We've had a lot of good times with Nellie this winter as she lives out her senior year as a flute player and future music major. 🤞We've been to Holland, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Haslett, and East Lansing in the last couple of months for auditions, lessons, and All-State Band - and we're not done yet! It's been fun, though a tiny bit stressful as a parent waiting and hoping.
First was the All-State Band prep and concert in Grand Rapids. Kevin and I met Nellie after work on Thursday and stayed through Saturday. We got to stay at the Amway Grand, which was an experience in itself! It felt very metropolitan, and we got to eat good food and go ice skating at the Rosa Parks Circle ice rink, which was a highlight even though I was terrified about broken bones the whole time. And it was freezing. The concert was beautiful and we were blessed and thankful to have lots of family there!
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| Ready to perform! |
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| Fancy dinner the first night |
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| Skating! |
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It was totally her idea, and I'm glad we went.
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| With the best music teachers around! |
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| It was hard to get a picture, but here are the flutes! |
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| The view in the hotel |
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| The view from the hotel |
As soon as that was over, it was time to audition. We were at WMU, Hope, and MSU all within a week. The WMU audition was a fun way to spend Valentine's Day - we carpooled with Nellie's bestie and her mom and we got to introduce them to our favorite coffee shop!
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| Waiting at WMU |
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| Before |
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| After |
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| Waiting in Holland |
Finally, I got to accompany Nellie for both district and state solo and ensembles. Those are always great days for me - we have a routine now that includes good food (Thai Princess) and coffee (Moka and Co.) And I've gotten over my nerves on Nellie's behalf because she's always so calm, though I definitely teared up during her solo at states.
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| My favorite sign at Haslett High School |
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| Woodwind quintet |
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| All those notes! |
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| A duet with Ellie, a super talented freshman! Nellie and Ellie - adorable. |
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| Bonus photo of us driving to Hope for a flute lesson on a very snowy and cold day |
It's hard to believe this particular season of our lives is coming to a close! I'm so thankful for these experiences this year.
