Aunterly Bragging Rights, Part Deux

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Mark Twain shared with us a lot of fabulous, and especially humorous, quotes.

And I would know. Pinterest is filled to the brim with them. (Ya see? Pinterest is actually very educational. It's addictive, but in a good way).

This particular quote is great, and now it reminds me of my niece and nephew. They each wanted something badly, and they were rewarded for going after it.



It's the same in fairy tales and literature.
Cinderella wanted to go to the ball, and so Poof!... Fairy Godmother Extraordinaire.

Gilbert Blythe wanted Anne-with-an-E for his lady love, and so Crack!... a broken slate smashed over a head of red hair was just the beginning of a relationship that eventually ended in wedded bliss and a House O' Dreams. (My condolences, Josie Pie).

It's no different for my niece and nephew. Luckily, for their dreams to come true innocent mice just going about their business weren't turned into coachman and no slates were damaged beyond repair.





Here's my niece in her new DRUM MAJOR uniform!



Doesn't she look beautiful, happy, and like all is right with the world?

Sniff... Sniff...

Can I run around the room and burst into tears now?

I'm just so gosh darn happy for the gal. Even if she hadn't made it, I'd still have been ridiculously proud of her for trying out when in the history of her entire school no one that young had ever made all the final cuts in interviewing... much less won the whole thing. The odds were heavily weighed against her, yet she went into battle anyway.



That took a lot of bravery on her part. I certainly wasn't that confident at 15 years of age, or had such a high aspiration. I was far too "busy" crushing on teeny-bopper bands (NKOTB anyone?) and taking short trips to exciting places like.... the mall.

And would you know which one answer in her interviews impressed the judges the most? I believe the question was something along the lines of why she thinks she'd be a great candidate for drum major. What exactly does she have to offer that the others might not.

Her response was brilliant and came straight from the heart. Her short and simple answer was "Failure." She said that she's tried and failed so many times, but that that's never stopped her before and it isn't stopping her now. When there's something that she wants, she works hard for it and never gives up.

Wasn't that a beautiful and wise answer? I think so, and apparently those judges agreed.

And don't get me wrong. While Autumn felt confident enough to try out for drum major, she was also petrified out of her freakin' mind.

I think she had a few 'OMG-what-the-heck-am-I-thinking' moments. Thankfully, she had the support of family and friends. She even tried out with one of her very best friends. I think that assisted her courage a lot, so... Thank You, Autumn's friend.

Oh my gosh. It just dawned on me that my niece is drum major, yet she isn't even old enough to drive a car. How strange is that?





Naturally, there are a lot of messages for my niece on her FB page.
This one is my favorite:

"I know a lot of other people have written on your wall saying congrats. But seriously. I knew you would make it. I knew it. From the first day of school, in our first day of band. I had this feeling, that you were going to be a drum major! And now you are. So...

I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU! Even though I'm not in Band anymore, I support anything you're doing.

In other words.

REPPIN' THE GIRL TRUMPETS.
Your Girl Trumpet Buddy."

~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~

I loved reading that because I'd felt that too! I felt it when she was still in junior high.

My parents and I were fortunate enough to attend one of my nephew's marching band competitions which was close by. (This was his Freshman year). Autumn was sitting on the bleachers next to me, and having so much fun watching all the bands perform.

She was also VERY nervous for her brother and his band mates when it came time for the first round of judging. (As I've stated before, these two are very connected).

It was obvious that she wasn't just supporting her brother or enjoying a nice weekend's outing either. She was studying... learning... preparing for her future without even knowing it. She was only in her first year of band herself - the 7th grade - and already she was sleeping, eating and breathing High School marching band. You could tell that she just couldn't get there fast enough.



I'm really very proud and thrilled for my Little Miss. (Although the band directors and other drum majors call her "Baby Girl." Cute, huh?) She's going to make some beautiful memories that will last forever, and this will be so confidence building. I'm ecstatic and over the moon that she's found 'her place' in life, and that it's happening at such a young age.





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Those last two videos will always be my favorite. Ya gotta love and absolutely adore Victor Borge!