Partying with the Peeps...and BO!!!

This past weekend Bo threw a party for his fan club members. He also participated in a Christmas 4 Kids Bus Tour in Hendersonville which I attended. Here's my recap!

I met Debbie at the Cracker Barrel in Huntsville and off we flew to Nashville! After dropping off our things at the hotel and changing clothes, we were off to the party.

We parked across the street and as we approached we started seeing familiar faces! Standing in line, we got hugs and spent some time catching up with one another.Sharon Eaves, from Fan Clubhouse, was handing out name tags and had us enter The Rutledge in order.

We went inside and were seated at small round tables. They had a buffet of ham, green beans, au gratin potatoes, brownies and other sweets set out for us, along with sweet tea or water. The food was delicious, and after we ate we browsed among the items Bo had brought for auction. There was a painting, a plaque, autographed pictures, an Idol poster and a few other things. Caroline was sitting at the bar, looking absolutely glowing. I didn't ever look like that pregnant!!

Soon it was time for Bo, and he came strolling onto the stage with Bart and we just didn't realize what a treat we were going to receive! He chatted, and then started off with Little Drummer Boy. Oh my. His voice is so gorgeous! The second song he sang was Silent Night, and I don't think there were many dry eyes in the house. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop and his voice just filled the place. So beautiful.

He continued on, telling stories and singing funny songs like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. He gave out some journals as door prizes and then he finished up with Very Merry Christmas. Bo called us all down front and we had a great time singing along with him and I got a wink when he sang the line "Sugar Plum Fairy Dreams"!

Next it was meet and greet time. They called us by number. I got to chat with Caroline some while I was standing in line. Bo had ornaments for everyone and Patrick was going down the line letting everyone choose one. He had signed each of them and I chose a pretty green sparkly one.My turn came and he was sweet and funny. I asked him if he was going to have a stone-laying ceremony at the AL Music Hall of Fame. He said he'd love to, and I told him, "It's there" and he said, "Oh, is it?" and I said yes he said he needs to talk to Don and get on top of it. He made sure I had my ornament, Christmas card and sharpie, and he said he really needed to get us some good ornaments. He talked about ordering some with his logo and that they didn't turn out like he wanted. He was just so sweet!

I visited with people after I had my time with Bo and we watched him with others, too. As he passed me on his way out the door he took hold of my hand and said goodbye.

A bunch of us went to the Opryland Hotel to see the lights and have dinner. We all met in the lobby, I believe there were 26 of us, and we tried to find a restaurant that would accommodate all of us! We headed to the buffet, but it was closed, so we ended up dividing our group and some went to a sports bar and we ate at a steakhouse. Afterwards we went outside to see the gorgeous lights. The Nativity scene was breathtaking and they were narrating the Christmas Story from the Bible. It brought tears to our eyes it was so lovely.

After posting for more pictures, we said our goodbyes to the ones who were leaving the next morning and promised to meet the others the next day for lunch.

At noon Monday, several of us met at Cracker Barrel near the airport because some were leaving that afternoon and it was convenient. We had a nice relaxing lunch and I enjoyed visiting with friends that I haven't seen in a very long time. We made our way outside and made even more pictures together and then sadly, said goodbye. Everyone started to cry and it was Lisa's fault, she started it! LOL Seriously, it was hard to leave everybody.

Debbie, Jen and I left from there and headed to Hendersonville to the Bus Tour. The GPS took us to the old Wal-Mart location, but I asked a lady walking her dogs where it was and she gave us perfect directions.

There were a few people in line when we got there and soon Peggy joined us. The rest of the Peeps were further back in line, but we met up with them at Bo's bus as soon as they let us in the gate.Bo hadn't arrived yet, but Keith Anderson had and his bus was right there so we visited with him. He was such a nice guy! Then we went back to Bo's bus and stood in line. Our little security guy, who was a firefighter, was a hoot! People came by and asked whose bus it was and he said, "Bo Bice from American Idol". We immediately told him how it was…"Bo Bice, upcoming Country Star!" and he caught on quickly! He told the other people who came by that it was "Bo Bice, upcoming Country Star and Future Hall of Famer"! LOL, I loved that little guy!

Bo finally got there (the security guy said he had called and they had gotten held up by an accident). He came strolling by, we cheered for him and I said I hadn't seen him in a long time! He laughed, pointed at me and said, "It's been a while!"He greeted us on the bus and he signed my picture I had made with him the night before. (We had made a quick stop by Kinko's on our way!) I told him I hoped it was the first of many that we'd have, and he said we were going to have one next year and he hoped he could coordinate it with the Bus Tour. We also talked about the Hall of Fame stone again and he said he's hoping we can do something in the spring. I was the last one off the bus and he kiddingly said to me, "I just might put it in my office". I was headed down the steps, so I leaned back, looked at him, and joked, "Do you want one for your office??!!" and both he and Patrick said, "NO!!" and laughed. LOL!!!

We went around and saw as many stars as we could get to…Joey and Rory, the Roys, Cowboy Troy, Darryl Worley, Crystal Hunt, Jamie Johnson…and some others.We left around 9:30 from Wal-Mart, went to Waffle House for a bite, then dropped Jen off at the hotel and Debbie and I headed home. I got home at 2:30 and Debbie got home at 3:10. It was so much fun~I can't wait to do it all over again!