Oh yes, I'm still alive.

I have survived! 

Okay.  This doesn't really apply, but it's still hilarious and true.
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I made it through the crazy and somewhat stressful weekend with 21 high schoolers.  18 boys and 3 girls.  I chaperoned the girls and they were all awesome and amazing.  The boys, however, were pretty big whiners.  Not all of them, mind you.  A few of them were actually really cool and smart boys.  A couple others were just irresponsible and maybe had too much testosterone.  Whatever.

The festival itself (Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival) was pretty awesome.  I'm surprised I never went before in college.  We went to some pretty enlightening clinics, saw some amazing concerts, and listened to/learned from world class musicians. 

The two nighttime concerts featured the Jeff Hamilton Trio, a group featuring a few awesome violinists (Regina Carter, Sara Caswell, and Aaron Weinstein) and the all-star rhythm section, Take 6, AND Maceo Parker (one of my favorite saxophonists who is from James Brown's band).
 

Minus the fact that we were sleeping on people's couches, got very little sleep, and had to deal with whining boys, it was a pretty successful trip.  I had no idea boys could whine that much, but apparently when you drive in ONE CIRCLE trying to find the place you are going to go, it happens.  Although we did drive in a few circles throughout the entire trip, but our excuse (the teachers') was YOLO.  It really irritated the kids.  It was awesome.  I think they won't say that as much anymore.

Well, I don't have any pictures because my camera died the FIRST day.  So, you can live with a new Lonely Island song that takes YOLO to the next level.  There is no bad language so blast this anywhere.  You'll love it.

 



PS.  A shirt that I have had a mustard stain on the front so I put it next to the washing machine because I was going to wash it/unstain it when we got back.  I cam back yesterday, started doing laundry and could NOT find the mustard stain.  IT DISAPPEARED!  I have no idea how it happened.  I keep coming back to it to stare it at it some more.  I even went through the trouble of looking at it in different lights.  It's weirding me out.