Reaching Our Destination and Celebrating Our Seniors: The Fifth Day

When we woke up, we were in Syracuse, NY. By the end of the day we had passed been in 3 more states and wound up at our final destination: Providence, Rhode Island.

The itinerary was actually pretty short. Breakfast, go to venue (lunch on the way), sing, go to hotel, senior night dinner. But sometimes things on tour take longer than you might thing. Like room checks, which should take about 2 minutes per room but somehow take...much longer than that.

Anyway, we hopped on the bus. Ella had Trots-a-Lot safe and secure.

We stopped at a mall for lunch again. We've actually done that a few times, and I swear it was like walking back in time. Malls with stores and food courts and such. I didn't think they existed anymore! I spent a little time looking, but I never found the Beanie Baby cart I was looking for. I was hoping to pick up a Princess Di bear.

Hanna wasn't looking for Beanie Babies. I'm actually not sure what was going on in this picture...and also I think the guy at the top of the escalator was also confused.

Our concert was at the Center for Living and Rehabilitation in Benington, Vermont. The concert was pretty good, but man it was HOT. We brought the temperatures from the south with us, and honestly up here they aren't prepared for that. I shortened the program hoping we'd be able to get through it...and we did. But man alive. So hot.

We were of course well received, though. And even the heat didn't stop us from chatting for a while. In fact, when it was time to leave, I had to go and tell our kids it was time to leave.

After the concert we headed for Providence (actually a little suburb called Pawtucket, which sounds like a euphemised curse word to me...Pawtucket!). We stopped for bathroom and to pick up some needed refreshment. But they didn't have any refreshment. They had...this.

Pepsi is gross. That is all. In fact, do you know where they are drinking Pepsi?

Purgatory Chasm. That's where.

We checked in to our hotel and then got ready for senior night. We ate at an Italian place on Federal Hill called Cassarino's. It was tasty!

We gave out attendance awards, tour awards, and of course we celebrated our graduating seniors. They each received a tshirt from Niagara Falls and a binder that contained paper with notes written by the other singers, advice from alumni, a program, postcards, and photos from every year they were in the choir, and a note from me.

We had a special surprise guest! Hanna is our youth staff on the trip, but guess who wandered in off the street to the restaurant? IT WAS CJ! Bro flew all the way to Boston and took a train to Providence. You should have heard the room and seen the looks on the faces when he walked in the room. They lit up!

Unfortunately I was so busy working on everything that I didn't get any pictures of all that. I was bummed, but it's ok because tomorrow we are headed to the Beavertail lighthouse, which will be a great spot for photos (spoiler alert, I'm writing this in the airport, and that didn't go according to plan).

The seniors took the bus microphone on the way back to the hotel. It's always deeply rewarding to hear them talk about what choir has meant to them and to hear their stories.

Room checks take more time on the last night. This year no exception. And while I was checking rooms, I found these...

Very funny, guys.

One more day. And homecoming. Can't believe it's almost over.