Odyssey of the Mind State Finals

We spent the weekend in Traverse City with Maria's OM team & their families while the team competed in the State finals. The coaches took the props up in a trailer:

Their props were very detailed:

And I only got pictures of 4 of the 7 of the team members in costume:

Their performance about the Jungle Bloke went very well! At the awards ceremony, we found out they came in 5th place. This was a little disappointing, but they all got to stand up in this gym full of hot screaming people to be recognized:

They are actually the little gold group sitting in the middle of the floor while we were up in the hot, nose-bleed section.

We stayed in a condo in a golf/ski resort near Bellaire, Michigan and it was so peaceful and quiet. In the morning, I sat out on the deck with my coffee and listened to a chorus of birds singing their distinctive parts in the symphony of nature:

So that was our weekend. The kids & coaches had a great year together. They all agree that the process is the best part. Coach Bloem called the Finals a celebration of 2 things God loves: creativity and teamwork.