Back from Flagstaff...

Yesterday we (Aly, Mike and I) went to Flagstaff for her regionals for choir. The bus was packed and Mike and I had to share a seat (Those seats are a lot smaller than I remember!) for the three hours there and back. We had to be at the school at 545am and returned at 1130pm. What a long day. We didn't get to see Aly do her performances, as we were watching the kids' stuff; however, at the end of the day, we all crammed in a small room and watched the ensemble choirs perform. They were outstanding. I really enjoy when the judge "critiques" them as she always explains, very pleasantly, how they can improve their performances. She has them do some drills, or re-sing it (gearing her comments to all the kids, not just the ones performing) and then has them re-perform the selected area to show the improvement. Very fun to listen to.

At one point on the return trip, Mike and I were talking about sharing a blanket to make the trip more "enjoyable", but, lo and behold, two students from the other school beat us to the punch. Now these two students were quite friendly on the way up to Flagstaff, and now they'd be on a darkened bus. We quickly informed the mother, who was also a chaperone, and the blanket was removed. Awww!

So today, we are recovering from the cramped quarters of the trip and lack of sleep. I think I'm going to grade some, but I just recently posted grades, so I can leave some for later this week and watch the Superbowl and play my new game (bought with a gift card). It has some really fun games, but the best is the namesake “Pirate game show”. There are three bonus games: first is “Crows Nest Bonus” in which you try to make your way to the mast and earn money by choosing pirates chests; if you choose one with money you climb, but choosing the wrong chest ends the game. Second is the “Poop deck” which you play a game like Let’s Make a Deal, so you can “deal” or choose a new curtain. Third is “Walk-y the Plank-y” which is extra spins, which you earn any winnings; you might also get a skull and crossbones which brings your character closet to the end of the plank. When you reach the end and fall off, the bonus game ends. Two other fun games are one based off of King Kong and another that has bugs. Well off to the games…