Light at the end of the tunnel.

Another year in the books, and we don’t know what to do. Sometime around February and March, Reese and I start an annual ritual of asking each other,

“When do we get a break?”

And at that point we start looking for the light at the end of the tunnel.

I was busy last night finishing the winter guard videos and Reese was attending one of her monthly booster board meetings and as I copied and printed the CD labels for the last video, I thought I saw a glimpse of the light. I sat there and started to look back to see just what we had accomplished.

It all started last July, which is when we load up the busses with some band kids and head down to San Antonio and attend the Drum Corp International competition at the Alamo Dome. This trip is a big deal for the new incoming freshmen due to the fact it is their first trip as a high schooler, and they seem to stand a little taller, smile a little brighter, and as they watch the Drum Corps perform they finally realize what may be in store for them over the next couple of months. I like the trip because I absolutely love San Antonio and when he go down there it means I get to eat at my all time favorite restaurant , “Casa Del Rio” which when translated into English means “bestest Texmex food in the whole wide world”!

Soon after the July trip, we move into summer band camp. The kids spend countless hours rehearsing, marching, marching, and rehearsing. Sounds pretty simple, yeah right. A good portion of the routine is conducted at the high school on an asphalt parking lot in the months of July and August with temps ranging between 90 and 115 degrees.

During this time the boosters are ever present with dinner, water, popsicles, hugs, band aids, ice, ace bandages, and the occasional kick in the rear to keep them motivated. We also must try to guard the kids from the parents arriving to pick them up at the end of the day. For some reason the parents think that in order to pick their kid up from the school that they must be the fastest and closest to the front door as possible. A couple of years ago Reese was almost hit by a car and so we take the whole parking lot thing very serious. Part of the camp consists of the dreaded 9 to 9 week. That is when the band arrives at the school at 9 am and leaves the school at 9 pm. During the 9 to 9 camp they march, practice, eat, sleep, swim, watch movies, and complain about all the their aches and pains. The boosters also provide dinners every night, consisting of a fish night, (freshmen night), not that we feed them fish, but that is the affectionate nick name given to the new underclassmen, a sophomore night, a junior night, a senior night, and finally the very busy family night. This is usually the first time that I come in contact with the parents. During this week I try to make mental notes of the freshmen parents because I know that I will never see them again until senior night some four years later.

So we have the band in full swing, and at that point Reese and I decide that we need more to do, so we start prepping for the Rite of Catholic initiation of Adults or the RCIA at the Church. This is a 9 month program for individuals wishing to convert to Catholicism. So at that point we know that for the next 9 months we are ensured that every Wednesday and Sunday are taken. Reese and I are the RCIA directors, and we make sure that everything is possible covered. So in a sense we try our best to cram 2000 + years of Catholic Church history into nine months.
But wait that’s not all, Reese decides that she needs more to do, so she will become involved in the Fort Hood Military Family Scholarship committee. So now she has something to do during lunch on select Mondays throughout the rest of the School year. She also provides her input into the High school as a member of the parent’s advisory committee. I have also decide that I will start attending the Knights of Columbus meetings so now my Thursdays will be covered from here on out.

Ok, now we move onto August, breathe, we are just getting started. We now look forward to Football season. Now most people think that this may just consist of Friday nights and sitting in the stands watching the football game and listening to the band. However, during football season we begin on Monday and Tuesday nights with the Jr. High School concessions. We make sure that they are stocked and ready to feed the masses. Wednesdays are RCIA and Thursday and Fridays are for the high school football concession nights. Breathe, August is pretty smooth, we get into a routine, and then October hits, and we start marching season. So now we are with the band in some fashion on Monday, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. And now for the rest of the month of October we will be with the band on every Saturday. This is a tough time during the year, for instance, on Friday nights the band will perform at the game, if the game is an away game, we may not return to the band hall until 2 or 3 in the morning. Now during marching season the band may have to be on the road for a contest the next morning at 6. So the kids go home shower eat, try to sleep and then head back to the band hall. But they absolutely love it.
In November marching season is over, but we still have football games, RCIA, scholarship committees, parent advisory, booster board, and booster general membership, knights of Columbus, Veterans Day parade and whatever type of meeting may come about. And if the football team does well we begin the playoff season, also fund raiser order and moneys are due to the band boosters, but by now we are in the flow and we seem to make it work.

December is the a little calmer but now we need to add in the Christmas concert. And I would just like to take this time to echo Mr. Kelley’s comments,

“Welcome to the Copperas Cove Christmas Concert, and if you feel offended by the phrase Christmas Concert, well, there are the exits.”

You gotta love that man.

Ok so we have the Christmas Concert, I think the first Area and solo and ensemble tryouts for the band, pick up the cookies and goodies for the fund raiser from November the Rite of Acceptance for the RCIA, and our annual family trip to Disney World to perform our midyear revamp and Mickey time. I have left out many other functions that we attend also, not because I forgot about them but because they just seem to blend in with the rest of the events.

In January we have band, RCIA, scholarship, knights of Columbus, parent advisory Fort Hood Military Family Scholarship committee as usual. And now we add the following. I begin work on the end of year band video, which consumes a good portion of my time, start prepping for Thing 2’s birthday party, which by the way next year will be her 16th, yikes!!!!, plus winter guard, banquet committee, band booster scholarship committee, and prepping for the Central Texas Music Festival, UIL performances, solo and ensembles.

Every month for the rest of the year is pretty packed. We never stop, we are like little energizer bunnies we just keep going and going and going. February we have Central Texas Music Fest, in March we have the UIL, with the band and with RCIA we have the Rite of Sending and Rite of Election, Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.

And at last after all the secret meetings and workshops, we end the year with the band banquet. We keep the theme a secret so that the kids will be surprised when the walk through the doors. I know that there is so much more to tell you but I need to get ready to start my class here at Fort Hood, and try and gives as much information to the soldiers before they deploy. Oh yeah, by the way, Reese and I both work full time. So the next time we ask someone if they could possible help us out at one of our many events and if they look at me and say,

“I would love to help, but I work full time”

I am gonna punch them right in the mouth.

Last weekend Reese and I had our first weekend off since last July. We sat around, watched T.V. looked out the windows and finally one Monday we looked at each other and said,

“I’m bored, I wished it was July, and I am ready for band and football to start.”

To top things off I was hit with a new revelation last weekend when Thing 2 said,

“Daddy, I made it into the Wind Ensemble”.

This probably means something else we will have to prepare for. No problem we will just make it happen. And as I was writing this I just realized that Thing 2 will start driving next year. Shit.
So we have seen the light at the end of the tunnel, but apparently we don’t like it we thrive on the chaos and the turmoil. We constantly have to be in the middle of some type of project. After all we are the Joneses, keep up.