A Wake & Board

The Mister has decided that he needs to share the love (for surfing)...

Remember that old Beach Boys song California Girls? I think The Mister is trying to turn all of us lake-lovin' land-locked chick-a-dees into Surfin' Beach Babes. While I think it's going to be nearly impossible to turn this responsible mother-of-five into a babe, I'm certainly willing to give the surfing a try. In fact, while I have yet to try to catch the wave behind our new boat, I have tried it behind other boats. And I have to admit, it is fun!


And so, to satisfy The Mister's urge to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to surf (despite our unfortunate lack of a proper ocean-front beach), we have embarked upon a new endeavor. We are now in the recreational rental business. (When did I sign up for this... Did The Mister slip something into my Diet Coke?)


So, the next time you feel the undeniable urge to grab a board and hit the waves, please give us a call. We are renting our 2009 Ski Centurion ENZO SV230 by the day. We also have wake surfboards, wake skates, wakeboards, and inflatables. Check it out at www.awakeandboard.com.

My Favorite Outlaws

We had a little fun on Pioneer Day... Always an adventure around here...

The Boat

The Mister has been on a quest to purchase the perfect wake surfing boat. That's not news, since he's been eyeing it ever since we sold our Mastercraft X30. In fact, wake surfing is the very reason why The Mister was so determined to sell our X30. (And as an aside, let's not forget the trouble we went through to sell that beautiful boat...)

Anyway, our flirtation with non-boat ownership was short lived. bummer...

I went to the boat shop with Mister just days before I left for New York. The salesman kept talking--Mister kept nodding his head--I kept shaking my head... I was determined that we were not going to own another boat. While I was in New York, I even called to check on our ownership status. I asked,

Did you buy a boat?

His response,

I'm thinking about it...

After I returned home, Mister spent a couple of days on the lake testing different boats. The first day he said he didn't think he'd buy... He liked the boat fine, but he wasn't in love with it... The second day he tested two different boats. He came home from the lake and said he had fun, but he left it at that. A little while later I jokingly asked,

So, you gonna buy a boat?

His response,

Already did... A 2009 Ski Centurion ENZO SV230...

And that, my friends, was how I found out that we are now the proud owners of another boat. oh, yay... arg... ugh... ...

Jr Gala Results

The Results are in... The Princess made it into the Top 10 of over 100 girls for National Outstanding Dancer! She did awesome! I'm so proud of her for her hard work and dedication.

Sinking Feeling didn't win Critics' Choice--but we're pleased with the end results anyway.

I'll edit photos and post them from home in a few days.

Dance, Dance, Dance...

Nationals are in full swing. This number, Rock Your Soul, was choreographed by Travis Wall. It took 4th in the Contemporary division, and 2nd in the Teen Line division.

This quirky number is our super-cute tap piece, Bathing Beauties. I like to think of it as an ode to Esther Williams. My darling daughter is fourth from the left.

This is our production number, Working Day and Night. It won Outstanding Concept and Outstanding Staging, 3rd Place-Specialty Division, and 3rd Place-Large Production Division. HRH is holding the stack of menus.

The Frug pays homage to Bob Fosse. It won Outstanding Style, Outstanding Showmanship, 1st in Musical Theater, and 1st in Teen Line.

The girls also competed an improv number in the Musical Theater category and placed 5th.

Sacred Ground took 7th in Specialty Division and 4th in Teen Line.

Teen Company did really well in the Junior Division as well. Their number, Sinking Feeling will be in the Jr Gala competing for Critics' Choice. Sinking Feeling was also awarded with Outstanding Choreography, Outstanding Showmanship, Outstanding Execution, 2nd in the Specialty Division, and 1st in Teen Group.

Dancing Machine won Outstanding Energy, Outstanding Costume, and Outstanding Style, and 1st Place in Hip Hop, and 2nd Place in Junior Extended Line.

Nine to Five won 2nd in Small Production, and 1st in Jazz.

Concerto Due was a pointe number. It won a National Costume Award, 2nd Place in Ballet, and 5th in Junior Group.

Sow Into You won 8th in Junior Line, and 3rd in the Jazz category.

Finally, The Princess was in a trio, Man with the Golden Arm which took 5th in the Duo/Trio division, Outstanding showmanship, and Outstanding Style.

For those who are still reading, I'm sorry... But I'm sure that The Mister and Grandma and Grandpa are happy for the info!

NY with The Boy

I know it seems like this whole NYC thing revolves around HRH. Truth is, it kinda does... But The Boy and I are still succeeding in having a good time.

He knows his way around Broadway...

He's become comfortable on the subway...

He even saw the Naked Cowboy (but didn't want his picture taken with him... I can't imagine why not...)

We've seen West Side Story, and he went to both Mary Poppins and Billy Elliot. He's enjoyed the aromas from Canal Street (eeewwww) and the taste sensation that is Ray's Pizza. He's had Crumb Bakery cupcakes, and authentic NYC cheesecake. It's all good!

And he has been a really good sport about all the dance stuff, too. We're having a blast! I'd bring him back here again in a New York minute!

A Little Bragging...

The Princess is competing for National Outstanding Dancer.

Her solo entry was Queenie was a Blonde.

She was fabulous!

The following photos are SOOC. I will edit and repost when I get home.

This number will comprise 50% of her overall score.

Ballet auditions and jazz auditions will start tomorrow.

They will make up the remaining points.

Where's the Tooth Fairy?

JJ just lost his first tooth.

In fact, he's the first of The Buddies to lose a tooth!

Yay, JJ! I hope the Tooth Fairy brings you something good....

erm... Hon? You reading this???

New York, NY

I realize that I'm a little behind in my 30 in 30 posts... But give me a break, I'm in the city that never sleeps, and there is just so much to do! I can't seem to find time to sit down and blog when Canal Street is calling... Or when the New York cheesecake is tempting... Or when Saks is having a sale... Or...

But, I do realize that this little excursion is really all about dance. The dance stuff is going well. Competition will really heat up for us tomorrow. The Princess will be competing against all the other dance divas for top honor in the solo competition. We never come expecting to win anything, but sometimes even we get surprised! She's been working really hard and now we'll see if the many (many, many) hours have paid off for her this year.

I'll try to post photos tomorrow--if the computer will cooperate... I'm using a new netbook and I'm not sure it will play nice with my camera... Wait and see!

Where did yesterday go?

My, how time flies... I'm supposed to be blogging every day. How did I miss a day? Oh, that's right... the calendar insists on changing the date at midnight... Well, for the record, I haven't gone to bed yet, so it's still today (er... yesterday...). Besides, I have too much going on to call it a day! I've got at least a few more hours worth of projects to complete...

So, what am I so busy doing (so busy that I can take a break to blog about it at 12:45 am)? Well, it started with some house cleaning, then some shopping, then a detour for some new eyelashes (yes, vanity has it's place), followed by a little chauffeuring, then there was the costume stoning (no drugs involved, just lots of crystal rhinestones), and now I'm supposed to be packing, but first I have to finish the last of the laundry. It's an ongoing saga--you really don't need any more details...

But tomorrow I'll officially be on vacation from my job as head chef, maid, chauffeur, dishwasher, and playtime organizer, and referee... But I'm not sure that my temporary job as costume designer, cheerleader, meal-getter, transportation arranger, luggage schlepper, and shopping money supplier is really a promotion. What do you think?

One more time...

I just dragged the luggage out of the closet. I'm pretty sure that we just got it all put away from the last trip. This summer, that beat up set of luggage has spent more time out of the closet than usual!

And now we're prepping for our annual dance trip to New York City. Oh, the joy!

We've bought new pointe shoes (bummer, they won't be broken in very well for auditions), new tights, new leos, and all the other necessary accouterments. The "break-a-leg" gifts are made for all of the members of The Princess' team. ...oh, and the tears have already started... (mine and hers!).

Seriously, cross your fingers that I survive this trip. It will be 10 days of little sleep, meals on the run, performance hair and make-up, costume disasters, high emotions, big drama, and more tears. I'm already exhausted!

Watch him fly!

Remember this kid?
He's the one who got demoted from Level III swim class.

But he's thoroughly enjoying Level II.

In fact, he's quite enjoying his first opportunity to fly off the diving board.
And his second chance...

But I never thought I'd see him do this.
That, my friends, is the high dive!

Holy Cow! And then he wanted to do it again!!!

Happy Fourth of July

200 Blog Posts

Since this is such a quiet time of the year, I thought I'd provide a reason for celebration. I have just reached my 200th blog post. I'm sure that as word of this momentous event spreads, the skies will be filled with bursts of color in honor of my achievement.

Please enjoy the celebrations, and I hope you stick around to enjoy the next 200 posts with me!

Distance

I grew up in a small, rural community. It's funny, when I think of all the freedom that little town provided to me as a child. I could walk to Susan's house. I could bike to Nancy's house. I could bound on over to Lisa's house on a moment's notice... Even my friends who lived in the next town were accessible if I arranged to ride home with them on the school bus...

Sometimes I think about how different things are now from the way they were when I was a little girl. Part of that difference comes from our changing times, but some of it is simply location. Because my kids are growing up in a more urban community, they have access to things I only dreamed about. Our kids can go to a different movie every day of the week. They can go bowling just about any time of the day. They can spend the day at the lake, or at the zoo, the water park, the mall, or at the Children's Museum... And yet, they may actually be missing out on a few things.

My children are growing up without knowing what it's like to spend the day roaming through the neighborhood, playing with whomever is available. They can't walk to the swimming pool on a hot summer day. They won't have memories of riding their bikes to the store to buy penny candy. And none of that is because they're too lazy or too restricted by my rules... Mostly, it's just because of where we have chosen to raise them.

You would think that having the ability to access so many different things would imply close proximity to those things. That's where you'd be wrong. In a small town, everything is close--it's just that everything doesn't include very much of anything... In our city, we can find anything we might want or need... The question is:

How far do you have to go to get it?

The Princess dances at a studio that is over twenty miles away from our home. Our doctor is twelve miles away in the opposite direction. The grocery store is nearly seven miles away, down a mountain, and not accessible by sidewalk. The local high school is over seven miles away, down the other side of a mountain, across a highway... Let's face it, we don't live near anything.

For years, we have been importing friends. Having a friend to play with isn't always as easy as walking three houses away and knocking on the door. It takes a phone call, a drive to pick up the friend, and sometimes it takes a consultation with the weather man... We've been known to have friends spend the night due to road conditions which were just too treacherous at the end of the play date.

This might leave the impression that I dislike our life or our current location. Actually, I love seeing the sun rise over the mountains in the morning (I just wish it didn't happen so darn early!). I enjoy watching the deer wander through my back yard. I smile when I hear the coyote pups howling in the evening. I ponder the hawks outside my window as they glide along the air currents for hours each afternoon. I smile as the setting sun glints off the surface of the lake. And I hope my children find pleasure in these things, too.

But even I will admit to the inconvenience. Maybe living here, away from the hustle of the city, is my way of creating a small slice of (artificial) rural life at the core of our hectic, urban existence... And while I don't like all the miles that tick away on my odometer every day, I much prefer that to the crowded neighborhoods of the city center, or to the isolation of a rural home. I feel like we have it all here... The best of each... A quiet sanctuary in the suburbia of an exciting, modern city.

Routine

In a moment of delusional clarity, I decided that I should sign up for the 30 blog posts in 30 days challenge... Why do I keep doing this to myself...?

Truth be told, the only time I seem able to blog on a regular basis is when I participate in these challenges. I'm not even going to contemplate what that might say about me. But for some reason, when I'm not on the Nablopomo Blogroll, I just can't seem to find anything blog-worthy. That being said, the July theme of "Routine" is a good one, and maybe this time I really will get into the blogging routine and it will stick! (Sounds overly optimistically hopeful, doesn't it?)

I actually think routines are a good thing. For me, having a set schedule gets me up and moving at a time of the day when I would prefer to remain blissfully unaware. I think I've made it abundantly clear that I'm not a morning person, but I have to agree that it's really difficult to accomplish anything if you sleep until noon. (Although, wouldn't that be a nice thing to try just once in a while?!)

My current routine is something like this: drag myself to the shower, pull on some clothes, find my sunglasses to hide the fact that I'm not wearing makeup. Drive to swim lessons, drive to the dance studio, drive to the physical therapist, drive back to the dance studio. Tell The Boy to get up! Slap together a meal, scrounge for something acceptable for my gluten-free daughter to eat, consider doing a load of laundry... Pester The Boy about getting a job. Yell at the kids to get to bed (I didn't yell the first 7 times I asked them to go), pick up some toys, try to find all 6 child-sized flip-flops, load the dishwasher, go to bed. Get back out of bed, tell The Boy to go to bed, set the alarm, go back to bed, hopefully fall asleep, repeat routine...

Did I really say something about routines being good? Maybe that was another moment of delusion...