No matter what the climate or location of where we’re touring across the country, there’s always a slice of beauty. On tour in Alabama this week, we had the pleasure of visiting the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, whose mission is to promote public knowledge and appreciation of plants, gardens and the environment. Being one of the nation’s preeminent botanical gardens, we spent hours walking through the stunning fields of flowers, Japanese gardens, herb terraces, rose bushes, greenhouses and bamboo forests. The gardens are over 67 acres, and it was an incredible sensation to just soak up the energy of the sun, the flowers and the beauty of the blue skies. It’s no wonder that gardening is the number ONE hobby in the United States… generating over 33 billion dollars in annual revenue nationwide. My favorite part of the park was the Japanese garden which was officially opened by the Japanese Ambassador to the United States in 1967. The garden is on an impressive 7.5-acre site, and there are bamboo groves, tea houses, bonsai houses and a peaceful lake called “Life Long Lake”. The healing energy of the garden was pure and beautiful. Our excitement from the gardens definitely carried forward into the show that night, which was a large group at a stunning senior community. Those kinds of shows will always hold a very dear place in my heart as many of the audience members are residents who don’t have the opportunity to go out much anymore, and bringing the show to them is just pure magic. At this particular show, there were a large number of widows who opened up about missing their loved ones and how the music brought back so many good memories of the times they shared together. We were also delighted to be surprised by our great friends from Camp Liberty, Joe, Monica and 9-year-old Alice who came to the show and shared dinner with us afterwards. We shared laughter, good times and created some new memories.
People often ask where we get our energy from for the show, and though it’s not a simple answer, I can say that it all starts with stopping to smell the flowers. –Erinn xoxoxox
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It’s no surprise Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz wanted to go home after spending time in Oz. Kansas is a beautiful state! After touring The Patriot for the first half of the year, we linked up with Courtney in Minnesota for the Bombshell Duo show that we’ll be touring until early July. We learned over 30 new and exciting dances and songs from the 1940’s and a slew of new numbers from the Vietnam era for our upcoming duo show “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place”, and it felt good to get out of the studio and on the road again. The minute we crossed into the Kansas border, we blasted “Wayward Son” by Kansas to get us into the spirit! We visited the Kansas State Capitol building in Topeka, which is a stunning work of art. The dome is actually taller than the United States Capitol and the building was originally built in 1861. On this quiet Sunday afternoon, walking the steps alone it was easy to feel the rich history of this beautiful landmark. Kansas is considered to be the heart of this nation, where the spirit of the rugged pioneer and the daring entrepreneur endure. This observation seems especially true at the Great Overland Station, which is run by the Railroad Heritage Organization. The history is amazing as it was built on the site where the Pappan brothers ferried Oregon Trail pioneers across the Kaw River, the place where Indian Chief Burnett traded supplies with sojourners and where slaves sought their freedom on the “underground railroad”! The station was considered “oneof the finest passenger stations on the line" when it opened January 27, 1927, but is now an incredible museum and one of the most beautiful veterans memorials I’ve seen in the United States. Our show in Topeka was for some incredible folks… including many WWII Navy and Air Force veterans. There were tears of joy and remembrance in the audience, singing along and shared stories. There were two couples in the audience that had been married for 60 years and 64 years and were still sharp as a tack in their 90s and loving life together! We had the incredible privilege of going out to dinner with George, a 94-year old WWII Veteran and his amazing family after the show at a restaurant called “The Blue Moose”. During the show, we serenaded George and kissed him in the Letters From Home way, and he was so delighted with the marks on his cheek and forehead he said he wasn’t going to wash his face for a week. The attention he was getting at the restaurant was such a beautiful patriotic thing to witness… several people came over to our table and asked him why he looked so handsome and when he told them about his service and being honored at our show they thanked him, hugged him, one woman even cried as we told her about the show and reviving patriotism through music. The love was all around, and there were so many random acts of kindness and care.
Love is all around… when you look for it. Embrace it and pay it forward. -Erinn xoxoxo Since I was a very small child, I’ve always known that all dreams really do come true. As an adult, over and over again, I have seen outside negativity try to creep into the hearts of the innocent, and though it sometimes succeeds, it is up to all of us to outshine the shadows and shine light on the magic that is everywhere in the world. One of the individuals who continues to make the world a happier place even years after his death is Walt Disney, and I give credit for my positive mindset in part to the many family trips I was fortunate enough to take to Walt Disney World. Last week, in-between rehearsals and shows, Courtney and I had the opportunity to visit the happiest place on earth together, the Magic Kingdom! We also experienced wonderment at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure on our trip, especially at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. So many exciting moments happened in just a few days of magic, and you can watch a short video with some of the highlights of our trip here: Letters From Home had the opportunity last year to perform at the Tivoli Theatre with several of the original Mouseketeers from Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club: Bobby, Sherry, Tommy, Sharon and Cubby. They were a lively bunch and it was an amazing experience to get to perform with them! One of the amazing veterans we met during our travels is Guy Spagnoli, who served in Vietnam. We first met Guy when he came to see the Bombshell Duo / Mouseketeer show at the Tivoli Theatre, and we got to see him again at the Patriot show at the McHenry VFW later that year. Through social media and the internet, we have had the opportunity to stay in touch ever since. I was personally very excited to find out that Guy has had a lifelong fascination with Disney. Since his time in Vietnam, he has struggled with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He finds peace in the fantasy lifestyle of Disney, and with the help of just a little bit of pixie dust, Disney has helped him tremendously, as well as thousands of other individuals with internal struggles. His story was so amazing, that Guy was featured in a documentary with the title of Disney’s famous quote “Keep Moving Forward”. You can read more about how you can see the film or get involved at http://www.keepmovingforwarddoc.com. Even Walt himself had many internal struggles, but with the mindset of “Keep Moving Forward”, he proved to the world that “If you can dream it you can do it”. No matter what happens in your life, don’t ever stop dreaming, and be sure to keep your heart happy. It truly is your choice. -Erinn xoxoxoxo
The parking lots might have been filled with snow and ice, but all hearts were definitely warm in Duluth, Minnesota inside at the “Rotary March for Veterans” this week. An amazing woman named Julie and a team of Rotarians put on an incredible event that was focused on helping educate our communities about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and how it affects our Veterans and their loved ones. It is estimated that 8 percent of Americans (that’s 24.4 million people) have PTSD at any given time. To give you a better idea of how many that is, it would equal the entire population of Texas. It has been known by many names in the past, such as “shell shock” during the years of World War I and “combat fatigue” after World War II, and involves having disturbing thoughts and feelings related to their experience that last long after their service has ended. They may relive the event through flashbacks or nightmares; they may feel sadness, fear or anger; and they may feel detached or estranged from other people. Those with PTSD may avoid situations or people that remind them of the traumatic event, and they may have strong negative reactions to something as ordinary as a loud noise or an accidental touch. Since I personally do not suffer from PTSD, I can’t imagine how challenging it must be not only to deal with it daily, but to be brave enough to share your stories so others can heal through listening and knowing they are not alone. There were several who shared their stories the night of the event. One of the speakers was Mike Waldron, who served in the Marine Corps, obtained a business degree and went on to manage U.S. Courthouses and Federal Buildings. Roughly 5 years after combat Mike fell into severe symptoms of PTSD. His anxiety and panic attacks, night terrors, isolation, and depression lasted for half a decade until he stumbled upon a return path to hope and happiness through particular physical activities and socialization. He dove into research to learn why this worked for him, and why it’s so effective with military members and combat veterans. Mike returned to college at Purdue University to grow his skills in entrepreneurship so he could help other suffering veterans find their path to hope and happiness. In 2015 Mike left behind his career to launch 23rd Veteran, under which he lead the development of a reconditioning playbook that is intentionally and effectively retraining brains to create strong social relationships, reduce the negative effects of common “triggers”, and increase happiness in our veterans and civilians. You can read more about Mike’s organization at www.23rdveteran.org Another incredible speaker at the event was Josh Montgomery, a retired Captain from the U.S. Army who was medically retired after 14 ½ years of service where he was deployed to Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He has struggled with PTSD since 2004 when he came back from my first deployment from Iraq, and tried to hide it for years. When he returned from Afghanistan in 2012, the nightmares and flashbacks were so intense he knew it was time to get help, now he helps SO many others with PTSD through sharing his story and through his website at www.YourSixIsCovered.com. There were also some incredibly sweet canines at the event as well! PetsLoyal2Vets is a community based organization connecting US Military Veterans with trained emotional support and service dogs to veterans at no cost. It is beautiful to see how these animals love on the veterans and give them so much! To learn more about their organization you can see their website at www.petsloyal2vets.org. Both Josh and Mike had their sweet companions with them and it was truly beautiful to see the relationship they had between each other. The evening was so educational, eye-opening, and just a good fun time for all. The rotary did an amazing job raising money for area veterans, focused on helping them adjust, cope, and heal after returning home from active duty. The love and care shown for others is yet another reminder that there is still so much good in this beautiful world. –Erinn xoxox
2018 is bringing many new things for Letters From Home… but one of the most exciting things to me is our latest show, “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place: a tribute to Vietnam Veterans”. There will be several different versions of this show with different performers, but this week I had the privilege of singing and tap dancing with my good friend Courtney Groves, who is the second half of Letters From Home’s “America’s Bomshell Duo”. Click here to watch our adventures in rehearsal! As we all know, for years, Vietnam Veterans never received the “Welcome Home” that they deserved…. We truly hope that this show is a small way to say thank you for all they endured. –Erinn xoxox
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ON TOURA peek into tour life with Erinn Dearth of Letters From Home and some of the amazing places and people in these beautiful United States of America. PAST BLOGS
February 2019
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