Stephanie Click

2008. Lonestar Preview. I took Avery and Piper to see their dad with Clear Brook, and we stayed for the break between prelims and finals.

As a mom raising two little ones in the marching band world, I had perfected the art of packing "all the things" to keep them entertained during those long contest days. Blankets, kid-sized camping chairs, books, snacks ... you name it, I probably had it. We'd find a little patch of grass, spread everything out, and make ourselves at home.

Band kids running around, equipment moving everywhere, music in the distance, and the general chaos of a marching band contest? None of it ever phased them. It was just another Saturday.

And that's what I love most about this photo. Band life wasn't something our kids were introduced to. It was simply the life they knew.

They grew up in stadiums, gymnasiums, rehearsal spaces, and parking lots. They learned to nap through drumlines, entertain themselves through rehearsals, and make a home wherever the next performance took us.

And somewhere along the way, those two little kids sitting on blankets and watching everyone else became performers themselves. I don't think we realized at the time just how much those ordinary Saturdays were shaping their lives.