Sonshine

We made it home from another great weekend in Willmar, MN. Let me tell you a few things I learned this weekend.

1. You spell Willmar with 2 "L's," not one. I learned this the hard way when I tried to put the address into the GPS and it couldn't find it. I worked around it by putting in a town that was nearby and worked from there. How did I figure out it had 2 "L's?" First, I told Marcy she was crazy to even suggest that I didn't know how to spell it, obviously it is Wilmar. She suggest it "might" have 2 "L's," which was her way of telling me I was a dumbass, which she was right. Had to eat a little crow on that one.

2. My elbows, when I'm standing in a comfortable position, are the exact same height as 90% of the girls breasts that tried to squeeze between my friend Brad and I. I never would have guessed it, but I had more boobs on me in just three days at this Christian music festival than I ever have in my life, total. Granted, these were mostly teen girls, so it wasn't the thrill that it would have been 25 years ago, but it doesn't change the number. Damn I'm old.

3. Battle dancing happens and it is AWESOME! I was hanging out in the Hip Hop music area, waiting for a rapper named Red Cloud, and a DJ was playing some music. I watched a kid kind of go into what looked like a semi trance, clear a space on the floor and then break into a break dancing flurry. He was actually pretty good. Then, he did a stare down with another kid, who then jumped in and did his little dance, crossed his arms and called out the other guy, who proceeded to break it out again. This went on for a few times when one guy either got tired or knew he was beat and walked off. The crowd went nuts, seeing as how they had just witnessed something that I though went out in the 80's, but apparently not. Now I'm a city kid, all be it a small city for the most part, but this was what I heard happened in NY and LA. It's good to be alive and witness a bit of history in action.

The music was as great as usual and I even found a new band that I really liked. They are called Capital Lights and their music is fun and catchy. I don't foresee them on the Grammy stage anytime soon, but seeing as how they appear to be college kids, they have a shot of improving and maybe getting there someday. Their bass player appeared to be 12 years old, but played well. I again got to see John Reuben and even talk to him a bit. His shows are always fun and he turns an audience who doesn't know who he is into fans in a matter of minutes. His energy is infectious and he is a goof on stage. I'd try to explain, but there is no way you would be able to tell what I'm talking about, you need to see him. The weather held out for us, there was only rain at night and the heat wasn't as oppressive as it has been in the past. Marcy is tan and looking beautiful, if you can't tell from the picture, and I didn't get burned, which is always a plus. We are all ready planning on going again next year, including Michelle and the couple we were with this year. If Joe and Mindy are able to go, it will be 7 of us and should be a lot of fun. I mentioned Red Cloud, a rapper from LA. I saw him last year and he walked across the stage and pulled things that were being held up by the audience, and rapped about them. It was so good, I looked him up again this year and he had a new trick up his sleeve. He went across the front row and asked about 15 people their names. Then, he went down the line making a rap as he went using their names. I wouldn't even be able to remember that many names of people I just met, let alone rhyme with them. On top of the skill he has, he is really funny. His rap is good, but I'm amazed at how clever he is. Anyway, I was happy I stood in the hot indoor arena to hear him and will definitely look him up again next year.

Now an announcement for those of you who care. There was a tragedy at the end of our vacation in NC when Mason lost his dinosaur. To you it may seem a trivial thing, but Mason becomes attached to little things and blows their loss out of proportion. I will say that he did well with this loss and seemed to have forgotten about it. I'm happy to announce that the little guy was found at the Eastside Shrum's. Here is his photo after the happy reunion. Welcome home little guy!