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.