{"id":436,"date":"2011-06-07T14:57:33","date_gmt":"2011-06-07T18:57:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=436"},"modified":"2025-04-18T09:26:51","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T13:26:51","slug":"chapter-22-milestones","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=436","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 22: Milestones"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>A &#8220;Cancun&#8221; and a couple a&#8217; Cadillacs<\/h3>\n<p><strong>November brought a milestone\u2014 I was turning 17!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>That of course meant my probationary Learner\u2019s Permit was expiring.\u00a0I would soon take the written and road tests to earn my Driver\u2019s License.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>&#8220;Advice For the Young At Heart&#8221; by Tears For Fears<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375810531710\" class=\"{skin:'black', animate:false, width:'120', volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Tears-For-Fears-Advice-For-The-Young-At-Heart.mp3\">Tears For Fears &#8211; Advice For The Young At Heart<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-724\" title=\"Chi-Chi's\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/chichis.jpg\" alt=\"Chi-Chi's- my favorite meal: &quot;Cancun&quot; Seafood Enchilada\" width=\"400\" height=\"560\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On my birthday, November 15, Mom took me out of school for the big day, and she and Mona came with me to the DMV.\u00a0There, I passed both tests (the driving portion in our \u201976 Caddy), and I strutted out of there holding my FIRST official New Jersey Driver\u2019s License! Mom, Mona and I were giggling and happy as I waved proof of my latest achievement.<\/p>\n<p>We three went out to a celebratory lunch at Chi-Chi\u2019s, where Mom presented me with my birthday present: Two sets of keys, each color-coded according to car\u2014blue for the Coupe DeVille; red for the Eldorado! <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">WOW<\/span>!! <\/em> My own keys!\u00a0To think my parents trusted me enough to do that was amazing. We had \u201cfried ice cream\u201d with a birthday candle on it for dessert. What a fine day to remember!<\/p>\n<p>When I arrived at school the next day, I was surprised to find my locker decorated with birthday balloons.\u00a0I was welcomed and congratulated by my friends, and I wasted no time flashing my new certificate of freedom.<\/p>\n<p>One of the youngest in the class (I had entered school a year early, in 1971), I was among the last of my peers to get my driver&#8217;s license.\u00a0Soon after that, I was driving a car to school and parking in the Senior lot. I would give friends rides and would never consider abusing my parents\u2019 trust. It was the best\u2014listening to the car stereo driving to and from school \u2026 in a Caddy. Life was very good indeed!<\/p>\n<h3>NJ Allstate: Achieved!<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7770\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7770\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7770\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/allstate_pic_cropped-249x300.jpg\" alt=\"NJ Allstate Portrait\" width=\"400\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/allstate_pic_cropped-249x300.jpg 249w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/allstate_pic_cropped.jpg 434w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7770\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NJ Allstate Portrait<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I also auditioned for NJ Allstate Orchestra and made first violin! Were Mom and Gordon T ever happy for me.\u00a0What a great experience that was\u2014rubbing (el)bows with the best players in the state, with the most challenging music I\u2019d had the pleasure of negotiating yet.<\/p>\n<p>Among the selections were the EXTREMELY intense <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/KU1X3Wut-k0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">An American in Paris<\/a> by Gershwin, and <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/hh7dxdlTPU8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carmen Suite No. 1<\/a> by Georges Bizet.\u00a0We had two performances, one for the parents and families and another at the Atlantic City Convention Center for the paying public.<\/p>\n<p>That two-day trip was so much fun. We East Brunswick musicians were bussed down together and we stayed at the Deauville Hotel (<a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=6734\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">where Mom met the Beatles<\/a>) on the Boardwalk.\u00a0It was an adventure, and all of us had fun rooming at the hotel and hitting the boards between obligations. Rehearsals were in a big ballroom.<\/p>\n<p>Both concerts were combined with the All-State Chorus, who teamed up with us in the Symphony for a closing selection of <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/TT5vRyzIh84\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Battle Hymn of the Republic<\/a>.\u00a0It was electric; the very rafters of the cavernous Convention Center vibrated with glorious resonance as voices and musicians rose in crescendo at the end \u2026 a performance to remember.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-14275\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Allstate-600x325.jpg\" alt=\"NJ Allstate\" width=\"1010\" height=\"547\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Allstate-600x325.jpg 600w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Allstate-335x181.jpg 335w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Allstate-768x415.jpg 768w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Allstate-1536x831.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Allstate.jpg 2013w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Officially A Mountaineer!<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-13225\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/downtown-campus-335x223.jpg\" alt=\"WVU downtown campus\" width=\"983\" height=\"654\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/downtown-campus-335x223.jpg 335w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/downtown-campus-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/downtown-campus-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/downtown-campus.jpg 1396w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/h3>\n<p>One day, an early spring snow closed the schools around lunchtime.\u00a0 Since I hadn\u2019t taken the car, Mom picked me up, and brought the news we\u2019d been hoping for.<\/p>\n<p>Mom, wearing a mischievous smile, handed me a thick envelope when I got in. The return address was embossed <em>West Virginia University Office of Admissions and Records<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2256\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2256\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2256\" title=\"My new WVU shirt\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/me-wvu-shirt-265x300.jpg\" alt=\"My new WVU shirt\" width=\"400\" height=\"452\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/me-wvu-shirt-265x300.jpg 265w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/me-wvu-shirt.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2256\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Proudly wearing my new Mountaineers shirt<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>My excitement grew as I opened it while Mom looked on.\u00a0I read, \u201cWe are pleased to congratulate you \u2026\u201d and I knew that I was <strong><em>headed for WVU in the fall!\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Mom and I dissolved into hysterics. Her heart must have ached because this meant I was definitely going to a school eight hours away.<\/p>\n<p><strong>However, she showed nothing but joy and pride.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We immediately got papers rolling for Guaranteed and National Direct Student Loans.<\/p>\n<p>I wore my <em>West Virginia Mountaineers<\/em> long-sleeved tee to school for the first time the next day (bought the previous summer in hopes of acceptance).<\/p>\n<p>I was beaming.\u00a0All my friends were happy for me, and at the time we were all excitedly juggling acceptance letters.<\/p>\n<p>I would go on to study\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.music.wvu.edu\/academics\/undergraduate-programs\/music-education\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Music Education<\/a> at the College of Creative Arts. THIS meant I could audition for the <strong>WVU Drumline!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We contacted the College of Creative Arts for information about auditioning, which from afar would require a tape of prepared exercises and a solo piece.<\/p>\n<h3>Prep for the WVU Drumline<\/h3>\n<p>Enter drum instructor Mark C. We arranged private lessons down in his studio in preparation for making the audition tape, which I promptly forwarded to the Percussion Department.\u00a0Mark said I had good chops and should have no problem. I SO hoped he was right.<\/p>\n<p>The reply\u00a0wasn&#8217;t\u00a0as we&#8217;d anticipated. Apparently, all slots in the ridiculously competitive Drumline had <em>already<\/em> been filled (a day late and a dollar short, so to speak).\u00a0Obviously, an audition by tape had put me at a serious time disadvantage. They encouraged me to re-apply the following year, as I showed real chops in my playing.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>&#8220;Beat Box&#8221; by The Art of Noise<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375810563696\" class=\"{skin:&#039;black&#039;, animate:false, width:&#039;120&#039;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/The-Art-of-Noise-Beat-Box-1983-original.mp3\">The Art of Noise &#8211; Beat Box (1983 original)<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\n<p>Mom took one look at that notice and refused to see my dreams go down the sewer. She addressed a letter of reply directly to the Director of the percussion department.\u00a0She stated that I had practiced for months, and in so many words conveyed my absolute ambition to be in the WVU Drumline, even if as only an equipment gofer.<\/p>\n<p>The second letter arrived a week later to notify me that there had been an unexpected opening in the line and <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">I WAS IN<\/span>!!!!!<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10200\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10200\" style=\"width: 1003px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10200 \" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/WVU-snares-600x356.jpg\" alt=\"WVU Drumline\" width=\"1003\" height=\"595\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/WVU-snares-600x356.jpg 600w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/WVU-snares-300x178.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/WVU-snares.jpg 754w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10200\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">My dream<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Thanks Mom! Thanks for going to bat for me \u2026 thanks for going the extra mile!<\/p>\n<p>She insisted, \u201cyou made it because you deserve it, not because of the letter,\u201d which was true\u2014but her written response got me <strong>just enough<\/strong> airtime to be considered.\u00a0If they were looking for a passionate, competent and devoted member, I was their &#8220;man.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>I would further audition for placement within the Line at band camp later that summer.\u00a0My ambition? <strong>SNARE!!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>With drum lessons winding down and my place at WVU secure, Mark the drum instructor and I began to develop some feelings for each other.\u00a0He was almost 21, and I was months from being \u201clegal\u201d\u2026 hardly scandalous.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a title=\"Chapter 23: End-of-Year Festivities\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=789\">Chapter 23: End-of-Year Festivities<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13050\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/drum-avatar-thumbnail-sm.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" \/> <a title=\"Return to Memoirs\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=13681\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Return to Chapters<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A &#8220;Cancun&#8221; and a couple a&#8217; Cadillacs November brought a milestone\u2014 I was turning 17! That of course meant my probationary Learner\u2019s Permit was expiring.\u00a0I would soon take the written and road tests to earn my Driver\u2019s License. &#8220;Advice For the Young At Heart&#8221; by Tears For Fears Tears For Fears &#8211; Advice For The &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=436\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Chapter 22: Milestones&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14260,"parent":4,"menu_order":23,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-436","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=436"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17648,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/436\/revisions\/17648"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}