Christmas Rewind…Coate Style « Random Thoughts on Life, Love, and Other Mysteries

Christmas Rewind…Coate Style

So here’s Christmas with the Coate’s bullet by bullet… you probably won’t get to the end, but if you stop short, you’ll miss a tragic Fish Story

Tuesday, December 23rd…

4:14 pm Head out to purchase Chuck Taylors at busy Outlet Mall south of strip…then exit quickly.
4:36 pm Enter Cost Plus World Market… purchase gift for Blair… look at other overpriced stuff… saw someone who knew us but avoided uslike the plague…
4:53 pm Enter In N Out Burger searching for sustenance before heading to first Christmas Service. Stand in line for 10 minutes, decide to exit…without burger
5:10 pm Arrive @ Teriyaki Madness (after considering Taco Bell). Order Teriyaki then wait 15 minutes for fresh chicken… could have stayed at In N Out
5:35 pm Arrive @ The Crossing for first Christmas Service… last minute checks (more haze!!!)
6:00 pm Final sound checks… more haze!
6:35 pm Change clothes, missing one sock, sock retrieved from parking lot (nice save Dawn B.), a little hair gel and we’re good to go
6:40 pm Final pep talk for team
6:55 pm @JLee starts countdown

J Lee @ The controls

7:00 pm Full house for first service, all goes well as Band, Drama, etc. rocks the house…
8:10 pm Reconnect with some awesome old friends who came to Christmas services with no idea we were there. Hopefully some good things will come from that.
9:00 pm Head to Target for last minute stocking stuffers… we pick our own this year. PU some new socks and undees (good times)
10:00 pm Random TV watching
11:30 pm Lights Out!

Wednesday, December 24th

7:30 am Wake up!!!
8:10 am Stairmaster visit at LVAC… fighting the Christmas calorie binge
9:15 am Car switch out with @iworship so he can pick up furniture
9:27 am Harass @scottwhaley via twitter regarding the future of his man card
10:00 am Coffee and more coffee while chatting up @jasonhirsch on the phone. He promises not to crash The Crossing services.
10:30 am Late breakfast with a couple new friends…talk trash with them regarding workout regime or lack thereof.

Best breakfast in the world!

11:30 am Home, quick shower, head to church for four services… seems like a lot
1:00 pm Soundcheck again…more haze, more haze, more haze!!!
2:00 pm Service #1 begins
The next six hours are spent running around, sitting in cafe watching services online, eating pizza, dealing with any issues, giving pep talks to team, and connecting with peeps. Handed out some thank you’s to our team in the form of Starbucks card ( thought about getting more creative, but my assistant insisted people never tire of it) Last service starts at 6:30 pm. Relieve lighting engineer so he can go home a bit early. A little shaky on the lighting cues but we get through it. Lots of banter on the ClearComm for a bunch of tired production people. At this point we’re singing along, etc. Last service ends at 7:36. In truck headed home by 7:46.

8:05 pm Kids open Christmas Eve PJ’s. Austin is not so thrilled.
8:20 pm Cheese and crackers… a Coate tradition accompanied by some Santa Clause 2.
10:20 pm Kids in bed, gifts in place, take a bite out of Santa’s cookie (sorry Santa) and fall into bed.

Thursday, December 25th

5:25 am Early wake up by our kids, head out to the tree
5:35 am Austin drops our camera smashing the lens and causing irreparable damage. No Christmas morning pics this year. We recover.

Camera...done!

6:45 am Cinnamon rolls and coffee being prepped as gifts are all opened including Beta Fish for Ashlee
7:17 am Breakfast together discussing possible names for Ashlee’s new fish…
7:55 am First attempt at Guitar Hero World Tour. Disk is damaged… Bon Jovi is singing in slow motion. Not good. After multiple attempts, we give up. Will be visiting Target early tomorrow am.
10:10 am Brunch with the In-Laws at their house. More coffee and gift opening.
11:45 am Head to theater for first showing of “Bedtime Stories.” Combo #1 and good seats halfway up, middle.
2:20 pm Movie done… 3 1/2 out of 5 stars. Not bad for a Christmas Day family flic. Settle on “Mr. Buttkus” as name for Ashlee’s new fish.

2:55 pm Drive frantically around town searching for a LV Review Journal to scope out the Post-Christmas ads. Finally locate one after almost getting crushed by flying chain link fence. Storm rolling in over the mountains takes our fence and flings it into traffic. We survive. Yet more to come.

Disclaimer: The following is a graphic account of a death that may not be suitable for all ages. Read forward with caution.

The only known existing pic of our departed Beta Fish (RIP)

3:10 pm Arrive home. Scream is heard from “kids section” of house. We arrive in Ashlee’s room to find a tragic scene. Mr. Beta has jumped out of his tank while we were enjoying movie and expired on the floor. His once blue, now purple body was discovered wedged in the Nativity scene between a couple shepherds. Stiff.
3:14 pm Mom comforts Ashlee as I conduct quicky funeral and send Mr. Beta to his watery grave.
3:21 pm Read instructions that came with fish and discover that the tank should be covered for the first 48 hrs and they tend to get excited in their new environment and jump out of tank. Who reads instructions anyway?

Nap Time

8:12 pm Sit down to watch Hancock with wife
9:10 pm Begins snowing outside… White Christmas lasts about 7 minutes.
11:05 pm Fall asleep as the last 45 minutes of Christmas music plays on sunny 106.5.

Recap: Camera broken, World Tour defective, Fence flies at us, Fish Dies tragic Death, Watch Hancock, white Christmas. All in all… Good day!

And how was your Christmas?