The HOOP TOUR - A journey of Passion

I am a really blessed person to be able to hoop my way from Florida to Cedar Rapids, Iowa every year. This is my third year hooping my way to see my friend Dr. Terry Wahls. And honestly I am still tickled to call her, "My friend."  In 2016 I was an attendee with a hula hoop and now I am a helper with like 20-30 hula hoops. I could tell you many wonderful stories from last year's conference, however you can hear those stories on my YouTube Channel: Restorative Hooping with Crazy Amy. Look for videos titled, Stories from the Hoop Circle. And enjoy them. 

My travels started in my home state of Florida this year with my community of people that I hoop with both HealthFit on Clark and my Venetian River Club peeps.  They both helped me kick off my tour this year. And this year's kick off was a little challenging because we were waiting for a biopsy to be done on my husband. A month of waiting can really wipe out a brain! Turns out Rich is all good, but the build up to the biopsy day was exhausting and we really did not know if our summer plans were changing.  That said, I was happy to kick off the tour in Florida and know that I was heading to the midwest!  Below are pictures of the tour thus far. 

The process for touring involves setting up a lot of things. Mostly connecting with people who are interested in bringing Hoola Fit to their community. And this year has been exceptional. Location are blossoming as the day get closer to the event that I am traveling too in Cedar Rapids.  Additionally this year to add some fun, my creative daughter Cassi designed some summer Hoop Tour shirts and I am thrilled with how they came out. Interestingly it was the Awesomized Allie at the TeeShirt Place - Royal Tees, that said off the cuff, "Too bad you can't start you tour here in Florida!" She planted the seed and I ran with it. Because I made hoops in Indiana and started hooping there, it never occurred to me to START IN FLORIDA. Alli had a great idea and the two places I hang out all year long were happy to help! 

I will continue to add to this blog as the tour moves on! 

Venetian River Club, June 26th

Lakeside Fitness July 8th and July 10th. But I forgot to take a picture on July 10th. :(

Lakeside Fitness, event July 15th - Thanks for coming out Lake Peeps - You are awesome! ​

HealthFit, June 27th 

Next up
Bratten Family Hoop, 10:00 am 7/19 
Rochester Public Library District, Rochester, IL 1:00 7/19

travels through the midwest...

Ran into this guy at the rest stop in IL.  

Dinner with Florida Peeps! How wonderful and it FELT like Florida outside! 

Cooling in the pool with dolphins. 

7/19/19
I cannot believe that today is HERE! My friend Lila Bratten mentioned that I should come to Springfield this year while I hooped across the midwest and HERE I AM! I am grateful for the evening with Florida friends and for joy and fun we are going to have today! What a blessing my hula hoop is that I can travel and share hooping with more people! I am right at home because the weather is HOT! Thanks Lila - I am happy in your colorful world! And Rich - Thanks for the time. Miss you, but love doing this! 

Springfield, IL and Rochester, IL pictures! 
​Thanks for having me in to your community!

This was one great group of hoopers! Springfield really showed up and had a fun! Many hoops went home, and tour shirts too! 

Waiting for People.... and feeling good about the shade, breeze and plan! 

Denise - Thanks for making your library one Hoopy place today! 

The Rochester Public Library District had all ages! And one hooper had to leave early. This groups was so fun to hang out with. Look at all the hoops - everywhere. 

GREAT JOB to the families that showed up to hoop! So much fun. 

7 Gables Park - Wheaton, IL - what a wonderful HOT DAY in the old neighborhood! 

I really did not know what to expect from today at 7 gables park. The heat was radiating off of the parking lot. Made me feel right at home! When I pulled in at noon, the park was super quiet. Not a car or person in sight. At that moment I thought I would be hooping by myself. However the that changed when my lovely daughter Sami and my grandchildren showed up and the hooping party started. Cassi rolled into the parking lot about the same time as the Das family showed up and more hooping happened. Cassi even has some drone pictures - I will add later. Makena showed up and finally the Beccasio family landed a the hoop circle. It was great watching Cassi reconnect with childhood friends. I had the opportunity to stand back and watch and it brought me so much joy. I was truly wonderful to stand with two Moms that I stood with years ago, and take a moment seeing our high school students reconnect. As I packed up my car at 2 PM one more friend stopped in - Sharon Adams. Too hot for more park time, we headed to catch up at Whole Foods over iced coffee. I could write so much more here - but in short, Amy's Hoop Circle was a gift to me today with friends, children, grandchildren and reconnections. I am beyond thrilled I took my hoops to 7 Gables Park today! 

She makes the Youth shirt look great! Audrey

St. Charles and Geneva meet with Florida in the middle! 

Lincoln opted for the Mens small - He's grown so much! And he is an awesome hooper! 

Round one of hooping: My fam, the Das family and Makena! 

Left Makena - Cassi and Makena were off to get coffee. Considering I met her Mommy over a cup of coffee at Starbucks 16 years ago... it made me laugh. 
Right: Michelle and Deborah brought back memories of years ago as we watched the group below connect today. Years ago we watched them play together as 5 and 6 year olds. We all met at Montessori Academy of Glen Ellyn. 
​Today was truly AWESOME! 

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Cool Video from Cassi's handy drone work! 

I was really hot and these two were super cute. Lincoln is a good hooper and Audrey was getting it. They were off to the pool and if you can see my shirt ... wow... sweating through everything! Thanks Sami for the cute picture and you are QUITE the hooper too! HUGS to the fam! 

Davenport, IA - time to dig in and enjoy friends! 

The heat over the last few days chased a number of Andrea's friends off to plan inside activities. However, with a cool breeze and hoops made - we enjoyed the afternoon. I am ready for hooping in Williamsburg tomorrow and looking forward to Iowa City tomorrow night. 

Monday, July 22nd on to WIlliamsburg and Iowa City, Iowa

Williamsburg, IA is the community that I moved into as a high school student when I was in 10th grade. I was a little in shock because I had never seen farm yards and fields so big and relatively flat. The community was warm and welcoming and my 3 years in IA were memorable.
I never imagined I would return to Iowa to hula hoop with people. Much less the Recreation Center that did not exist when I lived in IA. Who knew? My journey to hoop in Williamsburg started with the wife of a classmate in 2016. I met Michelle that year. We hooped on her lawn the next year, 2017 and last year, 2018 I was at the rec center twice! So fun. I returned to the rec center and my class this year was a mixture of returnees and new comers. It was in a word, "delightful."
I stopped into the Williamsburg Public Library to find that a high school friend of mine, Meg was the librarian. I am hoping to add a Kids Hooping Event Class to my travels next year in July. We had a good chat about summer planning.  

Iowa City/Coralville was a BEAUTIFUL day! Temperature was great, sun beautiful and not too warm. It was perfect. I want to thank Dr. Julia Buchkina of Upstream Functional Medicine for inviting me to hoop at the park. It was a truly wonderful time. My day ended with the sun setting over the park and the pond at North Ridge Park and I could not have been happier.

My day was filled with friends, from different stages of life and new friends made. My hula hoops were used and some found new homes! I was completely exhausted and so very happy as I loaded up my car one more time to head to Cedar Rapids, IA. 

For fun - I stopped into WHS and walked the old halls and the new hallways too. Good times. 

Metamorphosis Pilates Center - 7/23/19

Fun night and I am totally stoked that Donna invited me back. Every year - so much fun and joy! Resting up - I have a lot to do tomorrow and I am excited about seeing peeps at the Seminar and Retreat and of course I want to make sure that what I do for Dr. Wahls - is exactly what she needs. 
​Metamorphosis peeps were so fun and the laughter was infectious. The group just kept hooping and laughing and learning. It was like recess only better. And fun fact. Kay the women in blue was a high school friend of my brother in law. She posted a picture and he was like, Hey that is my sister in law! He grew up in Cedar Rapids. It is fun when the dots connect. Hey any Metamorphosis people that have a non blurry picture of the group - I would love it. 
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walhs seminar and retreat - July 2019
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This year was amazing and it was amazing because so many people were there, gaining as much knowledge as possible about MS, autoimmune disorders and living the best life possible with food, movement, environment and mindfulness. More to come. Dr. Terry had awesome speakers and so much information for all those that attended. 

August 3, 2019 
The Tour itself is technically over. Well maybe not yet because my dad had a saying, "Trip's not over until the car is unloaded!" So I still have things to unload once we are home. We left our lake place in Indiana Thursday and landed in Savannah, GA to visit the area and see the Savannah School of Art and Design. It is one of my daughter's schools of consideration and we are enjoying the pause before we head home today or tomorrow. It is for that reason this note is short today. I plan to do a riverside video this morning and post it on my facebook page. 

I will be doing a series of short videos for anyone that I met and connected with that is following me and interested in new ways to use their hoop. My hope in leaving hoops across the midwest, is that people continue to hula hoop and move - because I think hooping is kind of magical.  Those are already in process on my Facebook page: Amy's Hoop Circle. You can find them there. 

& Finally - WAHLS SEMINAR AND RETREAT WRAP-UP 
August 7, 2019 
I cannot possibly share all that I learned from speakers at this seminar. Every year I return I am blown away by the people that Dr. Terry gathers for the people who come to the seminar. While she will revisit some information, because first time people need the basics, she does an outstanding job of making sure everyone who comes gains in knowledge. The seminar does whole group and split group education and that way the returnees gain in knowledge and continue to grow in what we know about function medicine, food, nutrition and our how our bodies function. Dr. Terry has a wonderful group of people that assist in making sure each and every person who attends gains in knowledge. People who come are not just people like me with autoimmune issue. She gathers together, a variety of folks who are in the health field and people who may has issues and think food maybe be helpful to their healing. 

I will continue to share on this blog some of the inspirational speakers who came and/or vendors who were there because they are all in that healing wheel house of functional medicine. 

As for me, the conference has been over for a week and a half and I am still there in mind and spirit. Dr. Terry not only asked me to hoop with people who come to this year's event - I actually introduced Dr. Terry to the gathering. I am still wondering - Did I do a good enough job. She is my hero and I, to this day, am grateful for her TedTalk. 
This year I spend every break, lunch and evening hooping with people who wanted to move. I am sharing a bunch of smiling faces here who decided that hooping would fun. And this year like the years before, I was there and I had the honor of PLAYING with adults who need and wanted to play. The smiles of someone who is walking with a walker, but can hula hoop - is just WOW. So many wonderful faces. 

Dr. Terry - for me the hula hoop is my Magic Wand and this year as I came home, I resolved to follow my hoop where ever it takes me once again. That you Dr. Terry, your drive and humble spirit leaves me in awe of all you are doing and for every life you touch you create a ripple. I am so looking forward to hula hooping with you again. And next time we break out the hoops let's make sure the groovy music is cranked up! 
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This picture gallery is in no specific order - It is joyfulness from throughout the seminar. I am terrible about taking pictures while I am hooping with people. I just keep putting people in hula hoops and stand closer for assistance if need be. I LOVE THIS GATHERING.  
I am super grateful for the pictures I have and the memories I have with them with them. If you are a warrior with more pictures. Send them to me - I am happy to include them! 
Again - Dr. Terry - I love playing and sharing laughter, joy and play with your community of warriors.
​Onward peeps!