Support Vance Middle School Band

I know this is coming a little late to be helpful for your Christmas shopping, but we have to do some shopping all year, not just during the Holiday season. Please read the information below and consider helping out the Vance Middle School Junior Viking Band. Thanks!


Vance Middle School Junior Viking Band


Fund-Raiser Opportunity


Attention online shoppers!! The Vance Band is pleased to announce a new opportunity for our band to earn money.


You, your family, friends, neighbors that are online shoppers or will become online shoppers can take advantage of some great savings and discounts by shopping with our online service. Edvantage® allows you to shop and save money at over 1,400 on-line merchants such as Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, Expedia, Petco, Office Depot and Dell. These merchants, in return for your patronage, will return a percentage of your purchase back to our Band as a fundraiser. Each merchant also provides exclusive Edvantage® discounts and promotions from time to time which may include Free Shipping, Percentage off of Purchase and Free Products. The average Edvantage® Shopper can save hundreds of dollars per year, just by using the site once a month.

When you register for the site, you will see a list of businesses and services that are available. Unlike other fundraisers this valuable service is available to you for FREE and does not require you to purchase anything you would not normally have purchased. Registration is quick and easy. All purchases are confidential and secure. Our Band receives no information about your purchases. All we see is the amount of rebates generated by your participation in the program. Your privacy is totally protected.

Use the Alphabetical and Categorical lists, as well as, the Merchant Name and Keyword Search Features to navigate the site. Compare products and prices at multiple merchants.

Many programs will offer donations to our band by simply filling out registration forms for more information.


The band will be using the money earned from the fund-raiser to help offset costs of our spring trip and other operating expenses.


IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO RECEIVE POTENTIAL SPAM – YOU MAY WANT TO SET UP A SECONDARY EMAIL ACCOUNT FROM ONE OF THE FREE SERVICES SUCH AS YAHOO AND GMAIL.


To get started visit this website:


Vance Middle School Band Home on the Edvantage® Program


Registration is very quick and easy.


There is an video to watch about the program on the login page.


PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH AS MANY FRIENDS, FAMILY NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN.

2008 Christmas Parade

This past Saturday was the 2008 Bristol Virginia/Tennessee Christmas Parade. Although it was FREEZING cold out there, I went and waited for nearly an hour for the parade to start to ensure a good spot. I had to be able to see Sam as he marched by with the Vance Middle School band!

Here's me, shivering, as I waited for the parade to start:


Here are some other people waiting for the parade to start, also shivering. On the right side of the picture are policemen directing traffic flow, trying to get the street cleared for the parade.


A family came up and stood near me. Their little boys and their dog were too cute not to get a picture.


The parade started off with a car from the Bristol VA Police Department and one from the Bristol TN Police Department, driving side-by-side down State Street.


Vance Middle School Junior Viking Band:


The band, being led by the drum major:


The brass section ... Sam is in the second row. You can barely see him between the second and third kids from the right on the front row.


I left after the band went by....so, no more pictures of the parade.

Sam's Birthday, Snow, etc.

I have been very neglectful. Sam's birthday was over two weeks ago, and I have not written about it (or anything else) yet. He is now 13 years old, and I am now officially OLD! Although his actual birthday (Nov 18) was rather non-eventful, he had a good friend spend the night the following Friday; and they had a blast with his gifts. He got exactly what he asked for: a huge Nerf machine gun and a fully automatic air soft gun. Sam has quite the Nerf and air soft arsenal now.

On Sam's birthday, we got this winter's first snow that stuck. (It snowed back in October but didn't stick.) This is what our house looked like that day.




A couple days later, it snowed even more. Here are some more pictures of snow:


This is our back deck on a snowy night.


This is looking out the front door at 6:40 a.m., while waiting for Sam's bus to arrive.


This is the view out the back door a little later in the morning.


This is on my way to work.


This is looking out the front door at Kintronic Laboratories, where I work.