Blogs from Apex, North Carolina, United States, North America

Geo: 35.7326, -78.85326/1/12 – We left Knoxville this morning at 8:45, 68 degrees, headed for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It rained during the night, the ground was saturated and the parking lot full of puddles. We saw the lowest priced gas on the road out of Knoxville…3.17. What a difference from California where it was not unusual to see 4.89. The park is not far from Knoxville. To get there we drove through Pigeon Forge. Anyone who has been to International Drive in Orlando would recognize a resemblance, except in a rural setting and with a bit of a mountain country flair. The 3-4 mile stretch of road was lined with motels, restaurants, and daytime and nighttime attractions…Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede, Dollywood Splash Country, Wonderworks, The Opry, Hatfield and McCoy Dinner Show, Hollywood Wax ... read more

Sarah made baked oatmeal, which is one of my favorite things, so I got up for breakfast. But soon after, I found my way back into bed… They woke me up in time to head into town for our crew day off. We ran a few errands, including getting the van vacuumed out and things, got lunch and hit a movie. The show was good, but the surround sound speakers were cutting in and out the whole time. They gave us our money back, though. We grabbed some ice cream; actually surprised Sarah and bought an ice cream cake so we could celebrate her birthday properly, since I wasn’t here on the actual date. Lots of fun! She has this 9’ scarf that she was wearing and we all wrapped it around us for pictures. I’m ... read more

We sort of slept in, but wanted to drive back to the house in time to see Ruth to the airport, so a little of our sleep was lost. I drove the entire way from Greensboro to the house (a whole hour!) all by myself. Sarah was reading to me out of the book she’s trying to finish, and Kyle was sitting shotgun. I was super tired though, and not all the way tracking, so I missed the exit. Oops. We recovered quickly and still got here in time to see Ruth. Originally, we wanted to take Ruth to the airport, or at least me and Sarah. But plans changed and we were asked to make lunch instead. So Craig was going to take her and then do his errands. Knowing she was going to cry ... read more

I had a nice long lay-in, did my quiet time, and helped Sarah serve lunch. She made extra-sloppy Sloppy Joes. After lunch, we went to a neighboring church where they’ve been having rehearsals. It’s exactly what you picture when you imagine a small southern church. Small, with a fellowship hall, white building with a dark roof and a steeple, on a small, two-lane road. Rehearsals went well. They did a full run-through and it was the first one I’ve seen since our last show in Albuquerque. They added some things, and some new costumes, so it was a good time for Kyle and I to watch and take notes and things. Once we started the second act and did the Muije sequence, I got really excited for the show. The kids rocked it. Victor was running ... read more

This morning came really early, though it seemed to take eternity to get here. Finally it was time to fly to North Carolina to be with Sarah, Kyle, the Choir and everyone else. (P.S. I’ll try to update the cast of characters for you tomorrow. For now, you’ll just have to follow along.) The first flight, to Minneapolis, was good. We sat on the tarmac for over an hour before taking off, and I was dozing in and out and reading. I was sitting with a pretty elderly couple, who either weren’t completely lucid or just don’t fly often. The very nice woman, Molly, explained to me that if I would like something to drink, I need to put down my tray table so they know. (Then she showed me how to put it down.) Something ... read more