Vacation Chatter Continued…
If you’re just joining us, I’ve been out of town for 2 1/2 glorious weeks for a much needed VACATION! I’ll jump right in where we left off yesterday.
Day Two of our theme park visits in Orlando took us to Hollywood Studios. I think this might be our favorite of all the parks. We went there the 2nd and 5th day since we missed a lot on the first day.
We had good reason to miss a few things. Our son, Indigo became a Jedi. This was a very serious operation. They do not just get selected because they’re cute or talented or x, y, z. There is a very strict PROCESS to getting in the Jedi training. I felt very bad for the ones who were cut…but they’ve gotta do what they’ve gotta do. It’s Hollywood the real deal, right? So thankfully, he went through after a strenuous selection ordeal.
It was worth it. He did mighty things in a short amount of time, thanks to his instructor.
And you’re not going to believe this, but DARTH VADER ACTUALLY TRIED TO INVADE! That turkey showed up and wanted to overtake the whole park, but NO! My son, the Jedi, stopped that just in the nick of time!
It was touch and go for a while there, but I’m here to tell the story, so it’s clear that all ended well. Thanks be to God and Jedi Brave.
Greyley came in on the tail end of all this because while her brother was out saving the world, she was trying out for American Idol. We thought it would be a cute, little fun thing that wouldn’t last very long, but again~ those Hollywood Studios people are very serious about their work. She went through 2 rounds of auditions and out of 300 people who tried out, 25 were chosen to continue the competition. Greyley was one of the 25! The winner of the finals would get to the front of the line in a REAL American Idol audition, no expiration date.
She was told to come back in an hour to get in for hair and makeup, rehearsal and time with the vocal coach. Then she would be performing in the show later that afternoon. It was all very exciting.
To pass the time, we paused to get our photograph with the Contestant and then took in the Tower of Terror~ our favorite ride of all! That ride brings on a dire case of the giggles in all of us…once we get over the TERROR. Let’s ride it again!
And before we knew it, we were due backstage at the American Idol auditorium. I was Greyley’s “Manager” and we were in a small room with the other final two contestants performing in the show with Greyley. One contestant was a 33-year-old lady from Orlando~ total sweetheart~ who had her son as her manager~ he was a year younger than Greyley. And the other contestant was a 40-year-old man from London. He tries out for the show every time~ I’m not sure if he’s won the other times or not. They were both really good.
This nice girl from Atlanta did Greyley’s hair and makeup. I was instructed to not take any video and only pictures before the show, not during. Boohoo.
And then she met the very nice vocal coach, who gave her some great tips. She had to practice the song a few times~ she chose the songs when she tried out and then they gave her a small list of songs to sing in the show. She chose This Is Me by Demi Lovato.
After this, they ushered me into the auditorium, got me settled into the reserved seating close to the front and gave me my small list of rules. Before people started piling in, I was able to sneak this picture from my seat and then no more…
I put this picture on Facebook right before she went onstage and didn’t expect the reaction that came from it. I thought anyone who saw it would also see that we were at Hollywood Studios/Florida style that day, not HOLLYWOOD Hollywood. And Greyley’s too young for the other one anyway…
I got a pile of messages and texts and emails wanting to know when she’d be on TV, etc…and since I was on vacation, I didn’t get them all or have a chance to even look. So I apologize for leaving any of you hanging…teehee.
However…here’s another little glimpse. ๐
She did a fabulous job. She really did. I know you think I’m just saying that because I’m her mother, but it’s the truth. The crowd began cheering when she got to the chorus. We all got teary. It was such fun.
The judges loved her.
I couldn’t tell you who the judges were, but they looked familiar…in that Hollywood Studios sort of way. The one on the far right was the token “Simon” and he was the only one who didn’t rave. He didn’t rave about anyone or anything, though.
The host was really nice~ he interviewed her at the beginning and talked to all of them throughout the show. He had really sweet and helpful things to say to Greyley even after the show. I appreciate these extra kindnesses. They go a long way with me, especially when they involve my children.
The audience voted~ there were buttons attached to the chairs for each contestant. The other contestants’ family members were sitting close to us.
Tension mounts.
Vote for 1, 1, 1!
And the next American Idol…
IS…
The 33-year-old Mama from Orlando!
No picture of her win, sorry. ๐ She really was great and so very sweet. She said she was rooting for Greyley all they way, which absolutely made Greyley’s day.
The whole experience was a blast, from beginning to end.
*Fun fact, our nephew, Chris Lawrence, tried out for the REAL American Idol. He went to Hollywood last year, but got cut. This year, he hasn’t been telling us the outcome, but I’m 99% certain he made it to Hollywood again. Watch for him! As I’m typing this, they’re interviewing him on our local Fox news show. YES, it is confirmed that he has a golden ticket! Woohoo! Craziness! How I would love to see him in the top 10!
The fun continues tomorrow. Stay tuned! XO