Des Moines: French for The Moines

Today, we left Des Moines and traveled to Springfield. As always, we are more than ecstatic to be in Missouri because it is the least sucky of all of our markets. More than anything we are happy to be out of our DISGUSTING hotel in Des Moines. We spent a whole week there and I am pretty sure that we had a complaint for the front desk every single day. The worst of our troubles were that Kina's room smelled like mold and we kept finding moldy spots on the walls and I found TWO...yes, you read that correcting, TWO..roaches in my bathroom this morning. When I found them, I still had to pack all of my stuff but let me tell you, I was still packed and completely out of the room in T-minus 10 minutes after finding those little grossos. If packing were an event in the Crossfit Games (that I so sorrowfully couldn't watch because of our traveling) I would have won. forrr certain.

I woke up this morning with what looked like a pimple under my eye. After taking my makeup off this evening I realized that its an even worse version of the little rashes that I have been getting under my eye and it HURTS. I blame this in whole on our last hotel. I realize it didn't start this rash situation,because I've been getting them all summer, but I am certain that it somehow made it worse. AND it hurts. Thanks alot, Fairfield Inn of West Des Moines....because of you I look like a mutant.

We went out in style though with our RAYGUN tshirts on! Our goal for this week is to get back into the routine of working out so that those shirts will fit a little bit better! We have been so worn out after long work days in extreme heat the last couple weeks that we have given up on working out and replaced it instead with excessive amounts of sleep. There have been heat advisories basically everywhere we have been this summer and 90% of our work is done outside so we have been really tired! So, this week we are planning on making time for the gym every day to get used to making it part of our day again. Wish us luck, we will surely need it.

I am so close to home :) I am already counting down the days. While I am so sad to be leaving Kina alone on this adventure, I am totally looking forward to normal life where I can lay on my couch in the AC rather than sweat my butt off.

Okay, I'm going to go blow some giant bubbles off the balcony. I'm so glad I let Kina talk me into buying a giant bubble wand.

Peace and Bubbles,
Allison

Bikes and Weiners

I sit here trying to decide if I should order a calzone or Jimmy Johns for dinner. I can without a doubt say that this is the hardest decision that I will have to make today. This leads me to to the thought that my life is so much easier right now that it has been in years...My job is finally starting to feel second nature and there is very little opportunity for conflict in a world that consists of Kina, me, and a big white van. So, why am I so ready to leave this world? I wish I knew. I am absolutely the type of person who thinks the grass is greener on the other side because while I was in St. Louis I wanted nothing more than to escape, but now that I am gone I am dying to return home. I miss my family, my puppy, my friends, my boyfriend, my Jetta, my crazy work/school schedule...everything really. I think I would rather work my ass off day in and day out and be surrounded by family than sit alone in my hotel room living this leisurely life. I hope I remember that when I get back to St. Louis. I doubt I will, though.

On another note, We are in Des Moines right now and finally got to pick up our shirts from RAYGUN! They are awesome and I am super excited to have a custom STL tshirt. Also, I bought a couple other shirts while we were there because they are just too clever and I couldn't resist! It hurt a little bit when the reciept fell out of the bag when I got back to the hotel and I had to relive how much I spent on TSHIRTS! What was I thinking? Good thing they are adorable. I am sad that I wont be back in Des Moines again this summer because RAYGUN is quickly becoming my guilty pleasure. I tried to add a picture of our shirts but the coloring doesnt really lend to being photographed.

One of my best friends, Katie Herr, and Pauly are coming to visit in about a week and we are going to go floating on my day off! I am so looking forward to seeing Katie because before I left we spent a ridiculous amount of time together and so not getting to hangout for about 7 weeks is starting to suck. I think she may have a spidey sense of some sort because as I sit here typing about my excitment I got a text from Katie saying "I am so excited for floating." Great minds think alike.

OH GOD! I almost ended this blog entry without mentioning the most important and exciting part of this week!! We worked an event called RAGBRAI which is a week long bike ride across Iowa and while driving around we ran into the Weinermobile. Highlight of the trip. I got a weiner whistle and a sticker and as I am typing this I am starting to feel like a 6 year old because I am far too excited to sound like an adult. The girls that were working were telling us that they are on tour for a year with only 4 weeklong breaks to go home, which definitely put my tour into perspective. On our way home from RAGBRAI, I got a speeding ticket. I guess I was on a Weinermobile high and was driving a little too fast. The cop didn't even give me the chance to explain my speeding. I was almost starting to believe that it was part of the constitution that speeders had the right to try to talk themselves out of tickets. "Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit of Outsmarting Cops" ...right? Not in Iowa. I miss Missouri.

Anyway, it's time for me to make a dinner decision and seek out some exciting things to write about so that all 26 of my readers (yes, that was my way of telling you that we got a new follower :)) can have wonderful things to read for my last few weeks on tour!

Peace and Weinermobiles,
Allison

Oh, you betcha!

Before starting this trip I was told that the accents in Minnesota are nothing like I was expecting them to be. Well, I can honestly say that the person who told me that was a huge stinky liar. My favorite part of this trip so far has been listening to, and trying to mimick, the accents of these people. It got worse as I traveled to Wisconsin for the weekend where everywhere I turned I heard someone saying "doncha know" or "you betcha!" I cant get over it.

I had to take a day off to go to Wisconsin for a funeral. This summer seems to be clouded by death. I guess I am just lucky that I was able to be with my family while we celebrated a wonderful life. My great grandpa Burt passed away last week at 93. He was married to his wife for 71 years. I only hope that I can find the type of happiness in another person that they found in eachother.

While in Wisconsin, we spent some time at my great grandparents house which is located on a corn field. It was awesome for a little photo shoot that Emily and I had but terrifying because it seems that the bears in town also hangout there. My stepdad's mother was staying in the house while she was in town and mentioned that she had heard a bear outside at night. We went to get dinner one night and there were about six of us standing in the driveway when we got back. I looked over my shoulder and said "oh hey, guys. There's that bear" I said this in a tone so calm that no one even looked up for about 15 seconds when it finally sunk in. In an even more ridiculous move, NO ONE panicked. Like the idiots that we are, we got out our cameras and started taking his picture, never once considering that we could be mauled at any moment. It took a legitimate three minutes for anyone to get nervous about this outrageously large, angry looking animal.

Today, Kina and I went kayaking! It was a nice break from our normally hectic schedule. It was a pretty solid reminder that I need to get back in the gym because my shoulders were BURNING! Per usual, I came home after and took a nap and proceeded to eat a calzone the side of my head. Great job, Allison.

We are looking forward to this weeks events and getting to go see our friends at RAYGUN. Hopefully, I will have plenty to write about!

Peace and Grizzly bears,
Allison

Minnesooooooota

Minnesota has been far too entertaining to leave time for blogging, doncha know! We have been to the Mall of America and a ton of boutiques already and today we are heading to IKEA. It's like shopper's paradise. Also, we have been getting a ton of work done. Overall, this has been a pretty awesome stop on our trip. I am not used to this type of experience and I think now I am just looking for a reason to hate this place. Congratulations, Minnesota..you don't suck.

We learned a new method at work the other day that I have dubbed "the meaningful wave." There was an event that we weren't exactly welcome at...but no one told us we couldn't come so we were scoping out the area to see where we could sample without getting asked to leave. We ended up driving down the main entrance at one point and I assume the mixture of our branded vehicle and the fact that we just waved at everyone who seemed like they may have the authority to kick us out confused everyone enough that we got in not only once, but MULTIPLE times. As a result, we sampled more in that night that we had the rest of our time in Sioux Falls.

Tonight and Tomorrow we will be sampling at the St. Cloud Riverbats game and were given tickets to the games by our new friends at Viking (the bottler in St. Cloud) so that we could "enjoy" the games before we sampled. We aren't positive on what level of baseball this is, what a Riverbat is, or why we even agreed to take these tickets...but hopefully it will be entertaining.

Okay, off to IKEA. Will blog again, SOON! I promise

Peace and Bunnies,
Allison

Yo, brah. You like Vitaminwater?

Hello there, followers. I think I may start all my entries this way. Honestly, it makes me feel like I am writing a memo to my minions. I wish I had minions. Sometimes, I pretend Kina is my minion....my Amish minion. 

I'm in an uncharacteristically good mood tonight because we have FINALLY had a successful night of work in Sioux Falls. Tonight was the Sioux Falls Jazzfest and it is one of the biggest events of the year, they say. We sampled as people were exiting the festival and could not have been more excited at the amount of traffic walking by but equally disappointed in the constant stream of jokes that we were tossing straight over these people's heads. We were throwing jokes out there and they were sending them right back. It's not like we were making South Park jokes to elderly women and getting shut down...these were teenagers and grade A humor. Kina even told one kid, "once it hits your lips, it's so good" and NOTHING. so disappointing.

On a less infuriating note, Kina and I visited a local casino the other day. We had to figure out what the situation was with the million and a half casinos in Sioux Falls. So, let me set the scene for you. We park in a parking lot that holds 15 cars and walk towards a door with a hand written sign that reads Please ring bell. Apparently, there have been so many robberies that they keep the door locked at all times (comforting). We walked in the front door and looked around. There are 10 computerized poker machines and a woman with a smile. She explained to us how to play the games and then offered us free beer. Did you read that right? Yes, I said FREE beer. It's just like Vegas, minus the casino part. All bets were $0.25 and our game options were poker, keno, or bingo. Let me tell you what, I thought that there was nothing good in Sioux Falls up until that very moment. I can sleep soundly tonight knowing that at any time during my stay here i can get a beer for as little as a 25cent bid on computerized poker. f. yes. 

Peace and Sparkles,

Allison 

A stop in Joplin

In a very uncharacteristic twist of events, I am blogging TWO DAYS IN A ROW.

How pleased are you guys? So pleased? Awesome. 

Kina and I are literally dreading heading back to Sioux Falls and after a full day of emailing and conference calls, it seems that no one really blames us. That being said, we made the decision to deviate from the plan and stay in Springfield for a couple extra days so that we could make a day trip to Joplin, MO today. As we drove in it seemed like nothing had ever happened. We drove down road after road of unaffected homes and businesses while looking for places to donate product which made the situation feel a little unreal. We found a few churches that were accepting donations and setting up a sort of outdoor market for people to come and pick up the the groceries and supplies that they need. The feeling of gratitude that we got from these people was unbelievable. At the first church we donated to, we met a woman with a huge spirit who explained that she felt compelled to come to Joplin from her hometown in Louisiana to help out and had come back multiple times since her first trip. She was so grateful for our donation and thanked us both with the kind of loving hug that you would expect from a family member. 

At the next church, we met a man who asked to pray with us as we finished unloading the product. While most of you know about my aversion to all things religious, I could not help but be touched by the prayer that came out of this man's mouth. He put his arms around Kina and I despite the fact that we were both sweaty and prayed that we have safe travels and thanked God for our presence in Joplin. I was stunned. Not because a man at a church would pray for me, no, that part makes sense. The part that got me was that given the situation, this man was praying for me as opposed to the people of Joplin. He directed us to the area that was hit by the tornado and as we drove over a hill, it all came into view. I was instantly overcome with goosebumps and as we drove further down this road my stomach started churning. This was nothing like what I saw on TV. 

There is one image that I am pretty sure will stick with me forever. 

Our last stop was at a station set up in a parking lot with free food and drinks for the volunteers. They were just as kind and grateful as the people we had met previously. We were able to donate product to them for the volunteers and hand out some cold bottles to those that were there eating lunch. All through this experience I felt like our contribution wasn't big enough, that is until we got to this volunteer area. Being able to hand out Vitaminwater to the volunteers made me realize that it takes all kinds to get through these situations and while manpower wasn't what we were able to give, at least we were able to give something. The way that people are willing to drop all of their normal responsibilities and donate all of their time and effort to this disaster is what keeps my faith in humanity alive.

I am so blessed. I say this often, but I mean it. The things that I am experiencing and learning on this trip are leading me to no other conclusions. 

Peace and Love,

Allison

needing a jump...

I am the kind of person who complains a lot. I accept this about myself and I am under the impression that my friends accept this also. I complain when it's too hot, too cold, too sunny, too cloudy...it's just my nature. That being said, I have never had more to complain about in my life than I do currently and I am trying my hardest to hold it all in which is a HUGE challenge. If it ever comes out, I am certain it will be like some sort of overly obnoxious Pandora's Box that will make peoples brains shoot out their ears from annoyance. This job is causing me a pretty significant amount of stress and I am thankful that I have someone working with me who can keep me sane. While Kina and I don't get along all the time (we're way too sassy for that) it is her random laughter and ridiculous games that pick me up when I am falling. That, and ice cream.

We are heading down to Joplin tomorrow to try to donate product to the relief workers and charity organizations. This is something that I am really looking forward to because it is a small way that I can help out. Obviously, being on the road for 10 weeks does not exactly make it possible to going down to help personally so this is at least a (very) small way that we can lend our services to those that are down there helping in a larger way.

I got an invite to Google+ today, and it has pretty much taken over my world. Luckily, I had plenty of time to tinker with it today seeing as we were stranded at a McDonald's for about an hour waiting for Penske to come jump the GTV and then sitting at the Penske office waiting for them to fix it. Granted, its just a google-fied facebook but I love anything that rumored to be bigger and better..I bet this is a real shock to you guys, huh? I am a sucker for the trendy...and the Amish. I'm aware that there is no connection between these two things but I am equally enamored with both. Speaking of, I saw an Amish family today at the gas station and they were giving Kina and I the dirty eyes for one of two things: the fact that we were exposing our knee to ankle area or that we were buying tall boys. Despite their judgement, I still think they are awesome.

Peace and Horse Buggies,
Allison

So close to home

I guess I should start out by apologizing for not blogging in over a week. It's amazing how little time there is to blog when we are in a market that actually has some work for us to do! We have now spent a couple weeks only a few hours from Saint Louis and while I wish sometimes that I could just go home, I am happy that I am at least in a place that makes a little bit of sense to me. Sure, the people to teeth ratio isn't quite as high here, but at least I know what to expect. We found a restaurant (kudos to Corbin Hoffman for the suggestion) that has delicious and inexpensive breakfast all wrapped up in an adorable little cafe, but they could just not keep the coffee flowing fast enough for Kina so we have had to go back to hotel breakfast. Luckily, the hotel we are staying in this week offers us breakfast unlike the one last week so there will be no need for our rebellious tanning here. OH WAIT. they have an outdoor pool, also. The Residence Inn has definitely boosted itself to the top of our list and I didn't even mentioned the delicious mid day snack they offer. I think I am in love.

Last week we worked an Art Walk in downtown Springfield. It was one of our most successful events thus far but it definitely brought to light a side of Springfield that I have never noticed before. It seems that during the summer the locals come crawling out of whatever hole they have been hiding in all year and take over downtown. I have never met so many unclean, unrefined, and unappealing people in my life and it's not like I am exactly from the classiest city in the midwest. While we were working I couldn't stop myself from pointing out person after person who was more ridiculous than the last. We decided to ditch the weirdos and head to the lake for the weekend to hydrate a whole different breed of people.

On Sunday, we worked a pool party at Shady Gators and as expected it was D-bag central. There were three types of people at this party: bros, older bros, and the girls who feel it necessary to wear heels and a full face of makeup with their swimsuit to attract a bro. Needless to say, I didn't quite fit in with this crowd but had a great time and spent a lot of time people watching! The lake was beautiful and warm and the weekend was a wonderful break from our normal, mundane week. Also, it was a great distraction from the sadness that I was feeling this past weekend. On July 4th, 2010 I lost one of the most important people in my life, my grandma. On the one year anniversary, the feelings are just as raw and it took all of my energy not to spend the whole weekend in tears. It constantly amazes me how connected my family is even when we cannot be together. Their love and supportive words carried me through that day from hundreds of miles away and that is something that not all families can experience. I am so blessed.

As for recent events (and by recent, I mean happened as I was writing this entry) I dropped my phone in the washing machine and didn't realize it until the water was on and it was just about fully submerged, so I would say there is a better chance than not that it is not going to be functioning when i turn it back on...super.

That's all for now. Hopefully my upcoming week will be full of fun, interesting, and note worthy situations so I can go back to captivating my audience (haha) on a more regular basis

Peace and Angels,
Allison