Clint and I attended the opening night of this year's performance of the USAF Heritage of America Band on Thursday night. We have been blessed to hear previous performances of this amazing band! On Friday, Clint took five of our children while I stayed home with the two youngest. On Saturday, after learning from Clint how enraptured Bethany was with the vocalist's voice, I asked her if she would like for us to take her back Saturday night for her special time alone with us. She literally jumped up and down and clapped her hands with excitement when I asked her!
Amanda volunteered her services by fixing Bethany's hair. Bethany put on one of her favorite dresses. Clint and I presented her with a rose and imported chocolate once she was in the suburban. The chocolate was quickly devoured!
Bethany looked so nice in her Christmas finery, people asked her if she was a performer! Many people stopped to speak to her and many more complimented her on her appearance as she passed. She loved the special attention! During the audience sing-along part of the performance, Bethany stood up in our sky box and "performed" in front of the 1700 people. What a thrill for a 9 year old! I spent a lot of time watching Bethany's face while she was enchanted with the performance.
After the performance was over, Bethany took flowers to vocalist Ssgt Rachel Trimble who was extremely polite and gracious and agreed to a photo with Bethany. It was a pleasure to discover her personality is as sweet as her voice! After that, Bethany was allowed on stage for a quick picture. Then, we finished up with a late supper out. Bethany said she felt like a princess!
You can check the schedule and hear a sampling of the USAF Heritage of America Band's music here. If you can't attend one of those, check your area's local colleges for student performances which are usually free or low cost. There are also community venues to explore. During the Christmas season, many churches offer free concerts. These make for great opportunities to expose a large family to some culture and entertainment in an economical fashion. They will also tie in wonderfully with music studies in a homeschool.
