I started this blog to chronicle our adventures as the touring family of a musician--and named it after the car we bought to tour in right before our first tour (we are still driving that car, and just passed 200,000 miles on it. I figure we've put on 60,000 miles since June 2006, when we bought it).
I have drifted through the rest of my life in the process of chronicling being the family of a touring musician. I've wandered through the realms of parenting, writing, public events, my own thoughts.
I thought it might be prudent to get back to the roots of the blog, just to catch you all up on us.
We're touring again.
Actually, Tim never stopped. I figure, except for his 6 months with Toxic Audio (which was still a professional musician gig), Tim has been gone for 2-3 days every two weeks for years now. Ever since we left Utah in January of 2004, I think.
And now Melody Yellowvan, with her trusty sidekick, Trailer, is parked in Utah, where I am hiding out with the 5 kids while Tim does a month-long gig in Reno, NV. Why Utah? I ran away to my mom's house, not wanting to live in a hotel room with a new baby and 4 other kids under 8 years old for a month. We will stay here a week, then join Tim in Reno for either one or two weeks, depending on how bad the hotel room is and our schedule is and how hard it is.
This after a pretty hairy month already: We were nominated for a People's Choice Award (and lost by just a couple hundred out of millions of votes!), had a baby--number 5 no less. And, on the side, Tim put together 6 vocal groups, complete with pictures and demos, 5 of them from scratch. He arranged and composed music for them, did the recordings, and got them all applied for vocal competitions (so far 3 are in, one didn't make the cut). He started doing his solo show and made some friends in the Industry doing that. Oh, and he did a 2-day gig in Reno already, followed almost immediately by attending receptions/concerts of out-of-town friends who are looking for a permanent gig for their group in Vegas, and followed literally immediately by a trip to LA where he taught workshops and did little solo performances to demonstrate solo vocal live looping. He was home less than 24 hours before we loaded the car and drove to Utah, where he stopped less than 48 hours before catching his flight to Reno. Oh, and he got a contract with NBC signed and is now composing, performing, and recording some things for them. And did I mention that he's also been trading off with me changing diapers and staying up literally all night with a sleepless baby?
This is why we're camping at Grandma's house. All of that was in 3 or 4 weeks and on top of his usual work, and, having just had a baby 3 weeks ago, I couldn't keep up and then stop in Reno in a hotel room with 5 small children I have to entertain, feed, clothe, etc. Especially since one of the kids nurses a lot, one throws up a lot, and one is a little tornado all by himself. The other two are big enough to take care of themselves somewhat--but not entirely.
Some women recover quickly from having a baby. Not me. It takes me 8-12 weeks of being really careful with myself in order to physically get over childbirth without getting caught in depression. I suppose that's partially the fibromyalgia, but I also like to think that every woman ought to treat herself gently and be free of outside obligations until her baby is at least 3 months old. If all women had free meals brought to them for a whole month after having a baby, I think there'd be fewer cases of depression. Seriously.
Anyway, that's where we're at. It's been a trick convincing people that I really don't want to go anywhere (even to the grocery store) while we're here. We are not brave and on vacation. We are desperate and returning home instead of being alone and being grouchy and crying every night (since it's been taking literally 5 hours or more from the words 'bed time' until I get to drop off to sleep, what with nursing, nights and mornings mixed up, throw up, hyperactive toddlers, night terrors, and the usual hungry- thirsty-need one more kiss--potty time--too hot--too cold--forgot to brush my teeth--where's my special animal I can't sleep without her bedtime rituals of children, plus our usual insomnia, messed up schedule, and difficulty getting people to bed when I'm too tired).
What can I say? The adventure continues.
Now if I can just get the kids back to doing school....
