THE SIMPLE WOMAN'S DAYBOOK Entry #5

Would you like to linger on the simple things? Then join me and many others in taking a little look into the day plans and thoughts of those who are focusing on simplicity...beauty of the 'everyday moments'.

~ The Simple Woman - Created Spring 2008

FOR TODAY - Tuesday, May 18th

Outside my window.....it is partly cloudy, humid and a very warm 76 degrees.

I am thinking.....about how overwhelmed I feel, and have been feeling, especially over the last few weeks. There is SO much 'stuff' that needs to be done, but with all that has been going on in our lives lately, the list just continues to grow. And because I can't help with hardly any of it, it makes me feel completely useless some days.

I am (so very) thankful for....being able to attend the Band Awards Ceremony at school last night! It was very physically challenging and I am REALLY paying for it today, but I'm so glad I made it! Morgan and Rebekah each received several awards and I'm SO very proud of them! Morgan also received the Director's Award; one of the highest honors bestowed upon any band member. She truly deserved that honor and recognition. She has performed in multiple bands and ensembles (Marching Band, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Jazz Band, Honor Band, Solo & Ensemble, etc.) throughout her four years of high school. Plus, she proved to be a wonderful leader as she served as Drum Major for three of those years. She truly dedicated her entire life to band for four solid years! So, her dad and I were so very happy to see her receive the recognition she deserved for ALL the time and hard work she put into it.

From the kitchen.....our pantry and refrigerator are moaning and groaning because they are hungry. :0)

I am wearing.....shorts and a band logo t-shirt.

I am remembering.....that I need to schedule a couple of doctors appointments for me and a sports physical for Rebekah.

I am going.....to take a nap and get some rest as soon as I finish this entry. I am really hurting a lot again today.

I am (still) reading.....'When The Soul Mends' - the third book in the 'Sisters of The Quilt' series by Cindy Woodsmall. I have not been reading much lately.

I am hoping.....that David will be able to get home earlier tonight so, hopefully, we can watch Dancing With The Stars which we had to record last night.

I am praying......that the pain eases soon, that I will stay free from infection and that I will be able to make it through Morgan's graduation next Friday evening (May 28th).

I am hearing.....the garbage truck roaming through the neighborhood, squealing to each of its stops.

Around the house.....there is a big mess where my husband is still working hard on our built-ins to go on either side of the fireplace. I will be SO happy when they are complete!

A few plans for the week....thankfully, no plans for the rest of the week or weekend! That means I'll have someone with me most evenings and this weekend! YAY!

Pondering these words......'If God, like a father, denies us what we want now, it is in order to give us some far better thing later on. The will of God, we can rest assured, is invariably a better thing." ~ Elisabeth Elliot

From my picture journal.....

Morgan at one of her last competitions

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderfully blessed day!

Teresa

If you would like to join in with 'The Simple Woman's Daybook', please feel free to visit Peggy's blog. She is a wonderful hostess and would love to have you stop by.

THE BITTERSWEET END and A NEW BEGINNING

(at the end of a VERY long game day!)

Last weekend marked the end of our high school football team's season and, thus, the end of marching band season. Our football team went undefeated through the entire regular season and then continued all the way through the post-season to the semi-final playoff game! It was truly incredible! They fought hard and did such a tremendous job. However, in the end, it just wasn't meant for our team to make it one more week to the State Championship. We were really hoping and praying they would because we really wanted to see our team play and our band march in The Georgia Dome!

It was a very bittersweet weekend for our middle daughter, Mo - and for her parents, too! Mo is a senior this year, which means the loss last weekend marked the end of what has been a very important and exciting part of her life.

(Mo, in the middle, with her c0-drum majors this year)

When Mo started marching her freshman year, she was still very much a shy, reserved little girl still trying to find her place in the whole scheme of things. At the end of that school year, a 6 week drum major clinic was held in order to replace the current drum major who would soon be graduating. Plus, the band was growing so they were going to be choosing two.


(Mo on the left as a sophomore)

Although Mo would just be a graduating freshman, and it is highly unusual for an upcoming sophomore to be chosen, she faithfully went to the clinic and then auditioned for the highly coveted leadership position. Just a few days before school ended, Mo found out she and one other person had been selected! My, how fast things change!

She went on to lead the band the next three years. She is now a very confident and skilled, yet humble leader who is exceptional at her craft. She will be graduating in May and has plans to pursue a PhD in Music Education when she heads off to college in the fall.



We are so proud of her and we can't wait to see what the future holds!

We love you, MoMo!

Picture Source - MParker Photography

AND THE AWARD GOES TO....

I haven't wanted to mention this because I had serious doubts if we would be able to pull it off but, praise the Lord, we did it! I did it!

This past weekend was the very last marching competition of the season for my two youngest daughters, Mo and Bek. In fact, since Mo is a senior this year, it was going to be her last marching competition, period. Because I have been so sick, I have not been able to see any of their performances this year and I have been having an extremely hard time dealing with it. I hate missing out on all their activities, especially when it comes to band. Therefore, my husband started trying to figure out a way to get me to the last, most significant competition of the season. The biggest hurdle was the fact that it was going to take place approximately an hour and half (80 miles) from our home and I do not do well on long car rides. Heck, I don't do well on short car rides! We knew we had the long car ride, usually a long distance from the car to the stadium and then the long time of sitting in the wheelchair waiting on our band to play and then waiting on the awards. We had A LOT to overcome. We knew we had to come up with a really great game plan!

What we ended up doing was finding a super nice hotel really close to the high school where the competition was being held on Saturday. We booked it for Friday and Saturday nights. When my husband got home on Friday evening, we slowly made our way up there. It was not an easy trip but thankfully I was able to go straight to bed once we made it there and then sleep late Saturday morning. That was REALLY nice!

When it came time to go to the high school Saturday evening, we were just mere minutes from the school. Plus, we were able to park in the handicap parking, which was practically right next to the ticket booths just outside the stadium. You can't get much closer than that!

Although we weren't able to see a lot of the other bands, we did arrive in time to see a couple of the other bands before it was our band's turn to perform. It was perfect!

Our band was SO incredible! I had seen them on video but nothing ever compares to seeing them in person. Oh my! It was truly awesome! Our middle daughter, Mo, is their senior drum major and our youngest, Bek, marches alto saxophone. Watching them made me so proud!

When it came time for the awards, we were on pins and needles. We wanted them to win so badly. I mean, we ALWAYS want them to win, but this time it meant just a little bit more because it was Mo's last competition. They received all 1's (Superior) in each category - drum major, color guard, percussion and band. Then they received the award for first in their Class, 4A. However, at this competition there was also a Class 5A, which is somewhat unusual, so we knew winning Grand Champ was going to be a little more difficult.

But they did it! Out of 18 bands, 0ur band was the GRAND CHAMPION of the Georgia Bandmasters Championship!

We were so thrilled! I am SO excited that I was able to make it there and to see them win! It has taken a huge toll on my body and it is taking me a long time to recover, but it has all certainly been worth it!! Now, it will just take me a few days to get to feeling back up to par.

See ya soon!

'THE FAT BOY CHRONICLES'

Image via Wikipedia

Our town has been the home to the filming of many, many TV shows and movies due to its charm, beauty and picturesque homes and landscape. It is becoming increasingly popular to Hollywood and we are seeing more and more film crews all the time. Some of the filming includes: On The Big Screen - Our Winning Season ('78), The Sheriff and the Satellite Kid ('78), Fried Green Tomatoes ('91), Fluke ('95), Get Low ('09) and Zombieland (To be released in October '09). On the Small Screen - Murder in Coweta County ('83), Decoration Day ('90), Grass Roots ('91), Manhunt in the Dakotas ('91), Wife, Mother, Murderer ('91), I’ll Fly Away Series ('91 - '93), Silent Victim ('93), Passing Glory ('99), The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn ('99), October Road ('07 - '09), Drop Dead Diva ('09) and The Wronged Man ('09 - '10).

We were thrilled to learn a few weeks ago that not only was a new movie going to be filmed here but it would contain scenes from our 2 youngest daughters' high school! As the dates approached for filming, we learned that their high school band would have to be on set in order to be included in the filming of a 'dream scene' in which the band would be performing at a pep rally and a parade.

The movie is going to be called 'The Fat Boy Chronicles', the same as the book on which the movie is based. Here is a little information taken from The Fat Boy Chronicles website:

"Inspired by a true story, The Fat Boy Chronicles reveals the emotionally painful world obese teens experience in the face of a thin-obsessed society. At age fourteen. 5'5 Jimmy weighs 187 pounds. Outside the comfort of his family and church, life for Jimmy is a constant struggle. The cruel taunts of his classmates make going to school or playing sports a humiliating experience. Yet, he still manages to focus on his goals-- to lose weight and win over the girl of his dreams."

We were really excited to learn that our middle daughter, Mo, who is the drum major for the band, will likely be seen at least a few times in the movie. She was involved in a lot of the shots during the filming of the dream scene at the school that day. She said it took all day to film the short scene but it was very much worth it for the experience. She was also able to really talk with the cast, the crew and the producers. Unlike some film crews who have come through here, taking over the town and not being very kind, this crew seemed to be very affable and generous. It really turned out to be a great experience for her and everyone else involved. We are looking forward to seeing the movie when it hits the theaters in early 2010!

If you happen to be a Facebook junkie, you can learn more about the movie on the The Fat Boy Chronicles Fan Page. If you do this, be sure to look at all the photos that are there. Most of the ones that are posted are from our high school and local hospital. In picture #45, you will see the band during the parade with Mo marching backwards, directing the band!

Let me know what you think about the premise of the movie and of the photos - and be sure to come back and let me know if you go to see the movie when it comes out!

See ya soon!

HAPPY 15 th BIRTHDAY TO MY BABY GIRL

I still can not believe it has been 15 years since I gave birth to my youngest daughter, Bek.  It just does not seem possible.  It seems like just yesterday that D and I were bringing her home in her little pink, lacy dress and bonnet.  She was a tiny little thing – all 6 lbs and 11 ounces of her. 

Then, she grew…..

and grew….

and grew…

and now she’s a young lady…

 

Tomorrow, Bek enters her sophomore year of high school.  My how time has flown!  She is amazingly smart, witty and talented.  She loves almost anything to do with music.  She is heavily involved in all the bands at school.  She plays the alto sax in their marching band and plays tenor sax in the symphonic and jazz band.  Although the sax is her primary instrument, she can play many others (7, I think!)  She is in many gifted and AP classes and is hopefully headed toward a great collegiate career.  Above all, she loves the Lord and tries hard to put Him first in all that she does.  We couldn’t be more proud of her! 

HAPPY 15th BIRTHDAY, BEK!  WE LOVE YOU!

(You may click on any of the photos on my blog to enlarge them.)