Thursday was the luggage check at the high school. Then Courtney, Nicole, Sam, and I went to Giant(s?) for snacks. We listened to Backstreet Boys and some other songs in the car and sang along. We bought SO MUCH food! They were all calling me “mom” cuz I was pushing the cart. I was running around the store like an idiot cuz we kept forgetting to go down the aisles I needed to go down. They were running from me in the makeup aisles. Sam was checkin’ out the hot guys stocking the shelves lol. We used the self check out and the stupid machine wouldn’t work and Sam was trying to take the glass off. There was a line of people behind us and we were cracking up watching Sam’s attempts to fix the scanner. Finally we went home and prepared for the next day.

Friday morning we arrived at the high school at the normal time and sat in the auditorium waiting for them to let us board the buses. I was running around in the halls looking for somebody to help me find a place to put my chilled food. First I went to the nurse and they said they had nothing to do with it. They pointed me in the direction of the band room where the loading dock is. I found somebody who took me and my food to the food van. You wouldn’t believe how much food it takes to feed over 230 people for 3 days.

We finally boarded the buses and left around 8am. We watched Ratatouille. I started knitting a blue scarf for my pen pal’s birthday that lives in Australia. I was worried she wouldn’t like the color cuz I asked her in an email what her favorite color was, but she hadn’t responded yet. I downloaded an email application for my phone so I could find out if she sent me any emails over the trip. The chaperones handed out pretzels on the bus!

We stopped at an area with a bunch of restaurants. We chose Arby’s, but they weren’t open yet so we stood outside and entertained ourselves. We seem to be pretty good at that! I wasn’t hungry cuz I had a bunch of food on the bus. They always make us eat at weird times on these trips. When we got into the restaurant it was just like any other time they send us to a fast food place: tons of kids coming in all at once and the workers look like they’re going to piss their pants! My friends ordered sandwiches and salads. We used their loos and I went to get a water bottle since I forgot the 3 I was going to bring with at home. The guy at the counter was pretty cute and was willing to give me free water if I used a cup. I explained to him that I needed to bring it on the bus. We rang their bells they have on the walls for good service. Sam rang it so loudly! She would have pulled that thing off the wall if she could.

We got on the buses and began driving to the Smithsonian museums. When we got there we didn’t realize how hot it was going to be when we got off the bus. We chose to go to the art museum and walked tons of blocks to get there. The scenery was pretty awesome and I took lots of pictures. We were all hot, cranky, and tired while walking. I can’t understand why they don’t put all the museums in one gigantic building. When we were finished in the museum we were all tired and bored plus our feet hurt. I was worried that we were going to be miserable for the rest of the trip. We walked back to the area where the buses pick us up and laid on the cool ground. I was starving since I didn’t have lunch. When we got back on the bus I noticed my water was gone and went searching for it, but couldn’t find it. I made a sandwich and inhaled it. Then Sam gave me an extra bottle of water and I was so happy cuz I was dehydrated.

We were on our way to the hotel and the chaperones read us a list of rules for the hotel. They were dumb rules like: don’t wear pjs in the halls, don’t go barefoot in the halls, no more than 20 people in the pool at once, no running in the halls, if you’re disruptive they have the right to escort you off the property. We were all BLAH! cuz we felt like we were going to a concentration camp. Tino found my water bottle in the back of the bus and gave it to the chaperone who then gave it to me. I was surprise it went that far. We arrived at the hotel and snatched up our things so we could get to our rooms. Some kids wanted to use the stairs and the hotel staff was like, “Why? Why would you want to use the stairs? We have elevators.” Um…duh it is faster!

My roommates and I decided to go downstairs to chill after we put our things in our room. We met some friends in the hall and they told us we needed to change. We were going to be going to a play called “1776” after dinner. We were told by our chorus teacher that we could wear nice jeans and a nice top. We were kinda pissed cuz we had to go back to our room and throw some nice clothes on and make ourselves pretty. We were already sweaty and gross from walking around DC and our hair was ooogly. When we got back on the bus I was kinda mad. I don’t know if it was cuz I was hot or tired, but I think it was cuz I decided to wear the top I was going to wear to competition and was most likely going to make it all sweaty. I was also mad that we were previously told what to wear and our friends yelled at us for not looking nice enough.

We arrived at Old Country Buffet and the seniors got first dibs at choice of seats! We were seated in a room off the food area that seated 90. I had a salad cuz I had eaten the sandwich about 2 hours ago. The salad was nasty and the lemonade was completely watered down. I could barely taste lemon. We were all kinda bored towards the end cuz we had to wait for the freshman to finish eating. We played tick-tack-to and hangman until it was time to go.

We drove to the theatre where the play was. Our energy level was higher cuz they made the buses drive up this narrow road and back up. They told us to be really quiet cuz it is difficult for the bus drivers to back up. Courtney and I were making hand motions and giggling quietly cuz we’re always looking for opportunities to entertain ourselves. We got off the bus and went up the stairs and down to our seats. Courtney and I talked until the play started. It was an odd play and SOOOOOO long. I thought they were never going to break for intermission. I had a program, but didn’t bother to check how the acts went. I understood the plot. It was about the dudes who signed the Constitution and what happened before that. It was so random and filled with songs. I said to Courtney, “I don’t think Ben Franklin ever broke into song and dance.” When they finally broke for intermission after the 9th act, Courtney and I went over to our other friends to discuss the play. Sam made some jokes about it and then we went back to our seats when it started again. We were like, “OMG we have to be here for another hour!” I heard somebody say, “YES!” when it was July 4th lol! It wasn’t so bad in the beginning cuz everyone was paying attention, but by the end we were all ready to crash. It was supposed to be over way earlier. We didn’t get out of there until 11:30pm and room check was supposed to be at 11:45!

While in the bus we were so tired, but when we get tired we get silly and start laughing at anything. We finally quieted down and got back to the hotel. It was midnight and we were dead. They checked the rooms and we all got ready for bed. We had to be up at 5:30 the next morning.

Saturday was competition day. We had breakfast, got all pretty, and gathered our things so we could leave for the high school at 7am. Tino gave us his camera so we could film the band. He had this cumbersome 4 foot tripod that probably weighed 30 pounds and was basically solid metal. We couldn’t figure out how to make it work cuz it was full of knobs and junk. So we stabilized the camera on the half wall in front of us. Our shots were SO crappy and after he was done playing for band he ran over to help us fix the stupid tripod. He goes, “It isn’t that hard! You just pull THIS to make the legs go down. You pop THIS out to make it easier to put the camera on top. You slide THIS to rotate the top. Did the handle fall off? Lemmie put that back on.” Then he left and we attempted try #2.

This time the tripod was slightly more successful, but some kids were walking in and tripping over our garment bags that were in the aisle and we were like OMG! OMG! We noticed the battery was getting low and kept getting lower. We went looking for any wires or extra batteries, but couldn’t find any. Finally it died and we were like, “Oh well. He’s going to kill us. It isn’t our faults.” Then Courtney took off the battery pack and saw it was leaking. They were going to be doing marching so we had to pack up the stupid equipment and drag it outside where it was damp and cold. We didn’t bother to set up the tripod. The battery decided to have a little extra life in it so we used my left shoulder as a makeshift tripod. The camera kept going in and out and we didn’t know what to do.

It was now time for my chorus to sing and we needed to find Tino. We told him all that happened and he seemed kind of upset and told me that there was another battery pack in his camera bag. I explained that we hadn’t found any such thing. He kind of shrugged it off and went to find another person to film. We all went into their music room to practice and then we went into the café to perform. I was shaking the whole time and I was all sweaty. I hate being in front of large crowds. When we were done I had to meet up with Courtney to get the garment bags. We were the babysitters for everyone’s junk. She told me where they were and I didn’t know where to go with them so I sat and listened to the middle school chorus while everyone else was eating lunch.

I took the stuff outside and Krista ran to me to get her bags. I gave Amber hers too. Then Krista and I ran to the bus to change. I’m assuming her clothes were in her bag. Then we went back out to get lunch. I asked where my chilled food was and they found it for me. I sat in the grass and ate a little bit of salad. I didn’t care much for it. I also had a carrot, juice, an orange, and a little bag of M&M cookies! Yum! The other chorus was singing while we were eating and then came out. I was sitting on Courtney’s bag and gave it to her. Somehow her pants got wet from the grass. This proves that those stupid bags aren’t waterproof and therefore are worthless! She changed and I put my other shirt and sneakers on and sat with Courtney and Lydia while they ate. I reviewed my photos.

We went to watch women’s chorus and walked around a bit. Then we watched some of the other vocal groups from our school. It was time for the string orchestra and the jazz band. I LOVE the string group from our school. They play a bunch of my favorite songs each concert and I just love string instruments. It sounds so pretty. The jazz band was amazing and the soloists were fantastic! Everyone was cheering them on! I was told by my chorus teacher that if we got any awards I would be going up to get it. I was like OMG maybe I don’t want to, but Courtney kinda convinced me that it is an honor to represent my chorus as a senior and that it would be cool. There are only about 6 seniors in my whole chorus. I was just thinking, “Why me?” you know? I thought it was pretty cool.

When it was all over we drove to Six Flags for some playtime and the award ceremony. I didn’t want to go on any rides cuz I don’t like amusement parks. We went to the loos at the park. We were all looking for any opportunity to use a restroom cuz we didn’t know when another would show up. When I came out, none of my friends were in sight. I knew they all wanted to go on the roller coasters, but I didn’t think they would race off without me. I saw Courtney in the middle of the street and walked over asking where everyone went. She told me that they had started running and somebody asked where I was, but they just kept going so she stayed back to wait. We walked to find them, but didn’t see them, so we hung out with some freshman for a bit.
We decided to walk to find our friends, but hit a dead end. We discussed the value of our friendship with them since they seem to throw us away pretty easily. We tried calling them, but no answer. Finally 10 minutes later Nicole called and I asked where she was. We went looking for their ride on a map and tried to find them. Once we did we walked to what we thought might be the award ceremony area. Then we went looking for the place with the free food. It was super hot and I was all sticky. The walk was really long, but there were ice cold drinks waiting at the end! I was feeling pretty sick at this point. I believe it could have been from the heat and the weird eating schedule. I have always gotten sick on trips where I was alone ever since I was 9 and went on a church camping trip. I guess it is weird for me since I’m out of my comfort zone.

We hung out at the tables and listened to some of our friends who had a problem with another friend. I tried talking them out of the drama cuz at this point I am so sick of it. I just want to enjoy myself and not worry about petty little problems. We walked back to find our friends and the arena. We got lost a few times, but found it and waited outside until they let us in.

The ceremony wasn’t as long as previous year’s ceremonies. The dude with the mike kept going in and out cuz the batteries were lame. I was feeling so sick I thought I was going to puke all over Tino in front of me. Everyone was laughing at the guy with the mike, but I honestly didn’t think it was that funny. I was too sick to care. Everyone was cheering, but again I was too sick to do anything. We got SO MANY awards and I was really happy for us! We did so much better than last year. My chorus teacher looked so proud. My chorus got 1st place with a good rating. That isn’t so hot. It is like a 70% or higher, but on the bright side we did beat out the other school. The rating system is so screwy. I went down to get the trophy, but some other chick went down and got it. She didn’t even realize I was there and I felt kind of bad, but I knew people were looking at me so I just smiled and waved my arms around.

When it was over we all hung out at the bottom and congratulated our band and chorus teachers. I was feeling horrible and just wanted to go home. They were all excited cuz we won and wanted to celebrate, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I wanted to be happy, but it was pretty impossible. My friends went on the spinning tea cups. They asked me if I wanted to go, but I was positive I would puke so I sat on the bench and told them to just go have fun and called my dad. They went on twice and they were all screaming. When they got off they were so hyper and started doing the Macarena in the street. I wanted to take pictures, but my camera battery had died before the last 3 awards our school got. They wanted to go on other rides, but the park was starting to shut things down so we made way to the checkpoint. I just tried to relax on the bench and they were like, “Are you ok? What’s wrong?” I didn’t want to spoil their fun and told them, “I’m ok. I’m just sick. Don’t worry about me. I’ll feel better.” I was happy when we left to go home. I was feeling a little hungry. I tried to relax on the bus.

We got back to the hotel and the stairs weren’t locked this time. They lock them really late at night and into the early morning. I think it was cuz they run through the pool/exercise area and they don’t want people in there late at night. I personally think that is a fire hazard. We had more time that night than the previous night so tons of people went to the pool. Nicole, Courtney, and I stayed in our room while Sam went to the pool with Mary and some people. We went downstairs and got the free food left over from lunch. I got a brownie and it was amazing. I also got some snacks for the bus ride the next day. We had told some friends on the bus that we were going to have a party in our room and we gave them a password so random people wouldn’t come in cuz somebody on the bus said our room number loudly and said party. We didn’t think they were going to show up, but they eventually did.

We were watching “Hello, Dolly!” on PBS. Some extra people came in our room that weren’t supposed to, but it wasn’t a big deal. There was only 1 junior that came. I think there were 9 girls in our room. I video taped the events. Some left early cuz they were bored I suppose. When everyone left we watched X-Men 3 and were laughing about stuff all night.

Around midnight after they checked our room we heard a knock on our door. I was freaked out and went to look through the peep hole. I saw a man with white hair and a blue jumpsuit on. He was just standing there. I didn’t know what to do so I told Courtney. She looked too and was like WTF? Then we were debating on if we should open the door and tell him to go away and get yelled at by a chaperone cuz our tape is ripped or just ignore it. He came back 3 times and was knocking. When we looked again he had a step stool. We were joking around saying, “Oh what is he going to do with the step stool? Maybe he’s going to come in and beat us cuz they were wearing pajamas in the hall! Maybe he is going to kill us with the stool cuz we’re too noisy. Maybe he’s going to rape us. He brought the stool cuz a picture was crooked and he needed to fix it!” Oh man! Finally he left and we settled down and went to sleep. When I look back, I wish I had taken a picture through the peep hole to prove it. It would have been interesting.

Sunday we got to sleep in. We kept waking up and going back to sleep. We woke up for real and the chaperones told us we were having senior pictures in 5 minutes so we better get ready and we were like, “WTF! We’re ugly!” So I attempted to put on makeup really quickly and they were trying to do their hair. Then the lady came back and told us it wasn’t for another hour so we kind of slowed down. They got breakfast and I got dressed. When we were all ready we went to get our pictures taken down at the pool. We were worried we wouldn’t have enough time to finish getting our luggage together. We loaded up the bus and drove to Baltimore.

We spent the day at Inner Harbor. We ate lunch outside at Uno’s and I took some panoramas of the harbor from the view. Lunch was civilized cuz there were no boys with us. The only issue was some people looked bored. I bought One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Fox in Sox, a Great Britain and Australia heart keychain, and 2 Audrey Hepburn books. We went back to the checkpoint and walked around Barnes & Noble until it was time to leave. Then we were joking around on the bus and throwing water bottles at each other. I named my new bottle Toby Maguire and it kept falling off the window ledge. We watched Aladdin and sang the songs. At least 2 of the buses either had a flat or engine trouble. Once we arrived at the school we went to get our garment bags and we took Courtney home. Hopefully later on this week we’re going to review our tapes from the trip. Who knows if she reviewed them already at her house.

Over all I had a great time and lots of laughs. We were laughing constantly and it was so much fun. I’m glad we sang well and got lots of awards. I enjoyed myself completely.