Well, we actually did it!
Both Lanale and I were in the TVCC band when they, along with TVCC's jazz band and drill team, traveled to Branson, Missouri during Thanksgiving Break of 2005. It was such an honor: we stayed at a nice resort in a beautiful part of the countryside and not only visited but participated in several Branson shows. Our jazz band opened for the Showboat Branson Belle and the Haygoods while they were still at Music City Center as well as practiced with Mickey Gilley and his band, while our drill team performed at a dance show I can't recall. The band and drill team performed for the Tony Orlando Show: the Yellow Ribbon Veteran Special at the Welk Theater as well as marched in the evening parade at Silver Dollar City. Everyone was treated to the Haygoods, Mickey Gilley show, Dixie Stampede, Showboat Branson Belle, various meals provided free, and a day at Silver Dollar City. I remember absolutely loving the energy and excitement of the Haygoods, the luxury and beauty of the Showboat Branson Belle and Table Rock Lake, the fun and relaxing atmosphere at Silver Dollar City, the funny antics and delicious food at Dixie Stampede (I adore their creamy vegetable soup!), and the honors of working with prestigious musicians Mickey Gilley and Tony Orlando.
That was in 2005. It was only my second time out of the state on my own without family and I remember buying an actual winter coat (rainy winters in Texas, ya know!) which kept me toasty the whole trip. I enjoyed performing in the band--I played trumpet and we were good--and I had many friends there which included my now-fiance. Lanale and I were both there but were not yet friends--that's a whole other wonderful story! During that November every light was lit for the upcoming Christmas holidays, and while there were some disappointing moments for me personally, overall the entire trip was simply magical to me--I couldn't wait to go again, if I ever could. In any case, I vowed to go again with my sweetie, to make up for the sad memories created there between us.
I created this goal because it was a dream of mine. To be frank I had lost touch with this website and am astonished to find that this goal has actually been achieved! Lanale absolutely loved Branson as well and has been able during the past couple of years to visit there fairly often with her father. After TVCC, the two of us independently ended up at SFA, discovered each other, and that's where the story of our friendship really began. She knew I longed to return to Branson and thought how much fun it would be for us to together, good friends on our own to do as we pleased.
And by the beginning of this past fall semester, we had both declared that we should go, and began saving up and deciding on details of our trip. Before I knew it we had: 1) decided on a three-day visit to Branson during the week after Christmas and before New Year's; 2) reserved tickets for our hotel, the Haygoods (who Lanale is crazy about), Dixie Stampede, and the Showboat Branson Belle; and 3) also planned to visit the Titanic museum, Butterfly Palace, Silver Dollar City, and the Hard Luck Diner. Later we tacked on a day to our trip and also discovered we'd be traveling in Lanale's new car, a 2010 orangy-red Camaro (which was a dream to drive! once I adjusted the seats, of course--I'm short).
The holidays were a whirlwind of activity as always, and in the blink of an eye Lanale was staying the night on Christmas and then we were leaving early the day after. My parents were slightly-suprisingly accepting of our trip, only worrying about the weather conditions, as this winter has been exceptionally colder than usual all across the country. I assured them we'd be careful, and we were, but I also know we were blessed in that while we did pass snow and ice as we traveled to Missouri, the roads were mostly unaffected and when we reached Branson, the roads were clear as ever.
It was cold, though!!!! I knew it would be, I dressed appropriately, yet I still froze, delightedly! My leotard and tights, 3 pairs of socks, long-sleeved shirt as well as sweater, winter coat all zipped up and hood over head, and my beanie, gloves, and scarf have never been so loved, lol. Actually Lanale and I were a sight to behold, because we're opposites in internal temperature. It must've been humorous to find me, all bundled up and shivering, next to Lanale in her regular outfit of pants, sweater, hoodie, and maybe, just maybe, gloves and scarf, and feeling pretty fine! The average temperature was only mid-30's....eek!
Despite the weather, which didn't include precipitation, thankfully--oh, we had a glorious time!! Everything I'd visited in 2005 was just as wonderful as before and the new visits were so much fun as well. It added such a fun and exciting quality to the trip knowng I was with one of my closest friends. We bought souvenirs, including tons of formal pictures of us at our visits, and I took tons of pictures on my personal camera. Our hotel was cute and convenient, our room toasty.
The best part of our trip has to do with the Haygoods performance and our last day in Branson, two separate days. We reserved tickets for them for Sunday night and enjoyed ourselved tremendously. To our amazement we discovered that we'd managed to snag front-row seats, which earned us personal contact with three of the boys, rather, men, and the best view in the house. Then Tuesday, our last day, we left open, exploring downtown Branson and the Landing there. We visited home by eating lunch at the Texas Steak & Cattle restaurant, which had excellent food and service both. We caught up on presents and photo-taking and -printing and then wondered how to spend our evening. Would you believe we both wanted to see the Haygoods again? Would they still have seats left for that night's performance? Only one way to find out! And they did--so yes, we were in the Americana Theater (their brand-new theater, moved there this year) again on Tuesday night, even with third-row seats. What better way to end the vacation trip of a lifetime?
Actually, there was one more sweet surpise for us--it snowed fairly heavily the night before we left, so Lanale and I actually got to lob snowballs at each other! (don't worry, we returned to Texas safe and sound)