Band, Band, Band

Okay, so here's the next try...

This week was crazy. I'm really tired and exhausted now, but still happy. I had a lot of fun.
Monday was a rather calm day. Homework, chores... the usual stuff.
On Tuesday, I had band practise again. It was okay and since I got all my homework done before practise, I didn't go to bed too late. I also got a package on Tuesday, from my mom! She had sent me my birthday present :) (a reaaaaaally really cute watch by Fossil - it's like a metal chain with tiny little flip flops on it and the watch of course), some German chocolate and gummy bears for everyone and some little things for the kids and Sheila and Doug. My brother and Jochen had sent me guitar chords and tabs - I really want to try them and start playing guitar a little more again but I guess I'll have to wait until the marching season is over for that.
Still, I overslept a little on Wednesday and so I had to hurry in the morning. That made me actually forget that it was my 17th birthday at first - it came back to my mind when Sheila congratulated me. School was okay but I was tired and it was hard to stay awake in some classes. After school, I had to stay because we went to the MSBOA (Michigan School Band & Orchestra Association) festival in at Sterling Heights High School. I had about 25 minutes to get my school stuff in my locker, go party and co., get my band stuff and go back down to the band room. Then, our 3 hour rehearsal started. After that, we loaded our equipment on the band truck. Since the pit equipment is hardest to fit into the truck, this is the most work for the pit people. When we were finally done, we only had about 15 minutes left to eat and get dressed. After that, we got on the buses (I'm on bus 4, the bus for the pit people and the battery) and left for Sterling Heights. The ride took about half an hour. When we got there, it was dark already. We unloaded the truck and seperated into the different sections to warm-up. After about half an hour or so, we had to take our stuff to the field and then we played our whole show ("Circles in Time" - I actually found a video of our show on youtube.com which was made in September, so I'm not in the band on it yet and actually, there have been a few changes in the show since then - they added something in the end which you can't see on that video yet - but oh well, just so you get an idea of what we're doing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmjW1xcpWys). I was nervous since it was my first show except those two short songs at the homecoming game. But I did good.
After the show, we brought our stuff back to the truck, loaded it again and then it was already time to leave again. We got a first place but it wasn't a real competition.
I arrived home past 11pm. Katie and her sister gave me a ride. I was so glad I didn't have any homework to do anymore and didn't do much else than just falling into my bed and SLEEP.
Still, I was reaaaally tired the next morning. I didn't oversleep again, but this time I actually did fall asleep in some classes. Well, it didn't matter, other band members did, too and I only fell asleep when there was nothing to do for the moment and woke up just in time. So that didn't get me into trouble.
When I got home, I started my homework but then my dad called to congratulate me for my birthday and after that, Chrissi called (that made me soooo incredibly happy! I so didn't expect her to call and so I was totally surprised and excited when it was her on the phone). It felt soooo good to talk to her :) I really miss her a lot. Oh my god, I think although I'm having such a great time here, I'm missing a lot back in Germany... she kind of had to update me on several things ^^ And I had some real "WHAT??????" moments on the phone :D
I had to finish our phone call when I had to leave for band practise. This practise was not very much fun because it was incredibly cold outside and although I was wearing 4 thick layers of clothes I was freezing after the 1st hour and we still had 3 hours to go. When the pit went out to the parking lot for a little more than the last hour to play with the band (we couldn't play on the field, there was a Freshmen football game going on that Courtney actually cheered for), it was even worse, because there was wind on the parking lot. I kept jumping and moving to get myself warm again but it didn't really help. At least I wasn't alone, the other pit people were freezing as much as me so it was some kind of shared pain.
This was the first time that I was really really seriously GLAD that practise was over and I could go to my nice and warm home. The disadvantage of going home was that I still had to do a lot of homework since I had spend the 2 hours before practise on the phone. So I put on my pyjamas, sat on my bed, put all my blankets around me and did my homework, eating gooood German chocolate :)
Being in school on Friday was crazy again. I didn't feel as tired as on Thursday but I still fell asleep a couple of times. In the afternoon, I actually had TIME. Time for my homework, time for doing my chores, time for finally (!) tidying up my room after this busy week and time for answering all my birthday mails. Sheila and Doug left in the morning, they are gone this weekend and Courtney, Grandma Tina and I are watching the little ones.
I didn't go to bed as early as I had planned to... well, and today I had to get up early again because there was a marching band competition in Plymouth. Katie and her dad picked me up at about 7.40 am (I got up at 6.15 ... on a Saturday! Oh boy...) and rehearsal began at 8. Like always, we first rehearsed in the sections and then we went onto the field to practise together. It was really cold this morning again but this time I had put on as many layers of clothes as possible: nylons, a panty hose, jeans and two pairs of socks to warm my legs and feet and 3 tops, a long-sleeve shirt, a tight sweater, my band shirt, a sweat-jacket AND Courtney's thick, huge Michigan State sweatshirt to warm the rest of my body. I also took gloves and a scarf. I didn't use the scarf but the gloves were really nice. I didn't get too cold this time and actually, the sun was shining the whole day which made the temperatures higher later.
At 12, we started loading the trucks. When we were done, we unfortunately only had 6 minutes left to get on the buses, so we pit people just ran back to the band room, changed, and then we had to eat most of our lunch on the buses. Well, but that was okay, the busride was almost an hour I think.
At the high school in Plymouth were the competition took place, we had to unload the truck first like usually, then, like usually, we separated into the sections to practise and a little less than an hour later we had to get out on the field. The show went better then Wednesday I believe - on Wednesday we had some technical issues and we played on real grass so many people tripped and stuff. So that was a lot better today.
After our show, we loaded our stuff back on the truck, then I headed for a bathroom with Savanna (I really have no idea if that's how you spell her name?? It's a really beautiful name though.) and Sarah, two other pit girls. After that, we got in line at the concession stands to get some food. I got a pizza slice. Then I hung out with Savanna (?), Sarah and Keith, who we had met at the stand, most of the time. It was so much fun. Later, we had to go to the stands. We watched the last performances and then the judges announced the scores.
We got 2nd place in our category and the award for best marching. The first thing is okay but still you could notice that the band was a little disappointed. Yesterday, they got 1st place at all competitions and 3rd place at the Michigan State Finals. The second thing, the award for best marching, surprised everyone of us - Mr Hilton is always complaining about the marching so much! That's his main point of criticism.
It was a really nice and fun day. We went back to L'Ance Creuse, changed, unloaded the truck and then waited for our dismissal. Mr Hilton didn't seem mad or anything (he was mad on Wednesday because of the things that went wrong), he just told us that this 2nd place should make us think about it and work harder and he said that he was also really surprised about the award for best marching but that we could be proud of that. Then he dismissed us and I went home - with Katie again, her mom and her dropped me off.
I took some of my clothes-layers off, ate a double cheeseburger and some fries that Grandma Tina and the kids had brought for me when they went to McDonald's tonight, and now I'm typing this here.
Tomorrow during 10-o'clock mass, Courtney and I will do the nursery school at church. We go to the church again at 6.30 for the night mass and I think we have a meeting of the church's teen group after that. Well, I won't have to get up too early tomorrow which is goooood.

I really want to sleep!