of other friends he made while he was here :-)...including my family. I had asked BBH and
Chris to come by in the morning on their way out of town, so I wouldn't have to say my "see ya laters" to all 3 of them at
the same time.
Sam and I came back to my apt. for awhile, while Barbara and Chris went back to the
hotel for some much needed rest. We said our "see ya laters" (sigh) and he went back to the hotel to get some sleep
before having to leave early the next morning.
In the morning, Barbara and Chris came over for about an hour to hang out and ease me into
our "see ya laters." We chatted and ate eclairs (at 9AM!) :-D They probably stayed for about an hour before they had to get
on the road to MI. We said our "see ya laters" (sigh) and they were on their way as well...
As BBH said, having Sam there just made this visit extra, extra special...and PERFECT!!!! I
know I say it every time, but each time BBH and Chris are in town is a time I will ALWAYS remember. This time, though, Sam's
presence made this visit PERFECTLY UNFORGETTABLE!!!!
BBH and Chris will be returning to RCC on Thursday, October 19th, 2006, for two shows
similar to the ones described above (including an evening benefit for the women's shelter again!)...I don't know how those
two shows could top these two, but we'll see. :-)
In the meantime, be sure to purchase BBH's new CD, "Breath by Breath," on her website, BBHsings.com!!!!
March 9, 2007--Indiana East University; Richmond, IN
I had spinach
pasta alfredo Saturday night for supper and again for lunch yesterday (Sunday), as well as some homemade toffee
from BBH. I'm here to tell you all about our special day together on Friday. :-D You'll see how this all ties together
by the end of this novel…!!
I must begin by saying, first and foremost, that this day would not have been possible
if it were not for Jonathan, my dear friend!! I am forever grateful to him for making this day possible for me…for
us!! I'm also grateful that I was released from the hospital in plenty of time…there were a few days in there I was
beginning to wonder if this day would even happen for me. I was careful and mindful and it all worked out splendidly!!
:-)
That said, we left my apt. at about 5:45AM and were on the highway by about 6AM. We got to see the sunrise,
and I SO wish I could've gotten a picture of it (My camera was packed away at that point), it looked like a perfectly round
fireball full of pink, orange, and yellow, just sitting on the horizon. Spectacular…and, at one point, we had pulled
over and Jonathan noticed the moon still in the sky while the sun was coming up. It was awesome!! Since I have been down `n
out for the better part of two years, and haven't driven at all in that time (plus!), ALL of the driving fell upon Jonathan
and I am SO very grateful!! It wasn't easy, I know, and it was a very long day for him!! (You're the best, Jonathan!! :-))
Anyway,
Richmond, IN, where we were headed to a college called IN University East, is one hour ahead of us here in the land
of the Central Time Zone, so we made sure that we figured that in when we left. I had to lie down in the back of the van on
the way there, the way back, and as I found out later, I had a place to lie down even at the college. We made frequent stops
on the way (including once to take a picture of a car with a clown perched on top (I can't stand clowns, but this was funny!),
as well as drawings, letter markings, and fishing nets draped across it! I have the picture—want to see it? It was to
advertise That Fun Place and
a store by the same name. :-D) and it seemed to work out pretty well.
With the
time change, we made it there about 90 or so mins. before BBH's 12:30PM show was set to begin. Jonathan and I (along with
Lacey!) had been to this college previously to see BBH on Dec. 5, '02…that was my first BBH Holiday Show. So anyway,
we kind of knew where we were headed. We found the college very easily, got parked, and made our way inside. I immediately
spotted Chris at the other end of the hallway from where I came in and practically mowed him down for a hug, I think. :-D
I was then introduced to the sweetest Campus Life lady, named Rebekka. She was, oh, so sweet and unbelievably welcoming
and helpful.
After I hugged Chris about three times, I think :-), Jonathan, Chris, and I chatted as Chris continued
to set up until Barbara came in. She was wearing a tan sweater, brown belt, sparkly brown skirt, and brown boots—an
outfit I had never seen before and she looked beautiful!! Again, I think I practically mowed her down for a hug (or two or
three!). We all chatted and, though I was itching to know!!, I hadn't yet asked to see their tattoos. They had gotten them
in the Land of Smiles (Thailand) in January, and there has been an on-going BBHFans Fan Club contest as to WHERE their tats were located and WHAT their tats were. Once Barbara came in, and found out I hadn't yet asked,
the tats they got in Thailand were revealed to Jonathan and me. I was ecstatic to finally see the tattoos I'd heard so
much (but, yet, so little!) about!! (Check out the pics if you haven't yet in the Photos section of the Fan Club website!)
We decided to get a drink as this was a conference
and the participants were out in the common area snacking and continuing to talk. They were discussing something like the
question of, "What is one unique fact you know that no one else knows?" or something along those lines. The four of us
were all huddled together whispering, observing, and giggling, as we were also listening to the goings-on of this discussion.
About that time, we
realized that for Barbara to be onstage on time, she had only about 5 mins., so we hurried back down to the auditorium. She
and Chris made all the last minute adjustments to sound and such, while everyone trickled in and made themselves comfortable.
Jonathan was presented with his prize for winning the BBHFans Fan Club tattoo contest, a cool-as-heck necklace from the
Land of Smiles. Shortly thereafter, Barbara was introduced by Rebekka. I got the neatest picture (albeit a tad blurry!
Sigh!) of BBH standing at the top of the Auditorium stairs, guitar strapped on, back to the camera, while she was being introduced.
Then, Barbara took the stage. Now, I'm usually VERY good about remembering (from memory!) the set lists, but I'm afraid
that I may not be as good at remembering this time. I was FAR too happy to be there and WAY too "in the moment" to really
take note this time. In any case, she began with "All Kinds of Kinds" as she has been doing for some time now.
Well, I took a picture
or two (from the top of the stairs, next to Chris and the controls) and quickly decided that my pictures were not going to
turn out and that just didn't work for me, SO Jonathan and I quietly (or maybe not so much! :-)) decided that he'd take me
down the (luckily!) very wide stairs (Maybe 20 or more?! I never counted!) to the FRONT ROW of the Auditorium!! :-D I think
we were the only ones in the front row—funny to me, considering all it took to get me (and my chair!) down there!!
:-O The show continued, after I think Barbara said something about me making my way down there, though I didn't quite hear
it.
Let me tell you all (and this goes for BOTH shows on Friday!), I have seen BBH, I think, 16-17 times now and she
sounded as angelic and amazing on Friday as I think I've may've ever heard her sound!! She sounded INCREDIBLE!! Her voice
was in tip-top form and her vocal runs and vibrato sounded PHENOMENAL!! That lady can SIIIIIING!?!?! ;-) She
was warm and funny and, oh, just SO wonderful!! I was simply blown away...she was spot on at both shows!!
This show
was more of a Women's History Month show (It is March, after all, and it's just not March, in my book, without a BBH Women's
History Month show!) Let's see if I can remember what else she sang (As I said, she began with "All Kinds Of Kinds."):
Paint
The Sky Green
Daughters of Feminists
The Albert Einstein song (The ONLY BBH live song, I think, that I
don't yet
know all the lyrics to! YET!)
It's The Phone
God Is In
BBH's Greatest Hits
It's Love
Potato
Bless Your Heart
(She looked at me during the line "You're pale, are you sick?")
Last of all Days (I was surprised to hear this one and
ALMOST lost it! Almost! I knew I couldn't, being in the front row, I didn't want Barbara to lose it, too…and we sometimes
tend to feed off each other that way.)
Crazy In Alabama (Man alive, it's been a long time since she's sung this one live
and she ROCKED on it!)
Believe In Me
(Ugh! I feel like I'm mixing up shows in my head…)
Anyway, after the show was over :-( (Much
too soon as usual after about an hour or so—I didn't look at my watch!), Jonathan and I hung out while Chris sold, and
Barbara signed, CDs, and met and talked with audience members. There were probably about thirty or so of us in the audience
for the afternoon show. When everyone had gone, the four of us gathered in this little classroom, off to the side, which was
so sweetly reserved for me by Rebekka, with a couch to lie down on whenever I needed for the entire day. I had just gotten
out of the hospital and many people were worried about my health and making the trip, but it's all good. I suffered NO ill
effects from the trip and I had the time of my life!! It's undescribable just how thrilled I am that I was able to go.
:-D
We all visited
and chatted for some time. Jonathan got ahold of Barbara's camera and took creative license on the tattoo pictures to show
the Fan Club their tattoos (and did a spectacular job!), all before we decided we needed to get going if we were going to
get lunch together before Barbara and Chris had to go back to the hotel as well as run some errands. Jonathan went to get
my van. Chris pulled up in their van, as Barbara and I chatted. We couldn't figure out what Chris was doing
as he drove up, but we soon discovered that he was taking our picture from the van as he was approaching. What a riot
:-D (and the picture turned out neat, too!) We took off in search of a meal and decided upon this place called Carver's. If
you're ever in Richmond, IN (say, for a BBH show! :-D), check it out!! I thought it was yummy and it's just right up
the road from IUE.
I tell you what, Jonathan and I both ordered pasta alfredo (though I had Spinach in mine), but
we soon found out that we could've (probably should've!) easily ordered one serving between us and been just fine and dandy. :-O In
fact, I had a helping for dinner Saturday night, from the leftovers, and I STILL had enough for lunch yesterday (Sunday)!! :-O
There was garlic bread and flaming cheese with pita bread (YUUUUM!!). Chris and Barbara shared Clam Chowder between them
and salad, I believe. And, even though Mrs. Sweet Cake 'n Chocolate Tooth, BBH :-D, and I were admiring the spinning display
of desserts as we entered the restaurant with wide eyes, we both looked at each other at the end of the meal with stuffed
looks on our faces and politely declined those magnificent looking desserts. Sigh.
Soon thereafter, Barbara
and Chris realized they really needed to be on their way if they were to get everything accomplished that they wanted and
needed to in time to be back at the college, so they left while Jonathan and I finished our meal, but not before I got
to open my sweet mementos from the Land of Smiles (a sweet turtle pendant (a sign of immortality, strength, and patience in
Thailand), a horse statue, and a yummy smelling bar of homemade(?) Thai soap!), as well as a bag of homemade(!!) toffee that
Barbara KNOWS I love SO much!! :-D I thank them again and again for thinking of me. :-) We decided we'd meet
them back at the college at about 6PM.
The evening show was
to begin at 7PM. So, after we finished up at the restaurant, Jonathan and I decided to drive around. We wanted to go find
a card for a gift I was planning to give to BBH to pass along to a mutual friend, but we only were successful in finding a
Meijer store—AND it was swamped because, as we soon found out, the Indianapolis Colts caravan was there and the Super
Bowl trophy was on display for several hours of which they were right in the middle. (Yikes!) We drove by a tattoo
parlor and, ooooh, if only I had had the money…whine :-(…I was feeling left out, being the only one of the four
of us without a tat (but, BBH took care of that with the gift of some sweet dolphin TEMPORARY tattoos!! ;-)) Well, we
quickly nixed that idea of going to Meijer (and the tattoo parlor…sigh!) and just decided to go driving around
to check out the town a bit. The last time we were there, in '02, it was at night and in the dark…there's not much to
see then, that's for sure.
So, once we got tired
of driving around, we decided to head back to our little room at the college as Barbara and Chris would be arriving back there
about an hour later anyway. So, we just talked and hung out in the meantime. We talked to Rebekka. And, pretty soon, in walk
Tim and Shari from here in town. (Yay!! :-D) We said our hellos and they decided to go get a bite to eat before the show.
Not long after, Chris came around the corner, Barbara's guitar in hand, and he got to work setting up. Jonathan and
I joined him while he worked. And then, at some point, people began arriving and congregating, ready to see the show. We all
just chatted around and talked till Barbara came in. She was wearing a GORGEOUS ankle-length jacket coat that she had gotten
from the Land of Smiles this past January. :-O :-D She had a black skirt and shirt on underneath that was equally
as lovely.
Barbara had brought in a sewing kit that she had as she did not have a safety pin. On the way to Richmond,
the button on my pants came loose and I was struggling with it during the day, unable to fix it. I was hoping that she
may have a safety pin, but with the show beginning shortly thereafter, we decided to just forget the sewing kit and not worry
about it...rather than to try to find a place to hurriedly try to sew the button back on before the show. I was extremely
grateful to her for thinking of the sewing kit and for offering to help me out with it. That's what sista-friends are
for...!! :-D
So then, show time!!
:-D
This time, I decided
to get situated early, down at the bottom of the stairs. My friend, Ann, who lives in Richmond, is 29 (I'm 30!), and
who was born with the same birth defect as I (Do we see a pattern here? :-O), came to the show with her boyfriend, so after
I introduced them to Barbara, we all made our way down to the bottom of the stairs. I found it quite comical that, besides
Tim and Shari, Jonathan and I, as well as Ann and her boyfriend, were the only ones down front. I think if the wheelchairs
can make it down, so can everyone else!! :-D
They had a couple of raffles before the show—one for an IUE pullover
and one for a BBH CD. A sweet and very young girl was chosen to draw the winners--so cute! :-) Barbara was then again
introduced at about 7PM, by Rebekka, and the show began with "All Kinds of Kinds." This was not so much (as the afternoon
show) a Women's History Month show as it was the best of Barbara's shows put together. It was longer, more music, and a wider
variety of songs. :-D
Let's see (Here we go again…ummm…):
All Kinds of Kinds
Paint The Sky Green
It's The Phone
Gandhi/ Buddha and Hitler/Satan
BBH's Greatest Hits (INCLUDING Heinz, which she doesn't always do!)
Bless
Your Heart (This time, she looked at me during "You're fat as a
tick..." Harrrrumph! :-D Giggle)
Sweet Dreams
(There were several sweet little kids in the audience.)
Cat In The Sink
Potato
It's Raining (OH, WOOOOOOOOW! :-O
My first time to hear it live…)
Believe In Me (Which she dedicated to her closest friends, a list in which I was
honored and touched to be included!)
It's Love
Daughters of Feminists
Edge of Wisdom
Gonna Be Myself
God
Is In
(And I'm sure I'm forgetting some! ;-))
The audience for the evening show was quite a bit larger and they
were wonderful, I think. They seemed to "get it." They laughed when they were meant to, they participated…it was
great. At the end of the evening show, something happened that I don't think I've ever had the priviledge of being a part
of or witnessing at any other BBH show, and it brought tears to my eyes. :*)
BBH finished her show, thanked everyone,
and walked offstage as if the show was over. The audience went nuts…they just kept clapping and clapping and clapping…until
Barbara somewhat shyly and very graciously took the stage again, asking the audience if they wanted to hear another song.
(Duh! Giggle :-D)
Well, she was trying
to decide what to sing and I was just about to request "Breath by Breath" (Yes, I wanted to hear "Messenger," but I didn't
want to be selfish, greedy, or anything about it!), when from the back of the auditorium, the familiar voice of Chris said,
"Why don't you do "Messenger?" I could've cried right then and there…and very nearly did, mind you!! (Thank you, Chris,
that meant the world to me!! :-)) Sooo…her encore was myyyy sooooong…and we both were very nearly in tears by
the end of it. Heck, I was almost in tears at the end of the INTRO of the song!! At that moment, it was like almost everyone
in the room disappeared and it was just us singing it back and forth to each other. We later decided that the only thing that
kept us from tearing up were the "oops" moments of a couple missed guitar chords, and a couple forgotten lyrics for which
I helped supplement, during the song.
And, with that, the show ended. :-/
Barbara again met
with, and signed CDs for, audience members while we all chatted, talked, and took lots and lots of pictures(!!). It was then
that Tim, Shari, and I decided that NOT EVEN a stampeding herd of Thai elephants :-O ;-D, nor an eight day long hospital stay
as I was last week (and getting home only two days prior!), would keep me from being there. Not when it comes to BBH
and Chris…nope, nope, nope!! It would take A LOT more than that, I tell ya…!! :-D
Pretty soon, I needed
to lie down and Jonathan was getting tired, so we needed to get on the road. Sigh… :-/ It was time for our "see
ya laters" and they seemed to come MUCH to soon and MUCH too quickly!! :-/ I gave a drawing I had done for a mutual
friend of ours to Barbara to pass along to our friend. I, then, said my "see ya laters" to everyone that I knew, thanked
Rebekka for being so wonderful, sweet, and helpful...and by that time, everyone else had pretty well cleared out, so while
Jonathan went to get the van, Barbara and I walked out together. We chatted and hugged and chatted and hugged till I simply
HAD to go. Sigh. :*( So, we watched her walk back in the building as we drove off…
I'm not even going
to get into the trip home, but I'll just say that I don't think Jonathan and I care to see ANY detours for a long, long, LONG
time to come!! Grrrr!! We did get to see the obviously more ritzy part of Indianapolis--the houses were mansions--HUUUUUGE
and GOOOOOOORGEOUS!!!! :-O Wow--I would love to see those houses in the daylight... :-O
We finally pulled
in the parking lot of my apt. complex at about 3AM or so (Zzzzz!)…much later than anticipated due to the detours and
getting off-course (Thanks to Dave for the help getting us back on track! :-O), but MORE THAN worth it, in my book. I'd do
it again in a heartbeat…of course, Jonathan will probably want me to be able to drive some of the way the next time.
I cannot even begin to tell you just how magical this day was in so many ways…I was struck by just how much
BBH (and Chris!) is simply loved and adored by fans and friends alike. A couple of times, I had to remind myself
that we were not in my hometown!! I mean, here we are—Jonathan and me, Tim and Shari—who drove the several hours
for our hometown to see BBH and Chris in Indiana. That just struck me as something incredibly special, and BBH and Chris
are at the core of it. :-)
To top it all off,
seven years ago this past Saturday, my life was forever changed because I met BBH and Chris on that day in 2000!! What a brilliant
way to celebrate!! I cannot think of a more appropriate way to mark this special occasion...and what a blessing to get
to celebrate together. :-D
(And, let me just state right here and now, that I am proud of you if you read all the way
through to the very end. :-D Thank you for indulging me and allowing me to re-live such a spectacular day!! I am grateful.
:-D)
February 24, 2008-- Presbyterian Church of Western Springs;
Western Springs, IL
It's
hard to believe that a week ago today (and tomorrow!) I was living it
up in the Chicagoland area with two of my beloved friends! It seems
like only yesterday that I was glued to the TV and laptop screens
watching the upcoming weather like a hawk, preparing for my first solo
overnight hotel stay! Nevertheless,
the weather did cooperate and by Sunday I was ready and rarin' to go! 
After much preparation with the assistance of my dear friend, Karoline,
I headed three hours north to Western Springs, IL, to see Barbara (BBH)
and Chris. My only company on the drive was Roberta, The Recalculating
GPS System. Barbara had a scheduled gig at a Presbyterian Church in
Western Springs, IL. The show was slated to begin at 4PM on Sunday,
February 24. I knew from the moment I found out about this date that I
simply HAD to be there--I'd go to the ends of the Earth to see them if
I could, but at least this was just a bit closer to home! The
trip up was exciting and uneventful, at the same time! My adrenaline
was pumpin' as I headed down the long stretches of corn and soybean
lined roads and highways to the northbound IL interstates. It was
smooth sailing all the way up to Westmont, IL, where our hotel was
located. I had made prior arrangements to stay at the same hotel in
which Barbara and Chris were staying. They would arrive one night
prior, and I, the morning of the show. With Roberta (The Recalculating
GPS System!) at my side, I felt a bit more at ease. Anyone who knows me
well knows that I am directionally challenged, but I was confident in
Roberta, and the wisdom that Karoline had imparted upon me, to pull me
from any jam in which I might find myself. (Wish I could say the same
for the trip home, but that's another story…)  Two
and a half hours after I left behind my little apt. in my hometown, I
arrived at the Homestead Suites hotel, in the middle of the hustle
& bustle of the Chicago 'burbs. Well, okay, it wasn't THAT
dramatic, but it sure sounds good, right?!?  Barbara
and Chris were at the church doing a "teaser" to generate some more
interest for the afternoon show, so I was on my own for a little while.
No problem! I went to my room (Rm. 220!) and got settled, making 3
hurried trips to my van to carry all of my belongings to my room. I was
SO excited by that point that I probably could've lifted a BUS, let
alone a couple of bags of weekend necessities (and my laptop!). 
By the time I figured out the key card with the help of the kind front
desk attendant (Note to self for next time--look for the arrows!)  ,
and had unloaded all of my paraphernalia, Barbara had called and they
were on their way back to the hotel. I excitedly (Are we noticing a
pattern here?) 
hurried downstairs from my second story hotel room to meet them in the
parking lot. It was the longest five minutes I'd experienced in quite
some time!
When they finally arrived, I probably all but knocked them down with my outstretched arms and rapidly self-propelled
wheels!  After
several hugs, we made our way inside. Their room was on the first floor
and mine on the second--go figure--at least my room was near the
elevator! So, after they helped me settle in and we visited for a time,
we parted ways to rest until it was time to make our way to the church
for sound check and the show. They needed to leave by about 2:30PM. While
visiting, we exchanged gifts but did not open them until later. As it
is tradition, I brought them both a large dark chocolate bar. I had
also brought along some beef jerky (which remained unopened) and some
trail mix "in case of emergency." We divvied out the trail mix into
mugs provided by the hotel, the mix completely void of M&Ms
(especially the green ones!), when we decided to put it down and save
room for our planned Thai meal. In addition, I somewhat hesitantly
experienced a red bean and pineapple popsicle!! 
Oh c'mon, I know what you're thinking, but it was actually quite tasty!
(Until it began to melt and fell to the floor in pieces!) 
During
our downtime, I made all the calls home to concerned family &
friends, who requested I call them, to boast about my solo
accomplishment. 
Pretty
soon thereafter, at about 2:30PM, they called from their room and we
made our way to our vehicles and took off en route to the church. Upon
arrival, we were greeted by friends of Barbara and Chris--two ADORABLE
little girls and their Mom. The girls proudly presented pictures they
had drawn to Barbara and Chris. Introductions were made and my van was
momentarily put on display as I explained the workings of the lift to
the curious children.
We
then made our way inside where Barbara and Chris got right down to
business. It's always fun for me to be at sound check and this time was
no exception! I got to hear bits & pieces of songs I've loved from
the BBH repertoire, those that wouldn't be sung at this Kids Show.
Although this show had been billed as a Family Show, the quantity of
children present dictated more of the BBH Kids Show. More than fine by
me--ALL of BBH's shows are fantastic!
During
sound check, our host and I talked about our BBH and Chris encounters.
Barbara visited with us, stopped to chat with the girls when they just
couldn't wait one more second to get her attention  ,
and even lent her guitar to our host so she could strum out a tune or
two. Barbara, standing RIGHT in front of me, also played me a new song
she had recently written--one that had us both teary-eyed as she
sang--"Old MacDonald's Farm." 
What a song! SO very powerful for those of us who have grown up around
farms and farm land. And although I don't want to give away the ending
of this story song, I must say that I found myself thinking that
Barbara and the Song Gods had control over the ending of the story, so
must it end the way it does?! Sigh. (Just kidding, B!) 
It's a poignant song about the plight of the farmers to keep the farms
that most likely have been in their families for generations. Also
during sound check, Barbara sang another song by Susan Werner, I
believe it was--one I STILL don't know the name of. And then the moment
amid sound check that had me in stitches! My friend, who lives in
Milwaukee, not too far from where we were, had planned to come down for
the show. She called me and I was checking to see where they were in
relation to our location, when I heard (and looked up to see!) Barbara
singing the following lyrics as she made her way toward me, smiling
from ear to ear… It's the phone, get the phone, there's a phone call! 
I
was cracking up while still on the phone and hurriedly trying to hang
up as I took that as my joking cue to hang up the phone!  Before hanging up, I had to explain to my friend why I was laughing so hard as she doesn't yet know all of Barbara's catalogue. Yet! 
We all got a good
belly laugh out of that one, I think…I know I sure did!
Anxious
audience members began arriving, including my friends, filling up the
church with chatter and the sweet sound of children's voices and
laughter. Everyone got settled in anticipation of this special show
that was about to start. 
I took my place, camera(s!) in hand, and Barbara took her place. She
was wearing black pants and a black shirt, on top of which she donned
this amazing "shirt" in hues of orange and blue, black, yellow, and
white. I don't even want to call it a shirt as it was so much more than
that--more than a shirt, more than a wrap, more than a poncho, more
than a simple cover up. I don't know if it has a name or what that name
is, all I know is that I LOVED it, and she got it in Thailand! 
Our host soon
introduced Barbara and the show began. Shortly
thereafter, my constant picture taking caught up with me and my
digi-cam's batteries bit the dust. I came prepared, however, and used
my disposable camera to capture the rest of the event. 
I know I'll probably
forget a couple, but here are the songs I remember her singing: Listen To The Mustn'ts (and one other Shel Silverstein poem, but I don't
remember which one, though I have all his books!) Potato Love Grows I'm Going Down To The Library Cat In The Sink Paint The Sky Green God Is In (As we listened with bated breath for Barbara to sing a couple "Family/Kid Friendly" lyrics, but she remembered and it turned out well!) Won't
You Be My Friend (Both of us noticing she sang the second verse first,
but neither remembering the first verse until later, so she repeated
the second verse TWICE!!  ) The absence of
the lullabies wasn't noted until after the show was over, when Barbara realized she hadn't sung even one. 
She most usually sings, "Sweet Dreams," at the very least. It was an
amazing show nonetheless and the audience enjoyed themselves. The
audience participation was quite energetic and certainly willing. 
We
found out later that our hosts' daughter had indeed been listening to
Barbara very intently as she inquired as to what limits were. What a
poignant moment! 
After
the show, Barbara met with the audience members and signed the CDs they
purchased as she does after every show. It always does my heart good to
hear their comments about how much they loved her show (and her!).  This day was no exception! As
I sat looking on and conversing with my friends from Wisconsin, one
audience member in particular started chatting me up as she seemed
interested to learn what she could from me about Barbara and Chris.
Yet again as seems to happen at almost every BBH show I attend, she was
the one to inquire as to whether or not I travel with Barbara and
Chris. A question I never tire of answering as I consider it a HUGE
compliment(!)…only wishing it were true. 
The smell of pizza
permeated the air as Barbara wrapped up the Meet & Greet.
Following Barbara's show, there was to be a Pizza and Ice Cream Party,
so after Barbara met with all the audience members, we made our way to
the elevator on the way down to the Pizza Party. In the elevator,
Barbara worked out the first verse of "Won't You Be My Friend," as I
chimed in with validation.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, Barbara excitedly found the first
table of kids she could get to and immediately sang to them the
forgotten verse. Their somewhat confused looks melted into ear-to-ear
smiles and glimmering excited eyes! 
During this time,
we ate, visited, and mingled. I was really hungry at that point as I had only had some trail mix and the red bean & pineapple popsicle ,
so I made my way over to get a couple of small pieces of pizza to tide
me over as Thai food was what the three of us were holding out for. The
conversations with Barbara & Chris, my friends from Milwaukee, and
our new friends at the Presbyterian Church were fun. Getting to know
each other, our host and I discovered how much we really have in
common, so we exchanged email addresses and planned to keep in touch.
Our hosts' daughters kept themselves quite entertained and delighted in
entertaining me with their ice fascination. Yes, ICE! It's the simple
things that children find most interesting.
I think, though,
that perhaps my favorite part of the Pizza Party was watching Barbara interact with the kids. 
No matter where we are, where we go, if children are around they always
gravitate toward Barbara and Chris. The little ones adore them both and
the feeling is obviously mutual!
Barbara
was perched upon a step, surrounded by a large group of children. The
kids were telling their own versions of jokes & stories. More often
than not, the "jokes" made very little or no sense, but Barbara, being
the entertainer that she is, made the children feel like they were
telling her the funniest thing she'd ever heard!
After some time,
we decided it was about time to go. We were hungry
and Thai food was sounding better and better! Barbara hadn't eaten and
the pizza "snack" Chris and I indulged in was wearing thin. If only it had been so simple to leave… Barbara remained engrossed in the innocent
merriment of the kids and it was ever so difficult to pull her away!
After repeated attempts to tear her away, we all headed toward the
door, figuratively pulling her along for the ride with the promise of
green M&Ms from each table along the way. Eventually, she had no choice but to willingly join us on our way out the door.  We thanked our hosts, said our see-ya-laters to our friends, old and new, and made our way to our vans. Okay, so maybe that part is embellished just slightly…MAYBE…but not by much!!  She DID enjoy a green M&M or two, as did I at her offering, from just about every table!
In the parking
lot of the church, we again thanked our hosts and drove off, having shared in yet another awesome BBH show… Before
we left the church on the way back to the hotel, I gave my "dead"
digi-cam to Barbara per her request. If you could only see the pictures
that resulted after we stopped at a local convenience store to buy
batteries, you'd know what happens when you give BBH a camera!!
The pictures are hysterical at best! Imagine my reaction when I found
them in my camera while lying around in the hotel room awaiting their
return with supper. I knew they were going to be ummm…interesting
pictures when I saw flashes of light from Barbara's seat in the van as
I followed behind them heading to the hotel!
We
decided to go back to the hotel before going to dinner to make a pit
stop. Back at the hotel after settling back into our rooms, Barbara and
Chris decided that it would be easier to go pick up the Thai food and
bring it back to the hotel. This was a decision with which I
wholeheartedly agreed as it would be more fun to visit in my hotel room
than any restaurant and I needed to get out of my wheelchair. 
While they drove
to who-knows-where on bad directions to find Thai food ,
I again made some calls to friends, so I could tell them about the
show. Several of them I had called during the show, so they could hear
Barbara sing, so they were anxious 
to hear the rest of the details. When I called one friend, my BBH
Partner In Crime so-to-speak, we proceeded to re-write the lyrics to a
song Barbara recorded  ,
called "Into A Mall," only after I received a call from Barbara stating
that the directions were all wrong and that the restaurant was actually
housed in a mall "almost as big as the Mall of America!"
In
any case, they returned and it was FINALLY time for me to try my very
first Thai meal, a meal I'd waited to try for several years!!
It was so appropriate that I enjoyed my first Thai meal with them,
knowing their love for all things Thai and their ties to The Land of
Smiles. And let me tell you, I am now officially and completely HOOKED on Pad Thai!!!! Yuuuuum!!!!  Barbara seemed to get quite the kick out of the fact that I said tofu "tastes like chicken!"
This was most likely due to the fact that they kindly ordered my meal
to include chicken, though I found it a bit difficult to eat with the
story of their Nicaraguan host family killing a chicken for dinner
ringing in my ears. 
I'm only sad that the Pad Thai is history (or HERstory, as the case may
be!), but it did last well into dinner after my return home on Monday.
(And I can't wait to have more sometime!) Somehow, eating dinner with Barbara and Chris made the Thai food that much more tasty. 
During dinner,
I did the best I could on a hungry tummy to again learn to use chopsticks. I have tried and tried time and again to learn to use chopsticks properly, but always to no avail. 
Unfortunately, this time wasn't any different, though Barbara was
sitting next to me on the bed showing me how she does it. Chris did say
he will use the chopsticks for about the first 10-15 minutes of a meal,
but he then picks up a fork to continue eating. I found that to be true
for myself as well. I'll keep trying till I get it right--much like
singing the chorus to "Potato!!"
After
dinner, we continued to visit. They showed me videos and photographs
via their laptop, from their recent trip to Nicaragua to their great
niece's Baptism, as well as a couple of Barbara's recent gigs in
Michigan. A few of the pictures from Nicaragua resulted in the
momentary re-write of "Paint" to "Paint The SCHOOL Green." 
The reason for their trip to Managua being to remodel a school and the
paint color of choice was an interesting shade of neon green! It
was a blast for me to take that "Happy Little (Virtual) Trip" from IL
to Nicaragua to MI and back again, with the help of technology and
their narration.
We munched on
the dark chocolate candy bars
as we opened the gifts we had exchanged earlier in the day. In addition
to the dark chocolate bars, I had drawn a picture of their sweet great
niece, for which I wanted them to be the "Messengers," (!) and deliver
it to their niece and her husband. It was a drawing I couldn't help but
do after seeing a picture of this sweet little angel baby when she was
not even 2-3 days old!
They then looked
on as I opened my sweet and thoughtful gifts they had brought me from Nicaragua. 
In the box, which was sweetly tied with a purple ribbon, was a little
(about an inch tall or so) clay pot, painted with a bluish-purple
butterfly. I love it! I love butterflies and my favorite color is
purple--PERFECT!
Additionally, they also brought me a little painted clay turtle. This
was no ordinary, run of the mill, sit-on-the-shelf-look-how-cute
tchotchke/knick knack clay turtle! Nope!
The turtle, again no more than about one inch tall, has a couple of
holes drilled into it, so that when you blow into one of the holes, it
whistles. The pitch of the whistle can also be altered, depending on
whether or not one places his or her fingers on the other hole. There
are two holes for this purpose. 
Barbara
started me on a collection of turtles several years ago because of
their meaning. It has become quite the tradition and I now have several
from all over the United States and abroad.
Turtles are known to represent longevity, protection, healing, courage,
and inner knowing. These are all qualities I hope will always be with
me on a daily basis. I also relate well to the turtle's approach to
life--slow and steady wins the race! 
They also brought
me homemade toffee--Ooooh, the toffee--Barbara makes THEE best homemade toffee I've EVER had!! It has pretty much become tradition that she makes it to give to me every time we're together. Before we knew it, it was 9:30PM, and they
were ready to call it a night. 
We all had had a very busy day and were each facing a long drive ahead
the next day. We said our goodnights, I walked them across the hall to
the elevator, and we parted ways for the evening. Early the next
morning (and I mean 5AM early!), I awoke
a little bit disoriented as I was in this quiet and very dark hotel
room alone. I'm still unsure as to why I arose at such an early hour ,
but it was alright as I had planned to get up at 6AM anyway. We all
needed to be on the road by about 8AM, so I had plenty of time to
finish packing up my things and get ready to go. Right around 8AM,
after I had just taken one load down to the van, Barbara called and
they were ready to depart. 
I needed to check out as they had already done so and get gas before
beginning the journey home, but not before more pictures were taken in
my hotel room.
There
was a gas station half a mile away from the hotel, on the way out, so
Chris kindly offered to pump my gas for me. I was uncertain as to
whether or not the attendant on duty would come out to pump the gas for
me as they do here at home, and I could've done it myself if need be
but it is a major pain  , so his offer was a welcome one! 
I probably could've made it about halfway home before needing to gas
up, but for me it was just easier all the way around to do it before
taking off. We decided I'd follow them to I-55, where we'd then turn off in our respective directions, but somehow (and don't
ask me how! )
I got completely turned around. I pulled into a local Architectural
Firm and returned Barbara's call informing me I had gone the wrong
direction.  I didn't follow Roberta's repeated attempts to get me on track as I probably should've.  In any case, we met up again and got back on track until I made yet another wrong turn. Roberta was FRANTICALLY recalculating, which in turn was making me frantic!!       
This back 'n forth madness continued until I figured out just what she
was trying to get me to do, but by that point, I had somehow found
myself in Joliet--home of the Joliet Prison!   Now, THAT was a tour I DIDN'T need to see on my scenic detour back to I-55, but I surely drove right past it!
At
any rate, an hour after parting ways with my beloved friends, Roberta,
my new friend and trusty Tour Guide, led me to Interstate 55, where I
was FINALLY able to calm down a bit and find my way back home. I was
home free! (SIDE NOTE:
A friend of mine, commenting on this blog, stated that getting lost and
finding my way again might've seemed like a bad thing at the time, but
that it might've actually been a good thing! I learned a lot and made
it home in one piece! Her comment reminded me of a point Barbara almost
always makes in her Kids Shows--that fear and bravery feel the same in
your stomach (or wherever one may carry such feelings), so GO FOR BRAVE
EVERY TIME! It's SO much more fun! Thanks to my friend for that
reminder.)
I arrived home unscathed at about 12:15PM on Monday, the 25 of February. 
I unpacked my things and called all my still-concerned loved ones to
tell them of my safe arrival--first on my list being Barbara and Chris,
who were still driving on their way home. I rested before having to
suddenly return to reality as I had to work that afternoon at 3PM.  That transition was a bit of a shock to my system, but it worked out and all was well.
I have had fun over the past week reflecting on our time together. It was SOOOOOO much fun , but the best gift of all (besides their love & friendship!) is always the time I am able to share with them. During hotel check-out, alongside Barbara, I pondered aloud 
how apropos it was that Barbara and Chris were by my side during my
very first solo overnight adventure! They are my safe place. That made
all the difference in the world!!
Barbara
and Chris continue to teach me daily about "Life In General," other
people, myself, my limits or lack thereof, the world in which we live,
and the kind of person I strive to be!!
I can only hope that, as you read this, you have thought of those
special people in your life who bring out the very best in you , because this blog features two of those people in mine!! 
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