Braylen's Band Trip, part 2

May 28th, 2016

Today they drove to Liberty State Park, and transferred by ferry to Ellis Island and Liberty Island. They explored Ellis Island, and saw Liberty Island from there. I think it's neat to think how some of our ancestors came to America by way of Ellis Island, and now Braylen is there. After that they took the ferry to Battery Park, in Lower Manhattan, where they had free time and lunch. Mid-afternoon they went to Citi Field to present a concert prior to attending a Mets baseball game! This is Braylen's first major league game to attend. It's very HOT today, and Braylen's glad this is the last concert they have to perform on the trip. Too bad the band directors decided that since "not everyone loves baseball," the whole group had to leave the game in the 6th inning. Party poopers!

I love his Cubs hat at the Mets game!

A pre-game ceremony honoring the 1986 Mets

Great seats in left field!

It was an exciting game!

May 29th, 2016

Today they visited the 9/11 Memorial Park and Fountains and St. Paul's Chapel. This is the first day for visitors to be allowed to ride to the top of One WTC, but the band didn't get to do that. Instead, they visited 30 Rockefeller Center in Midtown, where they had free time for lunch and exploring. They got to go to the Top of the Rock Observation Deck at 2:00, and that was pretty neat! In the evening, they saw a Broadway show called, "Something Rotten." Braylen said it was pretty good, but had some raunchy humor. Of course the band directors didn't make them leave early from the play. I guess everyone must love plays...insert sarcasm here...Ha! I guess one of the lead actors was performing this show for the last time, so it was a sought after performance. And 130+ tickets were sold to the band--probably a year ago or so!

One WTC

St. Paul's Chapel

Footprint of one of the original twin towers

Fire department--this is for you, Dad!

They watched a Marine band perform.

May 30th, 2016

This morning they toured Radio City Music Hall, had free time for lunch and exploring in Times Square. Mid-afternoon they walked to the USS Intrepid for a tour which included the Space Shuttle Pavilion and the Submarine Growler. After that they took a Harbor Lights Cruise, and had a farewell dinner at an Italian restaurant with more exploring Times Square.

He took this photo for me :)

And this one's for Derek

He met up with a NYC police officer.

A great place to spend Memorial Day!

A picture for Derek :)

A picture for me :)

The NY Public Library--another picture for me!

May 31st, 2016

Today they explored Times Square one more time, and visited Central Park. Mid-afternoon they went to the airport to begin the trip back home. Braylen flew in and out of JFK. The other half of the band flew in and out of Newark. It was a long trip back, with the buses arriving back in town about 4AM on June 1st. 

The Apple store was underground, beneath this glass cube.

What a wreck!

We welcomed our son home with one day to prepare for our family vacation, which began on June 2nd. Whew! What an amazing experience for Braylen. Thank you to my parents for contributing to his trip. I hope you've enjoyed my photo travel journal. :) Here's one of my favorite pictures from his trip. I left out the pictures of his fried shrimp, hot dog from a street vendor, and many, many more selfies. Next time you visit us, I'm sure he'll show those to you if you'd like. ;)

Braylen's Band Trip, part 1

18 months ago we started planning Braylen's trip with the band to Philadelphia and New York City. May 25th, 2016 felt like a long ways away back then. Of course time always goes faster than we think it will, and here we are!

Band has been a great experience for Braylen. He's enjoyed playing percussion, and the drum line in high school was somewhat close-knit. It gave him a place to belong while adjusting to high school life. That being said, he's decided to end his band career at the conclusion of this trip. What a way to go out with a bang! :)

Since I didn't go along on the trip, this blog post will be mainly pictures. He sent us lots and lots of pictures every day he was gone. I loved it. When I went to Europe as a 17-almost-18-year-old-girl, my poor parents only heard from me once--when I used a phone card to call them from Paris. What a different world we live in now.

I saved Braylen's itinerary, and he shared lots of his experiences with us during the drive on our family vacation. So, here's the story of his trip from my view!

May 25th, 2016

Loading the buses at 3:30AM

Airport shuttle

Braylen photobombing his sponsor and her son

Passing the time at the airport

Great group!

Doing the dab of course!

First look at NYC skyline

May 26th, 2016

Today they visited a high school in New Jersey, where both bands played together. Braylen learned that kids in NJ don't get their drivers license until 17, and they go to school until June 24th. Ugh! Later on this day, they toured Princeton University. At night, they went bowling and played laser tag.

Braylen's standing in back in the white shirt, playing the bass drum I think.

At Princeton

The whole band and the sponsors

At the fun center

May 27th, 2016

Today they went to Philadelphia and visited the National Constitution Center, and then the Reading Terminal Market for lunch. Braylen had a Philly Cheesesteak, and he and his friends shared their table with a homeless man. This man shared parts of his story with the group, and they ended up giving him the food they weren't able to finish. In the afternoon, they toured the Kimmel Center of the Performing Arts, returned to Independence National Historical Park to play an afternoon concert, and had dinner at Ruby Tuesday's in Philadelphia. Braylen was pretty excited this his sponsor group was the only group that made time to visit the Liberty Bell after their concert. Since it closed at 5:00, they cut it close--and the other groups missed it! He worked up an appetite and had a rack of ribs, fries, and a sundae. Whew!

Philadelphia

2500 seats, $265 million, 32 ton organ, largest concert hall in USA, named after Sydney Kimmel

Lookin fly

Concert in Philly

Endings

Today is our last day of school. I know I never wrote about March, April, or May. I wish I did. But for today, I want to write about today.

Braylen is in his last day as a sophomore in high school. Our city is building a new high school, and when he returns as a junior, it will be in a brand new building, in a different part of town. It will be wonderful, I'm sure. But we have so many memories in this old high school. Derek and his siblings went there. Derek worked there for 7 years as the SRO. (Those were some challenging, yet fulfilling, years!) Braylen entered those doors as a brand new freshman, and exits them as our son who is exactly halfway through his high school years. It's surreal to think this is it for the good old KHS. Braylen's grown up so much in 2 years, with his 16th birthday being the dividing line between young son and young man. There's a definite distinction of dependence and independence around that time of his life. It took me a few months to adjust, and who am I kidding? I'm still adjusting to it.

Kaleb quietly zoomed through 3 years of middle school. How on earth? While I've been so enamored with Braylen's firsts and Aaron's lasts, Kaleb was living his present. Did I miss it? Was I present with him in his present? I hope so. He's excelled academically, no questions there. He's a friend to all, which has its blessings, but can sometimes be a lonely place to be. He's endured some hurts with friendships that I wish I could take away, but for whatever reasons, these experiences passed through God's hands and are shaping Kaleb's character. I'm so infinitely proud of Kaleb, I feel like I could just burst. He'll walk out of his middle school for the last time today, and begin his summer as an incoming high school freshman.

And then there's Aaron. I could write for hours about our elementary years. Oh, how I've loved them so. Aaron's first year in that school was the only year I had all 3 of my boys together in one building. It truly was a golden year for me as their mother. What a memorable kindergarten year Aaron had! Derek and I watched him swing on the swings at his 3:00 recess, and linger a little longer than most parents, because we knew this was our last one. I remember it like it was yesterday. And then...1st grade shocked us all with the hardest year ever--Aaron's seizure year. When I think of his 1st grade teacher, I think of the many times she reported to me how Aaron did each day--when he blanked out, when he lost his place reading aloud, when he struggled to learn the moves to his music program because his seizures kept making him lose his place, when he needed me to come and bring him a change of clothes. My heart broke for him as he struggled to adjust to countless medication changes and side effects and on and on it went. But his teacher was so patient, tender, and kind. Aaron's class was her first class, as she was a brand new teacher. And yet, she blessed me in ways she'll probably never know.

Thankfully, the rest of Aaron's elementary years were better. The seizures went away, his grades and test scores soared, and time flew by. I loved walking with him through each grade level, knowing this was our last time. With each class project, I remembered what his brothers did. And I loved watching Aaron do it his way. I said yes as often as I could, spent as much time at the school as I could. This was my last chance to soak up these years as a mom with a son in elementary school, and I wanted to have no regrets.

So here we are, saying goodbye to three schools today. So much is ending. Every year, on the last day of school, I pick out a song for the summer. I play it in the van when I pick the kids up. It's always a fun, upbeat song, because school's out and it's time to party!!! This year I picked, "God is on the Move" by 7th Time Down.

Here's to all of today's endings, and all the beginnings that lie ahead--God is on the move!!!

Aaron & Mr. Seeba

Aaron and his best buddies

They're all wearing their 5th grade shirts! :)

The real boys

Last day of 10th grade

Last day of 5th & 8th grades

The last award at a Meadowlark assembly