Chapter 2
Pasadena, California
Ashley
It was the most horrible, wretched week of my life. First of all, I had never ridden in an airplane and I was scared to death. From the moment the plane left the runway of Hartsfield Airport, I missed my mommy. When we finally got three thousand miles across the country, the sadness only got worse. To top things off, it took forever for the Central band to finally figure out where we were going, what bus we were on, and finally to get up the hotel’s one elevator to our rooms. After hours and hours of waiting, we finally arrived in our room. The two beds seemed big enough for the four of us and so one of the girls and I took the bed to the left and the other girls took the one on the right, closest to the bathroom. For those smart enough to figure this out… it placed me right next to the air conditioning vent. Let me get one thing straight. I was five feet, one inch tall, weighed ninety five pounds, and was… still am… extremely cold natured. This is how it all began.
This girl… the one I was sharing a bed with… named Jillian, was about as close to opposite as you could get from me. She loved the cold and was not afraid to let me know. The first night we were in this hotel, she turned the air to fifty degrees (it was January) and I was FREEZING. Jillian also turned out to be a BED HOG. She stole ALL my covers and took up the ENTIRE bed. So little bitty me was hanging halfway off of the bed freezing in the middle of the night. This was night one… we were there for seven days. Poor little me. So I called my mommy in the middle of the night when I could not sleep and told her about that awful girl that would not let me in the bed.
Finally after days and days of putting up with this Jillian creature, it was time for the parade, the whole reason for this dang trip. We woke up at two in the morning, got us a little sack breakfast, and loaded up the bus. Then, we marched for six miles in January, in California, behind a freaking equestrian team (horses), and listen… horses poo. These horses pooed everywhere and we had to march in it for SIX MILES. The only two good things about this parade was one, we were on television, and two, we got to eat in and out burgers at the end of it while listening to these people protest religion or something.
The next day was the day I had been waiting for; the day I was finally getting to go home to sleep in my own bed with my own covers in the heat so that I could reestablish my body temperature. However, as I was packing, my mom called with some really sad news. My sister’s foster child was getting taken away by her aunt and we didn’t know if we would ever see her again. I was devastated. We had grown to love her so much and thought we would get to adopt her, but it seemed that this wasn’t how things were gonna work. Jillian’s mom was our room chaperone and she hugged me while I cried. After a long plane ride home, my mom met us at the airport and I left to say my final goodbye.
Jillian
The Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California
The Central Carroll Marching Pride was finally on its way to Pasadena. I was so excited because I was supposed to sit next to Jamie Jackson and Nickie Henry on the long plane ride to California. Something went wrong with our tickets, and all of our seats were messed up. I was then forced to sit next to someone that I didn’t really know… or like. Then the plane ride was cursed for all of eternity because I was sitting next to a stranger. When the pilot came over the intercom and told us that we were descending into the Los Angeles area, I was filled with joy. When we got to the hotel, it was so hot in that room that I immediately turned on the air conditioner.
The week we were in California was one of the best weeks of my life. We did lots of fun things such as going to Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Universal Studios, California Adventures and we marched in the most prestigious parade in the world, The Tournament of Roses Parade. Though the days in California were fun, being in the hotel was my favorite part because I got to watch T.V. and lay in the extra comfy hotel bed. I shared a bed with this tiny girl named Ashley, and when the lights were out, it seemed as though she disappeared. I have no clue where she slept or what covers she used because the bed felt so warm and so big.
Parade day came and the Central Carroll Marching Pride had to be on the bus and fully dressed with our instrument in hand by three am. As we stepped on the bus, my mom, the head chaperone handed us Breakfast in a Bag. As I opened this bag, I came to find that it had string cheese in it. And I was filled with joy. It also had a banana and a Fiber Bar so that we would not have to go to the bathroom on the SIX mile parade route. As we stepped up to the parade start, I could already hear and feel the excitement coming from the crowd. As we marched in the biggest, most televised and most prestigious parade in the world, we played some Southern Tunes entitled Jessica, Georgia on My Mind and of course our band favorite Louie Louie. After marching five miles or so, I passed a lady that was holding a sign that said “Don’t give up! You are almost through” I was so excited to be almost done with the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. It still to this day was the most exciting and most difficult day in my life! As we reached the end of the parade I remember one thing about it. And that was In and Out Burger. That was the last thing I remember about the Parade. The following day we returned to little ole Carrollton Georgia and I was thrilled to have a glass of sweet tea from Chick-fil-A and to see my daddy whom I missed very much.
Pasadena, California
Ashley
It was the most horrible, wretched week of my life. First of all, I had never ridden in an airplane and I was scared to death. From the moment the plane left the runway of Hartsfield Airport, I missed my mommy. When we finally got three thousand miles across the country, the sadness only got worse. To top things off, it took forever for the Central band to finally figure out where we were going, what bus we were on, and finally to get up the hotel’s one elevator to our rooms. After hours and hours of waiting, we finally arrived in our room. The two beds seemed big enough for the four of us and so one of the girls and I took the bed to the left and the other girls took the one on the right, closest to the bathroom. For those smart enough to figure this out… it placed me right next to the air conditioning vent. Let me get one thing straight. I was five feet, one inch tall, weighed ninety five pounds, and was… still am… extremely cold natured. This is how it all began.
This girl… the one I was sharing a bed with… named Jillian, was about as close to opposite as you could get from me. She loved the cold and was not afraid to let me know. The first night we were in this hotel, she turned the air to fifty degrees (it was January) and I was FREEZING. Jillian also turned out to be a BED HOG. She stole ALL my covers and took up the ENTIRE bed. So little bitty me was hanging halfway off of the bed freezing in the middle of the night. This was night one… we were there for seven days. Poor little me. So I called my mommy in the middle of the night when I could not sleep and told her about that awful girl that would not let me in the bed.
Finally after days and days of putting up with this Jillian creature, it was time for the parade, the whole reason for this dang trip. We woke up at two in the morning, got us a little sack breakfast, and loaded up the bus. Then, we marched for six miles in January, in California, behind a freaking equestrian team (horses), and listen… horses poo. These horses pooed everywhere and we had to march in it for SIX MILES. The only two good things about this parade was one, we were on television, and two, we got to eat in and out burgers at the end of it while listening to these people protest religion or something.
The next day was the day I had been waiting for; the day I was finally getting to go home to sleep in my own bed with my own covers in the heat so that I could reestablish my body temperature. However, as I was packing, my mom called with some really sad news. My sister’s foster child was getting taken away by her aunt and we didn’t know if we would ever see her again. I was devastated. We had grown to love her so much and thought we would get to adopt her, but it seemed that this wasn’t how things were gonna work. Jillian’s mom was our room chaperone and she hugged me while I cried. After a long plane ride home, my mom met us at the airport and I left to say my final goodbye.
Jillian
The Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California
The Central Carroll Marching Pride was finally on its way to Pasadena. I was so excited because I was supposed to sit next to Jamie Jackson and Nickie Henry on the long plane ride to California. Something went wrong with our tickets, and all of our seats were messed up. I was then forced to sit next to someone that I didn’t really know… or like. Then the plane ride was cursed for all of eternity because I was sitting next to a stranger. When the pilot came over the intercom and told us that we were descending into the Los Angeles area, I was filled with joy. When we got to the hotel, it was so hot in that room that I immediately turned on the air conditioner.
The week we were in California was one of the best weeks of my life. We did lots of fun things such as going to Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Universal Studios, California Adventures and we marched in the most prestigious parade in the world, The Tournament of Roses Parade. Though the days in California were fun, being in the hotel was my favorite part because I got to watch T.V. and lay in the extra comfy hotel bed. I shared a bed with this tiny girl named Ashley, and when the lights were out, it seemed as though she disappeared. I have no clue where she slept or what covers she used because the bed felt so warm and so big.
Parade day came and the Central Carroll Marching Pride had to be on the bus and fully dressed with our instrument in hand by three am. As we stepped on the bus, my mom, the head chaperone handed us Breakfast in a Bag. As I opened this bag, I came to find that it had string cheese in it. And I was filled with joy. It also had a banana and a Fiber Bar so that we would not have to go to the bathroom on the SIX mile parade route. As we stepped up to the parade start, I could already hear and feel the excitement coming from the crowd. As we marched in the biggest, most televised and most prestigious parade in the world, we played some Southern Tunes entitled Jessica, Georgia on My Mind and of course our band favorite Louie Louie. After marching five miles or so, I passed a lady that was holding a sign that said “Don’t give up! You are almost through” I was so excited to be almost done with the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. It still to this day was the most exciting and most difficult day in my life! As we reached the end of the parade I remember one thing about it. And that was In and Out Burger. That was the last thing I remember about the Parade. The following day we returned to little ole Carrollton Georgia and I was thrilled to have a glass of sweet tea from Chick-fil-A and to see my daddy whom I missed very much.
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