Tragedy strikes

Our family (including the marching band family) has lost some friends to a tragedy. A house fire took their family between 11:30 and midnight on January 2, 2010. You will all be missed. Our prayers and thoughts for the family you left behind.

First competition down

Our school performed in a 3A class yesterday. It was a prelim/final competition, meaning the top band in each class plus four other top scoring bands would compete in the finals. Eighteen bands total competed, four in 1A, five in 2A, four in 3A, and five in 4A. The first performance started at like 12:30 in the afternoon. I didn't make it to see the 1A or 2A bands but did make it to see all the 3A and 4A bands perform. We performed last in out class with a show called "Time Warp". In the preliminaries we received best drumline, best colorguard, best horn line in the 3A class and took first place. This automatically put us in the finals.

In the finals, we were up against a 1A, 2A and all five 4A bands and placed 5th. I think they did a stellar job considering at last week's football game I didn't feel they stood a chance of making it past upper state this year. I think they have a chance to go to state again. I'll keep you posted every week. Next week's competition is one we are hosting, so even though we will be scored, we are not "competing" with any other bands, since we will only do an exhibition. See you next week - E :)

Band of the Week for September 25

You all know what time of year it is? Band season. This is the halftime performance (well, okay 43 seconds of it) of BHP"s competition show. Each week three bands go up for votes (and the kids probably pad the votes a lot) and then on the following Monday it is posted on The High School Playbook site. Hope you all enjoy - E :)

What time of year is it?

Yep, my kids were gone for 5 and 6 weeks respectively (Hailie left on June 20 and Benjamin left on June 11) only to come back and begin the neverending flux of having mamma's taxi cab run practically 12 hours a day (or so it seems). Yes, it is band camp time. This week has been the short week in that they only had to be up at the school from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. Next week will be the worst. They have 8 to 8 days with an hour for lunch and an hour for dinner. They were supposed to be feeding the kids lunch and dinner instead of them leaving and risking being back late but the school is waxing the floors and so all the kids have to either bring their lunch and dinner or leave during those two hours, but they don't always get the full hour because by time they leave and go anywhere or even home (we are about 6 minutes from the school) and come back - they have cut into their time and to top it off, not all sections get released at exactly the same time (drumline is always last to leave anything).

Now here's the worst part. School registration is next week as well. Benjamin starts high school this year and his registration isn't until Friday and I'm heading out of town right after that. See my JGDS blog for more about what's coming up event wise for me.

I love the competitions and all but hate the constant having to take them everywhere. Methinks the bear needs to start doing some back and forth - like that's really going to happen. Anyway - more as the season progresses and school starts (which won't be long now - the 18th is when we start). This will be a more active blog when competitions roll around and I have pictures to post as videos or slideshows. - see you all in the postngs - E :)

Updates on everything

I told you all I was being a bad host for virtual book tours. I am supposed to be hosting Stacy Gooch Anderson on the 20th (tomorrow) with a review of The Santa Letters and an interview. For more on her book tour, you will have to check her blog out for a listing of places to follow. The list is extensive and the tour has been going on for a while apparently.

Next week, I'll be hosting two virtual book tours, one for Chris Verstraete and Search for a Starry Night on Tuesday (I think this will be fun since she has it set up as a scavanger hunt from stop to stop) and one for Vivian Zabel and Midnight Hours. I need to finish reading Midnight Hours so I can post a review for Vivian. Fear not, it won't take too long to read and get that written. Vivian is offering a one prize deal for her tour, so check for details next week.

Band update: We have finished our regular season of competitions. This past Saturday was upper state (online there had been 26 bands listed to compete but when we arrived only 19 in the program). To get to state, a band has to be in the top 6 from upper state and top 6 from lower state - so there are supposed to be 12 bands competing for the title of best in the state. We hosted a competition on the first week, did a competition the next week, and two the following week. Saturday was upper state and we placed 4th out of the 19 bands that competed. This is pretty good considering we only competed in three actual competitions during this season. It seems that they keep cutting our competitions shorter and shorter. Before you know it, we will host a competition and then the next week will be upper state - but hope not - that would be hard on the kids not having the opportunity to go up against schools in regular competitions and see what they need to work on. It's been a crazy season but we survived.

Next weekend, I will miss the state competition but my ears and eyes will let me know what happens. I may post some pictures of the season but just haven't had time of late.

I'll be attending the SCWW Writer's conference in Myrtle Beach again this year (Oct. 24 - 26th) and am so looking forward to this. With one book in the series of 50 published and the second on its way, I'm hoping that soon I can be on panel discussions or do workshops at book festivals and things like the SCWW conference. I can hope for the fame some way some day.

Be on the lookout for more updates as I get them - see you all in the postings - E :)

So busy (in other words - too much to do and so little time to do it in)

A lot has happened since I last posted. Let's see - a friend of Hailie's family moved; she is also in band with Hailie and so I've been granted temporary guardianship so that she could continue in band and not mess things up for the program; Benjamin had decided at the end of the school year he wanted to play football (against my wishes that he participate in something safer) and then after band camp had started, he decided he wanted to go back into marching band. The first week of band camp was an 8 to 12 week; the girls attended Monday and Tuesday, then Wednesday, Trish's throat started bleeding from her tonsillectomy (scab came off and she was bleeding not as much as she thought) I had to run up the road to take Trish to the on-call doctor for the group that had done her tonsillectomy. Cauterized the bleeding spot and sent her on her way (told her to rest, not be active in the colorguard until this week). Thursday took the girls up to practice (they had to be there after lunch for a bit) and when I picked them up, the colorguard director (if you want to call her that) came over to my car and told me to leave Trish at home (she sat and observed, did not participate) because she (the director) had her nieces and nephew and daughter up there and she was worried that Trish might be contagious and didn't want to chance her infant/toddler niece would get something (hello - Trish had her tonsils taken out and is no longer contagious; the whole reason for taking them out was to prevent her from contracting strep throat and other diseases as is. Her bleeding is not contagious; just a part of the healing process. So how stupid of the director to say something like this.)

Friday had to run Hailie to the doctor to have this lump (inflamed lymph node probably) on her neck checked out. Found out sheh as tonsilitis and will need a tonsillectomy and lymph node resection. The doctor also checked Trish's ears (not a patient and not on the schedule) because she was complaining of her throat up to her ears hurting and I was going to have to run her up to the Urgent Care or one of those facilities and I'd forgotten to have the ENT look at her when he cauterized her throat Wednesday; Hailie's ENT doctor was very nice and just checked her out and said it was all part of the healing process from the tonsillectomy, advised her on what she needed to do and that the pain would go away (by Monday night or Tuesday morning the pain had disappeared which was two weeks postoperative for Trish). After the doctor's appointments had to get a bit of shopping done, then meet with Trish's mother to sign the papers and get them notarized and get Hailie back up to practice to play catch up.


Band camp long week started this past Monday. It seems I had something to do Monday but I don't remember at this point. Tuesday I had to take Trish to the doctor in the opposite direction for her followup appointment with the ENT who did her tonsillectomy. Got her back right at lunch time which was good timing on my part, lol. I had to go see my doctor in the afternoon due to a toothache and needing an antibiotic.

This week they have been up at the school from 8 AM to 8 PM, with an hour for lunch and 45 minutes for dinner (band booster club provides them with supper which is usually donated from our local businesses). They are so worn out, it's a miracle they can even take their showers when returning in the evening. I only live 5 minutes from the school but by time they get out (has been after 8 when they are finished so far) and I take the rider home (yes I have a full car every day - three girls and Benjamin in the Focus), and possibly pick up a quick snack type food and get home, it has been about 9 or later.

Yesterday, I did another presentation at the Belton Center for the Arts in their summer camp program (theme this year is storybook time). I read from State of Wilderness and let the kids guess the state, but Stephanie would rather just tell them the state and not let them buy the book and figure it out on their own, so she wants me to read clue #25 (which is my giveaway clue on all my states I hope) and let them guess. This group didn't seem as enthused as the first group I did a couple of weeks ago. Overall, it was good though. I dropped off three press releases to the local newspaper next door to the Center for the Arts and am awaiting a picture from Stephanie to post on the other blog.

Today, the kids decided they didn't want to bring their lunches so they want me to go to Burger King and take their lunches to them. So in a bit, I'm heading out to hit the pavement again to pick up lunches and check mail.

State #2 has some progress made - I've got 5 clues with dialogue and interaction with my characters and the bonus clue in place; I've added 6 more clues that are at the end but not added anything else yet (since each state will have 27 clues and I know what the last two clues for each state are going to be, I will put those in automatically. The 25th clue in each book should be the giveaway clue (something that is common knowledge and just seems so trivial you don't think about it). I'm going to include a silly law (State #1's is - It is illegal to give another citizen in this state a box of candy weighing more than 50 pounds. State #2's is a good one (remember to pronounce your states properly or you could go to jail) but I shall wait to reveal it later.

Okay - that's how busy I've been lately - see you all in the postings - E :)

State band competition

This is my third year involved in marching band stuff and this is the third year we have made it to state since I've become involved (I'm sure we have made it to state many years prior to that). We placed second at upper state last weekend (the weekend of the 20th) being edged out by Blue Ridge (who seems to always take first regardless of their performance). This is the first competition I've missed in the three years since starting to be a band parent. I couldn't help it since I had to be at the conference as a volunteer (see next posting for more details). I left my kids in good hands (not bear's for the most part - lol) and left instructions with the lady who looks like me kind of - we could be twins except I think I'm an inch taller than she is - lol which isn't saying much since I'm only 5'2" (or 5'1-1/2" depending on who measures me). Anyway, I was proctoring a class and it was getting near the end of the workshop and she called me - I stepped out onto the veranda which was ocean front and found out the good news.

No we didn't win first (that's Blue Ridge - they got first for the whole state), but we did take 3rd place (this is a big deal because third place is medal winners as well as the first and second place teams). My kids were so excited that they medaled that they have been wearing their medals constantly.

I think one of them even said this was the first time in the school's history of competing and making it to state that they have medaled - so go Bears - we love that band -

I hope to have pictures posted later this week of upper state competition and state competition. I just got the link yesterday for the upper state competition pictures - and he hopes to have the ones from Saturday posted soon. So be on the lookout for those later this week - E :)

Competition results and pics

Not going to do a video or slide show since there are only a couple of pics that I would put up right now. Seems our photographer didn't take as many pics as the two previous competitiosn but that's okay - I'll be getting a CD of the competition at the next meeting which is the 1st of November.

We had one accident when we were closing up everything and getting the stadium closed down. One of our band parents who was working with the funnel cake stand knocked the grease over and burned her hand and both feet. The last I heard today was that she was doing much better; they had taken her to the hospital Saturday night and transferred her to the burn center in Augusta today and told her that she has to come back tomororw and if she blisters up they may have to do skin grafts but if she doesn't then she should be okay. They removed several blistered areas from her hand the other day but they need to keep an eye on her for a few days. According to the kids when I picked them up this afternoon, she is doing very well. She was probably in pain but still showing her usual disposition of happy to be there and all. She admitted it was her fault - she was turning off the burner and just bumped the grease - but thankfully she didn't get it worse - all over.

So now on to the results. I looked up the recap and saw the scores for the bands that performed. The one that took Gold Championship (which was the 3A and 4A bands) scored a total of 92. Our score was not on there (even though we were not competing we asked that we be scored so we would know what to work on for this week before the double competition day) but the kids informed me that our band scored a 91.925 (talk about close scores). The director told them that the school that won with that 92 their music was good but their show wasn't that good at all. So he was rather surprised they took the championship. So goes subjectiveness on the judges' part. Anyway, the next band down scored an 89.150. The scores don't seem very high and especially looking at the 1A and 2A scores, but the SCBDA changed the scoring system this year and so this we are having to work much harder to get decent scores.

Here are a few pictures from the events on Saturday. The first one is of the lady who got burned. She is in the middle.


Next we have Benjamin and the rest of the pit doing their thing.

And this last one is so you can see where I was stationed for the water tent which is behind the stadium and down - you can't really see where I am but you get the idea. I was in the land of the lost - lol -


When you look towards the seating to the left where the light is where I was - below that fence line and there is a good drop off behind those seats - but basically that is where I had been all day long - the competitions started at 3 pm and I left there right before the awards ceremony was supposed to start at 10 pm - Next year I am definitely going to suggest they put the water tent elsewhere and at least give us an opportunity to see the bands compete if only from the backside - lol -

There you have the scores and a couple of pics - enjoy - E :)

Hosted Band Competition (first one)

Wow - I was so worn out yesterday I forgot to post about the competition that we hosted at the school.

Here is the thing, being a host school for a competition, all the adults are volunteers and I was on the water station (handing the kids water from the other bands as they came off from their performance). I had a great time and saw some pretty interesting costumes and lots of beautiful colors. But I didn't get to see the bands perform and didn't get to see our group do their performance because of where we were.

Our stadium is built with a walking track on the outside of the field inside the stadium area and then a drive area that basically runs from the bus parking lot to the bus maintenance lot and out to the streets. So anyone could walk or drive or be on that track without being seen and distracting the events on the field. I didn't mind being on water but when it got dark, it was lonely back there with only one light and not in a very helpful position for our water station.

But the kids were very appreciative of us having the water station regardless of where we were. They were really good from all the other bands. One band came through and were all dolled up like Chinese women and found out that their program is called Journey to China and they are one of 10 American bands going to China next summer for the Summer Olympics. They also won several awards in their class. Now how cool is that - to be selected to participate in the Summer Olympics in China? I wish them well.

As soon as the results are posted on the band link directory, I will post how our band actually scored. Even though we were the exhibition band, we asked to be scored like we were competing so we knew what to work on for this week since we have two competitions in one day.

Anyway, must get some work done - will post later - E :)

First competition of the season but not a competition

The band went to Fort Mill for a Bands of America (now switching names to Music for All) fall preview. Basically this is a nonscored competition where the bands showcase their programs. I was a bit disappointed in the parent participation - this was not played up like the time we went to the Regional championships in Atlanta in the fall of 2005. Unfortunately none of the BOA regional competitions in Atlanta have fallen at a good time since then.

One of the teachers who attended the competition and probably is using the photography hobby to travel took pictures of the band. Okay his child was in the University's exhibition show which was pretty good.

So here are a few pics of my kids as close as possible to showcase our program this year - we are doing a civil war theme and there are 6 movements and there are several flag changes and lots of props. I'm only going to share a few of them - the man must have taken about 100 pics from the contest.
Check out the video above - enjoy - E :)



AN UPDATE - COULDN'T GET THE SAVED PICTURES TO LOOK RIGHT - THEY LOOKED OKAY ON THE LINK I GOT THEM FROM BUT THEY ARE BLURRY WHEN I TRY TO MAKE MY LITTLE VIDEO OR UPLOAD TO HERE DIRECTLY - WILL WORK ON IT AND SEE WHAT I CAN COME UP WITH BECAUSE THE PICS ARE PRETTY GOOD. IF ALL ELSE FAILS, I POST THE LINK TO THE PICS AND LET YOU GUYS SEE THE WHOLE THING INCLUDING OTHER ACTIVITIES BUT THE FIRST 1/3 OR SO IS JUST FROM SATURDAY - E :)

Marching band season is upon us

School started last week and the kids had been in band camp for three weeks prior to that. The show looks to be promising - hope they do well and rack up the nice trophies like they did last year.

Our school will be hosting a competition this year, which is something new for most everyone (apparently we hosted an upper state competition which is different than a regular competition one year but I wasn't involved in the band during that time).

So being that both my younguns are in the marching band (Hailie is in the colorguard this year again (she played tuba last year and it ruined her shoulder) and Benjamin is in the pit or frontline) that means football season is upon us. We had our first football game this past Friday (played against my alma mater) and lost but they still have pictures taken and posted in the local newspaper. Here is my son on the pit cart as they are coming off the field (and doesn't he look happy?)





Let me know what you think. See you all in the postings - E :)