Family photo shoot

On Sunday we found time to do a quick family photo shoot. There is a great local photographer that has this great deal where he does a 30 minute shoot for a modest fee. Then he burns all of your photos to a disc and you leave with the disc and a letter giving you all rights to the photos. That way you can have prints made, use them for Christmas Cards or whatever you want. The last time we did this we only had photos taken of our son. This time we did the whole family. Can you say Christmas presents??

A few shots from the day...

All photos taken by Todd Burnett

The end of marching band season

It's been a rough marching band season. We had a ton of freshman this year and it takes a while to get the hang of playing and marching at the same time. We were several weeks into the season before they even finished their show. The kids worked really hard though and last weekend had the performance of the season at the Regional competition which allowed them to go to the Semi State competition yesterday. After a 4 hour bus ride though, the kids were tired and grouchy and not too excited about marching. I chaperoned the bus yesterday and I know I was grouchy and tired so I can understand how the kids felt. They were competing against some really good bands from the northern part of the state and we knew going in that it would take some sort of miracle for us to go to state. It wasn't the performance they had hoped for, but they can be proud of the fact that they made it to semi state two years in a row.

The Green Brigade waits to take the field.

Performing their show "Dare to Dream"

The 2011 Drumline. My son is playing the smallest bass drum on the far right.

Regardless of the score, I'm terribly proud of this hardworking group of kids. They practice a minimum of 10 hours each week and their Saturdays are usually 12-14 hour days. The usually have to report by 7:30am, they practice for 2-3 hours, eat lunch and then spend the rest of the day marching at 2 contests with long bus rides in between. They finally pull back into the parking lot around 10pm where they drag themselves off the buses and into waiting cars. And then, bless their hearts, they do it all again the following week. Gotta love the band kids! They rock!! Gee, now they have a couple of weeks before jazz band, pep band and winter drumline begin...

An identity crisis

If you've stumbled upon this blog and are confused, it's okay. I am too. This blog was called Simple Things up until mere moments ago. Why? Because my heart yearns for a simpler life. A life where clothes are hung out on the line to dry. A yummy homecooked meal is on the table at 5pm every night. Evenings are spent playing board games, reading books and crocheting. Those are the things my heart desires but I've accepted the fact that what my heart desires and the reality of my life in 2011 are two entirely different things.

The reality of my life is that it is B-U-S-Y. My husband works full time as the guest room supervisor at a hotel. I'm an accountant for a commercial broadcasting company. We have a 15 year old son that goes to school, is a member of the drumline in the marching band and we are all involved in Boy Scouts. When we actually have a homecooked meal that we are all home for, it's cause for celebration. The laundry is piled up and the house is a mess. We often meet ourselves coming and going. It's hectic and stressful but in this season, this is what our lives look like. In 2 1/2 short years our son will be moving on to college. There will be no more band contests and our time with scouting will have come to an end. So, for the next 2 1/2 years I will embrace the crazy. Will I whine and complain sometimes? You betcha. However, I will strive to live in the moment and have fun instead of fighting it because I've realized that this is one fight that this mama ain't gonna win.

So buckle up because it's going to be a bumpy ride!