Last week, while my daughter was home with the tummy bug, we got an email from KLOVE radio saying that we won four tickets to a Sanctus Real concert! I must admit, my brain immediately started calculating how long these bugs usually hang around and how likely the rest of us were to catch it, rendering us unable to accept the tickets, but we've all stayed well (knock on wood, thank You, Jesus!). Unfortunately, my husband was not able to go and nobody else seemed interested in the tickets, so I began planning a road trip with both kids.
Andi LOVES concerts and has been to several. She sings along, dances in her seat, and generally has a great time. She's even gotten to meet Matt Maher, Philip Stacey, and Jeromy Deibler.
Luke, on the other hand, is still not-quite-four, and music just isn't his thing. If I'd won tickets to a monster truck rally, he'd be all over that, but a rock concert? I was a bit worried, especially since it was slated to last from 7 until 10 PM - VERY late in our book.
On the big day, however, I packed everyone in the car right after school and we headed out. We made a quick stop at Costco for some veggies, which we stored in the cooler, and the kids enjoyed the samples throughout the store. (I hope they never end that program - it makes shopping so peaceful!) We were able to find the church where the concert was being held with a minimum of fuss, so then we headed out in search of a place to eat. We found our way to a Bear Rock Cafe, and I was excited - healthy and good food! - but the kids had never been. They made their choices and I prepared to splurge. After ordering, however, I had to ask the wonderful cashier to repeat himself. Surely our entire total for THREE people couldn't be only NINE dollars? Apparently kids eat for only $0.99 after 4 PM there - and they eat free on the weekends! We will definitely remember that! They even had an outdoor seating area, so we picnicked there before the concert.
After a short wait in line, we got wonderful front-row seats that even had lots of open space in front of them. I started to worry about some kind of crazy mash pit, but it worked out well.
The first band was local and were pretty good.
The kids really loved the Andy Kirk band, who was next up, and
danced throughout their playing time.
Finally Sanctus Real was on, and they were GREAT! Definitely the most professional of all the groups we saw, and while they played great music, it wasn't ONLY about the music.
We had to leave partway through Sanctus Real's show because my Little Man just couldn't handle it anymore, and we still had more than an hour's ride home. It started to storm as we walked out of the church, and as soon as the kids felt safe from the lightening striking all around us, they went to sleep. We made it home safely just before midnight and enjoyed sleeping in the next day.
I wondered and worried about how the kids would do and if I'd be able to handle the whole concert experience reasonably by myself, but, of course, I shouldn't have worried. The kids were great. Our seats were perfect. They had room to run and play and dance and sing along. Everyone working the event was very friendly, and we even had opportunities to meet most of the band members, although the kids didn't want to - they were afraid they'd miss a moment of the music.
Today I'm grateful for KLOVE and their generosity at giving away free tickets. We never would've been able to go to this show otherwise, but it was fun quality time for us. We found a new favorite eating spot, and my kids got to see Christian music performed live. I'm grateful for the musicians who put themselves out there and for our safe travels home in a very bad storm.
In reality? I got to spend a wonderful evening with my kids, watching them play and dance and love each other - with live music, no less! What could be better?
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What a fun time that must of been. Too bad your hubby could not go with you. My children love concerts.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week! Blessings!