Mike's Job

Since Mike changed jobs, it's been a bit rocky around here. Don't get me wrong, it's not like our marriage is falling apart or our children are going hungry (well, except for Ty who refuses to eat), it's just been difficult for many different reasons. Mike is a hard worker. He had set goals and standards before school started, that just aren't possible this year with his band being smaller and made up primarily of 10th grade students. He works LONG hours, sometimes 12 hour days, 5 days a week, and usually doesn't see the kids for more than a few hours a day. It's been physically draining on him, and physically draining on me as I'm a one man show for the kids. Anyway, we've decided to have an open mind and not make a decision about what will happen next year until he's gone through a whole school year at the HS.

The reason I'm saying all of this is that because today, for the first time, there was a light among the gray. The Veterans Day Parade was today and ALL of the middle and high school bands played and marched and they were judged on different areas of the performance. Mike's band does not have a color guard (flag girls for those UNEDUCATED out there) and no Drum Major (the person with the stick:) so that meant they did not qualify for the main award, the Drum Major award, or the Color Guard award, but they did qualify for the others. Well, Mike thought they would be able to get the Marching award because they were really tight and looked good, but he wasn't sure if they'd get anything else. At the ceremony, they were awarded 3 awards, one being the Overall Performance Award, the others being Marching and Musicality.

I think it helped Mike in knowing that he's making a difference. It's easy to see the difference you make at the beginning levels because they learn so quickly and change so much, but it's harder to see in the upper levels. I am SO proud of my husband and I am SO glad I was able to be there to watch him. And thank for coming with me Marolyn!

Good job to all the students too. I know this will sound really dumb to all of you non-musicians out there, but it felt so good to see all of those kids stand together at the end of the parade. There had to have been close to 1,000 students on that field. I was so proud of all of them. We are friends with all of the teachers and they all make a difference in those kids lives and MUSIC makes a difference! I believe in it and (bare with me here people) I know it is important.

Just before I end this I have to thank the Veterans today. It was so neat to see them walk down the road as everyone saluted them. They are all hero's. What they have done is more then I could ever do and they did it for our country, for our freedom, to give others those freedoms that we take for granted, and for their families. May God bless every one of them!