The past few days I felt much like the White Rabbit – “So much to do, so little time!” The last free weekend flew by fairly quickly, trying to fit in all the errands I had not had been able to squeeze in during Tour Rehearsals and Driver’s Ed and still have some Family Time.
We spent time at the MVA course practicing parallel parking and three point turns, along with a good number of other young driving hopefuls. I spent a fair amount of time wading through Fulbright literature in order to help proofread Jenna’s personal statement and project description for content. I managed to fit in most of my errands and a haircut while John and
Jamey spent time volunteering at an Orienteering Meet for NJROTC.
Monday brought the last Tour Rehearsal and final loading of the trunks. I was able to fit in the annual Gutting of the Locker in addition to dressing my uniforms and loading all the necessities of Tour into my drawer in the trunk. (
Yes, I must be a bona-fide Toe Tag now – I somehow managed to make the Women 1 Trunk this year.) Jamey passed his MVA Exam (I refuse to call it a Driving Exam), so John waited in line at the MVA with him until he walked out the door with his provisional license.
Tuesday was all too short. I wanted to spend as much time with the family as possible, but packing tends to get in the way. Most years I gradually collect all the detritus I take on the road, letting it accumulate in some out of the way spot. This year I found myself puttering from room to room gathering Tour Items, much like the crazy squirrels in the back yard collecting their randomly hidden nuts.
I managed to get in a driving session with Jamey – making sure he was comfortable parking in the school lot, the mall parking lot (where he works), and locating certain meeting points for various activities he might need to drive himself. At 11:00 pm, I found myself still tucking things in various pockets and containers. I was as ready as I could be, given my crazy schedule. If I forgot it, oh well, time to find a Wal-Mart or Target on the road.
This morning I drove Jamey to school for the last time (and I mean that in the literal sense) before returning home to get myself ready to leave.
The remainder of the morning passed all too quickly before I found myself hugging the dog on the way out the door. Poor Chloe, the sight of a suitcase makes her crazy. Jenna left only two weeks ago – the dog must think we’re going to disappear one by one.
Pulling into the parking lot near the Bolling Commissary, I saw
people bustling from car to bus, like busy little ants, carrying boxes and bags. We pulled up near Bus 2, and before John could finish handing me the hanging items, Lorenzo was pulling on his gloves to pull the suitcases out of the car.
We had more than enough time to load my stuff before the bus pulled up from the Barracks. Band members not touring showed up to help others load or just to wish us
well on our way. Irv made another appearance – this is the first time in 26? 28? years Irv wasn’t loading his own stuff. I wonder how it feels? It is Gail’s last tour. The wide smile she wears makes me wonder if it her normal cheerful countenance or the 
thought of this being her last Tour?
Fifteen minutes before our planned departure, John said his farewells and hit the road home. I climbed aboard the bus, where a few people were already sitting, trying to make the transition to tour. There are a lot of new faces on Bus 2 this year – some new to the band and some just new to Bus 2. So many things about this tour feel different for me – I wonder how long it will take to get my Tour Groove?
We spent time at the MVA course practicing parallel parking and three point turns, along with a good number of other young driving hopefuls. I spent a fair amount of time wading through Fulbright literature in order to help proofread Jenna’s personal statement and project description for content. I managed to fit in most of my errands and a haircut while John and
Jamey spent time volunteering at an Orienteering Meet for NJROTC.Monday brought the last Tour Rehearsal and final loading of the trunks. I was able to fit in the annual Gutting of the Locker in addition to dressing my uniforms and loading all the necessities of Tour into my drawer in the trunk. (
Yes, I must be a bona-fide Toe Tag now – I somehow managed to make the Women 1 Trunk this year.) Jamey passed his MVA Exam (I refuse to call it a Driving Exam), so John waited in line at the MVA with him until he walked out the door with his provisional license.Tuesday was all too short. I wanted to spend as much time with the family as possible, but packing tends to get in the way. Most years I gradually collect all the detritus I take on the road, letting it accumulate in some out of the way spot. This year I found myself puttering from room to room gathering Tour Items, much like the crazy squirrels in the back yard collecting their randomly hidden nuts.
I managed to get in a driving session with Jamey – making sure he was comfortable parking in the school lot, the mall parking lot (where he works), and locating certain meeting points for various activities he might need to drive himself. At 11:00 pm, I found myself still tucking things in various pockets and containers. I was as ready as I could be, given my crazy schedule. If I forgot it, oh well, time to find a Wal-Mart or Target on the road.
This morning I drove Jamey to school for the last time (and I mean that in the literal sense) before returning home to get myself ready to leave.
The remainder of the morning passed all too quickly before I found myself hugging the dog on the way out the door. Poor Chloe, the sight of a suitcase makes her crazy. Jenna left only two weeks ago – the dog must think we’re going to disappear one by one.Pulling into the parking lot near the Bolling Commissary, I saw
people bustling from car to bus, like busy little ants, carrying boxes and bags. We pulled up near Bus 2, and before John could finish handing me the hanging items, Lorenzo was pulling on his gloves to pull the suitcases out of the car.We had more than enough time to load my stuff before the bus pulled up from the Barracks. Band members not touring showed up to help others load or just to wish us
well on our way. Irv made another appearance – this is the first time in 26? 28? years Irv wasn’t loading his own stuff. I wonder how it feels? It is Gail’s last tour. The wide smile she wears makes me wonder if it her normal cheerful countenance or the 
thought of this being her last Tour?Fifteen minutes before our planned departure, John said his farewells and hit the road home. I climbed aboard the bus, where a few people were already sitting, trying to make the transition to tour. There are a lot of new faces on Bus 2 this year – some new to the band and some just new to Bus 2. So many things about this tour feel different for me – I wonder how long it will take to get my Tour Groove?
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