Great Expectations!

So, I was crying in the Orlando airport. I tried to laugh it off as sadness over the discovery of a broken Golden Snitch pin, but the truth was, I was totally overwhelmed. On top of leaving a beautiful sunny place to go home to cold for a few more months (it was quite nice until 5 minutes ago when it started snowing), I was just realizing how amazing the past week had been.

If you think about taking 29 teenagers out of country for a week-long trip there are many different ways said trip could go. I don’t really know what I was expecting - probably a bit more chaos, a few more lost people, passports and other drama. More homesickness? More misbehaviour?

The reality was, I was not expecting to have so much fun!!! I can’t remember the last time I have laughed that hard and that often. The group is full of goofballs making you laugh at every turn, taking an adult on park rides for the first time is definitely something to do - but be careful if there are little ears around ( you know who you are!). And we experienced so many things in such a short time! 

The whole crowd truly were a blessing to spend the week with; helpful, fun, kind. I only knew a few of them going into this trip but you sure get to know people after 7 days together! Who always forgets to tuck in their shirt. Who will always be first at breakfast. Whose room is the neatest and whose... not so much. Who will pull out their drumsticks or ukelele at any chance and who you can share a little Passion for Potter with. 

You also get to watch the ice break during the 7 days and the kids open up. Sure, they've played in band together for years, but do they really KNOW each other? Well, now they sure do! Though there were clusters of good friends in the bunch, there was so much crossing over sometimes you weren't really that sure. You'd pass a group together in the park and an hour they were all mixed up. Sometimes us chaperones were ditched for cooler people, sometimes there were 23 of us waiting in line together (Harry Potter!). And what about the one you thought was so shy and quiet, until she breaks out in a disco dance in the middle of dinner! Where did THAT come from?!

We had a pretty big percentage of kids who had never been to Florida before, and even a few that had never flown. It was just as exciting to share in the anticipation of the first timers as your own excitement knowing what was coming and couldn't wait!

Anyway, it truly was a blast and if any parents happen to read this - it was a treat to get to know your kids and be the chaperone for a week. If any of the kids read this, Thanks for an awesome week!!!! Let's do it again in 2 years!

Tight Ship!

From the start of the planning phase way back when, until we boarded the plane to come back home, the process for this trip has been like the crew of a tight ship. It kind of has to be when you're talking about taking 29 teenagers out of the country... 

When we left St Johns on April 3, we had been assigned to groups of 7 or 8, we had a commemorative T-shirt, a laminated card printed with all the chaperone names and cell numbers, labelled envelopes with portioned $$ for the kid's daily lunches, all of the applicable tickets and passes. We had our groups assigned to chaperones and were off for an experience of a lifetime!

Upon our arrival at the different shows and events we were dealt with quickly and efficiently getting 34 people through the gates or into their seats quick as can be. 

This was my first experience with a Heritage Festival so I was extremely impressed with the running of this process. 

The school we visited on Friday morning was equally prepared for us and was so welcoming. 

Our performance on the Downtown Disney Stage was another huge success. As is anything Disney, it was so well organized that we couldn't have messed it up if we tried. Our bus was boarded by our cute-as-a-button hostess who explained the process and took us back stage. We were then officially "honourary cast members". The kids were given in door or outdoor space to use to practise. We were then taken to the parking lot at which time they were told they were officially "on stage" and should consider themselves representatives of both their school and Disney. She told us she was once doing exactly what they were doing and loved it so much she made it her goal to come back and work at Disney. In talking with her later, I discovered none of that is taken lightly. She has a BA in vocal performance and had to apply for the job 4 times. She comes on for 3 months at a time when the stage productions are busiest and the rest of the year she dances in the parade. She had been there 10 years. The kids made not realize the difficult application process Mr Collins went through to get them there.

Once on stage they had exactly - and I mean EXACTLY - 25 minutes to perform, talk, cheer and then they were done and we were back on the bus!

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn't it. I'm pretty sure the only glitch we had in the area of organization was being directed to the wrong location for the festival BBQ. Considering it was all within the same park, it ended up as no big deal. 

A good portion of this could be contributed to Barb Hudson who took the leadership reins early on and had those first meetings with the travel agents who put the whole package together for us. She spent a lot of time putting together folders for the kids, organizing the insane amount of paper work and communicating with restaurants and making the Blue Man Group HAPPEN. I have been trying to take notes in case I get the honour of organizing another trip in two years, as only two of us from the planning of this trip will be able to do another term on the committee. We have learned so much about how to make this happen, how to have as few hiccups as possible and where we can improve. I'm sure we all have lists going and when we debrief soon we'll put it all together and save it for next year when we start brain storming a whole new adventure. 

The Heritage Festival (aka The Reason We're Here)

The Heritage Festival

Day 4 is a wrap. Today we got the bus at 7:30 to head in to the Heritage Festival venue. This was my first experience with a music festival like this and was really impressed with how the whole thing happened. 

Bands were ushered into a practise area while the band before took the stage. When it was your turn, you performed 2 or 3 pieces after which the adjudicators took a moment to mark. Then one adjudicator took the stage to "critique" the band's performance. They would get the band to go over parts of the music making some changes they thought would better the piece. They were very energetic, very knowledgable and I sure hope the students take the benefits from the experience. 

There was a break after our concert band performed and then the jazz band was up. When we were done we packed up and took off for the water park Wet and Wild. The sun came and went and a great day was had by all. 

At 7pm the park closed and a BBQ was served to all Heritage Festival attendees. After the BBQ,  awards were given out.

The festival is more for learning than for competition so each group is given a Gold, Silver or Bronze based solely on the adjudicators marks for their performance alone. If, within their category based on school size, there is more than one of the same 'colour' given THEN they're ranked. So you could receive a "silver second" or a "gold third" 

We were thrilled to receive two silver medals AND one of our jazz sax players received a single award for performance. 5 singled out players received awards out of 1000 kids. What an honour!!!

There was one other Canadian school there, from Quebec. It was a great experience, like the many vball tournaments I've attended - but for musicians! All the groups had worked hard, travelled far, given up a lot to be there and were so proud and excited! 

Next up - another day of fun at Universal Studios, HARRY POTTER - and then dinner at Hard Rock followed by the Blue Man Group! 

In Florida!!

We arrived safely in Florida this afternoon after a very long day. Needing to be at the airport around 3am is not very fun! Some of us slept just enough to feel nasty and some didn't bother going to bed! The flight felt long, and though we needed some extra time, so did the 2.5+ hour layover in Toronto. All things considered, we were 33 people and had an almost hitch-free trip. No one got lost, no one left a passport on a bench and only two got airsickness. In their defence, it wasn't the smoothest of rides. 

A few in our group had never been on a plane and a shockingly high percentage of the kids had never been to Disney. It was so exciting for everyone - first timers because its all new and repeat visitors because they know what they're in for! 

I really only know a few of these kids and right off the bat I can tell they're a good bunch. No poor behaviour in the airport, no rowdiness on the plane (so much so that a friend at the back of the flight pointed out how good they were) and just a nice and kind group of kids! 

We landed and it was a quick and easy process to get our luggage and instruments and then onto the shuttle. It was so warm! 27 degrees. Sticky of course - but blizzard ing back home. The kids oohed and ahhed over palm trees and the "variation" in the trees, not just the one boring old type of tree back home! :) We we to the hotel, the Disney All Star Music and checked in. Again, another quick process (the organization of this all is for another post!). We had just enough time to throw luggage in the rooms, freshen up and we were back on the Disney shuttle for Downtown Disney. We ate at Planet Hollywood and then walked just long enough to check out a few shops and then get a massive rain dump and thunder showers - always exciting as thunder and lightening are quite rare back home. No one seemed to be in a "stroll through shops for hours" mood so we made the decision to head back early. Again, running through a heavy downpour when it's so warm out is sometimes part of the fun! Back at the hotel the pools were closed due to the lightening so some ball gloves came out and it was time to explore the resort. 

We ended the day with a quick sidewalk band meeting to discuss the rules of hotel etiquette and it was bedtime! All seems to be quiet and since we've been up about 21 hours lets hope they're all getting a good sleep. Another long day of fun tomorrow!!

I'm so excited about this week, the experiences they'll have and the memories they'll make! 

Okay Band Kids - Get Healthy!!!!

As I listen to my kids cough, feel a few aches in my bones and see the FB posts all over about people fighting flus that won't quit this season, I can't help but think "8 sleeps?! Gotta be my best!"

There is nothing like being sick on a holiday to bring you down (or a bad sunburn - but that's for another post!). This is the time for 28 younglings (and us 6 chaperones!) to be sleeping well, drinking lots of water, eating healthy and drinking that OJ! If you've taken even the briefest glance at that itinerary we need healthy kids with lots of stamina on this trip!!

2 Weeks to Orlando!

We had one of our last Band Parents Association meetings last night discussing the details of the senior high trip to Orlando on April 3rd. Now I'm super excited and so nervous!! I am responsible for 8 teens (grades 10-12) with 2 grade 9ers) while we're there... their money, their passports... yikes! The week-long trip is jammed packed, from performances in Downtown Disney and the Heritage Festival itself, to days in the parks, outings to the Kennedy Space Centre, Festival BBQs, Cocoa Beach, and of course, a little shopping! I am personally totally excited about the Harry Potter park!!! Wingardium Leviosa!!
 

We talked about what to include in a group first aid kit, what to make sure the kids have packed along, what we can pick up for the rooms (snacks etc) and how to make sure we have a safe and action filled trip! I for one am keeping my group on one of those preschool rope thingys... JK... sort of... 

I am SO looking forward to some sun! The last time we were in Florida we ran the Disney Half Marathon in their first dose of freezing rain in 30 years! Thanks for that! The forecast for next week is pretty warm, let's hope it holds out!

Been on a big school/group trip? Have tips? Let me know!

What a Trip!

We had such an amazing time in BC these past two weeks! Quality time with family and friends, amazing days on the slopes of Whistler Blackcomb and a beautiful time on Vancouver Island. The kids all agreed... "best BC trip ever!"

What makes a trip a good trip? It's pretty hard to make a vacation 'bad', unless everyone is stricken by the flu or someone breaks something. Even so... would you rather a broken leg at home or on the beach??? (always a silver lining right?) We've had some pretty awesome trips home to BC... what made this one the best?? To figure it out I sat down to look at this trip through the eyes of the kids.

A lot of things at home have changed over the past year. We used to consider 'home' as Abbotsford. We grew up there, our families were there and most of our friends are/were close by. Families are moving, friends are leaving and there's been a lot of downsizing! It starts to become a question of WHERE do we actually want to be on a vacation? We have been migrating more towards Whistler on our last few trips to BC. Our hearts seem to be there more often than not.

Last year we went for almost three weeks and packed up and moved every three days. Afterwards  I think we said "never again". We're six people and we're always the ones that have to move around because we're the visitors and it's just too difficult. We went from Abbotsford, to the US, to Vancouver, to Vancouver Island. While we got to see lots of people and have lots of different experiences - it was totally exhausting. We needed a vacation after that vacation!  So this time we booked ourselves one place for the first 11 days and only left once to attend a retirement party and dinner. This allowed the kids to settle in, get used to the space and feel 'at home'. We had lots of company and visited with friends that were also in Whistler which felt like a normal life, not a frantic holiday. (It was busy, there's no doubt, but it was awesome.) Some evenings we went skating or walking or just visited and slept a lot!

It's also a question of WHAT do we actually want to be doing? In general our trips west (all the way west, not what east-coasters call west; Toronto) are for something specific, a work locum, a family gathering, a birthday or some other sort of adult-centred event. We also try to pack into the trip the other things that we want to do; games night with old friends, BBQs, girl time on Robson etc. In and amongst those activities there might be a trip to the Aquarium, a day in the States or a few nights at the grandparents. We usually spend a LOT of time on the road.

While I'm happy to take a trip and make the kids tag along while I hang out with friends, this was much easier when they were small and didn't care much. But is this what the kids want to do at this stage? Not so much if there aren't other kids around, and it's getting harder and harder to coordinate kid time with all of the activities other kids are in or because of the fact that we're usually there during school time!

11 days in Whistler just means fun after fun after days of more fun. Ski? Skate? Swim? Play? Sure! The last time we were up there the kids were more hesitant about long days of skiing. They've always loved it, but that's a darn big mountain! They'd get tired, want days off, wanna lay low etc. This time it was non-stop awesomeness. They skied every day except one that we were there, even one massively miserable rainy day. They came in looking like we dunked them in a pool with their ski stuff on... smiling ear to ear! They collapsed in piles of exhaustiveness every single night and came up for breakfast in snow pants. Even little M conquered the mountain. Her first day was tough and then something clicked. I thought I'd be lucky to get a couple of half days of skiing in while she played with someone, but once she started she wouldn't stop! I got in 5 full days with her. What a blast!  At the end of our Whistler tour we hit Vancouver Island again for 2 nights. This was a bit of a shuffle, but was totally worth it. More family time again, seashell hunting, hot dog roast on the beach, ice cream shops and playing mannequins in a store window.

WHO is the other thing. This time we brought a friend for R, she is 17 and last time was hard for her. When we left last summer we said we would bring a friend the next time we go back. Most of our friend's kids are younger and her old friends are harder to coordinate schedules with. There's no question we can all have a great time together and where this was only a week for her I'm sure it would have been fine. But bringing a friend who had never seen BC and was able to have those experiences together with us was a great idea! We're getting closer to the end of assumed family holidays with her (graduation feels like it's around the corner) I want them to be the best and for her to still want to come along!

I guess from now on those holidays that aren't obviously kid centred need to be considered from their point of view. Will they still want to come along, leaving behind friends and activities if it means sitting around listening to adults visit? No, most likely not. Do I want it to continue to be exciting to travel as a family? Yes, most definitely. I will have to plan my own girl/adult time separately.

Whatever the reason, we had a great time and the kids were so thankful. I am so thankful to them, for their adventurous spirits, their willingness and their helpfulness!!

I do not however, recommend travelling forward 4.5 hour time changes on a Spring Forward time change. 5.5 hours is not fun.

Next Up: Orlando!