Has It Really Been Almost 3 Years?

To say I have been on a hiatis is an understatement. What have I been doing? Reading other blogs, of course. Besides that, I have been a busy working mom. These last few years have been a blur. So much has changed yet so much has stayed the same. My daughters are growing up, my husband is driving me crazy and my students are bringing me joy. That pretty much sums it up! Seriously, I find myself to be more and more blessed with each passing year. My family knows just how crazy and scatter-brained I am yet they love me anyway. My job(s) couldn't be any better. To be blessed with good employment these days is a blessing, but to have two wonderful jobs is just a super blessing. I sometimes wish for a bigger house or a different car but then I sit back and marvel at all the wonderful things in my life and then I thank God for getting me here. I AM TRULY BLESSED! I have so many wonderful things to blog about that I don't even know where to begin. Along with those wonderful things have come some trials and tribulations. I am a much stronger person than I was just 3 short years ago. God has a way..... Hopefully I will be keeping this blog updated and soon I will be posting things about our weekend coming up. What does it involve, you say? DANCE, DANCE AND MORE DANCE!! Until next time.....

NO PICS....AGAIN

Hey Everybody! Here we are, the second month of 2010 is almost gone and I am still not in the groove yet. As usual, my life is a little crazy right now. My dear friend Katie is having her birthday tomorrow - HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE! It looks like for the first time in 5 birthdays, I will have to miss her party. Why? Dance, of course! I am feeling a little overwhelmed with dance this year - more so than usual. My Petites aren't ready, their costumes aren't finished, the shoe order hasn't arrived, and what is even more scary is that I have an almost-teenage daughter and her set of life issues to deal with at the same time. I can't even begin to put into words my emotions right now. I have to admit though, Gary has been great and is taking everything in stride. He even surprised me on our anniversary. He took me to the Gaylord Texan for a wonderful weekend. He even took me shopping and didn't complain once. I think he must have been medicated. HeHeHe!! I would share the pictures with you but we aren't in any of them. I only took pictures of the hotel. It is beautiful!

Valentine's Day at my house was a little different this year. There were no flowers, gifts or stuffed animals. Instead, we had a family dinner complete with my favorite - HAM - and all the fixins. That would be a southern word for all you northern folks. Fixins - who thought of that? Anyway, I like that word and it is the only word I know to describe the wonderful things we ate with our ham! My mom and grandmother got the girls their favorite thing ever - STARBUCKS gift cards. I can't believe that my 7-year old finds it necessary to be addicted to that stuff. You should hear her order her drink. I can't even say it without messing it up. No wonder kids nowadays are spoiled. When you can walk up to a counter and order a drink precisely the way you want it, that will spoil you for sure. Do you get that she is only 7? When I was that age, I was lucky to get a coke much less something that costs nearly $4 for a small (oops, I mean tall) drink. That is CA-RAZY!

Well, I could go on and on and on about the things happening in my life and the lives of my family but today I will refrain. Not everybody in my family knows all the goings-on and I don't need him knowing, so for now I will just sign off!

Love Ya,
Jenn

Wow! Where has the time gone? It has been almost 3 weeks since my last post. Tons of things have happened. My family and I have been very busy and I see no slow down in sight. I hate to wish my life away but I sure wish summer time would come real soon. I am ready for fun, sun and a slower pace for a change.

Ashlee has been busy auditioning for ballet summer intensive workshops. Courtnee has been busy being Courntee....you all know what that means. I have been crazy busy moving my office into a new building. I broke so many finger nails! Work is busy and stressful. Dance is a little stressful right now because I am having to choose costumes, decide on music, choreograph dances, build props, rehearse and teach and.......well, that is enough. Our first competition is just a little over a month away and I worry if we will be ready in time.

My friends are so understanding and patient. They know I am not ignoring them and they are always there for me when I am ready and available to visit them. They love my kids and are more than willing to take them off my hands for a few hours when they know I am at my wits end. My kids love being with them, too.

Mygrandmother just had her 80th birthday on Monday. We had a nice family dinner on Sunday and if I do say so myself, I made a mean birthday cake. It was so good but I only got a half of a piece. My family devoured it and what was left, they took home with them. That's OK. Gary and I are trying to do better about watching what we eat. I have been so bad; I have not worked out since Christmas. I teach dance and I am glad that I get that exercise, otherwise I would be getting no exercise right now.

My anniversary is coming up on February 5th. Gary and I will celebrate 16 years of marriage. Man, that seems like a long time for someone as young as me. HeHeHe!! Gary has a surprise planned and I can't wait to see what he has up his sleeve. He doesn't do things like this often but when he does, it is good. I'll let you know how great it was when our anniversary is over.

Well, I could post lots and lots more but who wants to sit and read all of it.

Love to you all,
Jenn

Happy New Year!

Well, we survived Nutcracker and the Christmas holidays. It was great and the time off was even more wonderful. I am back at work and the kids are back at school. Dance is getting really busy as we are preparing for ballet company summer intensive auditions. Ashlee is auditioning for Joffrery, American Ballet Theater and Jillana. She will probably audition for others but these are top of the list. Courtnee is preparing for the competition season as well. I am the director for the petite company and so I am busy choreographing dances and building props. Life is good!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas as well as a Happy New Year!

Nutcracker!

As you all know, this past weekend was DRB's annual production of the Nutcracker. We had a wonderful time and are sad that it is over but glad to be able to take a brief rest before competition season and recital are upon us. I posted a few pics for you and hope to have others soon. Courtnee is pictured with her partner, George. They were so cute. George hates pics (as you can tell from his expression) and Courtnee loves pics. Also pictured are me and the girls with one of my favorite students, Sarah.

My Beautiful Student

So I open my friend's blog this morning and I sit there with my mouth wide open in amazement! I have tears in my eyes and I can't even explain the rush of emotions I felt when I saw my precious Sarah standing there in this beautiful "party girl" dress. You see, Sarah is my dance student and she is coming to see the Nutcracker this weekend and I can't be more happy. Let me explain why I am posting this sweet little picture. If you know anything about the Nutcracker, you will know that the opening scene is at the Stahlbaum's annual Christmas party and all of the "party girls" are dressed in beautiful dresses. This dress is almost identical to the "party girl" dress that my daughter wore just a few short years ago. I almost cried when I saw Sarah standing there in that dress. What a perfectly appropriate dress! She is my future party girl. I will make sure she is trained properly under my instruction and she will be the best party girl ever. I can't wait!

Speaking of the Nutcracker, we have made it through 3 days of rehearsal and tonight is the final rehearsal and dress rehearsal. Tomorrow is opening night and by the time it finally gets here I am just ready to go to bed. How sad. I know I will find the energy to pull it off. We always do....the girls are exhausted but they run on adrenaline and excitement.....and lots of sugar!

So Good Luck to Everyone! It is going to be a GREAT show.....all 4 of them!

Almost There!!!

So today is Wednesday....I think. We have made it through two days of rehearsal and have two more to go. Friday night is opening night of the Nutcracker and as always I look forward to it. I still get butterflies in my stomach even though I am not dancing anymore. I still love to be on stage even if it is just a small acting part in the party scene. I get excited for my daughters, my students and my extended DRB family. The whole experience is something I can't even begin to explain. The inside jokes, the newbie party parents, the boys from SMU, the funny nick names, the gifts - the list goes on and on. We all have so much fun. If you ask any one participant about their favorite Nutcracker memory you will never hear the same thing twice from anyone you ask. There are so many things going on and so many things to experience that everyone makes their own sort of fun and comes away with a different feeling. The emotions of each dancer are very different but one thing is for sure, every single cast member loves what they are doing and wouldn't trade it for the world. I can only hope that you see our enthusiasm when we perform and you enjoy watching us as much as we enjoy entertaining you. Please don't miss the Nutcracker this weekend. It is a Christmas tradition that everyone enjoys. Why not come see ours? I am hoping to find time to snap some pictures of some of the cast. I will post them when I get a chance. TaTa For Now!!