SYTYCD audition.

I am so sore from taking a ballet class on Saturday. I kind of like being sore, though. It makes me feel like I worked it, ya know? I have a lot of my dad in me... I am going to be auditioning for the competition reality show So You Think You Can Dance on July 24th (pray for me!) so I have to get back in shape:-/ For those of you who may not be familiar with the show, it is one of the best ones on TV right now. It's inspiring and entertaining. It's really a quality show. You should check it out.

I have a bachelors degree in ballet but I haven't been consistently dancing since I graduated. I was burnt out and turned off by the whole "ballet scene" so I decided to take a break. I guess it would be easy for me to regret that now, but that was then and then I wasn't feeling it. If I had forced myself I would have ruined it for me for the future. Now I am "feeling it" and I'm slowly starting to work my way back into the big scary world of dance. We'll see what happens...

I've been taking classes here and there with Ballet West and it's been a lot of fun. Ballet is beginning to be enjoyable for me again. And I'm excited about not only ballet but different kinds of dance, too. I almost forgot I have a talent for dance! :-) Every time I watch So You Think You Can Dance I get a little bit jealous that they get to do what they do. They get to work with the best choreographers, costume designers, etc. That would be a blast!

So, I'm not expecting much to happen at the audition. Like I said, it's not for another month but I will post pictures for sure and write about how everything went. Wish me luck!

Battlestar Galactica shout out.

When Dave and I first met he was very sneaky in the way he obtained my digits. For any young men who happen to be reading this and are searching for a smooth way to "pick up" a girl, take note...

We were sitting on the couch watching Batman Begins in a house full of people. Dave kept making fun of my feet saying they were dancer feet. As I was (and still am) self-conscious about that area of my body, I didn't get that he was trying to flirt. I was too caught up in trying to hide them from him. (Young men, don't make fun of her feet).

Then he grabbed my cell phone which was sitting on the coffee table. "Cool phone. Can I look at it?" I said, "sure". I thought it was weird, though, that he would want to look at my phone; it was not a cool phone. He gave it back to me a few minutes later. A few seconds after that he gets a text message. "Oh look! I got a text message from you just now! It says, 'Battlestar Galactica is awesome!' Cool, so you like Battlestar, too?" "Haha. No, not really". Truth is, I thought that show was lame. And I questioned his coolness for liking it. But he now had my phone number, and I had his so I guess he was the cool one after all. Ha ha.

But really what I wanted to say is that I like Battlestar Galactica now. Like, a lot. I'm totally invested. Dave tried to get me to watch it for over two years, I was dead set on not. It was dumb of me really. I finally gave in and started watching it about two months ago.

It's such a smart show. I had no idea. There are a few things that get annoying, though. For example, their swear word is "frack". And all papers that appear on the set have the corners cut off of them, making octagons. I guess the people who work on the set say that that's one of their biggest design regrets:/ Anyway, it's a great show and I can't wait to go home tonight and watch it with Dave:) I'm glad I let him convince me to be a nerd with him. For the rest of our lives...

If you weren't there, you should have been.

Wow! What a magical show last night! Dave played at the Utah Arts Festival with his six-piece jazz band called John Henry. They're great! They have played several times around Salt Lake City but this was probably the best show yet. :-)

The weather was so cool yesterday. It is an unfortunate comparison to make, but the sky looked CG. The whole day felt like a Tim Burton movie; it was so dark and gloomy. At any moment someone in a period costume could jump out and start singing some boring sing/talk song. I was Helena Bonham Carter and the world was my drab playground. A storm was on its way. I went straight from work to the Arts Festival and it was still gloomy but super hot outside. I think most people were optimistic about the weather so they showed up in summer attire. I was excited to hear John Henry play, as always, and I was expecting a great show.

About a third of the way through their set it started to rain. And then thunder. And then flashes of lightning. And then the rain started to come down in buckets! We were all huddled under a tent with a saggy roof. As soon as one side filled up with water the wind would come and dump it down on the poor person standing there and then refill and do it all over again. It didn't take long for people to learn they had to stay away from the sides. Pretty soon the tent was overflowing with people wearing shorts and tank tops and carrying broken umbrellas. But everybody was loving the music. We were all clapping and yelling. It was like a mix between a pub party in Irland and a jazz show on the New Jersey boardwalk in the early 1900's. Like I said, it was magical.

The music kept playing and people kept smiling. The sound guy announced they had to shut down temporarily. Derek, the piano player, had to unplug his Rhodes:-( He's amazing so it was a bummer. But other then that, the rest of the show went on accoustically. And Derek even played his accordian! Yes! I was so mad the I didn't bring my camera. There would have been some great shots.

So, sadly the show ended. The guys all played perfectly. I am constantly impressed with their talents. I am so lucky to be married to Dave and get to hear him and the others play their instruments so frequently:-)

I left to walk to my car right when the rain started letting up. When I was feeling angry with myself again for not bringing my camera, I looked up and saw not only one but two huge rainbows! :-) It was beautiful! Everything that evening was beautiful. What a great start to our summer in Salt Lake.

My next sort of big decision.

I'm thinking about cutting myself some bangs. I am getting tired of my hair so I think I will try something new; it just feels flat and boring. I have done this before, though, and I will only want to grow my bangs back out two days later. I can never make up my mind. The grassy fields are always greener in magazines and on TV.

Have you ever seen something in the media -- like an outfit, or jewelry, or a hairstyle -- and thought to yourself, "Mmm, I think I can pull that off..." and tried it out and it just felt awkward? It feels like wearing runway clothing on the street. You get this great inspiration and decide you're going to go for it but it doesn't turn out the way you thought it would. I'm a little afraid of that. But hair always grows back, right?

I'm also thinking about cutting my hair super duper short. A change I would have to get used to. I haven't had my hair short since I was eight. I have wanted to do that for a long time but I always had to keep it long for ballet and plus, I just haven't had the guts. I still don't have the guts I guess; I am hesitant to chop my locks now that I'm married. Isn't that the stereotype, women cut their hair short as soon as they get married and when they have babies? Not that we are planning a baby any time soon.

We'll see. I could change my mind about my hair again tomorrow. If I do decide to snip, it will most likely be an I-did-it-myself job. I'll work my way up to the trendy action you get in a real live salon. I promise to post pictures if anything goes down.

Some honeymoon photos

This is at The Plantaion House. It's a beautiful restaurant with awesome food. Our friends Lauren and Matt gave us a gift certificate for a wedding present:)


This is in Lahaina. It's much prettier in real life!


This was in Yountville the day we left for Maui. We walked around downtown and wondered into this fur shop... This hat was on sale for $600! Steal!


Bubba Gump Shrimp in Lahaina :-)


Whalers Village restaurant called Leilani's. We went out to eat a lot:-)



This is the view from our room. The perfect amount of pool and beach...

It's like Christmas!

When I left for California on June 5th, our apartment was perfectly clean and organized; the bed was made and everything. Dave left a few days later and before he walked out the door he had taken out the trash, done the dishes, and made sure everything had it's very own place. We left for our honeymoon on the 14th and that's when Dave's parents, Dan and Anne, started making the trip back to Salt Lake City. Anne, was so sweet and filled our fridge with food, gave us wine and cookies and put flowers in a vase for us so we had something pretty to look at when we returned home. Dan and Anne also dropped off all the wedding gifts we had received that they had driven home with. When Dave and I got back on Monday we started opening them. Not only did we unpack gifts, but also our suitcases that had traveled with us to California, Hawaii, back to California again, and finally to Salt Lake. Needless to say, we had a lot of dirty laundry on our hands! We had all the empty boxes and bubble wrap a kid with a great imagination could ever want. Ever! I couldn't believe the packaging on some of these things... So, before we left we had a cute, comfortable two-bedroom apartment with a walk-in closet and enough space in the living room to do Pilates. Now one can hardly walk two feet into the second bedroom. The walk-in closet is drowning in unfolded laundry. And my poor little Pilates studio is filled with potential spaceships and gunfire waiting to be brought out to the recycling bin. We love it, though. Because of peoples' thoughtfulness and generosity, we have everything we need to start our married lives together. We are so very thankful for everything we've recieved. Since Dave and I both have several busy days coming up, I can't foresee much cleaning soon. Maybe we'll grow to like the mess and decide to keep it...

i broke another wine glass.

Good thing they were from IKEA. Out of eight, I know have two left:( Poor guys only have each other.

Our very first dance as a married couple.

This is the first time I saw Dave all day.

My wonderful dad walking me down the isle. We had to walk down a long flight of grassy, dirty stairs to get to Dave and the guests.

Life back to normal

So. Here I go... I have no idea what I'm doing. To tell you the truth, this whole blog thing is kind of intimidating. I am not a writer, or a poet of any sort, but I'm sure I will learn as I go. I am entering a new -- and very exciting -- chapter in my life and I have decided to create a blog to keep family and friends informed on the changes going on. Like I said, I ain't no writer so in this blog the ratio between pictures and words will most likely be inbalanced.

Dave and I just returned from our honeymoon. We spent a week in Maui. Before that we were in Napa, CA for a week of parties before getting married Saturday the 13th. I have to say it was the best wedding I have ever been to. It feels like we have been gone for so long. I think we've been in about 19 different time zones. When we got back to the real world, there were wedding presents waiting for us (thank you to everybody!) and what a blast it was to open them with my wonderful new husband:) The next morning we loaded everything into the car (well, dave did most of it) and started the 12 hour drive back to Salt Lake.

We're excited to be back at work and life. I will have pictures up soon!