Andrew Trimble: An Autobiography

June 15, 2015

PEOPLE IN THIS CHAPTER: me, SScotttUtter

To a loser, this is a big day. To everyone else, this day is dumb. To me, this is a big day. Today marked the second day of VBS at Millview Church of Christ. This year's theme is HIGHER!, but that doesn't even matter. Each year, my church has a booster rooster (aka a dude in a chicken costume that is 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. It's lovely.). But I was very excited, so I'm going to give you a deep recap of the whole thing.

I walk into church 20 minutes early for VBS. We have tribe leaders that take age groups to each skit, and I'm your average joe tribe leader that got here before anyone else. From the back of the room, Scott Utter (my youth minister) yells, "Andrew! I need your help!" "What is it?" I reply. "Will you be booster tonight? I know you have mascot experience." "Huh?" "Ya know, with your monkey suit and stuff..." "Oh right... umm... yeah, sure. I'll do it. What do I do though?" "Ok, (leading me into the church library) Janae Callicoat had it down to a science, but now she's Janae Richter so she can't do it anymore." I just laughed. "Here's your chicken suit," he continued, "Noah did something last night nobody should ever do. He picked an old, old lady like Hazel Scott and almost knocked her out in the process." I forgot to mention that when booster comes toward the front of the auditorium, he picks 3 people to come to the front and sing the booster song. He picked a lady that's at least 94 years old. And did it from behind and barely missed her head (you can't see very well) with basically a punch. "So I can pick people like Ron George?" "Yeah! Like Ron George, Michael Cox, you can do your sister if you want." "I can do teenagers?!?!" "Yep." I don't feel like repeating every sentence, but he told me that I can tease the kids by opening the doors while they sing and then Scott pretends he doesn't see me. In what seemed like no time, they were singing songs. I teased them by opening the library door and sticking my head out. They all pointed at me. I ran around the building and opened another door at the front of the auditorium and they pointed again. Then I ran back around to the library door my final tease and they pointed and screamed for the third time (they were never loud screams). I then ran to the back of the auditorium because I knew the booster song would be soon. I was supposed to come in the second time they sang the booster song. It was supposed be as planned: Sing the booster song. No booster. Sing it LOUDER. Booster comes. It went a different way though.

I made my final tease. Immediately went to the back. On my way back, they sang it one time through. They sang it a second time through and I came in 3/4 of the way through that. I was supposed to come in at the beginning of the second run through. I missed my entrance, I have never missed an entrance during a school play, but I missed it as a rooster during a VBS. They CANNOT go through VBS a single night without booster, so they went three times. I came in at the beginning of the third time. I held up 3 fingers to signify that I wanted 3 people to come up and sing. "Alright go find three grumpy people to sing the booster song." Scott said. My sister was on the front row. I pointed at her to say, "Get up there, girl". I picked a lady then on the back row named Lynne Adams, and a man 3/4 of the way back named Jeff Bogle. They all stood at the front and sang, "Booster, Booster, be a booster! Don't be grouchy like a rooster! Booster, Booster be a booster at Booster Bible School! BOOST!" "Booster, did our leaders do a very good job?" Scott asked. I gave the body language of, "Eh, not really." So we sang it again. I gave it a thumbs up. Everybody made their way back to their seats, and I made my exit. That marked the end of the night for ol' Booster. I then took off my costume in the library, went back to the auditorium in basketball shorts and a t-shirt. Once the Scott and Jeremy show was over, I resumed my life as normal as a tribe leader for kindergarten and first grade. I led them to crafts and Invisible Army.