Seven Lakes High School Choir Banquet

May 15th - Choir Banquet

We were able to attend Elizabeth's Choir Banquet. It was held at a very nice country club and the tickets were $32 per person. Luckily, Seniors were free so Darin and I just had to purchase tickets. In years past either Darin or I attended but considering it was Elizabeth's last year and that they honor the seniors we both "had to" go. It was a wonderful evening! It was by far the best choir banquet! The food was delish and the program was great! It was a little emotional at times during the program, but we really enjoyed the evening.

The pictures are out of order that they were taken, but it will do. :)

This is Elizabeth and Mr. Carter - the head Choir Director. All I can say is that he is the best director we could have ever asked for! Elizabeth has been in his top choir since her freshman year and absolutely has learned so much from him!! Photo Op on the staircase leading into the ballroom where the banquet was held.
Elizabeth and a few of her choir friends.

Elizabeth and Mrs. Cooper - the assistant choir director. This was her 2nd year at Seven Lakes and she is loved by everyone! One wonderful thing about Mrs. Cooper is that she is also Sister Cooper! She is in our Stake at church and the youth have worked with her in the Stake Youth Choir. She is such a wonderful example and has really been a wonderful addition to our choir program! It's great because we'll still get to see her around!

Darin with his flowers he received for the work he's done on the Choir Website. He has helped with it for the past 3 years and is happy to now pass it on to the next person.

Elizabeth with Mr. Carter when he was spotlighting her. He told about how out of all of his students he has really seen her grow and mature over the past 4 years. She was in tears as he spoke about her. She will really miss the choir program!

Elizabeth and Mr. Carter again during her spotlight. He had each senior come forward to be spotlighted. While they were there they had a baby picture, an embarrassing picture, and a present picture come up on the screen. We were one of only a handful of families who had been in the SLHS choir program since the beginning of the school 4 years ago.

It has been a joy to be a part of such a wonderful program in such a great high school. We will miss it.

Dallas Trip

On April 16th Elizabeth and I departed for a quick trip to Dallas for a choir contest she was in. She chose not to go on the choir spring trip this year but her director asked her if she could go just for the competition. (She didn't want to pay around $500 for a 3 day trip.)
We decided to make it a fun trip for just the two of us. We left Thursday after she got out of school and headed north. The drive there was fun, but long. (around 5 hours)We got to enjoy an awesome Texas Thunderstorm on the way there. The lightning was incredible! We have so many trees here that we never get to appreciate the lightening. We stayed at my wonderful Aunt Teresa's home. I didn't realize how much I missed her until we spent time with her! (She's one of my Dad's younger sisters!) I have so many memories of her growing up and just love her!

We woke up on Friday and drove to Dallas to meet up with the choir. (My Aunt lives in Arlington which is between Dallas and Ft. Worth - Home of Six Flags) We arrived during another rain shower only to find out that the chorale women had had to perform early and we had missed it. Bummer!! They had wanted the chorale to perform early also but Mr. Carter requested that they wait for Elizabeth who was on her way. So, we arrived before they were to go warm up. It ended up being very emotional for Elizabeth and some of the other Seniors. It was their last competition/performance together. All I can say is that that was one of the most incredible performances I have ever heard! The sound that came from that group was incredible! I had tears in my eyes myself. It was flawless! They won sweepstakes and then won Best overall choir! (They got a HUGE trophy!) It was so worth the trip!

After the performance I was able to snap a few pictures. This is Elizabeth and Chantel. Chantel lives down the street from us and they have become really good friends this year. Mr. Carter makes all the girls pull their hair back into tight buns for the stage effect. (I'm not a fan of the look myself!)

Elizabeth and Jon - He had already changed out of his tux.

After we left the choir we decided to find the Dallas Temple. It was further than I thought it was, but it was nice to go and walk on the grounds with Elizabeth. It's amazing how much the trees have grown since Darin and I were married there! It was beautiful and so peaceful!

We finally headed back to Aunt Teresa's house where she had a yummy dinner waiting for us! We decided later to go shopping for prom shoes at DSW where Elizabeth just kept cracking up. She would try on shoes and Aunt Teresa would let her know if they were sexy enough! It was funny! We then went to Cheesecake Factory and indulged in some yummy cheesecake. Saturday morning we got up and went to my cousin James home and spent time with his family. They are awesome! His wife and I hit it off quickly and I can't wait till we can go visit again! (Hopefully this summer!)

We had to end our visit too soon. We had such a great trip and enjoyed getting reconnected with family.

We had to rush home to make it in time for our Ward talent/skit night. It was a long drive! The next few pictures show how bored Elizabeth got! She got a little camera happy!

We had such a fun trip! I think Elizabeth liked being the "only child" for a few days!

T.M.E.A

The Seven Lakes High School Chorale Women received the highest honor that can be bestowed on a high school choir in the State of Texas. They were named the 2009 State Performance Choir by the Texas Music Educators Association. This amazing honor is equivalent to going to the state championship in a team sport. A panel of judges heard over 100 CDs and chose the Seven Lakes Chorale Women to perform at the 2009 TMEA Convention in San Antonio. Elizabeth has been an active part of the Top choir since her freshman year. It is an incredible accomplishment. They were able to travel to San Antonio in March to perform. I can not even describe the amount of work these girls and their directors have put into this this year. It has been exhausting for all of them, yet so rewarding. Their directors, Shannon Carter and Julia Cooper, have made it a wonderful experience for each of the girls. The sound that comes out of this choir is amazing! I have been brought to tears many times while listening to them. I asked Elizabeth the other day what she was going to miss about high school and she said Choir. She has loved it. Especially this year. The bond of unity this group has is wonderful to be a part of. Congratulations on a great year!

Chorale Women in the Rotunda

Chorale Women in the formal performing dresses. They look beautiful!
We feel incredibly blessed to be part of such a wonderful organization!