My 12-year-old hopped a bus last night at midnight.
Thankfully, this isn't one of those, "Help! My child is missing stories." I mean, we miss her, but she left with our permission (and slightly overbearing packing "assistance").
Thankfully, this isn't one of those, "Help! My child is missing stories." I mean, we miss her, but she left with our permission (and slightly overbearing packing "assistance").
Me and Q hanging out during the check-in process. (aka a ridiculously long hour wait in the gym).
She's off on a field trip to Southern California with her junior high symphonic band to play for some big name stars like Mickey Mouse and Mike Wazowski. Their schedule is both enviable and daunting:
Day 1:
They drove through the night and arrived around 7am this morning. Q claims she parsed together about six hours of sleep. (This is a solid 3-4 hours less than she gets on a typical night in her cozy bed). After a hearty breakfast at the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal City/Studios they started on a tour of Hollywood/Beverly Hills. Next up, a mid-tour stop to entertain the residents of the Veterans' Home of California with a musical performance. Lunch. More touring, a clinic at Biola University, dinner, and arcade time before they checked in at their (nearby) Disney hotel (around 9:30pm).
Day 2: Disney/California Adventure where they will perform at the California Adventure Park Hollywood Backlot. The rest of the day will be spent with their chaperoned groups negotiating ride and FastPass strategies.
Day 3: More Disney/California Adventure where they finagled their way into a soundtrack session at the Disney Performing Arts Instrumental Workshop. They'll record a tune that will then be dubbed to a Disney movie. They get to spend the rest of the day further practicing their negotiation skills until 11:30pm when they load themselves back on the bus for the seven hour drive back home.
Sunday 6:30 - I'll be dragging my butt out of bed to meet the bus and get her back home so she can very likely sleep the rest of the day.
Believe it or not, there are parents who not only volunteered to chaperone, but even paid money to do so. This group of parents is traditionally known as "crazy." (My guess is there was a whispered promise of an open bar and VIP parking at all future school events). But I appreciate these very special parents for sacrificing their sleep and sanity to make sure my daughter is safe.
My husband and I decided to go with the more conservative, "she'll probably have more fun without us" approach and instead watched the pre-concert at the multi-purpose room.
Day 1:
They drove through the night and arrived around 7am this morning. Q claims she parsed together about six hours of sleep. (This is a solid 3-4 hours less than she gets on a typical night in her cozy bed). After a hearty breakfast at the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal City/Studios they started on a tour of Hollywood/Beverly Hills. Next up, a mid-tour stop to entertain the residents of the Veterans' Home of California with a musical performance. Lunch. More touring, a clinic at Biola University, dinner, and arcade time before they checked in at their (nearby) Disney hotel (around 9:30pm).
Day 2: Disney/California Adventure where they will perform at the California Adventure Park Hollywood Backlot. The rest of the day will be spent with their chaperoned groups negotiating ride and FastPass strategies.
Day 3: More Disney/California Adventure where they finagled their way into a soundtrack session at the Disney Performing Arts Instrumental Workshop. They'll record a tune that will then be dubbed to a Disney movie. They get to spend the rest of the day further practicing their negotiation skills until 11:30pm when they load themselves back on the bus for the seven hour drive back home.
Sunday 6:30 - I'll be dragging my butt out of bed to meet the bus and get her back home so she can very likely sleep the rest of the day.
Believe it or not, there are parents who not only volunteered to chaperone, but even paid money to do so. This group of parents is traditionally known as "crazy." (My guess is there was a whispered promise of an open bar and VIP parking at all future school events). But I appreciate these very special parents for sacrificing their sleep and sanity to make sure my daughter is safe.
My husband and I decided to go with the more conservative, "she'll probably have more fun without us" approach and instead watched the pre-concert at the multi-purpose room.
Almost as glamorous as Disneyland.
They played amazingly well and I know they'll impress the Disney crowd! If they can stay awake that long.
Update: Sounds like they did very well at their Disney performance! Thanks to Quinn's "second mom" for this great photo:
Update: Sounds like they did very well at their Disney performance! Thanks to Quinn's "second mom" for this great photo:
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