Spring Break 2020 (aka CoronaVirus Trip) Day1 March 14, 2020

Hello there.  It’s 5:00 pm and we’re in Branson, MO, a place none of us have ever been.  Before I go on, I have to paint the appropriate backdrop – we are in the peak of the “Coronavirus Pandemic”.  The world has gone batshit crazy and the kids’ school has shut down until early April all because about 40 people, all older than 70, have died.  2,000 people across the United States have contracted the COVID-19 virus and because all of the media hate President Trump and want to do anything to make him look bad, they’ve blown this completely out of proportion.  Most of the people we know cancelled their spring break plans.  All of the major sporting events have closed down; all of the schools are closing and the kids’ choir and sporting events have been cancelled.

And the United States is out of toilet paper and hand sanitizer…seriously.  AND our church has closed for two weeks. Oh, and Ryan was accepted into Parish and Ursuline yesterday afternoon – lots going on.

Anyway, we picked up our minivan yesterday, very near the DFW airport rental car center, but it was basically in a muddy field "near" the rental car center.  AND the lady was so mean and informed me, despite my reservation saying we had unlimited mileage, that I will be charged $0.50 for every mile over 3,000 that we drive.  The trip is about 2,700 miles from point-to-point so if we decide to veer off our path at all, we’ll likely go over. The last time I was that mad at another human being was when those jackasses from Tropics Pools “refurbished” our pool on Rosser Rd.

So we left this morning at 8:00 and drove the entire way to Branson in the rain – but overall, a smooth and uneventful trip.  We stopped in a little town west of Fort Smith, AR for lunch at Miss Lilly’s Diner and Catering and it was great.  Grant ordered a chicken fried steak that was bigger than he is.  I ordered him the ladies cut and Ryan decided that all that means is that it came from a girl cow 😊

We’re now in Branson at the Best Western Music Capital Inn and are going to a show tonight at 8:00, a Chinese Acrobat show (did I mention that the Coronavirus originated in China?) that luckily wasn’t cancelled.  We’ll stop at Olive Garden beforehand and drive around a bit (but we won’t drive far or I’ll owe that mean lady $1,000 when I return the car!) Branson does not look anything like what I pictured.  It actually looks a lot like Eureka Springs, AR – very pretty – but we haven’t seen the main “strip” yet.  I’m so glad we didn’t cancel because we may all be cooped up in the house for two weeks after we get back.

We just got back from the show and it was awesome in the cheesiest way – the lady who could wrap herself up in scarves while also playing the electronic violin – the guy who shattered a wooden stick on the floor during the opening scene and everyone had to work around wood chips with bare feet the rest of the performance, etc.

Note the scary fire in the background.

But we had such a great time!