Well, the week started out busy and stressful, and tested my faith, but the last couple days were inspiring! Even though the pro-am journey can feel very lonely, I was reminded that I still have amazing support around me.
Tag: practice
Interview: Elizabeth Thomson and Nicholas Barkley, From Boots to Bling
In my continued effort to bring you stories from other ballroom dancers besides me, I’m happy to introduce you to an American Smooth amateur couple, Elizabeth Thomson and Nicholas Barkley. They have backgrounds that you would not expect to find in ballroom and share an important message. This month, we get to learn how they got started in ballroom and formed their new partnership.
Post-Comp Lesson and Planning Through Fear
As promised, I’m returning to share the details of my first post-Beach Bash lesson and my plans for what’s next. I would have normally had my lesson on Friday, the day after we competed (no, I wasn’t going to take the day off), but Teacher asked if I would move to Saturday so he could fit in other students’ lessons he had to cancel on Thursday. No problem, I’ve been there! So I took the opportunity on Friday to go out to a celebratory dinner instead (if I have to take a break, it may as well include delicious food!).
Spoiled
I was straight-up spoiled this past week! I danced four nights and saw the Dancing with the Stars Live show on the fifth night. And that was after a whole day of ballroom training at the Smooth Camp last Saturday. Yes indeed, I was spoiled.
The Return of the California Living Dead
It’s been two weeks since my last post?? Man, time sure flies when you’re sick and travelling. I’ve been feeling guilty about not dropping in to say hello and give you an update on the Girl with the Tree Tattoo. I hope you’ll forgive me for my absence. Here’s what’s been going on.
A Sunday Morning Waltz
It’s been two and a half weeks since my last dance lesson, which was also the last time I danced ballroom at all. Being busy with other things, like driving across country, Thanksgiving, blog- and book-related work, and the day job (yes, still working the day job!), has helped keep the withdrawal symptoms tolerable. The Zumba game has helped too; I think it’s going to be my ticket to avoiding too much holiday weight gain in the next month. But finally, this morning, I broke out my ballroom practice shoes.
Settling In and Road Trip Reflections
Hello from Pennsylvania!
I hope all of my American readers had a lovely Thanksgiving. I got to see a lot of family that I haven’t seen in a long time, so that was nice. And yes, I ATE! We’re still eating turkey leftovers. Turkey on salad, turkey quiche, turkey omelets, turkey noodle soup…you have to get creative with the leftovers! What’s your favorite version of leftover Thanksgiving?
Into the Ballroom Desert
I’ve mentioned that I am going on a road trip soon. My boys and I will be driving across the country to stay with family in eastern Pennsylvania for a couple months. Three and a half days in a car with only two dogs for company! For some reason, a lot of people think I’m nuts. I say it’ll be an adventure and will probably give me a couple good blog posts.
Things I Learned From Watching My Practice Videos
If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may have seen that I posted a few videos yesterday. If not, the links are on the side bar. Go check them out! I’ll wait.
Stuck in a Bog of Uncertainty
A few days ago, Dance Advantage posted an article titled 7 Things To Remember In Phases Of Uncertainty In Your Dance Life. The seven things are nothing earth-shattering, but they are excellent reminders. I think I’ve written about all of them myself in past posts. Which got me thinking…
What do you do when you know all these things and you do your best to practice them, but you’re still struggling? Sure, you know “this too shall past,” but does that really help you in the here and now?
The Girl with the Tree Tattoo 