Progress!

You guys.

I went to two marching competitions out of the city and I didn't die.

I got a little sick on the first competition, but the second competition was actually fun! I didn't spend the entire day counting down the minutes till we could go home, which was SUCH an improvement over last year. The kids did great, they learned a lot, and watching other bands perform is always fun. The second competition resulted in a 17 hour day, and it was really cold outside after the sun went down, so I am now the proud owner of a super soft and warm blanket from the college's gift shop.

My mom and I went to a college basketball game yesterday, and for some reason, I started feeling really sick about halfway through. I instantly went to my old fallback of "how many more minutes until we can leave, how long will it take to walk to the car, how long until I'm home in my own bathroom" and frantically looking for the nearest trash can just in case. We ended up leaving the game early, and while I'm feeling better today, it reminded me how much I have not missed that feeling. I'm so thankful that I can enjoy life again. We've gone out to dinner with friends multiple times and we hosted a family and friends get together in our own house today for the first time. I'm so, so thankful that we can do these things now, especially since this same get together has been cancelled three other times because I was sick. Life is so good when our house is filled with people we love.

Update!

Wow, it feels like SO much has happened since my last update! The big one is that I finally got my gallbladder out! I'm on a super restricted diet for now (it's supposed to last 6-8 weeks minimum but I still get sick after eating certain foods and this is week 6, so I'm thinking it won't be 6 weeks...) but hopefully will be back to eating normally again at some point. I even have gone back to Zumba a couple of times! It's difficult because I still get tired super easily, so even though my brain is all set to go, my body is done after a couple of songs.

We chaperoned the homecoming dance and this is the first year we were in the gym - the last two years, we have been in the auditorium, which is where the students keep their purses and valuables during the dance, so it was fun to be where the action is and not keeping watch over personal possessions.

I missed the first marching competition of the year because it was 5 days after my surgery, but I was able to go to the second competition last weekend. Apparently 2 1/2 hours on a school bus and walking across a large college campus a couple of times was too much for me, because I got worn out and ended up spending half the day napping on the empty bus while everyone else watched the performances by other schools. It makes me nervous because there is another competition this weekend and it is even farther away and a MUCH longer day, and I just hate being stranded so far from home when I don't feel well.

I've been on vacation from work this week and I'm helping my sister out with her babies - she has a 13 month old and a 1 week old! I'm gonna let y'all in on a little secret - kids are a lot of work. Some days I think I'm more tired than when I work an open to close shift at work!

Combine all of that with school, and I am one tired band wife! As much fun as marching season is, I'm ready for it to be over so we both can have some breathing room!

Lately

I haven't done a huge update post in a while but life has been just as hectic as always!

I got to chaperone the trip to state basketball and it was a fun game, even though we lost!

Husband finally got a chance to put together our Christmas present from my parents now that it's finally nice weather and he has grilled out quite a few times! I will never complain about a delicious steak on my plate :)

We got rid of the old fan in our bedroom because the blades no longer turned...

And here is our new fan! And the blades turn! It ended up that poor husband had to rewire something and put something somewhere else... he finally got it all taken care of, at least :) what a handyman I married!

As far as my health is concerned, not a lot has changed. I guess I haven't really updated since my initial problems, so here's a giant update. I got a CT scan mid-February and it showed nothing. So I went to a gastroenterologist and they ordered up a colonoscopy and endoscopy for me. Those both looked normal, so they did biopsies of my stomach and intestines, and nothing there either. They tested for Crohn's and Celiac, both came back negative. The colonoscopy prep wasn't horrible because I did a liquid diet for two days prior, rather than just one. I felt like I was dying the entire time I had to do the prep, but the prep only lasted about 6 hours, so I was feeling decent again by about 9 pm and I still got a full night's sleep! I only did about half the prep and I was still good to go so I would highly recommend a 48 hour liquid diet to anyone who has to get this done! Sorry if it's an overshare, but I figure someone somewhere is going to read this and will be glad they did :)

The day after my colonoscopy I had stomach pain that was about a 9/10. I tried to make it through work but it just wasn't happening, so I made it through half the day and went to the ER. They X-rayed my abdomen to make sure my stomach and/or intestines weren't perforated during the colonoscopy - scary! Luckily, it was just super strong stomach pain and nothing was perforated :) They hooked me up with more fluids (I never have enough fluids, apparently) and some pretty decent pain meds, and as they were getting ready to send me home, my mom goes, "I think you're allergic to the pain meds..." I looked spotted. Like a dehydrated, pink dalmatian. So they got some Zyrtec in me and sent me on my way!

So far, they've tested me for Ebola, measles, pregnancy (a million times), hepatitis, Celiac, ulcers, pancreatitis, Crohn's, and cancer. They've tested my blood about 10 different times, plus my urine and stool. I've had a CT scan, colonoscopy, endoscopy, and X-ray, and they have absolutely zero answers. So frustrating!

That's all that's new at the band life house. Husband finished up his final two concerts of the year and we both helped with the choir's musical review show! We only spent one day of rehearsal under a tornado watch, so that's not bad, right? ;) He's now on summer break, and I'm a little jealous when I'm getting up to go to work at 6 am and he is still comfy cozy in bed! But I guess we're even, because I definitely don't envy his 5 am rehearsals during marching band season...

Weekend Update

What have we been up to lately?

I did a school project at the zoo a couple of weeks ago and it was so cold but so fun! I hadn't been to the zoo in a while and it was fun to go when I was practically the only person there!

Husband had his middle school band concert and they all performed splendidly! I consider it a success when you can recognize the song they are playing ;)

I got a photo of Zippers that isn't 100% blurry! This little guy is becoming very well-behaved and affectionate and I am loving it!

Here was our big project this weekend. Remember the hanging globe lights that are everywhere in this house?

The one above the stairs needed to go. However, we were not sure how to go about replacing a light fixture in such an awkward area. We picked up one of those ladders that you can adjust the length of each side, zip-tied it to the banister, and prayed it would hold.

It took a team effort! Husband did most of the hard work but my tiny fingers were needed for some wiring issues.

The after! It matches everything else in our living room and looks a million times better than that ugly old globe light. Three globe lights down, two to go...

And probably my favorite part of the update. I got a call to work the tour of Beauty and the Beast that came into town for three days, and husband and I decided the extra paycheck would be worth it, but it meant I missed his high school band concert. I was pretty devastated. However, extra money is always nice and the show was a blast!

I got to help dress four of the women in the show, including Belle! So I got to hang out with lovely costumes such as these...

I always love doing shows and Disney shows are my absolute favorite :) it's a total blast seeing movies I loved as a child come to life! (Check out my post on the Lion King tour here!)

So that's been life at the band house lately... husband is officially on Christmas break and I am hoping to get more projects and DIY things done in the next couple of weeks!

Chinny Chin Chin... and a cymbal.

Just when I think life is starting to slow down, it speeds right back up. The master's program I'm in only allows you to take one class at a time, but somehow I got enrolled in a class that overlaps with my current class by about four weeks. The class I've been in since September has been a ridiculous workload so adding on a second class has left me with virtually no free time. Here's a condensed version of what we've been up to lately!

More housey things... the back door had almost no sealant around the frame so that was on the top of husband's to do list before it got cold! It took almost a whole tube of caulking to get it fixed and I'm not sure how the previous homeowners' electric bill wasn't through the roof...

Top of my to do list? Getting the doors painted. Husband took this task on for himself and spent a whole Saturday sanding the doors down.

Pretty white doors to match our pretty white trim!

Here's my cutest update: our chinchilla! I've wanted one for years and years and when the Humane Society took in two, I knew I had to go visit them. I only brought home one, though :) his name is Zippers! He is still pretty skittish around us - we only allow him to run around the guest room when the door is closed, since the cat is a jerk, and he enjoys running around us and perching on me but still isn't quite comfortable being picked up most of the time. But he is super duper adorable and so so soft!

We got our first snow only halfway through November!

This was my "domestic goddess" episode, as my dad dubbed it. The cat got a urinary tract infection and had an accident in our bed, so I had to strip the sheets, comforter, and mattress pad off. I found out the hard way that our washer is not big enough to contain our mattress pad and it got wrapped around a spring or something on the inside of the machine. When I went to free it, I cut a huge gash in my finger and dripped blood all over our destroyed mattress pad before I realized it. Genius! Thankfully, my mom helped me sew up the mattress pad and it's not a total loss. (The cat is doing much better. She got confined to the basement for a week since it's unfinished and easier to clean up any accidents. After 10 days of pills, she's back to her old self.)

I skipped the last football game because it was somewhere around 17 degrees but I got to go to the fun part of band wifing - the drumline performed during a college production of Legally Blonde: The Musical and I got to catch one of their performances! The audience went crazy and they sounded perfect!

This is not so much an update as a peek into the band wife life... there is a cymbal on my couch. 

Playoff Game #1

Same song, different verse: band played amazingly well and the football team dominated. It was home game #2 in a row with the third taking place this week, so as much as I am loving the band wife life, I am ready to have Friday nights back and have my husband back! One of the difficult parts of the band wife life is our limited time together during marching season, but it's not just because of football games - he goes to bed super early most days because they have marching rehearsal before school three times a week. But the absolute best part is seeing how much the kids have grown over the last few months and getting to be a part of their amazing program. I love being a piece of the puzzle and being a helper to my husband - last game, I had to dash to the band room to grab extra saxophone reeds. Whatever needs to be done, I am there to do! I'm extremely proud and protective of my husband and all of his students and I am one of the first people to brag about how fantastic they all are! {I mean, it's hard to compete with some of these proud band parents :) } A couple of the moms made a comment about how I sit through football games to watch the band perform but that I don't even have a kid in the band, and I found it pretty funny - yes, I'm here to watch the one person who doesn't do anything during the marching show :) but there is nowhere I'd rather be. I can't even imagine sitting at home or being out with friends instead of watching my husband do what he does so well!

The band leaves the bleachers a few minutes before halftime to practice and line up, so if a touchdown is scored and the band isn't there to play the fight song, the band parent section sings it loud and proud :)

The Halloween Game

The final home game of the season {at least till state...} was on Halloween night. Being the kind of school where most kids come from large families, usually with little kids at home, the stands were emptier than I'd ever seen them - but still more full than a lot of schools! The night started off well - it was ridiculously cold but the band played better than they had all season. Unfortunately, some events happened to put a major damper on the evening and the kids were dismissed during third quarter to go and enjoy the rest of their Halloween. I can't go into many specifics as to what happened, but I am so glad that I am part of a community that stands by those who were wronged and support those who need it.

The Last Competition

Thankfully, this one was only a 30 minute drive from school! It was a beautiful day outside and, of course, the band got all superior ratings!

Another band did a Lion King marching show... Second best show of the day ;)

And what would a competition be without a little sunglasses sunburn?

Poor husband burns just walking from the car to the store, so he is bright red, just like every other competition where he forgets to put on sunscreen. Maybe one day he'll learn....

Home Football Game : Homecoming Edition

Friday was the homecoming football game, and it was SO COLD. I am now 3 for 3 on leaving at halftime this year. The band performs the Star Spangled Banner...

They line the field as the drumline brings in the football team...

And the team took the field, dominated the entire game, and remain undefeated!

At halftime, the band performed with the pom squad:

Then the band performed their entire show for the first time! 

Huge success! Everyone loved it and I am so proud of how far they've come! They have a marching competition on Saturday, but I can't go along because I have to work, so there won't be a post about that. I'm sure they will bring back another superior rating as usual!

Football Game #2

The weather for our second home game was absolutely beautiful - much much nicer than the frigid temps of the first game! It was also military appreciation night, and the game kicked off with military servicemen and women riding around the track on motorcycles! It was so loud and so cool :)

This game was between the top two teams in the league, but it wasn't even remotely a close game. The final score was 70-15, so for those of us who don't particularly understand or enjoy football, we got to kick back and take in the atmosphere and the beautiful sunset!

And the marching band did amazing, of course! They performed the first two songs together for the first time and they looked and sounded incredible. Everyone had so many good things to say!

The initial plan was for me to leave after halftime (again) so I could get some more painting done on the house, but my husband volunteered me to walk some middle schoolers back to the classroom and bring him his classroom keys once they had all been picked up. The lady in charge of the middle schoolers commented that that was "so nice" of me to help out, but this is exactly what band wifing is all about: stepping in wherever my husband needs me :)

First home football game!

Friday marked our first home football game and it was remarkably and unusually chilly for early September - last year's first home game, I almost had a heat stroke! (True story. Miserable.) This year, it was in the 50s, which everyone tells me is perfect football weather... unless you have the flu. Which I did. Or still do. I decided I would brave the first half of the football game and leave after the band's halftime performance. Only in the band world do you watch two hours of a sport you hate to watch someone perform for 90 seconds ;) 

Marching onto the field

Football team pre-game

Dreary weather but still a huge turn out!

What kind of band wife would I be if I didn't get a few panos?

Halftime

Post-performance huddle. They did fantastic!

Being only the first game, they performed just the first of the three sections and it sounded great. I can't wait to see the whole show put together!