Happy Marching Contest Saturday

Well it is the first marching contest of the year and it has started off with a bang. We called our local grocery store to have hamburgers ready for us at 7:30 so all I had to do was show up, picks them up and pick up other supplies and be on my way. Well the guy that took the order didn't write the time down right so here is it waiting on the gentleman behind the counter to make 50 patties. Yeah I could be standing here a while. The day started off horrible with me already being in a bad mood and this just makes the mood that more pleasant. Couldn't sleep last night so I only got a couple hours then the husband made fun of me and that sucked and then his just makes my day amazing. I am just glad that I get to drive myself and listen to what I want to on my sound system so that should help the bad mood. I also should grab a caffeinated beverage with more potency then Dr. Pepper and I may be a little happier. Hopefully he will be done soon and I can be on my way to the contest. Long day just got longer.

3rd week

Well this is the third time I have started this blog post. Blogger keeps shutting down. Let me try this again

Well here I am again, on a bus headed to a small town to watch young men play a game. Each one hoping to possibly go on to the next level some just playing because it is fun. I am on this bus with fellow musicians who will have fun cheering for their fellow classmates and playing songs to pump the crowd up.

Wow I can be a wordsmith if I just put my mind to it. This bus ride isn't nearly as bad as former ones. We got a storm come through so it is a lot cooler outside than previously and the bus we have has an AC and since I get to sit behind the handsome bus driver I dare say I am a little cold. Good thing I brought a sweater with me.

This week is a little rainy and I am thinking was this a good idea. The last time it rained on the way to Dewey I got soaked to the bone and I was freezing by the end of it. I checked the radar and it is no longer raining in Dewey. Hopefully it is no longer raining when we get there. Right now it is just a light rain so hopefully it will let up before we get there. Granted seats will be wet so I know we will hear the I don't want to sit there because I will get wet. Usually I just roll my eyes and say just sit. Now granted I brought a jacket in case it kept raining so I could stay dry so I will sit on that if need be. Hopefully I will be able to post this with pictures before the end of the game. Hey at least I have google docs to write this so I don't have to start over every time.

So I tried to upload it at the game and was unsuccessful. I may have to input it when I get home and try to add pictures here. I think blogger just hasn't been updated with the new iOS yet. If there are no pictures that will be all good. This blog is more about me wanting to talk about being a band director's wife and encourage my fellow spouses. I am so happy I have the amazing Facebook group I’m and Band Directors spouse to vent and have fellow spouses to talk to. They are an amazing group of men and women who understand what it means to stand next to a band director. I hope this blog does that also.

2nd week

Well it is the second week. It is already hot this week and makes me not want to go. Busses already stink but put stinky teenagers on them and let me tell you it isn't fun. At least I get to sit up front and it isn't as bad up there as the rest of the bus. My heart goes out to the parents that go willingly and sit in the middle and the back. I will say I remember when I was high school I loved riding the bus to the things but I always wished my parents would be there so I could ride home with them. It happened a lot but more then not I rode home on a hot loud stinky bus. First world problems right? I was so happy when CD players can out. I am so happy that someone invited MP3 and the podcasts. Then Apple put it all in a phone. Best day ever. Now granted I wasn't involved in the band when all this stuff came into existence. 

So here I sit in my nice cool car until my husband gets back with the bus. I had hoped by the time I got back from the  convenience store he would be here but alas no he isn't. So I sit here waiting. About to go check find my iPhone and see where he is at. 

My hornet Rustic cuff stack. If you have never heard of this amazing company let me know and I will direct you. The one on top was a fundraiser we did with the band. So I go check find my iPhone. 

So I found my husband. When I checked he was still at the bus barn waiting for our bus to get there off of route then I checked out uniforms now I am on the hot bus headed to Pizza Hut to eat. Yum. 

So I didn't eat pizza. I ate a yummy salad and one yes only one breadstick. I am proud of myself. As you can tell we are trying to lose weight. We are going to be successful. I started 3 weeks ago and I have lost a little over 7 lbs. hey that is good considering it is supposed to be healthy to lose 1 to 1.5 a week. I was a little giddy when the scale said that. Well we are back on the road and headed to Nowata for the game. Kids are already complaining about the smallest things. I am trying very hard to not let it get to me. I am going to put the phone down for a bit and read some Outsiders. How is it possible that I live in Oklahoma and even spent time in Tulsa and have never read that book not seen that movie. I bought the book on Amazon today and I am going to try to read it. I am actually excited about it. Plus since it is on my kindle I can't read it on the way home unless I sign into the account on my phone which I might do on the way home. Happy Marching Band Week 2. 

We made it here in one piece. We always do. My husband is an awesome driver so I never feel unsafe while he is driving a bus. Yes it is hot out here and I swear the attitudes are worse when it was hot. I will admit mine was more than likely annoying when I was in band. I was a mouthy teenager at one time with hormones and loved to annoy adults.  Tonight is also going to be long. We are losing right now but I know those boys can pull it out.  

So I had my first mama bear moment of the season. Had some kids in the opposing team stands being rude to some of my kids. So I stood in the way and basically was loud that I would take the rude and not let them be rude to my kids. I was not happy. You don't mess with my kids. There are times that I want to beat their heads together but by we are family and that happens but you don't mess with them. 

Well the football team lost. To see the faces of our kids was so sad. Also I am going to know the words to the Hamilton musical by heart before the season is over. Loudest thing that I enjoy. I really need an awesome pair of headphones. Anyone want to donate to the poor band wife fund to buy new headphones. My broke last year when they got stepped up by the dog. It was my fault that they were on the floor. Plus my dog is fat and a bull in a china cabinet. I love him though. Well it is starting to cool off on the bus and we are expecting rain on the way home. 

Happy Marching Band Week 1

Well it is officially football season in Oklahoma. It just seems like last week were going to the last game last year. My how time flies. Not much has really happened yet because we are only half way through 1st quarter. Yes our football team is losing 7-6 but hey like I said it is only the first quarter. Make that 13-6. They have a quick slippery kid on their team. It is also not the first game of the season. Until halftime I will leave you with some pregame pictures as they warmed up for the night. 

Our drum major playing cymbals for the banner.

Our drum major Joe and my husband directing I believe Holiday could be Boulevard. 

Oh yeah our halftime show this year is the music of Green Day. We are doing Holiday, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, and 21 Guns. About a year ago we had a free premium channel weekend and I recorded the making of American Idiot the Green Day Musical. He fell in love with 21 Guns. If you have never heard this song look up the musical version. Great Song!!!!!

This was after pregame getting set up on the stands. 

Well halftime went really well. Over at my Facebook page I did Facebook live for it. I hope to be able to do that for every game. I will figure out how to do a url to it so I can do that or I will use YouTube. This was kind of a last minute decision to video like that. I will see about all of them and figure out how that all works. 

So I am going to do a short time of complaint. My back is killing me. For about two hours before the game I fitted stinky feet teenagers for their bibbers and making sure they were the right length. So that is my band wife complaint. I will admit it isn't a bad job to have and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I might update after the game but I won't promise. 

So I just got home. No the game didn't go into triple overtime. I volunteer with our church youth and so I went to the 5th quarter. Our team lost 40-42 but they fought hard and played well. They played a team bigger then them so they did awesome. Our band sounded amazing and had a lot of pep for the team. So I am tired and my brain I believe has quit working. I will be more funny next week at the end of the night. No 5th quarter. 

Rodeo Parade Day

Why yes it is the hottest day of the week! Why yes it is the middle of August! Why yes let's have a parade down Main Street  with stinky horses! Why yes it is Rodeo Parade in Vinita! As you can tell I am so excited that it is that day. This year I have decided not to wait at the end of the parade route. This year I am going to be chauffeur and then go home and hang out in the AC of my house. Yes I did bring Holst on his annual wait at the church for my husband trip but this years we are going to hang at home. Here is Holst being cute while waiting on Matt with the bus. 

Hey he is the closest thing to a child I have so I will show him off. He has his Hornet blue on and like a child is getting impatient waiting. Yes he is buckled in. I mean we have to be safe plus he is easier to deal with like this. 

Well we got the husband dropped off at the beginning of the parade then we had to check on one of our neighbors crazy dogs who was just chilling out in the middle of the street and since we have been home this has been my view of the "child". 

Well this begins the new year of football games and contests and bus rides and late nights. Oh my gosh I am so excited to get this year started and I promis this isn't my sarcasm coming out. This group of kids have grown on me and I will admit I kind of regret not watching the parade, but it is so dang hot outside and I am lazy and didn't want to take another shower before church tonight. Well that is the end of the blog entry for today and next Friday I will make another one. 

What hat do I wear today?

Well the new school year has began. Well sort of. The band went back to work two weeks ago Monday and have bed hard at work. Same with me. Sadly no I don't have capstone job, but I have been helping the hubs get the band ready for the new year. 

I have been secretary. 

 

I have been laundress. 

And right now I am seamstress. 

As therapies of the director you will wear many hats. You could be counselor you could be taxi service or you be uniform matron. I was going to say another word but I thought I would be nice. Be prepared if you decide to follow in our footsteps. I have a friend that is concession stand worker for her husbands contest. At times the job will be thankless but you will enjoy it.

One piece of advice if you decide to marry a director, learn to sew. Either by hand or with a machine. It will come in handy when you are trying get a pair of bibbers to last one moe year or trying to sew in a button. 

Well til probably the rodeo parade which I may or highly likely may not attend this year. Have a great day. 

Graduation 2016

It is officially here. This night always seems harder then the rest. For some reason this year it isn't as hard. Yes I will miss these three boys that we are losing that I have known since they were freshman but these three just always seemed like they didn't belong in this small town. Seeing them go on anddo amazing things away from Vinita makes me happy. I think one boy I will be doing a blog post about how famous he has become. Congrats Connor, Chase and Jacob, it has been fun watching you grow into amazing young men and I can't wait to see what your futures hold. 

Spring concert 2016

Well it is officially thy time of the year. The end of the year has come to Vinita. Tonight is Soring concert and a week from tomorrow is graduation. This year is really special for me because my niece is in beginning band and my nephew is in Junior High band. I am so very proud of those two amazing kids. 

You can't see very well but the girl in green is my beautiful niece. How is it possible this sweet little girl will trim 12 this summer and then start 7th grade in the fall. It just doesn't seem like it is possible. I am a little biased here but she is my favorite beginning band student. The only bad thing is she plays the flute so when she gets to high school band I will be a stickler for horn carriage. I feel more sorry for my nephew because he chose the trumpet and with his uncle being a brass guy he never stood a chance on proper horn carriage. I am going to take a picture of the junior high group but I have no idea where my nephew is sitting. I can hear the trumpets but that doesn't mean I will be able to find him. 

He is the white mass right by my husband. 

I am also in the best spot in the house I am in the sound booth and doing the job I bet every directors spouse has done at some time. Granted it ain't that bad because I just hit a few buttons on a mouse to make the lights change. 

This is my favorite lighting scheme of the evening.

Gotta love when Star Wars does the next enstalent and most of your kids love that movie franchise. 

 I will admit at least I know I will always have a seat so to me it is the best seat in the house. Hopefully at graduation I won't have problems with seating. I never seem to have a problem. We are losing 4 boys this year. Definitely a small group of young men that I can't believe they are leaving. Three I have known since those freshman year but one moved in at the beginning of 2nd semester so I haven't gotten to meet him or really get to know him. Football season for the spouse is so much different then concert. During football we see the kids once a week for about 10 weeks or so. This year I only did home games so that was different for me. Concert season I might see the kids once or twice depending on what concerts competitions we go to and this year I just didn't go to competitions. Hey we wives need breaks some times. 

The high school group has taken the stage and just in the warm up they sound good. 

This year just seemed to fly by. It feels like last year I was racing down the highway to get to the concert from my job. 

So I am going to brag on my husband a little bit. Other the fine arts festival this is the first time I have gotten to hear the high school group. He seems so tired after each day and to hear the kids and know the heart and compassion he pits in everyday I am very proud of him. They sound amazing right now. I will admit there are days that I question why God put me in this life and on this path and today is one of those days God answers and says because you get to see your husband blood sweat and tears be heard. It is funny I ask old band friends if they saw me here and they say oh without a doubt. You were the biggest band nerd. I just have to smile because that is very very true. Once a band nerd always a band nerd. 

Well I had pictures of the seniors giving my husband his gifts and them getting their gifts from the boosters but my phone froze and exited before I could save it. Sometimes I swear technology is the most annoying thing ever. Never works when I want it to

I tried to get pictures of the retiring of our graduating drum major and the baton switch of the new freshman and the 2016-2017 drum major. I got two pictures of Joe but the one of Connor and the switch my phone decided to be annoying. 

Well 2015-2016 is almost over and then the summer for about two weeks and then he will hit the ground running planning the next school year. 

Band banquet

The end of the year is getting closer. I can't believe the banquet is here and then next week is spring concert. It seems just like yesterday that I was sitting here for last years banquet. It definitely comes up really quickly. This year I am not feeling well so it is making being here not great. Being sick and trying to be the happy spouse is not fun. I will definitely be slipping out as soon as I can get away. 

First year honor band

Well today is the day of first year honor band. So very proud of my niece. I still can't believe she is old enough to be in beginning band. This is probably my last year for awhile to come. I know I am a bad band wife because I am only here for my niece and last year for my nephew. I must admit I am not that involved with the junior high kids until they get to high school. One thing I find absolutely cut about beginners is there get so big when they walk into an auditorium this size. As I am sitting here one little girl goes it is definitely bigger then our schools auditorium. At this age they aren't quite jaded and are still fairly innocent. This will end in the next couple of years. My niece is in the b band so it will be a while before you see pictures, but I will get them. 

You can see her very well but the girl with her legs crossed is my niece. How is it possible that she is old enough to be doing this. 

Fine Arts Festival

I know I have been totally lacking and not doing a good job of doing the blog thing. As a lot of you know Spring isn't as busy at least for us as the fall is. We went to districts about two weeks ago and I will say we didn't fair to well. I won't tell you the raging because I saw the look on my husbands face. Tonight is the annual fine arts festival. I can't believe the year is almost done. Next Tuesday is the 1st and 2nd year honor band and my sweet little niece is going to be in that then a couple weeks after that we have band banquet and then just a week after that is spring concert then graduation. This year seems to have flown by a little to quickly. 

Here we go warming up on stage. 

The first song they will play is Winchester Chronicles. I made fun of my husband because well if you know us you know what I am about to say. 

Now it is Abbracadabra. I love this song. 

Sorry I am flute player so of course I sit on the side of the flutes. I will try to get one of our bass player. 

I know I know another flute player. I will admit I can't help it. 

Honor band

So I got a date night. This time of year I will take whatever I can. Between honor band auditions and late practices it is a needed night with my husband. Well tonight it is a Tuesday night sitting in a library while he makes sure a tab program he wrote works for a colleagues honor band. I sit here with pride as I hear these men and ladies talk about how much quicker and how awesome his program is. This makes him happy so it makes me happy to see him happy. He makes me so proud. So I sit here hungry but proud and beaming.