Exhausted But Happy

Yesterday we spent the entire day at the high school working at the tournament hosted by Allie's marching band. I was at the school Friday until almost 11 and then we were back at 7am.  Doug, Allie, Jane and I finally made it home at about 11 again.  We were exhausted. Emotionally and physically exhausted. 
I worked the concession stand while Doug was put in charge of directing traffic and routing the buses as the bands came in.  The other volunteers and I shut down the concession stand to watch the kids perform.  It was amazing!  Because of all the time we've spent with the band we've seen their different performances and how they've placed at the different competitions.  After a particularly disappointing performance at the last competition Mr. Gould reminded the kids that they were getting the scores they deserved and had earned.  I don't know what else he had said to them over the week but whatever it was, it made an impact.  The performance we were lucky enough to see on Saturday was a culmination of the hard work the kids put into it.  Their dedication and pride in their performance was apparent. I think Mr. Gould knew what to expect from "his" kids.  He walked on that field with a rooster's strut you could see across the field. 
With only one small SNAFU (no hot water for hot cocoa or noodles) we finished the day. We left so exhausted I was ready to cry. 
The best part of the day came when Allie told us that because of their scores they were going to Championships in Huntington Beach!  When you host the tournament you don't "place" and so your scores and ratings aren't made known to you until the end of the tournament.  Allie told us that if they had been able to place they would have been in 2nd place!
I'm so damn proud of that kid and her accomplishments with the marching band I could just BURST! She didn't want to stay in band last year and we pushed her. She was hesitant at the beginning of the year and has flourished in this environment. I really couldn't be happier.  This is one of those rare parenting moments when you get to sit back and be proud, let your kid be proud of herself, and you get to say "I told you so"! That doesn't happen very often.  I'm basking to say the least.  Although, currently basking means sitting my happy ass on the couch with my computer barely able to move because I'm sore and exhausted from a day at the snack bar. 
I can't wait to do it again next year! Well, I can, but it's easier if I don't think about it.
Holy crap I need a nap! Good job San G! We're proud of you, Allie - now get Mommy an ice pack.

Kiss My Brass

I never expected to be a Band Mom.  What I expected even less was LOVING it. So far we've had two football games and the Preview of Champions performance. These kids are awesome!  They work their butts off 3-4 days a week for 2+ hours at a time after school.  They show up on Saturdays, they are at school to practice before they leave for performances. They are running! I was surprised when Allie told me she was running the track during practice.  She comes home exhausted and sore.

I joined the boosters because I wanted to be involved. I attended the meetings, volunteered to coordinate volunteers and talked about fund raising. I volunteered Doug to drive the U-Haul.  I was definitely surprised by how difficult it was for me to get volunteers, but it has only increased my desire to do as much as I can to help these kids out.
I wasn't prepared for the Preview of Champions.  I had seen the band do their field show at the football games. There was another part that I hadn't seen before and I was so, so, SO proud of Allie and all the other kids. It brought me to tears! I felt like a giant dork and Allie laughed at me when I told her.  It's just such an amazing thing to see the hard work your kid has put into something come out so awesome.  After the performance we heard who messed up, who missed a step, Allie forgot where her starting point was... But to me it was beautiful. I was really impressed.  Now let's say for the record that the only instrument I play is my MP3 player. That's about as talented as I am.  I don't know that I even could play anything so this is some pretty cool stuff for me. 
I never knew anyone in band when I was in high school. Maybe that's why this is all so cool to me.  I feel like a kid with a new toy.
I'm finding that being a booster is going to be rather difficult. The fact that not all parents are as interested or involved as we are was a hard pill to swallow.  I don't understand why you wouldn't want to stand in the bleachers and cheer for your kid. How can you not want to be there for every step on that field? I just don't get it.  That means I'll have to work harder and it'll be more difficult to raise the money we need. It's worth it though.  Because these kids are awesome.  Maybe in a couple more years when Allie and I have become real Marching Band Veterans some of the sparkle and awesome will wear off. I sure hope not. 

Playing with stuff

I thought I'd see how difficult it was to put a video up here. Apparently pretty easy!
This is Allie's first band concert! Boy, we could have fun with this!