We're on a roll

We were awakened (several times) by severe thunder through the night. It's been a long time for many of us since we've heard thunder so close and so loud. The morning was met with torrents of water running down the hills (it had rained all night) and we danced around the puddles to get to our breakfast. We boarded the bus and headed over to the church for another choir and dance rehearsal. Tim put the kids through a timed drill to help them learn to get their costumes on in 2 minutes flat. That was kinda fun to watch. If something was missing or not complete, it became very obvious. However, they improved greatly after each drill.

After loading up our gear, we headed over to the College of the Ozarks where they have a very nice sanctuary that is very much like a cathedral you might find in Europe with Gothic arches and stained glass. Real cool. Steve set up the recording gear and the kids sang and recorded all the songs they do for a fireside. The acoustics of the chapel were wonderful.

Afterwards, we headed for Lambert's Cafe in Springfield. This place is a one-of-a-kind restaurant with some rather unique ways to deliver your food. Every 5 minutes or so, someone comes out with a tray of hot rolls, fresh from the oven. Call out, "Roll", and soon one will be headed your way and if you don't catch it first, it will hit you in the head. Another technique they have is to walk the aisles with side dish food (black eyed peas, fried potatoes, molasses for your roll, deep fat fried okra and macaroni and cheese with tomatoes) and refresh your plate while you're eating. The portions are, once again, HUGE. We had to be 'roll-ed' out we were so full.

Tonight was the grand opening of the FAME Cup. We (and all the competition) met together in a large auditorium and were very well entertained. We saw a show choir perform from Ball State University. They were pretty flashy, but in this writer's humble opinion, couldn't hold a candle to LIGHT. There was a brilliant spot from their choir though, and that was their lead guitarist who came out front and sang Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody (the entire thing by himself)! That really warmed up the crowd (especially the 45+ generation). Then we got to hear a repeat performance of Six. The LIGHT crowd really got into it and they all wore their Six badges from the night before.

Well, now the fluff is over and the real work begins as we gear up for our first competition tomorrow morning. Stay tuned, 'cause we're on a roll!

Musics . . . what can I say more?

Somehow we managed to get by on a meager portion of sleep (refer to Tim's theorum of nocturnal relativity) and amazingly, everyone was ready to go at 10:30. Our first stop was for brunch at Mel's Hard Luck Diner. This place is incredible. When you first walk in, you are hearing some pretty good vocals being sung in the background. As with most places, it is canned music for ambiance. However, as you are being seated, you realize that the wonderful music is canned but the vocals are live. Not only are they live, they are being sung by the waiters and waitresses who take turns about every 5 minutes (they were very good and one of them had actually been a finalist on American Idol). This made for some real entertainment. They even let Aaron sing to the diners "Save The Last Dance For Me". Throw in the HUGE portions we were served and we had the makings of first class meal. Afterwards, we shopped the mall area for a bit and then headed to the local LDS chapel and had a much needed rehearsal.


After a bin check, we headed back to the cabins to freshen up and then rode over to the Hughes American Family Theatre and enjoyed a meal (kinda like a dinner theater) before the main crowd of showgoers arrived. The kids scrambled to the stage with their bins and prepped for the show opener for the musical group "Six". They came out with the energy you'd expect from LIGHT and put on a spirited 20 minute show for a large audience of mature citizens (retirees and the like). Unfortunately, the lighting system wasn't working so all we had was a single spot to showcase our kids. The audience loved them anyway. Then Six came out and started their show. They are all brothers (6 out of 10) whose roots are from the Mesa area (Knudsen's). They're an a cappella group and do their own sounds and vocal backgrounds. They were sensational. They did a musical tour of music styles across the country, did some 50's numbers and many other styles and themes. I might add, they were very funny as well. A must see if you ever come to Branson. During the show, I kept hearing the shrieks and screams of what sounded like a very rabid fan. As I looked among our girls to see who it was, I discovered that it was our very own Vickey Whiting. Her positive energy gave the show an added bonus. After the show and after all the crowd had left, we were treated to an hour long clinic with the brothers and learned more about what it takes to perform at a professional level and how to improve overall. It was a real neat experience as these guys are all LDS and share our values. As we left the theater, it was pouring rain and only a few umbrellas to be had (Arizona mentality: it never rains and it never gets cold), so we formed a bridge to the bus with 3 umbrellas and most everyone kept dry. We retired late again but it was worth it to see the smiles on everyone's face.

Off and Running, Flying, Busing . . .

Yes, we're off and running and headed to Branson. Of course we are doing it in a colorful way (as ususal). We left Mesa on Tuesday afternoon and were driven to the airport in D-Day fashion. We seemed to arrive in one wave after another while other travelers stood by in wonder. You'd think they had never seen a blue plastic bin before. Thankfully, Southwest opened up a section of the ticket counter just for LIGHT. This caused some consternation for some beleagered travelers as they tried to get into our line. They were sent elsewhere. Why? No blue plastic bin. Who'd have thought? As you might expect, when we were all gathered at the gate to wait for our flight, it wasn't too long before the LIGHT Entertainment Company began to do what they do best - entertain! Out came the guitars, and the singing (and other forms of enLIGHTenment) began. They were pretty caught up in it and perhaps thought they were in a show as the customer service representative had to get on the PA system and publicly tell all the other travelers to sshhh. Or maybe it was meant for us. I guess we'll never know.

Once on board, we began to settle down a bit (something to do with seatbelts). When the snacks were served, three of our lovely and highly talented young women (wanting to hone their culinary skills) offered to help. And help they did. Down the aisle they went and served everyone on board their delicious airline food.

Upon touchdown in Tulsa, we quickly let the pilots know what a good job they did as the back half of the plane erupted into spontaneous applause. Again, the only thing the bewildered passengers could do was to just shake their heads and smile. (ed. note it was observed by several passnegers that some of our kids were reading their scriptures. They came away impressed).

We found our luggage (literally, we had to find our luggage) and met the Kroll's at the baggage claim. We loaded our huge mountain of blue bins and headed into the night with our driver, Dean (repeat driver for LIGHT, yeah). After a couple of hours (about 2:00 AM), we stopped in Joplin at a Flying J truck stop to refuel. And boy did we ever. The airline counter in Phoenix must have called ahead because as soon as the cashiers saw us coming, they announced, "Code 50 in the complex". I'm not sure what that means but I think it means that everyone who works here, y'all come out and watch these kids. Great. Another appreciative audience.

With everything and everyone refueled, we started the last leg for Branson and soon arrived (soon meaning: you fell asleep). Wow. The accomodations are fabulous. They're little cabins in the woods, decorated by Bass Pro Shop. After a few chilly moments in the Missouri air getting our room assignments and luggage, we finally settled down into bed (at least the adults did) around 4:30 AM. With prospects of another fun-filled day ahead in 6 more hours, we can hardly wait.

Just Getting Up and Running

Alas, not everyone can travel with LIGHT to the Branson competition. So . . I thought I'd share a little of what we see and hear so that everyone at home can be apart of it. My plan is to upload pictures of the kids and describe some of their activities with you. Feel free to add comments and or suggestions. Look for fresh updates soon!