It's up to you, New York! 

What a FUN trip to the big apple with our team! We came into New York, took Myra to Central Park for the first time, had an amazing meal at the Smith, walked around downtown and visited the Drama Book Shop where Grace was in her prime and got several plays to read! 

We all saw Moulin Rouge and it was an OUTSTANDING production. The choreography, vocals, cast, set and tech were all top-notch and the show itself was well directed and TONS of fun. We stage doored and had fun congratulating the actors on a job well done. Also it was Myra's first Broadway show! 

On the way to get some amazing NY pizza, we just so happened to pass by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber leaving the theatre where Bad Cinderella was playing. We didn't disturb him, but were definitely star struck! 

The show the next evening at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia was a great small venue in the city and a very different but very fun audience! There were very few veterans at the show, but so so so many amazing people from different walks of life. The Quilts of Valor was also present for our 10th stop, and presented two quilts to our friends David and Dominique, both WWII Veterans who couldn't make it into the city, but will be receiving their quilts later on this month! Many of Dan's college friends, our boat friends, Surflight friends and theatre friends were there, and afterwards we had a grand reunion and celebration of life and friendship together at the Broadway Dive. 

Thanks, New York. 

Stroudsburg, you have touched our hearts! We were overwhelmed at the amazing turnout and warm hearts and welcome Stroudsburg had to offer- through you we saw the true meaning of community first hand! Myra and Erinn got their hair done in the morning, and Sandra, our amazing stylist ended up coming to the show in the evening! 

Also in attendance were great friends from the past- American Queen friends, long time Letters From Home friends and even Erinn's cousin and her amazing husband. We were overwhelmed with love and also loved the beautiful Sherman Theatre and their staff. 

The Quilt of Valor presentation was for two incredible veterans who were married! Wilson was also pulled onstage during the show to be the driving "jerk" in the jeep and stole the show.

Another "plus" about Stroudsburg was the delicious and adorable Duet Cafe! Some of our favorite food, coffee and atmosphere of the entire country could be found in this quaint shop, and we were grateful to have found it on our Pennsylvania adventure. 

We started off the day by saying goodbye to our friend who was in Vietnam who lives adjacent to Cast House. He loved the show and we were thrilled to have him there. We presented him with a challenge coin before hitting the road. ​

After that, we ate Philadelphia Cheesesteak sandwiches ​We took a long, windy beautiful road into Pennsylvania! We stopped at the Rocky steps (video coming soon) and ran up while Dan ripped his shirt off and screamed to get into character for the moment. A good time for all! After that, we ate Philadelphia Cheesesteak sandwiches!

We drove to Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania which was an adorable town! Our hosts and "home" for Pennsylvania was the beautiful Penn Stroud Hotel, which was very close to the theatre. We met our friend Bob for some Valentine's Day fun: ice cream, a candy store and movie night with the team!  

Today was a perfect day in New Jersey! The team had a well deserved day off, and we went to the Bagel Shack and took a beautiful walk on the coast of Long Beach Island. 

In the evening, we drove to Atlantic City! Grace had never been to a casino before, so it was very exciting! We all visited Resorts, where Erinn had a residency at the SuperStar Theatre back in the day, then we went to the beautiful Hard Rock Casino where we all played slots (and won!) and had a delicious dinner. Half the team went to the famous Atlantic City Irish Pub while the other half went to the Borgata to play poker. 

We saw the famous "Lucy" the Elephant at sunset, and walked on the beautiful famous Boardwalk- which is the longest boardwalk in the World! Overall, a beautiful night. Thanks, New Jersey. You've been an anchor in our heart on this 50 states tour. 

Surflight audiences do not disappoint!

We had two amazing shows in New Jersey and loved every second. We had the opportunity to meet Gail and Steve Stiner at Surflight Theatre years ago when they were cruising on the American Duchess and we were singing on the Mississippi River. Since then, we've had the opportunity to come and perform 2 different Surflight shows, and we were thrilled that Surflight was our official "home" for New Jersey on this tour. 

We had two days of great crowds, red lipstick kisses, smiles, tears and laughter. Dan and Erinn were excited to take the team to favorite stops on Long Beach Island, like Buckalew's.  

Slobadanka, our amazing landlord from last summer when we were working at Surflight came to the show, as well as Erinn's Aunt Mimi & Uncle Chuck, and our great friend Nick from Fields of Ambrosia! 

One of the things that's been delighting us during this tour, is the number of kids that come to the show and LOVE IT! This 10-year old pictured below was highly featured energy during the show and so much fun. 

After load-out, we had the opportunity to interview Slobadanka (you're going to love hearing what she has to say in the documentary on this tour!) and then it was Super Bowl Sunday! So we had a Chief-Cheering party in cast house. (Sorry, Eagles fans, but we had two Missouri-born members of our team with us)! Go Chiefs! 

We checked out of the beautiful B&B This morning and had a lovely day of travel to Long Beach Island in New Jersey! Dan and Erinn have performed at Surflight Theatre before, so it was great to check into cast housing and have a home for a few days. 

It was a quiet night, but it was "Letters From Home Awards Friday"! What is that you may ask? Well, being on the road is a fun time but also an exhausting time. We have an AMAZING team who works their tails off making sure the show goes smoothly each and every time..... 50 times over! So we celebrate weekly with accomplishments from the week. It's always allows for smiles. 

SHOUT OUT to the amazing Myra, the clever Jack, the brilliant Grace and the wonderful Tyler. We love living on the road with y'all.

We absolutely loved everything about Delaware- but especially the people! 

Our official "home" in Delaware was the warm and wonderful Miller-Dunham house. Debi and Bob, the innkeepers were the sweetest and most welcoming hosts we've experienced on this tour! 

We started out as strangers, and ended up as friends. Also, the breakfast at the Miller-Dunham house was outstanding. And their dog, Pablo was the sweetest. We walked to the historic Cantwell Tavern which had incredible food and we had our own room in this awesome old unique building! 

Jack, Dan and Erinn went to catch the sunset, and after accidentally being run off of somebody's private property and almost run over with a pickup truck, they found the prettiest spot and Dan captured a great shot (be sure to follow all 50 states on Dan Beckmann Photography's facebook page)! 

After striking the show, the team went back to the B&B and sat by the firepit for hours talking. Our good friend, Jerrod came to visit us and we all talked, learned about each other and laughed.

​Overall, Delaware left us with warm hearts and great memories. 

Maryland!

One of our favorite things of performing in each state is that we have a "state" section in the show, where we find facts about the state we're in to share with the audience. It's forced us to really learn more about the places we go!

We had a beautiful walk on the coast with "fluffies" where Dan got his photo for Maryland (check it out- there's birds in it!) 

Washington DC..... our Nation's Capitol! 

Grace had never been to the city before, so it was fun to see it with her! Upon arrival, we went to the National Air & Space Museum and the Natural History Museum and enjoyed street food while Dan Beckmann got this epic shot of the moon over the Capitol.  We watched "Night at the Museum 2" in our hotel and saw all the fun places we had seen live at the Smithsonian that day.

The morning of February 6th was incredibly special. We were honored to have the opportunity to lay the wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. The experience was something that none of us will ever forget. 

Erinn also got to visit her Uncle Al who was in the Air Force during Korea and Vietnam, and Jon Blake, a good pilot friend. The team went to Kennedy's grave and walked around the beautiful amphitheater. 

From there, we went to the Lincoln Memorial for a performance in front of the Reflection Pool. The wind was heavy but it was a great experience to perform at the National Mall. And Grace had never seen the monuments, either so we went around and visited all of them after the performance.

Jack found his Grandfather's name on the Vietnam Wall, we all visited the Martin Luther King monument for the first time, we all found our states on the National WWII Memorial, walked around the Korean War Memorial and saw the Washington Monument. 

We're cold and tired, but our hearts are full. Hope to see many of you at our show in Silver Spring tomorrow!  

West Virginia, you've won our hearts! 

We had a fabulous show at the beautiful historic Metropolitan Theatre in Morgantown. We had some incredible reenactors come and assist with the show and they added to the fun of the lobby so much! 

In all the years of doing Letters From Home, this was our youngest audience. They were very enthusiastic and loved the West Virginia section of the show, especially their anthem, "Country Roads".