Sunday, December 7, 2008

Acoustic Showcase

Our Christmas Acoustic Showcase was great once again this year. Penny started out with some standards as well as an impromptu singalong. Beth, Penny, Allen, and I played a few songs then Amy Stroup took the stage. Jonathan Lee finished the Showcase out with a few standards and one original.


Amy is an up and coming local artist who is working on her fourth independent release, entitled THE OTHER SIDE OF LOVE/Session One. She has been writing with several local singer/songwriters such as Trent Dabbs, Nathan Chapman and more. She engages audience through catchy melodies and lyrics that explore refreshing truths about life, love, and spirituality.
http://amystroup.com/

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Quick Trip to Florida


Directly after church Sunday November 30th Matt Underwood and I loaded up a white Kia minivan with lots of video equipment and sleeping bags. We headed to Birmingham where we picked up Jonathan Lee. The three of us had two missions, to check out a new camp facility and film promo's for 2009's Getaway youth camp.

While picking up Jonathan we found this great rainbow over Walmart so Matt immediately went into filming mode.



After ten hours in the van we arrived in Panama City Beach to find that Florida was much colder than any of us thought possible. We loaded into our room and crashed quickly. We woke to find the elements were against us but we were dedicated. Because we woke to fourty degree weather with strong gusts of wind, we figured the best way to start the day would be with Waffle House in our stomachs. The waitress informed us that the temperature had been in the sixties the previous week but rain the day before brought in the cold.






We then toured the new facility and filmed like mad men. Our goal was to look like we were warm and having a good time even though the temperature still had not broke the forties. Matt shot a great facility tour with the borrowed steadicam rig. For those that do not know, a steadicam is a stabilizing mount for a video camera, which mechanically isolates the operator's movement from the camera, allowing a very smooth shot even when the operator is moving quickly over an uneven surface.








That afternoon we all agreed we had to find the Sonny's BBQ. Sonny's has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. My Dad would always make a point to stop anytime we passed one. The BBQ sauce is like no other and the sliced pork, BBQ baked beans and garlic bread are always so good.



After processing a hearty meal we got back to work filming. We also took frequent breaks. While touring the facility we found an old Ping Pong Table where we quickly started up a tournament. Apparently I was a Ping Pong champion in a previous life because I ran the table.





The beach was a unique site. The wind was blowing so hard that the sand became more snow like. Footprints would cover up right in front of your eyes. The sand had wind blown streaks all across it. We were limited in the amount of on-the-beach filming we could do but we got creative. We ended the filming day by setting up the camera to catch the sunset. Time laps videos are great!



Since PC Beach all but shuts down in the off season we had to hunt for a good Seafood place. We found Skampy's and they exceeded our expectations. The Fish, Crab Cakes, and Shrimp combo was a good choice.

The following day we loaded up and heading home. I think I speak for the group when I say we were all glad to be home. Jonathan had been in several states that same week, Matt was feeling a little sick and I... I missed my family.

I gave my son a HUGE hug and kiss. He was holding a coloring page he had done for me. I enjoyed being with Jlee and Matt but I missed my wife and son.