Texas - Day 6

originally emailed July 5, 2008, 6:29am

Good morning! {yawn} It's early. The kids are probably all still sound asleep, save Leanna who rises early because it takes her so long to get ready. We'll be home in just a few short hours and I'm sure your kids will give you their perspectives on how everything went. But before they do, here's one final update for you...

Yesterday the high schoolers sang at Methodist Children's Hospital. The hospital requirers all volunteers to be at least 15, and no amount of pleading on my part could make them change the rule. So, the middle schoolers had a chance to sleep in and work on a secret project (which everyone will find out about later). I opened my door at 730 to head down to breakast and who did I find in the hallway? Maddie, Madison, Jenna, and Kaitlyn. Up. Dressed in their uniforms. And en route to breakfast. (Their room was across the hall from mine.) So much for sleeping in! Their high school counterparts were still tucked away in their rooms but these young singers were up and at 'em. I think they've been so excited to be on tour that they're still a little giddy with excitement. (They're going to crash when they get home!)

The high schoolers headed off to the Hospital where we divided into 2 groups because of the large size of our chor and the small size of the patient wards. Dean led one and I led the other, and then the group joined forces and sang together. We had our instruments for the kids, as well as patriotic leis, stickers, and other 4th of July trinkets, and bubbles. Singing in a hospital is always an interesting experience because there's no telling what form the patients will be in. Sometimes we sing to a packed room. Other times, there are just a few people in the crowd-- yesterday was like that.

But the nurses were quick to point out a few important things. Of the small crowd, one girl hadn't been out of her room in a month. She was 9 or 10, and had been part of a musical group at her church. She made it to the hallway where we were singing and we put a drum in her hand. She kept the beat for the whole concert! Other patients were too sick to come out of their rooms but they could hear the music and enjoyed listenting. One patient was having a painful procedure and his nurse told him to just listen to the choir-- and that helped him cope.

On these trips, I trust God to plan the most critical details -- like who's in the audience. And I fully believe that the people who hear us are the people he meant to hear us. There was a little boy sitting in a wagon at the hospital yesterday, propped up on pillows that almost hid all the machines he was attached to. He had to be 2 or 3 years old. I put a drum in his hands, and that little guy played and sang through the whole concert. You look at a child like that, sick and spending his summer in a hospital, and you can't help but think, "Yes, I would fly halfway across the country to make you happy for 20 minutes. Yes, I would invest hundreds of hours in rehearsing and fundraising and planning just to remind you that God loves you and cares for you, even in this difficult time. God put me on this earth to be right here, right now, and I am going to make the most of it."

After the hospital, we picked up the middle schoolers and headed off to Market Square for lunch and shopping. Then, we went to visit Mission San Jose, part of the historic Mission Trail. The kids watched a film about the mission and then explored it before our concert. The space, like San Fernando, is a great place for singing. We had a good-sized crowd and the singers gave their best concert so far. And while we sang, the rain came down. But - it stopped right as our concert was ending. :-)

From there, we changed into dressy clothes and headed down to the Riverwalk for some free time before our evening dinner cruise. The juniors and seniors were on one boat and the 6th-12th graders were on 2 other boats. Our upperclassmen enjoyed this special time on their last night of choir tour and the younger singers had a good time on their boats, too. On the junior/senior boat, we added up years of VIP exeperience. The total came to 45 with Molly and Leanna in the lead at 7 years; Dean, Jenna, and Jamie at 5; Blaire at 4; Ashley at 3; Kyle, Caitlin, Carrie, CC at 2 years; and Cary with one. We are fortunate to have had each of these singers with us.

Back at the hotel, it was time for our last devotional. It was my turn to lead and I closed the week with the verse from Matthew 5:14-16--"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

I took the kids outside and gave them 3-foot sparklers which we lit and waved as we sang the piece "This Little Light of Mine." And that was cool.

Indeed, they are the light of the world. Thank you for teaching them to shine and for letting them be part of this trip.

Homeward bound,
Holly

PS - Our concert is tomorrow night at 7pm-- please bring refreshments for our post-concert reception. We are asking all kids to report by 6pm and I am asking singers who have been late to past rehearsals to report at 5:30pm. Thanks for helping them with this!

Texas - Day 6

originally emailed July 5, 2008, 6:29am

Good morning! {yawn} It's early. The kids are probably all still sound asleep, save Leanna who rises early because it takes her so long to get ready. We'll be home in just a few short hours and I'm sure your kids will give you their perspectives on how everything went. But before they do, here's one final update for you...

Yesterday the high schoolers sang at Methodist Children's Hospital. The hospital requirers all volunteers to be at least 15, and no amount of pleading on my part could make them change the rule. So, the middle schoolers had a chance to sleep in and work on a secret project (which everyone will find out about later). I opened my door at 730 to head down to breakast and who did I find in the hallway? Maddie, Madison, Jenna, and Kaitlyn. Up. Dressed in their uniforms. And en route to breakfast. (Their room was across the hall from mine.) So much for sleeping in! Their high school counterparts were still tucked away in their rooms but these young singers were up and at 'em. I think they've been so excited to be on tour that they're still a little giddy with excitement. (They're going to crash when they get home!)

The high schoolers headed off to the Hospital where we divided into 2 groups because of the large size of our chor and the small size of the patient wards. Dean led one and I led the other, and then the group joined forces and sang together. We had our instruments for the kids, as well as patriotic leis, stickers, and other 4th of July trinkets, and bubbles. Singing in a hospital is always an interesting experience because there's no telling what form the patients will be in. Sometimes we sing to a packed room. Other times, there are just a few people in the crowd-- yesterday was like that.

But the nurses were quick to point out a few important things. Of the small crowd, one girl hadn't been out of her room in a month. She was 9 or 10, and had been part of a musical group at her church. She made it to the hallway where we were singing and we put a drum in her hand. She kept the beat for the whole concert! Other patients were too sick to come out of their rooms but they could hear the music and enjoyed listenting. One patient was having a painful procedure and his nurse told him to just listen to the choir-- and that helped him cope.

On these trips, I trust God to plan the most critical details -- like who's in the audience. And I fully believe that the people who hear us are the people he meant to hear us. There was a little boy sitting in a wagon at the hospital yesterday, propped up on pillows that almost hid all the machines he was attached to. He had to be 2 or 3 years old. I put a drum in his hands, and that little guy played and sang through the whole concert. You look at a child like that, sick and spending his summer in a hospital, and you can't help but think, "Yes, I would fly halfway across the country to make you happy for 20 minutes. Yes, I would invest hundreds of hours in rehearsing and fundraising and planning just to remind you that God loves you and cares for you, even in this difficult time. God put me on this earth to be right here, right now, and I am going to make the most of it."

After the hospital, we picked up the middle schoolers and headed off to Market Square for lunch and shopping. Then, we went to visit Mission San Jose, part of the historic Mission Trail. The kids watched a film about the mission and then explored it before our concert. The space, like San Fernando, is a great place for singing. We had a good-sized crowd and the singers gave their best concert so far. And while we sang, the rain came down. But - it stopped right as our concert was ending. :-)

From there, we changed into dressy clothes and headed down to the Riverwalk for some free time before our evening dinner cruise. The juniors and seniors were on one boat and the 6th-12th graders were on 2 other boats. Our upperclassmen enjoyed this special time on their last night of choir tour and the younger singers had a good time on their boats, too. On the junior/senior boat, we added up years of VIP exeperience. The total came to 45 with Molly and Leanna in the lead at 7 years; Dean, Jenna, and Jamie at 5; Blaire at 4; Ashley at 3; Kyle, Caitlin, Carrie, CC at 2 years; and Cary with one. We are fortunate to have had each of these singers with us.

Back at the hotel, it was time for our last devotional. It was my turn to lead and I closed the week with the verse from Matthew 5:14-16--"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

I took the kids outside and gave them 3-foot sparklers which we lit and waved as we sang the piece "This Little Light of Mine." And that was cool.

Indeed, they are the light of the world. Thank you for teaching them to shine and for letting them be part of this trip.

Homeward bound,
Holly

PS - Our concert is tomorrow night at 7pm-- please bring refreshments for our post-concert reception. We are asking all kids to report by 6pm and I am asking singers who have been late to past rehearsals to report at 5:30pm. Thanks for helping them with this!

Texas - Day 5

originally emailed July 4, 2008, 10:03am

Happy 4th of July from the Lone Star State! We're up and ready for our final day of Choir Tour. This week has flown by for us -- can't believe it's Friday already.

Yesterday started out a little rough. The kids were wiped out from their day at Six Flags and several of them had lost their voices. grrrr They were generally tired, and it showed. We warmed up and they didn't show much improvement, so I gave a pretty good "You came here to sing and you need to rise up and do your job" speech. I think most people don't realize just how much energy it takes to sing a concert. Even though we know this music inside and out, performing it requires an incredible amount of focus and concentration. It is exhausting. But VIP managed to gets its act together and gave a good concert. Not their finest performance ever but certainly better than I thought they'd do.

We headed off to lunch at an Irish pub (yay!), and then a visit to the Alamo. We got to the Imax movie theater just before the rain came pouring down!

As we waited for the movie to start, I re-examined our afternoon plans. We had our big concert at San Fernando and if the choir didn't get some rest, the concert would be a flop. So, I surveyed the group and nearly half of them agreed that rest would be a good thing. Poor Elizabeth -- she had really lost her voice and the prospect of losing her precious shopping time was... well, a tragedy for her! But she eventually came to the wise conclusion that the shopping could wait. She, and the other kids came here to sing, and if they needed an afternoon nap to do that, so be it.

So, some people napped while others hit the Riverwalk. We had dinner and then it was time for the concert at San Fernando. What a space for singing. You couldn't ask for a better concert venue -- the acoustics were fantastic. And VIP rose to the occasion. From the first note to the last, this was their best concert yet. The music just soared in this cathedral and the happinesss of a job well done was evident on the kids faces, and on mine.

Minutes after the concert ended, the thunder roared and the rain came down in huge (loud) drops. The cathedral echoed with the sounds of the storm and once again, I gave thanks to God for his good timing. We recorded the whole concert and had that rain started any earlier, the sound of the storm would've been part of the recording. Texas has been in a drought for months -- leave it to the arrival of VIP to bring rain!

Off to the Children's Hospital...

Love,
Holly

Texas - Day 5

originally emailed July 4, 2008, 10:03am

Happy 4th of July from the Lone Star State! We're up and ready for our final day of Choir Tour. This week has flown by for us -- can't believe it's Friday already.

Yesterday started out a little rough. The kids were wiped out from their day at Six Flags and several of them had lost their voices. grrrr They were generally tired, and it showed. We warmed up and they didn't show much improvement, so I gave a pretty good "You came here to sing and you need to rise up and do your job" speech. I think most people don't realize just how much energy it takes to sing a concert. Even though we know this music inside and out, performing it requires an incredible amount of focus and concentration. It is exhausting. But VIP managed to gets its act together and gave a good concert. Not their finest performance ever but certainly better than I thought they'd do.

We headed off to lunch at an Irish pub (yay!), and then a visit to the Alamo. We got to the Imax movie theater just before the rain came pouring down!

As we waited for the movie to start, I re-examined our afternoon plans. We had our big concert at San Fernando and if the choir didn't get some rest, the concert would be a flop. So, I surveyed the group and nearly half of them agreed that rest would be a good thing. Poor Elizabeth -- she had really lost her voice and the prospect of losing her precious shopping time was... well, a tragedy for her! But she eventually came to the wise conclusion that the shopping could wait. She, and the other kids came here to sing, and if they needed an afternoon nap to do that, so be it.

So, some people napped while others hit the Riverwalk. We had dinner and then it was time for the concert at San Fernando. What a space for singing. You couldn't ask for a better concert venue -- the acoustics were fantastic. And VIP rose to the occasion. From the first note to the last, this was their best concert yet. The music just soared in this cathedral and the happinesss of a job well done was evident on the kids faces, and on mine.

Minutes after the concert ended, the thunder roared and the rain came down in huge (loud) drops. The cathedral echoed with the sounds of the storm and once again, I gave thanks to God for his good timing. We recorded the whole concert and had that rain started any earlier, the sound of the storm would've been part of the recording. Texas has been in a drought for months -- leave it to the arrival of VIP to bring rain!

Off to the Children's Hospital...

Love,
Holly

Texas - Day 4

originally emailed Thursday, July 3, 2008, 8:51am

We had a lovely day in Six Flags yesterday, and were blessed with AWESOME weather. It was pretty warm when we arrived but within 30 minutes, it rained and cooled things off. The rest of the day was just spectacular and not too hot.

The park was relatively empty; we never waited more than 20 minutes for a ride and often were able to just walk onto a ride. I think the kids got to do everything they wanted to do! Our youngest singers spent a good part of the day in water park area with chaperone Rolinda Collinson (who deserves a gold medal for managing six 6th graders all day) while the high schoolers hit the different rides. One of the rides, the Gully Washer, is a white water raft ride with water guns on the banks where onlookers can pay to fire a stream of water. These seemed like a wise investment to some of the VIPs who soaked their fellow singers! Scott Dean and I can attest to Adam Kratz's good aim.

I was very happy that the high schoolers all checked in on time, every time. Everyone is safe and sound and a good time was had by all!

Now, I pray that they have voices after all their screaming and yelling yesterday. Today is a big day with a concert at the Meadows Retirement Community in the morning and abother at San Fernando cathedral in the evening. Please pray that the kids are in full voice and ready to give 100% to today's mission!

Love,
Holly

Texas - Day 4

originally emailed Thursday, July 3, 2008, 8:51am

We had a lovely day in Six Flags yesterday, and were blessed with AWESOME weather. It was pretty warm when we arrived but within 30 minutes, it rained and cooled things off. The rest of the day was just spectacular and not too hot.

The park was relatively empty; we never waited more than 20 minutes for a ride and often were able to just walk onto a ride. I think the kids got to do everything they wanted to do! Our youngest singers spent a good part of the day in water park area with chaperone Rolinda Collinson (who deserves a gold medal for managing six 6th graders all day) while the high schoolers hit the different rides. One of the rides, the Gully Washer, is a white water raft ride with water guns on the banks where onlookers can pay to fire a stream of water. These seemed like a wise investment to some of the VIPs who soaked their fellow singers! Scott Dean and I can attest to Adam Kratz's good aim.

I was very happy that the high schoolers all checked in on time, every time. Everyone is safe and sound and a good time was had by all!

Now, I pray that they have voices after all their screaming and yelling yesterday. Today is a big day with a concert at the Meadows Retirement Community in the morning and abother at San Fernando cathedral in the evening. Please pray that the kids are in full voice and ready to give 100% to today's mission!

Love,
Holly

Texas - Day 3

originally emailed July 2, 2008, 11:01am

Today is our "sleep in" day when the kids get some extra (and much needed) rest. We're off to Six Flags in an hour but before we go, I thought I'd tell you about yesterday...

I'm sure you all got the email about us being in the newspaper! We learned today that there are additional pics and video online: http://www.statesman.com/search/content/news/photos/07/070108choir_slideshow.html

Yes, that is us singing and thank goodness they recorded one of our best songs!

Yesterday morning, we left Austin and headed south to New Braunfels where we performed at Eden Home Retirement Community. The kids did a fantastic job! And the residents were so glad to see the kids. It was like a wheelchair parade of residents coming to/from the chapel where we sang. Apparently, Eden Home has had four choirs come through their doors in the last month or so, and you know who they said was #1? :-) VIP. Now, maybe they're just saying that but I don't think so.

We went to eat lunch and after we had finished, the skies opened up and the rain fell in huge drops. We raced from out outdoor pincic tables to the safety of a covered porch. As residents around us questioned what had brought this rain, experienced VIPs smiled. I explained to the residents that every time this choir goes on tour, we bring rain. It just happens. When we were in Orlando in 2002, it rained so much that our hotel was flooded, the water park closed, and we came up with a daily "monsoon plan" to handle exiting the park at an unexpected time. Texas has been in deep drought so the rain was a welcome relief. And no big deal to us becase we spent the afternoon toobing on the Guadalupe River!

Toobing was a lot of fun and it was nice to see the kids have fun together. There were several series of rapids that had to be negotiated and the VIPs did a good job of looking out for one another. Caitlin Fowler, one of our seniors, stayed at a rapid to make sure that our 6th grade girls (Maddie, Madison, Jenna, and Ellie) got through it. (Scott Dean was w/ them to!) And Jamie Wood brought Adam Kratz into her tube to help keep him warm. The water temperature was in the low 60s and the air temp was somewhere in the low 80s. (Where is the Texas heat we were expecting?!) Adam was blue from the cold! There was a lot of swimming and splashing and I am plotting my revenge against one Mr. Jeff Myers who dumped me in the river, with some help and encouragement from Blaire, Kerry, and Mary Brooke. I put up a good fight but was out-numbered.

We checked into our hotel and had a quick taco dinner, and then it was off to sing a concert at the Dwyer Center, a homeless shelter. As we did at the Children's Home, we passed out instruments and asked the audience members to play along. They did an awesome job! The audience really responded to VIP and lots of people came up to talk to me and the kids. One man said, "I was expecting some little kids who'd do a few songs. YOu all have absolutely blown me away. I can't believe how great you are." And a few people even asked for my autograph. haha One shelter resident writes songs in her spare time and asked if I'd take a look at them. Another one, asked for our mailing address so he could write. The choir sang well (and did a good job correcting some minor musical mistakes) and had fun.

Then, we made an evening run to Sonic for ice cream. We've all seen those Sonic commercials but there's no Sonic near home! The kids stood in the drive-in spots and ordered their ice cream. It was pretty funny. And now we've all had a good night's sleep and it's off to Six Flags!

Love,
Holly

Texas - Day 3

originally emailed July 2, 2008, 11:01am

Today is our "sleep in" day when the kids get some extra (and much needed) rest. We're off to Six Flags in an hour but before we go, I thought I'd tell you about yesterday...

I'm sure you all got the email about us being in the newspaper! We learned today that there are additional pics and video online: http://www.statesman.com/search/content/news/photos/07/070108choir_slideshow.html

Yes, that is us singing and thank goodness they recorded one of our best songs!

Yesterday morning, we left Austin and headed south to New Braunfels where we performed at Eden Home Retirement Community. The kids did a fantastic job! And the residents were so glad to see the kids. It was like a wheelchair parade of residents coming to/from the chapel where we sang. Apparently, Eden Home has had four choirs come through their doors in the last month or so, and you know who they said was #1? :-) VIP. Now, maybe they're just saying that but I don't think so.

We went to eat lunch and after we had finished, the skies opened up and the rain fell in huge drops. We raced from out outdoor pincic tables to the safety of a covered porch. As residents around us questioned what had brought this rain, experienced VIPs smiled. I explained to the residents that every time this choir goes on tour, we bring rain. It just happens. When we were in Orlando in 2002, it rained so much that our hotel was flooded, the water park closed, and we came up with a daily "monsoon plan" to handle exiting the park at an unexpected time. Texas has been in deep drought so the rain was a welcome relief. And no big deal to us becase we spent the afternoon toobing on the Guadalupe River!

Toobing was a lot of fun and it was nice to see the kids have fun together. There were several series of rapids that had to be negotiated and the VIPs did a good job of looking out for one another. Caitlin Fowler, one of our seniors, stayed at a rapid to make sure that our 6th grade girls (Maddie, Madison, Jenna, and Ellie) got through it. (Scott Dean was w/ them to!) And Jamie Wood brought Adam Kratz into her tube to help keep him warm. The water temperature was in the low 60s and the air temp was somewhere in the low 80s. (Where is the Texas heat we were expecting?!) Adam was blue from the cold! There was a lot of swimming and splashing and I am plotting my revenge against one Mr. Jeff Myers who dumped me in the river, with some help and encouragement from Blaire, Kerry, and Mary Brooke. I put up a good fight but was out-numbered.

We checked into our hotel and had a quick taco dinner, and then it was off to sing a concert at the Dwyer Center, a homeless shelter. As we did at the Children's Home, we passed out instruments and asked the audience members to play along. They did an awesome job! The audience really responded to VIP and lots of people came up to talk to me and the kids. One man said, "I was expecting some little kids who'd do a few songs. YOu all have absolutely blown me away. I can't believe how great you are." And a few people even asked for my autograph. haha One shelter resident writes songs in her spare time and asked if I'd take a look at them. Another one, asked for our mailing address so he could write. The choir sang well (and did a good job correcting some minor musical mistakes) and had fun.

Then, we made an evening run to Sonic for ice cream. We've all seen those Sonic commercials but there's no Sonic near home! The kids stood in the drive-in spots and ordered their ice cream. It was pretty funny. And now we've all had a good night's sleep and it's off to Six Flags!

Love,
Holly

We're in the paper!

originally emailed Tuesday, July 1, 2008, 7:17pm

A quick note because we're rushing out the door to another concert, but --WE'RE IN THE PAPER!!! The Austin Statesman: http://www.statesman.com/search/content/news/photos/07/070108choir_slideshow.html
[Note: this link was updated on 7/16]

We're trying to get our hands on some paper copies but unfortuantely, we've already left Austin and are safe and sound in San Antonio. Check us out online!

Your favorite (and now famous) VIPs.
Love,
Holly -- and all the kids gathered around this computer in the hotel lobby! :-) YAYYYY us!

We're in the paper!

originally emailed Tuesday, July 1, 2008, 7:17pm

A quick note because we're rushing out the door to another concert, but --WE'RE IN THE PAPER!!! The Austin Statesman: http://www.statesman.com/search/content/news/photos/07/070108choir_slideshow.html
[Note: this link was updated on 7/16]

We're trying to get our hands on some paper copies but unfortuantely, we've already left Austin and are safe and sound in San Antonio. Check us out online!

Your favorite (and now famous) VIPs.
Love,
Holly -- and all the kids gathered around this computer in the hotel lobby! :-) YAYYYY us!

Texas- Day 2

originally emailed June 30, 208, 8:43am

Dear Parents and Friends,

Whew -- what a day we had yesterday! Despite our late night on Saturday, most of the kids were up early for a 745am departure from the hotel. They were divided into four groups and over the course of the morning and early afternoon, they rotated through worship at First UMC Austin, working in the kitchen at the Salvation Army, and taking a walking tour of Texas.

In the Salvation Army kitchen, they prepared nearly 500 bag lunches, peeled and rinsed hard boiled eggs for egg salad, chopped lots of carrots and cabbage, sorted fruit (good grapes from the "fuzzy" ones), and served food to the homeless people who visit and live at the Shelter. Regulations required the kids to wear hair nets, aprons, and gloves. They were ok with the apron and gloves, but the hair nets-- well, they weren't such a hit. I happily snapped away as the kids begged me to put the camera down. As Eric said, "You may have a camera, but I have a knife!" Yikes. (Note: I still got a picture of him in his hairnet and I have no stab wounds.)

One of my favorite moments -- Chamber was chopping carrots and cabbage. I was in another corner of the room, making concert plans with Brie when I heard it... the unmistakable sound of Motown. All 8 kids (in aprons, hairnets and gloves) were singing the Motown music from last year, chopping as they sang. It was quite a sight-- and sound.

Our worship performancs at the 9am and 11am services at First UMC were a hit, a good thing because their music program is AMAZING. Their pianist/organist was spectacular and they had a harpsichord for the 2nd service. A harpischord, accompanying a soprano and countertenor duet of a lovely JS Bach piece. I ask you -- when was the last time you heard a good harpsichord? The church was gorgeous and featured a fantastic dome in the ceiling -- great for singing.

In the afternoon, we led a worship service/concert at the Salvation Army Center. For many kids, this was an eye-opening experience. To get to the center, you had to walk down this kind-of alleyway, lined with some, um, questionable characters. The inside of the Center smelled of stale smoke and folks in need of a shower. Before the concert, we had an orientation with their Volutneer Director who explained the work of the Center. And then it was concert time.

These types of experiences are always a test for a choir-- it's pretty easy to sing in worship, in a concert of family and friends, even for a place like a retirement community. You're singing for people who are, mostly, in a good place. They're happy, healthy, and glad to see you. To sing in a homeless center is a different story entirely. The singers must push past their feelings of fear, nervousness, and apprehension, and do the job they've been trained to do. In our evening devotional, I asked the kids how many were scared when they walked through the doors of the center. Lots of hands shot up, all from rookie tour singers. But as they sang the concert, the audience started to respond. Empty chairs were filled as people heard the choir and came in to listen. The audience clapped, shouted encouragement (like You go girl" when Kaitlyn Hynes started her solo) and tapped their feet to the beat. It was neat to watch the faces of your kids, as theyabandoned all that fear and simply sang from their hearts for the audience they were there to serve. They let go and filled that room with God-focused music. We closed the concert with a standing ovation -- and I couldn't have been more proud.

After the concert, we quickly changed into play clothes and went to a pizza parlor and chowed down. Then I took the crew to a famous Austin ice cream place called Amy's where they consumed a staggering amount of sugar. Jeff was pretty proud that he got a flavor called Tequila Sunrise and Jenna Tucker debated the difference between vanilla and Mexican vanilla.

From there, we boarded our own "bat cruise." We sailed up and down Town Lake and watched nearly 1.5 million bats emerge from the bridge. As we were sailing, the Captain was telling us that the lake often is used for the sport of rowing, and sure enough, a row team came into view. What did the choir do? Burst into a rowsing rendition of "Row, row, row your boat." Which led the kids to sing more. We're performing a great arrangment of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and they sang tht more than once to cheers from people on other boats and people who were standing on bridges. They ran through all sorts of tunes from one of our warm-ups call Too-eh (taught to us by former VIP Iain Sturrock) to Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat (from Guys and Dolls) and a little Queen-- not sure how that came to be but the basses started it!

Watching the bats emerge was so cool! Well, it was cool until one of us got hit with bat poop. Wanna guess who? Go on, take a wild guess. Me. 38 people on that boat and somehow I get hit?! What is up with that?! The kids were (of course) thrilled and whipped out their cameras to capture the moment. Lovely. Our boat captain warned us that this might happen and that it would bring 5 years of good luck. Really, I was lucky enough to begin with. After all, I do have the joy of directing the greatest choir on the planet! Doesn't get better than that...

Off to another day with your kids!

Love,
Holly

Texas- Day 2

originally emailed June 30, 208, 8:43am

Dear Parents and Friends,

Whew -- what a day we had yesterday! Despite our late night on Saturday, most of the kids were up early for a 745am departure from the hotel. They were divided into four groups and over the course of the morning and early afternoon, they rotated through worship at First UMC Austin, working in the kitchen at the Salvation Army, and taking a walking tour of Texas.

In the Salvation Army kitchen, they prepared nearly 500 bag lunches, peeled and rinsed hard boiled eggs for egg salad, chopped lots of carrots and cabbage, sorted fruit (good grapes from the "fuzzy" ones), and served food to the homeless people who visit and live at the Shelter. Regulations required the kids to wear hair nets, aprons, and gloves. They were ok with the apron and gloves, but the hair nets-- well, they weren't such a hit. I happily snapped away as the kids begged me to put the camera down. As Eric said, "You may have a camera, but I have a knife!" Yikes. (Note: I still got a picture of him in his hairnet and I have no stab wounds.)

One of my favorite moments -- Chamber was chopping carrots and cabbage. I was in another corner of the room, making concert plans with Brie when I heard it... the unmistakable sound of Motown. All 8 kids (in aprons, hairnets and gloves) were singing the Motown music from last year, chopping as they sang. It was quite a sight-- and sound.

Our worship performancs at the 9am and 11am services at First UMC were a hit, a good thing because their music program is AMAZING. Their pianist/organist was spectacular and they had a harpsichord for the 2nd service. A harpischord, accompanying a soprano and countertenor duet of a lovely JS Bach piece. I ask you -- when was the last time you heard a good harpsichord? The church was gorgeous and featured a fantastic dome in the ceiling -- great for singing.

In the afternoon, we led a worship service/concert at the Salvation Army Center. For many kids, this was an eye-opening experience. To get to the center, you had to walk down this kind-of alleyway, lined with some, um, questionable characters. The inside of the Center smelled of stale smoke and folks in need of a shower. Before the concert, we had an orientation with their Volutneer Director who explained the work of the Center. And then it was concert time.

These types of experiences are always a test for a choir-- it's pretty easy to sing in worship, in a concert of family and friends, even for a place like a retirement community. You're singing for people who are, mostly, in a good place. They're happy, healthy, and glad to see you. To sing in a homeless center is a different story entirely. The singers must push past their feelings of fear, nervousness, and apprehension, and do the job they've been trained to do. In our evening devotional, I asked the kids how many were scared when they walked through the doors of the center. Lots of hands shot up, all from rookie tour singers. But as they sang the concert, the audience started to respond. Empty chairs were filled as people heard the choir and came in to listen. The audience clapped, shouted encouragement (like You go girl" when Kaitlyn Hynes started her solo) and tapped their feet to the beat. It was neat to watch the faces of your kids, as theyabandoned all that fear and simply sang from their hearts for the audience they were there to serve. They let go and filled that room with God-focused music. We closed the concert with a standing ovation -- and I couldn't have been more proud.

After the concert, we quickly changed into play clothes and went to a pizza parlor and chowed down. Then I took the crew to a famous Austin ice cream place called Amy's where they consumed a staggering amount of sugar. Jeff was pretty proud that he got a flavor called Tequila Sunrise and Jenna Tucker debated the difference between vanilla and Mexican vanilla.

From there, we boarded our own "bat cruise." We sailed up and down Town Lake and watched nearly 1.5 million bats emerge from the bridge. As we were sailing, the Captain was telling us that the lake often is used for the sport of rowing, and sure enough, a row team came into view. What did the choir do? Burst into a rowsing rendition of "Row, row, row your boat." Which led the kids to sing more. We're performing a great arrangment of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and they sang tht more than once to cheers from people on other boats and people who were standing on bridges. They ran through all sorts of tunes from one of our warm-ups call Too-eh (taught to us by former VIP Iain Sturrock) to Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat (from Guys and Dolls) and a little Queen-- not sure how that came to be but the basses started it!

Watching the bats emerge was so cool! Well, it was cool until one of us got hit with bat poop. Wanna guess who? Go on, take a wild guess. Me. 38 people on that boat and somehow I get hit?! What is up with that?! The kids were (of course) thrilled and whipped out their cameras to capture the moment. Lovely. Our boat captain warned us that this might happen and that it would bring 5 years of good luck. Really, I was lucky enough to begin with. After all, I do have the joy of directing the greatest choir on the planet! Doesn't get better than that...

Off to another day with your kids!

Love,
Holly

Texas - Day 1

originally emailed June 29, 2008, 7:51am

Good morning from Austin, Texas!

I'm happy to report that we arrived (late) but safe and sound last night [June 28]. We had a 1-hour delay in Minneapolis on top of our layover, and then once we boarded the plane, we sat for about 45 minutes on the tarmac while they changed the tires! Thankfully, this plane was roomier and had better seating than our first flight (which was 100% full). The kids chatted, napped, and played games till we took off.

In Minneapolis, the layover passed surprisingly fast. With the help of some parents, we bought a few Twister mats and after some warm-up rounds, held our own Twister tournament. It went of FOREVER and finally I declared Tara Kovacs, Adam Kratz, and Kaitlyn Hynes equal winners. We're a choir of Twister champions, what can I say? At one point, Tara was stretched from corner to oorner with Adam and Kaitlyn beneath her!

We also brought the game "Catch Phrase" and played for hours on ever-growing, ever-changing teams. This game is a combination of hot potato and Taboo where you try to get your team to say the phrase before the timer buzzes on you. It was a fun game and one that worked for all ages. We learned that sibling-combos, especially Mary Brooke and Blaire, can be dynamite. And that Adam Kratz knows a lot about Major League Baseball teams and has some zinger answers that happen to be right, a lot. We learned that the game works for (mostly) all ages as our youngest singers helped with clues like "In kindergarten when you sit down, the teacher might say BLANK BLANK applesauce." As the 6th graders (and Carly Wood) yelled CRISS CROSS, everyone over 14 reponded, "huh?" We learned that CC and Carrie Beall are fun team leaders and that really, there are worse things than being delayed in Minneapolis, as long as you're with a bunch of friends.

When we touched down in SAn Antonio, I called our bus driver, Daniel, and immediatlely liked the man. We were supposed to drive to Austin to have dinner at Fuddrucker's but with the delay, we'd be arriving there very very late. Daniel, realizing what would happen, called a Fuddrucker's near the airport in San Antonio, asked if they could handle our group (they could!) and negotiated a 10% discount for us! He reported this to me and I thought, "I lik you already!" We went to Daniel's Fuddruckers and met a Pastor and his family who were in line behind us. His mother in law was there and she happens to be from Bowie! At their request, we sang a song-- (the acoustics in Fuddrucker's were great!) and then I asked the Pastor to lead us in prayer. It was awesome.

We headed off to Austin and arrived at the hotel. I went in to get our room keys and they gave me packets and I said, "These have no names on them. Who is in what room please?" Ummmmm. They had put "Voices In Praise" on all the rooms with no names assigned!! Ay yi yi. Now keep in mind, I sent the rooming list 3 weeks ago when it was due. Called the hotel yesterday to make some changes, spoke with a front desk person, and faxed a revised list. And then, I called on Saturday from Minneapolis to let them know of our delayed arrival time and to confirm that our keys would be ready! Our scripture last night encouraged us to "Be joyful." And i can tell you that at that moment, I wasn't feeling very joyful. The good news is that we HAD hotel rooms and with a few clicks of my laptop, I was looking at my rooming list and quickly assigned the rooms. In case you call the hotel, Ask for them by room, not by name. :-) I am attaching a PDF of all the singers rooms.

I have to sign off now and get ready for the day ahead. One person on our first flight remarked to a chaperone, "I have never seen such a large group of well-behaved kids." If that doesn't make you beam, I don't know what will! Thanks, parents, for your support and for raising such awesome kids.

Love,
Holly

Texas - Day 1

originally emailed June 29, 2008, 7:51am

Good morning from Austin, Texas!

I'm happy to report that we arrived (late) but safe and sound last night [June 28]. We had a 1-hour delay in Minneapolis on top of our layover, and then once we boarded the plane, we sat for about 45 minutes on the tarmac while they changed the tires! Thankfully, this plane was roomier and had better seating than our first flight (which was 100% full). The kids chatted, napped, and played games till we took off.

In Minneapolis, the layover passed surprisingly fast. With the help of some parents, we bought a few Twister mats and after some warm-up rounds, held our own Twister tournament. It went of FOREVER and finally I declared Tara Kovacs, Adam Kratz, and Kaitlyn Hynes equal winners. We're a choir of Twister champions, what can I say? At one point, Tara was stretched from corner to oorner with Adam and Kaitlyn beneath her!

We also brought the game "Catch Phrase" and played for hours on ever-growing, ever-changing teams. This game is a combination of hot potato and Taboo where you try to get your team to say the phrase before the timer buzzes on you. It was a fun game and one that worked for all ages. We learned that sibling-combos, especially Mary Brooke and Blaire, can be dynamite. And that Adam Kratz knows a lot about Major League Baseball teams and has some zinger answers that happen to be right, a lot. We learned that the game works for (mostly) all ages as our youngest singers helped with clues like "In kindergarten when you sit down, the teacher might say BLANK BLANK applesauce." As the 6th graders (and Carly Wood) yelled CRISS CROSS, everyone over 14 reponded, "huh?" We learned that CC and Carrie Beall are fun team leaders and that really, there are worse things than being delayed in Minneapolis, as long as you're with a bunch of friends.

When we touched down in SAn Antonio, I called our bus driver, Daniel, and immediatlely liked the man. We were supposed to drive to Austin to have dinner at Fuddrucker's but with the delay, we'd be arriving there very very late. Daniel, realizing what would happen, called a Fuddrucker's near the airport in San Antonio, asked if they could handle our group (they could!) and negotiated a 10% discount for us! He reported this to me and I thought, "I lik you already!" We went to Daniel's Fuddruckers and met a Pastor and his family who were in line behind us. His mother in law was there and she happens to be from Bowie! At their request, we sang a song-- (the acoustics in Fuddrucker's were great!) and then I asked the Pastor to lead us in prayer. It was awesome.

We headed off to Austin and arrived at the hotel. I went in to get our room keys and they gave me packets and I said, "These have no names on them. Who is in what room please?" Ummmmm. They had put "Voices In Praise" on all the rooms with no names assigned!! Ay yi yi. Now keep in mind, I sent the rooming list 3 weeks ago when it was due. Called the hotel yesterday to make some changes, spoke with a front desk person, and faxed a revised list. And then, I called on Saturday from Minneapolis to let them know of our delayed arrival time and to confirm that our keys would be ready! Our scripture last night encouraged us to "Be joyful." And i can tell you that at that moment, I wasn't feeling very joyful. The good news is that we HAD hotel rooms and with a few clicks of my laptop, I was looking at my rooming list and quickly assigned the rooms. In case you call the hotel, Ask for them by room, not by name. :-) I am attaching a PDF of all the singers rooms.

I have to sign off now and get ready for the day ahead. One person on our first flight remarked to a chaperone, "I have never seen such a large group of well-behaved kids." If that doesn't make you beam, I don't know what will! Thanks, parents, for your support and for raising such awesome kids.

Love,
Holly