Newcastle, England

Upon Tyne, as they say. Or, they may say- that's what the map says.
So here we sit, still in our underwear. Well some of us. This morning we treated ourselves to breakfast in bed, room service style.
We were up late last night, Skyping with my family. My mom went to my sisters and we got to chat with them along with my niece and nephew (who was a wee bit sleepy himself). It was nice to see all of their faces, even if my mom's first words to me were "you look tired". Ouch!
I feel great, we all do, amazingly. We are wrapping it up here in the UK, our "Family Holiday Tour" is coming to an end, with a mere three shows to be had before we are back in the states, resting our heads in Hollywood at the Chateau Marmont, thanks tot he fabulous Carolyne. I can't wait to get in the pool, jet lagged with nothing to do. No boxes to move, no luggage to hump in and out of the car- well, for two days anyway. And we get to see Chris Neal!!! And all the guys. Eddie was just saying this morning that he misses playing with the guys, which I think is cute. Awwwwww......
But today we are going to walk up the street to do some quality shopping. We have some gift buying to wrap up and I really would like to bring my Mother something other than the magnet I bought her in Scotland. I can say what I got her because last night I was informed her and my sister only "look at the pictures" in my blog and they don't actually read it, but I have a sneaking suspicion she reads it at work, so SURPRISE, you lucky lady are getting yourself a magnet!
I should go now. Seems like we have lost our camera cord, to download pics into the computer. That's a bummer, I have to go spank someone's butt about it.

Glasgow rock city!

Here I sit at the merch booth with Q and Eddie. What a rad night. We showed up at the club and were promptly greeted by Ally, super nice guy. We drop our things, no soundcheck for E, he likes to keep it a little off the cuff like that. Anyway of course Q is hungry, actually we all were, we were doing laundry at lunchtime and forgot to feed ourselves. So we're walking and spot Chippy's, funny name, great food. Come back to the club with just enough time to set up shop. I'm really diggin' selling merch, getting to talk with everyone, and I LOVE hearing that these cool people are reading my little blog, like Fille (sorry if I butchered your name). I have so much respect for Amber and Chris. They do this shit every night and it's not easy but I'd like to see them do it almost 8 months pregnant. Ha!
Ricky Warwick is playing right now and if you don't have his record go out and get it. Go ahead , I'll wait... He's amazing, one of those voices you could just listen to all night, one of those guys that makes cheating sound romantic. The bastard.
Speaking of bastards, Eddie's just sitting here looking at me so I should try and show him a good time.

Hello Scotland!

I heard "if it's not Scottish, it's crap!" and I believe it.
I love Scotland, it is beautiful.
Our drive from Manchester was late in the day because we were having so much fun there, it was nice to hit the road and have an evening of English and Scottish countryside out the window. But first! Traffic jams. They do 'em up good here, traffic jam-up's are a plenty.
We pull into town at about 9 p.m. and head straight for our hotel, which looked very nice online. We were looking forward to it, after all we have the night off, which means two nights in the same place, it's like a birthday when that happens. Very exciting. You know what isn't exciting? The look on Eddie's face after he had checked us in. He came out, I was in the car still (Q was asleep) and Daddy didn't look happy. I can't tell if he was thinking about the place sucking or thinking about the upcoming events because he knew we wouldn't be staying.
We made our way into the room, but not without a little drama. A telltale sign we shouldn't stay. I leave Q at the door to tell Eddie to take the lift with the bags because there were more than a few stairs to climb- I took the stairs with the key to look at the room (hey, I gotta get in some exercise, there's no Ballard Health Club here). Well for some reason after Q told Eddie he should take the lift and he then took the stairs. I had already made it to the hovel and when Eddie came to the door, there was no Q. Shit! This is just like that time in Disenyland when we both look at each other and notice simultaneously that neither of us have our shorty. Double shit. We are in Scotland now, not Disneyland where they have people hired specifically to look for lost kids- really, they do, it's shameful, I know but this is indeed a fact.
I send Eddie racing down to the lobby and then get a call from the front desk "um, do you have a child missing?" I wanted to say "wrong room lady" but I told her yes, and that his father was currently doing the walk of shame.
I can't lie, Q was upset. He is good in strange places, he deals with his ever changing surroundings and adults on a daily basis like a pro, but he was lost and he had just woken up. Point deducted from the Daly parent score sheet- well, a point from Eddie's side anyway. I'm kidding...

From York to Manchester

Well here we are. We are at the club, "Night and Day" and it is a little like night and day compared to last nights show.

We woke up really early this morning in our York hotel. Due to our said old people establishment and rules- which was nice, other than the no a/c, sharing a bed with Q

and giant African sized spider that crawled under Quattro's shoe, things were good. The breakfast was very English, my favorite. Have you ever tried baked beans with eggs and toast? Do it! Go ahead- do it, it is delicious and sticks with you way longer than a bowl of cereal does. After a quick swim for Q,

we packed the car and headed into the city center where the spooky stuff lies. York

is said to be the most haunted city in England, so we were all about that. We walked around the curling streets, picked up a scooter for Q and a white belt for Eddie (YAY!!!). I bought some lemon curd for my grandparents, something about little bottles with jams, honey and curd always make me think of them.
We were going to eat lunch by the water but decided to go for a bit of tea first and we ended up at Betty's. Oh Betty... you are adorable, and delicious! We ordered a tier of tea sandwiches and sweet treats- it was VERY English, you know, the fancy kind. But I have to say, the service was a bit... cold? Our waiter was French and I'm not saying that is why he was cold, I like the French, I don't care what anyone says, ha ha. He seemed irritated to be working and it was such a cute place, it would probably get on my nerves too. To see people in and out all day, pretending they actually have afternoon tea with tiny sandwiches and itty bitty pastries. It's like playing dress up, cute but annoying to those who can't join in I guess.

Well it was lovely and we sat right by the window so we could people watch, a favorite of the Daly family. I could people watch all day long and sometimes I do. There were a lot of pregnant women and they were all dressed up like babies- you know, maternity clothes are made to make you look like a giant baby, I guess to prepare you for the upcoming arrival. Well, enough about that.
We got our shop on a little more, Q got his characiture drawn and then we decided it was time to move onward.


It sorta feels like NYC here n Manchester. Very American looking, not a lot of gothic style buildings which you find almost everywhere in Europe and the UK. It felt a little like home, or do I just miss my home? I predicted this trip would be just long enough to make me want to come back home and I think we are right on track people.
Our hotel room over looked the city center, where they have a huge fountain that kids can run in. The streets were lined with tents, with bits of crap for sale. We love buying off the street. It is cheaper and more interesting for sure. Q and Eddie decided to partake in the street grub, getting sausages and cheeseburgers.

Q had a couple of bites and then started making this hissing sound- he got the stinkiest of stinky cheeses on his burger. He said he "kinda" liked it, but after every bite, he made the hissing sound. I think it is because the cheese was so strong he could visualize a stream of green smoke coming out of his mouth... well after eating it was time to hit the fountain.



It was hot in Manchester, the weather is quite different here than it was in Europe, which is good because we are heading to LA and then on to AZ next weekend, so we should get used to it I guess.

Thursday morning in York, England

Another rough night of sleeping.
The last two nights we have shared our bed with Q and that doesn't sound like much to complain about but it is enough for me. There's no room, they are all wiggly, the only thing good about it is their face is right there when you open your eyes and the sound of them breathing. That is the sound of angels... well, if I believed in angels. Anyway-
We have never done the "family bed" and although comfort wasn't the reason for that decision, it is now holding a steady place in the list of reasons. Our bed is reserved for us, Saturday morning cartoons and the middle of the night sick kid. Beds are not meant to be shared with squirrely kids- well not my bed anyway.
We stayed at the Newington House in York, it is beautiful really but pretty much meant for old people. We had this thought when we checked in and the front desk informed us that breakfast was over "half nine" and check out was a mere hour later. Ouch! That's early, especially for rockers like ourselves who crawl into bed at 2 a.m. Again had the thought that this was for reserved for the older folk when we were at breakfast the guy took my order, then Eddie's and then proceeds to walk away, without a thought of Q. Trust me, that kid eats more than Eddie and I put together and Quattro don't share food!

York, England

Wow, I didn't have internet all day and I felt the pangs of a drug addict.
I am sitting backstage right now in York, at Fibbers, listening to Ricky play and I need to get my ass out there because he is good. Real good.
But first I wanted to a bit about our time in Brighton.



We spent the night at this really rad place, the Blanch House, where Q made a friend, Tom, the three legged cat.


The staff were so nice and the room was amazing- anyway, this morning we knew we had a 5 hour drive ahead of us but couldn't help but get up a little early and walk on the pier. There were roller coasters a plenty which Q was set on, I was happy I am currently pregnant, Eddie gets to ride the puker, not me.

We hop in the car, but not without a little bit of drama.
Eddie went and grabbed the car to pull up front so we could load our things.
He walks into the room a little quiet, we gather the last bits and he turns to me right before we walk out with a somewhat serious face... "I just want you to know there's a little drama unfolding out front". I'm like totally confused, he was gone for like 15 minutes checking out and moving the car around... oh wait, did I say "car"?
Evidently he pulls into the front spot and pops up on the curb a little and when he backs off it rubs our bumper on the cars bumper in front of us... well, guess who was watching? Ms. Grumpy pants. He didn't hit it, he rubbed it- anyway, she was gone when we came downstairs but I guess not before she put him through the ringer. Asking for addresses and names and calling Avis (good luck with that lady, you'll be on the phone all day) and her son took a picture of him. HIlarious! There was no mark on our car and I told Eddie it was ridiculous and that at least she only asked for his addy and name... so then I got to thinking, this is Eddie- my Eddie!... my next question? "What did you tell her your name was?"

From Germany to Belgium to France to England (and a tiny bit of the Nederlands)

all in a days work I guess.
We drove to Gent, Belgium last night, spent our evening off watching "Desperaux" and booking our next batch of hotels. Things are a little different in the UK. They use this thing called the pound and well let's just say, it's good to make the money over here (since our dollar has taken another crap) but it sure isn't good to spend it. And after Cheeseburg I'm not taking any chances, so I really did my research. I use this website called venere.com and I highly recommend it if you are coming across the pond.
Anyway, this morning we were met with a really warm splash of milk for our cereal. I asked the lady at the hotel if they had any cold milk and she said "yes, it's next to the coffee machine"... I walk over to find a glass jar with what I'd declare, warmer than room temp milk. It was sitting next to the espresso machine, which like many machines gets hot as it runs... so there's the milk temp for ya. It was pretty bad. The milk in Europe is like milk on a farm. When I was younger we stayed a couple of summers in North Dakota with family and they would milk cows and that fresh milk could sit out forever it seemed and not go bad. It's a little like that here, it's delicious, like cream really but warm milk on a bowl of museli? Ick! Momma don't like that. Eddie doesn't mind it and Q is like "Mikey" he'll eat anything.
Speaking of eating anything. In the states there are all these rules on what one should avoid while pregnant. I've never been one for rules, I mean, I like to think I am smart about the choices I make, especially those that will affect someone other than myself, but what's with all the fear in food?
Do they not eat sushi in Japan while pregnant? I'd be hard pressed to find a woman carrying a child over here that avoids sliced sandwich meat for 9 (make that 10) months and the cheese! Please, the cheese is undeniably one of the greatest things about Europe. I could really go on forever. Like wine. I could potentially be tackled in the states if I were to sit down and order a glass of wine but here- they practically bring it to you. I indulge. I'm not going to lie. Truth is, my heart burn is so debilitating a couple of sips and I'm done. I guess that's the Mom in me, the part that I was no doubt born with, given the chance to make a rebel move the core of my being will stop me. So I eat the cheese, I avoid the sliced meat because it is not my thing, I eat sushi when I want and when I know it's good- which is how I roll even when I'm not knocked up. You don't want to mess with iffy raw fish, even if you live in Japan.
We are now sitting on the P&O ferry, leaving Calais, France heading back to the White Cliffs of Dover, where this whole thing started. Well, where the fog of our jet lag set in. We are now past the halfway mark and it feels perfectly timed. I am beginning to think of all the things I want to do this summer at home and the things I will be doing before I get there. This trip is at it's peak and it is only going to get better. I can smell it... or is that the ocean?
From the ferry dock at Dover we will head west to Brighton. It's on the beach and I hear there's some fun to be had. Words like mini-golf and sandcastles where spoke from Eddie's mouth. He who has been practically everywhere and can somehow attain all the info. Remembering where the good coffee is and how to get to the shopping streets. He remembers the clubs and their backstages (I only remmeber them once I've been there, Q can recall which ones he has rode his scooter in). I can't remember if I've been to Brghton or not, that's the case with a lot of places I've traveled with the band. Being on a bus, the travel is so different. You wake up in a town, usually close to the club which is a toss up if it's in a good part of town or not. There's no hotel to get your bearings together in, you step out and it feels a little like you've missed it. You didn't see the crazy factories with fireballs shooting out the top or the beautiful villages (that we call "willages") and you didn't stop at the bridge just to get out and take it all in. The truck stop "pull it overs" are all in the middle of the night, which is really part of the whole experience for us. Finding weird food and candy, buying postcards But there are great things about the bus travel. There's no traffic jams- well not for you, because you are sleeping. You aren't exhausted from driving when you show up at the clubs, and there's something about waking up in a new place every morning that is really thrilling. I feel the itch when I am home too long, whether it is jumping on a bus full of the guys or sliding into the drivers seat myself. I'm grateful for where I live, it is fantastic but sometimes I want to just get back out there and shake things up. It's not too much, it's not hectic, it's not boring- it's our life and I wouldn't trade it for anyones. So I guess I will take a second and thank Eddie for getting up there every night and banging on the guitar and singing his heart out, this is some Willie Nelson shit we are pulling and none of it would be possible without that man and I guess the whole experience wouldn't be possible without all three of us- we may just give him something to write about somewhere along the way. I'll thank Willie too right now, for being an inspiration to Eddie, what was once a 15 year olds dream to be David Lee Roth has evolved into a lifelong career lead by that same desire, only now it's so much more than big hair and tight pants- girls and too much booze. It may sound lame to all of you who think that is the extent of the rock n' roll world, rest assured if you were living it, you'd want to lead the way with a dream that can withstand- or outlast bad fashion, trendy music and girls you met at the rock show. Except for me, he met me at a rock show, but somehow things turned out just a little different.

Attack of the walrus! Koo- koo- kachoo!

You have got to see this.

Happy Father's Day

I raise my glass to all you father's out there. Well, actually just the good ones.



We spent our final night with the Hot Cheese and their family in Speyer. It was bittersweet, sad to leave them as we all had a great time but excited for the next turn in our little adventure.
We will be heading back on the ferry to the UK tomorrow. Tonight we reside in Heidelberg, Germany again. What a beautiful place. We woke up in our fabulous Club Room suite, where the mini bar is free and the pillows are plenty. After a classic Euro style breakfast we all headed to the pool. It was completely empty and really, really awesome.




After some quality time in the pool and a snoop around the nude area (hot tub, sauna and a solarium) we were off to find some good ol' German grub. We, with the help of the hotel guy, ended up at the Spiesel. It was exactly what the baby ordered. Our best German meal by far on this trip and it was right by the Karl- Theodor Bridge.




After "linner" we headed off to the trolley station to take a ride up to the castle, oh... that beautiful castle. But wait! First the rain. You can see it coming, dark cloud and the people on the walking street all start ducking under the shop overhangs or step into an archway. We follow suit (hey, when in Rome) and duck under cover for a few, then being the impatient Americans we are, we decided to just suck it up and get wet- we are not going to melt. Seconds later it seemed the rain just disappeared and the skies were clear as could be. Q kept part of his roll from his meal to feed his new fascination- pigeons.

Relationships doomed?

We figured out Geeps is like a good marriage. After little thought on the matter, I thought I would share my view incase any of you out there are in the market for a marriage... er, I mean a GPS.
You are together for the exact same purpose and rely on each other to do things the other can do themselves, but the set up is suited best for both of you. Being taken care of and the ever important, feeling needed.
Somehow in the mix, tasks are assigned as the things that you do "better" whether or not that is true remains undiagnosed for one simple purpose and that is to make the other feel good about themselves. While you take the much needed break in that department.
Every once in a while (or more often during a rough patch) you fail miserably because you defaulted. The reason only know by you seems maddeningly stupid to the other. You fight, call each other the obligatory name that infuriates one into stone cold silence, as if time is standing still for them but you are getting more lost by the second. It seems that things are gone. Thoughts of, why are we together? I could do all this by myself, probably better. Why did you change so drastically for what seems to be no reason at all? Will things ever be like they were? Were they ever that good?
All of the sudden you aren't a team player, you are screwing everything up, you think you went separate ways at an invisible fork in the road, or was it visible? You didn't see it because you don't have a map! There are no manuals, or maybe there was one at some point in the beginning but it is long gone like this relationship... or is it?
The signal pops back up and the silence parts and in rushes the love. You find yourself reminiscing about a really good time and all is forgiven- you know why you are together, apologies are exchanged but mostly from the side that lost their shit and all is right with the world.
You are now free to find your destination, that you let your partner map out for you.
He got us really lost again. That Geeps, but we love him and we're all learning a little more about the game.

Good morning Eindhoven!

Ahhhh, I feel rested. I feel stiff as hell but rested.
We stayed at the Hotel Benno, cute lobby, great employees- really old beds. Alright, I'll just say it, it was kind of a dump.
When you walk in the htl lobby you think you are checking into the Ritz, everything is modern and funky but the rooms lacked the same enthusiasm to say the least. I'm not even going to talk about the shower, but I had to, my feet were black!
It was in the "Centrum" (think city center), which pretty much is where you always want to be on tour. Staying on the outskirts of anywhere is a drag.
So anyway, we walk up more curling, tiny stairs and the room was less than impressive. But like Eddie said "at least the bathroom is in the room!". Point taken. We decide it will get us through the night. Heidelberg is at our fingertips, we can almost taste it... I suddenly think I have too much riding on this next htl but out here the backstage and htl room is your home. Who wouldn't want them to rock, simultaneously in fact? Traveling with a kid, not to mention pregnant gal (but that is another blog) these things are important. You look for a little more than a place to sleep. Our checking in requires a certain pattern. It has to be within walking distance to a late night snack, we must have extra pillows (Mommy's can I get a "hell ya"?), we like to have a little space so we can whip out the Sculpturades and Uno games and E and I can have a little privacy- which in Europe is about as often as their is a bathtub... not often. Last night our beds laid there (they took a double room and added a bed, right next to the sink which was oddly placed in the room, set apart from the bathroom) right next to each other. All single mattresses, all leaning, heavily, to the right... I had a funny thought that in the middle of the night we'd all find ourselves piled on top of Eddie on the floor, this didn't happen, but it was a funny thought. You're probably not laughing, but you didn't see the beds.
Speaking of laughing, when we left Den Haag yesterday- I don't know what got into us but we were rolling in a fit of laughter, I had a thought that pot is legal in the Nederlands and I wonder if they just pumped it into the air? I thank them, I laughed until I cried and I can't even remember what about. Well there was Eddie choking on a jelly bean, that is making me laugh right now as I sit in the hotel lobby sipping on my cold coffee (boo) alone. Ahhh, next time we should bring a video camera- this tour has been full of hilarious moments.
Okay, Eddie and Q are back from packing up the car and I am sure to get "the look" momentarily so I will surprise him and pack it up. We've been together 10 years now, it's good to keep in interesting.

About last night...

Here is a picture of last night, from club Alstadt, where we were treated super nicely (again) and even though they had the dodgy ladder I had to climb up and down all night, it kept it interesting and everyone had a good laugh every time I successfully made it up (or down) because I would open my sailor mouth about how much I lothed the thing.

Freaky- deaky Dutch

Woke up this morning and went downstairs where Eddie and I enjoyed a little breakfast while Q caught up on some zzzz's He was up all kinds of late last night watching said freaky-deaky dutch. After his 11:30 a.m. wake up call- or cover snatching from Eddie, we got him together and hit the streets of adorable Den Haag. First up, coffee because what they were dishing out at the Centrum was about as good as a week old beer. We head back over to the place that served us dinner, they know coffee.
We stopped at a bunch of little shoppes along the way, we are all on the search for some items on our Euro journey. It is always nice to have a "plan" otherwise we'd come home with a lot of crap and crap we don't need.
I want a new purse, a good one, not a Marshall's purse (not that there's anything wrong with that) and Q (well, Q wants everything but he's 8 so we allow that- remember my motto?) he wanted a wallet which he got in Switzerland. Check!
Eddie wants (aka needs desperately) a new guitar case- his doesn't have a handle... quality stuff right there and he wants a white belt. He got one in NYC about 3 years ago and let's just say it has seen better days.
So we're walking, we stop about just about every toy store. Picking up a little something for the new Ms. Daly, Q got a wooden bow and arrow set and a parachuting martian holding a guitar (which he named "Zinky") and a cool toy called "Zeebeez"- it's highly entertaining, I recommend it to anyone that is traveling with a kid. It was nice, it was fun to walk around with the family. We do so much driving and hanging out at the clubs, today was super nice to just wander. Eindhoven was only an hour and half drive so we, of course, waited until the last minute to leave, which is usually about 20 minutes past the last but this is our rodeo, so we can do that.
I found that purse I was looking for, it rocks, I love it so much I am waiting to use it after I get home. Touring is dirty, this purse is way too nice for the backstage floor. It will most likely turn into my diaper bag but it will be one kick ass diaper bag so I'll take it.
We found this huge music store where we just knew Eddie was going to walk out a winner- alas, it wasn't his day. The case they had he didn't like, it was kinda cheesy and even though it had a handle E's got his own thing going and when he wants something in particular, he waits for the kill.
Speaking of kill. I am going to kill myself if I have to sit here and listen to these boys pop that ZeeBeez toy one more time and I have to walk down this damn ladder backwards, in my floor dragging skirt I wore- so I better go. Pack it up, call it a day and tomorrow we rock Heildelberg. Actually I think the show is in Speyer, just outside there but we'll be staying two nights in that rad htl I booked, so I can't wait to get on with it. We will be slipping into our swim suits and walking through this fabulous castle, which I will post pics of. Eddie and I walked through this same castle when I was pregnant with Q. I could have stayed there for days, it was stunning.
So the Dutch shows were "ehh". I'm not sure if they "get it" or if they are just too brainwashed by the techno (which most European cities lean towards, if you ask me. There's almost always a curfew on rock shows so they can get out the glow sticks) but if I had to score it- the Germans take it. Their enthusiasm mopped the floors with those who reside in the Nederlands.

Den Haag, Nederlands

sound check
Tonight they rock the SuperMarkt.
So we rolled out of the tenderloin bright and early this morning and pull into Den Haag about 2 p.m. Unfortunately our bad luck follows and "Geeps" craps the bed. As soon as we pull into our first turn off the highway, he just loses signal, starts pointing in 12 different directions and that's that. We're lost. A great town to be lost in though, the streets are small and windy, there's about a hundred people on super cute dutch bikes, a canal full of lily pads and row boats, it's like a Meg Ryan movie!
It was almost easy not to be frustrated, after leaving the crotch of Cheeseburg, tooling around the streets of cutie pie Den Haag was alright with me. Eddie on the other hand, finds it hard not to get totally pissed when Geeps takes off. Men. I'm guessing he just gets mad because he then has to get out and go ask for directions. Which no man likes to do, and when you are up against the Dutch, well if you've heard the Dutch, you'd know, it's not easy. So many vowels!
Anyway, I told him to keep his pants on and we then found the place, Hotel Centrum. My hero! It is beautiful, giant white leather couches, a master bedroom with a balcony- a place to rest (with both eyes shut).
So that's what I did. I laid on the bed, took my shoes off and fell fast asleep. Eddie and Q went wandering about to find some food, after my nap I was greeted with lunch and we then took a stroll to find the club and that is where I sit.
In fact the Pace Shifters have just gone on and I am going to go check 'em out. They are getting better every night- if you don't know them, go to paceshifters.com. You will not be sorry.

Loving it!

I just noticed there are like almost 2400 views on this thing, we've only been here a week! I love it, thank you- this is totally fun, something we will have forever too. Like a diary I can't loose.
Keep reading, post the link and come out to these shows.
Oh and, the Pace Shifter boys share the stage with Eddie on the last 3 or 4 songs each night, he is doing his usual awesome, one man show-show.

We're alive!!!

It's was rough, I'm not going to lie.
3 or 4 times I heard someone walking down the hall and I was prepared to jump up, jammies and all and battle the one that tried to break into our room. But it was all in my head. There was no drama, no one wiggled out doorknob, no one knocked asking for strange items, like I imagined most of the night.
Around 5 a.m. I woke up to construction. Forgetting where I was I was wondering "what about the noise ordinance?". Silly me.
So I laid around, packed some stuff and then at about 6:30 I found my sister on Skype, so that was nice. My talking woke Eddie (oops) who jumped up and was ready to get the show on the road too.
Q is still fast asleep as I type, it's about 7:45 a.m. now.
E and I walked down the hall to have breakfast, which was really bleak. It's so not European of them too, breakfast is usually the best part of your stay- I mean, not a a hovel but at the hotels, Europeans do it up right. You won't find a lonely bowl of Froot Loops, it's all usually very serious foods. Alas, this morning it was bad "koffee" and stale bread. I can only assume they got it from the soup kitchen they must run from 4-7 p.m.
Tonight we rock Den Haag which you will find snuggled in the Netherlands. I'm looking forward to it, as it is the home country of our lovely Pace Shifter boys. who Eddie will share the stage with just three more nights. We will miss them along with Frank and Mom, who are the sweetest people you will find. So if you are at the show, come over to the merch booth and say "hi" buy something and keep the dream a live people... I'm just glad I made it through Pension- Kieler Hof alive.
Danke vielmals!
JD

Rawkusly yours from Cheeseburger

Well tonight they showed up and they loved it. They were a fabulous crowd and Q and the Pace Shifter boys had a great time running around, burning off some steam.
We walked the water front after dinner, it looked a bit like we could have been in Seattle, it was nice. We are definitely on the wrong side of the tracks where I sit now.
We are back at our "hotel" and it's about the only time I wish I was still at the smokey club. Ugh, do these people like to smoke. They like smokes with their smokes... kids- just say no to smoking. It is disgusting.
Anyway, the street here is loud. I feel weary of our ability to sleep tonight. The guy down the hall has his TV on so loud Eddie wants me to wake him up if I go use the bathroom- I suggested his TV is loud so no one can hear you scream... We are setting the alarm for extra early, how's 7 a.m. strike ya (it's like 1:30 a.m. now) because this place is sure to set us up for a rough day if we stick around in the morning. I figure we get up and scram and pretend like it never happened. We are in the tenderloin of tenderloins, I feel dirty. I figure I spent enough years roughing it to know when I am too "good" for this stuff and it is now.
At the club tonight I booked us two nights in a rather pricey hotel in Heidelberg for the weekend. We have a day off and it will be spent getting back on track, I'm trying not to obsess, you can see how well that's going for me.
I wish I had more to say, I'd stay up all night typing. I feel like someone needs to watch these boys sleep. Oh I'm (half) kidding Mom, it's not that bad... it's not that good either but I will be sure to log on in about 5 hours so you know we are all still alive.
Good night, sleep, um, with one eye open.
JD

Hostels

I'm spoiled.
There I said it. I am damn spoiled.
I'm trying to get back to my roots here people, or I'm forced to. I did not grow up rich and I'm not rich now but let's just say I want for nothin' these days and this place is hard for me to wrap my head around. And it isn't bad, it's nicer than many of my apartments have been (Heidi, remember the attic?). We just checked into the Pension-Keiler Hof (I wonder if that has anything to do with the Hasselhof?) and Q and I had to use the loo immediately, so we walked up two flights of stairs (yes with all our bags, we're tough), we walk into the room and start scratching our heads. Where is it? There are three beds (one for each of us, JUST KIDDING!) and an Ikea style closet and what's that big white box thing? A toilet? No, it's a shower. Straight in the middle of the wall, to the right a sink and not a toilet to be seen... boo. It's down the hall. I'm going to go ahead and use the pregnancy card and say this sucks because I use the thing about 45 times during the night but really, I'm just spoiled.
But not that spoiled. Eddie said "we can move htls" (which is what I LOVE about that man, "happy wife, happy life" really is his motto) but it's cool. We have a good thing going, we can skip the room service and wake up calls for a night, not because I want to but because MY motto is "it's okay to be spoiled but it's not okay to act spoiled".
Tchau,
JD

Supersucker fans.

There it is again, the chatter on the msg board about little ol' me. I think it is true that all press is good press but I wanted to say "thank you" to my sweet friends on there. You know who you are. It really doesn't affect us to read the BS though, I mean we are traveling through Europe, what do I have to complain about? Some faceless punk? Ha! He should keep it up because the more people that read the msg. board will read my blog and that is fun for me. I am not writing it so no one will read it. Win. Win. And yes I do read the bands msg board still, all of it. I just can't log on, I'm on Eddie's computer over here and I can't remember my login info. But this is a machine we are running, this is it it's not a side job, it's a lifestyle- the whole thing. I do whatever I can to keep this thing of ours going. I don't want to give up my position in life as a stay- at- home- or- anywhere- in- the- world Mom. I've got it real good and I am fully aware of that and so is Eddie. We are the lucky ones and we know that. Eddie's letter to the fans and all of the correspondence any of us do as a family will no doubt relate somehow to the band. I will "whore" this thing out until the end sweet pea.

It is unfortunate I guess about the baby stuff but really on this end, it is what it is. Once you are "out there" (and who isn't these days) you are available for cheap shots. But I do respect my fellow SS fans that take it upon themselves to defend the honor of the unborn. I'm not too worried about what it is my children will do with their lives when they grow up, I'm not even worried about what kids (or their parents) think about their names, playground or no playground. And if they grow up to be doctors or lawyers or street sweepers, my job is to make sure they learn to not take too seriously all the faceless punks that will follow them in their life, because it'll happen. She's got about 3 more months in the womb still and already a fan base. Do I think that's a plus for her? Not neccessarily but like I said, it is what it is. Our life.

Thank you!

Sitting backstage, after a day of walking, coffee drinking and just really loving life here in the streets of Germany. We are now getting reconnected with our friends who spent their day off back in Switzerland.

Quattro is on the guitar again, he, Eddie and Seb are having themselves a little jam.

Tomorrow we head to Cheeseburg, which is a fantastic place, the name is actually Hamburg but that isn't as much fun to say now is it.

It's show time now and I must go watch the Pace Shifters- check them out paceshifters.com (aka "Hot Cheese")

JD

Stuttgart, day 2

We woke up early to get in on the breakfast action downstairs, which was a bit of a mistake cause it kinda sucked. Oh well, you can't win 'em all. 

And then the rain came. My prediction was that it burn off by the afternoon, so we all decided to go back upstairs, get into bed and read- what a thought. To just sit around and read together. It was perfect. 

I am reading "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult, Q's on Harry Potters "The Deathly Hallows" and E is reading "The Corner" by David Simon and Edward Burns- creator of the Wire. At some point I decided to put the book down and take a nap, then Q and Eddie followed suit. All jammed in the same bed, one by one waking up to get the blood flowin'.

I hear Eddie out on the balcony changing his strings, which he broke two of during the show in Zurich (and he didn't stop the show, how does he do it??). He looks nice out there, my meterolgy skills proving to be correct, the sun is shining and it's looking perfect outside. 

Quattro joins him, to watch and learn. He is really into the guitar lately, having spent the last few months on the drums at home, he switches back and forth every few. He's got the bug and the gift, a dream combo for him and a Mother's fear. He too will most likely be in a band.

It's not that I think it isn't a good life. It is, I mean, I chose it too in a way- or did it choose me? Well, it chose Eddie for sure, he couldn't avoid it if he tried (which he didn't, not even for a second). But it's hard. I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly and if you haven't lived on the road- you really have no idea. It can take a great/talented person and change them. It will chew you up and spit you out, several times over. It will steal the best of you, whether you are famous for what you do or not. It's a lifestlye that doesn't fit too many. It's not always glamorous if you are touring arenas to 15,000 people or when you are hitting the dive curcut to 300. It's good livin' sure but it's hard. I guess that's why I like to bring the family out, I want to show him, if you're going to do it, "do it this way". Not that I think we are perfect but Eddie and I- we have done nothing if not perfect the family tour. We have discovered there's more to it if you are willing to move outside the box. If you can fly your middle finger to all the nay-sayers, there's really a good way to live this life, it comes with it's challenges but what doesn't? Figuring out who's going to pick up the kids after baseball when you are both working late has got to be a struggle but if you want to, you find a way to make it all work out. We waded through all the shit too. The getting kicked off tour (during the Baggins and Fisher "no wives on tour!!") tour, which I had traveled all the way to Paris for, 7 1/2 months pregnant with Q. We had a harder road than we would have if I would have stayed home, the way all the chicks did back then but then again, I wouldn't be writing you this blog either. If I didn't come out for the last 10 years, if we didn't stick our necks out and blaze a new trail for ourselves, we wouldn't have made it and that is a fact.

Wow, where did that come from? Damn hormones. 

So that is where they are. On the balcony, learning songs now. Q wonders when it is going to stop hurting his fingers, if you have never seen Eddie's fingers, they are round little pods, callusted over from what we figure to be 28 years of playing.

And now we roam. Hopefully "Geeps" will get his act together. Last night, leaving the restaurant at 11 p.m. we get in to the car to a "no signal" sign. We were just singing his praises on the way to dinner too. Saying the extra 15 Euro's a day was worth it (22 days, you do the math, yikes!) but then he just crapped out on us. We were thinking he'd get it together but he didn't, we had to navigate ourselves with no real map (just a very german tourist map from the front desk, I'm glad I picked that up on our way out, I was actually thinking about going to the zoo and then I remember how depressing they are to me- like birds in a cage). We made it though. With Eddie's guessing and my instinct to follow the tracks, we ended up right where we were supposed to be. Go figure. See I told you we're really good at this.

Stuttfart, Germany

And we're back. Back in Germany that is.

Short drive today, I didn't even have time to get tired of driving. I will go ahead and enjoy that.

So I was thinking about our animals today, I hope they are all doing well. Monkee is no doubt in all of her glory with the Hoopers, they are really good people and if I had to pick God parents for her, they'd be it. 

It's rainy and muggy and there's no damn internet at this htl, don't you know we are going to be here two days. The front desk lady is very German about the whole thing saying there will be no internet while we are here- just like that, no internet. Ugh.

Quattro has taken to buying German comic books, he can't read them of course but funny translates I guess. He was sitting in the back seat cracking up

Zurich, Switzerland

German is one of those languages that no matter how slow they say something, or how good the hand gesture- I have no idea what they are saying. It is indecipherable and that, to me, just makes things all the more interesting. It is pretty cool to be "all alone" in such a huge land. We will spend most of the first part of the tour in Germany- but today, we are in Switzerland.

Oh Switzerland... I could live here. 

We get up yesterday in Dusseldorf, Germany which for some reason totally reminded me of Prague. Prague is like a movie set, everything looks fake. We drove about 6-7 hours to make it to Zurich, I was behind the wheel most of the way until I was hit by the inevitable jet lag. It is like a sneak attack almost, I'm driving things are fine and then all of the sudden if I don't close my eyes, I feel as if I will just drop dead. Jet lag is funny that way, when you travel this far, it lasts a good 4-5 days, sneaking up on you at odd times to  make you feel a little bit crazy.

I gotta go now, we are getting the boot out of this htl. But first let me say, the Coronado rocks! If you are ever in Zurich, stay here. It looks like a dump from the outside, but we are on the top floor, it's an A frame style room with giant sliding doors on the ceiling/wall that reveal a very huge window that overlook a park and train tracks- which by the way, goes by so often you hardly notice it. The bathroom is all glass, frosted so no one can see you shower but glass all the same. After Eddie and I showered, Q got in and I found a switch next to the bed that turned on this awesome blue light that ran up and down the glass walls of the shower- a shower for Q to remember. I asked him if I could take a picture... you'll know the answer when you scroll down and don't see it.

We were promptly given the boot at 12. Well, they started calling at 11 and then again at 11:30, the lady said to E on the phone "I have told you already about checking out at noon, right?"... we walked out of the room at 11:59- Daly style.

So what to do? We have the day off, tomorrow's show is back in Germany, Stuttgart to be exact, so we walk. Well, we drive back through the tunnel to the city center. It's magical here- if magic to you is primo shopping district. I could be here a month and probably not go into every store. The one good thing about this particular tour? I won't spend all of my earnings (yes, I'm getting paid) on clothes... I'm 7 months pregnant and I'm only getting bigger by the day. I think I'll only buy if I actually grow out of something along the way- but this place, this place has the good eats too.

Last night our very gracious hosts told us about a place, "Johanniter" and that is where I sit as I type up the last half of this blog. First part was in bed this morning in my 10 minutes before I had to get out of it, they wanted 57 Swiss Francs for us to stay later, ouch!

The food was delicious. I had a ham and cheese on crusty bread and a califlower soup. Homemade and totally what the baby ordered. Eddie had this crazy chicken cordon blue, but it was with pork (we think) pomme frites of course, they come with everything. And then there's Q.... he was saying he wanted a hamburger, I told him "when in Rome..." so when he got the menu he was happy to through back in my face that in "Rome" or Zurich, they too have hamburgers on the kids menu. The little girl next to us was eating a hot dog... so the similarities are there for sure. The kids are universal eaters of "kid food". I was fine with it, ordering off the adult menu would have cost three times as much, the Swiss ain't cheap.

Oh, I forgot to tell you about last night! So we show up, straight off the highway, tired, hot- it was their hottest day yesterday, 32 I think (celcius of course) which you do something like times by 1.8 and add something else. I know that 25 is god, 30+ is warm/hot and 16 is perfect for sleeping. It's the little things you have to learn when you are a broad- temps are good for when you are setting the thermostat in your room and how to order some coffee. WHich I have been drinking WAY too much of, I guess I'm hoping for a low birth weight. I'm totally kidding... well, mostly.

Q and I knock on the door of the Kontiki Club. It's located on this adorable street. Brick walking streets, lined with restaurants with tons of outside tables. There are so many, they all blend together, you can't really tell where one place starts or stops. I love it, this is my thing, if I were not pregnant I would be sitting down immediately and ordering a bottle of wine while E and Q unload the merch and guitar... alas, I am with child. I'm not against wine while holding, I am sharing a glass with Eddie right now actually but you know, the other me... bottle of wine, I don't mess with the glass.

I'd like to thank Danny right now for cooking us this fabulous BBQ. Not only were we on a rooftop, in Switzerland with a giant church directly in front of us, we were welcomed by people that at home they'd totally be our friends. Just really cool, down to earth people, covered in tattoos. I felt immediately like we were in a good place.

I'm forgetting the name of our hosts right now, I'd probably butcher the hell out of them anyway, I would tell you all about the dog bite but now I feel bad because the owner (who was really, really nice and good to all of us), I heard she didn't come to the show because she felt so bad. I'm so bummed, I wish I could tell her (hey, maybe she's reading!) that there are no hard feelings. This stuff happens, so real quick I will only say Q still thinks your dog is really cute, sure, we call him "Kujo" now but half in part because we can't remember his name either.

The show was lightly attended, but it didn't sound like it. I was in the backstage most of the evening, feeling very comfortable in a backstage on the nights that they are super nice, I take advantage. But every cheer, you'd think there were a couple hundred people, which is great and sometimes it's nicer to have a small crowd who are really into it, than 300 people who are so out of it wasted. Listen to me, I sound like an old person. But I'm not, I'm all of a night of dibaughtchery but this is a family tour, so that's where my head is at. 

And what a great time it's been so far. We are 5 days in, 16 to go and we are really just taking it all in. Getting to roam around today really made it feel complete, 

Our fellow road dogs, the Pace Shifters and family just walked up, they too are getting their roam on. They read my last blog, didn't love that I called them babies but I'm sticking to it. They should enjoy it, I too am the baby in my crowd, it's good, it beats the alternative.

It's time for me to shove off, Eddie just spotted a sign for "Hooters", so that means it is time for a change of scenery. Last night we noticed a McDonald's right in the middle of that cute walking street with all the restaurants- there's just something about it. It really takes the majesty out of it all. I boo it. I mean, I've eaten it, but over here- I boo it. In France, now that's a McDonald's I can somehow get behind, they have the good "moutarde". France has some great food but when you are on tour, sometimes there's only time for fast food.

Hasselhoff

I'm not sure why the Germans love David Hasselhof, it's something you don't think about at home to much but over here you do. It's strange and that is all I have to say about that.

We are back on the ol' Autobahn, Eddie was released to the drivers seat about 4 minutes ago and I am taking a much needed break. We left at 11 a.m. and it's 4:30 now, I drove straight through and I'm now cross-eyed. 

I was going about 90 and suddenly our car shook and there was this loud growling noise, no it was not my stomach. We were being passed or blown away by a car that must have been going 200 mph. I am not kidding. It made Eddie feel like he peed a little, it was insane. As Gloria would say "Peace be with you".

Geeps says we have about 60 miles left which seems impossible since we have been driving forever but we did hit another jam up, this time it was construction, 4 miles 45 minutes. Ugh.

Well that was tedious. I know I can be a bit of a back seat driver but he's awful. No wonder Thunder never lets him drive. Ha ha, sorry E but driving is not your forte.

We are here though, we made it safely to Hotel Flora in Dusseldorf, heading out now to the club to eat dinner. 

JD

This sucks!

There has been no internet for the last little bit. Rest assured, I am bloggin' my butt off. 

Eddie, Q and I are in Stuttfarts city center where we just ate some yummy dinners and now we are enjoying the quiet evening, Eddie with a Stuttgarter hofbrau and Q with some banane eis- me, I'm just enjoying a full belly and a baby breakdancing in it. Tonight we chill, tomorrow we roam and rock, that's what it's all about (clap, clap).

So here's what we got so far.

Dusseldorf.

Show number two. Done. Yay!

So tonight was decidedly more mellow than last night but you know, it just isn't Berlin so what do you expect. I have to say though, it was pretty damn fun. We were once again met outside by the promoter, Jan was super nice and gave us all the in's and out's of the night, which is more than I can say for our booking agent, but let's not ruin it.

It was fun. Their cheering reminded me of a soccer game. Like somoene kicks a goal and "YYYAAAAAAHHHHHHYYYYYY" and then- silence. I hear it is like that in Japan too.

Anyway, it was "Japanese Day" today and they were having this crazy celebration. Fireworks, street vendors, crazy costume wearing freak-a-zoids and I'd guess about a 150,000 people walking the tiny streets of Dusseldorf's city center. It was madness. We tried to take a photo of it all when we were pulling out but you couldn't really capture that amount of insanity. All we could do was sit in the car and laugh, we were stopped by the swarms of people. Finally I started to just creep through but it was hilarious. And then there was the train- full of people, I mean "sardine can" doesn't even come close to what this was. It was every man for himself, at least 200 people in one train car- hysterical.

Alright, I'm being called for bed now. It is like 1:50 a.m. and homegirl needs to hit the sack. We are off to Switzerland tomorrow which brings a long drive but a really happy family. We spent my first Mother's Day there when Q was just like 5 months old, it was rad, we rode a pedal boat in this amazingly blue lake, ate delicious food... we are going for round two- and what's that? It's almost Father's Day? It must be fate.

Berlin

Here we are, first morning after the first show and I gotta say, this is going to rock.

The whole thing, major traffic jam included.

We left Duisburg (sounds like Dweezeburg) yesterday around 1 p.m. 300 miles to go. We hit the Autobahn and everything is looking great. I'm driving (remember we decided I was better at that, E better at the navigating- although we have "Geeps" which is our trusty GPS, to assist).

We go 100 miles in like an hour. We are keeping up with the Germans, well almost. They aren't kidding over here with the driving. Along the way we weren't cut off more than twice, no one flipped us off and not one honk (except for mine, hey I'm American!). And then the brake lights.

It was no regular jam up, this was what one can only describe as an international cluster f#*@k, (sorry, I gotta keep it semi clean, their are kids reading "hi kids"!). With the help of Geeps' calculations, we went about 19 miles in 4 hours... at the end we were glad we didn't see the carnage, we saw the tire marks... that was enough. And we couldn't bitch too much, those on the other end... I was just glad to be where I was, manual transmission and everything.

9 p.m. we roll into club SO36 where we were welcomed at the curb, first class I tell ya, first class. We missed dinner but I want to shout out right now that even at 1 a.m. that food was delish! Totally rad and very much what we needed after the first nights dinner (remember the liverwurst? not always the best idea after a 31 hour travel day). Our friends the Paceshifters opened up the show, these guys aren't only really awesome to watch but they are really good- and adorable! They look like babies (which they will hate me saying) but are old enough to drink, which is weird to see- have you ever seen a baby with a beer? Ha ha... 

They played some great songs, which I will know the name of after a few more shows and a few more hours of sleep. Last night was not only hot, there were only mesh curtains, so I was up with the sun, which seemed to be about a hour after I went to bed.

Eddie went on at like 11 I guess, to a very big crowd of enthusiastic people who knew almost every word. It is amazing still to travel this far, to a country where they speak a different language and still somehow they are connected to him. I love, it's a little bit of magic.

Quattro manned the merch booth the entire night doing a stellar job with the Germans. The ladies loved him and he sold that merch like Chris Neal, who in fact, taught him everything he knows. We miss you Chris, but rest assured the merch is getting taken care of by little man.

And I, well I just took it all in. The 31 hours of travel, I relished the fact that we did it, we made it and we are living the life that we planned from day one. It's nice and rare I think, time has a way of changing things and people. It's nice to reflect on an idea that we had 10 years ago and see it realized, I guess I'm just breathing a sigh of relief here- sorry, that wasn't funny or witty, it was sappy and sentimental... I'll try to reign it in people.

And we're out. Eddie is staring at me, thinking "why on earth isn't she ready yet?" and I think I am. I'm ready, to drive directly back where we came from yesterday, all 300+ miles to Dusseldorf, Germany. That's how it goes on tour, back and forth, back and forth. Enjoy the ride.

JD

London

We arrived in London after a very short flight from Amsterdam. We are beat. 

Getting out of the airport was easy, with one small mini heart attack about the guitar. Of course all our bags were there except the guitar... it's always somewhere else. I'm not sure if maybe the baggage handlers like to take it out and play it for a minute or what happens, but we always wait for the guitar.

So there it is and we are set. Or are we?

Head to the Avis counter, which is of course a bus ride away. We are pretty organized though. I've had the rental booked for weeks, so I'm assuming there are going to be problems. This is not my first rodeo. Little did I know we were going to walk out of there a couple hundred pounds lighter due to unforeseen complications. Read "BS" at the Avis counter.

They tacked on all kinds of stuff, charges for going out of the UK, charges for "extra" insurance to take it out of the UK and evidently our GPS needed to be more expensive too- "whatever" we think, let's just get out of here. We know we have to get going, there's a learning curve we are up against, it's been a while since either of us have driven on the wrong side of the car, not to mention the wrong side of the road so we know we are rusty- have to make to Dover by 3 to catch that ferry Things are looking tight.

"Um, what is that?"

Oh, that would be a stick. We got ourselves a manual transmission here people and guess what? It's on the left!

I can work a manual, I was one of those that said I would never want an automatic because I thought they were for lazy people- then I moved to a real city and got my first automatic, never looking back. 

So yeah, shifting with the left hand, sitting on the right side, driving on the left (but only in England)... this is an adventure after all, our stars aligned and left nothing out.

We made the ferry. Eddie carries our tiny passenger (see pic) to the main deck, I suss out a good seat and we relax, my vision is starting to get blurry... I'm guessing we're up for 18 hours, Elvis is moving around constantly so I am resting easy, we did it. Well the "hard" part.

Pulling into France, I decided to drive. I don't need to practice, I take us right off the boat and straight to Belguim... don't forget to call Mom. Done. Yes, while driving- sorry Mom.

We just drove through a rainbow. It was a pretty awesome sight weather was dodgy, hard rain, then nothing- we all spot the rainbow and just like that it appears in the road and we actually watched ourselves drive through it. Eddie says "well that must be a good sign". He's not really into signs but if that wasn't one, neither am I.

Stopped for ice cream and saw a couple of roosters in the parking lot. Strange somehow but not too much since it does look a lot like Wyoming or something out here. Minus all the foreign language signs. Paid for our coffees and Q's Chocomel (Cecemel in the Belg. speak) and saw a kitty in the window. The lady said she sits there a lot, Q wanted to feed her but I think once you feed a stray they stop hunting for themselves... side note, sorry.

I believe we made it to Germany when I decided I had had enough. My feet are swollen and my brain is squirrely, I need to sleep, we have 90 miles until Duisburg, which is where the wicked rest tonight.

We're here. The GPS got us pretty close to the htl, those things are handy but we could have bought on for the price of the rental and this one doesn't even speak to you like the others- well maybe it does and we haven't figured it out yet. Last time ours was speaking french and we could not get it to shut up, so we welcome the silence. Speaking of silence, that is what we are going to do now, be silent and sleep. It's been 26 hours.

Not so much I forgot there was a kid and pregnant gal on this trip. We need food!

Checked into the Etap, not the finest of htls but a place to rest our heads for sure. You check yourself in, no desk clerk at night, so we were on our own for food

Eddie drove around a bit then we decided he was the navigator and I was the (better) driver. We ended up with crackers, cheese and liverwurst- favorites of all of our, so it was okay. We got a bottle of "Munsterland" Bananenmelk, it is delicious. Not our usually dinner time grub but it is the 27th hour and as long as we aren't laying down to the sound of growling stomachs- we're good.

Dudes are in the shower, we had to pry Q away from Ki.Ka. It's a German cartoon of a piece of tofu, I'm not kidding. He has no legs and giant hands and Quattro thinks he is hilarious, I'm just glad he thinks Germans are funny.

Ciao,

JD

Amsterdam

So here we are, sitting at the airport in Amsterdam. We just flew about 9 hours and have an hour or so until we get on the flight to London. 

It was uneventful, which is what you want in a flight. I can't say as much for the day before. 

Quattro got totally sick on his last day of school, which had us heading for the doctors office less than 20 hours before we were set to take off. High fever, barf, the whole bit... it was ugly. But then around 11 p.m. he woke up, saw a commercial for "Trix" cereal and said he was hungry (Eddie went and bought the Trix, and why not- Trix are for kids, points for Eddie). So the trip was back n as scheduled, there was no barf, only a slight fever midway through, which lead to a 3 hour nap for him.

Right now we are drinking some coffee, tea and hot chocolate at a cafe. I'm typing (sorry if it isn't interesting yet, I'm exhausted) and Q and E are counting their Euros, which Q had our driver let him out before we left the house, so he could run in and grab his piggy bank full of foreign currency which he collected on his last tour of Europe- that kid is always thinking. He just told me "see we are doing math class right now" and I gotta say he's right. I give him props, I used my credit card to buy a magazine because I didn't want to find the right change... we all have our ways of staying in touch with math. Currently mine was trying to figure out how many glasses of water I had on the 9 hour flight and then just for fun, I tried to count up how many times I used the loo... a lot.

Alright, I see where this is headed.

Write more later.

JD

6 countries, 21 days, 16 shows, 1 rad kid, 1 guitar holding man and a pregnant girl. Adventure awaits.

We are about to set off. Four days and counting (and three days until Eddie gets home). We are chomping at the bit to get out of here. I have cabin fever really, really bad.

This year has been exceptional, some changes have been made that are not only life changing for all of us, but really I think they are impeccably timed... such as life for the Daly's.

So this blog will be updated nightly (I hope). We have quite the journey ahead of us, one very similar adventure was taken when Q was 4 months old. We set out to do 5 weeks, something like 15 countries in the little van that could. That trip had a couple of friends with us and this time it'll just be us. Yay!

We showed Q from the very beginning how things were going to be- he was not to change us, but we were going to change him, morph him, if you will. I think it worked out, he is highly adventurous, knows no limits when it comes to fun, travel and his imagination. He's a product of growing up on tour- and this blog will be an extension to that, minus the debauchery. Mama's pregnant.

Enjoy,

JD & the boys 

(which in three months will change... "JD, Elvis and the boys"?)