The Tale of Cookies, Batting Cages, 3:30am, and No Sleep...

July 12, 2011

I woke up in my own comfy bed in Branson and began to get ready to leave. I wasn’t in a huge hurry. My cab came to pick me up at 12pm to take me to Branson Airport. I got there pretty quickly, then after a little dilly-dallying I finally checked in for my flight to Houston, Texas. Then I went on my way through security and waited to board. Luckily it wasn’t a long wait and I was in my seat rather quickly.

Branson Airport

We got in the air right on time at 1:36pm. And it is quite a short flight to Houston Hobby airport- only about an hour and a half. But we landed twenty minutes early at 2:50pm! So that was cool! I went to get my bags and baggage claim, and they were already circling the carousel. (I love it when that happens!) Then I went outside to wait for my cousin Chris’ girlfriend to pick me up. (She was the only one that could make it all the way to Hobby Airport at that time of day, so she was stuck with me!)

Once I hopped into her truck, we drove back to The Woodlands. It took a little extra time due to some traffic around downtown Houston, and also some weird weather. But we got there right at 4:30pm. Which just happened to be the exact time that my cousin Heather got off work. So I hung around and played with my cousin Chris’ and Jessica’s baby- Parker for a while, then Heather and I were off!

Best ice cream and cookies ever!

We stopped at her apartment for a minute to drop off my luggage, and then we went to dinner at a great sushi place! After that, we stopped back at Jessica’s house for a while, and I got to play with Parker some more. (She is a cutie!) Then Heather and I hit up Walmart- for some dessert supplies, and then went back to her apartment. We baked chocolate chip cookies and put them with some wonderful vanilla bean ice cream! Perfect! But after the sugar coma, we just mellowed out and got ready to crash.

July 13, 2011

I had the day off! Heather had to go to work early in the morning, so I went down to the pool! I had an incredible time just swimming laps, reading, and laying out! The perfect way to start my day! Then I got dressed and ready. Heather came back to the apartment at her lunch break, then I took her back to work and took her car until she was done.

I walked around a great outdoor shopping center there called Market Street for a bit, and then I actually went to see a movie, which was exciting because I rarely get to do that! I went and saw “Bad Teacher” which was pretty good, and by the time I was done it was time to pick Heather up. We went straight from there to a paint your own pottery place- which is a total love of mine! We had a great time doing that!

Days by the pool.

Afterwards, we stopped by at Market Street for a little more shopping and to get some dinner at Tommy Bahamas. Wonderful meal! But by the time we were done, we were exhausted. We went back to her place, watched a movie and got ready for bed!

July 14, 2011

Since Heather had to go to work early again, I went back to the pool… I could get used to that! Good morning routine! Then I got showered and ready for Heather to get back from work. Once she did we got all our stuff packed up and into her car, and we headed on our way to the other side of Houston- to Stafford, Texas.

It was only about a thirty minute drive, and once we got close we actually stopped at a great café for a quick snack. Then we arrived at the Hilton Hotel we were staying at and got checked in and up to our room. Right about the same time, the guys were just leaving the airport and starting their drive to the hotel. Once they got there about thirty minutes later; Gabe, Bob, Larry, Tim, Bill, Heather and I all went down to the hotel bar. (Dad decided he was better off staying in his room and resting!) So we all had a drink and discussed our dinner options.

After an hour or so of discussions, Larry, Tim and Bob decided to eat at the hotel, while Bill, Gabe and I all jumped in Heather’s car and went to Heather’s favorite Persian restaurant (which happened to be only about ten minutes away). It was awesome! Such great food! When we got back to the hotel we ran into Larry, and we all stopped in the bar for a nightcap.

But none of us lasted there long, we were all up to our rooms shorty! And after a few texts to some friends- trying to keep in touch while on the road! It was time to crash!

July 15, 2011

My morning did not start out well. I had some drama going on. But after some discussion with my mini support group of Gabe and Heather, I got dressed and ready for the day. Heather and I went to the bank, and then we were deciding where else to go when we passed a Zuma. (Which was a kids fun park thing with go-carts, mini-golf, arcade games, etc…) I just said, “That is where we are going.” I had a feeling like that is where we were meant to be that day!

Batting cages!

Batting cages!

So we drove around in a circle to get back to the entrance, and then we walked inside the semi-ghetto kids zone. (We weren’t in the best neighborhood, and the Zuma was not kept in the best shape! But it was going to get the job done.) I had my eyes on one thing… The batting cages! Heather and I figured out where to get the right tokens, and where to get the baseball bat, and all that- they didn’t make it easy to get that stuff! But once I was ready, I headed out to the slow pitch softball cage. I loved it! I had been wanting to go to the batting cages for a while! I actually hit some balls pretty good! However, my form is not too good- I need to work on that. But I think I do want to work on it! It was way too much fun. Just what I needed!

Dad on the drums!

Then Heather and I went to grab a Starbucks, before we went back to the hotel. We got there just in time to get ready to leave for sound check. We met my dad downstairs at 3pm and got into a van that took us to the theater which was about ten or fifteen minutes away. The theater was beautiful. Sound check went pretty smoothly; Dad even played drums for a while. It was fun!

Stafford, TX Theater.

After sound check Dad went back to the hotel, but the rest of us ate at the theater, and the food was fantastic! Incredible Mexican! But once we were done, we all headed back to the hotel for a little rest. There wasn’t too much time to rest, only about an hour before we had to leave again.

Heather and I went back downstairs at 7pm to leave for the theater again- this time for the show though! All the guys- except my Dad, were already down there waiting. Most of us got into the first van and headed on our way. (Tim and Bob waited for Dad.) Once we got there, I noticed that the signs on the dressing rooms were actually little white boards. I was so excited, so I drew up one for Dad’s room, and one for the boy’s room. (Nothing too special- I was kind of in a hurry, but it entertained me for a bit!)

Dad and I pre-show.

We all hung around for a while just relaxing. Then Heather needed to go out front to meet all her friends and family that were coming to the show, and the guys and I got ready to do our thing! Soon the video was starting and the guys were on their way. I finished getting ready- putting my in ears on, etc… Then I was up as well!

The show went great! Lots of fun! And it is always really nice when there are friends and family out there cheering you on too! After the show, signing was crazy! So many people! We were out there for more than an hour! And at the end Dad got attacked by a bunch of ladies, and a million pictures. Tough job, I guess someone has to do it! Then we said hello to our friends and family that were there, but we were so tired by that point that we didn’t last long.

Heather and her boyfriend Deven.

Dad, Heather, Deven (Heather’s boyfriend), and I all walked backstage and hung out for a bit as Dad ate his sandwich, and we waited for Tim to finish up and get ready to leave. Once we left, we said goodbye to Deven and then went back to the hotel. When we got there, it was time to pack and organize- and as quickly as possible. We didn’t get back to the hotel until after midnight, and it was going to be an early one!

July 16, 2011

My alarm went off at the ungodly hour of 3:30am. That was extremely painful! But I had to get ready to go! Heather and I met the guys downstairs at 4am. (I’d like to state for the record that 4am is a better bedtime than wake up time.) We were getting into the cars pretty shortly, so I said my goodbye to Heather. (She was actually going to catch a plane that morning too, but at a different airport than we were going to!) Then we were off to Hobby Airport.

Gabe at the kids table at Hobby airport at 4:30am.

Once we got there, we checked in at the Southwest desk. Then we headed on through security. We all stopped and got a snack and then just waited at the gate. They finally started boarding, and I managed to get an okay seat (which was in question since you don’t get to select your seats ahead of time on Southwest). And then the plane took off on time at 6:15am.

View from the pier in Lakeside.

The flight to Chicago- Midway Airport, was pretty smooth. I slept most of the time; or at least I tried to! Then when we landed we walked over to our next gate, which wasn’t too far away. We waited there, and soon we were boarding for our flight to Cleveland. This wasn’t a long flight, I think it was only about an hour or so. Then once we landed, we went straight down to baggage claim. We grabbed our bags really quickly and headed out to the curb to meet our cars. There was a small bus for the guys, and a limo for Dad and I.

We had an hour and a half drive, and I tried to sleep most of it. I’m not sure I actually went to sleep, but I definitely got some rest! When we got to Lakeside, Ohio, we had to go through a gate. This was a very unique place. The whole town and community was gated in! But it was picturesque! Seemed like Pleasantville or something! Wonderful! We all got checked into our rooms, then Bob, Larry, Gabe and I walked across the street to grab a bite at a place called Sloopy’s. It was pretty good too! Then Larry, Gabe and I went for a quick walk down to the Lake and onto the pier there. It was awesome! Very interesting and cool place!

Amazing theater in Lakeside.

I went back to my room for about an hour, then I headed a couple blocks over to the theater. It was an awesome theater! Beautiful place! And a lot of history! But soon it became very apparent that I was there very, very early. They were running very behind. There were some horrible sound issues that were not getting resolved! We were all starting to worry, I know I was definitely concerned! I was there from about 4pm until 6:45pm. When I got back to my room, I had just enough time to throw on my clothes, fix up my makeup, and meet my Dad downstairs.

Myself, pre-show.

I met Dad at 7:15pm, and we were taken to the theater on a golf cart. I really can’t express how quaint this town was! Adorable. When we got there, we all decided to order some pizza from the local place for after the show. (This place had won awards for their pizza, so we had to taste it!) The show went amazing! The crowd was great, and it was sold out! I think one thousand eight hundred, or close to two thousand. And they loved it! Which was so encouraging after the long and rough day we had!

After the show, Dad and I went out front to sign, and that was great as well. Such wonderful people! Then Dad and I got backstage and had some of the pizza that the guys had left; then we walked back to the hotel. We stopped by Gabe’s room- which was where all the guys were hanging. Dad didn’t hang long, but I stayed for a while. Bob left a little before some of us, and then waited outside the door- for probably ten or fifteen minutes to scare the next person that left! It was pretty funny! (Glad I wasn’t the next person to leave though!) But once I did leave, I got back to my room and fell asleep as quickly as I could.

July 17, 2011

In Gabe's room... The guys started a pillow fight...

It was another early morning. I had to wake up at 4am to jump into the shower and get ready. Then once I had all my stuff packed up, I met everyone downstairs at 5:45am. Dad, Tim, and I rode in the limo, and then the rest of the guys were in the mini-bus. The hour and a half ride to the airport was a long one, but once I got there, I went over to Delta to check in (everyone else was on Continental). I was checked in and good to go really quickly by 7:20am; so I walked over to the Continental desk and the guys were in the back of a long line! But I decided to wait for them.

Soon Larry and Gabe were checked in, so we walked over to another security point- one that was a lot less crowded, and we made our way through. Once we did that, they wanted to get some coffee, so we lingered in the food court for a bit. However, after they finished their snacks, we walked down towards their gate- which was a bit of a walk! (But I had plenty of time, my flight wasn’t going to leave until an hour after theirs.) So I walked down to the other side of the airport and said goodbye to everyone, then I wandered back towards my gate.

In Gabe's room... Looks like Bill is gonna knock Gabe out!

When I finally got there, I noticed that my flight was delayed about forty minutes. So that was unfortunate. I slept in one of the chairs for a while and waited for boarding to begin. Somewhere around 10:15am I got on the plane and we got into the air shortly after.

It wasn’t too bad of a flight to Atlanta, but once I landed, I had to hustle to the next gate- I had about thirty minutes to get there. I ran to the tram, and made it to my next gate as quick as possible. I was having some issues with a friend of mine at the time, so it was an interesting layover. Always tough when you are trying to have an important conversation with someone, but you have to board a plane and shut your phone off!

The flight to Springfield, Missouri was about an hour and a half, and then I was safely on the ground by 1:30pm, and on my way to get my bags. Then I walked out to my car (which someone had left there for me). My plans for what I was doing when I got in that day had changed dramatically, and I was very disappointed. But I adapted, and thankfully my friend Katie brought me into what she was doing!

Once I got back to Branson, I went straight to the Clay Cooper Theater to see Michael English in concert with Katie and her family. Great show! Then I hung out with Katie and her family for a while; until we ran to Walmart and then back to her house to get some work done. It was a really fun day! I am so blessed to have wonderful friends!

But when I got to my house, I was excited to hit my bed! It had been a long few days! Rest was sounding like a wonderful, and healing thing! Because I don’t know about you, but when I don’t get sleep for a while, my emotions become very exaggerated, and that doesn’t help anyone! Especially me! Sleep is a beautiful thing! And I had a lot to do for the few days I was home, so I needed rest!