Happy Spring !!!!!

I know there are still piles of dirty snow everywhere -but they're not up to the top of my fence anymore - yay!  And there are tulips popping up thru the mulch in my flower bed!  

I'm pretty sure I saw some daffodil spikes, too. 

Last weekend was the annual St. Patrick's Girls Night Out with the fam. Normally we just dress up & go out to dinner, then hang out at Laurie's for the rest of the night & next day.  This year we had tickets to see a local group put on "Escanaba in Da Moonlight" at the American Legion.  And it included U.P. themed dinner (pasties & gravy, salad & I don't know how they prepared the corn, but it was yummy!)  It was a really cute show, about the night before deer season opening day, how the one son felt he was cursed because he'd never gotten a big buck. Even Miss Angela thought it was pretty funny, especially when they all stripped down to their long underwear before turning in for the night. 

I think the director (maybe producer?) guy was flirting with Laurie,  He kept coming by our table and chatting.  As most of us stood by the bar, he came up and told us he sensed a theme to our evening.  Niece Catie (in the green hat) told him he was wrong - that she was a pimp and the rest of us were her bitches! And of course she has a dainty, quiet voice that echoed thru the room! 

After the show, we went to WalMart (exciting Saturday evening activities!!) then back to Laurie's to drink some Emmett's and play Scattergories. We are such party animals! 

Linda brought her puppy with her. This little guy was barely a pound at Thanksgiving, when niece Lisa brought him home from college with her.  She was looking for a foster home for him, but Linda fell in love and Lisa would have had to pry him out of her cold, dead hands to get him back. 

The sad part is - puppies don't have snooze buttons.  Baxter was up at 7 and no one could sleep thru "dingledingledingledingledingledingle" of the bell on his collar.  Jack, my Beagle, wouldn't have anything to do with Baxter when he was tiny, but at least now he would stay in the same room.  They even did some nose-touching at one point and Baxter chased Jack down the hall!

Baxter really wanted to come visit me on my air mattress, but was cautious about Jack lying next to me.  He finally couldn't stop himself and bounded over.  He missed the mattress, but landed across Jack's back.  Jack was so funny how he froze and looked like he was saying "GETITOFF"!!

I call this one "Girl and Puppy"

Miss Angela did try her damned-ness to kill me on the way to Laurie's.  A few months ago I started stopping on the dirt roads when we are close to Laurie's to let her drive.  She hasn't taken driver's training yet - maybe this summer if she doesn't have summer school for the 4th time in a row.   Anyway, I had to stop at the store, so she got to drive the rest of the way.  Her route options were to pull out of the driveway onto the main road, immediately get in the left lane and turn onto dirt roads for the rest of the trip, OR she could stay on the main road for another 3/4 mile or so, turn left onto a lesser (paved) road for a couple miles, and then onto the dirt road to Laurie's house.  Of course she took option 2!  As we came up to the stop light, it was green and there was no oncoming traffic, so I told her it was OK to go.  I should have reminded her to slow down. She took the left turn at like 50 mph and scared the crap out of me!!  My left foot was stomping the floor and I was flailing my arms & yelling SLOWDOWNSLOWDOWNSLOWDOWN!!  Thankfully, she kept the car on the road, she didn't hit the curb or go off into the corn field and I'm sure the Top Gear guys would have been proud.  Whew!  It took all the way to Laurie's house for my heart to slow down! 

She is really excited / nervous for this weekend - her first competition of the season!  They did a costume-only dress rehearsal Monday.  I like to see what the other classes are doing, too.  One of the girls in level 4 with Angel walked by in her first costume and complained that everyone else was so sparkly & shiny and she was ghetto.  Yup.  But the other groups were doing jazz or whatever & they were doing hiphop. 

Level 4 (seniors) hip-hop

Level 4 (seniors) jazz

She will have a different black top on - her's is currently with the rhinestone lady.  

We better get it today!!

Senior Tap Duet

Apparently this was the dance that everyone else was talking about.  It's just that good!

It's not a "normal" tap dance - this one is very dramatic & intense with music that has gunshots & breaking glass in it.  (Heart Cry - look it up!)

Level 4 (seniors) Tap.

I like the pants with the little flippy skirt in back, but the white shirt & bowtie don't excite me.  

They look like waiters on a cruise liner! 

So today & tomorrow are going to creep by, since we have to be at the Macomb Center at 7 am Saturday.  I know they're all excited about going!

One last Angela-ism.  The Marine Corps recruiter was at her school last Friday.  She wanted a bracelet that he had, so he told her to give him 10 pushups.  This gives her great joy, since these recruiters down't expect this skinny little girl to be able to do pushups and she can pump them out like nothing.  She's got all sorts of goodies like lanyards, water bottles & t-shirts from all military branches. Anyhooo, she went to do the 10 pushups but someone said something to her and she lost count after 8.  The recruiter teased her, asking if that was as high as she count count?  She said "Well, I am a dancer.  That's all I need to count to!"  She said he just stood there with his mouth open, speechless!  FUNNY!