Way-Back-Wednesday #16: Bell Retreats :)

I'm a lover of traditions...and McFarlin has a lot of them.  This post is for every McFarlinite...be it a youth, parent, grandparent, former youth, etc.  Chances are that at some point in their time of going to McFarlin, they were either in the bell program or knew someone in bells.  This post is dedicated to one of the bell programs most fun events of the year: Bell Retreat at Quartz Mountain.

When I moved to Oklahoma right before 9th grade, I don't think I even knew what "bells" were.  And as soon as I walked in the doors of McFarlin, I can remember telling my mom that I had to join bells because all of my friends were in it.  The rest, as they say, is history.

For as long as I can remember, there has been a bell retreat around the weekend of MLK day because the kids have the school day off.  We pack up all the bells and about 50 high school and middle schoolers on a charter bus and head to Quartz Mountain Resort in good ol' Oklahoma. 

Quartz Mountain Resort, from one of the peaks

the lake that surrounds the area...

The point of the retreat is to introduce new music to the kids, create some great fellowship time, have a little fun around the mountains and the lake (yes, Oklahoma has some mountains...baby ones, but mountains!), and stay up way to late with your friends.  

There are so many memories that come to my mind when I think of bell retreats.  I only wish I had more pictures scanned from my high school bell retreats.  There was the year (maybe junior year?) that Amy had her wisdom teeth taken out...so we got to be special and stay in the lodge.  That year, one of the boys had a broken foot or something like that...so they got to stay next door to us.  That led to a constant battle of boys vs. girls.  Not sure Perry or Venita knew about that though...

My senior year of high school (2005)

front row: Perry (our bell director), Lydia, Darren

standing: Mark, Amy, Swenson, Karen, David, Bennett

Or our senior year when we stayed out in the special cabins away from everyone else.  Quincee cut my hair that year in the cabin.  If only I had those pictures scanned! Sorry to disappoint...

However, I do have some pictures and a video from bell retreats in 2009 and 2010.  After I graduated from high school and went on to OU, I  would travel on the bell retreat as a chaperone and as a sub...to fill in blank spots in the bell choir.  It was time I got to spend with my kiddos...and laugh and love on them like no one's business.  Without further ado...

Gracie, Alecia, Lydia, Melissa--2009

bell cases open and ready for the polishing party...

polishing party...

Sarah, Pirtle, Angie, Maddie, Nathan

(every one of those kids is a junior or senior in high school now...wow!)

Kira, Gracie, Kayla, Hayley

(and most of these girls are in COLLEGE now)

Sam, Katey, Alexa, Meg 

(middle school then...all in high school now!)

Shannon (I think??), Lydia, Sydney

And the lone pic from 2010--on top of the very windy mountain!

Nathan, Bennett, Gracie, Lydia, Stephanie and Pirtle peaking in from the back.

Bell Choir 2009--a mess-up... :)

Trey Pirtle (to the right of Bennett in the yellow shirt) is totally not paying attention.  Venita has to stop the whole choir during the mini-concert.  I'm pretty sure she says, "Okay, stop.  Trey, are you playing two in hand?" which makes no sense whatsoever.  The choir erupts in laughter...since Pirtle is one of the biggest jokesters there is :)

Bell Choir 2009--the full song!
Everyone is still laughing from the mishap earlier (see first video).  Around 18 seconds in this video...Pirtle turns to Bennett and asks him, "Where are we?!" with a completely dazed look on his face.  Oh, Pirtle :)


Bell Choir 2010

Hope everyone has a lovely bell retreat 2012 :)  enjoy all the junk food!

Lots of love,
Lyd

P.S.  I'm really craving a Goodcents sandwich and giant chocolate chip cookie.  If someone could send me that, I'd really appreciate it :)

P.P.S.  This was the 200th blog post!