Florida Chior Tour

Olivia really wanted me to come as a chaperone on her Amplify choir tour to the national acapella conference.  It seemed hard to miss work and be gone with all the other trips we had planned close to those dates, but I made it happen and I’m glad I did.  We left from the SLC airport with the whole group and were able to reserve seats all next to each other.  

After a long day of flying we all had dinner across from our hotel, then settled in for the night.  We stayed at a double tree resort near Sea Worl and it was super nice.  I roomed with Brielle and Liv, but our room adjoined to 3 other girls from the choir. 

The next day, we drove out to the coast.  Liv, Brielle, Sarah. Eli, Grace and I all toured Kennedy Space Center.  

It was really quite neat.  

Every exhibit was similar you get there wait in some line (you have no idea what you are waiting for) then they let you into a big room where you watch a neat video and then the room opens up to a display of a cool space ship or shuttle and then there is a museum you can sort of walk around and sometimes little rides or attractions.  After our day at the space center we stopped a chipotle for lunch and got the girls back in time for rehearsal which they always held outside their rooms in this little pavilion.  That evening they had a little concert with 5 o’clock shadow (an acapella group) and then a pool party where they got to mingle with lots of kids from groups all over the country. 

Friday, they spent the day in workshops which they all thought were really neat.  The chaperones ironed all the clothes and snuck away for lunch. 

That evening they performed as a group and did so great.  The groups that followed them were unreal.  Liv had a big solo in Wanted.  The chaperones snuck out that evening and got a bunch of snacks and water for the kids to have in their rooms everyone was dying with the way the water tasted in Florida (and we wanted them to drink). 

Saturday, they did workshops in the morning and then in the afternoon Sarah and I took them all to the beach.  It was super fun, but Liv and 3 of her friends did get stuck in a rip tide/undertow which was sort of scary for them.  Sarah and I ran out there and I swam in and pulled them all out.  Scary though as a chaperone.

  Then, we got them all back for their neon dance party.  

While there the chaperones snuck over to downtown Disney for Sprinkles Cupcakes.  Downtown Disney was so cute! 

 That night (and almost every evening) I was up till 3 am with all the girls in my room chatting and visiting and swapping stories.  Kenzington had all the girls’ attention as she recounted the story of the boy she kissed at the conference from South Carolina. 

Sunday, we let the kids sleep in and then we went to Gatorland.  We did the zipline all over the park which was so cool. 

It was actually a series of 6 ziplines over alligator swamps.  We watched all the alligator shows.  Liv held a snake.

A bird landed on my head in the aviary.

And we cooed over baby alligators. 

Then, it was off to the airport to fly house.  After delayed flights, we didn’t get home until about 3am (and I had to get up the next morning to work).