I just wanted to say hey to my family back in New Jersey. They came out to visit me at the Allentown show, three or four hours away from home! Thanks for traveling all that way to see me perform. Thanks for all the food you brought. And thanks so much for the laundry money, too. It was so great to see you all... I can't wait to visit after finals in Pasadena!

Hey all~
~just wanted to check in with you all. Over the corse of these two days that we have been in Lebanon TN, we have learned a good ammount of new drill for our ballad. To the point in which it is almost a new production from the one that we performed at Hershey PA.
~also, we have been doing sectional laundry over the course of these two days. So all of us now have fresh laundry to last us up to the San Antonio free day.
~well, gotta go. Talk to you in a bit~
~brandyn

Last night was the Charleston, WV show. We actually really did not get to practice before because of the weather. There we thunderstorms all during the day but it eventually cleared up for the show. We had a really good visual and musical show warm up. The music warm up was especially cool because we were in the courtyard in front of the capital building. Despite not having rehearsal time we still had a good performance, and took first. Today we were in Lebanon and have had big changes to our ballad. It should look pretty neat for Murfreesboro and hopefully help keep us in the lead.

Hey all~
~hope that things have been well for you. Tour has been good for us. We've had to overcome some hurdles, but I belive that we are stronger due to our moments of less than favorable tour conditions.
~a few days ago we were in PA and at a high school that was undergoing some renovation. Well, with that being said, we had our sleep time interupted by 3 sets of fire drills (we did not have to evacuate), a lady who loved to speak to the school via the intercom (woke us up every time she did), and other less than favorable circumstances.
~after all of that we left for WV for the Charlestown show. We arrived at the housing site and got some sleep time and then went out to rehersal after a brief breakfast. We had just finished the first hour and a half of practice (visual) and went to music warmup and it started to rain, so we picked up our gear and went inside the school's cafeteria. After warmup, we went back outside (it had stopped raining) and proceded with ensemble. Soon after, it began to rain again. But the difference with this bout of rain was that it full on poured. It went on for a good period of time, it started to hail at one point in time but that quickly subsided. The staff decided to call the rehersal, and get us inside. We left there for the show (grasstroturf field) and had an awesome performance. The hornline was able to warmup at the foot of the West Virginia capital building (it was beautiful, both the building and the horn warmup).
~now, we are in Lebanon TN, taking a few hours of sleeptime to get us back on our feet for two 3 block days. In which we have been told that we are making a few solid changes (musicaly and possibly visually) to our show. And to cap it all off, we are staying at Lebanon High School whose mascot happens to be the Blue Devils. I think I might not be the only one thinking that it is mighty sweet to be staying at a school where we are their mascot.
~catch you all later~
Brandyn

So... We finally had a free day. I got to go see a movie. I was extremely happy to sit down and eat a great meal. I went to the cheesecake factory. It was nuts too though.... We went to an outside mall, and as we got off the busses pete told us to keep a heads up because there was a current tornado warning. I am looking forward to the next few nights... We have shows every night from tomorrow through tuesday. It should be fun! Anyway... Bus ride. Sleepy time. Night! P.s. I miss you mom, mom and dad... Yes both moms. :)

So today was the corps freeday. We started it off by doing a parade. Short but nice. Afterwards, we went to to bar b q hosted by fred j miller and his family. It was awesome. To complete the day we went to a mall-ish area. A bunch of us went to go see Transformers, which was amazing. So far things are going great on tour. The competition is intense and I'm loving it. Everyday we are getting better and it's great. I'm missing home a little, but who isn't. Well I guess that is all for now. Happy 4th of July everyone!

Later,
Richard

It was nice to have a block off! But like Carlo said, it's basically like a rehearsal day, and only one blobk is for laundry. We had a show last night, and I am proud to say I had a really good show. I think this is the first year that I feel completely confident everytime I walk onto the field. Anyway.... We are almost back to our housing site, so peace out! Oh ya... Miss you toni and lauren.. Can't wait to see you guys this fall!

They call it a laundry day, but you really only get one rehearsal block to wash, dry, and fold. You typically have practice the rest of the day. I just wanted to make that clear.

I had a fantastic performance last night at the Centerville stadium. It seems to me that I've virtually lost the performer's anxiety that used to overcome me during high risk show events. I guess I've reached that point of near-mastery in my marching career where I can feel fairly confident performing even the newest choreography the same day I learn it. And it's about time... I'm aging out this year!

That's all. Have a nice day.

Carlo

Oh, let me give a quick shout out to my friend Josh from New Jersey. Miss you!

Hi, I am Jo - The only English person in the corps this year, I want to give you my personal comparison to home.

Firstly, and importantly the food here is so different. Admittedly, I'm a bit of a fuss pot which makes the fact that there is always something I like provided by the food truck staff close to a miricle. We eat really well here with the occasional ice cream after shows and juice for breakfast. Lunch is usually a salad for me, then dinner is anyone's guess but usually still a treat. I do however still need to be carefull with regard to the amount I eat. Running around the field with a heavy belly is less than desirible!

Secondly, is still find it amazing how big everything is; the cars, the country and mostly the corps. The colorguard I'm in at home has roughly ten members, with thirty-five here its an impressive site when we are all on the field.

I find the people much more extroverted than some of my collegues or friends at home - This and their great sense of humour makes them a true pleasure to be around.

Although I miss everyone I know at home, I'm having the best time creating memories to last a lifetime.

Hello all
~it's a laundry day today. Clean clothes and a suitcase that doesn't stink. Awesome.
~as for the show last night, we had an awesome show. The corps is getting better every day and with every show. The energy coming off the field was palpable, and the ensemble was solid.
~well, gotta go. We just pulled into a mini-golf course on our way to a laundrymat. It seems that our bus driver may not be a 100% on the directions.
~later~
~brandyn