Chamber in San Diego Day 3

Gimme some roller coasters. 

Sea world is a crazy fun time. 

The kids danced everywhere, we crushed a bunch of roller coasters, ate every 90 minutes, watched orcas and dolphins do cool things, got soaked, got sunburned (not me), and absolutely dominated in an awards ceremony. These kids made my job so easy. Twas a glorious day. 

First stop in the park was that roller coaster. It was bananas.










This crew is a party. They are all such close friends. They are quirky and not afraid to just relax and be themselves. They play games while waiting in lines. Someone is always doing something silly and they love to laugh.





The Polynesian dance show was great! A lot of the kids had never seen a Haka before. Some of the kids realized they had never seen a hula dancer in a coconut bra before either. The dancing was beautiful and we decided we need a set of fire sticks and we need to go live in a more body positive country. These women love and respect their post-child bearing bodies and shared their beautiful culture through dance. So cool. 




They started spinning faster and faster until

The DJ (who looked exactly like the French chef from the muppets?) shut down their fun

And they went back to dancing. They can make everything more exciting. 







I love this photo of Marcie holding Henson out over the water so he can touch the manta ray. 1) it shows his trust in her to not let him fall in the water. 2) it was Marcie’s idea and shows how she’s always working and thinking creatively for ways to give kids full experiences. She and I packed an umbrella and beach chairs, a tote of our kids favorite snacks to share, and volleyball and footballs onto the trailer to make beach day more fun. When we got to San Diego, Marcie thought to order 6 boogie boards and a bunch off shovels for Walmart delivery to the hotel so the kids could dig holes and play harder in the waves. She loves efficiency and she loves fun and I just love serving with her (and all the board members!) because we have a common goal for the kids to maximize opportunities for fun. 

A light up tunnel? Of course they ran through it. They played so hard this weekend and it was nice to see how free and relaxed they all were. 

“What are you doing?” 

We play the low strings, Meg. We’re listening for a baseline, obviously. 


This Titanic moment started out with 3 chaperones being just a little funny and ended with Jerushia’s foot stuck over her head, my hands on her butt, and all of us laughing so hard we melted to the floor. Except Jerushia, cuz ya know…her foot was stuck in a high kick 😂😂


Me: stop bending over! Stand up straight J! 

Jerushia: I can’t! I’m falling! 

Meg: no the line is “I’m FLYING” not falling! Have you never seen Titanic?!

Jerushia: but I AN falling! 

Meg: I’ll never let you go, Jack!

These little fish ate all the dead skin off your hands. It was weird and awesome and super gross at the same time. 

The kids loved it and laughed so hard at how much it tickled. Except Millie who was so freaked out. Marcie being Marcie coaxed her over to try it out and then held Millie’s hands in the water (with permission) while Millie freaked out and squealed and squirmed and then she and kids were laughing even more. Marcie looked like a mom holding toddler down. Her hand was perfectly still but the rest of her body was crawling away from the table. So good! 

They sat in the front row and got drenched by the orcas. Marcie had a pinch and has better video. They were soaked! 








Marissa S and Maddie K singing Riptide and the Sailor Song. 

The dinner banquet: Gold ranking and First place! 

Had to recreate some cheer team trophy pose pics 💀💀💀 I wish the lighting had been better. That parade wave was just glorious. 

A winners circle right here. David S, Huz, Q.  Low strings for life!! I do have like a hundred photos of the violin and viola section as well but since this is my family blog I’m posting pics with Quin and her close pals. I did distribute my time serving the other students. 


Round of applause for the best orchestra director ever! 


These two are hysterical

Quincy: why do I look like you’re bouta drop me?

Lance: why do I look like I’m in pain? Bro someone teach me how to smile. Send this to Trey. He probably misses me. 

Trey: Wow look how big and strong Lance looks. I miss him. Tell him I miss him. Tell him he looks big and strong. 😂😂

I love being an orchestra roadie. Why yes, I would be happy to lug your trophies around. When strangers in stopped us to ask “cheer or dance?” The kids responded with “best mom” and “favorite chaperone” without skipping a beat. I’d proudly display either, but the students are the real trophies. Everywhere we went we were complimented on their behavior. Good kids.



Daniel B and Harshith G and my little Uke that’s far more popular than I am. 

Highlights of this day. Dancing. They’re always dancing. 

And Winning? Duh. They’re always winning, too. 

Really though, there was a moment when the kids found an outdoor DJ and 20 or so of them gathered to dance. Shef and Tristan charismaticly won the affection of girls from other schools. They pulled them in to dance too and brought the park to life. Mid day club dancing? Why not? Thanks to Just Dance, TikTok and stake dances, they have choreographed moves to several songs, which they did to What Makes You Beautuful by One Direction and they filled up the dance floor and attracted a huge audience to appreciate their hype. A mother and her teen son with Down Syndrome were on the sidelines dancing, and Quincy and a couple other kids invited him into their circle with ease. He ran to dance with them and they were each hugged many times. He was so happy and the kids were happy and it was a gesture that took very little effort, but their inclusiveness is just who they are. They show with their actions that they see themselves as equal to everyone else around them. This is better than any official win or a trophy. It’s just the nature of their character to build people up and leave them feeling loved, included, and empowered. 

5 stars for Sea World San Diego with orchestra kids.