Thing 1 & Thing 2 make Chair 1 & Chair 2!!

The Bailey Middle School Band attended the All Region Band tryouts today. The boys competed against about 150 other flute players. They go through the first round of auditions just to see if they made any band, then if they make that cut they audition again to be placed in bands and in chairs. There are 3 levels of bands: the top band is the Wind Ensemble, next is the Symphonic Band (actually broken into 2 bands itself) and then there is the Concert Band.

Last year Justin made Symphonic Band (I think 5th chair) and Ryan made Concert Band (I can't remember which chair). That was very good since they were 7th graders and it was their first time to audition. This year they both made WIND ENSEMBLE - JUSTIN MADE 1ST CHAIR AND RYAN MADE 2ND CHAIR!!!! They were absolutely overjoyed and I am so proud! I've attached a picture of most of the kids who also made it from their school, some flute players and some clarinet. There is one saxophone player who had left earlier. The top 4 flute chairs of the Wind Ensemble are also in the Symphony Orchestra (I have to learn more about this). They will all perform in a concert later in the year usually held in The Woodlands.

When we returned from that it was time for costumes, hair and makeup in preparation for the costume party they were invited to by one of their band friends. You can see from the picture that they have a lot of hair!! I put lots of mousse, teased it up and sprayed it with blue hair spray. They don't like the makeup very much, but I think they look cute! Hopefully they have fun at the party.

Time to catch up on cleaning and laundry before I pick them up in a couple of hours!

Some of my Halloween Crafts

Which one is which?

Here is a picture from the Cross Country meet yesterday. The boys were running side by side, which has never happened before. All the parents were screaming, "here come the Comers - which one is which?" I could tell just fine with them together, but later when Justin was ahead I had no idea until Ryan passed by! They look so similar when they run & I often yell the wrong name. Next year they are getting different shoes!

I have another weekend off (3 in a row this month!) and plan to use part of it to get myself better organized. I figured out that I really do have to learn to say "no" more often when asked to volunteer! The science teacher called yesterday to ask about coaching a team for the Science Olympiad (which I love) and you can all guess what I said! I coached the team last year for the Disease Detectives category and they won 3rd place at the regional competition - the only medal for their school. So I'll do that and maybe the Anatomy category. All I really have to do is print up some stuff for them to read and study along with sample questions for them to try. The boys are also entering some categories that requires them to build something. More on this as it develops!

I'm watching VH1's top 20 videos as I type this - does Jon Bon Jovi ever age? I have a crush on him that has been going on since I was in middle school! His backup guys look a little washed up, but never Jon.

Today I will really get the Halloween stuff up and then tonight we go on the band field trip to the Lonestar Preview marching band contest in Conroe. I'm excited - I love watching and listening to the bands and they take this stuff very seriously around here.

Report cards came out yesterday and the boys each got all A's and 1 B in Geometry. This has become a major controversy because the teacher gave them 1 test and counted it as 80% of their grade. Some of the kids had C's and even a couple of D's which has made the parents furious. Almost all of the kids in this class have made straight A's for many years and also this is a high school credit which will average in with their high school grades. I've talked with the teacher and will continue to follow up next week, but some of the parents have conferences set up with the counselor, principal and teacher. I just plan on e-mailing the principal - they've agreed that for the next six weeks to use quiz grades as part of the test grade but I want them to re average their grades they have using that system. We'll see what happens. I'm ready to just let it be one of those life lessons that proves that life isn't always fair and sometimes we just have to deal with it. Also, it's okay not to be perfect - B's are good, especially for an advanced class. If the boys ever saw any of my report cards from middle school, they'd have to ground me for a year!

The boys are going to a costume only Halloween party next week and have decided to be Thing 1 & Thing 2 from The Cat in The Hat. Not my favorite idea, but they insist (there is prize money involved) so I'm working on costumes. We'll see how they turn out. Tomorrow I'll post pictures of some of my crafty Halloween decor.

Nachos, Chili Dogs & Gatorade

First, let me share my Thank You list for today:

1. There were yummy blueberry muffins at the Nursing Practice Congress meeting this morning.
2. The meeting was finished early.
3. My Nurse Manager took everyone from our unit who attended the meeting to lunch at The Commons (an area in the medical center with a water wall and different restaurants).
4. The boys had free hot dogs and soda for dinner while working in the concession stand (not exactly nutritious, but free and they liked it!).

So, needless to say I've been recruited to do concession stand duty after all. I've also taken over the coordination of volunteers for the Band Boosters (concession stand duty, chaperones, events held at the school, etc.). The boys and I did it today (they did several hours, I just did one) and it wasn't actually that bad. The other moms are really great and the boys did well with the money - no problem figuring change in their heads!! They have a field trip on Saturday evening with only 2 chaperones so far (including myself) so I have some phone work to do later in the week. Now that the boys have made a dent in their community service hours (actually just 12 for the whole year), I feel a little relieved.

My intention this past weekend was to decorate for Halloween with all of the stuff I've made over the past few years, but maybe tomorrow. I did finish some of my painting projects (shelf unit for bathroom, lamp, chair) and made a little bit of progress in my bathroom. Maybe I'll be done before the new year? Tomorrow I have an all day conference at work (I actually have to wear real dress-up clothes) and shouldn't be tired so maybe we can get some spider webs and pumpkins out when I get home! I'll post pictures when we're finished!

Adios.

Thank You Power

Today I read on the Internet about Deborah Norville's new book, Thank You Power, in which she discusses the positive power of being thankful for little things in life. I plan on reading the book, but in the meantime have decided to blog daily on the little things I am happy about on a daily basis. She keeps a little diary that she records a few things each day that she is happy about and thankful for.

Here's my list for today:

1. There was fresh coffee made when I arrived at work and it tasted good!
2. My friend Amy was in town from New York and came up to work to visit and hang out for a while (she's newly engaged and excitedly planning a wedding) - we went for Starbucks coffee and caught up on stuff
3. My wonderful coworker Mickey happily agreed to bring the cake tomorrow for a surprise party - I won't have to drive and pay for parking! She also decorated our locker room very festively for Halloween - complete with a coat stand sheet ghost!
4. I only had to wait for the Metro rail for a few moments and the Park & Ride bus for a couple of minutes & my seat on the bus reclined so I caught a nice nap all the way home.

The boys are at a Cross Country meet and Roland is off today will be bringing them home - something else to be thankful for. I usually have to rush from work, drive forever and then sweat like a pig in the heat while they wait to run. Today was the first time since school started that I haven't had to rush home or to some activity and it's so nice not to worry about dinner for a change. They plan on eating out after the meet and then home to finish Justin's atomic model of Iron. Since I probably won't get another break until next year, I am thoroughly relishing every moment!

Until tomorrow ...