Memorial Day Weekend = ESCAPE!

This past weekend was the beginning of our summer adventures for the year. Last year... we didn't go more than the one time, so we MUST make up for it this year.

To start... the weekend was gorgeous! We headed down to the Great Sand Dunes for a camping and hiking spot. We went down Saturday morning, grabbed a great little camping spot and then headed to the dunes to play and hike around.

The best part of going to the dunes at this time of year is that the snow melt creates a creek along the dunes.  This is perfect for cooling off after hiking around in the sand and getting blasted by the wind. After spending quite a few hours, we headed back to our campsite for dinner, and an early bedtime. That didn't stop me from taking pictures of the dunes from our campsite. Such a great view!!

The next morning was EARLY. Whew. Cereal and o.j. for breakfast and we were on the road to Buena Vista for a full day of rafting.  For the last few years we've rafted with Performance Tours, and almost always had a fantastic time. (Last year was not their fault... just super low water levels).  They have great guides, and the trips are fun.  This year we did a full day, starting with the Numbers on the Arkansas River, and finishing the day on the Narrows. Lovely. Even when Jay fell out of the boat. We scooped him back up quickly though, so no damage done. :)
(Heather bought the pictures from rafting, its nice to actually see what we all look like!)

Can you figure out who is who? We had a blast... and were exhausted, wet and a little chilly by the end of the day.  We headed back to our campsite for another yummy dinner and a lot of around the campfire relaxing!

our campsite

It was a great, great weekend. I can't wait for another camping trip. Jay and I have a whole new book of camping sites and hiking trails that we're excited to try out!

Struggling (again) with dance

I've written about my struggles with dance in the past... but this past week has brought everything into a very stark light. How so? Well... it starts back quite a few months ago when new teachers were coming into our school and changes were being made. Somehow in all of that, the &over Prizewinner class was forgotten about.  Forgotten? Yes, forgotten. Not in the, "we no longer have class" type of forgetting, but in the "we never learn anything new and no longer get challenged to be better dancers" kind of way. The teacher for our class is great about pushing stamina and endurance. But, we haven't learned new steps, new tricks, or anything else in a very long time.  Where does the blame lie? I am not sure.... How can it be fixed? I am even less sure....

However, in spite of the lack of "class" and the influx of (barely) Novice dancers into our class time, I have been pushing myself... to dance better, stronger and longer. I mean, if I am not learning anything new, why not make the most of it, right?

Well... my frustrations have been mounting more and more lately. Topping the list was my poor, poor showing at our last feis. In which I did not place. A. Single. Thing. That has never happened. And no, before you ask, I was not feeling off, or tired or anything else. I felt good. Strong, clean, etc. Apparently that wasn't good enough. So what could I do?  I didn't have a lot of options, but I brought it up to my teachers...

We have an upcoming show in a couple weeks. Our big, yearly showcase. At dance last week I learned that every other level and dancer is going to be showcased... except for the prizewinners. The group of us has been mixed into the Adults or Novice groups... and left me feeling incredibly left out. Where would we get our chance to shine?  I left dance on Thursday feeling dejected, looked over, depressed and upset about dance on a whole.  Why would I extend an invite to my family and friends to come and see my show. I'm not going to be out on stage all that much. I won't get to showcase my steps or my strengths with the group of dancers (mostly &over adults) who have been struggling right along side of me. So, why have anyone come?

But... this revelation also brings into light the question of why do I put myself through this? I love to dance, love the music, the dresses, the thrill of competition. Being looked over, ignored and forgotten about make it hard to be motivated to work harder. To try my best. To get better. So what steps do I take?

There will be no answers until after our big show. May 4th. Maybe even after. So, I guess I have to keep my head down, my heels up and my mouth shut for a while.

After that.... one can only tell.

Looking forward

Despite the fact that there is snow (again) in the forecast for the next few days... I am already looking forward to the summertime and the adventures that Jay and I will have!

First up on our list is camping over Memorial Day weekend. I need to call and make reservations, but... it looks like we're headed to the Sand Dunes!

We'll probably have other weekends of camping and fun adventures (hiking, rafting, etc.) but right smack dab in the middle of the summer is Heather and Pontus' wedding! It will be a weekend of fun for sure... :)

After that, I've managed to convince a whole group of friends to come and join me in the Color Me Rad Run in August.  Jem and the Holograms is our team name and we're ready to get color bombed!!!!!

The last of our big summer plans is a (possible) trip to Moab! Nothing has been finalized yet... but its looking like a very strong possibility.

Summer adventures.... I am ready!

Saint Patrick's Day(s) 2013

Ahhh, the life of an Irish dancer. We all know that St. Patrick's Day is more than just 1 day out of the year.  Its more than just a day for green clothes, shamrocks, beer and revelry. For Irish Dancers, Saint Patrick's Day is a season. Or at least a week.

This year, since I am at a new job, I couldn't just spirit off to shows in the middle of the day. But... that didn't mean I didn't do my fair share!

We started with a show Friday morning (before work)... 6am at Kegs and Eggs down at Lodo's in downtown.  The street was already packed with people...

the crowd outside Kegs and Eggs

 We managed to pull the whole show together, despite the early hour, and look great doing it!  

Kegs and Eggs team and our fearless leader Claire!

 The next day was the day of the parade.  It was much colder that we were expecting... but we didn't end up marching in it at all! The parade stepped off too late for us to be included because we had to dash off to our first show!

non-parade team

 The next 2 days were a whirlwind of shows and running from place to place. I think it was a total of 16 shows over the weekend. I sadly didn't get to take as many pics as I wanted, so these are all courtesy of Miss Stacey! The team was AWESOME. We had a blast and I can't wait to do it again next year. Even if I was limping around for the next day...

cutest!!

Julie and I had a rockin' two hand!

Mama and I!

I love these ladies!

rockin' green 'staches!

the whole crazy crew. What a group!

 Until next year...

Mountain Fun

I feel as though all my posts are a few weeks behind... but at least I am posting, right? Right? Anyway... a few weeks ago, we had a nice little overnight excursion into the mountains for some well needed ski/ride time.  The snow has been pretty terrible all season... but now the snow is finally falling!

Here was our weekend:

 Jay and I headed up early Friday morning to get a day in without the massive crowds.  It was a gorgeous day! Although a bit cold. Brr!

Jay and I on our lunch break :)

smiling for the camera on the lift!

beautiful day at Copper!

 We finished the day with some hot cocoa beverages in the Lodge, before going to check into our hotel.

german chocolate cake? Hot cocoa and coconut rum, yum!

 The next day we met up with some of my awesome friends (all were not captured...sadly!) and enjoyed a second day of snow fun!

another beautiful day!

a portion of the crew, love these guys. :D

Heather and I caved early and opted to avoid injury and wander around Copper and cozy up to the bar in the afternoon.  It was perfection!

photo op with the GIANT red chair

 

 And then we watched the snow and clouds blow in... all while enjoying the hot cocoa!

 Jay and I are planning to head up again... but it will have to wait until after St. Patrick's Day!!!

Dance and Fitness Update

I actually started writing this post over a month ago. Yes, really. I kept going back and re-doing it, re-writing it and re-working it, because I wasn't pleased with how it was sounding.  I mean, really, it was just an update on dance and my all around fitness. 

But then I realized... it was hard to update on dance... because I've been so unhappy with it lately.  I feel like a bit of a broken record, because this happens every year... but boy is dance frustrating right now.  What's frustrating?  Not the physical act of dance... because I continue to love every second of it.  BUT, once again, our class has found its way to the back of the pack.  There is a great champions class, and a great intermediate class. The prizewinner class? Lackluster. We aren't learning new steps. The new blood being forced into the class isn't really up to the prizewinner level. Which means being held back a bit in growth.

Yes, I understand that if I pushed myself I could just move my dances up to Prelim and be in the champs class.  That is true, but I know I'm not there yet. But how do I get there when I am not getting the adequate teaching in our prizewinner class? 

Luckily I have a bit of a reprieve from the frustrations for the next few weeks since St. Patty's Day is right around the corner.  For Irish Dancers this means lots of dancing leading up to... and following the green holiday. After that it will be back to the grind... and I will have to figure out what I want to do.

As for my outside of dance fitness... I was doing really, really well for a while. Heading to the gym during lunch or after work.  But... the frustrations with dance have completely weighed me down in all fitness areas and I have been a bum for the last 2 weeks. Which doesn't do my weight/waistline or mood any good.  Add in a lovely head cold...and lets just say I've completely fallen off the wagon. And been run over by it. Repeatedly.

On LivingSocial.com a few days ago there was an offer for 1 month of Boot Camp.  I am thinking of jumping onto that to give myself a reboot into fitness and health. I am hoping it works!

Kitty Love

The first pic is of our newest addition, Lucy. She's adorable, but hasn't quite gotten to lounging with her big brother and sister. I love our little fuzzy family!!

Tuesday February 12 - Fat Tuesday

Mardi Gras was on Tuesday...

For some, it was a day of celebration. For others, it passed quietly without a second thought.  For me... it was a day of last minute munchies before giving up junk food for Lent. 

Now, before you jump to any conclusions... no I am not Catholic, nor overly religious.  BUT... I like the idea of having a defined period of time in which it give up something.  Especially something that I could probably do without. Like junkfood.

Junkfood? What exactly defines junkfood?  For me it is a lot of things.... chips, cookies, candy, fries, cake, brownies, ice cream...etc.  Which is a lot to try to give up.  40 days.  It will either feel like an eternity, or I will start feeling fantastic without the added junk in my diet.  I have a feeling it will be a little bit of both. 

I want to keep this blog updated as to my progress, partially to keep myself on track but also to be accountable. Or something... :) Fingers crossed.
                          

Winter Feis

Winterfeis. Its been a few weeks and I have been horrible about updating everything....

So, Winterfeis was interesting.  First off, it was the very first time our little &over Adult 4 hand competed. I whipped together the capes and belts for our team, and we did pretty well.  It started a bit rough, but we got our lines right and kept the smiles on our faces!

As for solo competition... we started the day off by getting to the feis 2 hours early. Mostly because I had misread the schedule. Ooops! Luckily, the outlets were only a few minutes down the road so we were all able to head over and spend a little time shopping. Once solos actually got started... it was a MAD DASH!  I barely made it on stage for Reels.  They started early... which is shocking since feisanna almost never run on time. Much less early. Also... they had us competing 3 at a time. Which is rough since we don't compete on the largest of stages and most of us are over 5'5... so it was a bit of a cluster. Grrr....

But... I did feel pretty good about my steps. Especially my hornpipe! I have been struggling with these lately... not because I don't dance them well... but I COULD NOT PLACE THEM OUT OF NOVICE.  But... my awesome buddy Julie (also a teacher and champ at our school) gave me the best advice ever. "Just dance it like you dance in class".  Um... ok. So I did.

And I placed my HPs! Woot! Out of 14 people... I kicked some butt. Which was awesome. The rest of the feis was good... now to work on placing things out of prizewinner!