I've moved...

Check out my new blog at http://spaces.msn.com/members/bgisadq/. It's much easier to share pictures on this site (which is what my family cares more about - they don't want to read my ramblings).

See ya!

Home, sweet home

Well, it's actually happening...Jess and Parker are moving into a place of their own. I just never thought it would come and I mean that in both a "I'm so excited to have my own place again" way and "I'm really going to miss them" way. It's hard to explain what it's like living in a 2-bedroom, 1-bath place with 2 adult women and a baby boy. At times it was frustrating and cramped and we had trouble getting along, but I will always cherish this time since I got to be a part of his early upbringing and was there to experience a lot of his "firsts":

* his first tooth
* watching him eat his first jar of baby food
* his frog-like rock/hop that took 2 months to become crawling
* his first hair cut
* his first precarious steps that eventually became walking
* being there for his first bowl of mac 'n cheese
* learning how to wave

Things I'll miss:

* the way he wakes up in the morning - with his sleepy/shy smiles
* the time he'd spend with me in the mornings (usually while I was putting on my makeup) - we'd play and talk
* tickle time which could happen just about any time - there's nothing quite like a baby's laugh, it's beautiful and innocent and totally pure
* dinner time - that boy can eat!!
* bath time - he loves to splash :)
* sneaking peeks at him while he's sleeping

Don't get me wrong, I'm going to miss my niece too, but I've already watched her grow. She doesn't change all that much anymore. But Parker is my latest ray of hope and love and sunshine in this world. And even though my niece hates it when I say this, he may be the closest I come to the experience of having a child of my own. I just love him so much! Look at how much he's changed in the 7 months they've been with me:

January 29th...


August 31st...


I can't believe he's going to be a year old in less than 2 weeks. WOW! I still remember when his momma was a baby.

Guess I'll just have to get back to the other love of my life...dancing!!

Time to revisit the classics (or rather, visit)

I often marvel at how I got through school without reading several of the classics that were on our required reading list. Such titles as "To Kill a Mockingbird", "Grapes of Wrath" and "The Odyssey" come to mind. So, I've decided that it's time I read them. I actually joined a book club that sends me a new classic every month. They are collectibles, so they are very exquisitely printed and bound. I've received about 6 and of course, they've been sitting on my shelves for months collecting dust, while I was busy dancing my tootsies off.

I'm taking a hiatus from dancing, so I've decided that to keep me from turning into a couch potato, I'd dust off these classics and jump in. I read "The Strange Tale of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde" last week. It's a short novel, less than 130 pages, but it took me a few days to read it because I'm not used to the Old English style it's written in. It's definitely a strange tale, but very interesting. Now, I'm on to "Moby Dick" or "The Whale". Interesting how it has 2 titles, but that's how it's printed on the cover. I thought that I was going to have some trouble with it, but once I got past the first 20 pages, I'm having trouble putting it down at night. I'm fascinated with the story of Ishmael and his budding relationship with Quequeg (a name I'm familiar with only because of the X-Files...you avid fans out there will know what I'm talking about).

I can't wait to get to my next reading...they've just started their journey...and I, mine!

Movie Review

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love the movies. In my family and close knit group of friends, I'm known (with envy) as the "Movie Queen". I remember lots of useless information about movies, those I've seen and some I haven't. The running game when seeing a movie for the first time is to name a movie the relatively unknown actor has been in. Whoever gets it first wins. It's usually a close contest between me and my nephew, Antonio.

Anyway, the last movie I saw was "Must Love Dogs" with Diane Lane and John Cusack. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to see it because I'm pretty tired of the old maid, bitter divorcee role, but I love both actors and thought I'd give it a chance. I invited my two best gal pals to join me, my sister, Bonnie, and my friend, Jayne. The humor was fabulous! You never think they can come up with something new, but I'm always amazed and impressed when they do. The movie starts out with a family gathering...an intervention actually...for Diane Lane's character, who is recently divorced. Her entire family converges on her, each with a picture of a potential suitor. Personally, I think it was the family and her relationship with each that was the basis of the movie's humor. That's also one of the reasons I loved My Big Fat Greek Wedding so much. Anyone who has a crazy, meddling, mean, loving, dysfunctional family can relate. And really, what's better than life to laugh at. We give it three thumbs up!!!

No more funk for me

Boy, have I been remiss in my posts lately. I guess it's because life hasn't been much of a dream lately. I've gotta get out of this rut (aka "the funk") I've been in the last few weeks. The following is a list of what's contributed to it:

1) I turned 35 last month. Truth is, I'm not quite sure how I feel about being 35, so I'll have to think on this one some more.

2) My truck blew a head gasket (among other things). Picked it up from the shop last night - had to pay a ransom to the tune of $2000. Ouch!

3) Money woes. What else is new...

4) I'm sick (bleck!).

Ok, now that I've got all that off my chest I must change my focus and look on the bright side of life:

1) I'm 35. Wow, what an accomplishment. For my birthday, I went out for a fabulous dinner with some of my favorite people!!

2) My truck is good as new (almost) and running like a champ, plus the shop threw in a full detail for free. Not only is it shiny and pretty now, but they also found the alarm remote control that I misplaced so many months ago :) Oh, and a special shout out to my sister who let me use her truck as a "loaner" while mine was out of commission. Thanks Bon!!

3) The financial situation is looking up. I've received lots of help from my family and friends in this tough time and starting with our next payday, our annual raise kicks in. I had a moment of misunderstanding when I received my evaluation information and it turns out that my increase was more than I'd originally thought. Wahoo!!

4) The good thing about being sick is that you get your rest. I've been getting an average of 8 hours the past few nights (my regular average is 6) and I'm actually not feeling too bad. I should be right as rain by the time the weekend rolls around.

I guess that just goes to show you (at least it does me) that if you look hard enough, you can always find good in every situation. If it weren't for the bad (or more truthfully, the tough) situations in life, would we ever appreciate all that's good? I wonder...

Well, here's wishing you find the good in all that's difficult in your life. Remember: "That which does not kill us, makes us stronger." (a quote from "Steel Magnolias", one of my favorite movies).

What a great weekend!

It was my pleasure to participate in a sleepover weekend with my girlfriends from the dance studio. It very well could be that I haven't been to a sleepover since I was a school girl. We had a fabulous time! We were at the house of a daughter of our gal pal, Edna. Not only is her home gorgeous, but the backyard is a virtual oasis, complete with palm trees, garden fountain, swimming pool with a diving board and slide, playscape and trampoline. Our favorite past time was lounging by the pool with our peach daiquiris and book du jour. We enjoyed good movies, good food, good drink, and great company for 48 hours. It has to be one of the best weekends I've had in a long time. I think the most interest thing is that the ages of the 6 ladies ranges from mid-20s to late 50s and we all got along marvelously. One of the gals is studying to become a massage therapist and was giving free massages. I didn't get to partake, but I know the other ladies enjoyed their free massages. We watched several movies (some I'd seen and some that were new to me) and I even got to go to a free play on Sunday afternoon at the McCullough Theater on the UT Campus. It was a new musical written by Larry Gatlin called "Quanah, the Parker Family Saga" and the celebrity attendee was Governor Perry himself.

This was the best weekend I've had in ages! Thanks ladies!!

Dancing With The Stars

Now, I'm not an avid TV watcher and haven't been bit by the reality show bug, but I doubt anyone who knows me would be surprised to hear that I've not missed a single episode of ABC's latest reality show...Dancing With The Stars. And I understand that millions of Americans are right there along with me. Whoda thunk?!! There's even an entire blog dedicated to information about the show...http://dancing-with-the-stars-info.blogspot.com/. I have to take a moment here to brag that my "alma mater" is sponsoring the event. Arthur Murray rocks!!

Ballroom dancing is by far the coolest thing to come my way in a long time. I've been doing this for 8 months now and I know how hard it is to learn these dances. I'm extremely impressed with the level of dancing the stars (John O'Hurley, Rachel Hunter, Joey McIntyre, Kelly Monaco, Evander Holyfield, Trista Sutter) have displayed in the last 3 weeks. Some are doing better than others (2 have already been eliminated), but this week's show will really be telling. The last 3 weeks, the couples have been doing 1 dance per show, but this week they have to do 2. We're talking 2 fully choreographed routines for brand new dances they are learning. When I did my competition in April, I spent 5 weeks (1 hour per day) to prepare a single dance routine that wasn't nearly at the level the stars are performing. Trust me when I say, this is not easy!

I do want to say that I think the judges are fantastic! They get a lot of flack from the audience when they give "harsh" feedback to the dancers, but I haven't disagreed with a single comment. In fact, on occasion, I think their comments were too nice. In my opinion, the only reason Evander made it through the second week was because of the audience vote which counts for 1/2 of the overall score. Trista was a better dancer (technically) than he was, but I think "America" is just sick of her and wanted her off of their televisions.

For me, the big surprises have been John O'Hurley (J. Peterman from Seinfeld) and Rachel Hunter (supermodel). I see them as true dancers. Their technique is good, but more importantly they convey the story of each dance and the feeling behind the music as well. They're definitely my favorites!

Well, if you haven't seen the show, I highly recommend checking it out. It's been so popular that ABC has been re-running the previous week's show the hour before the live show each week. It's on Wednesday nights, re-run at 7pm and live at 8pm. Don't miss it!!

Joey "oh baby baby" Gian

A little over a month ago, I was on a mad search for a song to do a swing routine to in our next Showcase. I had a deadline since we had a session with a choreographer and was panicked because I was running out of time and had found nothing. Then, in a flash of brilliance, I remembered this song...What If Loved You (by Joey Gian) -- you have to have Rhapsody to be able to listen...sorry :(

I came across this artist years ago (some time in the late 80s or early 90s). I saw him in a movie called "Mad About You" and fell in love with his voice. I'm ashamed to say that I kinda forgot about him over the years. I rediscovered him in the David Duchovny/Minnie Driver movie "Return To Me". He plays a band leader in the movie and recorded a couple of songs on the soundtrack (his only recordings available for purchase). It's hard to place him a genre since he sings quite a variety of styles (rock, big band, ballads, etc.). He's got a sexy, gravely voice and of course, he's adorable! If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it...and dont' forget to check out the special features to see his video of this song.

See ya!

Well kids. I've been working hard to get my blog up to date and now it's time for a little siesta away from work and my computer. I'm taking the next few days off to enjoy a long holiday weekend and to celebrate my Mom's retirement. Yup, she turned 60 this year and decided she'd had enough. Actually, she's been planning this event for the last 2 years and it's finally here! Of course, she's completely thrilled about it, but the rest of us are green with envy. She and her beau (who retired a year or two ago) are now going to be able to live the high life and do whatever they heck they want :) How cool is that?!! Makes me wonder if I'm going to make it another 25 years (or more) in the work force. Ugh! Maybe I should start playing the lottery.

Anyway, happy Memorial Day. See you next week!

Lookin' a little shaggy there, son...

Yup, it was time for the Monkey's first haircut. Daddy & Mommalane made it to town for the big event. Didn't get much of an afternoon nap and we're thinking that may have attributed to his good behavior :) He was pretty curious about the whole thing, but didn't fuss at all.



Notice anything interesting in this one...

Yup, the stylist had a forked thumb. Not everyone noticed it while we were at the salon, but you can definitely see in it this picture. Wow!



Amazing how he went from a baby to a little boy. Gosh, only 7 months old and he already looks like a toddler. Eek! He's growing way too fast!!

May I introduce the Monkey

These were taken in April when Parker (my great-nephew) went to visit his family in Conroe. Isn't he just adorable?!!!

Dance-O-Rama P.S.

Wow! What an experience! It's difficult to explain what it was like. Unless you feel about dancing the way I do, you probably just won't get it. When I talk about it, most people just give me that sideways look and seem to want to pat me on the head like a 5-year old. That's ok.

Truly though, it was an emotional experience. I was so relieved when it was over (I didn't have to be nervous anymore - which I was on so many levels) and yet, I was also sad that it was over. This experience gave me so much of what I dream of for my life...excitement, beauty, glamour, romance, challenge. It was hard to leave it and I can understand why everyone gets so excited about it. Still, it's going to be a while before I can do anything at this level again.

It never ceases to amaze me how much goes into preparing for a competition (time, effort, money, blood, sweat and tears). It's like those rides at the theme park that you wait in line for what seems like hours just for a few thrilling moments. You have to be careful not to blink or you'll miss it. The great thing about dancing is that I'll forever have the memories (not to mention pictures and video) and all that I've learned will go with me into preparing for the next one.

I can't wait for the next ride :)

Shot #2 from our Foxtrot solo. Technically it was a good routine. The song we chose is fun and sassy, but I think our presentation didn't totally convey that. We're already taking steps to change that for the San Antonio Showcase in August!

Last day of competition...all solo routines. We danced a Foxtrot routine to "Walkin' My Baby Back Home". Our routine was choreographed by one of the judges from our Showcase in February. I picked a Foxtrot because the smooth dances are the most challenging for me. Dave told me that if I worked really hard on a dance that I struggled with that it would improve my dancing overall. I have to admit that I was skeptical, but after working on this routine almost non-stop for 5 weeks, it turns out he was right.

Day 2 was a lot more relaxed. Friday's events were all "Open" which means we didn't have to stick to school figures at our level. I think this shot is from our Jive (which is a really fast swing). I was a bit nervous on this one because I just recently learned it and kept slipping during our warm up. Not to mention the fact that we were the only ones competing in this dance at our level, so we were all alone on the dance floor...eek! However, I love the faster rhythm dances and Dave told me to let loose and just have fun, so I did :)

By the afternoon of Day one I was starting to relax a bit. I'm much better at the rhythm dances than I am at the smooth dances and I think you can tell in my face. This is a great shot of me and Dave. I think this is our Samba - one of Dave's favorites. I struggled with this dance when I first started learning (it's tough!), but I'm beginning to like it.

Day 1 of the competition. We were up at 5:30 to get ready...ugh! We needed to make sure we had plenty of time for breakfast and warm up before our first dance at 8:06. I'm not sure I was breathing in this shot of our Tango. I was nervous!!

David also competed at the professional level with his partner, Veronica, from the San Antonio studio. They took 3rd in the Rising Star and 5th in the Open. Wow!!

Dave (my instructor), me, Mary (another student) and David (her instructor) pause between heats for a Kodak moment.

David & Mary dancing the waltz.

Yes, I'm alive...

Boy, I sure caught some flack for not posting since Feb. I've got things going on in my life to talk about, it's just that I never make the time for posting. I've got lots to catch up on, but let's just start with the biggie...

Went to Las Vegas at the end of March for my first official Dance-O-Rama! Arthur Murray International puts on about 10 of them each year all over the world (mostly in the US). It was 3 exciting days of dancing at all levels from folks all over the world. It was amazing and crazy and totally overwhelming. I did freestyles in waltz, tango, foxtrot, rumba, samba, mambo, swing, west coast swing, hustle, cha cha, jive, merengue and a foxtrot solo. I did pretty well considering the all the talented dancers and tough competition. I came home with 6 medals: 1 bronze (west coast swing), 2 silvers (cha cha and hustle), and 3 golds (foxtrot, jive, merengue). My whole family went (minus my Dad), so it was a mini-reunion as well. Didn't get to spend a lot of time site seeing, but we did a little. I also caught some flack from the guys in the office who are gamblers since I didn't even spend a nickel in the slots. Oh well, that's just not my thing. We made some great friends with folks from the Long Beach studio. That was a surprise and treat since you'd think it'd be tough with all the competitiveness, but everyone was great. It was tough coming home from all the glamour and fun, but I'll have sweet memories of that trip. See pictures below. I'll add more once I get the professional shots of me & Dave scanned.

Did those words come out of my mouth?

Sunday was the most gorgeous weekend day we've seen in Austin for a while. It was a fantastic spring preview. After church in the morning, my niece, Jessica, and I had plans to meet Destiny and her parents for lunch at Marie Callender's. The lunch buffet was fabulous and oh, did we ever indulge. Destiny's dad & mom are terrific and we had a nice visit with them. On our way home, Jess and I discussed plans for the afternoon. The top two on our list: 1) nap 2) walk. Although the former sounded better, we opted for the walk considering our full bellies and our longing for sunshine on our skin. As we walked, we talked about adding to our daily workouts and I said "Why don't we start running after work?".

I guess it was Jess's double-take that made me realize how foreign those words sounded coming from me. You have to understand that for the majority of my life, exercise has been a 4-letter word to me. I've avoided it like the plague. However, since starting Weight Watchers and picking up ballroom dancing, I've lost 30 lbs. in the last 5 months and now I've got more energy than I know what to do with. It's not that I love to exercise now, but I definitely see and feel the benefits of a healthier lifestyle. Call it a means to an end. What I really love is dancing and I want to look good doing it. I've got a long way to go still, but the tunnel is beginning to glimmer and I can't wait to see the light at the end.

Smooth as a baby's butt

Working on a Saturday is not a regular occurence for me, but was required today. It all went very smoothly (the last 4 stressful weeks of preparation really paid off!) and everyone else cut out several hours ago. I lingered to catch up on my "surfing". Being that I work on a computer all day, I'm loathe to touch mine at home (I finally understand why my Dad didn't want a computer at home when I was a kid). Then, why have one, you ask? Lately, I haven't been able to answer that question and am seriously thinking about getting rid of it.

Anyway, I digress...

Reviewing my favorites list took me to Adrienne's blog: http://txngyrrl.blogspot.com/. It took me a while, but I caught up on all the posts since my last reading and found that she mentioned me in an entry she posted last weekend. Wanting to comment on that particular post led me to create a blog of my own. So, here you have it. Maybe now I'll have a reason to keep my computer at home.