This might take more than one post.

This might take more than one post. Friday's party needs its own post altogether. I'll give you what I got tonight, but Folk Alliance International 2016 is going to need some time to sink in.

I will say that sometimes you write a song to a prompt and you sing it on a Sunday morning for friends and strangers. Sometimes you and your friend sit in an empty food court and work out the bridge while people eating bagel sandwiches stare at you like you're crazy. We were cracking each other up with this song and I always feel like that's a good sign. When you get to a point where you can't believe that these are the words you came up with and that you're going to sing them in front of people, that's a great feeling. Part hilarity, part horror. It's a good mix.

Sometimes you sing another song not an hour later on the same stage and, because you didn't practice, you start playing it in the wrong time signature and it only dawns on you that it's the wrong time signature as the first words are coming out of your mouth. Pro tip: practice the song.

You already know I barely slept. You probably imagined lots and lots of people and music? Yup. Lots of both. The posters everywhere, the cool girls in cool dresses, the old timey hats, the upright basses, the boys in skinny jeans. I lost my credit card and then hotel security found it, I think I left a box of earrings in the hotel room. I am a messy hotel room dweller. That's just true. 

I went with a group of musicians to the Children's Hospital where we sang songs. I sang "Dinosaur Dan." I made new friends.

The vintage Gibson guitars that I saw this weekend belonging to various artists were gorgeous.

I volunteered at the Silent Auction every afternoon for four hours. I missed Judy Collins key note address, but I did see her go up the escalator. 

I didn't sing that much at this one. I did one super late song circle and I sang one song for a lady who was at the Silent Auction tent. I got to see lots of friends and was reminded why I miss them and how wonderful it is to be together again for a weekend in Kansas City.