{Titanic 100!}

My lame attempt at chronicling our weekend in MO. {case of writers-block.} Try to make it to the end, because I have some special blog-announcements. Might make reading all this jabber worth-while.    

Vacation withdrawals, remembering Texas, aching for just one more road trip. . .It was the showboat that did it. I mean, Anna and I have always been huge history buffs, and the story of Titanic is one of our most favorites. . . (at one point in time we knew all the names of the crew and passengers. Past tense. Hey, we were homeschooled. ;) ) But I didn't think it could work--I mean, we just came back from the SAICFF. . .another trip, NOW? Two poor, part-time nannies. . .road-tripping all over the country. You get the idea.

 

Then we saw the advertising--for the amazing gala evening on the showboat Branson Belle. I fell in love right then. And we stretched every last penny to MAKE it happen. Our dad came along. Btw, in case I've never mentioned {which I have, but I'll say it again,} I love going on vacation with my dad. He works 6 days a week, so trips like these are really special dad-daughter times. Plus he's a lot of fun and doesn't mind eating tons of sugar and fried food.

Branson is a strange city. Reminds me of Niagara Falls, Canada, only ten times bigger. An entire city full of wax museums and shows that didn't "make it" in the real world. ;) Not my style. Except for the Titanic museum. Naturally. But anyway. . .We were worried about dad driving all the way {shhh. . .don't tell, but neither of his adult daughter drive. o.O} sooo we hitched a ride with some friends, part of the same group we traveled to TX with, in fact. Gabe and Levi {the fellows wearing the kilts in the photo waay below,} were personally asked by Mr. Phillips to play the bagpipes for the event.

 

There has been some controversy as to why so many people (considering there were similar events held globally,) "celebrated" such a tragic event in history. In plain, simple words, we commemorated--paid tribute--to the 15,000 people who gave their lives--woman and children included. No morbid celebration of death. Whatever your political view of the sinking of the Titanic, I believe the cry "woman and children first!" was the heroic act of men fulfilling their natural, God-given duty. It may have not been a ship-load of Christians who went down that night over 100 years ago, but the story of Titanic is still one of heroism, romance, and tragedy. Titanic 100 took a closer look at the word "chivalry" and the bridge spanning modern-day progressivism. It was not a fantasied picture of "Victorian"- Edwardian society. People have always sinned. People have always needed a Savior. Yet there was something special about Titanic--and the men--no matter who they were, no matter what their motives. They left a legacy that CAN be used as an example for today. No agenda there. Sorry, just something I'm a bit hyped about. ;) Will continue with the pictures now.

Friday was quiet. After Thursday's 15 hour drive it was much welcomed. Of course walking into a hotel lobby full of elegantly-costumed people at 1:00 AM is awkward--especially when one has car-hair and is wearing an oversized sweatshirt. But we won't go there. :P Friday we took our time eating breakfast {the hotel offered an all-you-can-eat buffet. Oh yeah, and coffee.} then toured around Branson. Found it all rather boring {wax museums and corny shows. . .yawn.} But there was this shop called The Secret Garden that begged us to check it out, and since there was nothing else to do. . .we did. Mmmm. . .it was a girls paradise--all Victorian-inspired modern clothing. . .lacy and vintagey and poofy and perfect. When I'm rich I'm shopping for all my dresses there. Just sayin'. Later we attended the opening ceremonies, which included a showing of the 1950's film, A Night To Remember. Very emotional. 

Posing with the lovely Long ladies from Marie Madeline Studios! They were so much fun to talk with. See ya gals around Blogger and Pinterest! :) (their Route 66 Pattern is amazing, btw. You absolutely must try it. Because it's the stuff my dream denim skirt is made of. A-not-at-all-thrift store-frumpy denim skirt. Ppls, it's possible. 

So the pics are all mixed up. Try to ignore it and bear with me. Saturday was full to the brim {coffee included.} Bright and early we headed down to the Titanic Museum--which, pause to say, we were supposed to tour Thursday night with our Titanic 100 group. Bought special tickets and everything. Of course we didn't realize this, thinking the tickets could be used at leisure over the weekend. That's why the lobby was full of elegantly costumed people when we arrived. . .but we won't talk about that. ;) ANYWAY--so we tried the museum again. . .alone. Before the tour we were able to attend an hour-long memorial concert, complete with the Springfield orchestra, two choirs, the releasing of white doves, and the lighting of an eternal flame. Extremely gorgeous. . .and almost worth missing Thursday's tour. The museum itself was interesting--very similar to an exhibit that came through our town about 10 years ago. So we'd already seen most of the artifacts. Hey, I brought home my little Captain Smith bear, and the Grand staircase was breathtaking.  

 

 

I don't think it's possible to put Saturday night into words. Or the Branson Belle. Three decks to explore--open air, fly-away hats, hundreds of costumed people, {me included-finally! ;) }white gloves, feathers, dapper coat tails, entertainment and speeches galore. Oh my, and the food! A three-course meal, iced tea, pink lemonade. But the best part was strolling the decks--it was a warm, breezy night--looking out over the black lake, imagining we were fine Edwardian ladies. I could have lived there forever. Really, it's not something I can describe. A little taste of what a 1st class party may have been like exactly 100 years ago, at that very moment. Side-note: it was a blast seeing Charlie Zahm again. Anna and I really enjoyed his concert at the SAICFF. Gotta love good old-fashioned entertainment; he really gets the crowd going!

 

  

Glimpses of the evening's entertainment--inside the showboat, the San Antonio Darlings, and the Third Class Boys, who performed several favorite High King songs. Talk about good taste in music. haha Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore, The Little Beggerman, The Rocky Road to Dublin. . .the lad's would be proud. Off topic, but My Boy's (aka, THK's,) are coming back in July. Can.hardly.wait. o.O 

Sunday. Was sad. For various reasons. But there was a long car ride to look forward to (or not. . .at the 10 hour mark with five more to go things become bleak.) Life is back to it's ho-hum routine. . .nannying, Lemonberry twice a week (or more,) puppy training. Morning coffee remains essential.

Now, the announcements you've been waiting for! LPSoaS will be hosting a giveaway May 14th-28th. Details coming soon. If you are interested in sponsoring an item there is still time. Contact me to participate.

Also, I've decided to separate my posts into specific series--that way my randomness will be contained. :P  Don't worry--there won't be too many changes. But I've noticed that people enjoy "themed" blogs, myself included. At least something with a bit of consistency. I'll be blogging 4-5 times a week, linking up with "Oh, How Pinteresting! Wednesdays," "Awkward and Awesome Thursdays," etc. What do you think?