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(Repost from erinndiaz.com from September 2017) When people ask me where I live, my general answer is that I spend about 250 days of the year on the road. Though I spend a lot of time in Winston-Salem where I have Spring Theatre (my non-profit theatre company), and in Chicago (where we have the main offices of First in Flight Entertainment and our restaurant the Shore Club), the truck and trailer is where I spend the majority of my time. I never get tired of the road, and it also allows us to have many “home away from home’s” through First in Flight Entertainment and especially Letters From Home. The family I have grown to love on the road is something indescribable, and something I am so grateful for. Three Oaks, Michigan is one of those places that is a “second home”. Our bombshell duo show has performed there for the past 2 years on Flag Day, and this year, we had the honor of participating in the Three Oaks Flag Day Parade (the largest flag day parade in the WORLD)! On that trip, we won the “most patriotic float” award that proudly sits in my dance studio in Chicago. The town is beautiful, patriotic and warm.  Mike Shannon and his beautiful wife Chrissy are some of the most beautiful souls I have ever met, and are the ones who invited us to Three Oaks two years ago with the assistance of the incredible Tracy Jones. Mike is not only the commander of the American Legion, but him and his wife both run an amazing restaurant in downtown Three Oaks called the Viola Café. Looking much like the handsome actor Sam Elliot, Mike is a life-loving individual with a great heart. If you’re ever in the area, you’ve got to go by their place for breakfast…. It’s incredible!  On flag day this year, we spent time with the most recent Medal of Honor recipient, James McCloughan, who spoke at the opening ceremonies for the parade. His patriotism would give you chills and move you to be a better American! His Army awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device and Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, the Good Conduct Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with three Bronze Service Stars, the Army Valorous Unit Citation, National Defense Service Medal, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with “60” Device, the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with palms and one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Combat Medical Badge, and the M16 Expert Rifle Badge. It was amazing to have him at our show, and get to know him throughout the weekend. Another amazing man from the area is Roger Batton, who has a company called Indigan Storytellers. His mission is to create an enduring, supportive community of individuals who gather for the purpose of storytelling and to advance the art of storytelling, and he does just that! Roger not only does his own storytelling, but encourages others through his popular workshops for all ages. He’s currently performing abroad, but will be back in the states in October… you can (and should!) check him out at www.indiganstoryteller.org.  One of our favorite fans from Three Oaks is a young man by the name of Aydan. Though he just turned 9 last week, when you speak to this young man, you realize you’re talking to an old soul. We were coming back from a tour on the East Coast this week, and Nelson, Lisa and I made a special trip to Three Oaks to surprise Aydan for his 9th birthday… and he was truly completely and totally surprised! His family told him he was just stopping by the American Legion to visit his grandpa which was a regular thing they did, and the face he made when I turned the corner and came out singing was priceless! To know a 9 year old who truly appreciates not only the music but understands the history of the 1940s is simply beautiful.  One of the main reasons why I love living on the road are places like Three Oaks. I will never tire of those smiling faces, warm hugs and good hearts of my touring family. -Erinn :). xoxox 
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(Repost from erinndiaz.com from September 2017.  My dad worked for Piedmont Airlines, and they used to give him this “blue book” of tickets which allowed us to fly standby on any flight. Being homeschooled, mom and I would get up in the morning, fly to Washington DC, visit the museums and memorials for the day, and fly home just in time for dinner when my dad came home from work. DC has always been one of my favorite cities because of the amazing energy, the history and knowledge that abounds everywhere, and the sheer number of amazing things to see! Though I did visit as a kid, In May of this year, I visited the Arlington National Cemetery for the first time as an adult. We have several hero friends that have been laid to rest there the past few years from WWII, and also wanted to visit the grave of a friend’s son who is a gold star parent.  The minute we walked into the cemetery, I felt like a weight was placed all over my shoulders and heart. The heaviness of it was unexpected, and became heavier when I saw a grave of soldier who had been killed in Iraq when he was only 21 years old. Beside the white headstone, there was a basket of flowers that had been sent to the site, and on it was a simple card that read: “Love you. Miss you. –Mom and Dad”. The tears just wouldn’t stop after reading that, and looking around at the massive amount of sacrifice that is represented in those grave for our freedoms. When I returned home, I wrote to Arlington, and asked if Letters From Home could be a part of the ceremonies at Arlington. To my honor and surprise, I heard back from them just a few days later, and they invited us to lay the wreath on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier!  We would have gladly flown in for the experience, but, as the universe would have it, it just so happened that our time was scheduled for the morning after a performance we had in DC!  It was still a bit surreal when we arrived at the cemetery that morning. We had the wreath sent there the day before, and it was already delivered right to the guards at the tomb, so we hadn’t seen it. We were sent to talk to one of the guards who instructed us on how the ceremony was going to happen, then we were sent to the top of the stairs to wait. The time was going by so quickly. After the changing of the guard, another Marine came out holding the wreath. It was the first time I saw it in person and I was overcome with emotion… it was red, white and blue with a ribbon on it that said “Letters From Home”.  It was still a bit surreal when we arrived at the cemetery that morning. We had the wreath sent there the day before, and it was already delivered right to the guards at the tomb, so we hadn’t seen it. We were sent to talk to one of the guards who instructed us on how the ceremony was going to happen, then we were sent to the top of the stairs to wait. The time was going by so quickly. After the changing of the guard, another Marine came out holding the wreath. It was the first time I saw it in person and I was overcome with emotion… it was red, white and blue with a ribbon on it that said “Letters From Home”.  We followed her in step down the steps towards the tomb as the other guard announced what the ceremony was about and what it meant. We got to the wreath, placed both hands on it and walked it across the path that is walked every hour of every day to the tomb. After the wreath was laid, hands over hearts, the bugler played “Taps” as we looked at the tomb remembered.  The feeling of standing there on the steps at Arlington and being a part of such an important ceremony is truly something that changed my life. I cannot imagine a higher honor in this world and my gratitude for those who have served our country so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we do every single day is deeper than ever.  Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, from the hill, from the sky. All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.  (Repost from www.erinndiaz.com from August 2017) This week, we toured to Ohio where we did a performance for the 83rd Infantry Division. These people are TRULY special, and do so much to honor veterans and their families! The 83rd Infantry Division established this Veterans Association right at the end of WWII. The 83rd Infantry Division that had seen action during World War 1 was reactivated in 1942 and a total of almost 15 000 young Americans were brought together from all over the country. The Association has met every year since 1947, and today it includes the veterans, the families and friends of the 83rd who continue the commitment to the original mission while adding the vision to preserve and promote the legacy of the 83rd as well. After the show, we were honored to have some fun with Tony Vaccaro, who was a WWII Photographer. This loving young man has an Emmy nominated HBO Documentary that you can see at THIS LINK. After the performance, Myra, one of the coordinators of the reunion took us out to a fabulous restaurant right in the heart of downtown, "Pickwick and Frolick". Over dinner, we got to know them all so well... what incredible hearts they have, and what a genuine LOVE for history! Excitingly.... it looks like we will be going to France to perform with them in 2019 as part of their tour for the 75th Anniversary of D-Day with tours lead by WWII Veterans! France is one place I've never been, and I can't imagine a better way to see it for the first time. I'll be planning some VERY fun entertainment (and new jokes!) for the trip to keep everyone entertained! I have such a love for our greatest generation. My heart is full. -Erinn :)  Erinn & Nelson Diaz of Letters From Home with Tony Vaccaro I have always loved writing, and have had a personal blog since last year that I enjoy keeping up with as much as I can. Lately, we have had several requests to begin a blog on Letters From Home, and I am very excited to take on this endeavor to share some of the great experiences we have while on tour!  After a performance at Ft. Belvoir So this is the start! If anyone has any special requests, please feel free to email me HERE. We hope that you enjoy the stories as much as we enjoy writing about them!
#RevivingPatriotism |