And summer begins...

Now I know that its not technically summer yet, as in the season dictated by the calendar, but as a student the end of the school year always marks the beginning of summer. So my summer has begun!

And what will my summer entail, you ask?

Well, like all my summers, my work hours go up to full time so I get to play the Working Girl role. As much as I'd LUUUUV to go to the pool daily, drive myself all over Colorado for some hiking adventures, get weekly mani/pedis, whisk myself away on vacations abroad (sailing in the Mediterranean? safari in Africa? diving with the sharks in Australia? someday, someday...) or shop til I drop to my little heart's content, this girl's gotta work. Like most people.

So there's that. Not terribly exciting, but definitely the normal routine. And I'll fit in the occasional pool day, hike, shopping trip, and at-home mani/pedi, so have no fear. I will have some fun this summer.

But. Wait. There is something not normally part of my summer schedule that will definitely be fun and adventurous - I'm going to Chicago in July!!

About a week and a half ago I found out about my acceptance into a dance intensive program with Deeply Rooted Dance in Chicago. And I am VERY excited indeed!

The scoop: Deeply Rooted were the guest artists at CSU last spring (2008) and taught a master class for us. I immediately took to the company - their movement, their aesthetic, their personable approach. They told us about their summer intensive and I wanted so badly to go last summer, but it was not enough time for me to get the money together. So I told myself that I would definitely go this summer. Okay, so I started saving money and early this year I contacted the company to get the ball rolling. We were in touch for awhile, discussing how I would audition for them (go to Chicago? send in a DVD?). Then life happened - I got busy with school, I had to dip into my savings to pay bills and eat, you know the drill - and we lost touch. I had sent a couple follow up emails, but didn't want to be a pest, so I backed off. I waited and waited to hear from them, but nothing. The end of April rolled around and I started thinking that it might not happen after all. This bummed me out and I got discouraged, so I started resigning myself to the fact that there would be no Chicago again this summer. And I started convincing myself that it was okay and not a total bust, for there are summer intensives in Colorado that I could attend. [I'm rolling my eyes at myself right now.]

Then my BFF and I met for a long-overdue girls night out. The conversation came around to my dancing adventures and I told her my sob story, but she would have none of it. She told me that if this is something I really, really want in my heart, then I will find a way to make it happen. If that means I get a second, part-time job and eat ramen and pb&j daily, then so be it. She told me that giving up would mean that I would spend yet another summer just working full time and taking the occasional class at a local studio, but going after Chicago could mean a huge resume boost and dance oppurtunity. I knew all of this in my heart, and it was EXACTLY the kick in the ass I needed to snap me out of my woe-is-me-I'm-not-going-to-Chicago stupor.

That was a Friday night. Sunday night I sent them an email asking if it was too late to sign up. Monday afternoon I got an email back saying that I did just miss the registration deadline, BUT, if I mailed them an audition video, my resume and a letter of intent within seven days, they would keep registration open for me. Game on! [This was the email that propelled my week to mach-ten a couple weeks ago, mentioned here.]

I called up BFF, told her the scoop and we dove right into a game plan. Tuesday night she taped me doing a solo and afterwards her hubby got it on a DVD for me (I'm not very tech-savvy). Wednesday morning I whipped out my resume and letter, and that afternoon I forked over $22 and sent it off to Chicago via FedEx overnight. Whew! And then I settled in expecting to wait a week or so before hearing back.

Nope.

That Thursday afternoon at work, just after lunch, I received an email from DRP telling me "Congratulations on your acceptance to DRP's Summer Intensive"!!! I almost fell out of my chair with surprise and had to restrain myself from running down the hallway screaming. Hell yes!!!!!

SO. I'm going to Chicago in July [insert HUGE grin here]. Thanks to my BFF's tough love speech and my propensity to work great under pressure, I get to spend part of my summer training and networking with an awesome dance company in Chi-town!!!!

God, I love summer!!!