Choir Performances - Junior Year (Jourdan)

Jourdan had another very busy school year during his junior year at Mountain View (2014-15).  He was in the Concert Choir as well as the Mountain Express a capella choir. Because the a capella choir (with only 16 members) met every morning during zero period (or before school), Jourdan found himself attending seminary at 5:25am which meant waking up around 4:45 every morning.  In the Fall, he was fortunate enough to audition for and participate in the District Honor Choir (below) which is made from choir students throughout the school district.

  This photo is from the choir's Spring concert at Mountain View.

The choir got to perform at the Veteran's Day assembly also:

The choir took a trip to San Francisco for their Spring tour.  They spent time shopping and eating at Pier 39. They also performed "Circle of Life" from "Lion King" for the crowds at Pier 39.

Photo below: Adwin Nettles, Jourdan, Emmanuel (Manny) Mendez, and Adam Haddad.

The choir took a trolley tour around the city.  They became the focal attraction wherever they went because they were singing and performing at the top of their lungs the whole time. Below: Jourdan, Taylor Jensen, Hadara (Haddi) Meyer, and Jack Hoheisel.

Visiting the Golden Gate bridge outside Fort Point.

Group dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp at Pier 39. The guy leaning in on Jourdan is his buddy Josiah Howes.

We spent our last afternoon in the Bay Area at Great America theme park.  Jourdan and Mom rode Flight Deck together (our last ride in the park).

 At their final concert of the year, the a capella choir sang "For Good" from the Broadway musical "Wicked".  They chose to perform their number surrounding the piano; this is the way they practice every morning at 6:45.  It was an emotional performance for the group as it was the last time these 16 would perform together.

 And, for those who are truly interested....here are a few links to some of the songs they did this year.  Jourdan has a solo in "Strength".

• "Dubala" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfl9VSzvd7A 
• "Circle of Life" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-bsVjPRAsE
• "Strength" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY66aFQU8Ww

Julia - 8th Grade

I haven't taken the time to catch up on our family blog for over a year now.  I'm going to try and play catch-up really quickly.  Hopefully, I can sum up Julia's 8th grade (and final) year at Shahala Middle School in this one post.

In the fall, Julia played volleyball for her second year.  She made the "A" team again this year, which was exciting for her.   

Their team had a great season.  They ended up with an upset victory at the District Championships and came in first place over a couple of their biggest rival teams.  District champs 2015.

Also, in the Fall, she was in the school play "Mr. Toad's Mad Adventures".  She played the prison guard's wife. (Not a huge role, but she got to wear "normal" clothes and had several lines.... Plus, she got to be angry which was fun.) 

 Julia was again recognized for being an honor student.  She's very conscientious about her school work and always puts in the extra effort to get good grades. 

 Julia also played basketball in 8th grade.  She made the "A" team this year.  She didn't have as much playing experience as some of the girls on her team, but she did fairly well.  This team placed 2nd in the district competition....not too shabby!

Grand Floral Parade 2014

Sometime in May, we got an email from the local Boy Scout Council asking if any Scouts would like to participate in the Grand Floral Parade in Portland. Specifically, they were looking for Scouts who would be interested in carrying the banners that proceed each float/entry.  Jourdan said that he would like to volunteer; it sounded like fun.  So, he signed up.  Then, he thought it would be much more fun if he had a friend to help carry the banner (they're heavy), so he called his long-time Scout buddy Paul.

 

When Jourdan volunteered, we asked the lady in charge of volunteers if he could possibly be somewhere in the front half of the parade because he had a vocal recital in the afternoon.  (If he were to end up in the back part of the parade, there was a chance he would miss his recital.) She said she would do her best to accommodate him (and his friend).

 

When I went to drop the boys off, I couldn't park, or even get remotely close to where they needed to be due to road closures...so, being the responsible parent I am....I just dropped them off near the Memorial Coliseum, told them to look for the volunteer tent near the Moda Center, crossed our collective fingers, and drove off.

 

Jourdan had left his phone at home, so I had no way of contacting him after he was abandoned at the coliseum.  I didn't know where he would be marching in the parade, but I didn't want to miss him.  (Not only because I wanted to enjoy that moment, but because I needed to pass him his phone that Grandma and Grandpa had stopped by to retrieve - along with Julia).

 

So, as the parade started, we watched anxiously (knowing Julia planned to run out into the parade and slip her brother a phone).  And the official pace car came around the corner, followed immediately by the main banner....you know, the one that says "Grand Floral Parade".  And who should be carrying that banner?  Jourdan and Paul! 

So, not only were they *near* the beginning of the parade....they *lead* the parade through the streets of Portland.  It was so cool!   They were on the news coverage of the parade - Paul's parents saw them from home on TV.

The picture below was taken by a photographer from the Oregonian newspaper as the boys carried the banner across the Burnside Bridge over the Willamette River. 

What a cool opportunity!  I was glad I was able to watch from the sidelines.  The tricky part after the parade would be how to retrieve the boys.  There was no way I would be able to drive down to the disbanding location as the parade was still happening and all the roads were blocked. So, like the responsible parent I had already proven to be earlier in the day, I told the boys to look for a Max (light rail) station and ride back to where I had parked the car.  At first, I felt a little guilty about forcing them to fend for themselves (in my mind they're still 6).  Then, I realized that these two young men are merely 2 years away from serving full time missions (could be anywhere in the world).... If they weren't smart enough to figure out how to ride the train to a predetermined place, I should be worried for their future safety.  They're both highly intelligent boys, and they proved that they could figure out mass transit on their own.  They got back to the car almost as fast as I did, and we got home without even encountering traffic.  Great day at the Grand Floral Parade 2014!

Guys & Dolls

The first two weekends in May brings the Spring Musical at Jourdan's high school. This year, the production was "Guys & Dolls".  Jourdan got to play two characters, which put him on stage during most of the show.  Most kids were either gamblers or missionaries, he was both...mostly because they needed his amazing bass voice in all the musical numbers.   Jourdan had a brilliant idea to create a photo with both of his costumes.  It was easier than I thought.  On the left is "Calvin 'the Cat'" his gambler alter ego.  On the right is Calvin, a missionary in the "Save A Soul Mission"  (Bet you can guess which role was tailor-made for his personality!)

Here's a shot of the entire cast, crew, orchestra, and directors.  In all, there were over 80 kids and adults involved in the production.  I was the production coordinator, which means that I was responsible for all the small details of the show.  I supervised 16 parent committees.  I ended up heading about 5 of those committees, but I am thankful for wonderful parents who helped out to spread the work around.  While Jourdan and the cast were rehearsing on stage, I was worried about t-shirts, theme dinner, cast party, advertising, program editing, concessions, ticket-takers, and staffing all the other committees... we were both tired at the end, but it was sad to see the performances end.

Below is the "Save A Soul Mission" marching band.  Jourdan is the 4th from the left. 

 

 This is, perhaps, the funniest part of the show....well, at least, the most awkward moment for Jourdan.  His character Calvin "the Cat" is supposed to hit on Adelaide (the lead).  This could not be more out of character for Jourdan.  In fact, he was taking flirting lessons on the bus during the choir tour in preparation for this scene.  Too bad it's a little blurry.

Nicely, Nicely Johnson got hungry and needed a little "snack".  Jourdan in the background:

This is part of the Crapshooter's Dance in the sewer scene.  Jourdan is in the red coat third from the left.

These pictures are, in no way, in order....this is one of the final scenes.  He has made some wonderful friends through musical theater..to his right are Adwin and Haddi (front and center). 

Jourdan (again in the red coat) in the "Oldest Established" number (video to follow).

"...gotta have a game, or we'll die from shame....." as Jourdan looks on in the background....

More gamblers encouraging Skye Masterson to "roll 'em" as he has bet them $1,000 against their souls. 

Unfortunately for the gamblers, Skye wins, and they must all attend a midnight prayer meeting in the "Save A Soul Mission".

Jourdan's buddy, Brady, who played Nicely Nicely, sings "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat".  (See video below...it's a good one!)

 

"Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat"

 

"The Oldest Established, Permanent, Floating Crap Game in New York"

 

"Luck Be A Lady"

 

 

"Adelaide's Lament"

(Jourdan is not in this number, but his friend Stacy is so amazing....it's worth watching.  I have been impressed with the continuing talent at this school since we started attending musicals about 20 years ago.  It's always fun to hear the audience react to the talent, that they are clearly not expecting.) 

On closing night, Grandma Hale flew in from Denver to see the final performance. It was so great to have her in town for the show...too bad we only got to spend a day with her.

Solo & Ensemble Competition (Road Trip)

 

 Jourdan's a'capella choir competed in the district solo and ensemble competition in February again this year.  They performed two numbers and then casually went out to lunch, instead of hovering around the judges deliberation room waiting for their scores (as the other schools did).  And, since they wandered away, someone had to call and let them know that their group of 16 had won the competition.  They were all excited and shocked; their school had never advanced before, so they weren't really even expecting to win.

 

In April, they took another trip to Ellensburg, Washington for the State Solo and Ensemble Competition.  It was held on the Central Washington University campus.  They sang their little (or rather, almost-grown-up) hearts out.  They performed to the very best of their collective ability, so even though they did not win the state competition, they performed wonderfully.  They got great scores too.  Here's the videos of those performances at State:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHK06IszYUo Non, Nobis, Domine

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz7o0jSO-cI Adoramus Te

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obdDNBfRWVU Baba Yetu

 

 And, true to Blogger form, they won't post from either my Youtube channel or the files on my computer, so I hope you can use the links if you haven't seen the performances.


 

And while Jourdan was enjoying his luxurious (sarcasm here) accommodations in the local Super 8 motel.... the rest of us spent the evening visiting Uncle Joel and family in Ephrata (since it was only 45 minutes from the campus).  We checked in on our farm, met our renter in person, went out to dinner, Julia visited the animals, and enjoyed time with family. Joel and Dillon drove down to watch the competition too.

 

 

Vancouver to Vancouver (BC)

This year, Jourdan's Concert Choir traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia for their annual tour. On Thursday, April 3, 64 students and 11 chaperones boarded two tour buses bound for Canada.  Our first stop that day was Western Washington University in Bellingham.  We were treated to a performance by an a'capella choir, then the group spent time performing and enjoying music from other choirs. (5th from left in red shirt)

After dinner in the dining hall on campus, we boarded the buses, once again, for Canada.  There were no problems as we crossed the boarder, and we arrived at our hotel late that night. The next day, we had a day-long clinic with Dr. Langager on campus at the University of British Columbia.

We were lucky to be able to perform at the Chan Center for Performing Arts on the UBC campus.  The highlight of the day was watching Dr. Langager enjoy the choir's performance of Peze Café so much that he pulled out his i-phone and recorded the choir.

That night, we boarded a boat and enjoyed a harbor cruise around the downtown waterfront area of Vancouver.  By water, the city was beautiful.  We even floated passed the Olympic torch which was burning on shore.

On Saturday, we went to Stanley Park to explore the Vancouver Aquarium.  First stop, beluga whales.  We got a special demonstration of the staff's diving abilities as the choir director accidentally dropped her glasses into the exhibit. To help her remember the occasion, Jourdan bought his choir director a beluga whale ring as a souvenir.

Next stop, Capilano Suspension Bridge Park.  It was pouring rain, of course because it was the one day where our group was outdoors.  The other 3 days were sunny and perfect....because we were indoors or traveling on the bus...isn't that how it always goes.  The park provided everyone with yellow ponchos, which made for a hilarious scene.

Since most of our group of 400 was wearing the yellow ponchos, the bridge crossing looked like a scene from Despicable Me - look at all those minions crossing the suspension bridge over the gorge.  This trip was not for those who have a fear of heights.  With that number of teenagers on the bridge, it sways and bounces over the huge span.

Of course, when you're all alone on the bridge, there's very little movement.  Jourdan didn't need a yellow poncho because, like any good Eagle Scout, he brought his waterproof coat and pants!

On Sunday morning, we loaded the buses up bright and early for the long trip back home to the other Vancouver.  The boarder crossing was exciting as we had to disembark from our bus with all our carry on baggage.  Then, we were asked to return to the bus and completely unload ALL of our luggage, even the stuff underneath the bus.  We were then sent through the scanning machines.  And, if that wasn't enough excitement, our bus (the one I was on) broke down just 30 minutes after crossing the boarder.  We called to have the other bus from our high school turn around and come pick up 20 of our kids. Then we had 5 more picked up by another local high school.  The 12 of us remaining on the broken-down bus (5 chaperones, their 5 students, and 2 extra students) waited for 3 hours for an additional bus.  Fun way to end the trip!  Although, another school broke down on the way TO Canada, which is much worse because they missed events, so I consider the timing fortunate.

Julia's 13th Birthday!

Well, it finally happened...both of my kids are officially teenagers now. Julia turned 13 in February.

Since she opted to not sell Girl Scout cookies this year, she was able to have her party relatively near her actual birthday, which hasn't happened in years.  We had a dinner party with Grandma and Grandpa the weekend before her birthday: 

And she waited for a few weeks so all of her 5 friends could attend her party.  But, she planned every detail herself.  She is really quite the party planner.  She had so many games and activities that I thought were really creative.  And, I am always impressed with how much work she is willing to put into creating her parties....she even cleaned the house!

One of the activities she planned was an egg drop.  She divided the group into 3 pairs (by drawing sticks, of course, so it would be fair) and gave each group a grocery bag full of items from the recycling bin, and other "stuff" she thought would be helpful.

Julia also planned another scavenger hunt.  And, like the one she did last year, it was required that all participants wear ridiculous costumes during the event.

She had so many other activities.  They also had pizza, ice cream, and watched a movie.  It was a long event, but everyone had a good time.