Sound tech

As the wife of a band director you get to wear many hats. Tonight I am sound tech. 

Yes this is my sight for the Christmas concert. Nice to sit back and be able to see the parents that came out to hear their kids and even those that heard about it and came out to enjoy some great Christmas music. Can't believe this is the final thing of the year. The kids sound great so far and the high school kids are only on their second tune. It is nights like this that I love to be married to the man I am married to. He makes me so proud to say I am his wife. I am also happy with the administrative he works with. 

Can't see them very well but that is our Superintendent of Schools Kelly Grimmett and Prinicpal of Vinita High School Rusty Rankin. So happy to know they would do this not only for my husband, but for the kids that work so hard during the year. 

December

Well it is almost the end of first semester. First half of the year was a huge success for marching. Brought home some trophies and great things from every contest we went to. I truly can't believe that concert season is actually here. This year is flying by so fast. Our town Christmas parade is this Thursday. It was supposed to be last Thursday but snow put a damper on that and they postponed it. We also have our Christmas concert soon and I am so excited about it. This is the first year since my husband has been here that he will do this. It is going to be fun and interesting with administration will be involved. Now that the first semester is over the second one will fly by. I can't believe it is really here. It seems that it was just yesterday we were getting ready for the back to school concert and cookout. I will definitely update after the concert but the parade is another story. With as cold it has been and work I will more than likely be home in my warm house under blankets.

Final game.

Well it is Senior night here and the last game of the season. Nope we didn't make into the playoffs so my prayers were answered. This is also the last show of the season. It seems like we just started. Can't believe it is almost all over for another year. Time to put up the marching music and pull out concert music. We do have one Christmas parade and that is the home town one the first Thursday of December. I will say time to put up marching shoes on that night. I know my husband and many of our friends are excited to pull out concert music. This year we are doing a Christmas concert so that should be fun. I don't think Matt has done one since we have been together. 

I will be keeping track of the score again tonight like I did last week. If you want to keep track here http://t.maxpreps.com/1cJckOg is the link. 

Update the score correctly

Well it is the 8th game of the season and it should be a good one. The kids sound great and I am so proud of all their hard work. I can't believe it is only three more games til the season comes to a close. This year has gone by way to fast. It ses like only yesterday I heard the familiar phrase, wanna come help me mark the field. I know I am not the only band wife out there that hears that phrase. Tonight I signed up to update the game score. It should be interesting to see if I can keep up. Hey maybe it will keep me interested in the game for once. Most of the time I don't pay attention so this might be good for me. Here is the link in case you want to follow along. http://t.maxpreps.com/17OUlOJ

I promise I will do my best to keep you updated on the score. 

Regionals and Thanks

So regionals was today and the kids did great. They got straight twos. That is an excellent rating. Would have loved ones, but twos are good. We didn't get the dreaded rainbow that I feared. The kids are great and I am very proud of them I can't believe that marching season is actually over. When I was in school marching season wasn't over until the first weekend in December with the 4 parades in one day. I am happy we don't do street marching anymore. Granted we have the town Christmas parade but that is the last marching excursion of the year. We will start concert season before we know it. 

As I sit here I start to think of our little community of band directors and how even though we are competitors we can still help out when needed. One of our wonderful percussionists forgot to grab our cymbal bag so we ran around like crazy people asking directors if we could borrow just one set. We went to Joe, well his drum captain, and we were allowed to borrow at least one set to get us by. While we were running around one of our band parents was driving as safely and quickly as he could to get us ours. Because of these two men we had both cymbal sets on the field. Thank you Joe and Travis for helping us out today. There are extra jewels in your crowns in heaven. 

I love my community of band directors and band parents who will go out of their way to help out when help is needed and when they can. 

Community

As I sit here my brain goes to young man/band director from Bentonville that was killed this weekend in a single car crashing Tulsa. I didn't know this young man personally but I feel like a member if the club was lost this weekend. I pray for his kids he was teaching at Bentonville and got the kids that he taught previously. I don't know the pain they are feeling, but I know they are hurting. Even though I never met Zach, my husband knew people that knew him personally. 

This makes me think about what I would do if we lost a close friend and knew their kids. The best I can think is to be a shoulder to cry and a near to hear their thoughts. 

Please keep the Roddy family in your prayers as they say goodbye to their son and brother. Pray for the Bentonville band, TSAS music kids, and Coweta seniors as they say goodbye to a teacher, mentor and friend. Pray for the friends of Zach as they say goodbye to a colleague and close friend. 

Awards Ceremony for a popularity contest

This is the lovely term my husband calls homecoming. It is the 6th game of the year with Webster. This is the last year we will play them since they dropped out of 4A and went down to 3A. With this we will gain Cascia Hall. For some reason this excites me. I loved going to Cascia Hall and seeing their campus. I know it is a private school and catholic to boot, but I always wanted to go to school there. I neither lived in Tulsa nor was I catholic but I always wanted to go there. I highly doubt I would have enjoyed it because they don't have a band program and that was my one happiness in high school. Now my second was choir, but band was my number one happiness. So back to homecoming. I always hated this time of year because I never felt like I belonged anywhere during the week and even coming home and living here I still don't know how I belong in homecoming. College was the same way. I never understood all the pagentry of a popularity contest. I think if the school body as a whole got to choose the queen and her court instead of just the football players etc it might make more since when my niece and nephew get to high school. I hope it is more fun when they get up there. I highly doubt it will happen, but there is always hope. 

Tonight will be dress rehearsal for the Pryor contest and for Regionals. Regionals is our last marching contest of the year. I just pray we don't get a rainbow. A 1, 1, 2 would be great but straight 1s would be awesome. I just hope the kids get a 1 and I know they are very capable of it. They have the sound and the talent, now they just need the confidence to go out there and have a 1 run through. (For my non-music readers our judging is based on a 1-5 rating. 1 is the best and 5 being the worst.) Tomorrow I won't be able to attended because of asking for majority of fall break but because oft schedule I get to spend most of Tuesday at Regionals. I will be exhausted at work, but it is so worth it to spend a couple of hours with my husband. 

As I close out another blog post I must say I enjoy this and wish I was more interesting and had more to say about being a great band wife. I will probably do one soon. I am making this up as I go and just hope and pray I am doing it all right. I hope to be the best one I can and make him proud. 

Contest

Well it is contest morning. It is really early on a Saturday that I don't have to work. Today I get to head back towards my stomping grounds in Soith Tulsa. It always makes me miss my friends down there. It makes me almost homesick at time for the Tulsa area and all the good restaurants it has to offer. This is the only contest this year I will get to go to and spend some time with my husband. I haven't really go to know the kids this year. I will update later in the day when I am more awake and my English grammar will make a lot more sense. 

The kids did great and I  very proud of them. I hope this third place doesn't damper their spirits because we went up against two very good bands today. We have next week in Pryor and then Regionals. 

This year is flying by. Once marching season is over there isn't much for me to be involved with. Oh well I will just love the rest of the season. 

Thank you Cleveland

Well it is the halfway point in the season and the busiest weekend of the year, well for me. We have a game tonight that will hopefully fly by. We have to be up early in the morning for a contest not to far from here. Ok it is possibly an hour away or more. I am excited to get to go to contest this week. I am praying it stays somewhat dry once we get there. It is supposed to rain later in the night and into the early morning. I hope it does that and the stops until 5 when the contest is supposed to be done. 

I want to thank the Cleveland Tiger fans for such a warm welcome of our kids and for clapping for them. That to me is the best sportsmanship ever. I don't think our kids heard you from the field, but they will hear it on the video when they watch it on Monday.  I also want to thank our cheerleaders and Pom squad for coming over and supporting our band. It warms my heart so much to see students support each other. We didn't get that much when I went to school there. Well 3rd quarter is almost over and I have been trying to type this all night. I will definitely update tomorrow. Don't promise it will be when we get up or even when we leave but it will be before the kids take the field. 

Busy

So with all the busyness of work and life I haven't had time to update about our contest last Saturday. We went to Claremore-Sequoyah for the Eagle Invintational and because of the wonderful rain we had last Saturday, they only did music in the gym. I am happy to report that our kids came home with first in their division and first overall. Third week we head to Cleveland for the football game and then get up early in the morning and head back down the turnpike for Glenpool's contest.  I have looked at the weather and right now it is supposed to rain late Friday/early Saturday so praying it either stays that way or just doesn't rain at all. 

4th game and day before 1st contest of the season.

It is the fourth game of the season and it is my first away game. As my readers know, I absolutely despise bus rides. They are loud and stinky and hot. At least this year fall has basically set in so it should be a pleasent ride. We head to a school a couple of our director friends work for. I enjoy going here because for a smaller school they have a nice stadium. Even though the seats are metal they are surprisingly comfortable. We usually go here for a contest, but because of scheduling conflict we won't be able to attend this years contest. Now the scheduling conflict is another contest in a different town. We enjoyed it last year and decided we should go back. Unfortunately I am not off tomorrow so I won't be able to attend, and since I am dog sitting my brothers dog this weekend I can't head up there after work. So I will stay home with the animals and stay warm. The meteorologists are calling for a cold, wet day tomorrow so I will stay warm and dry and fix dinner. I just hope it stays away til evening so all the contests around the state can be finished and be enjoyable. I remember those cold wet parade days answer weren't outside nearly as much as these kids have to be on contest days. I will update more on the bus ride and the game itself once I get that half of the day started. 

On the bus headed to the game. Even more crowded than normal because a roadie decided to sit with me. Oh joys of all joys. The bus the give us is already crammed full because of the seats being so close together. I truly believe they forget people over 5 ft sit on these things also. They design them with elementary kids in mind and forget adults and teenagers also sit on these buses. My knees are digging into the back of the seat. Yes I am whining but I have a right. I will deal with it til we get there. At least it is fairly close and I hopefully deal up until we get there with my ankle on fire. Oh well. Ok I believe I am off my pity party for now. I will post more once we get there because see bus rides are boring and not much happens. That was for those that have never had the pleasure of sitting on a bus with teenagers. 

Week 3

It is game 3 of the season. It actually feels like a football game tonight. I love cool football games that make it feel like fall. This week is a lot less stressful than last week. My husband isn't nearly as stressed out as normal. The kids sound great tonight and I am excited to see the added things and know the show will look great. Yes I am knocking on wood as I type that. We are missing one of our percussionists tonight but it will sound great without him. Now granted I pray it is just tonight that he is missing because we will still need him next as our first contest is next Saturday. 

There are times I wish we could put the brakes on the year. It is moving by way to fast. I am glad it is moving because my favorite time is concert season and hearing the music the learn during the spring, but it means one more class is leaving ad one more class is getting older and moving up a grade and getting ready  to move on. So this year needs to slow down just a little bit. Maybe I will have a better title after the game. Doubt it because our opponent doesn't have uniforms tonight. 

Fall

So the blog is about my life as a band directors wife. I have noticed I have been really nice about things and sometimes not do nice. Well this posting might not be do nice. 

Fall is one of my favorite times of year. From football games and cheering for the Sooners, going to band competitions every weekend from the end of September to Regionals in mid-October, high school football games and cheering for the boys and secretly hoping we are good, just not good enough for playoffs (sorry I know all of us band wives feel that way) and the cooler temperatures. There are also things that I don't like about fall and that is waiting. To some of you, you might not understand why that would be a reason to not like fall, but if you are band director or a wife, you understand this. We have to wait for parents to pick up their kids after games and contests and also after practices to showing up in time for the yearly rental meeting. This is a staple in the lives of band directors. The instrument is a school supply that all beginners need and even some older kids might need. I hate waiting for my husband to come home after these. There are nights that I actually get upset with parents. I think do they not realize that he has a family and would probably like to go home to them. We don't get to go directly home after the last kid is picked up. We have to go to the gas station and fill up the bus and if we take the suburban, which we usually always do, we have to unhook the trailer, and then go gas up the suburban. Most rental meeting last for 3 hours. I remember one year it lasting for four because people just kept trickling in slowly but surely. There are days that I absolutely love being in this ministry with my husband, but there are times I am tired and just want to go home and I know he does also. 

This is a confession that I have been wanting to talk about for awhile. I understand that there are things out of the hands of parents or the kid waits til the absolute last minute to call, but understand that a lot of this time is extra time we put in so please be courteous of that. 

Don't forget your bunny costume.

Well it is our first home football game and the first game I will be attending. They will be playing two of the three tunes for the show tonight with some marching on the field and playing some stand tunes. These are the nights that are most stressful. It is for our fans and the town. Right now I am in the office listening to them practice some tunes. I shouldn't have come up here with a headache. I guess I forgot how loud they can be in this small of a space. Oh well you live and you learn. I swear I always forget how difficult some of these tunes were to play. Well I guess when you play nothing but the melody it is hard to remember that. Playing the flute was at times cake walk. Well the music was easy at times, but being musician most music came easy to me. As I sit here and watch my husband play the trumpet to help keep tempo I forget how sexy he is playing it. Hey he is my husband and I can say that. This is confessions so that is a confession to me. Most confessions I will keep to myself. I will probably post more as the game goes on. I will probably also leave early because I am dog sitting my brothers dog Maxi this weekend and I am afraid my dog will hurt himself trying to get out of his crate and to her. 

This picture has absolutely nothing to do with band, just wanted to show the alumni and former directors the new score board donated by sports boosters. It is tall wish they would have had it that tall when we were in school. 

Pregame

The game is over so now I am home relaxing next to my husband and thinking on the night and know there were wonderful memories made. From the drummer with the bunny costume on the opposing teams band to one of our kids tripping to my friend and fellow director telling her drummer "Don't forget to grab your bunny costume" Definitely something I never thought I would hear a band director say. So that is why I made the title what I did. 

First football game

WTonight marks the beginning of football season for our hometown. It is an away game, but I have decided not to go. With working a full shift today and then a full one tomorrow, I thought it would be smart to not go to the game. This won't be the first game I have missed. It will be the first one I have missed since we got married. There probably won't be much of an update later, but knowing me there will be.

Well I sent the kids off to the game with pizza in their bellies and excited for the first game of the season. I am hoping they do a good job on the field tonight. I do wish I could be there but with my job giving me such an early shift I need my slept so I am not cranky in the morning. It does happen. Next week is a home game and that excites me because see I can leave when the mood strikes. As of about 10 minutes ago from checking the score online our team is losing. I hope they do better and pull off a win. 

Rodeo Parade

Today was the infamous Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo Parade today. This is an annual event that happens every year in our town. It is hot and long and well hot. This is something I know the kids don't look forward to because when I was a band kid I hated this parade. This is the only parade I hated because it was so hot and everyone we knew would scream our names and then get made at us when we didn't turn to look at them. Hey I would rather be in trouble by my friends than by my director. The first football game is a week and half away and I might not go to it. Since it is an away game and I work at 7 the next morning it is leaning toward not going, but I will update about the next game because it is a home game and I can leave whenever I want and be able to go to my own bed. I know the kids are excited about the first game and have been working hard during summer band to get at least the opener on the field. They sound wonderful and am still fighting with myself on wether or not I will go to the game. It is still high up in the air and I still have a week to decide. If anything the next week will fly and I can see it then. Plus I don't really like going to Jay. Nothing against the town or the stadium whatsoever, but their stands are uncomfortable.

Fundraising

Today is the day of my favorite fundraiser of the year. It is the 3rd annual preview concert. No we don't charge money to hear the kids play, but we do feed people hamburgers so we charge them $5 to eat. We also have a dessert auction. One year we did a silent auction and it went over pretty well, last year we had a band parent unwillingly volunteer to be our auctioneer and this year we have a local auctioneer coming out. I have heard rumors that this certain auctioneer gets a lot of money for pies and desserts. It should be fun to watch the entertainment if not only the kids but of the auctioneer raising money for our kids. I will definitely update after everything and on my way out of town to give an update on how successful we were. 

Well the preview concert is over at least for me and our dog for one more year. Not nearly as hot as in the past, but still warm. Our dog had fun seeing everyone and begging for food that as soon as we got home he crashed on the floor. He is still in that spot as I type this. If he didn't have to go to his house so we could go on our weekend away he might just sleep there. From what I understand we were very successful and I will have the figures someday. The kids sound great. Even though we are brass heavy that is play. They sound great. 

Holst enjoying the evening. 

JB Robison Jr. doing a great job being a great auctioneer. Thank you JB and JB jr for stepping in and doing this for us. 

Holst is done and ready to soak in the AC. 

Jackson 5

Football season hasn't even started and I am already sick of one of the songs. I want you back is officially stuck forever in my head. That is just the first song. Yes the first song is done and on the screen. There are two more songs so probably by the end of the week I will be sick of ABC and then be sick of I'll be there. The joys of being a band directors wife. I am just glad that him doing one of my favorite songs last year that I didn't start hating it.

This week is going to be crazy. From the preview concert/cookout/dessert auction to us getting away for one last weekend away before school starts up strong. Next week we have the rodeo parade then the week after that school starts and the first football game. Crazy how quickly it has come up. 

We got to go see the finished junior high band room tonight and it is something I hope the kids will be proud of. I know if they would have renovated that room when I attended that school I would have been proud of it and taken great care of it. 

Begun

Well it has officially begun. The door to our office is closed and the work on drill for this year halftime show has started. I will probably see my husband when we eat dinner and when we go to bed. It isn't that bad. I know I will go in a couple of times to see if he needs anything or just some company. I am officially and band widow as my friend Kathy calls it. 

Sorry there was no post about the yearly directors meeting. With the summer band schedule and my job just flat out wearing me out we decided not to go. Granted I missed the fellowship of other directors and spouses, I know I will see some of them at contests and hear of their years. We also see a lot them at football games so I will enjoy stories there. Our first football game will be the first Friday in September and our true beginning will be next Friday for our preview concert. This is that time of year that the kids get to show the town what they have worked on during summer band and what we have planned for the next school year. We also get to raise money for the next year with our cookout and dessert auction. This year we are using a real auctioneer to sell the desserts. He has done this before at a fish fry and my husband told me he got a lot of money for the kids so I am excited to see JB in action for the kids.  

Field Marking

Today is the day my husband is up at school getting ready to mark the practice field. I am so thankful that this year is so much cooler than the last couple of years. I hate when school starts and it is so hot outside. I would take 90 and humid any day over 112 and humid. Oklahoma in summertime is not pleasant at times. I remember working during the summer at band and thinking good night how much hotter can it be. So our year officially started a couple of weeks ago when the music of the Jackson 5 was filling our home. I started strong on Monday when he started going up to do drum line practice and then on Thursday with the new comers to the group ( ie the Freshman and anyone that didn't march last year. we lovingly call them the rookies). This summer has sure flown by. It seems just like yesterday I was packing our bags to go to Dallas and now we are beginning the '13-'14 school year and the football season. Soon we will be back on the bus and headed to contest and football games all over NE Oklahoma. Well maybe not all over NE Oklahoma, but there are days that it feels like that. With me starting back to work, I won't be able to go to all the contests like I have in the past so my posts won't be as fun as they were last year, but I will try my best.

Tomorrow officially starts summer band. I am truly excited about this year. I will miss the kids that graduated, but get to welcome a whole new bunch of kids from our junior high. With the leadership dinner, these kids definitely want to have a great year. I am excited to go back to the Bixby contest this year. We will have our annual director's meeting on Wednesday with friends and that makes me happy. I look forward to this cookout every year. I love hearing about the year they had the year before and what they look forward to in the coming year. Not only with their own bands but with in the bands in our association and also with the honor band they put together every year. Plus I get to see other wives that go through the same stuff I do year after year. I know I will have more stories come Wednesday after the meeting. and I know some will be comical.

Summer coming to an end

As of today our summer has come to an end. The music of the Jackson 5 is filling our home as my husband begins to write the show. As my friends say I am officially a marching band widow. Summer band camp is just around the corner and the joys of waking up when we want will slowly go away. School in Vinita starts later than normal so band camp gets to go longer this year. My hiatus of not posting is coming to an end. I probably won't post as much as I thought I would with my job and all, but I will do my best to give little stories of all we do this coming year. Out first big thing is the leadership cook out in August. That should be fun with our leadership team. They always making me laugh. 

Graduation 2012-2013

It is here. The last thing of the year and the big goodbye of the seniors. I have watched for 3 and a half years these young men and women grow into wonderful people. I must admit this group is hard to say goodbye to. They have made me laugh and love being apart of this group. 

This is the last thing the band will do of this school year and then our summer will begin. Matt will start preparing for the 2013-2014 school year. He will start to spend hours on end in his office getting ready for the half time show. This is what I call the calm before the storm. Fall is when the hectic days begin with football games every Friday night for 10 weeks and about a month of contests every Saturday until regionals. Let the night of goodbyes begin and the beginning of a new chapter for a new year. 

Band Banquet

The last big hoopla of the year happened last night, the infamous Band Banquet. It is so fun to see how different the kids are from August to May. Not only do they change physically, but their attitudes seem to change. It is sad to watch these kids grow up some days, but other times it is good to see them grow. For these seniors I have been apart of their lives for 3 and half years. I have watched them go from scared Freshman to confident Seniors. They are going to take over the world. Now it is time to prepare for graduation, and yes I will be making sure there are tissues in my purse. With the summer here, we will prepare for the new school year. So for about two weeks my husband will actually relax and then he will start designing the show and deciding which contests to go to. I hope the new school year will come with renewed hopes and great ambition. Just a heads up to my readers, it will probably be slow in posting, mainly because the summer is boring, but that is the story of my life.

Spring Concert

Tonight is the spring concert. I always live this time of year because I can see how hard the kids and my husband have been working throughout the year. The beginners go from making noises to playing songs. They are always my favorite to listen to. To see their parents faces so proud of all they have learned through the year. This is the time of year my heart swells for my husband because he is proud of all the hard work the kids have done throughout the year. This is also a bittersweet time of the year because it is one last thing with the seniors. Saying goodbye to this years group of seniors will be hard. It has been hard every year, but this year is extra hard for me. These kids have come to mean so much to me. See my husband can't have favorites, but see I am not their teacher do I can and these 11 kids have come to mean so much to me. I can't wait to see the futures that await these young men and women. A wonderful year is coming to an end. I know there have been ups and downs but other than that this group has had a successful year. I am excited to see what is in store the next year. We still have the band banquet and graduation and then a 3 month summer of my husband getting a halftime show ready for the upcoming football season.

Vinita is State Band

We are sitting on the bus waiting on one parent to get here to drive the suburban. You can feel the excitement on the bus. I am very proud of these kids. These kids are going to make Vinita proud.

Sitting at Genghis grill in Bixby waiting to get back on the bus. Sometimes I think I tag along for the food. He feeds these kids pretty good. Had some normal setbacks in the excite my level but I am told that is normal. I think that is just, well I will leave that alone. I will keep smiling through it because as a directors wife I have to take the lumps. We should be loading back up on the bus soon to head that way. I am excited for the kids. I am also excited to hear some friends bands also. I haven't heard their concert bands so this should be awesome.

Well it is 4 and we made it to Ada. Sitting in the ECU fine arts center listening to Oologah and thinking Jon your kids sound great. We go to warm up at 4:50 so since we got here at a good time we are listening to other groups. At least myself and the rest of the chaperones will get to see Glenpool another friend of ours Ms. Joanne and her group. It always warms my heart to get to hear other groups. Especially when they are friends of ours. Good luck to our friends. Oh and I found out our friend Eric Bates got a II which is an excellent rating. So very proud of him and his small young group.

Being apart of this community of people and friends always warms my heart. Never thought I would be apart of this small and awesome community of colleagues and friends. We can be competitive with each other but at the same time we can help when help is needed.

So we got results for concert and it was a III. For the tough judges that is good. I am proud of these kids. They have come far in the four years I have known them. I am very proud of them. Once we get sight reading results we are heading to eat and then home. I am happy to be headed that way. This makes for a very long day.

We finally got all our results. We got straight 3s. They played very well and I am very proud of them. From what I understand the panel was a hard one and they weren't very generous. Proud of our friends and their bands also. We will go get em next year. Great job to everyone.

State bound

In the morning we load up and head to Ada, OK for state band competition. I am excited for the kids. This is the third time my husband has taken a group to state. This makes me do happy to be a part of this. I hope the kids take everything seriously and do their best. This also makes me think about my director friend Eric Bates because he is headed that way today. As I type this he is probably preparing his kiddos in the practice room or getting close. I have seen the nerves and the stress so I know what his wife Kathy is going through. This is Eric's first group he has taken to state so u can only imagine what is going through his brain. Stay calm Bates and know we are cheering for you. I will post tomorrow like I did in Dallas for tomorrow. I just wanted to take the time to say good luck OKU band and good luck Eric Bates. It is going to be great.

State

One more week til we get back on a bus to drive about 4-5 hours to go to State Band competition. I always think that football season is our crazy busy time. As the years have gone on I have realized the only time we aren't busy is from graduation to when he starts working on the half time show. So what about 2 weeks of free time. Ok it isn't really that bad, but some years it can be. This year he is "lucky" to have a 3 month summer. He doesn't think it is that great.

So this is the second year we have been to state. At this point I hope they get A II and I know they can do it. I know this post is a little all over the place, but I am still tired from Dallas.

Dallas Day 3

Final day in Dallas and I ready to be home with my dog and my cat. We are loading now to go to the Sixth Floor museum. The one thing I was most worried about was getting them up and out. We did better than imagined. Last night when we got back from Six Flags was an adventure. We got back and none of the keys worked. I got on the elevator and I am a floor from my room and hear one of my girls. I get off to tell her to not be so loud and one of my parents inform me of this misfortune of zero keys working. I walk to my room hoping Matt and I did have the same luck. I try my key, drop all my stuff at the door and head to the front desk. As a former hotel employee I was flabbergasted that something as simple as keys would be the biggest blunder. We got it all fixed and kids in rooms. We have made to the museum. This will be my favorite.

Just finished they museum. It was better than last time. When you're 16 and with other peers it isn't nearly as fun or worth while. This time I got to take my time and truly enjoy it. Kennedy was a good president. I always do what ifs and part of me feels he would have sided with the Republicans in the days we live in now. After we get the kids rounded up we are headed to Spaghetti Warehouse to eat and then get on the road to head home. This was an experience I am glad I didn't have to miss. Starting to herd the kids that way.

Lunch is done, back on the bus and headed that way to the town of Vinita. We will stop to refuel and bathroom breaks. I am glad I came but I am happy to be headed home. I think I have walked more in these three combined days than most of my adult life. I and exhausted. I am ready to head home, put my feet up and love on my puppy and my Nimmy. Goodbye Texas and hello Oklahoma.

Day 2 Dallas

Bright and early on day 2. I must admit that i am not as bright eyed and bushy tailed as yesterday. As I wake up I see the Dallas skyline and still believe I will never want to live here. Beautiful city but it moves way to fast for this small town country girl. Today the kids will perform and then a day at Six Flags. The kids seem to be very excited about going, but not me. I didn't like the place all that much when I came as a 10th grader. I love Silver Dollar City because I can sit down and enjoy a nice show, but at Six Flags there won't be any of that. In about 30 minutes the kids will start heading to our room to get breakfast and to start to head to the performance venue.

We made it to the performance venue about an hour before we were to preform. That is quite okay and I must admit Dallas traffic on an early Saturday morning is not that bad. We found out last night that one of the groups wasn't able to make it for some reason. So we are the only band performing today. Now there are orchestras and choirs so it isn't just is. I just hope we will get to hang at the hotel longer than 10 minutes to change. I mean Six Flags doesn't even open til 10:30. Mu poor husband's cough seems to be getting worse and he has zero voice left. He is trying hard not to use it, but for him that is difficult to do when it comes to the kids. As I sit here they are going through the march. It is sounding great. In my simple opinion it is sounding better than it did at districts. I am afraid of the list price but I know they can do it. These kids make me proud all the time. I still think I am so lucky to be apart of their lives for such a short period. I know I get angry at them more times than i should, but they do make me smile and I am proud to call them my band kiddos.

Well we made it to Six Flags. It is two now and the awards dinner is at 6. I think I can survive til then. It is only 4 hours to go. I know I can make it. Hopefully the kids will have fun. That is the most important thing. This weekend is about the kids. Matt's voice at this time is basically gone. He is a real trooper, but I guess you have to be when you take the job of director of bands. Once the awards assembly I will update. We get to have BBQ and that excites me. I just hope it is good.

Six Flags is over and to tell you the truth I am glad it is over. I am hot and tried and starting to get cranky. Teenagers can be whiny for the smallest of things. Like I said I am sorry Mr. Pry if I was ever like that. The kids got Silver for 1A bands. I have zero clue what that means. Before I head to bed I will try to take a picture of plaque they received. We took a vote to see what they wanted to do, stay in the park or head back and overwhelmingly they wanted to go back and swim and hang out. I am so happy because my feet hurt and I am tired. A nice cool dip in the pool and a warm hot tub soak and then bed. Tomorrow we head to the Sixth Floor museum. So yesterday I lied, the museum will be my favorite thing. I will get to actually enjoy it unlike when I went in 10th Grade and had people who didn't enjoy like I did. So hopefully Matt will let me enjoy it tomorrow.

Day 1 Dallas

Well it is almost 4:30 and I am actually awake. I am even bright eyes and bushy tailed. Could it be possible I have slowly become Kari Jacobson? Oh how awesome that would be. I will enjoy annoying the kids with my chipper attitude so very early in the morning. As I wrote this I am on the bus headed to the high school. I know it will be a wonderful trip. I have actually had fun helping Matt where I could. I am ready to head to Dallas as the wife of a band director. I must admit I never that I would ever utter that phrase. I will update as the day goes on, because the real drama will start when the kids start getting here.

Well we are on the road. Kids aren't fully awake so no drama yet. I heard something very funny on the way out of the band room door and that was a parent saying there won't be any drama on this trip. I must admit I laughed out loud. I must admit I hope it will be drama free, but I have to remember we work with teenagers and they can't live one say without drama. Hey I must admit I was one once and I was the same way. It reminds me of my Dallas trip many moons ago and Mr. Pry tried to curb the drama by putting two younger kids with two older ones. The sad thing is the two older girls I was with were very immature so most of the time we stayed in another friends room. Once we need to stop I will update again. By then we should be closer to the Texas border.

We have made our "first stop" of the day. I quote that because we stopped in Pryor for a quick bathroom break. We have stopped here for gas and provisions. One thing I want to know is were we this whiny. This is the time they are supposed to be up for school, but I have heard some say I need a couple more hours of sleep. I will say, Mr. Pry I apologize if I was ever this whiny. What is funny are the boys are worse than the girls. The girls I thought would whine the loudest, but I was wrong. Teenagers are a funny creature. It is times like this that I think when we do have kids when they become teenagers I will encourage them to live with Nena and Pops. No I am totally kidding. The next time I update we should be at the border.

Well it is almost 10:30 and we just left our last stop before the zoo. We actually just crossed the border and our officially in Texas. You can tell we are getting closer because the kids are louder and getting more excited. Riding a yellow school bus for almost 6 hours isn't that bad actually. I thought by now I would have kicked a teenager off the suburban and moved over there, but this isn't so bad. The last time I sat on a bus to Dallas, it was a nice chartered bus and the only things I truly remember are leaving the high school and arriving at the border and then the hotel. I know in the last 15 years a lot has changed, but even if the casinos had been there I doubt I would have noticed them. This trip so far has been nice and I pray I won't eat those words come Sunday. I will try and update at the zoo, but iPhone batteries are fickle and like to die when they are at 15%.

We made it safely to Dallas and the zoo. Matt and I will probably stay inside most of the time. Hopefully we will walk around a little. The GPS took us a weird way so we drove around the zoo first and the kids were a little worried. We had to get back on the highway to get back to the road to get to the front entrance. To say the least that was an interesting ride. We are here and it should be fun to see how the kids will be and hope they have fun.

We made it to the hotel in one piece. I must admit I will never want to live I Dallas. I thought Tulsa drivers were horrible, but they are calm compared to here. We are on our way to the symphony to hear some wonderful music. Most of the kids aren't looking forward to this for some reason. Out of everything we are doing I am most excited about this. I am to old to enjoy Six Flags and without kids of my own the zoo just wasn't as fun. This is what I am most excited about. We get to hear one of my favorite piano concertos and some other great Russian music. Sorry alumni one of them isn't the 1812 Overture. Things I have learned so far on this trip: Dallas traffic is horrible, always prepare for a cold Oklahoma morning to turn into a warm Texas afternoon (duh I should have known that one), a short dress on a bus is not a good idea, teenagers are whiny, and band parents are a breed (good) all their own. I am glad God gave the man I married because I love being in this ministry with him. I will always be learning. Tomorrow starts another day of the Dallas trip.

Dallas

In a week and a half I will wake up before the sun comes up to sit on a bus for a lot of hours with teenagers and go to Dallas. I haven't sat that long on a bus since I went to Dallas in high school and that was on a chartered bus. Part of me is looking forward to spending one last hoopla with our graduating seniors, while another part of me is thinking I am to old for this. I know it will be a great experience for our kids and a wonderful weekend away. Just not looking forward to the bus ride. There might be teenagers kicked off of the suburban. ;) I will try and update on this adventure on a bus longer than an hour. God keep me patient and not cranky. Highly doubt the last will be that successful, but I will try.

First Day

So as I was sitting at the Fine Arts Festival in the middle school at the only auditorium in our town I realized that I have stories and I know my fellow band director's wives. As I sat there I thought of the 3 previous I have been to and realized how long I have been involved in this in some sort of way. I thought of  the funny things the kids have done over the years and the frustrating things they have done. As I looked on that stage I saw kids I watched as Freshman are now Seniors and getting ready to start a whole new journey in their lives. I watched the Freshman and think they are just starting their journey's that is called high school. I can't believe almost 4 years have passed since I started this journey as just the girlfriend and now the 1st year as the wife. I hope this blog will inspire the friends I have made to just smile through it and maybe they will want to chime in. I will not promise they English will be awesome, because see I don't have patient to make it sound great. I will not promise I won't always be positive, because teenagers can be tiring. I don't promise to post every day because I am lazy and forget I have started something. I just want this to be a place to encourage those that are walking the path with me and those that are considering it.