What a summer it has been so far!  It started off with a bang when Chelsea finished up her performance season with a final concert.  The very next day she and I left for The Big Apple for the annual Clayton Productions tour.  What a whirlwind of a week that was!  Our flight there was a red-eye and many of the kids took an ambien on the airplane to help them get some sleep.  It worked well for most of the kids, but one poor girl was so affected that she thought aliens were attacking.  On our trip were 49 kids ranging in age from 15 to 18, both boys and girls.  These are some really great kids, who have a lot of fun together and then when it's time to put on a show they get down to business!  Each one is assigned a piece of equipment to set up for each performance.  Chelsea had a sub woofer.

Our first day was spent at the Statue of Liberty, where the kids had an impromptu a'capella performance of patriotic songs.  We also spent some time at Central Park and had a nice dinner.  When the day was over we were all about dead.

At Central Park Most of the kids found there way to the Plaza and we took a group photo.  Chelsea's on the top right

For me one of the main highlights of the trip was watching the kids perform.   We had performances at homes for the elderly, the Brooklyn Children's museum, a children's hospital, the  Southstreet Seaport and so many other places.  Usually between 2 and 3 performances a day, either a full show in costume or a simple a'capella performance.

  Chelsea's Seussical medley was so much fun!

I also really enjoyed seeing the diverse culture that makes up New York City.  It was amazing to ride across town on the bus and go from everything being advertised in Spanish, to Chinese, to Italian.  I just loved it!

The other highlights of the trip for me were the World Trade Center memorial museum, seeing Mary Poppins on Broadway, visiting the Empire State Building and spending a few hours in Times Square.  Oh, and the cheeeeeescake!  mmmmm!  What a place New York is!

 Chelsea and I at the Statue of Liberty

Despite having a inept bus driver who caused us to miss a performance, I really loved the time on the bus.  I was able to chat with Chelsea quite a bit, but mostly got to know the other Chaperones better.  Terri was our fearless bus captain.  She made the bus rides so much fun!  I feel like I made some great new friends (which doesn't come easy for me) and I'm so glad I got to know them.

 I was incredibly lucky to get these great girls in my room.  They made chaperoning easy! 

Mostly, I enjoyed watching my Chelsea sing and dance her heart out.  She performed her best every time, made lots of new friends, avoided a CTR (Clayton Tour Romance) and handled difficult situations with maturity and grace.  I was so proud of her and loved spending the time with her.  She has an amazing personality, and a super funny sense of humor.  I am grateful that I was able to spend this week with her.

 Chels dancing with her friend Tony in the Beach Boys medley

These kids loved the performance and wanted to take pictures with the Clayton performers.

My girls after the South Street Seaport performance.  So cute!