the Quest of nerds

...Ace & I headed down to Southeast Texas for the long weekend----we left after school on Friday and drove to Beaumont. We watched (well, I listened) to Pirates of the Caribbean on the way down---we even wrote a marching band show to the music! (nerds)....
...arrived about 9 at Jas & David's---Lyric was there to greet us too--bonus! we chatted and plotted out our weekend...Jas got me Dibs (in new packaging---my favorite!) for the weekend.
...early Saturday morning---yes---early---picked up Lyric at 6:15 a.m.---we four headed to Pearland to watch Bands Of America Houston Regional Marching Band competition....L. D. Bell was marching. We arrived at 815----a couple of bands had dropped out (so many of the bands were messed up because of Hurricane Ike---missing so much school---) so the competition didnt start til 930---but then we planted it and ran the board---50 yard line, about 30 rows up---25-ish bands---then 12 shows in finals----Bell swept the competition---got to see some really entertaining shows and hear some wonderful music---mostly it was great sitting with my kids enjoying them and bands----and burning up! got a most horrific sunburn on my left leg...
...David Hall joined us for finals----he'd been on a youth temple trip in the morning and then conducted a baptism of a family that afternoon---he had a very long day. We got back to Beaumont about 130 a.m....yawn.....up for church at 9 a.m.---I used to live in Jasmine's ward (20 years ago)--still get to see people I knew back then---then David took us on a tour of his refinery and down to see Hurricane Ike damage...the yacht club in Port Arthur---boats piled up on top of boats---aluminum overhangs and fences down everywhere---blue tarps everywhere (waiting for roofs to be replaced)---trees twisted out of the ground---and these werent even the places hit the worst
...we then went to the Halls house for a pasta bar dinner ---that was fun---played Apples to Apples and scum---the next morning Ace & I took jasmine to her elementary school where she is doing some shadowing---then we headed home to Fort Worth....family & marching band---great combination.