News Flash: Dancing can relieve zombie fatigue!

In all the time that I've been a zombie sitter, I've never even been asked to work the last day of school. But yesterday I had to do it and it was sucked. It was awful. It was WAY too much to ask of any one person. What can you possibly do to zombies on their last day of school in order to make them sit down and shut up? Nothing. Nothing at all and they know it! I don't want to say anything more about it because that would involve me thinking about it more and I just want to put it behind me. Needless to say, I will NEVER do anything like that again.

Happier thoughts now!

This time of year there is only one word that dictates our days. Dance.

Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance.

We miss meetings and events because of dance practice. I'm not returning your calls because of dance practice. Our eating schedule goes all to hell because of dance practice. And this morning, when I was hoping to sleep in and recover from yesterday's zombie attack, we've got to get to dance practice.

Luckily, this only occurs the few weeks right before recital. It's nothing close to the kind of life-changing schedule of parents with kids in a big sport like baseball or hockey have to put up with. I know that even though these few weeks are a bit of a blur it's really no big deal. And it's worth it.

That said, here's some shots of The Girl from picture day. Do you notice anything about her?

Could it be something around her eyes? Or in her eyes? Yep, that's it. We said that she could get contacts before recital. And while we are pushing the deadline here a bit, we have come through and she will be dancing glasses free.

But don't mess with her. She may be pretty but she's one tough ballerina!

Dance Recital '08

The big dance recital was yesterday afternoon. This year the whole production was moved from the high school auditorium all the way to the Palace Theater in Lorain. The reason behind the move was that this program is now so frigging huge that we needed more space for the audience. Also the way that the tickets were handled when the show was done here at home was a complete nightmare every year. The Palace knew how to sell tickets to an unwieldy number of people... or so we thought.

I bought my tickets over the phone 15 minutes after they went on sale the first day. I had to buy eleven seats and I certainly wasn't going to wait around. They came in the mail the very next day and that was one more thing I could check off my to do list.

While we are all nestled down in our seats yesterday, a very nice woman came up to me.

"Excuse me, I think you are sitting in my seat." She is very sweet and apologetic, but I'm thinking no way sister.

She shows me her ticket and I show her mine and they are for the same seat. Exactly the same seat. I look around the theater and there seems to be people having the same conversation all over the place. Some are confused, some are getting really angry. The theater has double sold seats.

My co-seat owner and I head for the box office where there is literally a mob. Angry, angry people waving tickets and pieces of paper at one lone woman with a headset on looking on the verge of tears. Finally a official looking guy shows up and announces that if two people have tickets for the same seat then it will be first come, first serve and the theater will find a seat for the second person. My double and I shrug and smile at each other.

"That's okay," she says, "I'm sure they'll find someplace for me." So I stroll my very sassy little dress back to my seat. Behind me, voices are rising and I hear a man holler something about "outrageous incompetence". Ooooh. Not good.

I took only one picture yesterday and that was in the van on the way there.

I didn't any take pictures during the show, not because of any restrictions (there were flashing cameras the entire time), but because whenever the Girl was on the stage I started weeping copiously. Truly. During the number when she's up on pointe, I had myself worked up to one big heaving sob. I can't help it. I usually cry a little bit, but this year I was really pathetic. Proud mommy overload. She's just looks so grown up when she's dancing. She's a long way from this blurry five year old getting ready to leave for her first recital.

I did take pictures at Picture Day two weeks ago, pictures of her getting her picture taken. Here's her ballet costume.

And her jazz costume which I had to completely remake because it was entirely too big for her. Thank goodness it's black!

And here's the pointe costume along with Girl Who Thinks She Lives At My House #2.

Dance Recital '07

Put another year of dances classes in the books! This year's recital was a lovely affair, with "A Night at the Movies" as the theme. Saturday the girl had to perform in the afternoon show, which is short and showcases the older girls and then the evening show which is everybody and her cousin. Our girl was fantastic! Here's some pics!

Check out these Ely girls hanging out at dress rehearsal Friday night. It ended up being a VERY long night!

Dancing in the aisles waiting for their turn.

It's recital night! This is her jazz costume. Check out those plastic-y pants! They were too long, so I just cut them off with scissors. Time to go!

Home from recital with her flowers. This, of course, is her ballet costume. Very pretty! Congratulations sweetheart. We're all so proud of you!

Dance Recital Day

It's finally dance recital day! It's been months of practice, but it's all worth it. This is the first year that the girl is old enough to perform in the afternoon performance. It was a great show. The first picture is her hanging out understage with her friends from school. She's in her ballet costume. The second one is her jazz costume. We can't wait to see her again tonight. Break a leg sweetie!

As for a quick cat update, there have been no changes. She is still here, living in the shed. The neighbor kid's mom came over and cuddled and cooed over her, but then said she had to think about it. Marco is so unhappy he cries and whines all day long. The situation is becoming unbearable. As for the accusation that I'm a cat hater, it's completely untrue. This little cat would make a cat lover out of anyone. But my poor dog is very much a cat hater and he was here first, so there's no room for her here.