Dance Family

I am so blessed to be a part of a large family deeply-rooted in love. Even though we are able to get together multiple times a year, they still live hundreds of miles away. God has blessed me with a special family in Raleigh. This dance family is one-of-a-kind. It is true to say that we are family. Spending a few nights a week together, every week, for 18 years - it's hard not to be a family. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year because even though we all live in different cities now, we all come together for a reunion over the Christmas break. Not only do the family branches reach out from the friends that I danced with, but now my former students. This past spring, we had 19 dancers graduate and go to college. Most of these girls I had the privilege to teach dance to since they were seven years old! It's amazing how time flies! I loved getting to see many of them last weekend and at the annual dance studio Christmas party. It was great to see them and hear all of their college stories!

Today, we had a Christmas lunch with some of the girls that I graduated with. Coming into town from Greenville, Charlotte and Hong Kong these girls are special and we never miss a beat! I'm pretty sure in our four hour long lunch we covered almost everything, solved almost all of the world's problems and had about five conversations going on at the same time!  We always have fun when we are with each other. Even the waiter mentioned that we were having more fun than him. I'm confident he wished he could pull-up a chair and hear all of our stories we were sharing. 

I am beyond thankful for this wonderful group of girls. We share a special bond and are truly a family. 

A Christmas Wedding

Last weekend we had another Pirate wedding! It was a beautiful Christmas wedding full of Christmas lights, poinsettias, Christmas trees, stockings and candlelight glow. Brittany went to ECU with me and she married one of my UNC Dental School friends, James. I am excited to say that I was there when the first met and I am so happy that I get to see them start this new chapter of their lives together. 

This summer Brittany and James asked me to choreograph a dance for their bridal party. With a bridal party of 18 this presented a slight challenge as most of the wedding party does not live in North Carolina. Have no fear - with a huge thanks to technology, I was able to teach the entire wedding party the dance over the internet! The bridal party arrived at the wedding rehearsal after learning the routine through videos and did an amazing performance Saturday night! Check out the link here and let me know what you think. 

Snapshot Sunday!

One of my favorite things about this time of year is Christmas morning at Grandma's house!

Fiddler on the Roof

Last night I made a trip to Greensboro to see Fiddler on the Roof. One of my best friends from the Theatre & Dance Department of ECU, is currently on the national tour of this legendary show. Josh and I shared the stage many times together in college and last night I got to see him perform on the big stage! The tour began in October and will continue through the spring of the year. Check the website and if the show comes to a town near you - make sure you go see it! The show was very entertaining and the talent was exceptional. What a treat that I hope you too will get to experience. If you do get the opportunity - make sure to tell Josh I said "hey!"

Snapshot Sunday!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Fall is Full

Whew! What a crazy last few months! I've been trying to update this blog on all of the happenings this Fall, but there have been so many activities it has been so hard to keep up! As much as I love the summer time, autumn is a nice, refreshing change. It brings about the days of jeans and long sleeve t-shirts, football, cool nights, bon fires and changing leaves. I wanted to give a quick overview on my life the past few weeks. 


My favorite part of the Fall season is FOOTBALL! I not only got to see my ECU Pirates play twice this year but I also got to go to my first NC State football game and I attended Apex High School's Senior Night football game. Apex High is my alma mater and as much fun as it was to go back, I'm pretty sure the student section was better when I went to school there :) However I did get to see these two Seniors in their last home football game! I used to babysit both of them! Wow, I feel old!

At Apex Senior Night 

My second favorite part of the Fall season is the State Fair. Yes, I love the fair and everything about it! The smell, the sounds, the bright lights, the food and of course the people watching. My students perform at the Folk Festival tent every year and they won the Blue Ribbon once again this year. By going to the fair with my dancers, once with co-workers for a group outing and another night to see the Corey Smith concert - I made 3 trips to the fair this year! And... loved every minute!

My dancers performing at the Fair

Riding the Ferris Wheel with Leanne

Another fun Fall activity was that I went to the Corn Maze with some friends. We made it through the 2 miles of maze in 1 hour 35 minutes. We did pretty well, considering the longest time that it takes to go through the maze was 3 hours. 

At the Corn Maze

Not only did I get to see Corey Smith at the State Fair but I also go to see this Georgia singer perform in Wilmington when I made a trip for Alyssa's wedding. Not only did I get to see him perform on stage, but also got to meet this avid Georgia Bulldog fan!

With Corey Smith in Wilmington

My Wilmington trip not only included a concert and a wedding but a picnic on the beach Saturday afternoon and finding the Purple Haze with pirates at Carolina Beach.

In the middle of all these fun activities, I was able to fill in the missing holes with a trip to Atlanta for the birth of my niece, performing in a tap show with Footnotes, Birthday Parties, "Friendsgivings" (potluck dinners with friends to celebrate an early Thanksgiving) and a night on the town for my friend Brittany's Bachelorette Party.

Brittany's Bachelorette Party

I am reminded by all of these fun experiences that my Fall was FULL. I am reminded in John 10:10 "..I have come that they may have LIFE, and have it to the FULL." 

Alyssa & Mike Tie the Knot

What a beautiful wedding I attended last weekend at Carolina Beach! Alyssa and Mike tied the knot, Sunday November 3rd, 2012 on a beautiful Fall afternoon. Alyssa is not only a dear friend of mine from ECU but she was my PEPI partner our Senior year of high school and my roommate for 4 years. We have too many memories to begin to count. We laughed, cried, cried because we laughed so hard, watched a million episodes of One Tree Hill and The Bachelor, waved towels by the fire alarm while the other tried to take care of the burnt dinner, had the best pillow talk ever and had way too many late night dance parties in our apartment to the High School Musical soundtrack. I was so happy to share this beautiful day with Alyssa and Mike as they start their new chapter of their lives together. 

I just love Pirate weddings!

  

I love these pictures of me and Alyssa our Freshman year in college. Yes, we even dressed the same!

And we had matching chairs, and matching bedspreads in our dorm. 

What a beautiful bride!

Sharing a Stage with Broadway

Last weekend the tap company that I am blessed to be a part of, Footnotes Tap Ensemble, had it's 10th Anniversary Concert. It was a talent-filled performance of tap dancing, a live band and special guest artist Michelle Dorrance,. For those of you that are not familiar with Michelle - look her up! Michelle is a Bessie Award winning tap dancer. She is the dance captain for the Broadway sensation STOMP and has her own tap dance company called Dorrance Dance. It is truly an honor to share the stage with the world's most famous female tap dancer. The picture at the top of this blog entry is of the performers and the band - Peter Lam and the Wolves. Below is a picture of me and Michelle. Sharing a playbill with all of these people is a humbling experience like none other! It is difficult to put into words the feeling of sharing the passion for music, dance and entertainment with such a wonderful group of people. 

It's a Girl!

Meet Merritt Ellery. This is my new niece! I spent last week in Atlanta for the birth of this sweet little girl and her two year old big brother, Rundle. I not only had a great time getting to hold this 7 lb 12 oz and 21 inch bundle of joy but being thoroughly entertained by a two year old bundle of energy. 

One of my favorite things I did last week was my mom and I took Rundle to the Georgia Aquarium. The largest aquarium in the world! We saw all different kinds of fish, sharks, beluga whales, penguins, sea otters, dolphins and so much more! These are some of my favorite pictures from our trip to the aquarium.

What a surprise! While we were at the aquarium we ran into some of our Lanier cousins. It really is a small world! 

I am so thankful that I got to go spend a week in Atlanta with these sweet children, and of course my brother and sister-in-law! 

A Wolfpack Win

I have lived in Raleigh my entire life and this weekend I went to my very first NC State University football game! I know, crazy! I've known so many NC State "fanatics" throughout my life, it is a shock that I've never been to a State football game. This weekend I went with my friend Nicole to the NC State vs. #3 ranked Florida State football game. Well, this was probably the best game I could have chosen to go to for my first experience. NC State did not show up to play for the first half of the game. At halftime the score was Florida State 13, NC State 0. NC State only scored 3 points in the 3rd Quarter, but boy did they show up to play in the 4th Quarter. They won the game in the last seventeen seconds . The crowd in Carter-Finley was electric. This crowd reminded me of the ECU football crowd I love to call home. I just wish I got to experience this kind of electricity throughout the whole game. I'm glad that I chose this history-making game to attend! The Pirates are still my favorite, but I will admit the Wolfpack do know how to make a Saturday entertaining.

My Golden Birthday

Last week was my Golden Birthday. I learned about Golden Birthdays a few years ago. Perfect timing for mine! Your Golden Birthday is when you turn the age of the date of your birthday. So, my birthday is September 26th and this year I turned 26 years old. It was a great birthday. My co-workers surprised me with a decorated desk full of balloons, streamers, confetti and banners. 

After a large group lunch at the Carolina Ale House, they also surprised me with cookie cake!

Friday night my friend Josh came in town. It was so good to see him. He was in the Theatre & Dance Department with me at ECU and we spent many hours together in dance rehearsals. He is currently on the National Tour of Fiddler on the Roof and is on a three week break. Be sure to look and see when the show comes to your town and go see Josh. I can't wait to go see the show when it comes to North Carolina later this year. 

Saturday night I got to spend time with my friend Kyla who was also in the Theatre & Dance Department with me at ECU. She just graduated law school and has moved to Florida to join "the real world." It was great getting to catch up and learn what new chapters have begun for her in her life. 

The week concluded at a dance rehearsal at the studio on Sunday. My Teen Company and Senior Company dancers surprised me with two cookie cakes! Oh how I love this dance family!

I am thankful for the outpouring of love I received last week from my friends and family. If this is what my first week of 26 feels like, I think I might like 26.

Snapshot Sunday!

A giant teddy bear!

ECU in Chapel Hill

Another game day weekend! Yesterday, ECU made the journey from Greenville to play UNC in Chapel Hill. Of course, with the game being so close - I could not pass up the opportunity to see my pirates play! Unfortunately I don't think the football players thought the same. They really didn't show up for the game and the score ended horribly with Carolina winning. Good thing we had a great group of friends (yes, we were divided) that know how to have a good time. Here is to beating Carolina next year!

Dancing With Our Shadows

I love getting to perform with my tap company Footnotes Tap Ensemble. I have been a member of this 12 member tap company for two years and I have loved every minute! This weekend we had a performance at Centerfest which is an arts festival in Downtown Durham. In fact, it is the oldest street festival in the state of North Carolina! Here are are a few fun pictures from our show! I love that you not only can see the happiness on all of our faces but that our shadows came out to dance too!