Under the boardwalk....

So, our third concert production at Carlson is over. Let's go day by day and remember what happened. This could turn in to a really long post. ;)

Sunday: We had church, then came at 2:00 PM to set-up the stage. We finished in record time and then went out to eat at P.F.Changs for Father's Day.

Monday: Concert day! It was surprisingly chill...we went to the church at 10:00 AM while Grandpa or "Mac" was picking up Article One at the airport. We set-up and then went out to eat at Forrey Grill. Yummy...Let's elaborate a bit on my grandpa picking them up from the airport. He was super excited, and even make a sign that said "Article One Shuttle Service". He took them to Shrimp Shack and fed them until they about burst. Nathan didn't even finish his dessert...tsk tsk. Grandpa even almost got them a gig to play there. It was going to be $600 for the first 15 minutes..and then if they liked it it would cost them more to have them stay. Boy am I glad that he really isn't their manager..we could never afford to bring them down. ;) The rest of the night was fun...the concert was a bit crazy. We helped Deas Vail unload their stuff (very nice band), and then left to pick up AO from my grandparents house where they were watching the soccer game. This was the beginning of our realization that Nathan sleeps...a lot. They came to the church, and the sound-checks started. It got kind of crazy and a little behind on the schedule, but all worked out well. Nevertheless's trailer had broken, so I had to make an emergency trip with Josh (lead singer) to Ace Hardware for some zip-ties and to Lyons Printing for some sharpies. The rest of the night may come up in the highlights. All the bands did amazing, though I must say that I think AO put on the best show. Great job, guys!

Tuesday: After waking up at 8:00 AM to get ready, we met at my grandparents house at 9:30 AM to go to the beach! Emily rode with Nathan, Mark, Dave, and I on the way over. Anna rode with Cathy, and Matt rode with Jessi. We got a bit lost on the way over, and Mark (a Canadian for heaven's sake) actually led us to the park. It was really funny. Once we got there we put on sunscreen (hilarious), laid our towels out, and all the girls immediately ran in the ocean. Eventually the guys got in, and we played a game called 500. It's so much fun..you should learn it if you don't know how to play it. We ate sandwiches that Mark and I made that morning, and then just laid out for a while. On the way home, we stopped by Starbucks (divas!), and then came back to watch the soccer game..go Netherlands! Later that night everyone came back over and we started to play Rummikub. I'm definitely not very good at it, but my teammates were, so we won 2 out of 3! We had a delicious dinner of steak, potatoes, salad, rolls, and cobbler (except for 'brownie boy' of course..:)). We swam after dinner, and then hung out for a while before coming home to sleep.


Wednesday: This day was really laid back. We woke up and went down to my grandparents to have breakfast with them and the rest of the band. After breakfast, Matt, Dave, and Nathan worked on band stuff while Mark came with Grandpa and I to help at the church. I got some much needed work done, and then we went to lunch at Forreys. We had a scary waitress (more later), and lots of fun discussions. We said goodbye to all the friends there and then went by the church to get their stuff. We stopped by the grandparent's house to say goodbye to mom and grandma and to get the rest of their stuff in the 'Chrysler navy blue conversion van'. We stopped by Dairy Queen on the way to the airport (I thought I may burst), and then dropped them off.

Today: Emily, Anna, Chelsey, Pastor Benton, Grandpa, and I all cleaned up the church. After that, Emily, Anna, and I all went swimming. It was a good day, but kind of lonely without all the commotion of having the guys here.

So now for some highlights of this week:
1. AO's relationship with my grandparents. They want both of them to come on tour with them now (grandpa to be their manager and grandma to cook)
2. The beach...the Canadians waiting 15 minutes after applying sunscreen before getting in the water (which I guess worked for them b/c after an entire bottle of sunscreen, the did not get burned and the Floridians did!)
3. The guys getting in the water...priceless. Let's just say that they took the 'sting ray shuffle' very seriously.
4. Nathan sleeping. Every time we were still for more than 10 minutes he was out. Poor guy, he must've needed the break. (oh..and his hair after the naps was hilarious as well)
5. Starbucks...Matt and Dave used their 'charm' to get the lady at Starbucks to make them both new drinks at no extra charge. Everyone should take notes..
6. Rummikub tournament. Who knew that a board game could get so competitive?
7. Getting pelted by balls every time one of the guys jumped in the pool.
8. Nathan getting viciously sprayed by the hot tub when he was trying to put the cover on. I so wish we could have gotten that on video.
9. Dave, "Watch Out!". :)
10. The discussion at the dinner table (the canadian national guard (bows and arrows, moose, and a fleet of beavers), how bout that holocaust?)
11. Jay Leno (and the fact that two Canadian guys knew our national anthem better than all the Americans he interviewed)
12. Forrey Grill...Matt tried to take the top off the salt shaker and switch it with ours as a joke...and ended up making a big mess that the waitress almost beat him up over (and she totally could have...scary). Oh, and we arranged the tables in a way that the lady didn't like, so she didn't really like us from the beginning.
13. Priceline.com (did you guys have fun staying at the Hyatt last night?).

There are soooo many more things that I could have written about, but since I've written so much already...I'll just leave the rest in our memories. Thanks for coming, guys! We really had a fantastic time helping you live like Floridians for a little bit. See you in November.

Whew..I'm tired from writing all of this. I need sleep. :)

Brit