Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Halloween at Home

This is the first Halloween that we've had off in 8 years. We do have some meetings this morning, but tonight, we're going to hang out with our friends. We plan on going trick or treating, eating chocolate, and watching a scary movie.

We are bringing our chocolate fountain. I also made that poppy seed bread. I wonder how that would taste dipped in chocolate?

Guess what our costumes are going to be? We're all going to be Christmas carolers. So, amongst all of the trick or treaters, we'll be singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas..." It's going to be fun!

Monday, October 30, 2006

A "Me" Day

We left our big rig in South Carolina, flew to Montana, flew home late last night, and will fly to South Carolina Wednesday morning. It's nice to have two days at home even though I wish it were a little longer.

When we travel really hard, we are usually around people 24-7. Therefore, today, I'm spending the day alone. I'm going to have a "me" day. Brock is riding his motorcycle with some friends for most of the day.

These are my plans: (brace yourselves, guys, it's very girly) I'm going to bake some poppy seed muffins that my mother-in-law just gave me the recipe for. I'm reading the sequel to "Gone With the Wind," but I read the first book almost 14 years ago, so I'm watching the movie today. I'll probably read a lot, too. I'll get lost in the times of the late 1800's and let Scarlett do all of the exciting stuff today!

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Here in Montana

Well, we're in Montana. We flew here from Eastern time zone. Therefore, we gained two hours. Today is daylight's savings time, so we gained another hour. Long story short, I woke up at 5am this morning!

Yesterday, we drove to Red Lodge, MT and some surrounding areas. It was really beautiful. We ate at this great steak place out in the middle of nowhere. We expected it to be cold here, but it was 70 degrees and sunny. However, it's supposed to snow tomorrow, so it's a good thing we're leaving today!

The people here remind me of Alaskans...up here in the middle of nowhere and very outdoorsy. Hunting is a big thing around here. We're in Billings which is the only city I know of in Montana. People were walking around downtown in camoflauge! I've got to tell you that it didn't work there. They were easy to spot!

Last night, we performed our show and it was great! The people are laid back but still get things done. The audience was fun. They even gave away a car at the show! It was a fun day.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

The Prestige

Thursday, we only had a five hour drive to accomplish in a day. Since that is nothing to us, we stopped along the way to see the movie The Prestige. It is so good! They have a lot of historical facts about the art of magic. They mention Chung Ling Su who was a famous magician at the time. We perform a lot of the illusions that they talked about...the water escape, the bullet catch.

Brock and I kept looking at each other when they would mention something that we knew about. The movie had tons of twists and turns. It had a pledge, turn, and a prestige. You should see it!

Friday, October 27, 2006

Road Stories

One morning, Brock was still asleep in the back of our big rig, so he was not visible. I was getting diesel fuel and Shannon was filling up our water tanks. Kim was sitting in the front of the truck putting on her make-up. As I was coming back out of the truck stop, a guy stopped me and was asking me questions about our truck. Then he said, "What do they call you, Charlie's Angels?" It was so funny! From then on, Brock would say, "Good morning, Angels" or "Come on, Angels."

We went to Walmart to pick up some extra water hoses to use in order to fill up the water coffin. Shannon and Kim were carrying the hoses behind us as we exited. The not-so-nice lady at the door asked them for their receipt. She looked as if she would not let them get by with those hoses if they did not have one. Brock had the receipt, so Kim yelled his name. He turned around and said, "I don't know them." The look on their faces was priceless. They just knew that they were about to go to Walmart jail!

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Decisions for Jesus Christ

There were so many decisions made for Christ at this FX. It was a great success. I thought I'd tell you some stories:

One lady had to leave early. However, her watch broke, so she ended up staying until the end and becoming a follower of Christ in the process!

God moved one of the guys in our band, Pablo, during the invitation one night. Pablo said that he could hear a high school guy screaming in his spirit. However, the guy did not move when it was time to talk to someone about becoming a Christian. Pablo walked up to the guy and asked him if he wanted to become a follower of Christ. The guy said yes, but he was a little nervous about it. His dad was in the gang called Blood and his mom is a crack phene. Pablo shared with him and led him to Christ.

Another girl became a Christian on the drive home from FX one night. She was a straight up atheist before. The Lord grabbed hold of her heart and would not let go until she became His.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

FX in North Carolina

Last night was the smoothest night we've had of FX from security to production to artists and athletes. It was amazing! The people here in North Carolina are great to work with. They have their stuff together and they love to serve the Lord.

The artists and athletes that we are working with are simply unbeatable. They have so much talent and love the Lord. They are all servants and work together with everyone. It's incredible to be able to be a part of this team.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Prayer Service

We have a prayer service on Sunday nights of FX. This Sunday night, we met in a meeting room across the parking lot of the venue in which we were going to perform. During the prayer, I had a cool vision. There were angels surrounding us in the meeting room. Over in the venue, I saw demons congregating almost like they were having their own meeting. Whenever Brock prayed for the Lord to begin right now, the angels marched right over to the arena and began fighting the demons and beating them down! It was like something from a Frank Peretti book, but I saw it!

I looked around and observed all of the wonderful people in the room praying. People from all different denominations and ages with one heart. It made me realize that when we pray, there is POWER.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

A Text Message from the Lord

The other night, Brock was feeling a little down (and he never feels down). It was around midnight and I was headed to the kitchen to warm up my bed buddy (that's the corn in a sock thing that helps warm up your feet). As it was heating, I prayed that the Lord would encourage Brock and speak to him in some way.

At that moment, I heard Brock's phone, which happened to be in the kitchen, make the noise indicating that he'd received a text message. Who would be sending him a message after midnight? I took the phone to Brock out of curiosity.

Within seconds of my prayer, Brock received a message from a friend whom Brock rarely hears from that simply said "Isaiah 54." The Lord spoke to Brock through His Word at the time Brock needed it. Wow! The Lord really cares for His own.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Just a Normal Day at the Post Office

The other day, I was in the post office waiting in line like everyone else. The last song I heard on the radio was going through my head. Then, I realized that I was humming out loud...very loud. The post office was rather quiet, so my humming was exceptionally audible. I didn't even know how long I'd been humming. I glanced around embarrassed.

Then, I thought that maybe the people in line thought that I was extra happy like on the Disney cartoons where everyone walks around singing and stuff. However, the song I was humming was a Metallica song. It's not exactly "Zippa-Dee-Do-Da!"

Friday, October 20, 2006

And It Continues

Guess what happened last night? We locked our keys in the car. It couldn't just end. Something had to happen every day of the precious few days we have at home.

Last night, it got to us. It seems to be the smaller things that get me...well, the smaller things after a bunch of other larger things. Of course, it had to be the night where I was anxious to get home because I have stuff to do in order to get ready to leave today. Also, it was raining. In fact, it rained all day yesterday. What a gloomy day!

Pray that it gets better. We leave today to go to North Carolina where we do a big show Saturday night. Then, we travel a couple of hours to do a Freedom Experience. After that, we drive to our next show in South Carolina and fly to Montana to do a show. It's going to be a big couple of weeks!

Thursday, October 19, 2006

More Car Trouble

On the way home from the Cocoa Tree last night, we got a flat tire. When I heard the flat sound of the tire, I tried to pretend that it was the way the road sounded for the first few seconds. Then, Brock said we had a flat and I knew we did.

We pulled over on the side of the interstate and Brock changed it out for the spare. At least the weather was nice.

I used to get all stressed out and put out when things like this happen. They seem to happen to us a lot and they come in themes. The same type of thing goes wrong in a week. (I notice that lots goes wrong especially when we are busy doing shows. Wonder why that happens???) However, I've learned that there is no point in stressing out or worrying about it. It's just life! Maybe we get more of it than the average person and maybe not. Either way, the Lord always takes care of us, so I'm not worried about it.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Not a Bad Day

Yesterday would seem like a bad day if you just heard the facts. Our pick-up truck wouldn't start and Alisha wasn't home to help us jump it off. We live in the country, so we don't have a lot of neighbors or anything. Shannon was with us, but we were too tired the night before to pick up her car from town. Therefore, the three of us were stranded. Then, after we got the truck fixed, we were involved in a hit and run car accident!

The reason yesterday actually went fine was that just as we were beginning to try to figure out who could jump us off, the water guy came up our driveway. He samples the water in our area and uses our spicket to do it. Brock has befriended him, so he gladly jumped him off. Then, we took the big rig into the shop to get it worked on. While we were there, Brock asked where we could get a battery for a little truck. The guy happened to have one and Brock replaced the battery right then and there. It took him about ten minutes to fix the pick-up!

We were driving around town when all of a sudden, we were hit from behind. At first, we looked at each other nervously. Then, we both smiled and Brock shrugged his shoulders. We already have extensive damage to the back of our truck. We pulled over to the side along with the guy behind us who hit us. Come to find out, he'd been hit by a lady behind him who didn't pull over!

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Tired, Sore, Satisfied

I am so tired right now. Since our show last night was in Jackson, TN which is only a couple of hours from home, we drove home after the load out. We didn't get in until 2 something. It's raining outside, perfect weather for sleeping, but somehow I couldn't sleep after 9:30, so here I am.

You know when you wake up and feel like you've been hit by a train? That was me 30 minutes ago. I'm starting to feel a little more alert though. The soreness is setting in. After we do a big show, we are always sore all over. When my head hit the pillow last night, every muscle ached. The job we do is very physical...loading in, setting up, the show itself, tearing down, and loading out.

However, there is a sense of satisfaction. When your muscles are sore, there is some sense of accomplishment. Also, the show went really well. Therefore, I'm tired, sore, and satisfied!

Monday, October 16, 2006

American Food?

This weekend, we've eaten mexican, vietnamese, japanese, and bahamian food. If I had to choose, I would never eat American food again. What is American food? Burgers and steaks? The only way I'll eat burgers or steaks is if Brock cooks them on the grill.

Shannon is fitting in just fine. She's adventurous when it comes to food. We like to try new stuff. If it's horrible, then we have a fun story to tell.

Live a little and try something new! I happen to love Turkish food if you have any turkish reastaurants around. Tell me some of the great food you have tried.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Show in Kansas

The show yesterday went really well. It was in an old theater. It had ornate curtains that lowered and raised instead of parted in the middle. It also had a balcony with seats all along the sides. It was really cool. The only problem was that it was on the second floor with no freight elevator. We didn't think that we were going to be able to get one of our big props up to the stage. However, the nice, tough boys in Kansas said, "We can do it."

It was sorta nice to be loaded out and finished by 6pm. We drove just an hour to get to Joplin, MO to our friends from Chaos on Wheels. Jen cooked dinner for us and it was great! She's a good cook.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

A New Girl

We have a new girl traveling with us. Her name is Shannon. Since she is brand new and Kim from our office already had plans to come with us on this trip, we have both of them! That's great, because we need all of the help we can get. It's been fun, too.

Yesterday, we traveled all day. We ate at a haunted restaurant for lunch (read more about that at brockgill.com/blog). For dinner, we had vietnamese. We're already breaking Shannon in. Life on the road can be very adventurous.

We are in Kansas now, and of course, it's cold. It's always cold when we come to Kansas. We have a show here this afternoon. Then, we're going to visit with Jeremiah and Jen who lead Chaos on Wheels. Pray that the show goes well and that Shannon has an easy time finding her place with us.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

A Hang-Out

I love having a hang-out. I've always watched "Friends" coveting Central Perk or Seinfeld's coffee shop. I wanted to have a place "where everybody knows you're name." I've been searching since I moved here for that place. A restaurant wouldn't work because you cannot move around and hang out for as long as you want. A coffee shop was a good idea. For a while, I tried the Starbucks in our area. However, it's one of the busiest ones in the nation. Therefore, it's crowded and loud.

Finally, I've found a hang-out...the Cocoa Tree. Since we've been going there every week and claiming the back room for ourselves, it's become our hang-out. The light blue and chocolate walls have a calming and warm effect. The chocolate is a dream! Most of the workers know us by name. People stop by and hang out. We meet new friends. What more could you ask for in a hang-out?

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

"Please Don't Freak Out on Me"

That's the name of our new show. We have been developing a new show over the last few months. We will not do it in its entirety until the beginning of next year, but I'm excited about it! We took a couple of old favorites and combined them with lots of new stuff.

This show is very practical. That makes it easier for everyone. We can do it almost anywhere. It involves the audience more than any of our shows ever have before. About 80% of the time, people from the audience will be onstage participating. Also, you can touch the escape and try on the handcuffs before the show begins if you want.

Basically, we've taken our best asset, which is Brock's personality, and used it to its full potential in a show. This show is where you will laugh and have FUN with Brock.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Daniel

I've been studying the book of Daniel. I read a book about it written by Paul Cho. I wanted to do the new study by Beth Moore. However, I cannot participate in the group study that they are doing at our church. I'm not here enough. So, I purchased a workbook on it and decided to do that study by myself. The first page said that if you don't watch the sessions on dvd, you will not understand the workbook.

I planned on taking the book back. However, that night, I saw one of my friends at the Cocoa Tree. She is in charge of the women's ministry at her church. They had the dvd's, but were doing a different study at the time. So, she let me borrow it. I've really enjoyed it and am learning a lot!

Monday, October 09, 2006

John Mayer/Sheryl Crow Concert

I went with a few girls to see John Mayer and Sheryl Crow last night. It was at an outdoor venue and we had lawn seats. However, we were prepared. We got there early enough where we avoided the traffic and got to stake our claim on some good seats. We spread out our blanket and hung out until the concert began. The weather was incredible! We also brought a lot of snacks so that we didn't have to eat nasty concessions. We had a great time being together.

Two of the girls were absolutely obsessed with John Mayer. I had a good time watching how excited they were to see him. He did a really good job. That boy can sing and play the guitar! I really like Sheryl Crow. She looked great and did a good job. During the middle of her set, to our surprise, she brought out Keith Urban. He sang a couple of songs with her. That would only happen in Nashville!

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Fall is Here!

Yesterday, we drove through the country to get to the trails where we ride our dirtbikes. It was absolutely gorgeous! Leaves were turning colors and falling. Hay bales covered the fields. The sky was a beautiful blue. The air felt clean and crisp. Every now and then, I would stop while we were riding and take in the scene.

Last night, we parked at our friends' house that live in downtown Franklin. Then, we walked across the street to the Starbucks to visit our friend that was working there. After that, we walked to the Cocoa Tree. The air was cool and you could smell fires burning throughout town. It was wonderful!

Saturday, October 07, 2006

A Weekend at Home

It's so good to be home! We're going to enjoy this weekend because it's the only one we will have at home until sometime in December. Brock and I are going riding our dirtbikes this afternoon. It's perfect weather to ride...sunny and cool. Tonight we are going to see our friend's baby, grab some dinner, and meet the gang at the Cocoa Tree. What a day!

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Boiled Shrimp, Rosemary Shrimp, Shrimp and Potatoes...

We picked up some fresh shrimp while we were down by the coast yesterday. These shrimp had just been caught that day! We peeled off the heads and had a great Louisiana shrimp boil. We threw in some potatoes, corn on the cob, and lots of spice! It was yummy! Then, Brock made his famous shrimp dish with potatoes and rosemary, garlic, etc. for dinner. It was amazing!

Tomorrow, we will be on the road heading home. I plan on...actually, I have no plans. We are just going to enjoy being home.

Hurricane Rita: The Forgotten Storm

Yesterday, we drove around in southwest Louisiana where Hurricane Rita ripped through about a year ago. Even after a year, there was much devastation. Whole towns were wiped out! We went to Holly Beach and Cameron. Neighborhoods were simply gone. There were houses sitting in the middle of the swamp! Metal was twisted, gas stations stripped apart, and cars thrown into the marsh.

This storm got overlooked after Katrina. However, it was horrible and the effects still linger in southwest Louisiana. The water got to a level of 37 feet in Holly Beach. The eye of the storm split in two. This caused stronger winds for a longer period of time. All of coastal Louisiana is in a sad state right now even after a year.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Anxiety and Relief

It was Brock's turn onstage. I thought that he didn't go on for another hour or so! Nothing was set and ready yet. Plus, I looked out and nobody was at the sound board to run the music! I'm usually in charge of getting a set order ready and then making sure all of the tricks are set up and ready to go. Plus, I let our sound cue person know exactly what and when to play specific music. I had done none of this!

Brock strolls out onstage and looks at me like "What should I do?" Brock usually knows how to handle himself onstage really well when something goes wrong, but with no music or props, he was at a loss.

I ran back to the sound board and began to try to find some music...something to drown out the silence. Somehow, all of our music had been rearranged and I had no idea where anything was! Everyone was looking at me at this point including Brock who looked so disappointed. Thousands of eyes were looking to me to do something.

I had to think...I had to figure out what to do! Then, it hit me! Wake up!!! That's what I did! Relief came over me as I realized that I was safe in my bed with Brock sleeping calmly beside me.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Brock's Parents' House

Brock is feeling much better. He flew into Houston just fine yesterday. Thankfully, it was a direct flight. He got plenty of rest Sunday and last night, so he's doing much better. It's crazy what your body will do when you are tired.

We are now at Brock's parents' house for a few days. It's very relaxing here, so we will both get much needed rest. I feel like my parents' house and Brock's parents' house are mine too, because when we lived on the road in our truck, we would go to their houses for weeks at a time. Therefore, now, I just make myself right at home.

Brock's grandparents were in a car accident not too long ago. They suffered minor injuries, but it was traumatic for them. We'll probably go see them sometime today.

Monday, October 02, 2006

Please Pray for Brock

Brock is in California and flying to Texas to meet me this morning. Yesterday, he called me and was feeling really badly. He couldn't do anything, had a fever, and hurt all over. When he told me that he was too tired to eat and that he didn't have enough strength to walk across his hotel room to get some water, I knew what the problem was.

Back in April, I felt the worst I had ever felt in my life. The whole day was rough and I just could not explain it. I felt as if I was going to pass out or throw up all day. We discovered that I had clinical exhaustion. I say "clinical" because we throw the word "exhaustion" around too loosely. I didn't feel exhausted. I felt like I was going to die!

Please pray for Brock. He now has the very thing that I never want to experience again...clinical exhaustion. I feel so helpless because he's on the other side of the country. Please pray that he got enough sleep last night and can make it on the plane. I want him to come to me so that I can take care of him.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Birthday Cake Fiasco

Mom's birthday was this month, so we decided to surprise her and celebrate yesterday while we were together. Mom asked me to go to the grocery store that morning, so it was a perfect time to pick up a cake. However, when I got home, I had no idea how to get it into the house without mom seeing it. The kitchen is right by the garage and the dining room table where we were playing cards is beside the back door. She could be in any of these two places at any time. Plus, my sister and brother-in-law were not there yet to help me.

So, I had the great idea to bring it through a window. I opened my bedroom window, ran outside, took the cake out of the trunk, and ran around the side of the house to my bedroom window. I could not get the screen off of the window. I know from experience that the only window in the house without a screen is mom and dad's bathroom window. So, I placed the cake by the front door. I went in and played one hand of cards so mom would not be suspicious. Meanwhile, the cake may be getting hot.

Then, I ran to their bathroom, locked the door, and crawled out the window. I ran around the house to get the cake. The only problem was that the window was too high for me to hoist myself up there much less a cake as well. So, I just went through the back door willing to spill the beans on the surprise, but to my luck, mom was in the kitchen. So, I snuck the cake into my bedroom.

The problem now was that I still had the door locked and window opened in their bathroom. I went back and played another hand of cards. Then, Brock called, so I took the phone outside, grabbed a lawn chair, and was beginning to go back through the window. My dad came out to tell me something to ask Brock. At the sight of me standing on a chair under their bathroom window, he bursted out laughing. However, he did not mention it to my mom. I told Brock that I needed to go because I was crawling through a window. He just said, "Okay." (I guess he is used to my "Lucille Ball" moments and thought nothing of it.)

We surprised mom with the cake and she was none the wiser. I pulled it off!