So You Think You Can Dance

So feeling a little "under the weather", due to the alcohol consumption the evening before at Bahama Bobs, Sunday was a pretty unproductive day. I managed to take a long and much need nap with snuggle bunny Erika. The rest of the evening I went through toys, toys, and more toys, to tried to get ready for my garage sale this weekend. So I parked my butt in front of my t.v. a bucket full of cleaner and baskets of toys and started my season of "So You Think You Can Dance" from my faithful tivo. I couldn't peel myself away. I ended up watching the whole season and went to bed around 3:00 am. I loved it!!! This is the 3rd season and I haven't missed a show in 3 years. Every year gets better and better.
Dancing was one of the biggest parts of my life in my younger years. If there was a dance class, I was in it. By junior high, I was at Bunny Sanfords School of Dance Monday through Thursday until almost 9:00 every night and also assisted in two children's classes, my junior year in high school. My mom was hoping for a ballerina........ballet was OK, but the couple years of dancing on my toes, bleeding toes and sore ankles didn't do much for me. I LOVED tap and the chorus line and contemporary, I love a story! I was the second shortest in my chorus line class, and in a kick line, just cuz your shorter doesn't mean your legs don't have to be as high as the taller girls in the middle, they have to be higher. In that class I danced with my instructors and I was an equal and I remember being so nervous I couldn't see strait. I ended up being second to the last in the kick line, side by side with my ballet instructor, who was phenomenal and I did it, and it was great, exciting, perfect, flawless, in my eyes anyway. It was a "jazz hot" number, kinda like some of the routines in the movie Chicago. I nailed that routine and I was proud! Needless to say, my senior year, some friends and a little partying later (sad to say I partied more my high school years than my college years). I quit dance because my social life and my party accessories were more important. 13 years of dance, done, just like that. I'm not saying I was all that, or that I would've done anything "big" with it, or gone anywhere special, l but it was one of those choices that you look back and cringe. I forgot how dancing made me feel.
Last night watching 13 episodes of that show, my emotions were going crazy! I love routines that tell a story. The dramatic routines that make you feel something in the pit of your stomach and you get a funny feeling in your throat. There was a day that I thought I would be dancing some little number on Broadway but dreams fade fast and are sometimes hard to come by. One of the forks in the road that you'd wished you'd at least attempted.  My favorite choreographers are Mia Michaels and Wade Robson. They are just awesome!!! I just can't get enough! Now that I'm all caught up, I can't wait until Wednesday.

Kimmy and Bobbie are..................

A GIRL :)

Congrats!!!! Marina and her baby sister will be 22 months apart, just like Erika and Olivia! I told her that I will keep her in my prayers!!!

A Life's Journey

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather a skid broadside thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, "WOW, What A Ride!"

~Author Unknown

A day on the lake....

I was trying to post this yesterday when a storm blew right on through and we lost power until this morning~Our great day at the Jeffrey's a couple weeks ago!







It was a fun filled day. They bought this awesome mat raft thing that floats at the end of their dock and the kids had a ball jumping on and off it all day.

The "big" boys also had a great time on it as well. It's just a good thing there were no broken bones or heart attacks, due to someone's age, I won't name who.


We ended the night with some fireworks, smoke bombs, and sparklers. (That Eli was letting Olivia light on her own and I could have rung his neck). Some of the girls caught a bunch of lightning bugs instead of doing fireworks.

You can see the rest of the pictures here......Thanks to Dave! (click on album)

Jeffrey's Cottage

A light at the end of a LONG tunnel

Eli and I were lying in bed last night and he told me I was slacking on my blog and I might as well delete it, so I thought that I could catch up a little while Makenna was napping today. Sorry for my absence. Honestly besides the last 2 posts, my life has pretty much been eating, sleeping, making breakfast, lunch, taking care of my beautiful, yet argumentative girls, and studying. (Eli, of coarse is a an awesome cook, so I leave dinner up to him, I can't compete)

Officially, I only have 1 more week of school. Happy to say that I finished my MATH107 early, and I ended up with a 4.0! Yippy! Eli called me a dork and Diane called me a geek, and I'm alright with it! I am going to "early start" MATH112 and am going to try to get 2 tests out of the way so my 14 credit semester in the fall won't seem as heavy. Yes I know, aside from being a dork and a geek, I am insane as well!

I just wanted to say that I couldn't be doing any of this, without the tremendous support from so many important people in my life, especially GOD, Eli, Diane, Cathie, and of coarse, my girls. Eli is my rock, he keeps me grounded, he supports me like NO other, Diane and Cathie are there for me through thick and thin~to help me see the big picture, they keep me going when I feel like giving in. Oh my girls, my wonderful girls, they wish me luck on every test, high five me when I get home, and pray for me at dinner when I'm not able to sit with them at the dinner table because I'm at school. How blessed am I? WOW, I can't even being to tell you! SO.....Thank you! To all of you in my life! I am truly grateful for everyone in my life!

Some exciting news......Bill, AKA, Papa Schultz with the big truck, is coming to visit. He will be here from August 18th to the 26th. We are all very excited! He is trying to arrange a visit every 6 months! YEAH!

So, for a couple weeks, there may be more to read....don't expect much from September to December! I'll do my best!

My Special Friend

Cathie and Cathie's Mom kindly invited the girls and I out for a pool day. The thing I didn't know about Cathie was that she likes to excercise with some pretty nifty equipment instead of lounging around the pool!
It was a HOT (90+ degrees with a heat advisory). Needless to say, we didn't get out of the pool much! It was a great day. All the girls were like little "shishies" (as Kenna would say). Erika is much more confident in the pool and is now lovin' the diving board. Olivia was tossed in the water...and handled it well! Makenna just wanted to keep jumping in over and over again with someone counting with her.....1, 2, 3.....jump. She loved Jeannies taste in music and danced around the pool! We had to end the day early so I could take a test (the last thing on my mind that day), but managed to pull off an A.

You can see the rest of the pictures here. Click on the album.

Pool Day With All The Girls

DEEEEEETROIT!

On Friday 6/29/07 Eli, Jeff, Diane and I went out for the first time without children in 3 years! Yes.....3 years. We headed downtown and I had a GREAT time. I haven't been downtown in a while and it looks beautiful. I loved walking around Detroit. (Never thought I'd say that) We went out to dinner, went to the Tigers game (that I didn't pay that much attention to), and to the the bar after.

Here are the pictures.....Click on the album

Tigers Game 6/29/2007

*Yes I know this posting is really late, but I have had no spare time so excuse my tardiness!

Goodbye Cutie

So an update on our animal situation. The girls were given 2 hamsters two years ago, "Goody" and "Cutie". We lost one a couple of months ago because of a cage failure (meaning someone forgot to close it). With 4 cats in the house, I'm sure he didn't survive the night. Sunday night, "Cutie" died from old age. Erika was pretty upset. Olivia was just fascinated that blood was coming from his mouth and told Erika to "stop crying".
So last night, "the family" buried him in the garden of weeds by the shed in the back yard. Trying to dodge all the mosquito's, Eli and I tried to hurry up the funeral procession. Erika told us she needed some "private time" with Cutie. So we happily ran to the house. Yeah, rude, but again....the mosquito's, it was bad.
Here's a note she wrote to God and wants to but it by the grave...........

"Tittle: God wach out for my hamster. God I hope you wach over quty my hamster. I rilly injoyd having him in my family. I love him and I'll miss him. I'm glad he is in a beter plase."