I'm not usually a big joiner on these things but turning off my lights for an hour is simple enough.
Kyla has committed to taking part in Earth Hour 2008. Like Kyla, you can add your name to the Earth Hour movement here. Once registered, you'll receive useful tool and tips to help you get even more involved. And Kyla will see that their efforts have inspired you to join Earth Hour.
http://earthhour.org
Mar 27, 2008
Mar 24, 2008
Band Trip
I was very happy this year when I heard that we were going to be heading to Rockford/Chicago with the band on the return side of a band exchange. The Rockford Temple band came to Calgary for Stampede last July and I was looking forward to going out to their corps.
So the Easter date was set, the fundraising has commenced and we got our itinerary. I flew out on the 6:30am flight going from Calgary to Denver to Rockford. So I stayed at Pete and Sandy's the night before, got all of an hours sleep and headed over to the airport. I had one suitcase, my carry on and of course my horn. We met the other three people travelling with us and checked in. I cleared customs, sent my horn and bag (marked for Rockford) down the chute and headed to the gate with my group. The flight to Denver was fine. Short and sweet with no problems. We arrived at gate 25 and had to walk down to gate 91 which ate up most of our layover in Denver. The plane from Denver to Rockford was considerably smaller and I noticed the change when my ears plugged and it was a painful experience. When the plane descended my ears did not unplug and the pain started again. It faded as we walked and I decided that a plugged ear can be lived with so long as it doesn't hurt.
We were greeted in Rockford by the bandmaster and headed down to their single luggage carousel. A few bags came out and then nothing more until with a deafening THUD down came Dave's tuba, and the rest of the bags....or so it seemed. Missing in the luggage was Dave's suitcase, Dani's suitcase, Pete & Sandy's garment bag and....my horn. We filled out the claim forms and headed to the corps. We were told by the airport that we would be receiving our things from Denver late that night.
So we grabbed some lunch, hooked up with the other flight group and had dinner at the corps with the Rockford band, their families and the rest of the billets. My billet partner was Bev Preston and my billets were Alan and Shirley Nelson. They were fantastic. I had my own room with the bathroom right across the hall. The Nelson's were lovely to stay with and I was happy to see my billet situation. We sat and talked for awhile that night and then I went to bed and slept very, very well.
Friday morning we got up and got ready for our trip to Chicago. Upon arriving at the corps I was informed that while the luggage had arrived my horn had not. It had been sent on. So, I borrowed a horn from one of the Rockford band members and off we went. Needless to say I was not in the most positive frame of mind and sat by myself on the bus. We played a lunch hour good Friday concert in a government building and then got changed for a trip to a large mall in Chicago as the weather was too nasty to tour downtown. We wandered around for an hour and a half and I got to go to my favourite store in the states which was fantastic. Then we loaded the bus and headed to Oakbrook corps for a good Friday service. Little did I know that Bill Himes my favourite composer attended Oakbrook and I got to meet him and he had dinner with us at my table. That was a very exciting moment for me (I can hear dad laughing at me as he reads this). The evening service went very well and we finished on an upbeat note singing/playing There is Power in the Blood.
Saturday Lindsay and I decided to go shopping in Rockford which enabled us to sleep a bit later, and spend some time with our billets. I had the most fantastic breakfast of swedish pancakes and bacon. I didn't want to leave that table that's for sure. However, the time came to head out and so we did. I met up with Linds at the mall and we wandered. There I got to go to my second favourite store in the states and that was also great. Saturday afternoon we headed to the corps for sound check, dinner and of course the big concert. Imagine my joy and surprise when I was informed that my horn had FINALLY arrived undamaged and ready to play. I returned the borrowed horn and played my own happily. The sound check went well and then it was off to dinner. I enjoyed the concert no end as we played, sang and played some more. Some really fun pieces to listen to like Western Fantasy and Praising, as well as some more thought provoking ones like Reflections in Nature were on the program. I was up there with the timbrels and we had a great time. Afterwards it was home with the billets to chat some more and then I had to pack up. Getting all my stuff into my suitcase proved an interesting challenge but I managed.
Sunday morning we brought all of our stuff to the corps (well not Bev because she stayed on a couple days) and got ready for a SonRise service and 7 o'clock in the morning. I don't remember a lot of it just that I was very very tired. Then it was off to the Swedish American hospital to do some Easter carolling with the Rockford band. They also fed us breakfast which we were very happy about. Back to Rockford corps for their regular Sunday service and then one more lunch with the band and billets. Then it was off to Chicago for our flight where I traded my seat for Sandy's window and managed to get the row with no chair in front of it which I needed for my incredibly long legs ;). We landed in Calgary and miracle of miracles my horn and my bag arrived as did everyone elses.
It was a great trip and this is a very long blog, but it's nice to be home.
So the Easter date was set, the fundraising has commenced and we got our itinerary. I flew out on the 6:30am flight going from Calgary to Denver to Rockford. So I stayed at Pete and Sandy's the night before, got all of an hours sleep and headed over to the airport. I had one suitcase, my carry on and of course my horn. We met the other three people travelling with us and checked in. I cleared customs, sent my horn and bag (marked for Rockford) down the chute and headed to the gate with my group. The flight to Denver was fine. Short and sweet with no problems. We arrived at gate 25 and had to walk down to gate 91 which ate up most of our layover in Denver. The plane from Denver to Rockford was considerably smaller and I noticed the change when my ears plugged and it was a painful experience. When the plane descended my ears did not unplug and the pain started again. It faded as we walked and I decided that a plugged ear can be lived with so long as it doesn't hurt.
We were greeted in Rockford by the bandmaster and headed down to their single luggage carousel. A few bags came out and then nothing more until with a deafening THUD down came Dave's tuba, and the rest of the bags....or so it seemed. Missing in the luggage was Dave's suitcase, Dani's suitcase, Pete & Sandy's garment bag and....my horn. We filled out the claim forms and headed to the corps. We were told by the airport that we would be receiving our things from Denver late that night.
So we grabbed some lunch, hooked up with the other flight group and had dinner at the corps with the Rockford band, their families and the rest of the billets. My billet partner was Bev Preston and my billets were Alan and Shirley Nelson. They were fantastic. I had my own room with the bathroom right across the hall. The Nelson's were lovely to stay with and I was happy to see my billet situation. We sat and talked for awhile that night and then I went to bed and slept very, very well.
Friday morning we got up and got ready for our trip to Chicago. Upon arriving at the corps I was informed that while the luggage had arrived my horn had not. It had been sent on. So, I borrowed a horn from one of the Rockford band members and off we went. Needless to say I was not in the most positive frame of mind and sat by myself on the bus. We played a lunch hour good Friday concert in a government building and then got changed for a trip to a large mall in Chicago as the weather was too nasty to tour downtown. We wandered around for an hour and a half and I got to go to my favourite store in the states which was fantastic. Then we loaded the bus and headed to Oakbrook corps for a good Friday service. Little did I know that Bill Himes my favourite composer attended Oakbrook and I got to meet him and he had dinner with us at my table. That was a very exciting moment for me (I can hear dad laughing at me as he reads this). The evening service went very well and we finished on an upbeat note singing/playing There is Power in the Blood.
Saturday Lindsay and I decided to go shopping in Rockford which enabled us to sleep a bit later, and spend some time with our billets. I had the most fantastic breakfast of swedish pancakes and bacon. I didn't want to leave that table that's for sure. However, the time came to head out and so we did. I met up with Linds at the mall and we wandered. There I got to go to my second favourite store in the states and that was also great. Saturday afternoon we headed to the corps for sound check, dinner and of course the big concert. Imagine my joy and surprise when I was informed that my horn had FINALLY arrived undamaged and ready to play. I returned the borrowed horn and played my own happily. The sound check went well and then it was off to dinner. I enjoyed the concert no end as we played, sang and played some more. Some really fun pieces to listen to like Western Fantasy and Praising, as well as some more thought provoking ones like Reflections in Nature were on the program. I was up there with the timbrels and we had a great time. Afterwards it was home with the billets to chat some more and then I had to pack up. Getting all my stuff into my suitcase proved an interesting challenge but I managed.
Sunday morning we brought all of our stuff to the corps (well not Bev because she stayed on a couple days) and got ready for a SonRise service and 7 o'clock in the morning. I don't remember a lot of it just that I was very very tired. Then it was off to the Swedish American hospital to do some Easter carolling with the Rockford band. They also fed us breakfast which we were very happy about. Back to Rockford corps for their regular Sunday service and then one more lunch with the band and billets. Then it was off to Chicago for our flight where I traded my seat for Sandy's window and managed to get the row with no chair in front of it which I needed for my incredibly long legs ;). We landed in Calgary and miracle of miracles my horn and my bag arrived as did everyone elses.
It was a great trip and this is a very long blog, but it's nice to be home.
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