Sunday, June 7, 2009

sunshine mail...


one of my FAVORITE parts of choir tour is the sunshine mail. during the quieter moments of the trip we all write little notes to each other and they are handed out by the sunshine mail crew. it is so much fun to get the little notes and to write them to everyone on the trip.

but this year i STUNK at writing sunshine mail (almost as much as our choir shirts all STUNK after 3 days of wearing them). i think all the blogging and posting photos ate up my free time (and my sleeping time, and some eating time). but i plan to remedy that now....

i call it e-sunshine mail because i am going to write my sunshine notes here on the blog. and i will not refer to anyone by name, but by their count off number... so find your number and read your e-sunshine mail from me....

1. you are darling! and your laugh brightens up the coldest chicago day!

2. you have the sweetest spirit and it is also GLUTEN FREE! amazing!.

3. thanks for all the hugs. and for always having a great attitude.

4. you think of everything! who knew we needed a tour mascot????? and by the way, my new nickname for you is "bebo".

5. i am SO glad that you got on stage at the improv. and so sad it wasn't me. 

6. whenever i start dancing i want you around to cheer me on. you make me think that i am slightly cool. and can you make my name in paisley?

7. hey sharon. i love the way you are friends with my daughter and i love the way you will FINALLY smile in photos for me.

8. call me.

9. elvis leg on moses. cracks me up every time.

10. thanks for being in the lea marshall dance fan club. but no thanks for being cuter than me. work on my paisley name poster please.

11. text me. oh wait, you can't. i have your phone. hee hee.

12. you are my favorite cousin on this trip. really, you are.

13.  you are my favorite cousin on this trip. really, you are.

14. i love that you are on choir tour with me. it makes me think i am young again and your mom and i are at summer camp together! 

15. you are the only rapper i will ever love....

16. thanks for knowing the BEST items to order of the menu and for being such a good sharer.

17. wow. you can sleep through anything. and you and maxx had the BEST room!

18. don't tell #13 or #14 but YOU are my favorite cousin on this trip. thanks for taking such good care of maxx and the younger guys. you are a hero. and you know how to make a bed so tight that a quarter bounces on it. wow.

19. you are my favorite son EVER. and your room cleaning skills that you developed on this trip better be put into use in your own private domain soon. and i LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE you. thank you for WANTING to go to frank lloyd wright and the art museum. 

20. you are the prettiest girl on this trip and all the other girls are jealous of you. thank you for going to frank lloyd wright and the art museum even though i bribed you to do it. and thank you for having a good attitude even though you weren't shopping. and yes, i will take you to h&m sometime soon....

21. your love for Jesus and people and life is incredible! i just love to watch your face when you sing and watch you interact with all of the audience members. what a testimony of love!

22. take off that hat and let me take a photo of your cute self please!

23. i just have a few more questions for you to answer. it will only be an hour or so of your time.... 

24. i know have this obsession with kfc thanks to you. and i have to start using night cream to try to look younger, again thanks to you.

25. there is NOTHING better than when you smile! will you come shopping with millie and i and carry all of our packages?

26. choir tour isn't as fun unless you ride in my car. but seeing your leadership skills grow every year is amazing. i am excited for your senior year.... and yet still a bit frightened....

27. you are one fun girl. and you are becoming such a leader. i don't know where you get that from....

28. thanks for rooming with millie. she is hard to live with. but she does organize bathroom products well! and so do you! i love you, your mom, and even your brother sometimes....

29. oh, i mean i love you ALL THE TIME. especially when we talk cameras and when you use mine to take photos. and i am going to miss you in the movement choir, you rock that movement choir....

30. wow. you are tall. does that make space for extra goodness? because you are extra goodness.

31. sure i won't put any of those photos of you in the slide show.... sure i won't....

32. could you try to be less photogenic? it would help me to get over the fact that you are leaving. thanks for the way you always played the games on the bus like they were the most fun thing EVER. nice acting skills.

33. "it is the same as having a gun".... and thanks for forgiving me and maybe still loving me.

34. you are my favorite pitts boy. don't tell your brothers.

35. stop being so cute or i will continue to take hundreds of photos of you. tell quinn to call me.

36. eleven is a GREAT age to be. don't try to hurry it too fast. and make up more songs about me.

37. i can hear you saying "THIRY SEVEN" in my head as i type. thanks for liking f.l.l.w. and for being a chaperone's dream!

38. you are so sweet and lovely and fun! thanks for being a great leader among the girls!

39. love the short hair and the way you are always helping out without ever being asked!

40. you rock that alto section. and basically anything else you do rocks because of you too.

41. how come you look so good in a hair net? you are always so sweet to everyone, thanks for your kind heart.

42. fun. fun. fun. that is you. and i loved the song you wrote for me!

43. thanks for being such a great leader and for always lending a hand when it is needed. i always see you working hard to help get everything done.

44. 3 choir tours with me down.... 9 to go. i am eternally your dancing monkey (but i am not always "family friendly").

45. can you wake someone up for me at 3:45 a.m.? how hard could that be....

46. i have never seen anyone describe a cupcake in more loving terms... i wish i could make gluten free cupcakes for you because i think you cried when you left that bakery behind....

47. i love the way you handed me money. really, i think i am in love with you.

48. you are the best seat mate and you like to listen to ALL my stories (or you fake interest really well). either way, i love you. and hopefully after this list is done i have written more sunshine mail than you. but i doubt it.

49. i had no idea you were the unibomber. you must have been in a great prison program because you have really reformed your ways.... (and even if you hadn't i wouldn't mention it because i would be scared of what you would do to me)

50. you are the CREW CHIEF and you rock it. is there anything you don't do well? let me know because i am a bit overwhelmed by your awesomeness...

51. ignore those other remarks to other cousins... because YOU are my favorite cousin. because you can buy jewelry AND feed starving children at the same time. what a woman.

52. dance monkey dance.

53. driving a mini bus full of women around. your dreams have come true....

54. one day in heaven we are going to schedule a whole chunk of eternity to sit and chat. until then let's have a day at the beach together soon. you know that i want to be you when i grow up.

55. you had me at "here is your 10 dollars".

56. crew chief #2. i love your skillz. and how you totally took over laundry duties. thanks be to you.

57. you live with 4 men. and you still have a shred of sanity. that is the Lord working in your life... i love you and i promise to never wake up up for a conversation in the middle of the night again... well, maybe not....

58. i cannot imagine youth group without you. i could write 476 posts on how Omazing you have been for my daughter. and how Omazing it was that you didn't kill me for typing blog posts late into the night and early in the morning while you were sleeping. that shows great restraint and a love for the Lord...

59. freshaliciousation, you had me at "du". i could not be the dancing monkey without you.

60. next year there will be 4 wilhelms on this choir trip. wow. i am resting up already.

61. now you know all about frank lloyd wright and your life is complete. you totally saved us with the map in your purse! thanks.


and a sunshine note to all the blog readers (thus making me a more prolific sunshine note writer than carol cartee).

thanks for reading and commenting and hopefully laughing out loud sometimes (we laughed out loud a LOT during this trip). but most of all thank you for your prayers. 


3 comments:

  1. What a great photo and another wonderful blog entry! I loved that! And I lol'ed a lot this week! Thanks for all you have done.
    PS-I just found something else you have put together and off to watch it! :) Jill

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  2. Lea, thank you again for all of the comments and notes and for your obvious love for all of the Youth of FBC, and especially your love for our favorite family on this trip, the Masons. Your joy is contagious and Roberta and I both laughed many times as we read your many comments. We can't wait for our "kids" to expalain the "Dancing Monkey" title you have. We will have to give Tina an extra hug for making us aware of your insightful blog.

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  3. Lea, is there any creative enterprise you canNOT do? It was so special to us here in Tallahassee that we could be connected to this trip through the blog. I laughed, praised God and wept all at the same time over the photos of our children (and child-like adults) serving others so compassionately and happily. Reading the blog was a bright spot for me several times each day. Choir tour will never be the same, girl!
    Steve Liner

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