Bits and Bobs from July

I don't know what I was thinking, but my only excuse for trying to start writing here again so close to crazy time at work was that when I wrote last I didn't yet realize that the final craziness was upon us.

The NCGA wrapped up their session around midnight, Friday, July 1, 2016, a month ago and I've spent the month of July recovering, at least I think I've recovered...almost.  I'm still feeling a bit brain dead most of the time, but it seems to be getting better.

We celebrated my grandson's first birthday at the beginning of the month, and in typical one-year-old birthday style, there was a lot of food, a lot of presents, and a lot of messy toddler.

Before the messy part

 The only other event of any note in July was a quilt class my mother and I took together this past Saturday.  One of my goals for the year was to learn to sew, and I've been slowly doing that.  My mother used to sew a lot when I was a child, but hasn't really in a long time.  She bought a new machine about the time I did and we took a mystery quilt class at the fabric store in Sanford this weekend, just to spend time doing something together.  I'll probably never finish the quilt, at least not the size it's supposed to be, but it was fun.  As usual, I had good intentions of taking some pictures, at least of my mother and I, but I totally forgot.  I'll insert a picture of what I got done sometime soon if I can remember to take it when I'm home.

Other than that, it's now August, and I need to get moving, literally.  I started taking a tap class again about 3 weeks ago, and so far I'm enjoying that.  Class right now is on Tuesday nights, but will shift to Monday nights in the fall.  So I should be able to attend until early January at least.  2017 is a long session year, so session will start in mid-late January and at that point Monday night classes won't be possible.  There is a Thursday night class, but it's more advanced, so if I feel I can keep up in that class by that point I may be able to switch to that.

I'm going to try this month to start getting back into an exercise habit.  Rob signed up for a 10K race the end of the month, so I signed up for the 5K FunRun with the intention of walking it.  Need to get some walking in before then though if I'm going to make it.  Just ordered a new swimsuit so I can start swimming laps again, and I'm considering making an appointment with a personal trainer if I can find one I like through the Y.  Grand plans for sure, we'll see if they actually happen.

Until next time....

Twisted Mix Tape Thursday - Dance Memories

Yeah, so it's Thursday, it's been a busy week y'all, but I'm finally getting this done.

So this week's Twisted Mix Tape theme is your favorite dance music.  I suppose most people upon hearing this theme start thinking of partying and clubbing and the dancing that occurs in those locations.  But I like to be different, and that's not what comes to my mind.

From the age of 3, until I graduated from high school at 17, I took ballet, tap & jazz.  By the time I stopped I was dancing 20+ hours a week.  With at least 14 dance recitals, and umpteen-million actual dances performed, when I think of "dance music" I think of the songs I spent hours upon hours listening to in little snippets as I learned carefully choreographed steps.

Thankfully for you (and me) all my dance pictures are still at my parents' house, so no photographic evidence will be presented today.  So without further adieu....my dance memories.

Brick House - The Commodores

I think I still remember half the steps from the jazz dance we did to this when I was in about 6th (?) grade. 

One - A Chorus Line

I did at least 5 different versions of chorus line to this song, because you can't end a dance recital without a chorus line right?  I remember when I was younger thinking I couldn't wait until I was old enough to be in the advanced class that got to do this final number. 

Footloose - Kenny Loggins

We had a lot of fun with this one.  I remember the dance started with the curtain almost completely down except for about 6 inches so you could only see our feet moving...like the beginning of the movie scene that just shows feet ya' know?

Let's Get Physical - Olivia Newton John

Yeah, I know, but it's seared in my brain & it made an awesome jazz dance song! 

Shim Sham Shimmy - Leonard Reed

O.k...this one's not really a song, but a dance, but I can't leave it off, because I hear the sound of the steps, and that's music to me.  Tap dance was always my favorite.

So there you have it...what dance music means to me.

Dance!

My 6 year old niece's dance recital was yesterday.  Sitting in the auditorium, watching everything from 6 year olds wandering around the stage as they looked at their instructor in the wings for the next move to senior solos, brought back many memories.

I danced from age 4 or 5 until I graduated from high school.  By that time, I was dancing 20 hours a week if you count the hours I helped teach classes.  For my small town studio I was a pretty good dancer, but never good enough to have even considered doing it for anything other than enjoyment.

I have dancing to thank for my relatively good balance and flexibility.  Which is a good thing, since I can also thank it for the fact that the arches of my feet are shot and I just had to have back surgery in November.

But yesterday, watching my niece and all the other kids out there on stage, having fun and so proud of herself and her pretty costume, all I could remember was the thrill of the annual recital.  The chaos back stage, the heavy makeup, the multiple costume changes, and the chance to show off for family and friends were all part of the fun.

On the other hand...I now have more sympathy for what my parents sat through year after year.  Maybe I should say what my mother sat through, my father confessed yesterday that he and some of the other fathers always left at intermission and went to the country club for drinks!