First Night Away - Oskaloosa

We're all unloaded in Oskaloosa. Everything except for the sound-check is just about ready for tomorrow morning. We'll be playing at the 9 and 11 o'clock services.

Right now we're just hanging out at homestays. We've got some really good chips and dip to eat at ours. And turkey sandwiches... they just keep feeding us on this trip.

We'll be up at about 7 tomorrow morning so we can head to the church and be there by 7:30. Too early if you ask me, but I guess that's why they didn't. It's been a long enough day that I think all of us are pretty tired, so we should sleep really well...

Especially Garrett with his frilly blanket.

-Chris

Dinner at Pita Pit

What the heck is Pita Pit?!?

I had no idea either. Its kind of like Subway, but with a little more pita and significantly less sub. It also happens to be the place we ate at for dinner.

I had a gyro. It was delicious.

We're back on the road now, heading to Oskaloosa. Should be there by about 8:30 hopefully. The truck can't go more than 55 mph though, so it could take a bit longer.
One way or another, though, we'll get there.

- Chris

Packing up, Day 1

We just got done playing at Parkersburg United Methodist Church. It wasn't a huge crowd, but I think they enjoyed it.

We're now packing up to head to Oskaloosa to set up to play at a church there tomorrow.

As you can see in the picture, Shelley has found herself tangled in cords and is having quite a difficult time with this "packing up" thing.

Everything else is going well. So far :)

After we pack up we'll hit the road and find dinner somewhere on the way.

Back to loading the truck...

-Chris

Lunch and Set-up in Parkersburg

So we all just got back from our work projects and loaded all of the equipment in. Some of us were painting, a few others cleaning. Now its lunch time!

After lunch we'll finish setup and start practicing to get ready for the concert this afternoon.

Apparently we're ending up in Oskaloosa tonight?! News to me but it sounds like a fun road trip.

Anyway, back to the feast at hand.

-Chris

Parkersburg United Methodist Church

After arriving in Parkersburg, it was surprising to see how much work still needs to be done 9 months after the terrible tornado tore through the town. Some homes are just now going up and others aren't able to start construction. We are doing what we can do now to help, whether it's taking down Christmas decorations, staining wood, painting, or helping with flood damage. Later on, we'll be able to provide a worship experience we hope they won't forget!

-Jared

Day 1 Departure

We just left from Wartburg. We're heading to Parkersburg today and should be there in a half hour or so.
Here's a picture of us loading last-minute things on the truck. Mostly sleeping bags and such.

We'll update as we get further into the day and find out what exactly we're doing. I haven't looked at the itinerary. Part of the fun is just hopping in the van and driving - keeps you on your toes.

Talk to you all later in the morning!

-Chris

8 Hours Till Go Time

So here it is... 11:15. And most of us are still finishing packing.
I just got done, just a few dishes and last minute things to do in the morning before we leave.

The concert tonight went pretty well, most people said we did a good job. I think it went really well, and I think we were pretty solid musically. We need to get a bit better at transitioning between songs, but it'll only get better throughout the week.
There's a picture of me and Alex Krumm rocking out tonight. I think a good time was had by all.

The plan for tomorrow is to get up at about 6, take one of the few showers of the week, run to the gas station to grab some quick breakfast, load the last minute things into the vans and be on the road. We play in Parkersburg tomorrow afternoon and we're helping with some painting and moving (stuff into a new house? - I'm not really sure what "moving" in the itinerary means, I guess we'll see) in the morning.

All I know is that some sort of caffeinated beverage is going to be required if I'm going to see that time of day.

I'll try to get someone to post on the road tomorrow morning.

Oh yeah! I just remembered Reid brought his video camera. I can't wait to see what chaos ensues from this. If last year is any sort of an indication silly string may or may not be involved.

Short as it may be I'm out for the night. Until tomorrow...

-Chris

Pre-show

So we're all gathering in Neumann for tonight's show.
More like slowly wandering in, but nonetheless we're getting ready.

I know I speak for all of us when I say that I'm REALLY excited. The show starts at 7 and a good number of people are still on campus so it looks like we'll have a pretty good crowd.

Anyway, I'm off to go jam with everyone on stage and get this awesome week going.
See ya later!

-Chris

Practice in Neumann

Its just before 5 and we're sound checking for tonight's concert in Neumann. At the moment we're checking vocals so I figured I'd post a blog. Everyone seems really excited and we can't wait to get out on the road.

We leave tomorrow morning at 7:30 so its going to be a long day, but at the same time it can't come soon enough.

Tonight's agenda: practice, dinner, concert, load up... Oh yeah and pack for a week on the road.
I'll most likely procrastinate though and post here again tonight.

Until then...

-Chris

Circle of Music Tour thoughts

Hey everyone!
Welcome to Hope Overflow's blog. Over the week we'll post updates and pictures and let you know what is going on with us. Please comment and let us know what you are thinking.

There are several ways you can keep track of us.
First, pay attention to the blog. We'll occasionally make notes about what we're doing or where we're going.
Second, notice the list of tour stops to the right ----->
Finally, check out Hope Overflow on Flickr. This is a great way to see some images of where we are and what we're doing.

-Chris