A day off in Newport Beach! Always welcomed! But I had plenty of errands to run… However, after that I actually met up with Gabe at True Foods Kitchen, which is seriously one of my favorite places to eat, ever! (If you are in the area, go there! Now!) Then went to see a movie- “Horrible Bosses”. Pretty good day off!
August 9, 2011
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| Front of the Lido Theater. |
I got a few things done in the morning, but come 2pm I was in the dentist chair getting my broken tooth looked at. They had to basically do a giant filling, and I was there for about two hours! He also informed me that the reason the tooth broke was because of the fact that I grind my teeth too much! And it turns out that you grind your teeth if they just aren’t aligned right- and mine aren’t! So that explains my constant, yes, twenty four/seven grinding! That is going to need to get fixed eventually! But for that day he just got my tooth in decent shape.
Afterwards, I went out to a nice dinner with my Mom at The Cannery- another one of my favorites! It was a really good day- you know, aside from the hours in the dental chair… Although I have to say he was a great doctor!
August 10, 2011
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| Inside the Lido Theater |
I woke up by 10am to take a shower and get on my way to the salon. I had an appointment with my hairdresser Todd at 11am. And I needed that appointment very badly! But I was out of there by 1pm, and back on my way to my parent’s house, feeling refreshed with the new hairdo!
Once I got there, I did my make up and gathered what I needed, then got into the car and drove to the other side of the peninsula to Lido. When I got to the Lido Theater, they were just about ready for me to start sound checking. Dad got there a few moments after me, and things got underway. Everything went pretty good, so I was up in a boardroom hanging out by 4:30pm, and enjoying the view of everyone setting up for that night’s events. It was the annual Lupus Benefit that Bobby Hatfield had done every year. And it was extra special this night because that would have been my Uncle Bobby’s seventy first birthday!
The event started at 5pm, and it was lovely. There were a bunch of food and drink places set up outside, some silent auctions, and a photo booth! Gabe and I walked down to get some food, and it was all amazing! All the food was from different Orange County restaurants, and so yummy! After running into some old friends and catching up for a bit, I went back to the boardroom and met up with the rest of the guys and got ready for the gig. By 7pm, we walked back toward the theater. We stood by the back entrance, and waited for the live auction to be done. It took a while, so we had plenty of time to just hang out and joke around. But once the show started, it was great! Every year it is just a lot of fun to do! So many friends are always there, it is awesome!
After the show, Dad and I took a bunch of pictures on the stage. Then I got to go outside and catch up with some more friends for a bit before everyone got out of there. Dad got straight into his car with Bill and they drove to Las Vegas right then. Tim drove that night too actually. So they had long nights ahead of them. I just drove my Mom and I the ten minutes back home, and then had a snack, and got myself organized. I was leaving in the morning, and I needed to be ready before I fell asleep!
August 11, 2011
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| Orange County Airport. |
My alarm went off at 6:30am, so I jumped out of bed, put on some makeup and closed up my suitcases. Gabe arrived at 7am, and we were off to Orange County Airport. We parked his car and headed inside to the Southwest desk. We got checked in and through security pretty quickly. Then we just had to wait for our flight. It was a few minutes late, but nothing bad.
We took off at just after 9am, and landed not too long after. It is a very short flight to Las Vegas- less than an hour. (However, you add in the time to get to the gate, you are looking at more like an hour.) Once we got off the plane, we had a long walk to baggage claim. But the good news was that by the time we got there, our bags were waiting for us!
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| The view of the Las Vegas Strip from the air. |
So we walked down to ground zero, which is where we always meet the cars that pick us up. But we had no one waiting for us. I called the hotel, and somehow our pickup didn’t get listed. So they sent a limo out to us right then. (Luckily the hotel is only ten minutes away.) Soon the limo got there and within a few minutes we were pulling up at the South Point.
After we checked in, we went pretty much right down to the showroom for a sound check, which is where we found Tim waiting for us. We were doing a radio show that afternoon- Dennis Bono’s show. So we ran our song “Saddest Goodbye”, then my Dad got there and ran “Unchained Melody”. After that, Gabe and I grabbed a snack, then got changed and went back down to the showroom for the 2pm radio show.
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| Radio show sound check. |
There were some great people on the show that day with us, and it was a lot of fun to record. Plus he has a live audience, so that helps a lot! When we were done with that, Gabe and I watched a movie in my room to pass time- the only other way to pass time was to go down and gamble, and I like to keep my money in my purse! So the movie was the safer choice! Then at 6pm we met Dad downstairs and had dinner at the Italian restaurant with the owner of the hotel- Michael Gaughan, his wife Paula, and one of their sons- Brendan. It was a lot of fun! Our families have been friends as long as I can remember, and I love having dinner with them! Such great stories get told!
After that, I was rather tired, so I just watched another movie in my room and then called it a night. I know- rather boring since I was in Vegas, but when you’re tired, you are tired!
August 12, 2011
I woke up and went down to the pool for a little bit. It was very hot out there! The sun was so strong! But the pool was very refreshing! After about an hour of that, I actually got into my sweats and hit up the gym. It felt really good!
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| The theater at the South Point. |
But by the time I finished there, I had just enough time to take a shower and get ready for sound check. I met everyone down there at 4pm. It went rather quickly, and we were finished up by 5pm. So I ran to the Oyster bar, because they have a killer cold crab cocktail there, and then I went back to my dressing room and hung out until everyone started to show up eventually.
The show started at 7:30pm, and it was wonderful! We had a great time on stage, and then Dad and I went out and signed afterwards. It was a good night! After all that, I just went up to my room to watch another movie and mellow out. The gym and sun had kind of worn me out that day!
August 13, 2011
I got up by 10am. I had thought about going to the pool, but it was rather overcast. So I just went to the gym again instead. I hit it hard too! But I needed it! Then I just got showered and ready for the day.
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| At Blue Martini. |
I realized I had some extra time, so I decided to get to the mall and do some shopping. (My Mom’s birthday was in two days, and I needed a present!) So Gabe tagged along with me to Fashion Show Mall. It was a rather productive shopping day! Didn’t buy too much, but got what I needed! (And maybe one or two other things…) We got back just in time for Gabe to get to the 5:30pm line check with the band.
I stopped and got a snack on the way up to my room, and then got ready for the show. I wandered down to the theater around 7pm. They had some great Chinese food backstage! So perfect! By the time I made myself a snack and finished it- while the guys were trying to get a makeshift ball made out of a napkin into a cup across the room, (which is a pretty usually scene backstage with us…) it was about time to get on stage.
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| Gabe and I at Blue Martini. |
Once everyone got out there and started the show, I started to get my stage clothes on. But I realized I had forgotten my stockings- which any woman will tell you they just hold everything in place a little better! Luckily, I suppose I am young enough to go without them… But I was a little less confident about the situation! However, if that is the worst thing that goes wrong, life is going pretty good!
We had another great show! The room was packed! And Dennis Bono was there too, and he had some good news. It was just a very nice night! Dad and I signed for a while, then I rushed up to my room to change. I met Gabe and we hopped into a cab to Blue Martini. We tried to talk the other guys into going as well, but they all bailed.
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| S'more martini and Blue Martini! Yummy! |
I love the Blue Martini! It is a great place to go! My Uncle actually owns the chain, so I am rather familiar with the place! And trust me, they have some amazing drinks- and also food! I highly recommend going there! When Gabe and I got to the door, my friend Cass was actually the hostess, so she took us to our table. It was so nice to see her, haven’t seen her in a while- since I was working with her Dad, Danny from The Raiders.
Gabe and I had a great time there. The band that was playing was really good, and had a great selection of music! There were a few bachelorette parties going on that night, so it was entertaining to watch all that was going on around us! After a couple drinks, and a wonderful seared tuna plate; Gabe and I called it a night and jumped in a cab back to the South Point. It was a great night out in Vegas though!
August 14, 2011
I didn’t sleep great, so I was up kind of early. So around 10am I figured I might as well go lay by the pool for a while. Gabe came down and joined be for a bit too. It was crazy hot out there though! I had to keep dipping in the water ever ten minutes or so! Plus just walking to the pool was tough; it would burn your feet! But I managed to stay out there for probably two hours.
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| Lounging by the pool. |
Then I went back to my room and locked myself away to get some work done. I had a lot to catch up on. So I spent a few hours doing that, then it was time to get ready for the show!
I walked downstairs just after 7pm and found a bunch of friends backstage chatting. I grabbed a quick bite of food, and then got the guys on stage. I was sitting in my dressing room sending a text message to someone when I realized that Dad was saying his normal talk about “Time of My Life”- but he hadn’t done “Unchained Melody” yet. So I finished getting ready really quickly and grabbed my microphone and stood at the side of the stage incase no one corrected him. The whole band was trying to signal him. Larry kept trying to get his attention and shake his head, and at one point Dad looked at Larry and said, “We are back in Branson September 1st, right?” And so Larry had to stop shaking his head “no”, and he responded, “Yes, but…” But by the time Larry got the “but” out and started shaking his head again, Dad had looked away. Finally right before he was about to call me out on stage, Tim corrected him. And that was just the beginning of the madness of that show!
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| Dessert fruit at Michael's. |
Everything was crazy! Dad was messing up left and right. It was too funny! The band and I love shows like that because it keeps it interesting for us. I was loving every minute of it! He was calling out all sorts of songs; including “Justine” which is one of my favorites and I get to sing it with him! It was really just a crazy show. The kind where you just hold on and enjoy the ride! Definitely my favorite kind of show!
Afterwards, Dad and I went out to sign CDs. We had a few interesting situations out there, but we managed to get done within about an hour. But as soon as we were done, we were on a mission. I ran to change clothes backstage, then after chatting with Tim’s family and friends for a bit, and also some other musician friends, Dad, Gabe and I started heading over to my favorite restaurant- Michael’s. We were meeting some friends of ours for a late dinner. (Including one of my Dad's oldest friends- Johnny Mohler, who also has known Gabe since we was a little guy. O.C. is a small world!) I was so excited! That is my favorite place to eat- probably in the world! Great meal and great company! It was a long dinner though; I didn’t get back up to my room until just after 1am. And once I got there, I was in a mad dash to get my bags organized. But I could not ask for a better night to end my trip to Vegas- and actually to end my 26 days on the road too!
August 15, 2011
Happy Birthday to my Mom! Wish I could have come to California to celebrate, but I was way over due to get back to my house in Missouri. My alarms rudely woke me up at 4:15am- not long after I had gotten to sleep. So I crawled out of bed and started getting ready to leave.
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| My early morning limo to the airport. |
By 5am, I had drug my bags down to the valet area and met up with my limo to the airport. It was a short drive, and it was indeed still dark outside. Always weird to wake up when it is still pitch black! But when I got to the airport, I got checked in at Frontier and then went on through security and towards my gate. I actually saw a necklace in the window of a shop as I was walking by, but of course the shop was still closed since it was the crack of dawn. So I guess it just wasn’t meant to be!
I sat at my gate and waited for a while, but eventually they started boarding my 7am flight to Denver. It was not even a two hour flight, so it was a very easy one! And on time too! Bonus!
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| Cool car at the Branson Airport. |
When I landed in Denver, I just walked a few gates down to find my flight to Branson. I had about an hour and a half wait though. But soon the flight started to board, and I was in the air right on schedule. Again, that flight was less than two hours, so it was very short and easy! I landed back on Missouri soil at 2pm. After I grabbed my bags, my lovely friend Lana was there to pick me up and take me home!
I didn’t get to rest at home for long though, I needed to go pick up my dog at the Branson Pet Resort. She had been there far too long! I was happy to see her again! After that, I managed to have a mellow night at home, and even hit the gym with Lana and Katie. (Felt great to get moving after sitting on planes all day!)
I was excited to be home again. I had been gone 26 days. I managed to do some math that helps explain my time away from home. So here are the stats…
Since leaving Branson until I got back to Branson – July 20 – August 15, 2011
10 Shows.
17 Flights.
15 hours on stage.
16 hours 20 minutes in sound checks.
8 hours 20 minutes signing after shows.
7 hours 30 minutes backstage preshow.
16 hours 15 minutes in cars (just to and from airports and gigs).
36 hours 20 minutes in airports.
45 hours 10 minutes in airplanes.
18 of the 26 days were workdays. Within those days, I worked a minimum of 6 days 17 hours and 35 minutes straight.
However, you can also add in the fact that I spent 24 hours in the recording studio. Which means…
21 of the 26 days were workdays. Within those days I worked a minimum of 7 days 17 hours and 35 minutes straight.
These are the kind of strange things I figure out in my spare time… And that doesn’t even include afternoons songwriting or working on the blog. But however you want to look at it. I deserved some rest! I was glad to be home for a few days!
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