All State Chorus

This weekend was All State Chorus for Kaitlin. She was picked by her schools' music teacher to go to the state singing performance with the schools' top 8 singers. The cool thing is that 3 of her closest friends were also chosen (I think you have to be talented to be in her circle of friends) so it was a weekend getaway for all of us. It was also my birthday....so very cool timing.

Kaitlin and I stayed in a hotel with Mama, who came along for the show, and to be my company during those loooooong rehearsals. (Thank you Beth for the laughs, the generosity, and the knowledge that I will always carry with me about remote controls.) The girls (and one boy) practiced all day Friday and half the day Saturday. It was a lot of work, but the director of the whole show was worth all the effort. He was flaming gay and full of joy and excitement. He was talented, proud, and sporting purple pants and an inspiring enthusiasm for God and children's music like you've never seen. The kids LOVED him....and he brought an energy to the crowd of 250 5th graders that was of respect and awe. He was able to keep them all quiet, on cue, and listening to every word he said. I can't even do that with 20 kids, much less 250! He composed the music himself, along with another girl, and I was blown away by the songwriting. It was all about God's love and glory......and what is better to sing about than that?

Do you know what 250 of the state's most talented singers sound like all together when they all sing about God and His glory? It gave me chills, and I fought back tears the whole time. WOW. Not a very good picture, but I was more focused on filming it at the time and only had one hand.

Th fabulous nine.....chillin at the Chick-Fil-A. And don't you feel sorry for the one boy in the group. He was loving every minute of this weekend.....the center of attention, and entertaining the girls with his Michael Jackson moves and sarcasm the whole weekend.

And I couldn't leave out this photo of my very clever mil. She brings a plastic bag to every hotel room to cover the germ-filled remote control with. I got a kick out of this and we both got a nice laugh! Thanks for being such fun company! Next time it's Embassy Suites all the way!

And last but not least, thank you to my mom for watching my kids all night last night so Eric and I could have some time alone on my 31st birthday. We were supposed to go to a nice restaraunt with friends but had to cancel because of our budget this month. We ended up having a BLAST for under 35 bucks! We shared a salad and breadsticks at a local italian joint and saw the new MJ movie, This is It. It was an awesome movie! We had such a good time by ourselves and laughed harder than we've laughed in along time. Some much needed alone time. :) It was a VERY Happy Birthday.