The Musics is in me and it always will *

Our hotel looked desolate. I mean really desolate. It was like the life was just sucked right out of it. No footsteps running down the hall at 1:00 AM. No bodies being tackled outside your door. No picnics in the elevator. No one to listen to Fred and Willie sing during breakfast (or whatever their names were). No late night discussions that carried the weight of the world. No one splashing in the pool. The Stone Castle Hotel was now a shell of it's former self. It's as if someone turned the light out. (buddup ching). Anyway, this picture is probably not very accurate. They really are excited to be on the bus again. It's just that everyone is just about rung out. With Liberty Jail as a temporary stop, I think most everyone was very excited to be on the way home. MaryAnn and I also left this morning and made our way to Amarillo while everyone else had to ride in a really boring airplane that put them home in one day with no stops to fix an errant trailer fender. We got to see miles and miles of miles and miles. Wait. That's not true. Actually, it was only me that got to see all the miles while MaryAnn checked out the backside of her eyelids. It's all good though. She's good company, awake or asleep. As I look back on this past week, there is much that I have left out because I wasn't there when it happened. Not to worry, when I get back, I will collaborate with others and then post the pictures and stories and all the "interesting" things overheard. By the time you read this, LIGHT has come home and is now enjoying a sweet reunion with their loved ones and friends. It has been both an honor and a pleasure to be in the company of so many fine young people. I get asked by some why I keep associating and travelling with them. It's easy. They are precious to me. And in the words of Ariel of mermaid fame, "I wanna be where the people are. I wanna see wanna see 'em dancin'.

* If you didn't understand the title, just ask a member of LIGHT

Hobnobbing with our fellow wizards

Sunday, oh blessed day of rest. This day marks a change in the tour where our focus is directed to things more ethereal. We went to the Branson 1st Ward and they had a special combined meeting for the YM and YW. The lesson was given by one of the entertainers they saw perform on the Branson Belle on Friday night. Both Branson wards have many entertainers in their memberships. After church, we headed over to the Tri-Lake Center for a spaghetti lunch with salad, bread and cookies. Assessing the tired looks on so many people, it was decided to spend some time catching up on some much needed rest/sleep/relaxation, so it was back to the hotel and PJs. After a brief respite, Dean, our esteemed driver, took us on a tour of the scenic wonders around Branson. At 4:30, we met with Jonathan Dutton and Jason Hughes at the church and they spoke to the kids about life as an LDS entertainer and other gospel related subjects. It was quite informative and well received. After a small snack, they warmed up their voices and then held an Evening of Inspiration at 7:00. Many of the entertainers and their families were there as well as many of the youth in the area. It was, as you might expect, a powerful and spirit-rich meeting. McKenna, Amanda and Ben all gave excellent talks. Sarah and Chuck sang a duet, "Light On a Hill", and Tim had Lauren and Caleb share in singing "I Was Born to Testify". It was an amazing meeting and so appropriate to close out the tour on such a spiritual high. It took nearly an hour to clear out the building. No one wanted to leave as everyone had found new friends. Back at the hotel, we feasted on pizza and pretty much breathed a sigh of satisfaction.

Today was a rush

Okay, the big news first: Conner's bag finally arrived from the airline. It was marked RUSH. The word around Missouri was that Conner hadn't been able to have his toiletries and clean clothes for a few days, so . . . uh . . . er. What? Wouldn't you want your bag in a rush if you couldn't change your clothes for a while! After breakfast, we headed to the church again and had a full dress rehearsal this time. Our AOL kids were missing as they were already gone to host all the participants in the competition. We tested the lights and video portion of the show as well. It seemed to work well. We packed up and drove to the Tri-Lakes Center and went to work getting our gear out and setting up for the show. It wasn't long before it was our turn to warm up in the green room where the kids went over some singing dynamics with Tim. We formed a traditional circle and sang "I am a Child of God". After prayer, we positioned ourselves and entered the stage and setup as quickly as we could(we're being timed). The kids put a good show in spite of some technical difficulties we experienced with the monitors. We fed the kids a Subway lunch box and let them rest while the judges deliberated. If you've seen sea lions rest, you'll know what I mean. Suddenly the word went out and everyone rushed the auditorium to hear the finalists. Success! LIGHT was named as a finalist. We fixed the monitor issue and got charged up for yet another try. Their performance was spectacular! They responded to the challenge to grab all the energy they had left and give it all up on the stage. They sounded so good. Best ever. Before the winners were announced, our very own AOL put on a show for everyone. It was not without some difficulty as well (like having the computer hard drive fail in the middle of the show but mysteriously coming back to life for a save). They were definitely well received by everyone there and had a large fan base from the other schools there. After their show, the winners were announced. We ended up as 4th runner up. Definitely not what they they deserved, IMHO, but each felt good that they had done their best. LIGHT set a good example of good sportsmanship by encouraging each school and applauding for everyone. This is how it should be done. Hats off to such wonderful kids. By this time, everyone was pretty tired and hungry, so after we loaded up, we drove to Fudrucker's and they had juicy hamburgers waiting for us. Yum! We then dashed off to see "Six", a show consisting of six ( 6 out of 10) Knudsen brothers who at one time lived in the Mesa area. They were awesome and played to a packed house. I know, I was on the very back row! After the show, the kids got to visit with them and get autographs. We had a snack of frozen custard afterwards and then bused on back to the hotel. As I write this, it is strangely quiet outside in the hallway. I trust they all sleeping as they surely need it Come to think if it, so do I. I am sorry for the lack of more information since I am not riding on the bus this trip. I trust I can ferret out more interesting things to share soon .

If Branson wasn't enough . . .

Breakfast was the usual fare that one might expect for large crowds. However, remember, we're in Branson. That means there is somebody entertaining somewhere at all times. Breakfast was no exception. As we ate our biscuits and gravy, we heard oldies from the past . . think: Smokey and the Bandit, Johnny Cash and a few other classics. Then it was off to the church for some rehearsal time. Holding to tradition, the building was locked when we arrived so we rehearsed in the parking lot until someone came with a key. After rehearsal, we headed over to Mel's Hard Luck Cafe. This is a must go to eatery in Branson where the wait staff are all professional singers using a mic with a sound system backup. It's not uncommon to see someone singing a Rascal Flatts ballad while serving a plate of burgers and fries. The next treat of the day came when we went to see the Hughes Brothers Show. Our very own AOL kids opened for them and it was a pretty big deal. The regular show are 5 brothers whose roots are in Utah. They had their wives and all their children in the show as well. There were 35 performers in all. Afterwards we went back to the hotel to freshen up for the dinner and show on the Branson Belle, a riverboat that plies the waters of Table Rock Lake. Before we could leave, Kathy Gray, one of our chaperones started thinking about having an asthma attack. And with the power of positive thinking, she surely did. Actually, it was probably brought on by all the stage smoke generated during the show we saw earlier. It was decided that we needed to get her some medical help ASAP, so yours truly and his faithful companion, MaryAnn, sped off in the Tahoe while everyone headed for the lake and the Branson Belle with the idea in mind that we would catch up to them later. After a frantic search for an Urgent Care facility, we stopped at one of the shows and had the parking attendant call 911. He did and in less than 10 minutes the EMTs were there. It's a good thing because at that point, Kathy was in very bad condition. The EMTs stabilized her and I followed the ambulance very closely to the hospital. Later I was told that I wasn't supposed to follow the ambulance through all the red lights and other places. Oops. Anyway, after nearly a 3 hour adventure, Kathy was released and she was feeling pretty good. There's so much entertainment here in Branson, you'd think there'd be enough for everyone. But apparently not.

And you thought Mesa was flat.

While in Amarillo, stayed the night at the Adaberry Inn. It's a B&B with about 10 different suites. Ours was the Key West. It was the most "Yellow" room I have ever seen. Come to think of it, amarillo means yellow in Spanish. After 11 + hours of driving, the night seemed particulary short (I don't remember falling asleep). Anyway, we left around 9:20 a.m. and headed east to Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Joplin and Springfield. There was nary a mountain or hill to be seen for hundreds of miles. Just green rolling fields that looked pretty flat. We did see an unusual sight along the way. There seemed to be several of these places in Texas but we're not too sure what function they provided. Was it a drive-in convenience store and a bagger comes out with your groceries when you honk your horn or was it a . . . well . . something else. Hmmm. Anyway, we wound our way through Texas, Oklahoma and into Missouri and met up with the LIGHT bus at Lambert's. This restaurant is one-of-a-kind. It is famous throughout the midwest and in many other places and is a must stop for any LIGHT trip to Branson. I've posted a video of rolls being thrown to hungry diners. There was a valiant attempt to beat Savanah's record of 17 rolls, but Jeff came up short with only a mere 12 rolls consumed. Really, one roll is almost a meal in itself. They are very large. Newcomers to Lambert's discovered that the portions are really made to feed two adults (or one teenager), so no one went away hungry. We then drove another 30 minutes to Branson and settled in at the Stone Castle Hotel. Tomorrow is a busy day, but it will be tons of fun.

As an aside, there is something about a road trip that brings the most interesting characteristics in people. We're not sure if this is a balloon beating or a contest to impale a balloon with a fork. A third option exists: It could be that Cara was just really excited to have her own balloon. You decide.

On The Road Again . . .

For us, the trip to Branson started today at 5:20 AM as MaryAnn and I headed north and then eastward toward Branson. We went through Gallup, Santa Rosa and then ended up in Amarillo for the night. The roads were clear and the traffic moved right along and so we made good time. We hit some nasty weather but as we pulled into Amarillo, the clouds broke and there was plenty of daylight left. However, the rain caught up to us and tonight is a little wet. I am looking forward to meeting up with everyone else at Lambert's tomorrow evening for dinner. The rolls will be coming fast and plentiful and I hear there may be an attempt to break the record set by Savanah two years ago.