Senior Night

It is currently "football season" here in central Illinois this spring. Our team gets only 4 games, and tonight was the only home game. Therefore, it was also the only senior night Sylvia will get to celebrate. (Usually there is a senior night for every activity so that all seniors get to be recognized for what they have participated in, but due to no crowds being allowed at indoor events, and no fine arts performances being allowed at all...well...) Anyway, it was a beautiful evening and it was good for all our hearts tonight!

It was sunny and warm today, and when we arrived at school the senior banners were hung all around the fence at the track. It was a bit surreal to see Sylvia's and her senior bandmates' names. 

So proud of our girl

Sylvia and Isabella have been best friends since kindergarten, and they've loved playing their horns together since 5th grade! 

The girls asked for our families to walk out together during the band senior announcements, and we were all honored to do so.

Annah and Ryan came home just in time for senior night, and recorded and took pictures for us. 

We love these seniors and are so glad they got a little recognition in this year of lost performance opportunities.

After the senior night announcements, the band made their way to the end zone for the National Anthem. Sylvia got to conduct them. It was so cool to see her signal to Caeden to start the drumroll!

The band even got to "take the field"--well, sort of, and Sylvia was announced as drum major! They formed the tunnel for the football team to run through and played the fight song as the seniors were announced and the team ran through onto the field.

Sylvia conducting The Victors

(By this time, the sun was nearly down and it was beginning to feel like a Fall Friday night lights game--quite chilly! So, Sylvia borrowed my mittens.)

I love seeing Caeden play drums!!!

Mr. B, the JH/HS principal joining in support for the band!  

I made rounds through the band to take photos for the yearbook while they were not playing, and asked them to pretend to play. They were all starting to get pretty cold and it was only the first quarter!

By halftime, they were frozen, but they played a great set of pep tunes in the end zone. It was so fun to hear them play!!!

The game was so exciting too!  We won 36-0!  And it was just so great to be together with our community enjoying football and music and seeing each other smile and laugh!

Surprise Birthday Drive-In

Such a beautiful and refreshing Sunday today!

PoC had a great live online service. There is really something cool about worshipping at home in our living room, just the 5 of us. I don't miss the morning rush and worrying about how and when everyone is getting to church and what they're wearing and what car(s) are going where when for the rest of the day and where we are eating lunch and what else is going on and, and, and!!! It's so nice to settle in and just spend time worshipping with my family in my home!  (I do miss the making music part, but those who are helping are doing a great job.)

After lunch today, we were outside for a bit. 

This evening, all 5 of us got in the car!  We tried to remember the last time all 5 of us got in the car together, and we couldn't. We figured it must've been around the holidays sometime. It was really nice to go out for a drive and see all the green and new life of springtime! We have definitely been cooped up at home too much for too long!

We were actually heading to church!  But not to go inside.

All these cars were gathered (6 feet apart) to surprise Samuel Keller on his 16th birthday!

Even this guy kept it a surprise!

It was so awesome to see some of our church family and dear friends!!!  I was so overwhelmed I had to hold back tears for the entire time we were there!!!

Kim got Samuel and the whole family to come through the building to the "garage" part, and she drove around to the outside and opened the door and we all started honking and shouting happy birthday when we saw Sam.

He was pretty surprised!

Caeden was so happy to wish his buddy happy birthday!

It was SO GOOD to celebrate Samuel today and see loved ones, even though we weren't allowed to hug anyone.  (It is hard!  PoC is a very friendly hugging church!!!)

We love our these dear friends, and are so thankful God put us together in life! 

Life is Messy and Painful

Life is so messy and so often painful.  

Yesterday, our community lost a bright light. Daelin, a precious 11-year-old girl, passed away last night after more than 2 years fighting a brain tumor.  Her journey and life were brutal and inspiring, and our community is grieving hard. Daelin had always found love (and hearts!) around her, and her grin will not soon be forgotten.  Though we didn't know her well, Caeden is close friends with her older sister Avry.  We don't have words to help or even the right thoughts to process the loss.

I do have perspective...As I learned the news this morning while I prepared to teach lessons, and I went into the living room to pick up before students arrive, I saw my kids' things flung everywhere.  Annah is home for more than a week for Thanksgiving, and all the kids' bags had been dropped in front of the fireplace.  I decided to leave them there.  Oh how grateful I am to have all 3 of my children home.  

1st Home Football Game

Tonight was the first home football game of the season!  My favorite part is the marching band. Here they are coming from the band room, marching around to come onto the field for the pregame tunnel. As the snare drummer, Caeden is the last one in line.

I love that they've listed the band in the fall sports program this year!

Midnight Blues warming up to sing the anthem

Apparently, they've only had a chance to practice this twice through!  Good for them for performing it already! 

The band, coming onto the field for pregame...

We can see our mellophone and our drummer on the same side of the field!

Coming around the track after pregame, the band does the "Monster Stomp" then heads to the end zone to play the school song after touchdowns.

Sylvia was at the front of the band tonight.

And Caeden was at the rear.  (Percussionists don't do the Monster Stomp; it's too dangerous with their drums on!)

The game progressed pretty slowly, and there was a beautiful sunset long before halftime.

The band did a great job performing their show at halftime!

The crowd really enjoyed the well-known Mo-Town songs!

Go mellophones!

I think the band has a fun show this year!  And the Mustangs won the game too!

End of Summer Celebration

The band played for half an hour this afternoon at the Colfax End of Summer Celebration.  

They did a nice job, and there was a good crowd of people who appreciated hearing them!

Lifted

When I left home this evening, it was sunny and pleasant.  As I drove about 5 miles north, this is what was happening over Colfax!  Yikes!!

I went to the UMChurch to hear a new author speak!

Lindsey Hale grew up in Colfax and went to Ridgeview and has just written a book for women, called Lifted. She spoke about the realities of life, and how she has learned not to make decisions in a F.O.G.--out of Fear, Obligation, or Guilt.  She was very real and refreshing.  I bought her book, and am looking forward to reading it.

It was a lovely evening, and I enjoyed sharing time with my friend Joyce and other ladies in our community.

A Tribute to Harold Norman: 45 Years of CHS Musical Theater

The whole cast

Before the show, we gathered in the choir room.

When I was in school, there was a wooden tunnel backstage that we could pass through behind the curtains and not be seen going from one side of the stage to the other.  After each show we would all sign it with the show, year, and our character name by our signatures. Apparently the tunnel was taken apart in 1997, and Justin May wrote on a piece of it that was saved backstage. Shane read it to us, and I managed to catch some of it...

There were lots of sweet mini-reunions happening in this big reunion.

A slideshow with photos of shows Mr. Normal directed scrolled above the Harold Norman Stage before the show and during intermission...

Cathy Petrie welcomed the audience and explained that this show was put together as the best way to thank Mr. Norman for everything he has done for the community of Churubusco.

Missy...what would we do without her?!  We love her!!!

The first song of the show was the first song in the first musical ever performed on this stage--Oklahoma!

The beautiful Cassandra Petrie

My very favorite song in this whole show was Just One Person from Snoopy the Musical.  I didn't realize I'd be part of this song until Wednesday night, and when I looked it up to learn it I was flooded with emotion.  I'm not sure what year Snoopy was performed at 'Busco. I was pretty little, I think, but I remember being in the audience and I remember being moved by this song then.

And every time we sang it on Friday and this morning in rehearsal, I had to pull myself together and keep the tears from streaming down my face. It was a crazy combination of remembering and nostalgia and tradition and legacy and message and music, and it filled my heart to overflowing.

Do You Hear the People Sing?

If I Were a Rich Man 

Together at Last, including the youngest cast member--a 3rd grader!

current New Era members joined Shawn and Adam for Greased Lightin'

"Doin' a-what-a-comes natchurly!"

Pick-a-little

Mr. Normal joined us on stage as we lined up by class year singing Hello, Harold!

I think we all loved the fact that he talked about how this wasn't really about him, but about COMMUNITY.

After the show, it was more overwhelming emotion as the audience greeted us and there were so many familiar faces and hugs!!! What a blessed and wonderful community! It really was too much for my mind and heart to take in, and I'm so incredibly grateful to have been a small part of such a celebration. 

I'm also impressed that Travis got Harold to take a selfie!!