We had an amazing time in Boulder at our show at the Dairy Arts Center's Gordon Gamm Theatre for our official Colorado stop on the 50 States Tour! For a Monday night, we had so many incredibly special people in the audience! 

So many of Erinn's dad's side of the family was there, Meghan, Shannon, Uncle Rich and all the kids (including Mickey who had his stage debut during the show!), and Randy and all of his family. It was the first time they had seen Letters From Home, so it was a really special time. Erinn's mom, Jan and her husband Billie came to the show as well for the first time since Myrtle Beach and it was wonderful to see them.

But it doesn't stop there! Dan's parents and so many of Dan's family made it to the show, including Jerome and Jessica, Lauren and Scott (who also had a stage debut in the show)! We also got to catch up with so many lifelong friends- including Patricia from NC, Ben from MN, and April from the American Queen. There were also several American Queen passengers at the show, and SO many of Jack's friends who were so supportive and wonderful. 

Myra's brother Del and his wife Carla came (Del left with a little red lipstick on his head)! And the Fabers, who we had the pleasure of seeing in France for the 75th Anniversary of D-Day were also there. 

The Quilt of Valor presentation tonight was one of the most special, as the quilt went to Erinn's brother, Randy who was career Air Force! Also, one of the quilting presenters was Lori, the Executive Director of Quilts of Valor!  

Many thanks to the Dairy Arts Center, and to everyone who made our Monday night in Colorado so special. We love you, Colorado!

Today was a big day. 

The ashes of Pat Dearth were traveling with Letters From Home since we started this tour. Today, Erinn's mom and her husband Billie and Erinn's Brother Randy, his wife Jessica and kids Ethan, Seth and Evelyn joined the tour team at Echo Lake, the place pat wanted his ashes spread. 

Upon arrival, it was so easy to see why dad wanted this as his final resting place. Not only did he have great memories of fishing and hiking at Echo Lake, but the views are just incredible. He always loved the mountains. 

It gave all of us a sense of peace to see dad be placed where he always wanted to go. Dad was a community builder.  A kind, generous loving man who always spoke his mind and was incredibly honest. Everyone thinks they have the best dad in the world, but lucky enough for me and Randy and mom, it just so happened to be true. After he passed away, the amount of people who reached out to me saying what an impact dad had on their lives was outstanding. 

As pretty much everyone reading this knows, Letters From Home was dad's idea. I know he is watching over all of the veterans who come to the show, and watching over our tour team as we endeavor on this crazy adventure. I know he watches Randy and his family every day. I'm sure he is watching over my mom, who he loved with all his heart and Billie who is now such a big part of our lives.  And I'm confident that with Echo Lake being dad's new home, he will be at peace here, but will still visit all of us often as he continues to see his legacy unfold on earth. 

After the ceremony, we took some time at the lake, then walked around, had a snowball fight and went to one of the places dad used to hang all the time in Colorado- the Little Bear Saloon. Billie treated all of us to dinner, and Seth challenged Uncle Dan to a game of pool that was neck and neck. 

It's a tradition at the Little Bear Saloon to sign a dollar bill and staple it to the wall. We all signed one for the tour, and in honor of Pat. If you're ever in Evergreen Colorado and want to see it, stop by the Little Bear for some live music and find our dollar next to the Buffalo Trace poster. 

Drained from a fun day, we all went back to our hotels to rest. Dan and Erinn got to briefly see our great friend Ben for a walk, and then we settled in for a night of rest. Tomorrow's show in Colorado is at the Dairy Arts Center and we can't wait to see all of our Colorado friends there! 

This morning, Dan and Erinn got up before the sun and attempted to get a picture of buffalo with the sunrise for Dan's portfolio and official "Kansas" photo. When we arrived, there were certainly many buffalo waiting to say "hello", but it was a behind a fence experience, and not at all what Dan was hoping for. So we said goodbye to our new buffalo friends, hopped in the car and drove away.

We drove down a ways, and just as Dan was about to give up, the sun started peeking over the horizon and BAM! There it was! A beautiful field with cows, horses and a cute photo bombing donkey. He got a GREAT shot (be sure to check out Dan Beckmann Photography for the main event). 

Then, we got in the car and drove to Colorado! We stopped at IHOP on the way and after driving miles on the "flatter than a pancake" landscape, the mountains of Colorado came into view! 

We checked into our beautiful Mariott hotel, and then went to the Flat Irons to hike around with the team. We had a great thai food dinner, and relaxed for the rest of the evening in beautiful Boulder.

Our "official" Kansas show was the beautiful FOX Theatre in Hays, and was a blast! The audience was incredibly energetic and really got into the show. 

Dan's Grandpa Bill & Grandma Joann live in Hays, so it was the perfect excuse for a mini family reunion. His parents came to the show, as well as his Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Run (it was Ron's birthday)!

After the show we had the honor of meeting the Quartermaster from the Hays VFW, as well as THREE WWII Veterans, all who had giant smiles and lots of energy! The Quilts of Valor was with us again, bringing the magic and quilting a very special Vietnam veteran. 

We'll never forget this night in Hays, Kansas. Thanks to the beautiful Fox Theatre and all of their staff, and the Hays community that came out to support this leg of the tour!

Today was incredible!  Erinn, Myra and Dan got up to witness one of the world's largest animal migrations! Every year in late March, one million Sandhill Cranes migrate on the Platte River Valley in order to 'fuel up' before resuming their northward migration. 

Our hands and toes were frozen, but the experience was definitely one we'll never forget. The volume of all of the birds even before they took off was overwhelmingly loud, and when the blood red sun hit the horizon, they all flew in droves! You're going to LOVE the picture Dan captured- be sure to follow Dan Beckmann Photography for his official Nebraska picture from this morning! 

We then drove to Cawker City to see.... The World's Largest Ball of Twine! As we crossed into Kansas, the temperature rose and rose until it was 78 degrees! The twine ball was created by local farmer Frank Stoeber, who decided one day to not burn his extra twine, but to keep making a ball until it was as big as his barn door. It has grown to over 24,000 pounds, and over 1.6 Million feet of twine! 

We're so excited to be in Kansas, and can't wait for the show at the Fox Theatre tomorrow! 

We drove through the night to arrive in one of our favorite cities in the country, Kearney, Nebraska! We checked into The World Theatre and saw our awesome friends at Crane River Theater who were the presenters for our official Nebraska show! 

The show was sold out and so much fun! It was extra special because March 29th is Vietnam Veterans Day, and there were a great amount of Vietnam Veterans in the audience. 

After the show, the Quilt of Valor did their presentation for Nebraska, honoring community member Bryan Waugh. Coincidentally, Bryan was also a part of the show! It was a pleasure to meet him and the response from the community for all he has done was overwhelming. 

The best part about Crane River Theater is the family feel that we get every time we go back to this awesome city. That's largely in part to Steve Barth, the artistic director and founder of Crane River who pours his heart into all of the projects that Crane River Theater takes on. It was so good to hug so many great friends who feel like extended family. 

Afterwards, we caught up with some of the staff and friends at Cunninghams, and shared a Green Tea shot in celebration of a successful night, and great people in Nebraska. 

What a wonderful 27th show we had in beautiful Holstein Iowa! 

We performed at the Rosemary Claussen Performing Arts Center, and the show's proceeds benefited the Honor Flight, an organization that we love that takes veterans to Washington DC, all expenses paid, on a trip to see their memorials. 

The audience was filled with energetic folks, young and old! Laughing, crying, singing along... the perfect crowd. After the show, the Quilt of Valor honored Leo, a 102-Year Old Veteran who was in both the Army and the Navy. 

Backstage, the walls were filled with bands and shows that have performed at the arts center previously, including John Denver, The Letterman, The Texas Tenors, The Association and the Glenn Miller Orchestra. An incredible artist who happened to be volunteering at the event, Kyra, was gracious enough to draw our block for us backstage, and we all had the opportunity to sign it and leave our name on the wall of Iowa fame. 

Overall, we had an amazing time, and can't thank Lisa and all the amazing people who helped bring us back to Holstein enough for a great experience! 

Today we drove through South Dakota to get to our next stop in Iowa! Jack had a margarita at lunch at a restaurant called Jackey's in Sioux Falls, and then we went to check out the beautiful Falls Park. While lovely, there was a rank smell of sewage that made the trip short. 

Then, we crossed the border into Iowa which was.... just what you'd expect!  Hay Bales and.... CORN! 

Dan took his new drone out to play and got some great shots of haybales. It was so fun to watch and play with! 

Thanks to the generous gift cards that the Good Samaritans left us at the hotel, we went to a great local restaurant that was firefighter themed, Backdraft Bar & Grill. There are flyers for the show all over town, so we hope tomorrow's show will have a great crowd! 

Today's show was one of the most special on our entire tour. 

Instead of being in a big theatre, we decided to make our official North Dakota stop the North Dakota Veterans home. Since 1893, this home is a living tribute to North Dakota veterans and their spouses, priding themselves on treating our vets with the upmost respect and dignity. 

We had performed at this home years before, and it was so incredible to return. The smiles, hugs and warmth of the veterans touched our hearts and reminded us why we do this. 

The Quilts of Valor once again came through for the 26th time, giving the quilt for our North Dakota stop to Delvin Owen, a WWII veteran who met his wife on the dance floor of a USO Dance!

We were so grateful to talk with all of the veterans after the show. Myra spent the evening playing pool with some of them, and we had the privilege of doing some interviews for our documentary at the veterans home. 

The evening ended with pizza from Casey's gas station, the only place still open on a Sunday night in Lisbon (and VERY good, we might add)!

Tonight, we rest with full hearts. Thanks, North Dakota. 

After a lovely homemade breakfast, we left Minnesota and waved goodbye to family on the way to our next stop.... North Dakota! There was TONS of snow after crossing state lines, and Dan took full advantage of that and grabed the essence of what we were seeing through his lens. (You're going to LOVE his North Dakota shot)!

We had some rough roads on the way, but safely arrived in Lisbon where we stayed at the quaint Lisbon Inn. We all jumped in the car and drove to Fargo, where Dan made a stop at Best Buy for a new photography toy, and we got to see the Wood Chipper from the movie, Fargo! 

We then headed to the Space Aliens Grill & Bar, where earthlings were welcomed that night. Tyler and Erinn won some cash at pull tabs, and Dan played one of his favorite things in the world, crane games where he won a giant blue rubber ducky.  Cosmic Cole Slaw, Mac & Cheese Pizza, UFO Icees and outer space fries all made an appearance at our table. 

​So far..... there's a lot of snow in North Dakota, but there's a lot more, too.