Weddings and cross-country moving, oh my!

The big move happens two weeks from today!! Eeek, there is still SO much to do... organizing and packing and selling and donating. We're flying out to Pitt, which means we're getting rid of whatever we can't fit into our suitcases. On one hand, it is incredibly freeing to be getting rid of so much clutter that accumulates over the years. On the other hand, there is a lot of clutter to go through. Oy.

And? We're getting married the day before we leave. So on top of a big move, we're trying to plan the Big Day. It's a low-key soiree - a small ceremony with family and close friends, followed by a combined wedding celebration/farewell party. Initially I thought this would mean little to no planning stress. Silly, silly me!

Take the dress, for example. I don't want a typical wedding dress. I want a white sundress, something pretty yet comfortable for getting married outside on a hot August afternoon - but still pretty and special. Oh, and not very expensive. Easier said than done.

After work today my mom and I continued the dress hunt. Here is an indication of how well it was going:

  

 I  barely find any dress options, but find a sweet Broncos jersey in a heart beat...Maybe I should get married in this?

Anyone have an suggestions or advice for me?? Any good ideas on where I might look for an affordable dress? I'm all ears.

Happy Monday!

xoxo

J

Blog Hop: My Story

Today I'm sharing my story, how I got to where I am today and why. I'm participating in a Blog Hop inspired and hosted by Brigitte over at Unfettered Ink. When she shared her vision and invited others to join in the storytelling journey, I immediately jumped on board. Everyone has a story to tell and every story is important. Here's mine.

* * * * *

I'm a dancer. I will teach dance, choreograph dances and perform dance throughout my career. I'm about to venture out and begin this career, which is both exciting and completely terrifying. Upon learning that I'm a dancer and an artist, most people assume that I've been pursuing dance since I was a young girl. But I haven't. My first technique class was not until I was 28 years old. Say what?! Yep.

Let's back up a few years. I have always loved to dance. I inherited dancing genes... I have memories of my dad teaching me how to dance to oldies rock 'n roll in our kitchen. My mom loves to get down with her bad self. Wedding receptions were just big dance parties. I really don't remember ever not dancing. But I never was enrolled in formal dance classes as a little girl. We just didn't have the money. I played soccer instead. I loved soccer and was good at it, but oh how I wished to be a ballerina, too.

Fast forward: I graduated high school and started college. I signed up for extracurricular swing dance classes offered by the university's recreation department. Those classes were my initial launch into the dance world. Of course I wasn't content with simply learning and going out social dancing, so I busted my butt to join a troupe and began teaching and performing. Getting paid to do what I loved was amazing and surreal and a dream come true. But it was still just a hobby - a time-consuming hobby, but a hobby nonetheless - and nothing I seriously considered to attempt as a career.

Fast forward: it's summer 2007 and I was back in school trying to figure what to do with my life. I was quasi-following So You Think You Can Dance. I think it was season three or four. I don't really remember. What I do remember is one of the dancers. Her story completely caught my attention. She was on this show, yet she had only been training for about four years prior. Something inside of me turned on. I thought to myself, wait a minute, if she can do this, why can't I? I was a good dancer, I knew that in my heart. I also knew my passion for it. It was (and still is!) my heart and soul. I am absolutely happiest when dancing. So I made a decision to take a leap of faith. The next day I met with the head of the dance department to request to be a dance major. That fall, I donned my first ever pair of pink tights and black leotard and took my first ballet class.

Several of my friends thought I was crazy. I don't blame them. Starting ballet at age 28 is crazy... dance years are like doggie years and 28 is old! But I was determined. I needed to at least try. I would rather try and fail than not try at all and never know.

You know what? I didn't fail. I'm still here. Sure, it's been a very tough road. There has been plenty of blood, sweat, tears, ice and ibuprofen. But every minute has been worth it. And while I'm ancient in dance years (I'm now 33), better late than never, right?

One of the most important life lessons I've learned during this journey is that we are so much stronger and more capable than we ever give ourselves credit for. Just when we think we've reached the boundary, if we have just a little courage, even a tiny flicker, we discover that our limits are flexible and can be stretched to a new place. Little by little, inch by inch, we learn how much we can truly do and BE. Go ahead, try... there's nothing to lose, I promise.

* * * * *

Thank you for letting me share my story. I have been inspired by each of the stories that have been shared so far by the other Blog Hoppers, and I have a feeling you will be, too. Go visit Brigitte's blog to read some inspiring stuff!
 

And while you're at it, what's your story?

xoxo

J

New ballet shoes and bling

Life is so full and it just whizzes by with mere seconds to take a deep breath before diving back in. I try so very hard to capture in snapshots in my mind to share here on le blog. My memory bank is quite full these days and I can only hope to remember to share all that's happening. Here are a few things as of late....

More and more Pittsburgh apartment shopping. Today we finally got some positive responses - "yes, we're willing to rent to you via the Internet... please find the application attached..." Most responses have been hesitant or flat-out no's to renting remotely. I mean, I get it from a business perspective. I guess. But we're giving you our money, so... Fingers crossed today's finds work out!

It's been on national news, but in case you haven't heard, Colorado's mountains are burning everywhere. We have several fires right now, but the one closest to where I live is the High Park Fire. It burned over 87,000 acres, last I heard, and while it's now 100% contained, the entire state is still under a fire ban. Which meant no personal fireworks were allowed for 4th of July. My city cancelled fireworks all together, out of respect to those who've lost their homes and for the firefighters who have been battling the inferno. The neighboring city, which happens to be my hometown, did fireworks though, so we drove there to see the display. While my hometown itself is not my favorite (a story for another time), I'm glad we ventured down there. I love the 4th of July.

New shoes! It takes me forever to buy myself new ballet slippers, but my toes were poking out so badly I just couldn't take it anymore. I love how clean and pink they are when I first take them out of the box. I even love the process of sewing my elastics to fit my feet just right. Little things just make me happy!

This doesn't do justice to how holey those shoes are...

Pretty and still pink...

So do some bigger things... like this:

Yes, he put a ring on it!! We got engaged last Sunday, July 1st. I guess I can't refer to him here as Boyfriend anymore, now can I?  We're pretty excited. No date or set plans yet. You never know with me, so stay tuned :)

What have you been up to lately??

Happy Friday!

 xoxo

J

Putting it out there

Boyfriend and I finally got down to business with hunting for a place to live in Pittsburgh today (t-minus 5 weeks y'all!). We spent a huge chunk of time searching the web, making phone calls to rental companies and sending emails... ugh, exhausting. We're running into a huge problem with rental companies not wanting to rent remotely. We just didn't have the money to fly out there to find a place in person like we hoped. Oy. He eventually had to leave for a work meeting this afternoon, so when he left I changed gears and began the search for a job. I'm now on the verge of tears.

I'm so overwhelmed and discouraged. I poured over craigslist, I tried finding dance companies, gyms and fitness centers with open positions, and then I finally gave up and started looking for general admin-type jobs at universities and such. I know what I need - a big girl paycheck so I can start knocking out my debt - and what I want - a big girl job that uses my mad skills and interests. I want to like what I'm doing. I'm so tired of jobs that I could care less about and completely lose interest in in a matter of months (sometimes weeks!). I want to be happy and make money. Am I hoping for too much?

Boyfriend keeps reminding me, "patience and persistence, love". I know. I know that people who have their ideal job, who love their work, who are doing what makes their souls happy, did not get there right out of the gate. I know it takes hard work, sacrifice and small baby steps to reach a dream. Get-rich-quick scams are just that: total BS. I know this, I'm not living in a dream world. Nor am I trying to get rich. I just want to be out of debt so, so badly, it hurts. I also would like to finally start my career, not just hold a job. I'd really like to do both, at the same time.

What exactly is my career? Well. That adds another layer of confusion. I wish it were as easy as "I'm an accountant" or "I'm a doctor". I want to dance. I want to make dances. I want to write about dancing and making dances. I want to teach people how to dance and how to be healthy and fit. I want to create workout programs to help people be healthy and fit. I want to write about this, too. I have ideas, people. I have plans and dreams and ideas. So, how about this: I'm a dancer-choreographer-health-and-fitness-freak-artist-writer. Try fitting that into a neat 'n tidy 9-to-5.

So what to do?? One person's advice is to find a neat 'n tidy 9-to-5 with benefits to pay the bills and feed the debt monster, one I can forget about when I clock out at 5 o'clock so I can focus on creating the dancer-choreographer-health-and-fitness-freak-artist-writer. This seems wise and logical. But I know me. I know that as soon as I feel my job sucking my soul, I check out. I feel like such a bad employee when I do that. Oh, I still do the work, but my heart just isn't into it.

Le sigh. I know what I need to do. I'm no stranger to sacrifice and hard work. Thanks for letting me vent and process.

xoxo

J

Lazy Sunday

I usually work on Sundays but I have today off. I have lots to do. Oh, I have a long list of things to do. We leave for Pittsburgh in just over 6 weeks. My resume, organizing and packing, apartment shopping, etc... Oh yes, they all are screaming for my attention. What am I doing instead?

Made a batch of cottage cheese and blueberry pancakes - delish!

Prepped my nails for a mani later.

I'm half-watching England and Italy battle it out in the Eurocup with Boyfriend... while I really peruse blogs and make shopping wish-lists.


Pondering lunch. Its so hot that I don't want to eat much. Cold leftover pancakes should do the trick.

Later I will play sand volleyball with friends in this insane heat - it's currently 102 outside. Oy.

Then I shall paint my nails.

I love lazy Sundays.

xoxo

J

Hungry Dancer: Goat Cheese and Arugula Pizza

I eat fresher and healthier by default during the warmer months. When it's sweltering hot, the last thing I want is to feel heavy and bloaty, so I bypass the fried foods for fresh fruits and veggies without much thought. I also want things that can be prepared quickly and that require turning on the stove or oven as little as possible. The temps haven't been too warm yet, but I'm already transitioning to wanting fresh and healthy grub.

I had a craving for goat cheese last Saturday night and my first thought was salad, but Boyfriend and I needed something with more sustenance. Why not goat cheese on pizza?

First I sauteed red onions in some olive oil, just enough so they began to turn translucent and their sweetness started to come out. I drizzled olive oil over two personal sized pre-cooked pizza crusts. I topped them with the onions, as well as tomato slices, walnuts and goat cheese. I drizzled a little more olive oil over the toppings and then popped them into a 450-degree oven for about 10-12 minutes. That's a rough estimate - I just watched them and decided they were done when they were hot. Out they came and I topped them with fresh arugula and balsamic vinegar and voila! Dinner was served.

(If we hadn't been so ravenous, I would have remembered to take pics of each step so y'all could see the process... Oops. Eating asap took precedence over photography. Next time!)

Oh! Can't forget the sangria I threw together. I tossed together sliced oranges, lemons, limes, pineapple chunks and fresh raspberries into a pitcher. I then poured a bottle of moscato over the fruit and chilled it. Served it with ice and chunks of the fruit. Yum!

Not to toot my own horn, y'all, but dinner was amazeballs. Fresh and healthy but satisfying and the wine was light and refreshing. And it was crazy easy and quick! Just the way I like it.

What kind of quick but healthy meals do you love?

Bon appetit!

xoxo

J

Introducing: Hungry Dancer

Happy Memorial Day Monday!

I hope you got to enjoy a long weekend filled with fun, friends and family. I worked, per usual - gotta love retail! Despite working today, though, I did enjoy some rockin' barbecue. Grilled food is a summer fave and if I could, I'd grill dinner out every night all summer long. I'll get Boyfriend to work on that... :)

In the meantime, and speaking of food, I'd like to introduce the latest and greatest regular feature on le blog: Hungry Dancer, a weekly food and recipe post (biweekly maybe? I haven't decided quite yet...).

I am a hungry dancer, y'all. Dancers are all about food but we strive to eat well for obvious reasons. Besides the need for legit fuel to push us through many hours of class, rehearsals and performances, there is the body-conscious thing, too. I mean, rocking the 'tard 'n tights or wearing shorty shorts on stage makes you very self-conscious very quickly. But I also feel strongly about finding balance. Good food is a pleasure I let myself enjoy. There is no way I'm going to turn down a salted caramel brownie; that's just sacrilege. But I am on a constant quest to eat in a way that fuels my body, maintains my dancer figure, AND satisfies the soul. I think I do well most of the time, so I'd like to contribute to the healthy eating conversation, sharing my perspective and experience as a dancer and athlete... and real-life person with real-life cravings :)

Enter Hungry Dancer! Posts will feature fresh and healthy recipes that I either concocted or borrowed, with naughty-but-good-for-the-soul recipes tossed in to spice things up, along with my opinions and a few pictures to make it pretty (please judge kindly, a photog I am not!).

A sneak peak of tomorrow...

Happy Monday!

xoxo

J

Five After 5: Summer Dreams

Time for another installment of Five After 5. Since I'm impatiently plugging away at my Ballet Pedagogy paper because I do not want this to turn into a summer-long project, today's theme is all about summer dreaming. Or more specifically, what I would do this summer if I had all the time and money in the world...

Read lots and lots of books. At the pool. Wearing lots of SPF.

Unlike my usual summer to-read list, I'm not interested in anything light 'n fluffy. Rather, I'm craving some literary meat and potatoes. I'm talking Jane Eyre, Anna Karenina, and Moby Dick. I want to don a huge floppy hat, some serious SPF (I'm pale and proud, y'all!) and a cute bikini while I delve into some serious lit. A copy of Don Quixote is sitting next to my bed right now, just waiting to be taken to the pool...

Juice.

Weird? I want to buy a juicer, stock up on produce and go to town with all kinds of good-for-me concoctions. Maybe I have some kind of vitamin deficiency as I can't get enough fruits or veggies lately, but I guess that's an improvement from my usual cravings (Five Guys burgers, for example). Oh, and! The other night I was perusing the mags at the grocery store while I waited for a prescription to be filled, and I read this: "Some 4,000 new food agents have entered our food supply since 1970" (Self magazine, June issue). Not food, y'all, food agents. Ew. I'm guilty of indulging in things like Doritos and Skittles, but that weirded me out and now I want a juicer.

Get certified.

I still have not taken my group fitness instructor certification exam and this greatly irritates me. Frankly the only thing holding me back is the $250 exam fee. I miss teaching cardio kickboxing. I also have ideas for creating new class formats, fusing dance with cardio and strength training... Because in my humble opinion, dancers have top-tier fitness and physiques. Want to be strong and bendy and fit? Get thee to a dance class.

Overhaul the wardrobe.

I have been drooling over some new fashions a la Nike and H&M. There is zero wiggle room in my budget right now, but if I did have some extra cash, I'd acquire more pairs of my go-to Eclipse kicks and pretty much the entire collection of H&M's gorgeous new blues. 

Attend a summer dance intensive.

It kind of kills me that I neither have the time nor the money to attend an intensive this summer.  If you were with me a few summers ago (check out the July 2009 archives), you know I ventured off to Chicago for a month to dance and learn with Deeply Rooted Dance Theater. That adventure was epic. Not only did it technically and physically kick my butt, but it it taught me so much about myself as a person... Most significantly that I am beautiful, that I do have a voice that deserves to be shared, and that I am much stronger and more capable than I ever give myself credit for. (And you know what? So are YOU.)

LE SIGH.

xoxo

J

I passed!

Well ladies and gents, I passed the oral performance half of my Ballet Pedagogy certification exam!

As soon as I finish the written portion of the exam, I will hold the certificate in hand and be qualified to teach the First Year Vaganova (Russian) Syllabus. The paper is in progress, but the scarier half of the exam is done and I am so relieved.

I can't get too distracted (I'd prefer not turn the paper into a summer project!), but at least now I feel free to get back to the gym, back to planning the move to Pittsburgh and very important things like working on my summer wardrobe (umm, H&M's latest in-stores-now is killing me...) :)

Other than that, there is nothing else to report at the moment... Happy weekend everyone!

xoxo

J

Be back soon!

I miss the gym, cooking and eating a real meal, and kickin' it here in Blogland, but my pedagogy oral presentation exam is top o' the list right now. Next Wednesday is the day. Wish me luck, say a prayer, light a candle, do a little dance - any and all are appreciated.

Via Pinterest

I'll be back next week... hopefully with good, "I passed!" news ;)

xoxo

J