Thankful Thursday

My blogging has SUCKED these past few weeks.

This thankful Thursday is not going to be about a person... it's going to be about a group of people.  A group of people that has made certain that I don't pull every last strand of hair out of my head.  "My People" as I've began calling them, consists of mothers and staff members in my studio and on my dance team and they have been ANGELS this week. 

Let's begin with the fact that we had tryouts for my high school team last week and they didn't turn out as expected... no fear though friends, we made it work.  After that tryout "my people" and I had a four and a half hour meeting to figure out how to make my life easier... angels I tell ya.

After that whole fiasco began this week.  This is the week i call HELL on EARTH.  It is Evaluation and conference week and with it comes hours and hours and hours of preparation and planning.  With the help again of "my people" they have calmed me down and made me see that in a few days it'll be over... well sort of.  These angels of mine are also gonna be here with me the entire weekend, so that makes it easier too :)  On top of all of that we're having our non-competitive pictures tomorrow night AND the beginning of the year high school team parent meeting tomorrow night AFTER pictures... "My people" better have a large beverage ready and waiting when i am done with this weekend I tell ya...

So to "my people" (Jenny, Cindy, Rox, Pam, my lovely sister, and my wonderful mother) THANK YOU for helping me through :)

Monday Monday :)

Motivational Monday again....

Any human anywhere will blossom in a hundred unexpected talents and capacities simply by being given the opportunity to do so.

Doris Lessing

This quote is such a wonderful reminder that there is always a way to see growth and talent even when you're least expecting it... you just have to be willing to accept it.  Imagine for a moment if every time someone doubted you, you quit trying... this world would be a pretty boring and unspectacular place.

Have a beautiful Monday :)

Motivational MONDAY

Monday's come faster every week...

"For fast-acting relief try slowing down."

Lily Tomlin

Hmmmm... Lily Tomlin is the smartest woman ever.  I have a constant headache, continuous mountain of laundry, and a to do list that never gets crossed off before more is added to the bottom... but ya know, I do all of those things every day so that even 10 minutes of enjoying the benefits is well worth it :) 

Ms. Tomlin, thanks for the reminder to slow down, and take a breath

Soccer Diva

Miss Maicey played her first game of soccer last weekend... wanna know how it went?! See this picture:

It didn't start off this way... She started the morning at 4 am, waking me up and wanting to put on her "chin guards" and jersey.  She in fact did dress in her ENTIRE soccer "costume" and stayed that way until her 10:30 game :)

When she arrived at 10:30 she did attempt playing a little bit... however in Maicey's words "The ball was dirty and my socks are white"... hmmmm, I can't say I blame her.  She did however get in for the kick off of the second half:

and played until a boy stole the ball away...

When I told her she was going to have to come back and play next week she said "Yes mommy I'll come next time cause I get to get my pictures taken!!!!"  I'm thinking we may need to start on her dance solo sooner then later cause I'm pretty sure this diva has seen her last season of outdoor contact sports :)

Just another day in the life...

Thankful Thursday...

So thankful for this woman...

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite places on Earth was Maryland.  I loved spending the summer with Aunt Sue, Uncle Paul, Mick, Jenny, and Sara.  Sara and I always had a lot in common, we spoke our minds about things, we shared a passion for dance, and above all else, our family was always number one.  As we grew up, our dance lives intersected more and more.  She taught me solos throughout high school, she choreographed our group routines, and as I opened my studio, she helped me with the transition from dancing to teaching.  Still to this day I look forward to the week (or two) Diablo (as the girls lovingly call her) spends here in Iowa doing choreography for my girls. 

The day I got married she stood by my side and I couldn't imagine her not being there.  As I had my first child, she was there through it all, even though she was in Maryland, she called every week to see how I was and when "pop tart" was born she couldn't wait to visit.  We've never really figured out why she called him pop tart, but that was always his name to her.  We also have not figured out why Sam has always just called Sara "cousin"... but hey, whatever works :)  When my second child was born I had no question in my mind that Cousin would be her God Mother (or G-mama as we call her now)... I hope that Maicey grows up to be the strong and smart woman that Cousin always has been.  I was there as Sara married her best friend Dan, through his deployments, the births of her two beautiful girls, and beginning a foundation together... we honestly couldn't be farther apart in distance but I feel as though we're connected on a very different level.  She's my cousin, my professional partner in many ways, and more then anything one of my closest friends on this Earth. 

So today and always I'm thankful for Sara/diablo/Cousin/G-mama, there's no telling where I'd be without her belief in me...

Is it Monday again...

Put some motivation in your Monday...

“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”

 - Christopher Reeve

This quote sums up my life right now...  I grew up dreaming big, because no one ever told me I was crazy.  My parents nodded and smiled as I explained that I was gonna grow up and change the world, my teachers pushed me farther then I thought I could go, and now as a "grown up" my husband and children still believe that my dreams are not out of reach. 

I'm also lucky enough to be the other side of the "dream big" theory... I get to encourage my children and students every day that they too have the ability to achieve anything they set their mind to... and maybe someday they'll be changing the world too.  It's like a big circle of dreaming...

Change someone's world today :)

Thankful Thursday

Although I was going to try to wait until his birthday to tell you all how thankful I am for him, I just can't wait any more...

Saying "thankful" about this man wouldn't even begin to describe it.  He is my everything.  I'm thankful he supports my CRAZY career, I'm thankful he's the most wonderful father on the planet, I'm thankful he's silly and reminds me that everything doesn't always have to be so serious, I'm thankful that he could fix ANYTHING in our house that breaks (even if it means ending up in the ER with 19 stitches), and more then anything I'm thankful that he is always waiting at home for me to chat about our day.

Rob and I have an unconventional sort of marriage.  He gets up and is out of the house by 7 each morning, works all day and comes home at a reasonable time from his "real" job.  He then takes the kids from me at the studio and I work until around 9 or so each night.  We get to see each other from about 9:30 til he heads to bed around 10:30... it's always our joke that being away from each other is the reason our marriage is successful :)  I honestly do believe that we are a happily married couple however because when we do get time together we know it's valuable.

So today and everyday I'm thankful to my confidant, my biggest critic, my biggest cheerleader, my best friend, and the love of my life... how lucky am I that he's all of those things wrapped into one, perfect package?

Just another thankful Thursday :)

Motivational Monday... a day late

It's been a long week already... sorry my Motivational Monday has just turned into a Motivational Tuesday...

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.

~Stacia Tauscher

There's day's that I'm so busy preparing my children to be good students, be good leaders, be good role models that somehow I forget that sometimes I need to live in the moment of allowing my children to be just that; children.  I forget that it's okay for them to throw a fit in the grocery store when they don't get something they want, or to cry when I won't let them wear flip flops when it's 18 degrees out, or to just want some time to snuggle with their Daddy instead of going to bed on time.  It's all okay because they are everything I've ever wanted, and I know that there's always tomorrow to get them to understand the difference between a "b" and a "d" or that life's not always fair or that not every person is as good as they seem... because let's be honest, there's so many days I wish I was as peacefully naive as my children and I will keep them in their "child" state as long as possible...

Happy Tuesday :)