HOT TEA & SIMPLICITY: THE ADDAMS FAMILY TAKES ON NEBRASKA!

hello all! I've just returned from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln! I was there with my theatre troupe competing in the category of GROUP MUSICAL at the International Thespian Festival! We are doing the song "When you're an Addams" from "The Addams Family Musical"! we won at the state and nationals the last 2 years, so we were hoping to win nationals for our 3rd time. Our flight was monday morning (wayy to early) and we landed in Kansas City. We then took a bus to Lincoln, which took an extra hour and a half due to flooding in Iowa! Anyways, our first night there, we rehearsed a bit, and then went to bed early. The next day, we competed against over 300 other group musicals from all across the nation! That was my favorite time we ever performed! Later, we found out we had received a call back for mainstage! (they only take 10 acts to be on mainstage, which is performed in front of 3,000 people!!). On Thursday, we had our callback, which went really well! We had to wait a whole day to find out if we had made it to mainstage or not!! On Friday, we found out we were one of 2 group musicals that had made it to MAINSTAGE!!! Saturday morning, we had to be outside of the Lied (the big theatre) at 7:30 am to go through our tech rehearsal/run through! The stage manager for mainstage was the former stage manager for wicked as well!! it was an overwhelming and outstanding experience! MAINSTAGE WAS INCREDIBLE AND THE ABSOLUTE BEST END TO MY SENIOR YEAR! i would go into more details, but i can't seem to get my fingers to type due to excitement! anyways, after mainstage, we went to lunch as a troupe (tradition) and then a few of us headed to the most awesome vintage shop ever! i bought the most incredible dress ever there, and wore it saturday night to our senior dinner, and then to see "Anything Goes" which is probably one of my favorite musicals of all time!! We were leaving sunday morning, and we waited for our bus, which was delayed due to heavy fog, so we had to get another bus, which was very, very awesome! it was basically the harry potter night bus!!! literally!! it had seats that folded into bunk beds, so everyone had a bed to sleep on for the bus ride to kansas city airport! naturally, all good things must come to an end though. about 2 miles from the airport, the bus broke down. we were stranded and faced with the possibility of missing out flight home. we all were praying diligently that somehow we would get there on time, when an empty army bus pulled up. The guy driving was headed to the airport as well, and said he would take us there!! talk about a miracle!! there we were, a huge troupe of thespians, stuck on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, when an empty army truck pulls up!!! that was all God if you ask me!!! GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS TOO! so kind and helpful!! :] to sum up that day, we basically lived out an episode of SURVIVOR! i will truly miss my theatre family and i can't wait to see what amazing things God does in there lives! Love them all! :] here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip!