The Trumpet

My LLB has a new Xeno trumpet as many of you know. She needed to step up to a professional model and it has made a HUGE difference.  The new trumpet requires far less air to make music, and therefore, can produce a much larger sound with less effort. We could definitely hear her on Friday night.
She used it in class last week and found that she was a bit... umm.... loud.  The director kept telling her to "LLB, SHH!!! I can only hear you!"
She didn't think that was such a bad thing...

Lost and Found

We had a family wedding this weekend in Canada.
We flew Jet Blue from Washington, Dulles to JFK to Burlington, Vermont.
Our wake up time on Saturday morning was approximately 2:30am. Yes, that's mighty early.  But, we had to be at the airport by 4am. You know, security and all.
We arrived at the airport, flew through security, and arrived at the gate in plenty of time to sit and wait.
While we waited, LLB and I changed our iTouches to Airplane Mode - so that the wi-fi is off.
I put mine back in my suitcase pocket.
She thought she put hers back in her small pink backpack.
They called our flight.
We boarded.
We took off.
We watched a little airplane TV.
She looked for her iTouch. (The one she'd purchased with her babysitting money.)
It was not there.
She freaked -- just a little bit.
She breathed.
We called the flight attendant. He took all of her information and her boarding pass.
He returned and told us to speak with the person at the desk as we exited the plane at JFK.
We thanked him.
When we left the plane, we did find the person at the desk. She told us we needed to see the people in baggage. We had less than 25 min. between flights. That was NOT going to work. She told us to do it in Burlington.
When we arrived in Burlington, we went right to the Jet Blue desk and explained our plight. They were wonderful! They took LLB's information. They put it into the system. They also gave us the direct phone number to lost and found at Dulles.
While Mr. was securing our rental car, we called the phone number.  The people on the other end were terrific!! They asked us what gate. They asked where we were sitting. They asked us what it looked like -- we described a basic iTouch and told them that her name was engraved on the back and that it was in a clear case.
They told us to hold on for a minute.
They made some calls...
They did some searching...
The woman came back on the line and said, "Ma'am, we have it."
They FOUND the iTouch.
Yes, they found it!
We thanked her profusely and told her when our flight was due in.
She told us to go to baggage and to look for the little office behind the carousel.
When we arrived back at Dulles - the next afternoon - we did exactly what she'd told us to do.
The people in the office were very kind.
They went to the back room and got it.
My LLB was jumping up and down with excitement!
My LLB is a very happy girl.
She will be writing thank you notes.
As for me - My faith in humanity is restored.

Thanks again, Jet Blue! Your staff went above and beyond and we really really appreciate it.

Celebrations!

How do you celebrate an accomplishment?
My kids finished their first term of the 2009-2010 school year yesterday. They took their exams, turned in their dismissal note, and blew out of school. They celebrated with pancakes and laughter with their friends at our local pancake place.
How fun is that?
These kids know where it's at - they know the importance of good friends, good conversation, and laughter.

Big News...

LLB made All District Band!!

She auditioned on Saturday.
We arrived at the venue later than we have in years past. She was the last trumpet - #37.
She hung around and waited for her audition time with her friends - they were a little ahead of her, but she laughed and enjoyed their company. I think they helped relax her. Once they went off to audition, she warmed up a little and then played Tetris on her Nintendo.
When she came out, I asked her how she thought she'd done.
She said that she had nailed the etude and most of the scales. She thought she did okay on the sightreading - she said she had a little bit of a rough start, but had it down by the end of the piece -- oh and she thought it might have been a Mozart piece.
She still didn't think she'd be one of the 12 chosen. After all, she is just a freshman...
She found out yesterday that she'd made it.
She told me she was jumping up and down in the hallway and that she dropped all of her stuff so she could hug the two trumpets that told her she'd made it. Those two boys will never be the same!!
She's either #9 or #11. Either way it's terrific!!

AND

She got second place for the Hero paper she wrote and narrated for an English competition.

She had a banner day.

AND

She had a run-in with her History teacher. It seems the teacher threw a notebook at a fellow student. She went toe to toe with the woman. You don't throw things at students -- ever.  When LLB confronted her, the teacher told her that she could do whatever she wanted because the notebook was incomplete. LLB just looked at her - with "that look".  The teacher came and found her later to apologize.  I am sure the woman is afraid LLB will tell me what happened and that I'll turn her in. Too bad, Lady.. She  did, and I will... later today.

May the Force Be With You...

As it was with us...

R & I are definitely shoe-ins for the "Mother of the Year Award".   We took the kids to see Star Wars in Concert last night - in Baltimore - as in Maryland - as in 2 hours from home. 

The evening started off innocently enough - get the kids from swimming and head out.
We stopped at the drive thru for a quick bite, distributed the loot and began our drive.
Within moments we were stopped on the road because of an accident up ahead. I was a little freaked out because #1 was ahead of us - enough ahead of us to be mixed up in that mess we couldn't see. I called home. Mr. was out walking Zeb and told me that #1 had not yet arrived. We hung up. 15 minutes later I called back. #1 was walking in the door. Crisis averted. Blessing #1 of the evening. All was well and we were moving at a good clip.

As we hit Route 495, the backup started... we crept along at 10mph - I think I'm being generous with that speed.  Our arrival time on the GPS was clicking up towards the starting time of the concert. We did not panic.
We are moms. We can handle anything!
We even had a small potty crisis, but we managed. We just kept going. At the 495/270 split, we were blessed with moving traffic - for a short few miles. Then we were back to stop and go. Once on 95N, things opened up. The traffic gods smiled upon us and we were cruisin'.


We were going to be later than expected, so I asked if I should call the band director and have him put our tix at Will Call. R said that would probably be a good idea. I dialed.
Hi, it's Ladybug. Do you think you could put our tix at will call?
I don't have your tix. I gave them to LLB and HP and told them to put them in a safe place.
LLB has the tix?
Umm.. yup.

From the back seat we heard two gasps. 
OMG, Mom... I forgot the tix in my locker.
Yeah. Mine are there, too.

I said into the phone: She forgot them in her locker. Do you think they will help us?
Gee. I dunno. Good luck.
And he clicked off.

Around here, this is what we call an "awshit moment".

R and I sighed. The kids felt awful.  LLB was very close to tears.
R and I discussed the sanity of handing tickets to 9th graders - especially when we'd both been at school in his presence at a meeting the night before.

I called back. He gave us the section, rows, and seat numbers and wished us luck.

We held our collective breaths, said a few prayers, and discussed with the children re-payment of the admission price should we have to purchase more tix. They could virtually see their money flying out of their piggy banks, but they didn't complain.

R's Mr. happened to call at this point, so he was filled in on our dilemma. He said something like, "You're going to have to talk your way in. You can do it!"(Hey, we're moms - we can do anything, right?")

At one point LLB said, "Well, this way we'll have the tickets for the scrapbook." We all giggled. She had a point...

We arrived in Baltimore - time was tight... very tight.
We parked in the Sheraton garage - they were close and cheap.

We walked over to the 1st Mariner Center.  We headed for the Will Call counter.
I had my band jacket and band shirt on. (This certainly helps when you are claiming to be "with the band").
I explained our plight to the agent at the window.
He told me to hang on. He headed out back.
We told the children to cross their fingers and to start praying - hard!

The man came back. He started to fill out a pass and was called away. We tried to remain calm. He returned, and finished filling out the pass.  He handed it through the window and told us to enjoy the show.
We thanked him profusely and heaved a huge sigh of relief.
Yet another blessing!

We headed to our seats in the nosebleed section.  Up the stairs...
R had to use the facilities, so we stopped to wait just outside the section door. While we were there, I showed my pass to one of the 1st Mariner Center Staff. She told me she'd been looking for us, that we'd been relocated, handed me 4 tix, and told me the rest of the band was there.

R came out of the bathroom and I literally shoved a ticket in her face. Her eyes lit up.  "How did this happen?" I quickly explained. I'm not sure she heard or understood a word I said, but the implication was that we had real tickets! 
Yes, people - another blessing in less than 5 minutes!

We flew down the stairs to our much better seats.
There are 2 doors to each section. We walked in the door to the left - amazingly it was the correct door! Our seats were right on the end. We missed exactly 30 seconds of the show.

R texted her Mr. "we're in!"

The show was amazing -  the music, the lights, the screen - everything! I thoroughly enjoyed watching the conductor. He conducted the symphony and the choir. Amazing!!

The ride home was blissfully uneventful.
We decided that this was definitely an adventure for the scrapbook... I just wish we had some pictures to go with it.

More Fall...

LLB has been absconding with my camera. She took these.

She's got an amazing eye...

See what I mean?

Yup... the kid is amazing.

Homecoming...

The Homecoming dance is coming up - as you all already know. LLB has her dress. #1 doesn't have an "outfit" so to speak. Today I may have to go shopping for said "outfit". The theme for the evening is Mardi Gras. He has given me specific instructions about what he wants - he wants all black with a red tie. Why? He wants to look tall?

LLB and her friend B are going together. She was faceb**king with him yesterday and he said something about not going. She fixed that. She just asked him to go with her - just as friends. It seems to me that she may have played right into his hand... He's a slick one, that B. I think he may have been plotting this for a quite a while.

#1 has two girls he's meeting at the dance. One who isn't allowed to date and one who is a friend of LLB's. (So many girls.. so little time..) He'll be a dancing fool!

Shopping anyone?

Music for Soldiers

LLB is part of the brass ensemble at school. She and that group went to play for some of the soldiers from Walter Reed at an event yesterday. The kids did a great job and the soldiers really appreciated their efforts. Some even came over and thanked them - which seemed a little bit backwards... you know?

When the kids were getting ready to go, they changed into appropriate outfits. LLB wore a lovely dress and a sweater. When she came out of the changing room, the boys were shocked. It seems they forgot that behind that trumpet, is a girl - a real girly girl. In their defense, she normally wears jeans or shorts to school. One of her trumpet-mates said, "Wow, LLB. You're a girl! You look great!"

I'll giggle about that one all day!

1850's Sax Horn

LLB had the opportunity to play a reproduction 1850's Over The Shoulder Sax Horn yesterday.

It's not every day that these opportunities drop into our laps... We need to cherish each and every one. Let me tell you - she loved every minute of this!

Life is good...

The windows are in.
They are lovely and as Mr. says, they make our house look like a home. Our other windows were in such sorry shape that they made our house look "unloved", "cheap", and "shoddy". Our little house is starting to look more sturdy, and when we came up the driveway (after midnight) last night, it looked a whole lot nicer!

Last night was the first football game of the year. It was LLB's first football game as a member of the marching band and #1's first as a Junior. I didn't get a picture of the two of them in their uniforms, but I have a whole season to get a few of those. She enjoyed every minute - playing on the field and in the stands, eating dinner with her friends before hand, and partying afterwords at the local pancake house. On the way home, she chattered on about how much fun she had and that she is really glad that she is in the band. (It is so cool!!)

My favorite anecdote from last night is this one:
I'm a uniform mom. My dear friend R is my right hand person. We hand out uniforms. We get them cleaned. We make sure they are all put away correctly. That's it.
One freshman boy came upstairs after he was dressed and said, "They told me to come up here so you could fix my hair."
"Mr. Freshman, Do I look like I do hair? (My hair was in a questionable ponytail.) You'll have to ask your section leader if there are any mothers doing hair. (His section leader is my #1.) I do uniforms, I don't do hair."
"But, they told me to come up here."
"They lied."
"My hair is too long in the back. It has to be above my collar. What am I going to do?"
My dear friend R replied, "We can cut it off."
He left... quickly...
I hope we didn't scar him for life...

For me, one of the best parts of the evening was seeing the many different band parents come out of the woodwork to help us. It's nice to have an active group that wants to help... It sure beats the STP (same ten people) we've had in the past. It's a new era and it is good.

Yippeee!!!

Ahem... excuse me.
I got a little overzealous there...

Today is the first day of school. I now have two high school students in my family. #1 left in his car this morning - all excited to be a junior with a parking spot and wheels to go in it. LLB took the bus. She is happy that her brother is driving, but is not ready to trust him completely - and I'm totally fine with that. She is content to ride the bus with her friends. As a matter of fact, when the bus pulled up, I could see 3 of her good friends through the windows. When she hopped on, one of them cheered and called her name. I'm sure that makes riding the bus even more palatable.

The kids have marching rehearsal after school, so I'll still have to run down there and pick her up - which is fine with me since I have a bunch of band shoes to pass out - you do know that I'm the Shoe Fairy... I fit and order shoes. Fortunately, that gig ends with the shoe delivery this afternoon. I, like my mother, don't DO feet.

Last week, Mr. Band Director requested all the student leaders show up on Friday to have a meeting, help clean up some stuff, and move some equipment to the storage trailer. I'd like you all to know that the ONLY kid who showed up was my #1.

I got a quick and very quiet phone call from #1 upon his arrival asking me what to do because there was a meeting going on in the band room. I told him that there should be a list of things to do on the wall. He whispered back that he did see it, thanked me for my help, and went off to complete the assignments.

When Mr. Director joined him, he asked if #1 had completed X, Y and Z. #1 said, "Yes."
Mr. Director looked right at him and said, "Oh, wow! Well, I guess I know who I can count on."
#1's response, "Yup. I guess you do."
(My thought when #1 told me the story - HA! Take that Mr. Director!! HA!)

It seems that Mr. Director went to do a couple of things that #1 had completed as well - without being asked. Mr. Director was very pleased and surprised that #1 had gone beyond the call of duty. (As he should be.) #1 said that every time Mr. Director went to do something that had already been completed, he said, "Oh - you did that TOO?! Wow! Thanks!"

When the Mr. Director asked him if he wanted to stay for lunch and have pizza - since that was part of the deal, #1 declined and told him to save it for another time when everyone could partake. He told him that he was going to go home to have lunch with LLB who was home alone. Yes, my friends, HE really is that sweet and SHE got out of shopping for toilet innards with me...

Mr. Director smiled, handed him a can of ice cold soda, and thanked him for his help. So - I guess Mr. Director has finally figured out that my #1 is as wonderful as the rest of the world claims.
It's about time!

Has it really been a week?

I can't believe it's been that long since I posted anything out here. I'm slacking!

Time sure does fly when I'm busy with the kids!
Last week it was band camp.
They were at school from 8am to 8pm. Fortunately, I didn't have to stay the whole time - but I did have my own uniform drama - which is almost over. I have a few more kids to fit and then I'm done!

The kids worked very hard all week - they marched, they played, they laughed, they even had time for some fun! They even learned the whole show!!! This is huge! They are way ahead of where they were last year and years past.

I took pictures - lots of pictures. It was my LLB's first high school band camp... And she LOVED it! She plays trumpet and is the only freshman as well as the only girl. Those trumpet boys really like her - she's tough, she can play, and the fact that she knows what she's doing makes an impression. This kid doesn't need to be babied, that's for sure!

The trumpets needed t-shirts. I made this one for them:
and purchased this one (after trips to 4 different Wallyworlds):
Kids who play trumpet have an attitude or an air... The shirts definitely accentuated that attitude!

#1 had a great week as well - but fortunately, the woodwinds have their act together and didn't need me to do their t-shirts... :-)

They have rehearsal tonight... If you need me, I'll be in the uniform room - buried under piles and piles of red and gray.

Home

The children are home.
They have been stretched and changed by their experiences as counselors at a camp for mentally disabled kids. They have stories - so many stories - some sweet, some funny.
They both want to go back.

When we arrived to pick them up we ran into one of the adult leaders of the camp. We asked how the week went. She asked if we were LLB and #1's parents. When we replied in the affirmative, she gushed about our children. She told us that they were wonderful kids who have a terrific relationship with each other. She noticed their similarities and their differences. (He's gregarious. She's a watcher - slower to warm up.) She told us that they were wonderful with the kids - patient, sweet, and fun. She couldn't say enough good things about them.

Yup, they are good kids.

My favorite story is this one:
LLB was sitting watch after the kids had been put to bed. She was outside the boy's cabin waiting for them to fall asleep. When they got loud, she said, "Boys. That's enough. Be quiet and go to sleep."
"Wow.. there's a girl out there. She sounds stern."
They'd quiet down for 5 minutes and start up again.
"Boys, go to sleep. Now."
"Ooooh. She IS stern."

Now that's funny!

Quick Update

I have yet to hear from LLB's camp director, but I did speak with her counselor about the private lesson teacher. It seems that this teacher was nasty to more than one student and will not be back next year. Other parents resented paying $60 for an hour lesson and having their kids belittled. Considering there were only 4 trumpets - I'm thinking that there must have been 4 very unhappy parents to cause such a ruckus...

FYI: LLB is not a complainer 0r an excuse maker. Her brother - he's got that franchise. LLB can take her lumps and does from her regular private trumpet teacher. But if I'm paying $60 - $1 per minute - for a lesson, I expect the teacher to give a little. I also don't expect him to jump all over her and then give her a lecture on why he knows what tired is... That's a waste of my hard earned cash and her time. LLB went into those extra lessons ready to learn - she knew how expensive they were. You have to remember LLB had been playing for 5 to 6 hours a day for a week and a half. That's a lot of playing when you consider that during the school year she probably played an hour and a half at most per day and the time was chopped up - 40 min in school during the day and the rest at night.

I'm no helicopter parent - unless I feel that my children have been treated unfairly. Believe me... when my kid calls me upset because some teacher belittled her - I do get my knickers in a twist.

One Down...

LLB is finished with her music camp today. She had a great time and wants to go back again next year. She learned a lot - and that is worth the price of admission.

Her last concert is this afternoon and finishes exactly 15 minutes before #1 has his performance at a church near by. We are packing her room up after lunch and will turn her key in before the concert. Time is of the essence!

We are NOT missing his performance. Those are her words, not mine. To ensure a good seat, Gram and Grandpa will go to the church to save seats while we sit through LLB's concert. Then it will be a mad dash across town - Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do!

When it comes right down to it - we all miss the boy and we want to see what he's been up to for the past week and a half.

So - it's a busy day, but a fun day ahead.

Decisions, Decisions

Well, I made the choice - I got the dark black/brown shelving unit for #1's room. It took us a while to get it put together and in place, but it is awesome! I can't wait for #1 to see it!
When Mr. got home last night, he went to check it out.
"WOW! He's going to love this! This is awesome!"
I knew I'd hit a home run because Mr. doesn't usually get overly excited about stuff like this. I usually get, "Oh, that's nice."

I have another issue which I'm handling, but I need to vent a little - heaven forbid I be accused of being a complainer on my own blog...

I got a call from LLB the other day. She is still at music camp. I took this picture last weekend as we left her. I think it really gives you a sense of who she is... Anyway, She had a really rough lesson. She couldn't hit anything. She was having trouble with the easy stuff. She was havin' what you call "A BAD Day". She mentioned to the teacher that she "must be tired or something". The teacher flipped out. He said, "What, do you have an excuse for everything?" LLB was floored. She hadn't said anything before that. Then he said, "You don't have a right to be tired!"
Had I been there I would have said to this teacher, "Honey, it's summer camp. The child has been away from home for a week and a half. She's been up late. She's been honking her brains out for hours a day. Not to mention that the campus is built on a hill and her dorm is on the top, the cafeteria is in the middle and the classrooms are at the bottom. I get winded thinking about walking around that campus! That said, she's the youngest and only female trumpet there. She's been working hard to keep up since she got here. Obviously your knickers are in a twist over something that has nothing to do with my kid - untwist 'em and be nice."
Needless to say, I wrote to the camp director. I'm waiting to hear from her. I don't think any teacher should belittle a student - ever - but especially at summer camp - a camp for which I paid huge dollars - and at an extra lesson for which I paid through the nose. This is my kid he squawked at... And this mama isn't too happy about that...

Rant over...
There... I feel better. Thanks for listening.

Getting My Act Together

Well, we got LLB off to camp yesterday. She's at a music camp and will be playing her trumpet every day for hours on end. Let's hope they challenge her and that she gets a lot out of it (because it was very expensive and had better be worth Mr.'s hard earned cash.)

She is at a college in a dorm room. It is really quite lovely.
The room she shares with her piano student roomie is huge as far as dorms go. The bathroom is right next door and she has a sink in her room. Life is good! The food in the cafeteria is yummy - we had lunch there yesterday to make sure the poor child wasn't going to starve... Her favorite part of lunch - the Jello. It's the little things... (I guess I don't make Jello enough... I probably haven't made jello in 5 years.)

Anyway, her friend, B is with her - they couldn't be roommates because B is a boy and boys and girls cannot room together. They spent some time hanging out yesterday - I learned this from B's dad who got a phone call yesterday... unlike myself who got nothing. At least we'll have information from someone. :-)

I send #1 off to camp on Thursday. He is currently enjoying his status as "only child". He is packed - for the most part. His trunk is in the middle of my craft room with the top open to receive anything we might toss in. I'm sure he's going to want snacks and goodies - We'll shop for those tomorrow.

Yesterday evening after we dropped LLB, I spent an hour shoveling out her room while her brother took charge of the TV remote. I ended up with three bags of trash for the dump and three bags of clothes and shoes for DP. (LLB and I had tossed everything that didn't fit into a basket while we were packing her trunk - see, I'm getting smarter! We had also organized her drawers during the packing process... It has only taken me 4 years to get to this point, but... better late than never, right?) I have some shelf cleaning and organizing that has to be done before I can dust, vacuum, and be finished in there. Part of the shelf cleaning involves putting her American Girl dolls away. That's going to take me a while because I need to dress them in their original outfits and put them back in their boxes - yes, I've kept it all. As much as I don't want to see these beautiful dolls be put away, it's time... The big question - do I ebay them or hang on to them? I have a couple that aren't made anymore... I could probably get some serious cash for them... But, I really don't want to part with them. What would you do?

Today I'm spending the day with a friend. She wants to learn how to scrapbook. She wants to make albums of her children's lives for them for Christmas gifts. I'm so pleased that she asked me to help her with this very special project. I'm digging out all of my scrapbooking tools and papers for her to play with - we are going to have a really fun day!

Once we get #1 to camp on Thursday, I'll shovel out his room. It shouldn't take long because he tends to be a little neater. He needs a new bookcase, so I think an IKEA trip is in order. I've got a piece in mind, so all I have to do is make sure it will fit and go get it.

So, I'm getting my act together one day at a time... By the time I get it all together, they'll be home from camp and I'll have to start over!

She Cleaned Up!

LLB walked away with many awards today including the Lions Club Academic Excellence Award which came with a $100 savings bond.
She got the Band Student of the year award for excellence over the 3 years she was in middle school. How lovely!!!
She walked away with the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence - no surprise there. Her grades are terrific.
She got the Mathematics Award and the Science Award,too.
As her friend HP said (after he walked away with just as many prizes as LLB), I'm smart. I like being smart!"
Being smart pays.

I was awarded a prize as well. I volunteered in the band room for 5 years. I kept the music library in order, I substituted, I helped with the fundraisers, the receptions, and more. I got a certificate and the Music Library was named for me. I have a plaque with my name on it on the Music Library's door. I was so touched. I have never felt more appreciated.

I sure am going to miss middle school music...
High school music just isn't the same...

The Last Week

Of school is here.
It's been really busy, but it's sure been fun!
We've had 2 ballet performances of Sleeping Beauty, 21 people for dinner, been to the high school graduation and sold water for the band, hit a graduation party, and even had time to clean the house - well, not really, but we did get it picked up and vacuumed.

Today I am off to purchase the food for tomorrow's 8th grade picnic. Then we have a friend's 70th birthday party. Yes, I intend to sit and enjoy it.

Tomorrow is the 8th grade picnic. #1 has his meeting with the judge to get his real license in the afternoon. (You drive on a temporary for up to 180 days.) From there we'll meet up with the rest of the family for a quick dinner. Then the kids have their first marching band practice. I can't wait to take pix of LLB and her friends learning their left from their right.

Tuesday might be my day to do laundry and housework unless something better comes my way!

Wednesday is the 8th grade breakfast where the teachers roast the students. I'm not sure if I'm going to go to that, but I'd like to hear what the teachers have to say. I've worked it in years past and it is really quite funny!

Thursday is the big day. LLB leaves 8th grade and becomes a freshman.
She is ready.
Me? I'm ready, too!

Most Outstanding

8th Grade Band Student...
For the 3rd year in a row the recipient was LLB.
Just like her brother.
FYI: Only two students have ever gotten Most Outstanding Band Student for 3 years in a row - both of them live in my house. :-)

LLB works very hard.
She got a plaque with her name on it. How cool is that?

LLB also walked away with 3 superlative awards chosen by her classmates: Biggest Workaholic, Most Talented, and Most Dedicated. She was so excited!

The 8th grade gave their band teacher a very special gift - a new Mollard baton with his name engraved on it. He was touched. It is definitely not something he'd ever purchase for himself. LLB presented it to him. She did a great job of it. After he opened the baton, she asked him for the old one. He gave it to her and she promptly passed it to HP. HP eventually gave it to the boy who won "Most Likely to Become a Band Teacher".

BUT, the best gift he got came from all of the students - a cart filled with root beer and birch beer - his favorite beverages. He was SOO excited - his eyes actually lit up!