Dear Evan Hansen

I remember when these songs started playing on my Pandora "Broadway Showtunes" radio station, and I was blown away.   Not knowing the story, I was not ready to take the family to see the show when it came to the BJCC in 2024, but was super excited when the movie was released.   Really excellent story, but the songs almost all perfect hits every time.   And while "Waving through the Window" is one of my favorites to play on the guitar, "Forever" was probably the best when I finally saw this on stage.   

We spent the morning at the Easter gathering at James and Marcias, with our tickets originally to see the show on Saturday afternoon.   But luckily I read all of the ticket information for Red Mountain, and saw we could exchange the tickets for the Saturday night show for a small fee.   It was worth it to not have Magan mad at me for the rest of Easter season.   This was our first experience at Red Mountain, and the joint show with UAB was pretty good.   And even though our seats were in the back of this theater, we would never have gotten this close at the BJCC show.   

Before the show, we ran into some of Davis' friends that we seem to always run into at these shows.  We tried the free goldfish as snacks, which was a plus for Red Mountain, and we parked about 15 steps from the door for free, so this theater is getting high marks from our crew.   The show was great in all ways except one...We had watched the movie, which was PG13, but during this show, we quickly realized that the stage show had crossed the line into R.   No foul language in any of the amazing songs, but we had to cover our ears for one specific character, the best friend of Evan (and probably Connor also).   After the show, we had to make those 15 steps back to the van in a horrible rain storm.   But other than that, this was a really fun night, and we added another show to our broadway list.   And Magan took these bathroom pics...which was neat, but I would have never taken bathroom pics.   

I've learned to slam on the brake
Before I even turn the key
Before I make the mistake
Before I lead with the worst of me

Give them no reason to stare
No slipping up if you slip away
So I got nothing to share
No, I got nothing to say

Step out, step out of the sun
If you keep getting burned
Step out, step out of the sun
Because you've learned, because you've learned

On the outside, always looking in
Will I ever be more than I've always been?
'Cause I'm tap, tap, tapping on the glass
I'm waving through a window
I try to speak, but nobody can hear
So I wait around for an answer to appear
While I'm watch, watch, watching people pass
I'm waving through a window, oh
Can anybody see, is anybody waving back at me?

Another March in Time

OK, let's see what was going on below...We had some official AHG troop, squad, and individual pictures...Some pickleball moments where I still beat Sam, altho all made fun of the noises we made while playing...Noel had her first tatter tot moment...Magan played Mahjong for the first time and won with her partner Katie...Small group at our house...Davis and his buddy get on the big screen during the Alabama Auburn basketball game...Ruby gets her extra special Rapunzel hand sanitizer holder from bath and body works...Davis makes his way into a video at Tuscaloosa, one done by his friend Drew.   

There is just one picture below of Belle's music video she did with two friends at school for a classroom project highlighting the "Julius Caesar" play.   They wrote a song "Stay for It" that was to the tune of Hamilton's "Wait for It" about the murder and after happenings of Caesar.   I would like to say more, but you just have to find that video and watch it.   We all laughed and laughed at Ruby's special lights she did for the video.   But the girls did amazing.   

And the only other memory I have from March was of a new game I have to see how close I can get to Ruby while she is waiting at the road for the bus.   She definitely does NOT want her dad down there with her, so I wait till she is not looking and slowly sneak down.   I made it all the way to her one morning before she screamed in surprised, then yelled in fear for me to get away before her bus arrived.   Fun dad moments.     

 

Spring Break Road Trip Day 10 - The Drive Home through Congaree National Park

Our trip had finally come to its final day, and I slowly took luggage and bags down to the van as the girls got them ready.   It is amazing how much room you have in the van when you only have 4 people packed in.   We have a great time in the "Nan-Sea".   According to VRBO, the "Nan~Sea" is a charming coastal retreat where comfort meets ocean views. Nestled along the pristine coastline of Caswell Beach, this cozy second floor (WHAT, it was third floor, they just don't count lifting it up for the Hurricane water levels), 2-bedroom ocean view condo offers the perfect blend of charm and comfort to your beach vacation. As you step inside, you're immediately greeted by an airy, open-concept living space bathed in natural light, with breathtaking (I don't know about breathtaking) views of the ocean.  The master bedroom is equipped with a comfortable queen-sized bed, en-suite bathroom, and private balcony where you can sip your morning coffee while watching the waves roll in. The second bedroom, equally inviting, offers two twin beds making it a perfect retreat for kids or additional guests.  Both rooms are equipped with high-quality linens and window coverings to ensure a restful night’s sleep after a busy day of seaside adventures.  Enjoy the expansive private balcony (Magan definitely did), where you can bask in the sun, dine al fresco, or simply unwind with a good book as the ocean breeze sweeps through.

We stopped for breakfast at Hardees, where mom surprised us all by ordering some giant breakfast burger, then surprised us again by not spilling any of it onto her shirt.   We passed a neat water tower shaped like a sombrero, and I told Ruby to grab the pictures for me.   I wish we would have stopped as later I read it was a pretty big tourist attraction.   "South of the Border" Tourist Attraction in Hamer, SC is one of America’s favorite roadside attractions. For almost 70 years our Mexican-themed attractions have tempted travelers along Interstate 95 to stop in for a visit. Our 100 foot tall statue of our mascot Pedro sports a huge sombrero, and you can find your own sombrero in one of many South of the Border gift shops. You can grab some quick Tex-Mex food like tamales and nachos at our 24-hour Hot Tamale Diner. You can also get a cold beer and some spicy Mexican favorites like burritos with re-fried beans and rice at The Sombrero Restaurant.  "You Never Sausage a Place! (You're Always a Weiner at Pedro's!)"

We had one final stop that Grandad had alerted me to...Congaree National Park.   I never realized that South Carolina had a national park, and it was somewhat on the way home, so we stopped by.   And well, it was basically a glorified state park with all the national park signs.   No entry fee was good, and I heard later it was on the top 10 of least attended parks.   The park was very adamant that it was not a swamp, but a flood plains.   So apparently flood plains are like swamps.   I do know that Ruby could not for the life of her read flood plains, as she kept reading it as food plans.  And the girls took a picture of the bathroom stall lock called the "Hiney Hider", and they (Magan) thought it was Heelarious.   Ruby earned what might be her last Junior Ranger Badge, as she is almost too old.   I loved that she still wanted to do it, and that she and I got some more stamps in our national park book.   After our hike along the swamp...flood plains of the congaree...we went back to the visitor center.   Outside, an older gentleman saw me wearing my Wicked shirt and asked if I saw the show in Columbia last night.   Then he introduced me to his son who was in the traveling broadway show as part of the ensemble.   Ruby was with me and we talked to them for a minute about how much we loved the show.   And we probably would have bothered them even more, but assumed they did probably want to get to the hike.   

We grabbed our normal book, magnets, and knick knacks, and got back in the car to finally set the WAZE to home.   The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful.   We had thoughts of visiting Six Flags on our way through Atlanta, but it closed at 5PM, and we passed the park at about 5PM.   Our longest vacation since Orlando in 2024, it was nice to be gone for longer than a day.   Already planning for next spring break.   Hoping it will be a fun one as well!