Suz, This Blog is For You!

Yes, I have STILL been a very bad blogger. The only excuse I have is that I was so busy with work that I had nothing else to write about but band. That is pretty much all I've had going on since March. A lot as happened - good and bad. First, for the good news!

We found out last week that the recording of our top band will be advancing to the state level for Texas Honor Band. This is a huge deal for us. We had some stiff competition at the Region and Area level. This is our first time to submit for this contest and we never imagined it would go this far so soon. We thought this would be something we would be working towards several years from now. We are thrilled that our band will be representing Keller at the Texas Bandmasters Association Clinic/Convention at the end of July. We will be competing against 13 other bands and I will be perfectly fine if we place 14th!

In other good news, I have booked myself a vacation!!!! I will be spending four nights at a resort in Mexico later in July. It's my 32nd birthday present to myself! I'm leaving on my birthday and I'll be back just in time for the TBA convention. I was super excited to find a small resort that is brand new, and from the reviews on Trip Advisor, seems to only be booked to around 30% capacity most of the time. This is perfect for me! I'm not the kind of person that likes to be around large crowds of people, so this place seemed to fit the bill. The resort is in Playa del Carmen and is called Azul Fives. I can't wait for a little rest and relaxation!

And in even more good news I got to see my favorite gal, Chelsea Handler, in person yesterday at her book signing in Allen. We waited in line for nearly two hours, but it was worth the wait. She was was so nice.

And I got my book signed! Really, all you can read is my name, but trust me, that is actually her autograph. If you don't know who Chelsea Handler is, let me explain. She is a comedian with a late night show on E! and has written several books. She is highly inappropriate, says absolutely everything that she is thinking, and is a single, independent career girl. I love her for all of these reasons. I'm saving this book and one of her others that I have yet to read for my vacation.

And for some bad news. We found out late last night that the citizens of Keller decided that forking over $15-$20 more a month in taxes was too much to maintain all of the exceptional programs that Keller ISD has been able to offer. I am appalled that this measure did not pass and I know that the people who voted against this do not fully understand the ramifications this will have on KISD. I was already having second thoughts about staying in Keller before this mess, and now I am seriously considering my options. I am very anxious to hear from our administrators to see what the final damage is going to be. It's going to be bad. There is nothing in Keller but the schools. There is nothing else brining in revenue except for real estate. Why do I want to stay here now? This is a mandate from the residents that they do not support teachers, they do not value education, and they clearly do not value their community. I have a lot of thoughts weighing heavily on me and some pretty big decisions to make. I'm going to wait to hear from the administrators before I share any more. I guess for now, I'll just try to make the most of my summer and enjoy my time off.