T-Minus about 12 Hours!

It's just under 12 hours (to be correct, I'd probably be leaving for the airport at around 9-ish or so) until I'm leaving to jump on a plane and go to Europe! It's a huge understatement to say that I've been looking forward to this trip since last year! Anyways, I'll try to blog when I'm over there, but no guarantees. However, I'll be keeping a journal when I'm there. You single reader of this blog, stay tuned for my shenanigans when I return on April the fifth, maybe a few days after that (getting back on Monday nights on a school week=not gonna be fun).

Bringing China to Burke, Virginia

So today, the remnants of the guys in Symphonic Band thought that appropriately enough, we should get Chinese food during our hour and a half of idleness. Hence us enjoying a nice Chinese lunch. Honestly, we thought that we'd rather not go to China just to have the food; plus, we thought that it's a nice homage to them over in Beijing.

Finally, we (to be correct, that would have been me) wrote on the whiteboard in the band room. It said, something like this:

-Going to China: $2,000
-Getting band shirts: $50
-Getting Chinese food in the band room: priceless (crossed out). $29.95.

Countdown is TWO DAYS!

As the title indicates, I have a mere two days (and an APES and an AP Stat test in between) before I hop on a plane to Europe! Man, I'm super excited for it (understatement right there, haha)! The band is in China, so that's gotten me even more anxious to go to Budapest, Krakow, Warsaw, Prague, and Berlin, and all of the stops on the way. Hopefully I can blog when I'm there, but don't count on it.

The Trip

At last! The time is FINALLY here!

This is the moment where I go to the airport, to overseas!
Well, here's to the future and what I will see!

Here's to the new streets I will walk on,
Here's to the new things I will eat, the things I'll eat
Here's to the pictures I'll be taking.
Yup, I'm excited!

Here's to the plane rides where I'll be counting down the hours until we land,
The bus rides that will take us to our destinations,
The hotels and hostels that will be my home for eleven sweet days!

Well, I propose a toast. A toast to this trip.
Here's to the people I'll meet,
The things that I'll buy and take home,
The memories I will make.

Yes, the memories I make and the people I'll meet.
Forever and always.

These memories will be in my heart forever.

Forever

and

Always

The Hockey Player

He wasn't the best player, not by a long shot.
Short on talent, long on heart. He played.
Every game like it was his last.

While his team lost a lot, he kept up playing his heart out.
The losses? They served to add wood to his fire.
He never gave up; no way would he do so.
"Winners never quit and quitters never win".

He gave his all for the team
Whether it be blocking shots to save a sure goal
Or working in the corners just to obtain possession of the puck
Or to stand in front of the net to screen the goalie, and get hacked up
Or even playing any position the team needed him to play
He did it all. So the team could win.

Although he wasn't the captain of the team, he embodied what it meant.
He came to every game ready to play. He did not give up, long after the game was decided.
There was no quit in this player, only dedication.
Every shift he was on the ice, he played it like it was last.
The leadership and character that he brought was invaluable
For although it isn't found in the scoresheet, its value was priceless.