going back to my college days
Boring update: Still sick. I’ve been sleeping 10-11 hours each night this week, wake up to get all of the junk out of my nose/throat/lungs, shower to get even more out, put my contacts in to feel more like a real person, go to work where I reassure my patients that I wash my hands eight million times, come home, take Nyquil, go to bed. I feel like this entire week has been a waste and I don’t like it! Even if I don’t do anything other than run, I at least have running (hello, 12 miles in one day is a lot!).
I did clean my bathroom yesterday, which is a plus. I lost my FAVORITE (okay, only pair) of earrings that I wear when I knocked them off the bathroom counter with a towel a few months ago, and it was a sad, sad day. I thought the earring had gone down the drain, but I found it yesterday! Apparently I hadn’t really cleaned all the corners lately. I’m glad I just announced that to all the world, but at least I got my earring back!
I know this is mainly a running blog…but with the lack of running and upcoming March Madness, I figure I would share a glimpse of my life in the past. I’m currently watching the ACC Tournament (Duke vs Virginia), and it brings me back to my college days when I was in the marching band and PEP BAND at the University of Maryland. I played the trombone, and we were given the opportunity to travel with the teams, especially to the tournaments. Being in band may have been dorky, but it sure had its perks! Band took me all across the country…for free!! (Minus that whole out of state tuition thing…) Let’s check it out:
Freshman Year – Denver
My freshman year, I got a last minute call to go to Denver with the men’s basketball team for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Although we lost in the second game (I think?), we had enough time to go skiing at Breckenridge (my first time skiing!), and it was all around a good time.
Check out the Rockies in the background…it was beautiful!
Mike Jones? John Gilchrist? Taking it back…
Mile High City
Sophomore Year
Apparently I didn’t travel anywhere sophomore year…but I did get this awesome shot of Gatsby at a basketball game…check out that uniform!
Looking awesome in his Terps gear!
Junior Year
Junior year was the year of the WOMENS basketball team. Our men’s team was leaving a bit to be desired, but the women were rocking it. I followed the team to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the second round of the NCAA tournament. It took me awhile to learn to spell Albuquerque, and it was also the furthest west I’d ever been! The women’s team has a much smaller following than the men’s team (imagine that…), so it’s more of a close knit group and the team LOVED the band, so that was cool.
Albuquerque is a very large, flat city.
But we did take a lift up to the top of a mountain!
And we visited a Native American village…on top of a plateau! No worries, they still had cable TV.
Random curb…
Testudo dressed the part! Cutting down the net!
Women’s team…going to the FINAL FOUR!!
Yep, our team was amazing and next up was the final four…in Boston!! For the record, going to the final four is SWEET. We were right in the middle of Boston and could walk to the main hot spots. Not too mention the excitement of the championship!
Welcome to Boston!!
Cupcake from Mike’s Pastries!!
The British are coming! The British are coming!
Harvard has its own construction equipment…
Marathon banner!!
Some basketball was involved…
And…we won. IN OVERTIME!
The band with the trophy! Check out that trombone…
That was an awesome trip. Being at an NCAA Championship isn’t something many people get to do, and it was an amazing experience!
Senior Year
Senior year was the year of TRIPS. Oh my goodness we went a lot of places! First up was New York City for the Coaches vs Cancer Tournament.
Central Park was pretty!
This building was crazy!
And I pretended to be a penguin. Awesome.
My section…go trombones/baritones!
Next up…a trip to Tampa, Florida for the men’s ACC tournament. We were pumped to go somewhere warm, but after a long bus trip to Tampa, we lost in the first round and headed right home. We spent more time on a bus than we did in Florida, but a glimpse of the sun was quite welcome…
Florida palm tree!
Basketball action…Miami CRUSHED us.
My section. 
Hour 8 on the way home: Everyone goes crazy!!
A little more exciting (with a shorter bus trip!) was the women’s ACC tournament in Greensboro, NC. Greensboro is NOT a fun town, but band kids always have a good time.
Let’s go Terps!!
Chick-fil-a blimp!
Okay, so maybe Greensboro wasn’t so exciting.
My Terps made it to the NCAA my senior year, so off to BUFFALO, NY it was. Let me tell you…NEVER go to Buffalo in March! What a terrible time of year…
Hotel banner!
Anchor Bar…BUFFALO wings!
We went to Canada.
Niagara Falls…is REALLY COLD IN MARCH.
St. Patty’s Day Testudo!
Best perk: awesome seats! Hands up for free throws!
Sadly we lost our second game and that was the end of my pep band traveling career.
Traveling with the band was AMAZING. Perks included:
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Free travel/hotel.
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Per diem for food money (more than I really needed!)
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Opportunities to do fun stuff (skiing! go to canada!)
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Free pass out of class!
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Best seats in the house.
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Traveling the country with some of my best friends. (awww!)
Yes, I miss college. And band. Take me back!! You can see all the places I went, and that was only with the pep band! We went many other places with the marching band, but I can save that for another post.
Time to get ready for work. Sadly I didn’t get picked for jury duty so I have to go to work! Blah. Hopefully it’s not too bad of a night and maybe I’ll be magically cured so I can have a good weekend…even if it rains the entire time!
Happy Friday to everyone and GO TERPS!!
Good stuff. High school pep band sure didn’t have these perks…hah.
I got stuck in NCAA traffic in Buffalo while the rounds were going on that year. Also, I might tell you to just never go to Buffalo period. After all the awesome trips you got to take that one must have been a let down!
Though I’ve never actually tried Anchor Bar wings. ;p
Aww you were such a youngin’!!! Well you still look young (in a GOOD way). Your band adventures make me wish I went to Michigan instead of Hell and continued my marching band career. All throughout high school I told myself I would base my college decision on the school’s marching band….too bad I took a WRONG TURN. Those were the days. GO BRASS!!!
Oh man this post takes me back. John Gilchrist…my friends saw him high as a kite at IHOP one night. And all I think of when I think of Mike Jones is “WHO?”
I was a sophomore when the women’s team won it all. I remember partying on Rte. 1 (I didn’t riot, I just watched and laughed along with everyone else)
Man I love the Terps. So fired up for tonight’s game!
SUCH cute pics!! love the look back.
My grandparents used to have a house on Breckenridge and to this day it’s one of my favorite places ever! So beautiful. Traveling on someone else’s dime is a definite perk to sports/band in college!
traveling all over the country for FREE with friends, during college? yah, that’s a HUGE perk.
So fun that you went to Abq, NM!! I spend a lot of time there, “home” (the Fam) is about 2 hours north of the city and it’s the closest “big” airport 
I miss the ACC. The Big 10 is so…big! Plus, I feel no affiliation to these schools because I didn’t grow up with them. In any event, I remember playing Maryland when I was at UVA. Did you participate in the “Crimson War.” (I think it was a blood donation drive.)
So fun! Band really does open up a lot of opportunities to travel. I only went a couple of places with my college marching band (colorguard), but it was always fun! At Ohio State, I played the clarinet, so I didn’t get to march in the brass-only band, but I did get to travel with the Symphonic Band and loved being in Wind Symphony. I miss band so much…this is my first year not playing in an ensemble since 5th grade!!