I feel.....lost!

Ew - don't Google images for "I'm lost" - seriously depressing stuff right there!!

Seriously, I feel like I'm forgetting to do something!  I go to work. Go grocery shopping.  Run errands.  Oh wait!  I know what I'm missing!  Going to the studio!!

Recital was last week and I got a text that they have nothing scheduled except for the next 3 Mondays !!

Woohoo!  Whatever shall I do with my time??  My gym membership just expired, too.  That means I don't feel obligated to ignore housework and go somewhere else to work out. 

Is it sad that I'm miffed and really am NOT looking forward to going to Nationals?  I'm excited that all these kids worked so hard and they get to compete there, but it seems like they're going to be as jacked up as they were at Regionals.  At this moment, I can't remember what was screwed up about Regionals, but it was ridiculous.  But it seems to me that even tho the deadline for registration is June 25, you would have 

at least some info on your website, especially for the people you invited to perform at your opening number!!    When should they be there to LEARN the number?  When are they performing?  What will they be wearing?  The only info I saw on the website was the competition is July 15-19.  Lovely.  Maybe you need to be registered to get anything useful and I'm pretty sure that's for studio directors and not a dancer's mom. 

I was informed a long time ago that I was no longer allowed to make hotel reservations on my own.   I made the reservations when we went to Cedar Point last summer and the HoJo I booked was not a 5 star-establishment.  It probably wasn't even 1.5 stars.  I will never live that down!  So Randy FINALLY just got our room Tuesday night.  We're not staying at the Kalahari Resort where the comp is being held - I don't think he even tried there.  Close to $200 a night!  But the Comfort Inn is perfectly suitable and very close by.  

The main thing I'm looking forward to is visiting a cemetery that we drove by while going here & there around Cedar Point - it was one of those elaborate old ones that are so neat to explore.  Also, right down the road from the hotel!  And we're near a mall.  So when she's not dancing, there will be things for us to do.  Once we get the actual schedule - hopefully it won't be long - we may not even have to stay thru Saturday!  Yay!  I looked at last year's schedule (some of the only info on the site) and they did solos / duets / trios on one day and all the groups on the next.  They started at noon and were done with awards by 6:30.  Hmmm.  They must be expecting a bigger turnout this year?   

We heard the studio from the TV show Dance Moms was supposed to be there, but the Energy people said no. I've never watched it, but I did see a video of one of their girls dancing and she wasn't as good as some of our girls.  A friend of Angel's said she was at a comp with them and they staged the results so the TV people win, of course.  The little bit that I've seen makes me glad none of the mom's at Dancer's Only is like that!!  We are the cheering section and helping hands but let the teachers do what they do!!  

Alrighty, rant is done and I believe Randy is home, so I'm outta here!   

Friend Makin' Monday - Getting Lyrical

Happy Monday!  I can't believe the dance recital is over, so the dance season is slowing down a bit (we still have Nationals next month).  The recital was excellent!  Of course I am biased, but Miss Angela was spectacular in all her dances - it can't be easy doing 10 dances and multiple costume quick changes. 

Randy has swag!

I know I'm not the only one who was ticked that they started the finale dance too quick and all the older girls who were in the last dance missed about half of it.  They didn't know it was even starting! I felt sorry for one little girl who was missing her partner - it was just the 2 of them doing a part and she was out there by herself!  Luckily she is experienced doing solos, so after a quick look on each side of the stage - she went on with that section of the dance.  It looks really good for the highest level of comp girls to come running out at random during a dance!

There was an "after party" at the studio when the recital was over - they supplied pizza & snacks and it was BYOB!  I learned that Bud Light's Straw-Beer-Ritas have twice the alcohol content of regular beer - so I downed the equivalent to 4 beers in about an hour.  Needless to say - Randy drove home.  It was amazing to me that even after the craziness of the recital, those kids grabbed the CD and went into one of the studios and proceeded to dance to each other's songs!  Angel finally wandered up close to midnight and said she was ready to go home. 

It was also pretty interesting the my Ex drove in (for the 3rd year in a row) from Nebraska to see the recital and this year brought his girlfriend with him!  It was actually quite painless, we all went out to lunch Saturday and they came over to our house and visited for a couple hours afterward.  She was pretty nice.  

This week’s FMM has a slight twist to it, thanks to Tyra at Random Acts Of Snark for this idea.

If you’ve taken part in FMM before then you are familiar with the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to read and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

So only 6 questions this week, each of them you need to answer using lyrics from a song, feel free to post the you tube link to the song also.

1. What’s your life goal?  - Tim McGraw's  Live Like You Were Dying.

"And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I gave forgiveness I've been denying,
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.
He said I was finally the husband,
That most the time I wasn't.
And I became a friend a friend would like to have."

2. What’s your favorite food?  Jimmy Buffet's Cheeseburger in Paradise.

3. What do you like to do on weekends?  Def Leppard's Photograph.  I love going out taking pictures!

4. What do you want to do today?  Motley Crue's Home Sweet Home.  I didn't sleep well last night and really didn't want to get up for work!

5. What would you say to the man/woman of your dreams?  Gary Allan's The One.  This was our first dance and it has a lot of meaning to us. 

Second choice is a bit more risque...  Poison's I Want Action. 

6. What’s your favorite dessert?  Don McLean's American Pie - since I couldn't find any songs about cheesecake!!

Have a great week!

Another recital down!

Next stop....Nationals!!

 The theme this year's recital was "Kicking it Old Skool".  Dress rehearsal was Thursday night & recital was Friday.  Angel told me Monday after class that she needed 90s clothes for finale.  I gave her the deer-in-the-headlights look.  Most of the 90s I was wearing a lovely Navy uniform, so I had no idea what 90s fashions were!  Thank you, Interwebz!!  She came up with an outfit that was "Saved by the Bell meets Vanilla Ice".  She wore jean shorts, a black & white print crop top, red suspenders, one of those ugly flat-billed ball caps and some big gaudy gold chains that we found at the Salvation Army. 

Terina, the studio owner, posted the line up on FB on Tuesday. We already knew that Womanizer (her small group jazz) was going to be the first dance. Lyrical was #13. Small Group Tap was #16.   Hip Hop Line was #19.  Alrighty! Quick changes, but nothing really to stress much about. 

There were 27 dances in the first act, then intermission. 

Then act 2.  Ballet was #2 after the little girls.  That was also expected, since this is when they always have ballet.  Tap line was #12 - so a nice break. This is when the stress started - small group hiphop was #16 - they are always dying out of breath after this one!! Tap duet was #20 and hiphop line was #22 - the last one of the night.   She had exactly ONE dance to wiggle out of this costume that was altered to fit her like a glove and into another!  But she did it both during rehearsal and the recital!  She had 2 people each time helping her & they did it!  Terina did a 50/50 raffle & the finale started.....however someone didn't tell all the big girls who had been in the last dance that it was starting!  So halfway into the song, we watched about 6 of them come running out and leap into their spots.  I felt really sorry for little Jayden (she's like 8 years old) - she had a duet part with Katie - who was one of the ones still backstage.  She did really well, tho.  After a quick look at both sides of the stage for Katie, she went on with her part of the dance, altho her high-5ing nobody was sort of awkward. 

I was proud of Angel in all her dances (as usual!!)  Normally a small mistake or 2 leaps out at me, nothing huge - but not this time!  She was spot on every step!  Flawless! 

I really sucked with pics during dress rehearsal this year. HERE are what the rest of her costumes looked like.  I had the thought that I could record her 3 dances that I didn't have a zillion pics already from (the 6 comp dances) and then pull screen shots from the video.  Seems simple enough - until my camera batteries crapped out and I'd forgotten to bring more with me! {insert expletives here} So I got some of ballet with my phone.  I wanted to get some of her in a cute girly costume to text to the mother-in-law.  I got one decent pic, since they were bring goofy. 

I like this one, even if it is slightly blurry, because it has her and the studio symbol back there. 

First I got the 2 of them hugging - cute.  Then Angel whipped her skirt up.  Then Ashley whipped hers up.

That's class right there!

They spend a little more time with ballet, doing a walk thru first before trying the actual dance - this is why the teacher is standing there watching.  Angel liked this part, since she gets "lifted like Jeeeee-zus!" and then kicks over into a back walkover.

So we were expecting a bit of extra stress this year.  2 years ago, her bio dad showed up out of the blue for the recital.  Awkward!  Last year I asked him ahead of time and bought a ticket for him so he could at least sit with us instead of by himself.  This year, he brought his girlfriend with him!  It was a little tense at first, but we invited them over to go to lunch today and then they came back home with us and we sat & visited for a good couple hours.  It was surprisingly pleasant!

I had a good laugh - he texted me Friday night to ask what time the recital started.  I was a bit frazzled at the time since we were trying to get all her costumes together after rehearsal and couldn't find her duet costume and tap shoes!!  I just answered "7" to him.  Well, I guess I should have specified PM !!  Heehee!

When I went outside after getting Angel settled backstage, I did apologize to Shelly (the girlfriend) about that, and she said she'd just laughed - Whew!  I personally would have been pissed!  But thankfully, the costume & shoes appeared and Terina left them in the dressing room for us.  Even bigger WHEW !!!

Randy, Angel & John.  

How much awkwardness can we fit in one photo??  Heehee!

Randy has swag - I think!

After the recital last night, we were all invited back to the studio for pizza & snacks & of course it was BYOB.  Mom & niece Lisa had left the recital after ballet, since Mom still isn't 100% after her bout with C-Dif after her hip surgery.  Linda & niece Catie were leaving right away to go up north, John & Shelly said they'd already eaten and went back to their hotel, so it was just us and Laurie who went.  We stopped for beverages and they all got pop, but I wanted to try one of those Bud Light Straw-Beer-Ritas.  When I grabbed the 25 oz can, I had no idea it was 8% alcohol!  Our usual Labatt Blue Light is only 4%, so this was equivalent to me chugging 4 beers in that hour we were there.  Don't worry - I made Randy drive home!!  We ate some pizza and even after dancing like mad at the recital, the kids were in one of the studios playing CDs and dancing to each other's songs!   I never got to the point that I busted out moves of my own - but I was close!  I don't know how those kids dance on those floors barefoot, doing turns & stuff!  My feet must be too tender, where their's are tough.  Angel finally told me at close to midnight that she was ready to go home.  What a long day!!!

Friend Makin' Monday - Gettin' Sporty!

What a glorious weekend! Sunny & not too hot - wonderful! My daughter is officially a senior in high school - sniff! Went to Zumba on Saturday morning. We had a sub teacher and there were only 4 of us in the class. She broke out the bellydance scarves! I'm the only one who put one on and it really makes you want to move your hips more when you can hear the coins jingling! She claimed one of the songs had movements that were equivalent to 200 crunches! So other than a brief shopping excursion and making an appearance at a family reunion for a couple hours Sunday....we did a whole lot of nothing around the house. And it was nice!

Did I really just use like 20 exclamation points? Oh well.

Friend Makin’ Mondays

Welcome to another week of Friend Makin’ Mondays, hope you had a great weekend.

If you’ve taken part in FMM before then you are familiar with the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to read and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Friend Makin' Monday - Gettin' Sporty!

1. Are you following the World Cup? If so which team are cheering on? Not following it.

In the words of The Oatmeal......

2. What is your favorite sport to watch either on TV or in person? Hockey! It has the most action (and fights!!) and no one feels the need to pat each other's butts.

3. Which local team (regardless of sport) do you support? The Detroit Red Wings.

4. What is your favorite sport to play? I don't play any with any regularity. Volleyball & badminton are fun.

5. Were you ever in a sports team? Nope. I tried out for volleyball in high school, but since I wasn't one of the popular kids, I didn't make the team. They would have considered me if I went to every game and kept stats and stuff for them. Pfft. Cliques were more important than ability at that place.

6. Have you ever traveled a long distance to see your team play? No. But if I happened to be someplace else and I was able to get tickets when that team played the Wings...I'd be there in my red & white!

7. Do you have a favorite stadium/sports venue you have been to? Ford Field. I've never been to a Lions game, but I've been to every Monster Jam since it opened (the Silverdome before that) and my daughter has danced there at several Thanksgiving Day halftime shows.

here is it peeking out behind Comerica Park - which is also a pretty stadium. Joe Louis Arena is pretty sweet, too.

8. What is your favorite food you associate with sporting events? We normally go to Hockeytown cafe to eat before Monster Jam, so all we get at Ford Field is cotton candy & beverages.

9. Do you have a favorite sporting song? The Arrogant Worms - Me Like Hockey

10. Is there a sporting event you would like to go to in another country? Hmm. A hockey game in Canada? I know there are some rabid fans there, so it would be a lot of fun.

Now it is your turn to go answer them on your blog and don’t forget to come back here and link up in the comments and go and share the FMM love with other readers.

Woohoo, dance pictures!

I was on Facebook yesterday afternoon when I saw one of the other dance Mom's posted her girls' photos from the studio - the "official" photos, if you will.  So I ran out of the mailbox and our's had come in, too!

I took pics of pics, so mine are slightly unfocused, not intentional.
Northern Lights Photography did a great job, as usual!

 HipHop Line 

"My Team"

 Small Group HipHop

"Lose Control"

 Small Group Tap

"Hey Ya"

 Small Group Jazz

"Womanizer"

 Lyrical

"Iris"

 HipHop

"Get Out"

 Tap Line

"Dirty Pop"

 Ballet

"Sugar Plum Fairy"

 Tap Duet

"Heart Cry"

Friend Makin' Monday - Random Qs

Happy Monday!  The hubby was across the state for the weekend, so it was just me & the girl at home - and we did as little as possible! I did get a couple loads of laundry done, the bathrooms cleaned and visited my mom twice. Other than that.....nada....and I don't feel guilty at all! I'm still not over this cold or whatever is in my head and thought I'd have a harder time at Zumba Saturday than I did. No coughing, but I could tell my strength wasn't there.

But I was down 4 lbs at weigh in on Thursday - WOOHOOOOO!!!

Onto the Main Event.....

This week’s questions come to you courtesy of Tyra at Random Acts of Snark. Thanks Tyra. If you want to help out with questions fee free to email sarah@losingweightandhavingfun.com

If you’ve taken part in FMM before then you are familiar with the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to read and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Random Questions

1.What is your favorite way to waste time at work without getting caught?  I don't think anyone really cares if we goof off at work - Look I'm doing FMM! - as long as we don't abuse it and don't get our work done.

2. What would be the title of your autobiography?  Lisa The Great speaks...   since I was a kid, I've called myself Lisa the Great.  There's no shortage of ego in my family!  In fact my ham radio call sign is N8LTG (see the Lisa the Great at the end?)

3. When you were at school, what did you want to be when you grew up?  I wanted to be a horse trainer and even applied & was accepted to a college in Ohio with an Equestrian Studies program.  But then one fateful day....a Navy recruiter was minding his own business in the hall at school and I was drawn to him like a moth to flame.  I don't regret a day of those 8 years.

4. If you could invent a gadget, what would it be and why?   I would create a low-profile plug for a cigarette lighter. I'm honestly surprised that this doesn't exist already - if it does, I want one!  I am an amateur radio operator and the radio in my car is powered thru the cigarette lighter.  The lighter plug sticks out and makes one of my cupholders useless.  Which means Miss Angela has to wedge her drink between the seat & the emergency brake handle.  Which means more than one spill has happened.   

5. What is your favorite quote?  In the wise words of RuPaul...."If you can't love yourself, how in the hell can you love someone else?"

6. What is the best meal you have ever had?   I can't think of one in particular, but when we went on each of our Carnival Cruises - the meals at dinner where amazing!  I always made sure to try something I had never had before.

7. If you could choose your age forever, what age would you choose and why?  23.  I was the fittest I'd ever been in my life & as free as I could be while serving in the military & seeing lots of awesome foreign countries.

8. What TV game show would you like to go on?  Jeopardy.  I have all sorts of useless trivia floating around in my head.

9. If you had one day to live over again, what day would it be?  My wedding day. I don't think I stopped smiling like an idiot all day!

July 8, 2006

10. You are planning the most awesome dinner party of your life. Which 3 celebrities/historical figures (past or present) would you add to you guest list?  Hmm, this required some thought.  RuPaul.  JFK.  and either Clara Barton or Florence Nightingale.  Can you imagine them all in a room together??    But each of them have had incredible experiences and would have a million stories to tell.

Friend Makin' Monday- the Next

Happy Monday!  It was such a nice weekend here - sunny & 80ish.  And I didn't get a darn thing done in my yard!  I still have a couple flats of flowers sitting out under my patio table, waiting to be planted. I went both days to visit my mom in the hospital - she had a hip replacement right before Easter and managed to pick up a tummy bug while in rehab.  It finally got so bad that my niece took her in to the ER.  So she's there until this crap runs it course. Blargh.  I also managed to check out a couple cemeteries down that way (don't judge - I'm not Goth, but I am a taphophile!).  Then yesterday I had the worst headache all afternoon!  I thought it was from being out in the sun, but it didn't help laying down in a dark room, either.  But once I ate some Jet's pizza, I started feeling better.  It couldn't possibly have been from hunger, since we had a late breakfast out - a big veggie omelet and hashbrowns usually fill me up for most of the day!  

We went shoppig one night - check out Randy's new shorts.....

Heehee, just kidding - he's a big guy, but not 6X big! 

Now - onto FMM.....

Friend Makin Mondays

If you’ve taken part in FMM before then you are familiar with the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to read and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

The Next

1. What is the next movie you want to see?  I'm not a big movie or TV person.  But "A million ways to die in the West" looks pretty funny. 

2. What is the next book you want to read?  Hmm.  That's a tough one.  I have a boofshelf full of books, so I tend to re-read a lot.  But somewhere in my house, I still have a brown paper bag full of books that I picked up for $5 from a bookstore that was closing.  They're mostly historical romances.  

3. What is the next trip/vacation you are going to take?  It's not really a vacation, but it's a trip away from home - Miss Angela's dance team is going to Nationals, that means close to a week in Sandusky, Ohio.  Is it sad that I'm not looking forward to this?  She is preforming in the opening number, and only competing with 6 dances.  So there's going to be a lot of down time.  And its going to be expensive and BORING!!!  

4. What is the next restaurant you want to try?  There really isn't any around here that I really want to try. 

5. What is the next workout you are going to do?  I'm going to the gym toinght to do a few miles on the elliptical and some weights.  Wednesday is Zumba! 

6. What is the next task you are going to complete?  I'm at work, so I could bore you with what I'm supposed to be doing.....at home I have to plant those poor flowers and also shuttle Miss Angela to the dance studio, but that's pretty much a daily task right there. 

7.What is the next hobby you want to try?  I don't have time to start anything new!  I'm hoping I get a haunter house cross-stitch done before Halloween, so I'll stick with that.  I'd like to dabble in researching our family tree.  A cousin started back in the 80's but I'm sure it's a whole lot easier now, with sites like Ancestry.com and FindAGrave.com (see - I'm not weird - a perfectly legit reason to take pics of headstones!!)

8. What is the next big event you will attend?  The next big event is Angel's dance recital.  6 of her dances she's competed with, but she's also in 3 others.  As much as my sister's like to call the recital "the Angela Show" - there are girls who are in more dances than her!  It's going to be an adventure, since not only is the Ex driving in from Nebraska to see the recital again, he's bringing the girlfriend with him.  Can't wait!  

9. What type of animal do you want as your next pet?  Oh gosh.  We have a dog and 2 cats...so either one.  Our yard isn't fenced so we really can only have one dog at a time.  Jack has a run from the corner of the garage to a tree out back.  Chester is a crotchety old man (15+ years old), and has a hard time adjusting to new additions.  So we wouldn't consider any new critters until after he's gone.  

10. What is the next topic you would like to see on Friend Makin Mondays?  Oh sure - toss this one in there!  How about something like where you see yourself in 10 years.  What you imagine life is like, etc?