Fully Alive…Ready to Smile

posted by erin on Jun 13

I was sitting by my computer the other night (Wednesday to be exact) and musing over how I’ve “always wanted to go to Sonshine Fest, but it’s never worked, and oh, my look at all the amazing bands playing this year, we should go, Jer!!!”  So he says, let’s do it, it’s in July that gives us time to work out the details.  So I’m on the order page and about to click send to order our tickets when it hits me…that’s the same weekend as my cousin, Jenene’s wedding and my daughter Ella is a flower girl.  Yeah, not so much a good idea to be gone that weekend.

Now Jer is annoyed and I’m annoyed because it’s a really, really, REALLY good line up of artists and it would have been amazing.  I’m far from convinced that this is the end of the road.  There’s got to be another festival somewhere on God’s green earth that we can find.  So I Google “Christian Music Festivals” and yup, there are in fact about 5 or 6 really good ones.  I browse through the artists playing at each venue…

“What about Ohio next week?”

“Um, I think that’s a little short notice, don’t you think?  And besides, isn’t that a little far to go?” Jer replies.

Back to the drawing board.  Cornerstone is a really big festival in Illinois with lots of great bands.  And it’s close to Val.  That’s ALWAYS a perk.  But it doesn’t have as many good bands as Sonshine Fest had.  So scratch that.  Another one in Wisconsin, but again, not as many good artists as I’d like to see if I’m going to drive all that way.

“Creation Fest ’08…Oooooh, listen to THIS Jer, Newsboys, Switchfoot, TobyMac, Chris Tomlin, Jeremy Camp (DID YOU HEAR THAT…Oh, my gosh), Kutless, Skillet (AAAHHH, I’ve ALWAYS wanted to see them), Flyleaf, Barlowgirl (YEEEEEE!!!!), Family Force 5, Disciple, Pillar, Red, Fireflight…we are SO going.”

And those are just the bands I love.  There are tons more great bands playing there.

Jer is all pumped.  He’s as excited as me because a bunch of them are his faves as well.

“So, um, where and when is that one?” he inquires.

“In Pennsylvania in 2 weeks.”

His eyes bug out of his head.  “THAT is further than Ohio.”

Very good Einstein.

“If we’re going to do a roadtrip let’s do a roadtrip!”

So we are.  And we leave in a week from tomorrow (Unless Jer doesn’t hurry up and ask for time off.  Then we won’t be going).  I’m very excited.  I need a holiday.  We’ll be gone for 10 days and one of the most exciting parts is I’ll get to see Val on the way through Illinois.  Yay!  Oh, and the other exciting part…no kids.  We haven’t been away from our kids together for any more than two nights in the five years since Ella was born.  I guess it’s time.

And if for some reason 10 days alone is too much, I’ll just stay at Val’s : )  Just kidding.  Maybe.