5HE Goes to Arizona Part 1

On Sunday 7 of our ensemble members and myself made the trek from Chicago, IL to Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ.  On Monday morning we had a workshop with a student chamber ensemble at NAU called Erasable Color, and Monday night we performed In Transit: #undercoverhero.  The session with Erasable Color was seriously amazing, and the concert was well received and went swimmingly! But before you hear about the workshop and the concert, I feel like I  need to fill you in on the things I've learned on my first Fifth House Ensemble road trip.  It's been a very educational trip!

Here we go:

• When reading on a plane, Herine makes a very angry face!  It's actually quite scary.
• The signs along the highway on the two and a half hour drive between Phoenix & Flagstaff, Arizona are absolutely hilarious but too inappropriate for me to post any more about here.
• Also, when driving from Phoenix to Flagstaff, you go up about 6000 feet in elevation.  There will be a lot of ear popping in the car, so make sure to bring gum.
• Melissa, Karl, and myself (Carole) have special needs when it comes to traveling.  We all have motion sickness issues, prefer aisle seats, and like relatively quiet car rides.
• But the extremely wondrous beauty along the drive from Flagstaff to Sedona captivated all three of us to make us forget the motion sickness.
• When walking up a very slight incline at this elevation (around 7500 feet above sea level), you will get much  more out of breath than you do walking up the steep stairs to catch an El Train in Chicago.  It's insane!
• We already know this, but "CAROLE ALWAYS HAS THE BEST SNACKS."  I arrived at Midway super early on Sunday, so I grabbed a sandwich & chips (and some mini cookies for later) at Potbelly.  When we landed in Omaha (but weren't allowed to get off the plane), I was the only one with food to pass around.  As usual: CAROLE ALWAYS BRINGS THE BEST SNACKS.
• We talked about what movies make us cry shamelessly at dinner in Sedona on Tuesday night.  Herine weeps whenever Tom Hanks loses Wilson in "Cast Away," and when watching "Dreamgirls" on a plane, Adam cries like a baby.
• Blood Orange Margaritas and Ginger Margaritas are definitely superior to regular ones.
• When in doubt on whether or not to get a to-go-box after a meal, get one.  If you don't eat it, you can share it with Karl & Matt.
• Matt likes to go on super long runs at super early hours.  While I personally would never enjoy this, I DO love the videos he records on his iPhone while running in the mountains and then shares with the group.
• None of the students in Flagstaff drink regular coffee, just fancy lattes.  When some ensemble members went to Starbucks and ordered regular coffee, they had to start the brewing process from the beginning!
• Even if it's 60+ degrees and sunny up in the mountains, when the sun sets, it gets FREEZING.
• Crystal is so pretty that the man who drives the shuttle that gets handicapped old ladies from security to their gate at the Phoenix airport INSISTED on escorting her to her gate.

Ok, that's all for now.  I realize it wasn't as revealing and embarrassing as you might have hoped, but I have to keep some of our secrets!  Keep an eye on the blog for more posts about our awesome trip to Arizona!