The Tale of Abe Lincoln, Fireworks, and Rockin' The Hard Rock...

June 29, 2011

I woke up in my plush bed at home in Branson, but soon I had jumped out of it and started to get ready for the travel day ahead of me. I got showered and finished packing up- so that was out of the way; and then I hopped into my car with my dog (Danny) to take her to the Branson Pet Resort. After I dropped her off I had to run an errand or two, but then I was back to my house a bit early- I still had about an hour before my cab was supposed to be there at 1:30pm.

I hung around the house- turned off lights, and the made sure the air conditioning was off (since I was going to be gone for a while), and then I took my bags out into the garage a few minutes early and waited for the cab. It was a bit warm waiting out there, but I figured they would be there shortly, so I might as well hang out there. Ten minutes past and I was starting to worry. (When I had called a cab in Branson before, it had always gotten there early, I have never had one be late before. And because I have never had one be late before, I had cut it a bit close. It is about a fifteen minute- maybe twenty minute drive to the Branson Airport, and my flight was at 2:50pm.) So I called the cab company and they said that a car was on its way, and would be there in a couple minutes. I waited… By 1:50pm, I was really starting to get a bit upset, my flight was leaving in an hour, and if they had told me the cab wasn’t going to be there until that late I could have just jumped in my car and driven there myself! I called the cab company again and she said he was just about there.

My cab finally showed up five minutes later. I was glad if finally got there! I pulled up to the airport by about 2:10pm. I walked into the small terminal there and saw a scene I had never seen before. There were about one hundred people in line in front of me to check in! I checked the flight board, and my flight was the only one going out for the next few hours, so I realized all these people must be checking in for my flight! I was relieved that I wasn’t late, but I was bummed about the situation in front of me.

I waited in line for forty-five minutes just to check in. Turns out that all the computers at the airport were not working. So they had to manually check everyone in. Yes, that means actually handwrite out boarding passes and bag tags! So that was the hold up! I did get on the plane at close to departure time, but there were still a few people checking in behind me that we had to wait on. However, it turned out that was not all we had to wait on. We also needed to get the paperwork so the plane could take off, and without the computers working, it took extra long- about an extra thirty minutes sitting on the runway.

Cookies!

Finally we were in the air and on our way to Denver by around 3:30pm. We got to the Denver area and had to circle. Apparently the airport had just closed because of a thunderstorm. We circled for about an hour; until we finally ran out of gas and we were diverted to Colorado Springs Airport. We were not the only plane trying to get into Denver that was diverted there either, there was a line of us! But they never let us off the plane, we just parked to refuel and wait (and pray) for the Denver Airport to open back up. (Some people were rather upset that they couldn’t just get off the plane there, because they were actually going to Colorado Springs. About ten people were flying to Denver to get on another plane to Colorado Springs; and there they were in Colorado Springs, but they had to stay on the plane and go back to Denver and try to find another connecting flight. Yeah, I would have been a bit upset too!)

We were on the ground there for just under an hour. Just a couple weeks earlier I had bought an iPad 2, and I got the one with the 3G; and I have to say that it was a good choice! Because had I not had that I wouldn’t have been able to look up flights and stuff while we were just sitting on the tarmac! I could have used my phone, but the battery dies way too quick! They finally opened Denver Airport back up, but we were at the end of the line, so it took a while for us to get back to Denver. However, we did make it there by around 6:45pm.

My connecting flight to Orange County was supposed to leave at 6pm, so I went directly to that gate to see if I needed to get rebooked. But it turned out that my flight had some mechanical problems and was delayed until 7:15pm. I went and got some cookies, because I deserved them! And then I walked past my gate again (it was still packed with people waiting) and got a sandwich at the place right next door. I was there for about five minutes and when I got back to my gate, the whole area was completely empty! I was worried I somehow missed the flight or something! But luckily they were just in final boarding. I still don’t know how they got to final boarding so quickly!

Once I was on the plane, we actually got up in the air a few minutes after 7:30pm. I had an interesting guy sitting next to me on the plane, he had a smug “I’m better than you” attitude that I was not a fan of. But I got him to quite down his talking after a few minutes. Then it was a smooth flight to Orange County. I landed and got my bags by just after 9pm. Dad came to pick me up, and we headed to my parent’s house.

I was at their home and having a snack by 10pm. It was nice to finally be on the ground. All of the travel issues had just made it a stressful day. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it to California at all for a while there! So, soon I got my suitcases open, and got ready for bed!

June 30, 2011

I had a nice morning just relaxing around my parent’s house for a bit. But then I had to get showered, dressed, and pack an overnight bag. By 2pm, I jumped into the car and started driving to San Diego. Dad was following behind me.

Once I was a few miles down the freeway I got a call from Gabe asking when I was heading down to San Diego. I said I was on my way. He had said that was cool and he thought he would leave soon then too. I calmly inquired as to why he wasn’t there already, because I thought he needed to be there for sound check starting at 2pm. He said he didn’t think so. But soon he looked on the itinerary and realized that he was wrong and I was right! So he jumped in his car and started hauling butt! He was just a few miles behind my Dad and I. There was some traffic on the way, but never anything horrible. By the time we exited the freeway and found our way through downtown and I was turning into the parking lot for the U.S.S. Midway, Gabe was right behind us. He actually managed to catch up to us.

Gabe at sound check.

The group at sound check on the U.S.S. Midway.

We all went up onto the ship and finally found our way to the stage on the top back of the boat. (It was quite a walk to get there!) It was such a cool view though! The harbor and downtown- while standing on a military ship! Pretty awesome! Also, another military boat was docked right by there, and it is a now famous one- the boat that they threw Osama Bin Laden’s body off of. We had a perfect view of it too! So that was pretty cool! We did our sound check rather quickly, and got us sounding as good as we could! It was a bit of a different band- Tim and Gabe were the same, but Bob and Larry couldn’t make it, so some musicians and friends of ours that used to be in my Dad’s band were there to fill in. Jamie and Candy. It was a lot of fun, and great to see them and catch up!

Gabe and I inside a helicopter.

The group at sound check.

As we were walking off the ship after sound check, I couldn’t resist taking a few pictures on some of the really cool planes they had on display! It was so great! After that we all made our way to our hotels. Dad, Tim, Gabe and I were all at the same hotel, the US Grant. And it was awesome! It was an old hotel that you could tell had a lot of history, but it was redone wonderfully. It had some cool modern art touches and a very unique flare! Gabe and I went straight to the incredible looking bar downstairs- which actually used to be the first speakeasy in San Diego. We got a drink and then met up with Dad to walk over to the restaurant we were all meeting at for dinner called Ostera.

Loved the planes and helicopters on the U.S.S. Midway!

That is me sitting in that plane! So awesome!

The whole group of us- Dad, Tim and his wife Mary Shannon, Gabe, Bill, Jamie, Candy and I all met there. The food was amazing! Some of the best seared tuna I have ever had! It was a lot of fun just hanging out there and enjoying a wonderful meal together. After dinner we all headed back to our hotels. Dad, Tim, Mary Shannon, Gabe and I all stopped in the hotel bar to have a night cap- and enjoy the live jazz going on in there. It was the perfect way to end the evening. By the time I got up to my room, I got to sleep pretty quickly. I knew we had a rather early morning ahead of us.

July 1, 2011

My alarm started blaring at me by 6:30am. I gave in and hopped into the shower. I got all dressed and ready for the show. By 8am I had my bags packed and Gabe and I headed downstairs. I left my bags with the valet, and then Gabe and I walked down to the U.S.S. Midway, which was about a twenty minute walk probably. (But of course we stopped for a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on the way… Yummy!)

We arrived just after 8:30am, and we walked up to the stage area and began our wait. There were some other people I knew that came down for the event, so it was nice to catch up with them while we waited. Plus, Abe Lincoln was there! So I had to get a picture with him too! The event we were working was a Naturalization Ceremony for a few hundred US military people. (Naturalization meaning they were citizens of other countries, but they joined the military when they got here, and this ceremony made them official US citizens!) It was a very cool cause. I was excited about it.

The oath that is a part of the naturalization process.

Abe and I.

It was a long ceremony though. Lots of things going on! Some other singers doing a song or two, some dancers, and Abe gave a speech. Parts of it were really cool. Also they had cannons going off on a sailboat right behind us. That was pretty awesome! And the actual Black Pearl that they filmed Pirates of the Caribbean on was there. As well as a killer flyover! We were supposed to perform before the flyover, but the program got running behind, so we ended up doing our thirty minute set afterwards, which was a bit of a let down- because everybody pretty much thought the whole show was already over before we went on! But we only had to do a short thirty minute set, so we were done pretty quickly. There was also a live broadcast going out over the internet, but it cut out in the middle of “Time of My Life”. (So I am sorry to anyone that watched that and didn’t get to finish seeing our part of the show!)

The Black Pearl!

Cannons being shot off!

We were done and walking back to the hotel at about 12:30pm. We had all been sitting in the sun that whole time though- from 8:30am until 12:30pm, and we knew we were all burnt! By the time we reached the hotel and jumped into our cars we all just drove pretty much straight home. We were fried! Physically drained, and also just fried by the sun! I made it home in about two hours. I was so exhausted. I just laid in bed for a while. I had that feeling of being hot but also having the chills. (You know the feeling, we all get it when we get sun burnt!) I had horrible tan/burn lines too! I had total raccoon eyes, as well as a funky farmers tan. Not my best look!

Mom made dinner for us, and I don’t think I ever left the house again. Wait, I just left the house to go get some gelato. But then straight back home! I was definitely looking forward to crawling into bed that night and getting a really good night of sleep!

July 2, 2011

Emerald Bay!

As crazy as it sounds… I woke up, put my bathing suit on and laid out in the sun for about an hour. I put strong suntan lotion on the areas where I was already burnt, but I wanted to try to even out the lines a bit! I ended up talking to one of my friends that happened to be in town that weekend too- Shelley, so I ended up going down to her house in Emerald Bay and we went to the beach there. That is seriously one of the best beaches- probably the best beach in the area. We had a great time laying out and chatting. We don’t get to see each other too often, so it is great to catch up when we can! We even went swimming in the ocean. The water wasn’t too cold, and the waves were perfect! It felt so amazing! After a few hours out on the beach, we drove down to downtown Laguna Beach for some lunch/dinner. We ate at the wonderful Zinc Café. Great food! After a little stroll we drove back to her house and said our goodbyes. Once I got home for a while, I actually ended the night by picking up some sushi from one of my favorite restaurants. It was a perfect California day!

July 3, 2011

The Balboa Peninsula was packed! After all, it was 4^th of July weekend! But it was crazy! I left to go shopping for a while, and tried to stay out as long as I could, but eventually I had to get back on the peninsula. Usually to get from one side of the peninsula to the other only takes about ten minutes. However, that day it took me a full hour! I timed it! Crazy! I was going to meet up with an old friend of mine because his parents just got a house on the peninsula so he was going to come down and visit that night, but he changed his mind- and I don’t blame him! I wouldn’t have made a trip onto the peninsula that weekend unless I had to!

July 4, 2011

The view from the lookout on top of the stage.

Happy 4^th of July! I woke up around 8am and jumped into the shower. I got myself all ready for the sure to be crazy day ahead of me. Gabe came and picked me up at my parent’s house at 10am, and then we started on our drive to Corona. He was my bodyguard for the day. (My parent’s had got some messages about the area we were working being rather rough, so he was supposed to watch out for me.) It took us about forty-five minutes to get out there, and sure enough his GPS was taking us to a junk yard. We were starting to be concerned as to what we had gotten ourselves into. But it turned out he had set the navigation to the wrong address.

Bob & Gene at sound check.

Myself on stage at sound check.

Once we got moving in the right direction we pulled up to Santana Park in no time. However, we had to circle it once to figure out where we were supposed to park. After we got a parking spot, we walked up towards the stage. We were working with Bob, Larry and Tim. Plus some friends of ours- Reno and Gene Sironen (Gene actually is my Dad’s impersonator, and so I have known him for years!) When we got there, no one knew what we were going to do or anything like that. So we knew it was going to be an interesting show!

Bob during the first set,

Bob during the first set.

Sound check took a while, we were there until about 3pm. And it was very hot outside in Corona! And of course this was an outdoor gig! But at least we had a cover over the stage. That saved me! After we finished up there, Gabe and I drove over to Islands for lunch. Which was just what I needed! Then we headed to the hotel. We checked in, but by the time we got to our rooms we only had an hour before we had to leave for the gig. So not too much down time.

Larry & Bob during the first set.

At 5pm I met Gabe, Bob and Bob’s wife Peggy out at Gabe’s car. We all drove over to the gig together. We got a parking spot in the area that we were informed was the best place for us, and then walked through the crowd and toward the stage. It was actually a pretty cool set up because there were TV monitors throughout the park broadcasting what was happening on the stage. And there were a lot of people! At one point I heard some numbers that were crazy. All I know is there were a lot of people, and they were everywhere!

On stage toward the end of the show.

We got up and did our first set at 6pm. We did just about forty-five minutes I think. In the first set I did about two or three songs, including “Time of My Life”, which I sang with Gene. I have to say it is a little surreal singing a song you always sing with your dad, but singing it with his impersonator instead! Then we took a break while they did some announcements, and then by 7:30pm we were up again, and I did another couple songs in that set too. We did about a forty-five minute set again, but at 8:02pm we had to be sure to start “God Bless The USA” because we were timing it so that when the flyover happened at 8:05pm, we would be in the last chorus. We actually managed to time that really well! And the flyover was incredible! It was a huge bomber plane, and it was flying really flow, and moving very slow- almost hovering over us. I have to say it was really very cool to see!

During the military medley.

We were all let off stage for about fifteen minutes for a few more announcements, and then we did a couple songs with a six piece horn section. That sounded really great! We also did our Veteran’s Tribute to “Bridge Over Troubled Water/Lean On Me”. Then the band finished up by doing a military medley.

Right when Gabe was done playing his last song at about 9pm, we began to speed walk toward his car. We walked through most of the crowd, and we were halfway to the car when the fireworks began. But we kept booking it! When we got to his car, there were people camped out all around it, and up against it! But they all moved when he started it and they realized we were really leaving. We drove out of there and started towards the freeway. The amount of people standing everywhere was insane! Everyone within a couple cities must have been standing on the streets out there watching the fireworks and celebrating the 4^th of July!

Fireworks!

We actually got on the freeway really easily, and we never hit any traffic all the way to my parent’s house! It was great! We were bummed that we missed the fireworks, but had we waited, it would have been hours before we managed to get out of there! So we were glad we left when we did.

When we got to my house, my Mom had made brownies and had some snacks waiting for us. (And a to go box of brownies for Gabe to take with him…) We all hung around and chatted until about 11pm. Then Gabe headed on his way back to his house. (He had hoped the traffic going off the peninsula had died down a bit, but I found out later that it hadn’t! Apparently it was a long drive home for him!) I was pretty exhausted from the whole day, so it didn’t take me too long to decide that getting to my bed was a good idea!

July 5, 2011

This was my last day off in California that trip, so I had to get a few things done. I had to do some shopping with my dad- it is my parent’s twenty-fifth anniversary on July 9^th, so I went to help him pick something out for my Mom. Then I got a little shopping in for myself too. I also got to grab some sushi- I just love sushi, and in California it is just so fresh and awesome! Then I drove down to Shaw Cove Beach to meet up with my friend Elliot, who is actually one of Gabe’s best friends. So nice to just chill on the beach for a few hours! Then back to my parent’s house to hang out a bit, and also get packed and ready to leave!

July 6, 2011

My alarm went off by 8:30am, and so I went ahead and jumped into the shower and got ready to leave town. By 10:30am, Dad and my bags were loaded into the car and Mom drove us to the airport. We said our goodbyes to Mom, and then Dad and I rolled our bags inside to the US Airways desk. Tim was checking in when we got there, and Gabe arrived just a few minutes after we did. We all got our boarding passes and bags squared away, then Dad, Gabe and I headed through security; Tim waited for Larry to get there. Once we made it into the gate area, we walked over to the restaurant for a bite of food before the flight. Soon we were finished and wandered over to the gate to meet Tim and Larry just in time for them to start boarding.

On the plane, and on our way.

We actually took off right on time at 12:30pm. It was a short flight to Phoenix. Pretty painless. Then when we got off that plane, the gate for our next flight to Fort Lauderdale was right across the hall! Couldn’t have been easier. However, we had an hour and a half before our 3pm flight took off, so Gabe and I walked over to the US Airways lounge. (We are not actual members, but he has an American Express card, so he gets in for free and can bring up to two people with him.) So we got a drink and ate some of the free snacks. And of course we brought some of the free cookies out to the rest of the guys waiting over by the gate!

Then Gabe and I decided we better get some actual food- the next flight was going to be a long one! So we got some killer burritos, I was very impressed! But by the time we were done it was time to board our next flight. The seats were three and three on this plane, and I totally lucked out and was in a window seat, but the middle seat was empty! Score! And since that was a long flight- over four and a half hours, double score!

The flight wasn’t too bad; I was able to get a lot of work done at least, and we landed pretty close to on time around 10:30pm. We moved directly towards baggage claim and right as we came down the escalader there was a man holding up an iPad with the name Tim Lee glowing from it. We had found our driver.

Dad signing autographs in the airport.

We had also found some fans. There were about for or five guys waiting there for Dad with records and pictures for him to sign. That kept dad busy for a minute. Then one of them called out my name and had a picture of me on stage to sign. So I did. First airport autograph- who would ever have thought that would happen! Or that they would even know who I was!

But soon we had our bags in hand and began to walk towards the van; it was parked a bit of a walk away. Once we were all in we were off to The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The airport was only about ten or fifteen minutes away, so we got there quickly. Bob and our soundman for that gig- Don, were waiting for us at the valet entrance. Tim went to get us all checked in and the rest of us discussed our plans for the evening. The majority of the group was too tired to want to leave the hotel, so we ended up just staying there for the night.

Once we got checked into our hotel rooms, and some confusion from the lady guarding the elevators thinking I was in Bob’s room… I headed back down to the bar in the lobby to meet the fellas. We all got a drink there and then decided it was time for some food! There was a twenty-four hour diner, so we were all over that!

Chocolate guitar on my bed, waiting for me!
Love Hard Rock!

It was a really fun first night in Florida. And The Seminole Hard Rock is an awesome hotel and resort! I got up to my room by 2am, and tried to get a few hours of sleep before I planned on scoping out the hotel some more in the morning.

June 7, 2011

I could not get a good night’s sleep! So I let myself sleep in until about 11am. I noticed it was raining outside which was a big bummer! I had high hopes of going to the pool that morning- the pool there looked so awesome! But alas, I didn’t get to. So I went shopping instead. However, the shopping was outside too, but I just kept moving quickly from shop to shop!

Part of the theater - Hard Rock Live.

I didn’t find too much- only a cool shirt or two, and so I was back up in my room by 1:30pm. I jumped into the shower and got ready to head downstairs. I met Dad at the bottom of the elevators at 3:30pm and we made our way over to the arena. When we got there, we had some issues with the security guy at the door. He was not wanting to let us in. He had no idea who was working there that night, but apparently did not think we were it! However, eventually we talked our way in.

The show room there is a great venue! It is a small arena style place. And everything was in top shape- as you would expect from Hard Rock. (They can’t skimp on the music stuff there!) Sound check went pretty good, only a couple minor problems. But it was extremely cold in the theater! The band was beginning to freeze. So as soon as we were done we headed outside to warm up. (At least during summertime in Hollywood, Florida it is pretty easy to warm up outside!)

Tim and our set list and video DVD.

Then everybody except my Dad made a mad dash for the Hard Rock Café. We were all starving! And the food did not disappoint! Soon we were very happy campers. We were done and back up to our rooms by about 5:30pm, so we still got some rest time in- always an added bonus! I got a few phone calls in as well, and then threw on my stage clothes and headed up a couple floors to my Dad’s room by 7:15pm.

After I had been there for a minute, there was a knock on his door; it was our security escort. The guard took us all through the innards of the hotel, and finally led us into the backstage area where we met up with the band. We all had some time to hang out before things got started. Then a few minutes after 8pm the intro video started and we all headed down the stairs and towards the stage. The guys got up there and started doing their thing while I ran back upstairs to the dressing rooms to finish getting ready. But I was back stage-side within fifteen minutes, this time I was ready to rock!

It was an awesome crowd! About three thousand people and they were all so enthusiastic. They were there for a party! The show went great, and they even did a three camera shoot. I can’t wait to see some of that! Once the show was over Dad and I ran up to the dressing rooms for just a moment, and then we were escorted out to the front. There was a long line for autographs! Everyone was so happy we were there, and happy that we were sitting out there and signing! I think we were there for about an hour before we finished up and walked backstage.

Dad had his traditional after-show sandwich, and we hung there for a bit. Then Dad went up to his room and I went to find the guys at the bar. But I wanted to make a pit stop first… There was a Wet Willies bar on the property, (one of those bars with a million different kinds of frozen drinks) and so I walked over there to get a drink and take it back to the guys boring and normal bar.

Apparently they had done some gambling while I was signing- and no one was ahead. So they seemed a bit defeated. We didn’t last long down there, all the guys had an early call in the morning (6:30am), so they wanted to get some rest. I was up to my room sometime around midnight; and after I got a salad from room service, I tried to get to sleep myself!

July 8, 2011

I woke up around 8am and was not in a hurry to leave. (At that moment I was very glad I wasn’t on the early trip to the airport with the rest of the guys. I was in no hurry to get home- I might as well enjoy my hotel room a little longer!) I eventually got in the shower and got packed and ready to leave though.

At 11:15am I met my driver down by the valet, and I was off to Fort Lauderdale Airport. When I got there I checked in rather quickly, but the line to drop bags off was rather long for some reason; so that took a minute. Then the security line was kind of crazy too! I noticed a lot of people were not regular travelers, so there were some issues. But I got threw and into my terminal with plenty of time still. In fact I even grabbed a quick bite to eat. I just needed a couple bites of something in my stomach before I got on the plane!

We started boarding right on time, and I got into my seat and ready to go. However, I was not a fan of the guy in the seat in front of me. Before the plane even started rolling down the runway, he reclined his chair all the way back- which aside from being against the rules; it made it almost impossible for me to even reach my bag under his seat! I was less than pleased, but didn’t want to get in a fight over it, so I let it go.

Florida coast line on the way home.

We were in the air and on our way to Dallas on time at 12:50pm. The flight was just over two hours long, so I had a little time to get some things done. But soon we were landing in Dallas and parking at our gate. I wandered out of the jet bridge and towards my next gate. I had to hop on the tram and take it as far away as it would take me- the last stop. When I exited I walked down to my gate only to find that the gate had changed while I was on the tram. Luckily the new gate was still in that same terminal, just on the other side of it. So I walked over there and took a seat.

The plane arrived a bit late, but they managed to get us on there pretty close to boarding time. And we were actually in the air only about fifteen minutes late. The flight to Springfield is pretty short- less than an hour and a half I’d say. And so I landed happily in Springfield at about 5:30pm. I went to baggage claim and luckily it didn’t take too long for my bags to come up. Right when I got them in my hands, my friend Michael text me that he was in the cell phone lot waiting. Perfect timing!

I walked outside and met him a few minutes later. We stopped for a quick bite to eat, and then went to his Nana’s farm for a little bit. Soon I dropped him off somewhere and drove his car to my house- he didn’t need it the next couple days, and it was a lot cheaper than me paying for a cab! So it worked out well! I was home and comfy cozy again by just after 9pm. All and all, this trip had gone pretty smoothly!

The Tale of Time Square, Songwriters, Fort Williams, Horses, Hikes, Lakes, and Beautiful Banff...

(There are a lot of pictures in this blog post! So I had to make a lot of them pretty small. However, if you click on them they will enlarge to full screen!)

June 15, 2011

Myself in Time Square.

This tour trip started out with a very special stop! New York City. Dad, my friend Michael and myself left from Springfield, Missouri, and traveled to the Big Apple. We only encountered one small problem- we almost missed our connecting flight in Chicago… We had a long layover, so we stopped to eat at the Chili’s there, and they had misplaced our order; so it took a long, long time. By the time we ran out of there, our flight was in final boarding, and the gate was a bit farther away than anticipated! Luckily Michael used to be my personal trainer- so he is in tip-top shape, and ran ahead of my Dad and I to make sure they held the door open! If we had been one minute later they were going to give our seats away! Thank God we made it!

Once we got to LaGuardia, we met a van that took us to our hotel- the Marriot Marquis at Time Square. Awesome hotel! Michael and I decided to head out on the town and go for a walk. The weather could not have been more perfect! Whenever I’m in New York it is always crazy hot or crazy cold, but this was just right! We wandered the city for a couple hours, and then we ended up back at our hotel for dinner. We went to the restaurant at the top of the hotel- on the forty-ninth floor, and it was a revolving restaurant! Such incredible views! The food was pretty nice too!

June 16, 2011

After breakfast, the day started out with a sound check for Dad. So Michael and I went down and joined him in the ballroom. The reason we were in New York was for the American Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. Dad was singing “Lovin’ Feeling” with Sam Moore because Barry and Cynthia (the writers of that song, and a million other incredible songs!) were getting a very special award. Sound check went pretty great, and soon Michael and I were out on the street to do some shopping. I just love walking around New York! I truly love that place!

Michael and I on the red carpet!

By 6:45pm Michael and I were dressed and ready for the night’s events, so we headed to Dad’s room to meet him and our escort for the evening. We were all taken downstairs to the red carpet. There was a group of people standing in front of the red carpet holding albums and yelling for my Dad’s autograph, it was pretty cool. Even some of them knew who I was, it was crazy! Then Dad stood on the red carpet in front of all the blinding flashing lights for a while. After that, Michael and I followed behind him on the red carpet… Funny, no flashing lights when we walked by. Maybe someday! Dad had some interviews to do, and that carpet was crowded! It was a lot of fun! Very exciting hustle and bustle!

Michael and I in the ballroom for the event!

After that we walked up to the VIP cocktail party. It was awesome! I met a lot of incredible songwriters. All the people in that room wrote pretty much every song I know! It was insane! And I also got to meet some old friends of my Dad’s, which was a lot of fun! Something extra special was that Michael and I got to meet Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks. I am a big fan of both of them (and Michael and I had seen Garth’s show in Las Vegas this past October- which was amazing!) and Michael’s idol is Garth. So it was a big deal!

Dad and I celebrating after the show.

Once we were escorted into the ballroom, we had dinner at our table and then the show began to start! It was unbelievable! So many amazing artists were there. Dwight Yoakam, Leon Russell, Chrissie Hynde, Drake, Boz Skaggs, Billy Joel, Garth and Trisha- oh, and of course Dad and Sam Moore! Never mind the never ending list of the best songwriters in the world! I am sure I am leaving out a lot of names, but you get the idea! Dad and Sam had to give a speech about Barry and Cynthia- which was hilarious because neither of them are big on giving speeches… Then they brought the house down with “Lovin’ Feeling”! The crowd went crazy! They even stood up in the middle of the song, not just the end! I was a proud daughter!

After the big event, Michael and I met Dad down in the hotel bar for a taste. Dad deserved a good drink after that performance. He needed to celebrate! It was an incredible night all together. I can’t even explain how magical and amazing it was! Words fail me when I try to explain… But it was definitely a night to remember!

June 17, 2011

My alarm started blaring at 8am in my hotel room. I needed to finish packing and get ready for the travel day ahead, but I figured a nice breakfast would be a good start to the day. I picked up the phone and ordered room service. Michael and I sat and ate a nice breakfast, then I got packed up and ready to leave. We met my Dad downstairs in the lobby at 11am. Our van was ready for us, so we threw all our bags in and jumped inside.

It was about a twenty minute drive to LaGuardia Airport. Once we arrived there, Dad and I checked in at Air Canada- which proved to be a bit trying. There were some technical difficulties, and also a rather long line to drop our bags off. But we got it all done! Dad went ahead through security, and I walked with Michael over to American Airlines so he could check in. (He got checked in much quicker and easier than we did!) After that, him and I stopped in the food court to chat for a bit. After a while we had to walk over to my security check point- which was different than his. We said our goodbyes, and I headed on through to the gate.

The menu for the restaurant at the Toronto
Airport.

I had cut it pretty close, right as I got through security our plane was boarding. So I got straight in line and onto the plane. We left the gate close to on time at 1:30pm, but there was a very long line of planes to take off in front of us. Then sure enough right when we were getting close to the front of the line, they pulled us out of it! Apparently the weather on our flight path was bad, so we were supposed to wait until after that passed before we got in the air. We waited on the ground for an hour. Then finally they let us take off.

We were in the air for about two hours before we got to Toronto. We had to go through customs, immigration, grab our bags, and go through security again. There were long lines everywhere! We were done with that, and on the way to our next flight at 4:40pm. However, our flight was at 5pm, and the people at the airport decided we couldn’t make the flight. If we had been five minutes earlier, they would have let us go. So we had to get in line and change our flight. We ended up on a flight three hours later. It was quite a bummer!

We went and got a snack at a restaurant there, but that didn’t pass too much time. We were still at our gate about an hour and a half early. So, we waited. Eventually, our 8pm flight to Thunder Bay began to board. Luckily, this flight took off on time. It was an easy trip, just about two hours. We landed around 10pm, and went to get our bags. It was a very small airport. We found our driver, and once we had our bags we hopped into the bus and got on our way to the hotel.

Thunder Bay Airport.

It was 10:30pm by the time we got to the hotel, yet it was just getting dark. The area was beautiful from what I could see. Once we got to our rooms, I ordered some pizza for Dad and I from a nice local place. It was really good! After that, I just hung out in my room- and stayed up for a while, but once I passed out around 1:30am, I was out like a light. Nothing could have woken me up!

As a side note, Michael- who was leaving LaGuardia as well, (but had a flight that left forty five minutes after ours) his flight got delayed so long that it was finally cancelled due to weather. He didn’t get home until early the next morning. So Dad and I were very lucky we got out of there when we did I guess!

June 18, 2011

The venue when no one was there at sound check.

Myself

My alarm went off way to early at 8am. I jumped out of bed, threw on a hat, and met Larry, Bob, and Gabe downstairs. (Tim was already over at the gig, and Dad was sleeping instead of going to sound check.) We got to Fort Williams Historical Park just after 9am. It was beautiful! We were working outdoors for a Retrofest Festival, and the stage was right on the water- there was a beautiful river flowing by. However, it was rather chilly! We were kind of beginning to freeze! We hung around waiting to sound check, and it was a bit of a disaster. They were not quite prepared for us, and they were not too well equipped. But by noon, we decided we did the best we could.

Myself

We waited for a bus back to the hotel, then we all headed to the restaurant for some lunch. It was rather yummy, but by the time I was done, I was ready for some rest! I got to chill out for a little bit, then I had to start getting ready for the show. I met the band downstairs and rode over to the gig with them around 7pm. I wanted to get there and check out the Temptations, they were on right before us. That night we were actually working with the Grass Roots and the Temptations, but the Grass Roots were already done by the time we got there.

The whole stage.

Myself

However, my Dad’s old drummer David was there working with the Grass Roots, so he hung around so he could hang out with us for the night. It is always so fun to run into guys like that out on the road- in the middle of nowhere! The Temptations sounded great! High energy, and a wonderful band! Dad arrived when they were about half way through their show, so he checked them out for a bit too.

Dad

Gabe

Bob

The night was running a bit behind schedule- which is not surprising for a gig like that. So we had lots of time to hang out in our trailers in the back. We were supposed to go on around 8pm, but we were just starting to get ready to hit the stage by about 9:30pm. A man that was with the festival crew came back and went up to Tim and said, “So, IF the video doesn’t work, HOW does that affect YOU?” And how he said that was just so funny! Then a few minutes later, as all the guys and I were doing our traditional fists in before the show, all of a sudden I saw our soundman Jeff come charging through the forest! Literally! One of the funniest things I’ve ever seen! He came to tell us that the video was not working, and he also came to bring my Dad his microphone. It will be an image we will always remember of him!

Tim

Larry

I waited by the side of the stage as everyone jumped up there and started the show. But soon I was up! It was a lot of fun to do an outdoor show like that; especially right on the river and all. But it was rather cold! I actually ended up onstage in my jeans and a sweatshirt! I never look that casual, but I have to say, it was quite comfortable! The show went pretty good, just a lot of bugs that were attracted to the spotlights. So it was kind of a battle! But for the most part we won the flight… However, there were some bug bites that could not be avoided!

A great bonus was that there was a wonderful photographer there- Greg Malo, taking pictures of the show. And right after Dad and I finished signing, he had two discs of pictures of the show for me! He got some awesome pictures too! I love that!

Dad and I.

Dad and I.

Myself

We all hung around our trailer there for a while and got to catch up with David. It was a lot of fun! Then we were on our way back to the hotel around 12:30am. When we got there, Dad decided to check out what was going on in the ballroom of our hotel, and it turns out it was a wedding. So we did a little wedding crashers thing. However, you cannot crash a wedding with my Dad! He peaked his head into the ballroom, and within two minutes a group of people recognized him. (Of course they did!) So we gave up and went to the bar for a little while. I was not feeling like I was going to last long, but I didn’t want to be a party pooper.

After I finished my water, luckily, everyone was pretty much ready to retire for the evening. I went up to my room, and once I finished throwing a few things into my suitcase, my head landed happily on the pillow.

June 19, 2011

Happy Father’s Day! My alarm was going off by 8:30am, so I jumped into some clothes and headed down to the lobby to meet people by 9:30am. We all climbed into the bus, and we were off to the Thunder Bay Airport. Since it is a very small airport, check in was a breeze! We walked up the stairs and into the little food court area for a quick bite.

Soon it was time to venture through security and into the small three gate terminal. Our flight was just about ready to board. Since it was Father’s Day, they let all the father’s board first. So that just left Gabe and I out. But as Gabe said, “I’ve never been so happy to be left out.” But without too much hesitation, we were on the plane and into the air! It was about an hour flight to Winnipeg, and then we had a short thirty minute stopover, but we were back on the same plane in no time, and continued on to Calgary.

Calgary Airport.

That was about a two hour flight. But it went by really quickly! Once on the ground, we headed towards baggage claim. We found our bus driver/director, and then not too long after, our bags began to appear. We all climbed into the bus and got comfortable. They provided us with a boxed lunch, and it was perfect! There was a lady who was giving us information about the area, and I have to say, we aren’t a great group for that… When people ask, “Ok, so who knows why…” We are either going to be smart alecks or silent. But she did have some interesting facts about the area. We had an hour and a half or two hour drive to get to Banff. It was a beautiful drive up into the mountains though. We kept ourselves entertained along the way!

When we arrived at our hotel- The Fairmont Banff Springs, it was magical. It truly is a castle! Incredible! We had a group of people meet us and help us get checked in and then they took us to our rooms. We were working for a private party for Protective Life Insurance. And they were so amazing, and took such unbelievable care of us! The hotel rooms were wonderful, and all the rooms had views that were stunning- however, Dad’s room was probably the best!

The Fairmont Banff Springs.

We had some time before dinner since we were in our rooms by 3:30pm. So Gabe, Bob, Larry and I walked to downtown. It was about a fifteen minute walk, and so scenic! Downtown was awesome! Lots of great shops and restaurants, we were kind of scouting out for the days ahead. We actually had three full days off there before the show! (We ended up with that situation because it was easier to do that then fly home from Canada for one day, then back to Canada!) Also, our performance for this private party was a surprise! So the few days we were hanging out there, we had to be careful. Our cover was that we were there for the Hanson Family Reunion. Worked like a charm!

View from my Dad's hotel room.

After we roamed town for a while, we walked back to the hotel and gathered together in Dad’s suite for a pre-dinner toast. And this place definitely deserved a big toast! So amazing! We went down to dinner around 7:45pm (that was the earliest reservation they had). But it was a beautiful place, with a great view; and the food was wonderful!

After dinner we all wandered around the hotel for a while. Such an incredible and historic place! And again, it was light out until about 11pm! So crazy! So we had time to look around and still have some daylight! I got up to my room eventually though and got ready for bed. I needed to catch up on a little sleep, so I was happy to crash. I had a lot to do the next few days. There was so much to see and do in Banff!

June 20, 2011

I got up around 8am naturally for a change- I think I was just so excited to be in that beautiful place that I didn’t want to waste any time! I got dressed and ready for the day. Dad, Tim, Larry, Bob, Gabe, Vinny (the guy who booked this gig for us) and I all met downstairs in the lobby and got into our rental car- a Suburban. Gabe and I (being the youngest and most agile) were thrown into the very back. It was only about a forty-five minute drive to where we were going. But sure enough we made a wrong turn and accidentally exited the road at the first exit. So we had to get turned around and then back on the North road again.

Lake Louise.

Gabe, Bob and Dad at Lake Louise.

The scenery was gorgeous. And it only got better and better. We pulled up to the beautiful Fairmont Hotel on Lake Louise and parked our car. We all walked inside and we were struck by the incredible beauty of the view of the lake. (The hotel wasn’t bad either!) Our next mission was to find a way to get outside. We managed to do that pretty quickly, and so we walked straight down to the lake.

Fairmont at Lake Louise.

Lake Louise has Victoria Glacier on the other side of it, and it is the most incredible bright teal water you have ever seen in your life! We were all in complete awe! None of us had ever seen anything like it. We took a million pictures! And we also walked around the lake a bit. The beauty was not to be believed!

Dad and I at Lake Louise.

Eventually we walked back into the hotel to find a place to eat, and we managed to find a place that didn’t have a wait, and looked out at the lake. Perfect! It was truly an experience for all of us.

Myself at Lake Louise.

After lunch, we all hopped back into the car though, and drove back to Banff. When we got there, Gabe and I decided to go hit of the pool. The weather there was somewhat chilly- for summer, it was about sixty-five degrees that day. However, the outdoor pool was heated- almost too much, but it was so awesome! We were down in the pool for a couple hours, basically until we got nice and prune like.

Dad at Lake Louise.

Then him and I ventured to the liquor store, which was right across the street from the hotel. I was intrigued by their mass amounts of ice wine, and also apple cider- and all kinds of cider, which I’ve always wanted to try- so it looked like this was the place to do it! Seemed kind of like a specialty! We took our purchases up to Gabe’s room and invited some of the other guys over.

By 7pm, we were all joining together and jumping into the car. We drove downtown to a great Italian restaurant called Giorgio’s. It was wonderful! After our meal, we all walked around for just a bit. We went into a great Western store and some other cute shops; it was a lot of fun!

The whole group at Lake Louise.

Once back in the hotel, I had a quick nightcap in Gabe’s room. (I got an ice wine sampler- had three different types. So we had to have a quick taste test!) Then I went to my room and got ready for bed. I was so excited to get up in the morning and get moving!

June 21, 2011

My morning hiking.

I was up again by 7:30am naturally! I got my sweats on, and decided to go for a hike. The trails around there seemed awesome! So I took the short one hour loop, then walked up and through the Bow Falls, then to downtown- walked all around there, then back through the Bow Falls, then back through that same hour long hiking trail. It was so much fun! I even saw an elk and his lady friend about ten feet from me. They were huge! Incredible to see them so close! The nature there is on a whole other level. The views I got to see while I was hiking were amazing!

Bow Falls

Once I exhausted myself… I decided to go down to the spa. I hung out there for a couple hours; I had lunch and swam in the beautiful mineral pools. Then to top it off, I got a facial. (That day Larry, Tim, Bob and Gabe all went golfing at a great course about an hour and a half away.)

But by the time I was done, I had to run to my room and get changed rather quickly! We all met down by the car at 7:15pm and headed downtown to dinner at a place called Bison. Bison is a specialty around that area, and this place knows how to make it right! We all had wonderful meals! And on the back of the menu there was even a map with the farms on it where they get all their food! I love that! All natural and indigenous!

By the time we got back to the hotel, Gabe and I ran down to the pool since it was open for another forty-five minutes. We stayed floating around the warm outdoor pool until 10pm, how awesome is that? Then him and I went and had a night cap in his room and planned our adventures for the next day- and watched a really crazy TV show, “101 Ways To Leave A Game Show”. Once I got back to my room, I was ready to get some sleep! Lots more to do the next morning!

June 22, 2011

Emore and I.

My morning hike.

I woke up early again, and so I got dressed and went for another hike. I love the morning hikes there! So perfect! Then I met Gabe down in the lobby by 11:30am and we walked over to the horse stables. It was riding day! I was so excited; I used to love riding horses! Gabe was a bit nervous, he hadn’t ridden since he was a young boy, and even then he only did it once. So the excitement/anticipation level was high!

Gabe and his horse!

We signed our lives away, and then they let us get up on our horses. Gabe’s horse was Ariate, and mine was Emore. They were both very good horses! Without too much hesitation, the 12pm ride left the stables. We were in the back of the pack. There was one guide in front, and one in the back with us. Gabe made friends with her. Nothing like trying out a few pick up lines while on horseback!

Gabe in the gondola going up
Sulphur Mountain.

The ride was awesome! The views were incredible, and they even let us cross a river on the horses! And it wasn’t a mellow river! It was pretty deep, and moving pretty fast! It was insanely cool! I’ve never done that on a horse before! Then out of the water, the horse even got up to a gallop a few times. It was just so much fun! I am going to have to start horseback riding more!

The view from Sulphur Mountain.

Gabe on Sulphur Mountain.

When we were done, we ran into Bob who was coming back from lunch downtown. We grabbed the car keys from him and then Gabe and I headed to Sulphur Mountain. We parked at the gondola, and both of us looked up at it like we weren’t sure this was a good idea. (Neither of us are great with heights.) But we got out, bought the tickets, and got in one of the tiny four person gondolas before we could think about it.

The view from Sulphur Mountain.

The ride up was a bit scary, we were pretty high up in the air; but it was beautiful! When we reached the top, the views were mind-blowing! We walked around the look out area, and we were just speechless. It looked like a painting, or out of a movie. It couldn’t be real? But it was! Unbelievable! We took a bunch of pictures, and I swear it looks like I photo-shopped them all! It was just surreal!

We decided to head back down the gondola and get some lunch in town. Both of us had been eying one of the sushi places there. So that was a must! It was really good sushi too! Totally hit the spot! Once we finished, we went to check out the hot springs, but we decide the pool at our hotel was better; so we headed there instead. It was a perfect day to be floating in the pool! We hung out there for about an hour and a half, and then we went and got ready for dinner.

Myself on Sulphur Mountain.

Myself on Sulphur Mountain.

The whole gang met downstairs by the car at 7pm, and we went to a steakhouse called Saltlik. It was awesome! Gabe and I shared about our adventures that day. The other guys missed out by not getting out and hanging with us! After an incredible dinner, we all went back to the hotel. Larry, Tim and I ended up in Gabe’s room for a bit; but come 11pm, it was time for me to retire for the night. I didn’t go to sleep though, I was too excited to get all the pictures from everything we did that day into my computer! So I stayed up a while doing that, then finally crashed for the night.

June 23, 2011

I woke up by 8:30am and got dressed for my morning hike. I went on the hike, but halfway through my journey it started pouring down rain! I still finished my hour loop; but by the time I got back to the hotel I was soaked! It was pretty awesome though! So I went to my room and hung out there for a little bit, but soon it was time to get dressed and ready for sound check. Our vacation was over, and it was time to get back to work!

Downtown Banff.

Dad and I walked over to the ballroom around 3:30pm. They were just about ready for us. Sound check was pretty painless. They walked us up to show us our green room so we knew where to go when we came back for the show, and then we were on our own for a bit.

I was sitting in my room wasting time before Gabe and I were planning on meeting downstairs for sushi at 6pm, and at right about 5:30pm the electricity went out! Completely out! And it did not come right back on. Gabe and I still decided to go downstairs and try for sushi (there was a generator working that kept some lights in the hotel on), but when we got there, they said that they would open if the electricity came back on, but their restaurant was really dark, and it didn’t have any windows to the outside, so they were kind of stuck staying closed if it didn’t.

After contemplating our options for a bit, him and I headed to the restaurant that we ate at the first night we got to Banff. That was the only restaurant open! While we were there, we found out that the electricity was not just off at our hotel, but all of Banff and Lake Louise! That is a huge area! So we ate our dinner and awaited a verdict on the show, but we didn’t hear much.

A view from one of my hikes.

When we finished eating I stopped by my Dad’s room and Tim was there. He said that if the electricity doesn’t come back on soon- or in enough time to start the show by 10pm or a little after, that we would probably have to stay an extra night and do the show the next day. We all anxiously awaited an outcome. We had heard rumors of possible electricity by 9pm, but we weren’t sure what to believe.

Sure enough though, at 9:10pm the lights came back on! So we were in business! We finished getting ready and headed downstairs. The event had some awards to give out before we got on stage, so they were doing that as we hung out up in the green room until about 10:30pm, then we walked down to the stage. When the person announcing Dad finally broke the surprise and said “Ladies and gentlemen, Bill Medley!” The crowd went wild! So they played the intro video and then the boys hit the stage. I was up soon after, and I have to say the crowd was awesome!

One of my hiking trails.

We did a full show, and then some! At the end they all got up and started dancing and kept wanting more! At one point we even left the stage (when the show was technically done), but then we ended up back up there rocking out a few more tunes! It was great! The audience was having so much fun, which really made us have a lot of fun!

After the show, Dad went to take some pictures. I wandered around, and then joined him for the last couple shots. It was already about 1am by the time we were done with that. Gabe, Larry, Tim, Dad, Vinny, and the guy who put the whole event together- Paul, all went up to the green room for a bit. But I didn’t last long! I was exhausted, and I needed to pack still!

So soon I went back to my room and got as organized as I could to leave in the morning. I think I finally got to close my eyes around 2:30am. And they needed to be closed!

June 24, 2011

It was painful waking up to my alarm at 6am. But I had to get up and get ready to leave. Dad, Larry and I met in the lobby at 7am. (We were actually the last people to leave, Bob had a 4:45am call, and Tim and Gabe had a 5:30am call.) We met our driver at the front door and got all packed up and on our way. They even provided us all with boxed breakfasts- and they were really good!

Up at the Banff hot springs.

The drive back to Calgary Airport was about an hour and a half. Once we got there, we got checked into United, and then Dad and I started on our way through customs and immigration. Larry was looking at going standby on our flight, so he had to wait and talk to the agent. Dad and I managed to get through customs and all that pretty quickly and painlessly though!

Once we made it to our gate, I noticed that the flight before us was going to Orange County; and sure enough when I looked around I spotted Tim and Gabe. So we sat down with them for a bit, but they were boarding within about fifteen minutes. Then Dad and I had about a two hour wait for our flight. But I passed time getting some work done.

By 10:30am they started boarding. They said there wasn’t going to be any room for standby passengers, and so that was bad news for Larry. But Dad and I got on the tiny plane, and found ourselves in first class. (The private party that we had just done had booked our tickets home, and so first class was a nice surprise for me!) Right before they were about to close the cabin door, a familiar face came walking onto the plane. Somehow Larry made it on the flight! Which he was very excited about!

Bob at Lake Louise.

Right on time at 11am, we were getting in the air and heading towards Chicago. It was a three hour flight. But it went by pretty fast. I got a lot of work done. But once we landed, it was all business; we only had a thirty five minute layover! So when they finally let Dad and I off the plane, we started running. Our next gate could not have been further away! We had a long run!

When we got to the gate, they were in final boarding! But we made it! We were a little concerned about our bags though- considering how far we ran, we weren’t sure they were going to make it! But we were on the plane and ready to go. An announcement over the loud speaker was worrisome, the captain announced that there was a small mechanical error. Never a good sign! But luckily the maintenance guy got on the plane and fixed it within five minutes! So we were in the air on time still.

Beautiful scenery on one of my hikes.

It was a really quick flight to Springfield, Missouri- only about an hour long. And as a wonderful surprise we landed twenty minutes early! Once we got off the plane, we went to baggage claim. The bags took a while to come up, but when they did one of my bags and one of Dad’s bags were the first ones on the carousel. We waited and waited, but our other bags never came. So I walked over to the United desk to put a claim in. I wasn’t the only person either; a lot of people from our flight were missing bags actually. The lady said our bags were in Chicago, and would probably come in on the next flight that evening. (And they did deliver our missing bags to our houses by 2pm the next day…)

So Dad and I left the airport with half our luggage and drove back to Branson. I was in my house by 7pm. Even though the last two weeks out on the road were amazing, it was still nice to sit on my couch and sleep in my bed again for a change!