Hi All!!!
Colin had a performance in Bakersfield CA yesterday and we arrived to Colorado Springs today. The 3 kids and parents were fortunate enough to fly in to Colorado today, while the rest of the cast rode 14 hours on the tour bus :( The boys had to arrive early and get their school time in with their original tutor from NYC. Last night we stayed in a beautiful Sheraton in Bakersfield. The grounds were absolutely incredible(check out the pics!). We wanted to stay a few more nights there, but unfortunately, the show must go on!

After the show last night, colin, Rhiannon(Nancy)and Chris(Bill Sykes) were invited to do a Question and Answer session with some audience members. It was fun watching Colin answering some of their questions and especially loved when he thanked his vocal coach, Cara, for preparing him for this. He said he wouldn't be here without her :) Then they asked if any family members were traveling with him and he said yes my mom and she's sitting right there! Everyone turned around and gave me a round of applause, lol! Gotta love that boy!!! Rhiannon and Chris told the group how impressed they are with all three of the boys professionalism. It was a wonderful compliment, especially coming from the two of them. Rhiannon continued to say how wonderful us parents are. I always loved that girl, lol!!

We had to get up at 4:15 to catch a cab to the airport and then with one layover in Phoenix, made it to Colorado. We had just enough time to get some lunch and then the boys went to school. The parents on the other hand took naps! LOL!

The rest of the cast should be arriving by midnight, and there are shows both tomorrow and Wednesday evenings. Colin and Rhiannon will be doing a television interview for a Colorado Springs Fox news station first thing Wednesday morning. He's pretty excited about that! He's done a few phone interviews, but not a tv interview yet. We're hoping to go see some sights here in colorado springs Wednesday between the interview and the performance.
We miss everyone back home and really appreciate all of your support!!!
Missy

Today we were able to go to the Pacific Ocean! It was very neat to see, but unfortunately the temperature was the coolest it's been yet and the fog rolled in. We were still able to go into the ocean, although it was quite chilly! Colin and I enjoyed walking along the beach collecting sand dollars and all sort of shells and rocks. We also saw some of the largest jellyfish we've ever seen! Sue took pictures of them so I'll put them up once we get them. Colin found a neat shell and quickly threw it back to the sand once he realized there was a hermit crab in it lol! After the beach we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the performance. When we got to the theater we met up with Judie and John Kemp. It was so great to see them! We haven't seen them in a while! They drove 3 hours to see the show, and Colin and I really appreciated it!!! It was so great to meet up with old friends and introduce them to our Oliver family : ) It was so funny because they still remember watching Colin as the panther at the basketball games. They were so surprised to see how he has grown! Tomorrow the boys have school and then we're heading to Bakersfield CA. Colin will be doing a Q&A after the show with some of the audience, and then we'll fly to Colorado Springs the next morning : )

San Luis Obispo

We really enjoyed our time in Medford OR. The people were so friendly and the weather was perfect! The crew set up a bbq for our last day there and we all had a fantastic time just hanging out, eating, and playing in the pool!

After a 10 hour bus ride, we finally made it to San luis Obispo! It was a rough bus ride, we traveled around and through mountains. Many of us were looking pretty green by the end of it all! We saw the Pacific Ocean on our way, so that brightened everyone's spirits! Today the boys had school from 11-3 and then loaded the bus at 4:45 for the show. The rest of the cast was able to go to the beach. We parents felt guilty going to the ocean while the kids were in school so we opted to hang out by the pool. Tomorrow we will be heading to the ocean for a few hours in the afternoon. The boys will have school beforehand and then continue with hands on at the beach for a bit and then they'll be able to enjoy the beach before the show.

John and Judie Kemp are coming to the show tomorrow night. Colin and I are so excited to have people we knew from home come and see the show!

Medford OR

After a 5 1/2 hour bus ride, we made it to Medford, OR. The scenery was absolutely incredible!! We road through mountains and by volcanos. We had quite a geology lesson discovering lava rocks and ash layers(Thanks Alaggio!) We were all in awe by Mount Shasta. It was absolutely beautiful! Check out the photos I posted!

We had lunch in Mount Shasta at the Black Bear diner. We felt like we were right out of "Northern Exposure"! The food was yummy, and the atmosphere was great. We also had a perfect view of Mt Shasta from the table we were sitting at.

We then headed the rest of the way to Medford. Once we checked into the hotel, we were able to enjoy some time at the pool before heading to the theater. The show was held at the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater. I have to say that the people at this theater were the friendliest people we have met so far! They went above and beyond to satisfy us all. They had a wonderful display of treats for the cast in the green room from their trademark Bartlett pears to tea and honey! The ushers in the theater brought us 3 parents through the theater and told us all about the history of the theater and allowed us to take photos along the way. One of the ushers was from Endicott NY and moved to Oregon after visiting one of her kids that lives there. She almost had all of us parents talked in to moving to Oregon after our talk, lol! Before the show we headed to a great little salad and soup restaurant. All the food is organic and delicious!! The guy who worked the counter was great and very helpful. He reminded me so much of my nephew Jason! Jas-you have a twin in Oregon! It was so nice to be treated so well at a restaurant. The service in NYC left a little to be desired, lol!! I had the tomato gorgonzola soup and already realize I will be craving it for a long time!
The crowd was absolutely fabulous. They really seemed to enjoy the show and showed it with a standing ovation. Us parents never seem to get bored watching the show. There is always something different with each show and after seeing it so many times we pick up on it all!

We have two days off, tomorrow and Wednesday, and are excited for a break! We're hoping to do some sightseeing and also get some rest in during these two days. Thursday we head to San Luis Obispo.
Missy

Details on Binghamton Show

Hi all,

I'm trying to coordinate a trip and help reduce costs for those wishing to go see Oliver in Binghamton. The show is on October 19th at 3:00 PM and 7:30 PM.

I have preliminarily looked at chartering a bus and it costs $1,378. The bus can hold 47 folks. Assuming 40 go that's about $35 per person. The charter would leave in the AM and hit the 3:00 show and then grab something to eat and head back to Rochester.

If we pool together tickets I can get a group discount (> 20). The group discount is 10% of tickets. Tickets available are:
Orchestra/Mezzanine $49.50
Lower Balcony $39.50
Upper Balcony $25.50

Regardless whether you take charter bus or not, you can get in on the discount tickets.

So, what I need to know:
1. Are you interested in charter (if so, how many)?
2. Are you interested in discount tickets (if so, what show and how many and where do you want tickets)?

Please let me know by 9/24 if you want to do this as I need to book things and reserve tickets (they go on sale on 9/22).

If you know others that might want to get in that's fine, just pass this along and make sure they know to get to me by 9/24.

You can always make the reservations yourself at http://www.broadwaybinghamton.com/show-detail.asp?id=22.

Thanks!
Steve
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Steve Nims
steve.nims@thomsonreuters.com

We're in Reno Now!!

Okay, I just started to write this blog and almost forgot where we were! I had to ask Colin, lol! It's so easy to lose track of the day and place we're at. Each day seems to roll into the other while on this tour!

We'll be in Reno for 3 days. There are 5 performances between tonight and Sunday, so there will be little time for doing sightseeing. Luckily there's a casino right in our hotel so I may be able to squeeze a few slots in ;) The bus ride was very scenic. The mountains were absolutely gorgeous! We rode by Donner Lake where the historical Donner Family traveled. For those who don't know, the Donner party traveled west in 1846 in a wagon train. They attempted to take a "shortcut", but unfortunately that was the wrong decision. It turned out to be a much longer trip and as they ran out of provisions, bad storms approached. The survivors had to turn to cannibalism in an attempt to survive.

During one of our stops we were able to view another part of history. We saw the actual car that Bonnie and Clyde were killed in. There were also other things that belonged to them, such as the shirt that Clyde had on when he was shot. I didn't have my camera but both John and Sue took photos, so I'll post them once I get them.

Quentin's mom, Gail, and sister, Reina, traveled to Reno to see the shows. It was the first time they watched it so it was pretty exciting for their whole family. I can't wait to have our family at the Binghamton performance. I miss everyone so much!!

The boys finished up school til next week. It'll be so nice for them to have a week off. They've been working so hard on school, homework, and shows-they deserve a break!

I'm posting more photos, so I hope you all enjoy them!

Missy