Sore feet, retreating voices, and shutting eye lids

So much for writing everyday... but you better believe we were in the coun-traaaay many nights. No internet. HIlarious how we expect there to be internet, but still not everyone has it. 

Today is Saturday, the travel day. We have about 10 hours of driving today, and no performance. No performance is the best part, because my voice is basically gone. Last night we sang and Andrea McPherson's church in Maryland. We were all so exhausted, but the concert itself went pretty well regardless. Not our best by any means, but better than our rehearsal would have suggested we'd do. I have to say it really wouldn't have been fair to judge how our performance would go by our rehearsal though.... many of us were trying to save our voices, so that the concert would be better. I think it paid off.

Last night Trina, Ashley, Allison, Jessica, and Nicole and I stayed at a family's home. We stayed up and talked with them for a little bit, but soon retired to showers and limerick writing. It's tradition for the choir that every choir tour, we draw a name and we have to write a "limerick" for them, or basically a poem or song or something like that. In the closing days of the tour we read or perform them. They've been hilarious so far. I'm reading mine today. 

So let's see... I really haven't updated on the tour since Sunday I guess. I'll do a quick run down. Monday we went to Toledo, Ohio, which is Alex Barringer's home. We did a choral exchange with his old high school, and then went out to the mall. That night we sang at his church. The concert that night was in my opinion the least of our best. That's just me being optimistic and not saying it was the "worst" because it really was just at the bottom of our "well done" list. It was really hot in the room. I think the concert itself was alright, but it was rather difficult to do well when the room was so dizzying. Those top notes made me feel faint. And I'm too much of an achiever not to hit my favorite notes (let em ring!). I was standing on the end of the third riser, and was seriously considering stepping down and going behind the choir to try to save myself from falling. We had someone pass out at the beginning of the year. I didn't really wanna repeat the act though. Not on tour. 

We ended up getting through it just fine though. Trina and I stayed at a host's home with Emily and Blakley.  Good stuff! That next day, Tuesday, we set out for Pennsylvania.  One state away from my home state! We sang in Waynesboro PA, in the midst of lovely rolling hills. The weather was beautiful. We sang at Heather's church, and I think it was definitely one of the best performances. The sanctuary was great for acoustics! We stayed with an adorable older couple, who had just celebrated their 50th anniversary. Lindsay, Bethany, Julia, Kirstie and Trina and I were all together. It was so much fun. 

The next morning, Wednesday, we toured a bit of Gettysburg, and set out for Princeton. NEW JERSEY! We sang in the seminary that evening. Nathaniel is from Princeton, and his dad took us to the Princeton University chapel so we could sing in it just for fun. It was absolutely beautiful. The sound was enchanting, and the architecture was breathtaking. I loved it.

The concert that night went well, though not the largest turn out as far as an audience goes. But it was nice. My dad and my grandma came that night, and Trina and I stayed at my house that night. It was amazing. Anna came over and slept over. The three of us (Trina, Anna and I) slept in a crib.... if you don't know what that means, don't worry about it:)

Thursday, the 18th, the choir met in Philly. We went around to some historic sites, and then ate some lunch. We then headed to BAptist HIgh for a choral exchange. I was really excited to go there, because my dad went there for high school. I just find it so funny that I, his daughter, would take her college choir (from IL) to the same place so many years later. It's also where my boyfriend went for classes too. The music groups there are pretty awesome. 

That night we sang in Woodbury NJ. Prof Stampfli met us there to surprise us, which was pretty cool. He's our connection to the church we sang at. That performance was really good. Doc said it was one fo the best, though some of us felt pretty out of it. My mom, dad,  zach, cal, soph, Liv, and Lena came to that performance. Aijalon, Anna, Laura, Kristi and Jason all came to that performance too. It was exciting to have them all there. 

Yesterday we left Woodbury around 7:30 a.m.... Trina and I slept a lot on the bus. We toured DC for a while, leaving us even more exhausted. Sore feet, retreating voices, and shutting eye lids... yet we made it through the performance last night anyway. 

Well, I am going to sleep.... on the bus... wish me luck.