Just 24 hours earlier, Brookhaven’s Jennifer Jackson anddaughter Kelsey didn’t expect to be sitting in the Atlanta airportwaiting for a flight to Los Angeles.

But that’s where they were this morning after the pair said theyfound out around 9 p.m. Monday that they’d be taking the trip tosee Mississippi School of the Arts junior and “American Idol” Top13 contestant Jasmine Murray on Tuesday night’s show. JenniferJackson said Murray had her sister call them to say she had twotickets for them to the performance.

“We got a call from her sister, who said Jasmine has two ticketsfor us and really wanted us to come if we could,” Jennifer Jacksonsaid.

So Jasmine’s MSA “host mom” and “host sister,” effectively,immediately set to work making the trip possible.

“We hustled around and found some flights so we could be theretonight and tomorrow,” Jackson said Tuesday morning.

It wasn’t easy work, though. It was a lot of phone calling andInternet work in the hours in which most businesses are closed.

“I got an hour and 10 minutes of sleep if that tells youanything,” Jackson said. “Our flight (from Jackson to Atlanta) leftat 6:20 a.m. and we just had to leave so early. I had to callpeople and cancel appointments, and I was on the computer makingreservations and flights until 1 a.m.”

Jackson said when she told her daughter, a junior at BrookhavenAcademy, that they would be making the trip, she didn’t quitebelieve her at first.

“Kelsey thought I was joking,” she said. “She was like, ‘Noreally, are you kidding?'”

But the pair made plans to meet Jasmine’s sister, Andrea MurrayMcMillan, in the Atlanta airport. They will be in the audience atthe CBS Studios in Los Angeles Tuesday night.

“I’m looking forward to hearing her sing, and seeing her andwatching her go on to the next level,” Jackson said.

And even though they’ll be far from home, Kelsey and JenniferJackson will be flooding the phone lines with votes for Murrayafter the competition is over.

“The elimination will be Wednesday and they’ll eliminate twothis round,” Jackson said. “So it’s really really really importantthat everybody call and text and vote tonight. Do it all at thesame time!”