Lifest & Goings On

I keep thinking I want to update my blog but every time I have that thought, something comes up. The last month has been very busy. A close friend's husband died just a week and a half ago. He had several health issues to begin with but went into the hospital for a hernia surgery. That seemed to go well but they discharged him too early and he ended up having a heart attack. When they did a catheterization of his heart they found 5 blockages and 2 blocked arteries in his neck as well as some in the brain. Once they got him stabilized, they sent him home to recover before trying to stent the blockages. They did not think he would survive bypass surgery. While home, he got an infection and had another heart attack and this time stopped breathing. He was med flighted out to UW Madison hospital where his blood was cooled in an effort to minimize brain damage from the lack of oxygen and they gave him paralyzing drugs to keep him still. The next day they started bringing him out of the drug induced coma and started warming his body again so they could assess the damage. He was unresponsive and the tests showed that he was brain dead. The family decided to let him go and he is now in Heaven with the Lord. I'll see him again someday but we miss him while we are here. I have been spending a lot of time with my friend to cheer her up and so she won't be alone. I also played at his funeral and had to pack for Lifest at the same time. The funeral was the same day we left for Lifest. We were going to leave at 9 but had to push that back so that we could attend the funeral. We ended up leaving a little after 3 and the first concert was 6 and one I didn't want to miss it.

Aaron Shust was the first concert at Lifest this year. We did make his concert and it was great! I was glad we were able to make it. My husband stayed at the campsite and set up the tent. He isn't as into going to the concerts as I am. There were some excellent concerts this year. A friend from church went with us and she and I hang out together because the kids don't like my music and they don't want to hang out with me, and my husband, when he does go to a concert, likes to hang out in the back and I like to be right down front. So Cathy and I go to all the concerts together.

I missed seeing David Crowder Band the first night because we went back to the campsite to help set up. Then we went back to the Grandstand for TobyMac. We got pretty close for that one but then it started raining. It was a cold rain so Cathy and I ducked into a nearby prayer tent. He does a good concert.

Thursday we saw Building 429, Jeremy Camp and Casting Crowns. We enjoyed all of them.

Friday we went to Bebo Norman and, of course, Newsboys. Newsboys did the thing with the spinning drummer, which was really cool. There were two drum platforms, one on stage and one down at the end of a runway. Their regular drummer was on stage while the lead singer went down the runway to another drumset. First they had a drum battle and the platforms were raised. Then the drummer on stage's platform started spinning around like a pinwheel while he was playing! It was pretty impressive. They also shot ticker tape out of 2 big cannons, one on either side of the stage.

Saturday we saw NoonDaySun and Denver & The Mile High Orchestra. While Denver & The Mile High Orchestra was playing, a girl fell 50 feet or more from a ride. Air Glory is a ride that looks like a big crane. It takes you up in 2's or 3's, in harnesses, and you pull a ripcord to freefall. The girl went up with a friend and her harness failed and she fell facedown. She was rushed away to a nearby hospital and lifeflighted out to another hospital where she died in surgery. It changed the rest of the festival. The director came out with the announcement and prayed for her and the family. The concerts were all more subdued after that announcement. Barlow Girl came out and started with a worship song instead of what they had planned. The announcement came at 9:30 that the girl had died. There was a feeling of sadness over the place after that but the concerts went on. I think they did a good job of deciding how to handel the tragedy. All the artists were sensitive to the situation and changed some of their songs. Jars of Clay and Third Day came on after Barlow Girl and we were right in front on the rail for those! Comedy events were cancelled in light of the accident but everything else went on as planned. There were posterboards left out with pens for people to write notes to the family of the girl and candles were lit near where she died.

Sunday was church service which was more subdued also because of the accident. Chris Tomlin was after the church service and he did a lot of my favorite songs including How Great is Our God. I think we'll be singing that song in Heaven someday around the Throne and I can't wait! It will be awesome!

After the concert, we went back to camp and had lunch and started packing up. We got on the road around 4ish and stopped in Beaver Dam for gas and icecream. As were were getting near home on I-94 we ran into some heavy traffic that was moving very, very slowly. I decided to get off at the Stoughton exit so I wouldn't have to deal with the traffic and my car started acting up. I nursed it the rest of the way home. It wanted to die when I slowed down or stopped. I nursed it into the driveway and it died. It will start but it doesn't run right. Tonight we have to try to get the trailer over to the barn and get the car back here again so my husband can work on it.

I think that brings me up to date. I am also dogsitting my daughter's Great Dane while she and her husband are away for 4 days. I have a very full house right now!