Oh Wait, Snow Actually Exists

On Sunday, this foreign, white powdery substance gracefully started floating to the ground. As I freaked out for a moment, I realized that I probably looked like a oddball gawking at this phenomenon out of a window... in the middle of church. To most Seattleites, this cold, flaky goodness is no more than a nuance that makes driving near impossible because of the steep hills, and lack of snow plowing. But to me, this stuff is God's gift to those who are from the Gulf of Mexico. You probably know what happened... but I will tell you anyway. I EXPERIENCED SNOW FOR THE FIRST TIME!

Now, I know that you are screaming "Texas gets snow!!!!," but notice I said "experienced" not "saw." Yes, I have seen a few flakes of snow fall from the Texas skies, but they were so feeble in comparison. In Texas, snow falls but rarely sticks, and if it does stick, it turns into slush after a few minutes. I'm not saying that the snow in Seattle is three feet deep, but the few inches we did get turned the city into a winter wonderland. Snow completely covered the streets and buildings and gracefully rested on the branches of trees. I saw more than a few snowball fights happening in the many parks around where I live. And the blustery day called for some soup making... particularly this creamy white chicken chili. Soooooo amazing! Stop whatever you are doing and make it right now. Seriously.

Unfortunately all awesomely amazing fantastical things must come to an end. Right now, my roommate's feeble attempt to make a snowman on our balcony is the only sign of frozen water anywhere. The rest is now collecting in puddles. But before you feel sorry for me, the chance of snow over the next two days is 90-100%. I see more snow angels in my future.

The Awkward Moment When I Neglect This Blog for Four Months

Hey! Hey you over there! Yes, I'm talking to you! Do you feel like I have neglected you long enough?

I'm kind of sorry about my long leave of absence... but kind of not. Sometimes, doing something extra in your day on top of everything else just seems plain impossible. These past several months, I have had to push through several physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual pains, which is why i have been absent from my corner of the internet. While I will spare you the details (you can thank me later), I can truly say that I have fallen more deeply in love with dance, my family and friends, and most importantly Christ.

What has happened since I last left you:
-I started and completed Nutcracker season. Performing on a stage with PNB dancers and to a live orchestra was so sorreal. It was literally a dream come true.
-I spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with wonderful girls in the program who have become like my family over the past few months.
-In mid-December, my family traveled to Seattle to see me dance in the Nutcracker and spend some quality time with me in my new home.
-I got to go back to H-town for a ten day vacation after Christmas. I spent it reuniting with my friends and family (and my kitchen at home). It was truly a joy to be home again and relax.
-Came back to Seattle this past week and started classes and rehearsals again!

Now that you know the gist of what went down while I was absent, maybe if I spell out a day for you, you will feel like you heard about every day.

I usually get up around 7:00 am, spend a little bit of time on the internet while eating breakfast, and then actually decide to start moving. By the time I get ready, it is about 7:55 and I head over to the studio to get there by 8:00. After checking the schedule, I start stretching, trying to relieve the soreness and achiness out of my muscles from the day before. Then I move on to doing exercises; crunches, back extensions, planks, arms work, feet work, more abs, and hip exercises so that I'm warmed up. Sound excessive? Don't worry. I'm just getting started. Oh, and jamming to music helps this process. 

At about 9:15, I tape my toes (to prevent blisters.... although that doesn't always happen because i totally got a horrible blister a few days ago... New Skin is my savior) and stick on the blocks of wood covered in satin, affectionally known as pointe shoes, and finish stretching before class. When it is 9:30 on the dot, our teacher comes in for our technique class and we start with the usual plies. Even though I'm technically warm, my body still feels like a creaky door that is being pushed open, but that goes away in about ten minutes. In this class, we work on our technique. Think of it as like drills for a football player, we do these type of exercises everyday, but it is what makes you stronger as a dancer (although i personally think that dancing takes a lot more skill than sprinting or hitting other people... but then again, that is just my opinion). 

It is now 11:00 and we just finished grande allegro (the big jump stuff, for those who do not dance) in our first class, and as we thank the teacher we grab a swig of water, change pointe shoes if needed and head off to our next class which will be pointe, variations, modern, or pas de deux. In these classes, we build off of our technique that we work on in class to improve physically and artistically.

A little after noon, we take a break for lunch. Sometimes I have enough time to run home, but other times, I pack a lunch so that I will not feel rushed. This is also a perfect time to stretch some more, run up to the shoe room and grab pointe shoes (as well as sew them), and go over any choreography that we are rehearsing. But sometimes, a nap is needed and the carpeted floor becomes an opportune resting place.

After our break, we will either have another technique class, or rehearsal, depending on how close we are to a show. On average, we finish anywhere from 2 pm- 6pm... you just never know.

My evenings are usually spent cooking dinner and relaxing on the couch doing schoolwork or watching the food network. Then, the inner grandma in me gets tired and I crawl into bed around 9:30. Don't judge me. You try dancing all day!

Now that you know what happens every day, I think it is appropriate to say that almost none of my days are spelled out exactly like this. Sometimes we have random rehearsals that take over class time, or performances that are kind of a big deal and change the schedule completely. There have also been days where we have the morning or afternoon off for no apparent reason. But that is just a part of being a dancer. We like to keep things interesting. It keeps us on our toes... pun totally intended. 

71 degrees and no humidity

I would not trade this moment right now for anything in the world.

Location: Apartment rooftop

Time: 4:12pm

Weather: Sunny with a chance of a few wispy clouds

Music: Mumford and Sons

Drink of choice: Chai tea

Worries: When is the weather going to be like this again in SEATTLE?

If you ever get a chance like this, especially in on of the rainiest cites in the country, you have to take advantage of it because the only other way you can get vitamin D for the next five months is in the form of a pill.

This was our first FULL weekend in the apartment so in honor of that, we stayed busy all weekend. TECHNICALLY our weekend starts a little bit later in comparison to the normal college student’s. Because we have six days of class, my weekend (during a non-performance week) starts at 1:00 pm on Saturday. But it’s totally worth it. I get to read all of the Facebook statuses and tweets that describe their long nights of homework and studying. Thankfully, when I leave the ballet I only leave with achy muscles and sore feet.

Anyway, Saturday after dance was filled with grocery shopping, cleaning, and laundry. Sounds like a bummer? Don’t worry, though, I’m not a complete loser! We also had Wafflebration that night. This is basically a tradition where everyone in the PD program (professional division) at the ballet gets together and eats waffles for dinner. So all 38 of us squished into my friend Maddy’s tiny apartment and ate waffles, played Bananagrams, and had a dance party simultaneously. I am convinced that most ballerinas are fat kids trapped in skinny bodies. As for toppings for our waffles we had the classic butter and syrup as well as ice cream, Nutella, peanut butter, sprinkles, strawberries, bananas, Reses, M&Ms, whipped cream, raspberries, almonds, chocolate syrup, caramel, and chocolate chips. It was foodie heaven.  Not to mention it was so much fun to finally meet and talk to everyone outside of our “workplace”.

The next day was Nutcracker auditions. No, I did not have to audition, I just had to watch over, shush, pin numbers on, keep in line, redo hair of, 277 kids that did. While is was very tiring to play Simon Says (but we changed is to Clara Says in the spirit of Nutcracker) for the millionth time to keep a roomful of eight year olds entertained, it was neat to remember how I felt when I auditioned for Nutcracker for the first time at that age. It was then that I really figured out that I LOVED ballet. It was the first time I got to be a part of a production with all the lights, costumes, sets, dancers, and people. It was my first performance.

Well, I guess I’d better go inside, I think I have blinded people with my paleness long enough... 

Six boxes, two suitcases, and a whole bunch of Target runs later...

My roommate and I our now proud owners of a one bedroom apartment on the top floor on our building. It was kind of a downer when I out that we were the only dancers on our floor, until we realized that our floor on the elevator is labeled PH for penthouse and our front door is ten steps away from the rooftop. Now, I think our apartment is pretty sweet. I mean, how many people can say that their first apartment was a penthouse?

Ok... technically our apartment is the same size as the rest of the one bedroom-ers and their are two other apartments on our floor... but still, you have to admit that it's pretty cool.

This is just as you walk in the front door. The kitchen is on the right. Ahead is the living room. And to the left is the laundry/pantry hallway that leads to the bathroom.

This is the kitchen. Pretty self explanatory... It reminds me of a kitchen in an extended stay hotel... which i guess is kind of what an apartment is.

This is our awesome living room/eating area. We still need some decor to spruce it up.

Just in case you REALLY wanted to see a picture of a washer and dryer... I mean I know that these metal boxes are a completely new concept. 

Ze closet area. Yes, I did give you three pictures of the closet. Obviously I have my priorities straight. And yes, I know it kind of looks cluttered... But hey. DON'T JUDGE ME!

The wonderful bedroom and bathroom! We somehow color coordinated EVERYTHING without co-conspiring. It was meant to be.

This is our "back patio" view from the apartment. Pretty cool, huh?

It is so nice to be able to relax knowing that we are pretty much settled in. Minus a few packages that we are waiting on, we have our furniture, clothes, food, cable, and internet (hallelujah) all squared away. I know our walls are still kind of bare (did you really think we could fit any posters or pictures in our suitcases with all the pointe shoes in tow?) but if you have any cheap ideas please PLEASE tell me. White walls are kind of like vanilla ice cream without toppings: for a while it's ok, but then you just need some oomph in it to spice it up before you die of boredom. Ok maybe not THAT extreme.

Oh and I totally discovered last night that we get the Food Network channel in our free cable package. WIN!

So you wanted up update??? Be careful what you ask for...

Im tired.

Pre-writing and planning is out of the question.

My life over the past few days has been a whirlwind  torrential hurricane.
Sunday:
After packing into the wee hours of the morning the night before, and waking up early to go to church, we headed out to my brother's apartment in College Station for the Aggie football game and brought with us caramel filled brownies, molasses cookies, chips, and burgers... Aren't I such a sweet sister for making him (and his friends) dinner?? The next four hours consisted of yelling, cheering, standing, and sweating but the A&M pulled through with a victory. (Let's hope they can actually keep that going).
Monday:
Waking up early to frantically finish packing before heading to a crowded airport to leave my home for four and a half months. Bittersweet. 5 hours and three  a dozens of failed nap attempts, we were hauling our luggage to the curb. Then began the game of Tetris. We fit four people, six large suitcases, and 5 carry ons in a small car. It was not pretty. Let's just say that we were all sitting on at least one piece of luggage. Five minutes, four winding hallways, and one large luggage cart in tow, we finally found our room once we arrived at our hotel. Literally, it could not be a more poorly laid out hotel. We have been here for three days and we just now figured out how to get to our room without going into the wrong hallway. They should seriously tell their customers to bring bread crumbs. After an exhausting day, we went to bed at 8:30. In our credit it was 10:30 Houston time, but basically we might as well live in a retirement community.
Tuesday:
After begging our apartment to push up our move in day (it's now FRIDAY instead of Saturday.... not the desired outcome, but we will take what we can get), we walked up the famous Queen Anne hill. I have walked this hill numerous times but it still gives me a work out and leaves me winded when I reach the top. Why would we do this?? SHOPPING. Enough said. We had our orientation at the ballet later that afternoon, where we finally found out what was going to happen for the whole year and catch up with our friends from the break. It is so surreal to be dancing at one of the top ballet companies in the U.S. I feel so blessed and so fortunate to be here. After what felt like, again, a long day, we went to bed at 8:37. We are a real party crowd, can't you tell?
Wednesday:
OH MY GOSH WE FINALLY STARTED TODAY! Even though I felt like I was run over by a small truck after being off for three weeks, it was so nice to take class. After a quick lunch we headed downtown for a nice afternoon of shopping. This time, shoes were the only thing on my mind. Hunter rain boots to be exact. I can now officially splash in rain puddles. SCORE! We collapsed in our hotel after all the walking, and finally decided to go to dinner at Metropolitan Market. MM is an upscale grocery store with amazing soups, prepared meals, and the best salad bar. Basically out of the seven meals we have had in Seattle, we have eaten at MM for five of them. So what are the two other amazing restaurants that we have tried for the other two meals? That would be the complementary breakfast at the hotel... We are not ashamed to profess our love to MM. The checkers even recognize our faces. And as I'm writing this, I am soaking my feet in epsom salt and sewing my pointe shoes. I have another long day ahead!!!

It's a good thing I'm not lactose intolerant.

If you want to win me over, give me chocolate… or ice cream. But chocolate ice cream is like the icing on the cake, especially if it’s chocolate icing. At our house, both of these delectable foods are staples in our diet. We even joke that they are both vital food groups, and to me, they kind of are.

There is sometimes nothing better after a long day than to come home and grab a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked (delectable chocolate and vanilla ice creams with fudge brownies and gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough… so basically heaven in a container) and a spoon, skipping the step of putting in a bowl, and shoveling it into your mouth like there is no tomorrow. Classy, right? Don’t judge. I know that you have done the same thing.

To most people, a large stash of ice cream would be three, maybe even four, half gallons. If you came to our house, we would blow you out of the water.

Right now in our freezer we have:

·            1 half gallon of Blue Bell Dessert Trio

·            2 half gallons of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla

·            4 half gallons of Blue Bell Dutch Chocolate

·            1 half gallon of Blue Bell Summer Berries

·            1 half gallon of Blue Bell Cookies and Cream

·            1 half gallon of Blue Bell Mint Chocolate

·            2 pints of Starbucks Caramel Macchiato

·            Ice cream bars from Jamba Juice, Blue Bell, Skinny Cow, and Weight Watchers

As you can tell, we are well on our way to rivaling Baskin Robbins’ 31 flavor count. This might seem a bit excessive, but don’t worry, we will be stocking up on more the next time we go to the grocery store. In the ice cream department, we go big or go home. Or i guess in our case, we go big and then go home to put the ice cream in the freezer before it melts. 

So now you know two things about me: I am a dancer, and I have a serious sweet tooth. Sounds contradictory?? Trust me, it’s not. This is kind of my life.

Maybe I should go eat a salad…

 

Nahhhhh. Who are we kidding?

Packing Woes

Packing is frustrating.

I could end right there with an “amen” and get head nods all the way in the back of the peanut gallery, but since this is a BLOG I guess I should bore you with the details.

I thought packing for a five- week summer ballet intensive was hard, but packing for a whole year is another story. I have heard the college student’s packing woes, and all the stress that went into the late night packing before they took the hour and a half road trip in a Suburban with the rest of their family to move into a tiny dorm room about the size of a walk in closet. Don’t get me wrong, I feel bad for them, I really do, but my packing problems are in a whole other category. Now you are about to hear my woes.

Imagine packing for a cross-country move to a northern state where you have to take enough clothes to satisfy both a dancer’s and a normal person’s closet (think: bulky coats and rain boots), bedding, towels, toiletries, pointe shoes (7 pairs baby and more on the way), and a bunch of kitchen gadgets and cookware that you received for graduation But here is the catch, it all has to fit into two suitcases and be under 100 lbs. SAY WHAT?!?!? Yep, that’s right. I am moving to Seattle, Washington in 4 days from my humble abode in Houston, Texas to be in the Professional Division at the Pacific Northwest Ballet. The problem is, is that I have to move all of this stuff by myself via a 4 ½ hour plane ride because my parents can’t go with me and a 39 hour road trip is not in my near future. And since I only have two arms and airline companies will charge you both of them for overweight bags, I have to have limits… very tight limits at that. Oh, and its not like my parents can make the small 2,346 mile trek every other weekend to drop off anything I forgot. As you can probably imagine, I am stressed to the max.

I guess I could be exaggerating a wee bit, since my awesome roommate, Alyssa, and her mom are flying up with me, but they are going to have enough bags to worry about as is. Plus I do get to ship up a box or two, but the postal service is still charging me my arm to do so. As you can tell, instead of cramming 25 sweaters into a space saving vacuum bag, I am complaining to you.

Will anyone be willing to pack for me?

Please?

I will love you forever...

and make you cookies.

See, doesn't this look like so much fun???