August 6th

August 6th This was the *craziest* day we’ve had in a LONG time. We were supposed to be at the college (where we meet every time before leaving from there) at 8:45 to leave at 9. When we got there Mr. Payne told us not to load anything in yet because there was a problem with the trailer. It was something about the bearing in a wheel -- I am totally car problem inept, so I don’t know exactly -- but there was black greasy stuff all on the outside of the hub cap. Mr. Payne said we couldn’t drive with it that way or it might fall of and there was no way to get it fixed on the road. (we passed by a trailer almost just like ours on the way and it had a wheel off. Mr. P said that could have been us!!) My dad was there (who is awesome at fixing cars!!) and a couple of other guys who were trying to fix it. There was talk about us just heading on to Conway (where the show was) all in the silver van with our costumes, which would have been extremely tight and crazy, and Mr. Payne would bring the trailer, when it got fixed, with the blue van. Then we realized that we couldn’t go without Mr. Payne because he is Aslan. Anyhow, it was a big deal and all crazy, but dad took whatever part it was and he and Mr. Payne went somewhere and another guy came and it all got fixed. Sorry for being kind of vague about all those details, but we didn’t know them. We just had to hang out for an hour. Jesse (Faith’s boyfriend) took Faith and me to bagel/coffee place and they got some bagels. I didn’t get anything because I had had my braces tightened the day before and my teeth were hurting like crazy. I was really hungry, but I couldn’t chew anything!! When we came back Aaron and Jonathan were playing Frisbee and Jesse joined in. This little cat showed up and played around until we left. It was crazy and ran after the Frisbee and sticks and anything you threw past him. It was pretty funny. So, we headed out at 10:00. About 10 minutes later we hit almost not moving traffic for about 10-15 minutes or so. We ran into traffic a couple of times. 2 short stops and 6 hours later, we pulled into the church. It was 4:00, the latest we’ve ever gotten to a place the day of a show. We ran in and had lunch really fast because it was so late (and we were all REALLY hungry) and they had it ready for us. It was really good sandwiches and wraps and salad with chips and salsa on the tables. I got a wrap so I wouldn’t have to bite it with my front teeth (which hurt the most), and I ended up picking it to pieces with a fork and eating it that way. It had grilled chicken pieces and lots of lettuce and a few little tomato cubes. It would have been really good if I could have eaten it the right way. After lunch we…you guessed it…unloaded the trailer. The blue van still hadn’t gotten there yet, but they did get there while we were unloading and they went to lunch. It was a great stage. It was an all wood floor and it was a good size. It was a little slippery, but not bad. We used everything except the beaver dam. We got everything together and set up…and it was 5:40. It was a 7:00 show. We had to rework tech because Katie D (Mrs. Beaver) has to work this week and couldn’t come. Dr. Harris, AnnaGee’s mom, is playing Mrs. Beaver for these 5 shows. Katie does a lot of tech, so we had to move things around to make sure it all got done. So, it was pretty much crazy. We had to run a careful tech, which was a little insane, but got done eventually. Then it was after 6 and time for mic checks. Several of the mics were having issues, so it was taking a long time. It was positively insane. We were on stage trying to do mic checks and looking at our watches creep along. It was about 6:20 when they let us go and Aaron stayed to work with the mics. I don’t know what the problem was, but they called us back in about 10 minutes and said it was fixed. So we all checked them again. They were working, but we had mic issues all through the show, so I have no idea what was going on. We were not going to make it at 7:00, so they said they could push back the starting time until 7:15. I don’t know what time we started, but it was close to that. It was a good show, with a pretty good audience. Dr. Harris did wonderfully, even though she had never actually run the show with us. I think her makeup looked amazing and really animal like. I’d get a picture on here, but for some reason I still can’t get pictures to look like pictures instead of a big jumble of letters. After the show and load out we took the Subway they had gotten us and headed to the hotel. They had given us menus for Quizno’s earlier, and we chose what we wanted. Apparently they got to Quizno’s about 10 minutes before closing and couldn’t get them to give them any food. So, they tried to match our orders at Subway. I had to pick mine all apart to be able to eat it again. Blech. So, it was pretty much a crazy, insane, long day, but I fun one. We are in the van as I am writing this (I write these in the van on the way to the next place…that’s why I do yesterday), and we are almost there. So, I guess that’s all for yesterday!!

Quick note:

Just a quick note to say we are leaving at 9:00 tomorrow morning. We're heading to Conway, AR for a show tomorrow night. After that it's Sringfield & St. Louis, MO, then Earlham, IA. We don't know if we'll drive all the way back on Monday or take it in 2 trips and get back Tuesday. Anyhow, that's it. :)

August 2nd

We left Tallahassee and drove to Brunswick, GA. We got to Brunswick and the GPS lead us into a kind of neighborhood…which was obviously NOT where we were supposed to be. Mr. Payne called the people at the church and we got there alright, but it was kind of funny. We had lunch (sandwiches) and loaded in. Aaron told us about a dream he had had about other people trying to set up our set and doing it all wrong. They were trying to hang the curtains on a pole of lights, and something happened and the whole big row of lights fell. One of the other people’s toe was broken, and Katie D said “a toe is broken!”. Ha ha. Also Katie P (who was, for some reason, already in her unicorn costume) had blood all over her from the lights apparently falling on her. Aaron said he was really mad and woke up fuming…and then realized he was just dreaming. Gee said she couldn’t imagine why he would have a dream like that. Ha ha. So, after getting everything set up and running a crazy long tech, we started mic checks. It was about 4:45 when we started, and the show was at 6, and it is really best for us to have a full hour to get ready. There was some big issue with feedback (probably because of the huge speakers that were right on the stage), and it took a long time. He said he just needed someone to talk for a while so he could fix something, and somehow I ended up being the one. I talked for at least 10 minutes. I was racking my brain to think of things to say. I think I said the abc’s all wrong. First I was pretending I couldn’t remember them so it would take longer to say, and then I got all mixed up and couldn’t remember what I had just said. Everyone was laughing at me, so I think I did say them wrong. After I finished saying them wrong I said them backwards (correctly), so everyone wouldn’t think I was completely stupid. ;) So, it was about 5:15 and they said we could go and we just wouldn’t use mics (other than Gee, who HAS to have one) and they would keep working on it. About 2 minutes later Mr. Payne called us all back again. He said they couldn’t get us loud without getting feedback, so they were going to run the mics really low. Okay, great. We ran back to get ready, and some of us (Faith and me) just barely got ready in time. It was a good show. We signed a ton of autographs after the show. There were 3 little boys (about 8 years old) who went around hugging everyone. It was funny because they kept on coming back. The first time they asked me if they could have a hug. I said sure, and they hugged me and left. A few minutes later they came back and didn’t ask. Then they came back again and were standing about 3 feet away…and one just dived into me, followed by the rest. It was pretty funny. Thad and Katie’s parents came to that show, since they live in Macon, GA, which it relatively close. So, they went back home with their family. Katie P. went to the other van for the trip home, and it was strangely quiet in our van. :( But we pretty much slept all the way home, so it was okay. :) We got to the college yesterday at 4:00, and got home about 4:45. Nothing else eventful to report. We’re just home. Something interesting happened this morning. I was supposed to babysit, but when I got there there was already an Allison there. The lady who called me is out of town, so it was just her husband there, and he said apparently she had booked us both. It was hilarious. None of us had been in that situation before, so we had no idea what to do. The other girl (who goes to our church, so I knew her) had gotten there first, but I was the one he had sent directions the night before. Both of us didn’t really care who stayed and who left, so I just left. It was really weird/embarrassing/funny. I was highly amused. Anyhow, that’s it. :)

August 1st

Alright, sorry for taking so long to tell you about the rest of the trip. On August 1st we were drove from Merritt Island to Tallahassee, and did a show there. We got there about 1:30 and decided to have lunch before unloading the trailer. There were a bunch of guys there to help us unload, and Mr. Payne decided to let them unload the trailer while we were having lunch. That was nice, because we had lunch and then came out and everything was on stage ready to be put together. So, we set up and ran tech. We were doing everything just like the night before, as the stage was almost exactly the same. That was nice. After tech we did mic checks and then had about 2 hours of free time, which was REALLY nice. So then we got ready and did show. It was a good show, and the audience was great (except that they laughed when the wolf is scaring everyone…don’t know why, but all the little kids on the floor in front of the stage were just out right laughing. Weird.). During tech Thad did something really funny. It was the part when the 4 of us kids come out of the wardrobe into Narnia and Thad is hiding behind a tree (he comes out later in the scene). When we opened the doors he was standing in right in front of us wearing those crazy glasses he has that have lenses that look like mirrors. He said “Peta Pevensie, I am from da fyootcha. I am here to protect you!” and picked Jonathan up and carried him off stage. It was HILARIOUS!! Everyone was kind of stressed out and grumpy during that tech (don’t really know why, but it happens sometimes), and it was the perfect comedic relief. After the show and signing we came back through the auditorium to get backstage and EVERYTHING was off the stage. They guys that helped us load in had taken everything down and put it all on the floor. I didn’t mind so much, but Gee and Aaron were really upset about it. Actually, pretty much everyone was, because we were having trouble finding things. Apparently they had asked Gee if they could take everything down, and she had said no, but they did it anyway. Hmm. She said we needed to do it because things get lost/broken when other people do it. But everything worked out, so it is okay. We just had to be extra careful to be sure we had everything. They had gotten us pizza, which we took back to the hotel. It was REALLY REALLY good. They were very nice to us. There was a sign in the room where we had lunch that said (paraphrased) “welcome, cast and crew of the LWW. We are so glad you are here…” and was just great. Nothing much happened at the hotel. Faith, Thad, Elizabeth, Christopher and I were the first ones in the elevator, and when we got off there were some kids in the hallway (mom said it must me some kind of high school camp) and one of them said “well that’s nice!” about Faith’s makeup. She still had all of it on, so she did look kind of crazy. She said she needs a shirt that says “It’s okay, I was in a show”. It is funny to see people’s reactions to her crazy makeup when we aren’t where we did the show. One guy at a hotel said “nice face paint”. Well, that’s all for August 1st.

July 31st

I posted twice today, so don’t miss the July 30 post. It was late when we got in last night and we had sunburn and I was too sleepy to post last night, so there are 2 today. July 31 Ah, yesterday. It was INSANE. We met back at the church and headed to the beach again, this time just for the morning. Raya and Krytsin were with us, and Katie D was heading to the airport to get Gee. Mr. Payne was taking the van to get the brakes fixed, and he came back for us at 1:45. We had 2 umbrellas and 2 boogie boards from our host homes, and mom rented 5 more boogie boards and a bike. It was a fun day on the beach. We did lots of boogie boarding (well, most of us, that is. I can’t stay on one to save my life and mom and the Larsens were not in the water a whole lot.), and just had a fun beach day. I made my mark in the sand -- a horn and bow with arrows and “Queen Susan” written by it. I went back later and wrote “The Gentle” under Susan, and then “wuz hear”. I spelled it all wrong because it was fun to have it so opposite from “Queen Susan the Gentle”. Anyhow, it got destroyed before we left, firstly by a toddler, secondly by a wave. Mm-Hm. So, we pretty much all got sunburned. It made the show kind of crazy because we were trying not to hurt each other by touching it. I don’t know who is the worst, but Thad and I both have it pretty badly. I didn’t think I got much because I didn’t feel burned and when I looked at my back when we were changing I wasn’t red. But when we were getting dressed for the show some of the girls were saying how much it must hurt, and it did, but I didn’t know how red it was!! I’m the girl who can put on sunscreen every hour and still get burned. Grr. It’s okay, we’ll live. It is much better, for me, at least, today. Oh, Mr. Payne told everyone at the end when he does his talk that they could hug us if they wanted. He’s never said that before, and we all looked at each other and grimaced. On the day we all got sunburned, he tells the whole audience we don’t mind hugs. Ha ha, ouch. A lot of people patted me on the shoulder…which is about the worst thing the could have done, but it was okay. Mr. P usually just says they can take photographs and we’ll sign autographs, and we do usually get a few hugs, but we got A LOT last night!! The show was good. We used almost all the set. Nothing really wrong happened. A couple of almost forgotten lines and such, but that happens all the time. It was a surprisingly good show for having spent all morning at the beach. We were worn out at load in and set up, but when showtime came around I think we all felt much better. I did, anyhow…other than the sunburn, that is. :) After the show and signing and tear down and load out we headed back to our host home for the night. So, big long crazy day.

July 30th

We left the hotel in Lake City at 10:00 and got to the church in Merritt Island at about 1:30-2:00. We dropped the trailer and changed into our swim suits and headed to the beach. It was a great day. First we had lunch -- Elizabeth, Aaron and I went to Subway and everyone else went to McDonald’s. On the way back to the beach (which was just a couple of blocks), us Subway people went to Ron Jon’s surf shop (that was amazing!!) on the pretense of getting towels and I came out with a necklace, 3 pencils, and shirt and the towel. Aaron got a necklace and towel too and a Frisbee. (Katie P wanted us all to get shark tooth bracelets in honor of the upcoming shark week on the Discovery channel. I got a shark tooth necklace, but it was just because I kind of always have wanted one and in honor of coming to FL) Elizabeth didn’t get anything, but she pitched in to get the $10 towel that all 5 of us were going to share. THEN we headed back to the beach. It was kind of cloudy for most of the day…which was good, because it wasn’t cold, just cloudy, so we didn’t really get sunburned. We didn’t have any beach stuff, so we just played in the water and Faith and I buried each other in the sand. We all played Frisbee in the ocean…right on the shore where it was ankle to just above knee deep. That was fun, and I managed to actually catch the Frisbee 5 times!! Maybe I’m not completely hopeless at ALL sports!! We were at the beach until 7:30, when Mr. Payne came to get us and take us to the church to go to our host homes. We were with a lovely lady in her gorgeous house. She had a dog and 2 cats (the cats stayed outside because mom is allergic). The lady’s husband and son were not at home, and she said they had been done for 6 weeks. I think they went on some kind of trip, and she said she had met up with them and then they had gone to stay with her stepdaughter who was about to have a baby. Her house was so beautiful, and she was so nice. She packed us a cooler with drinks and lunch for the beach, and let us borrow her umbrella and boogie board. And she made us the most fabulous breakfast. Yes, it was super fantabulous. Anyhow, I think that’s pretty much it for Thursday.