Lindsay Dawn

adorable!

2010-07-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

So You Think You Can Dance has started again and here is one of my favorite routines so far...it is so stinking adorable I could die :)

lauren billy 7 @ Yahoo! Video

how much time?

2010-05-27T20:30:00.001-07:00

Wanna know how much time has past since you last saw me? just think back to how you last remembered my hair and how short it was...now take a look at the photo :) that is how much time.

I have gotten one trim since i moved to Cali, it is almost touching my shoulders and I can now put my hair in a pony tail. My hair hasn't been this long in 3 years. amazing how time flys..or in this case grows :) :)

Birthday...The Big 25!

2010-04-14T16:01:00.000-07:00

A Quarter of a century old...the big 25 I finally made it. I am no longer in the early 20 category, I am now MID 20's.....but it was celebrated with style. I showed up to work to find balloons, cupcakes and princess Tiaras. It was such a surprise.

My co-workers are very fond of nicknames. Mine is ...Cha Cha ...which I love :)

no matter how old I get, I will never be grown up enough to not love the Princesses

I was able to get off work early and get paid for the hours I wasn't there as a gift from the office, and it will be followed up tonight with Yogurt land, my new favorite frozen yogurt place. A big birthday bash will be held to celebrate mine and a couple of my friends birthdays on Saturday, so more photos to come then :)
Thanks to all my friends and family for the happy birthday wishes and all the wonderful gifts. 25 years have been made awesome because of you :)

City Lights Ball

2010-02-02T17:25:00.000-08:00

So I had my first Dance Competition with The Bay Area Elite on Friday, and it was such a rush to be back in the competition scene. We danced three numbers A Tango Showpiece, A Latin Medley and a Standard Medley I was able to dance in the Tango and Latin and those two routines placed first and second! and our Standard medley took 3rd. It was such a great feeling to sweep the competition. Now we are working hard for our DisneyLand tour, where we will compete against BYU and perform in the park.

Desiree and the three trophies of the night :)

Had to get a pic of me and all my dance partners. My first comp in over 5 years, couldnt have done it without them :)

Castle Rock

2010-02-02T17:03:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday I went on a really fun double date to a place called Castle Rock. It is this awesome rock formation that appears out of no where in the middle of the trees. We had a lot of fun climbing around the rocks.

Me and My date Luke
(I have been practicing the "hold the camera at arms length and get a shot of you and friend" trick, i still need some practice but these came out ok )

Me and Mike

Ashley and I (with Mike poking his head into the pic)

The Boys made it to the top, the rocks were to slippery for Ashley and I. Next time I'll make it to the top :)

if you could be a cartoon

2010-01-05T00:49:00.001-08:00

I thought I would finally post this to my blog, a good friend of mine Mike Lugaresi is an awesome comic artist and was awesome enough to sketch me :)

check out his great comic series about working in a bookstore (which I love because I worked at one for awhile ) at http://www.krrobar.com/ and click on the bookseller link.

Happy New Year

2010-01-03T16:13:00.001-08:00

For New Years Eve, I received and awesome treat from my best friend Desiree and her awesome husband Charles. I was expecting to enjoy a nice dinner with them but when I called to let them know I was done with work I was told there was a change of plans and to pack a swimsuit, dinner attire, and overnight gear. So I raced home and got all packed up and 45 minutes later we pulled up to a beach house in Aptos California. Charles' Aunt owns the beach house and it was available to us for new years. So we got settled in and went to a nice restaurant then after dinner we walked down with blankets and Martinellis to the private beach. The full moon was out and it was actually quit warm so we found a spot next to the breaking waves, started a fire and enjoyed the next hour till we screamed out the final 10 seconds and toasted in the new year watching fire works over Santa Cruz. I cant think of a better way to end an eventful year and start a new one than with my best friends and Gods wonders around me. I didn't get a lot of pictures cause my battery died but I got a few. (mostly of our feet for some reason I was obsessed with getting our feet pictured :) )

Christmas Time

2009-12-26T16:33:00.001-08:00

I was really lucky to be able to make it home for Christmas this year. We were worried for awhile that with the move and the new job I would have to choose between Thanksgiving and Christmas, But with a little bit of luck and some blessings from God I made it home for both. Christmas was a real success this year, I got to spend time with my family, including both Grandparents, See an awesome new movie, and my parents spoiled me with some awesome gifts. I am now the proud owner of a new hand held digital camera, a nikon cool pix, and an Ipod Touch. I also got some new "comfy" shoes and hats and gloves, and....A SNUGGY :) since those came out my parents and I have teased that we should get some, and Santa must have heard us cause we are the proud owners of Snuggies. Here are some Photos (from my new camera and my mom's, she got the same kind I did)

My sweet Tess

Beautiful Bailey all tuckered out from the present opening

Say Cheese

Kindra and Lee showing off their gifts

Grandma got a new warm and fuzzy house coat to stay wrapped up and comfortable in

Grandpa got a new clock for his wall

The Bay Area Elite Holiday Party

2009-12-22T16:13:00.000-08:00

We got together as a team to celbrate the holidays, it was so much fun, we all brought a food dish that was a traditional staple in our house, so the meal was great, everything from pumpkin pie to lasagna to Chinese dishes. We ate, laughed and then had a gift exchange. Then Desiree gave everyone on the team a new team jacket. So much fun with some of my favorite people in the world.

Our First Performance The Season

2009-12-22T15:53:00.000-08:00

December 18th was my dance teams first performance of the season. It was at a local studio and we performed 3 numbers including our new Viennese Waltz. I was an alternate for the performance so I was able to watch them dance and get some pictures. They totally rocked the performance, it was a great start to the season. I am excited for my first performance on the 8th of January. It will be my first performance in almost 5 years, I cant wait.

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

2009-12-22T15:40:00.000-08:00

Steve got to dress up as Santa for his work and was kind enough to throw it on the night before for us to see him and have some fun. I had to pull the photos from facebook so they came onto my blog a little poor quality or really small so forgive me, but i wanted to share in the Santa fun :)

Coming To A Blog Near You

2009-12-19T15:21:00.000-08:00

So I have been slacking on the Blog Front, but soon to come....

A visit from Santa
Pictures from our first performance of the season
and Christmas party fun

Stay tuned :)

Service

2009-12-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

So yesterday at work, Dr. Ross' son came by to tell us about the service organization that he works for and how the Dr's at my office and us can help. It was a really touching presentation. Basically what he and this group do is travel to India and Africa and find locals who are in the process of providing reliefe and aid to children who are starving, sick, and not getting the education the deserve simply because the cannot afford the 10 dollar uniform to go to school. Once they find these local efforts they do what they can to help them help more. So with resources from american businesses and people thousands of kids are recieving food and medical attention and schooling. it is really close to the commercials you see on t.v. " for only 30 cents a day..." but getting to ask questions to Jim and having him tell us that all the proceeds go straight to the child and not fundraising and stuff like that was comforting. So in the end Stacey (my co-worker) and I decided to split the 30 dollar a month cost to "adopt" a child. It was nice to share the cost (because i am struggling too like most of us) but the feeling of budgeting a simple 15 dollars a month to provide food and education to this little boy was even better. I also talked to Jim about the trips they take, I am extremely interested in visiting these countries with this group to help out. The office I work for is also considering taking a medical trip to help with the vision part of things in the next year, and I would love to be a part of that too. It seemed to be such perfect timing, I was looking for volunteer opportunities, something to get me out and helping at least the community and then this came, it would feed my desire to travel and help people in need. I am excited to receive letters from Massquoi ( the little boy in Africa) and to possibly join a group to volunteer.

halloween day preview

2009-11-02T17:44:00.001-08:00

I still have a lot of editing to do on the pictures I took on Halloween day, but here is a preview...

Rainbow

2009-10-23T22:15:00.000-07:00

While I was at home in Utah it rained really hard, after it stopped and the sun came out the brightest rainbow I have ever seen appeared, it even was a double one for a moment. I am so glad I had my camera in hand to capture it.

The Deeper Side Of Me

2009-10-22T09:19:00.001-07:00

So I have never been one to share my personal/spiritual side on my blog, I have kept it to the light every day stuff, however after a couple of weeks of some amazing experiences I feel compelled to share in a way my testimony of God's power in my life. As I am sure most all of you know I moved to California recently to seek a change of life, and seek more opportunities for myself. Not too long after I got here it seemed as though God opened the heavens and rained blessing down upon me. I found an apartment with amazing rent, I got a job with the pay and hours I was looking for, and I get to dance again and many more personal realizations that have come to my mind and heart since I have been here. I was aware that they were blessing but until conference and my visit back home for my Nieces blessing I didnt realize that not only were they blessing but true gifts send from a heavenly father that has a plan for me and is preparing me to succeed in this often tough earthly life.

Each Conference talk felt like it was prepaired just for my heart, with advice on how to increase my awareness of personal revelation, receiving answers to my prayers, and feeling God lead me to the correct paths in life. Since I made the decision to move I have craved the gift that I see others have of the confidence in recieving answers to my prayers and personal revelation. Being here mostly on my own there are so many paths I could take in so many directions and to have a "map" to those things seems priceless. I hope to cultivate this talent and grow closer to my Heavenly Father in the process.

My trip to Utah opened my eyes once more to the Love our Heavenly Father has for me. The minute my feet touched Utah soil I releazied that I was home sick, I hadnt felt an incling of it in California (another blessing) But the minute I was around my family, I instantly felt so sad to be leaving them again. Being around them I had an "aha" moment, I always knew I loved my family, but I learned during my trip how much I love and rely on them. I am finally old enough that some of the age difference between me and my siblings doesn't matter so much any more and we continue to grow closer as that happens. We can all relate on some level of experience and life. And I rely on their advice and support and love so much, I don't know how I could do it without any of them ( blood relative or in law), if even one of them was missing in my life, it would not be complete. The greatest blessing my life has been the family that I was given on this earth. The love that is in our family amazes me. And the absolute knowledge I have that we will be together forever makes me smile every time my thoughts turn that direction.

The best experience of the week was the baby blessing. To make the story short, during the blessing my brother in law Kolby felt so impressed upon by the spirit to honor my grandmother and change Elizabeths middle name from Grace, to Lenore, my grandmothers first name. No one knew it was going to happen, and the spirit was so palpable in the room I couldnt deny that God was around us and happy with this gathering of family and this new famliy member Elizabeth. It only continued when I got to hear Alison and Kolby's testimonies. I dont get to hear these a lot from family members (due to the females propensity to cry like babies :) me included) I know each one has a testimony, but to hear it is an amazing thing. I also got to spend more time talking with my grandmother as we all settled in to some delicous food. Each time I get to talk with her and see her has become more and more precious. She is an amazing woman and Elizabeth has an amazing name sake (both in her first name, Kolby's grandma, and in her middle).
I know I have taken up a lot of your time already but I hope that if you have made it this far (especially family) that you will bear with me a moment longer. I want to announce to the world (or to as many that read this blog) That I believe in God, I know that his church is on the earth today, and that Joseph Smith was and is a true prophet of God. The Book of Mormon is a true testiment, and filled with so much wonderful advice and principles of Gods teachings. God is aware of our lives on this earth, he knows us loves us and has given us everything we need to succeed. he feels our pain, and celebrates with us in our joys. He has a plan for us and if we are in tune with him he will lead us along that path. In my life he blessed me with family to aid in that journey and I hope to tell each of them here today what they mean to me.

Mom:
Each day we grow closer and I learn something new from you, and you continue to become my best friend.Each moment we spend together gives way to laughter and often a new funny story. Even running errands with you is so much fun. Your wisdom and love are crucial in my life, and I strive to become the woman, wife and mother that you are. I Love you!

Dad:
You are an inspiration in my life, you have taught me to find the beauty in Gods creations through photography and my own eyes. Your belief in my abilities helps me feel confident in them myself. I love being witness to your sense of humor and I love your goofy side, as well as your strong side, your quiet strength and love fuels this family. I hope my future husband is just half the husband and father you are. I Love you!

Shelly:
out of all the sibling I think our age difference has been the hardest, not until recently have I felt us become connected, but what a wonderful time to feel that. The example you set as a mother, that can simultaneously live for her children lives and lead her own is amazing. You continue to cultivate your own talents in the midst of supporting the talents of your family. I love getting to know you better and become your friend along side being your sister. I Love You!

Adam:
You have known me almost as long as my own parents, and I have always felt protected by you. I love seeing your natural spirituality and propensity for protecting all those you love. I know that should I need anything you would be there in a heart beat. I love hearing your ideas on life andand seeing your passion for your hobbies and the talents and hobbies of your kids. Going on outings and adventures with you is a highlight for me. I Love You!

AJ and Mike:
You are both becoming such talented handsom young men. I love spending time with you and love watching you two grow up and learn and grow in your own talents and strenghts. You two are the only ones younger than me in the family that I can relate to in your stages of life, you have such amazing journys ahead of you and I want you both to know that I am here for you any time you need it. You are amazing individuals and you both know how to make me smile and laugh. I Love You Both!

Kindra:
The strength that you have had in your life has been an example to me, if I can but emmenate that strenght in my own I will succeed. I love talking to you, laughing with you, and being around you. I am so excited to see where Gods plan will take you and Lee, we are both on the brink of a new chapter of life, and I love sharing that "moment" in time with you, where we are both searching and hoping for something better. Your natural happy personality is a wonderful thing. I Love You!

Lee:
I know we had a rocky start :) but as I have grown up you have taken me under your wing, and I couldnt be more gratful for that. Just like Adam I feel so protected by you. I am blessed to witness the love that you have for my sister, and it is an example to me of the kind of man I should look for in my life. Your honesty and hugs have touched my life tremendously. I Love You!

Alison:
Being the sister directly above me I have always looked up to you, and after hearing your testimony I only do so more. Your strength in the gospel and natural talent as a mother is inspirational. Every time you are in town I wish you were closer all the time, I love hearing about your new ventures in life and what you are learning about. Your example pushes me to learn as much as a can about the world around me and about the church that I love, and to push myself to new and more challenging things in life. I Love You!

Kolby:
Just like Shelly I feel that our connection together is just starting, and I am so excited for that. Hearing your testimony made me feel closer to you, and I am gratful for that. I love watching you soak up any new information that is available, just like Ali you are constatntly seeking to improve your mind and talents, and that is a big example for me. Watching you work hard to achieve your goals and rely on the Lord and love of family is a testament to the idea that you can achieve anything you want in life. I Love You

Jaxson, Emma, and Elizabeth:
I know you are still too young to understand most of this but your parents will. :) You guys are so young and full of life and love. I love your hugs and kisses and 'I Love You's" Watching you grow up in the gospel and with the light of christ in your eyes is so fun for me. I love watching your personality grow and develop, it is so exciting to watch as each of you start to show your talents and gifts. I cant wait to see where those take you in life, and as you grow older I look forward to the same relationship I have with AJ and Mike, able to hang out and talk and enjoy a relationship that is both family and friend. I Love you all!

I know I have taken a lot of your time, but I couldnt stop this feeling in my heart to share my love with all of you and to give the glory of all of our success and love back to God, thank you for bearing with me.

I Love you all!

My California To Do List

2009-09-25T14:03:00.001-07:00

So one thing that is really great about California is that there is so much to do. Lots of museums, parks, monuments etc. So I have created a to do list, or more of a see and experience lists. Here are some of the things I want to do.

Visit the Winchester mystery house
Spend lots of time in San Fran ( I only got one day last time, and there is still a lot to see icluding..visit the De Young museum, and Ride a cable car)
Visit Google campus
Visit Yahoo headquarters
Photograph on Stanford campus
eat at the Fleur De ly in San Fran (the restaurant of one of the top chef masters chef's)
Get an awesome shot of the Golden Gate Bridge
take a tour of NASA

so there is some of my list, I am sure it will grow the more I find out about things to do in the Bay Area. And I have actually crossed off one of those things today. Today I had lunch with Desiree and our friend Miriam at Yahoo. Miriam is the head of marketing at Yahoo and she invited us down. It is like a college campus tons of huge buildings and even a gift store! they have cool purple chairs and and their conference rooms have names like candy land and chutes and ladders. It was so much fun. I even bought a purple water bottle that has Yahoo written on it. I didn't get any pictures (the one above is from the internet) because it was last minute and I don't think they would have allowed it, they are about to launch a huge new campaign on Monday, and it might have looked fishy to be snapping pictures. So keep your eyes out for the new Yahoo, it is going to be big! and I cant wait to cross of more of my to do list :)

Heaven and Hell

2009-09-25T13:36:00.000-07:00

Throughout our life's we are taught concepts of Heaven and Hell, one is a beautiful place filled with love, family, friends, and in my version chocolate covered strawberry's.

and Hell is fire and brimstone and never ending misery.

Well I have something to add on the Hell side of things. My version goes something like this. In this place there is a room, this room is purposely placed at 110 degrees, and you are told by a minion of Satan to place your bodies in increasingly harder and stranger positions to stretch different parts of your body, you sweat from every pour where it then proceeds to drip off of your face your hands, your legs any place you can think of, and you are near the point of passing out on more than one occasion. Then after 90-110 minutes of that you get to go back to your cell and eat nothing but cucumbers, cheese, and eggs. This ladies and gentlemen is the Hell they don't tell you about. This is the hell I am currently experiencing... well...ok...

So maybe it isn't so much hell as really hard and it does have it's benefits. I am talking about my new diet and exercise program that Desiree and I are currently undergoing. It entails 3 days a week workouts, no sugar at all for the first two weeks, and no complex carbs to no carbs at all. In one more week we will be able to add on complex carbs, whole wheat bread, fruits stuff like that, while still avoiding refined sugar. and the 110 degree room, well that was my first experience with Yoga, a version called Bikram Yoga, it is done in such heat to simulate India and to help with the cleansing process. That 110 minutes was the hardest thing so far. I have never been near blacking out during a workout like at that one. I dont know if I will be joining another yoga class yet, I don't think it is quiet my thing but we will see.
So far the benefits are showing, we are one week in and I am 5 pounds down. Desiree helps me with the exercise and I help her with the Diet, and we are doing it together. It is really great to have a friend who knows this stuff and can explain it in ways that make sense. We will see how this goes and I will throw and update your way at the end of week two.

Jeepin!

2009-09-08T12:54:00.000-07:00

The other day my family and I jumped into our jeeps and hit the trail. We started out in American Fork Canyon and continued up over the mountain and ended up finishing in Provo canyon and Heber. We stopped for some yummy lunch and headed home. There is nothing like the wind and dust in your hair and the smell of the aspens.

My New Blogs

2009-08-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

So I have decided it is time to be brave and start offering my photo services on a more "professional" Level. So I have created Lindsay Dawn Photography. I want to specialize in special events photography and dance photography. I love capturing candid moments of people and dancers. Give people the opportunity to live their moment instead of watching through a view finder and still have the photos to remember it by. So check out my two new blogs and spread the word. I am currently trying to build my portfolio and offering my services free. So if you want some photos of your event or family photos done in a fun new way let me know :)

lindsaydawnphotography.blogspot.com

LDP-dance.blogspot.com

Hogel Zoo

2009-08-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

My Family and I had heard news that the Hogel Zoo had some new arrivals, a baby giraffe and a baby snow leopard. So We jumped in the car today and headed to the zoo. We hadn't been in a long time and I was real excited to get out in the cool air and see some animals.

This Bear was so funny, he just propped himself on his back-end and enjoyed a little meditation :)

This is a Madagascar Lemur, he was very curious about every one that walked past him. This is a picture of him watching my dad.

This Orangutan was so cool. We were some of the first visitors to him that day and he climbed on over to pose for us. His name was Eli. He was HUGE! I was so glad that the pictures worked through the glass.

This Little Snow Leopard cub was one of my favorites! He was enjoying some play time with a log while is mom slept on. He was so adorable! This will probably sound cheesy but it was really cool to be so close to something so rare, these leopards are so endangered and rarely even seen, so it was super cool for me ( a big animal lover) to see one so young and so close up.

This Little Giraffe was so sleepy that he could barley even hold his long neck up. He was just a tangle of legs and neck as he was all curled up in the sun. I wish he would have stood up so we could see him walk around but it was ok because he was just so cute all curled up and asleep.

He eventually readjusted himself and I got this shot. I love his little teeth :)

All in all we had a great time at the zoo, enjoying all the animals and babies that were around. The zoo has changed since I went as a school kid, but in a good way. They have spent a lot of time redecorating and renovating for better exhibits for the animals. oh and I cant forget the most fearsome and respected animal of all.......

The Father :)

Thanks fam for a great day at the zoo :)

Bear Lake

2009-07-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

This last week my family and I rented a condo up at Bear Lake and spent a whole week soaking up the sun, and playing on the beach and in the water. We had such a blast! we made a sand sculpture of a turtle, rented a jet ski for a day and spent time out on the big lawn area playing games, and even got in a round of mini golf. It was so nice to get back up there and spend some time with the fam. I have a lot of memories of bear lake and it is always a place I will love to vacation to.

Portfolio

2009-06-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

So I have been encouraged by several people to make a portfolio of my photography, and since I have to save up to get some nice prints made, I thought I would make an online portfolio of some of my favorite work.

The First Photo I took With My New Camera

Members of the Bay Area Elite Ballroom Dance Team

Crockers Angel at Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland California

Salt Lake City, Temple Square

My Beautiful Dog Bailey

Antique Cash Register

Hawk waiting for a meal

A Gaggle of Geese

My Disney Adventure

2009-06-12T18:02:00.001-07:00

So the pictures are finally here from my Disneyland trip with Desiree'. I love Disneyland!!!!! We had so much fun. We got our Bibidi Bobbidi Boutique makeovers, we had photographers all over Disney offering to take our photos, and we got VIP seating to the parade. every second of our trip was perfect! here are some of the highlights of our trip; pin trading, tower of terror twice in a row, window shopping (Disney has beautiful artwork), real shopping, the dance party parade, and just the awesome people we met and being with Des in the most magical place on earth :)

This one here was taken at the start of the Disney Pixar Parade at California Disney
This one was right after our princess makeovers were done and they revealed our looks in the Cinderella mirror

California Roses

2009-06-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the Roses I came across during my trip to California.

A Private Tour Of Alcatraz.

2009-05-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Desiree and I spent the day in San Francisco. We made plans for Alcatraz Island, Ghirardelli Square, Pier 39, all sorts of stuff. In the end though we ended up spending half our day on Alcatraz because of a once in a life time opportunity that presented itself. Let me start from the Beginning. I was really excited to go to Alcatraz simply because it is a really cool historical monument, but the experience was heightend because I was able to go with Desiree, who is a decendant of Al Capone, She is his Great Neice. So her Great Grandfather Angelo and Al Capone were brothers. Desiree is the first of her immediate family to come visit Alcatraz where Al was held for 5 years. Being with her on a historic day in her and her family's life was so cool. As we reach the island we decided to take the audio tour. It was very informative and had narrators that were prison guards and prisoners. At the end we both made a comment that it didnt say much about Al Capone though. So we asked a staff member which cells were his and he pointed them out for us. We could have left very happy and said we had a great experience, however things were about to become even better. As we were walking through the recreation yard, I made comment to Des that I bet if she were to write a letter to the park they would grant her and her family some sort of private tour. She thought that sounded really cool and put in her "to do" list for some future date. It was then that I noticed a couple park rangers, so we walked up to them to ask them how to go about getting more info on Al Capone's stay and if a private tour would be possible. She was very excited and proceeded to lead us to two of the most expeirenced rangers on the Island; who then proceeded to grant Desiree and I a private tour right then and there. We spent probably 2 hours with these tour guides, getting inside stories and more facts than I could take in. We were lead past at least 6 or 7 "restricted area" signs and taken to places that the general public has either not been allowed in for years, or never been taken to! We started by going down into the "dungeons" were they had 4 solotary confinment cells, one of which Al capone was kept for 9 days. This place was so old we had to wear hard hats. They lead us into one of these cave like rooms and they shut off the lights for us to get a feel for what the prisoners experienced. We got to see orignial cell doors from the 1912's also. Next we were taken up to the second floor of the jail cells. Desiree was allowed to open Al Capone's Cell door and we were allowed inside. At one point they locked Desiree inside his cell as we carried on a conversation. People on the ground floor enjoying their audio tour actually paused their tour to look up and see what we were doing. They had a look on their face like "how do I get up there?, Why are they so special?" :) after that we were lead to the Hospital, and Infirmary. This is were the Psych ward and injured were kept. There were a lot of original things up here, you could even smell the Fermaldihyde in the Pharmacy room. We saw an X-ray room and Operating room. and the room where "the Bird Man of Alcatraz" was held ( he was literally crazy and had to be kept up here by himself) and the 6 main hospital rooms where 2 to "room" with bars were kept. This is were Al spent 3 of his 5 years while at Alcatraz. He had Syphillis that took over his brain functions. He was also in serveral attacks from other prisoners, even being stabbed once in the back, with some Barbors sisscors ( we also go to see the exact spot where that happend too). Over all these two rangers, Ranger John, and Ranger Al, Pulled out all the stops for us. They answerd any question, and treated Des like a celebrity, I just got to reep the benifits of her having a famous ancestor. I Still cant belive what a blessing Yesterday was, To be treated to a behind the scenes tour of a famous historical monument is something that doesnt happen every day, or in every life time. I feel so grateful to those Rangers and to Desiree and to our Heavenly Father for blessing me with this Dream Come True

Photo From The Hospital

Escape From Alcatraz

Des In Al Capone's Cell

Giants and Angels, ( no not the sports teams :) )

2009-05-07T11:17:00.000-07:00

The past two days I have had the opportunity to get out on my own and explore California and Nature. On Tuesday I woke up at early and made my drive to Marin County ( about 12 miles north of San Fran) and went to the Muir Woods to see the Giant Red Woods. As I was driving I could not believe the fog that was around me. I knew it got foggy around here but this was crazy, It was so foggy It took my a minute to realize I was driving over the Golden Gate bridge, I couldn't see the ocean or anything. But I finally made it and spent my morning in the rain (or really heavy mist) walking amongst the tallest trees I have ever seen. These trees are about 800 years old! It was just warm enough that being in the wet was actually kind of fun. I had a hard time photographing the height of the trees so I focused more on the things that caught my eye, the little things, or the fallen trees.

A Banana Slug

Look close to find the snail peaking his head out

The Next day I headed out to Oakland to visit the Mountain View Cemetery, For some reason I love to spend time in old historical cemetery's, and I think this one ranks in at number two after Gettysburg. This cemetery was so beautiful set amongst the hills and palm trees. It was so green, and the overcast day made it perfect for photographs. This is definantly one place I could visit again and again. I took over 200 pictures but I wont subject you to all of them, so here a few of my favorites, there are more posted on My family photo blog, nielsenfamilyphotos.blogspot.com

My favorite things were the angels on the headstones. This first one is called Crocker's Angel, I was lucky to find some discarded plastic flowers in the middle of the road so I took them to add to some of my photos.

Week One In California

2009-05-04T11:32:00.001-07:00

Well my first week has come and gone and it was a busy one. Desiree had lots to get done in preparation for the Emerald Ball competition so I got straight to work helping her out. She took my by each of the studios she works for and introduced me to her team. They are all really nice people and are really talented for dancing only a year at the most for some of them. After a few days of getting acclimated to the area we packed up and left for LA for the competition. It was so much fun to see a Professional competition, I have never seen pro's compete before. And I also had my "Star" moments. Cheryl Burk and her partner Gill, and Tony and Melissa from Dancing with the Stars came by the comp to check it out. Also Desiree's Team took first place winning the biggest trophy and title of western regional champions. During a free day of the comp a bunch of the team members and I went to the Santa Monica pier, we rode rides, ate lots of good food, and walked around the beach to get the sand in between our toes. So, so far it has been a fun trip, I do miss home a lot but I am getting in as much sight seeing and fun to make my trip worth while. I am getting excited as I plan my trips to the Zoo, Golden Gate Park, Alcatraz and the Red woods. I am hoping to come home with a lot of photos to share. Here are some photos from LA.

Santa Monica Pier
Melissa and Tony from Dancing with the Stars
Andrey from the Team playing in the ocean
Desiree in a fantastic hat
Us on a tidal wave ride
Some of the members of the Bay Area Elite

You can check out more of my photos of the Santa Monica Pier on my family Photography Web Site nielsenfamilyphotos.blogspot.com

Flo is taking me on a trip

2009-04-20T17:37:00.000-07:00

So I have recently discovered something amazing. It is this extremely soothing, comforting voice that tells me how to get where I am going. It suggest wonderful places to go and keeps me on the right path. It is almost as if the Holy Ghost has a sister and God placed her inside this wonderful box and sent her to this earth to keep me from getting lost while driving. I have named her Flo, and she is my brand new GPS system. And I Love Her! :)

Now the reason I bought her is probably bigger than the news of actually having her as a part of my car now. In 6 days I am going to pack up my car, hit play on my Ipod and set Flo's destination to San Francisco CA. Well Sunnyvale CA to be exact. I am going to do this because I will be living there for 6 weeks. I am having my self an adventure, an escapade, a getaway. But whatever you call it (mom calls it running away from home) I am going. I am really excited to get out there and see what a different part of the world has to offer. I am going to be filling my time with lots of site seeing, taking photos, reading, a trip to Disneyland, and of course lots of Ballroom. I am going to be helping my friend Desiree ,with whom I will be staying, with her Ballroom team, the Bay Area Elite. We will be going to LA for a competition, showcasing all their hard work with a concert and having a end of year social. We will also get to attend the grand opening of Cheryl Burk's (from dancing with the stars) studios. It will be my first star studded event Access Hollywood, famouse people and all . So wish my luck, and keep me in your prayers, and I promise to keep this blog filled with pictures from Bay Area :)

The Essence of Bailey

2009-04-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

So I have tried and tried to come up with a some great poem or thought to accompany this photo and I am really struggling, so I thought I would let some one else do the speaking. I am going to keep trying my hand at a poem, I can only pull off a few decent ones a year so hopefully the one that will someday accompany this photo will be one of them, in the mean time I found the poem that is written below the photos. The few words of my own that I want to add are that I was lucky to get this picture of our Dog Bailey this is how she spends most of her time, looking out the window constantly watching over her family protecting them. I think this photo captures her personality so well. I cant decide which one I like better the Black and White or color, so I posted both.

When God made the earth and sky,
The flowers and the trees,
He then made all the animals
And all the birds and bees,
And When his work was finished
Not one was quite the same.
He said, "I'll walk this earth of mine
And give each a name."
And so he traveled land and sea
And everywhere he went
A little creature followed Him
Until its strength was spent.
When all were named upon the earth
And in the sky and sea,
The little creature said," Dear Lord,
There is not one left for me."
The Father smiled and softly said
"I've left you to the end.
I've turned my own name back to front
And call you Dog, my friend."
~~~unknown

Temple Square on Easter Sunday

2009-04-15T21:15:00.000-07:00

On Easter Sunday my family and I took a trip to Temple Square to enjoy the beauty of the flowers and take in Gods wonderful creations. The Cherry Blossoms were my favorite, their gentle soft petals make me stop in awe and amazement. Here are some of the photo's I was able to take, though they only portray half of the true beauty of the day.

The Mischief of Animals

2009-04-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

So Everyone knows of the fairy tale that when you leave a room all the dolls come to life and play until you come back and no one is quick enough to catch them at it. Well I think some times our animals get at the same thing, getting into trouble and mischief when we aren't looking. Only our Animals are never quiet quick or sometime smart enough to not get caught. In Kindras case it is usually a phone book scattered across her kitchen and for us it is a huge whole in the wall in Tess' room. And now for the first time I have proof that Dogs get into all sorts of escapades while we aren't looking. Here is physical evidence, It seems that Tess and Bailey got a little curious with my camera while we were out getting lunch today. Imagine my surprise when I went to upload my pictures and found these little gems on there :)

Dancesport 2009

2009-03-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

So once again that time of year has come when Ballroom dancers gather in great masses for the one of the biggest ballroom events in the country, The National Amateur Championships at BYU, other wise known as "Dancesport" I was able to have floor seats again which means I am right next to the action, so close that you will occasionally get the possible flying rhinestone in the forehead :) I love sitting so close for all the events, you get to see so much more detail than you can from any other seat in the Marriott center. Some of the highlights this year were the Amateur standard and Latin and the Amateur Smooth event which my new friends Paige and Ivan (pronounced like Yvonne, he is from Bulgaria) Placed 3rd, ranking them 3rd in the whole country right now :) and the Professional event, with 4 of the nations top professional dancers. And as always I had my camera there to capture some of my favorite couples. Oh and on a side note This time last year was the time that I first started my blog, one of my first posts was 2008 Dancesport, so here is to my one year blogging anneversary.

Here are some of my favorite couples that danced Amateur Latin
this couple below placed first

the girl in this photo Kate used to dance with the boy in the photo below Tal. this year they came with new partners, I loved them last year and was kind of sad to see them seperated but they both did great with their new partners Kate placed 2nd and Tal placed 3rd.

Here is Ivan and Paige Dancing in their event Amateur Smooth, we were so nervous for them to do well this week and to top it off their number ended up being 666, lucky for them they were outstanding on the floor and didnt let the stigma of their number get to them and even more lucky they didnt have to dance on Friday the 13th :)

This is Riccardo and Yulia one of my favorite professional couples of the night, I have never seen more energy in two people than these two put out in there dancing, totally amazing!

CUTEST VIDEO EVER!

2009-02-21T10:19:00.000-08:00

I found this online and thought it was so cute, I have watched it like 10 times already.

Kittens On a Roomba @ Yahoo! Video

Star Mill

2009-02-07T14:36:00.000-08:00

So there is this great old mill in AF that sells antiques, While Kindra was taking some engagement photos for a friend, Dad and I set about the grounds taking some photos of the cool stuff around the mill. here are some of my shots

High Heels and Hawks

2009-01-15T18:09:00.000-08:00

So I started my day off of work adventures by throwing on my new dark jeans, my black high heel boots and my wool coat and heading out to pick up my mom for lunch. After some awesome lunch conversation with my mom I made the decision to try and get some photos, I had my camera in the car so I saw no need to go home to change into more adventure seeking clothes. so I drove up the canyon and found some places to stop and get some pictures of the river. I found that the easiest way to walk was to shove my heels into the snow like the spikes on ice climbers shoes and use my amazing sense of balance to keep me upright. ;) Once I found my spot I took my stance, which happened to be knee deep in snow, and captured my moment. So all I have to say is fashion and adventure can mix, you just need to not worry about getting your jeans, shoes, and coat all wet with snow and pray you don't fall flat on your face, which by the way I didn't, not even once :)

The best part of the day was when I pulled into my drive way I noticed a bird perched on some trees in our backyard, I was so excited I creeped out of my car, leaving it running for about 5 minutes not wanting to miss the bird and climbed through more snow to get the shot. After being soaking wet for an hour i wanted to warm up, so I climbed into some comfy clothes and boots and perched my self onto our deck. The sun was shining and the wind was absent and I curled up in a chair and soaked up the sun. Luckily my little bird friend wanted to do the same so I was able to catch a whole bunch of photos from the comfort of my deck, no "adventure" needed. My Dad and I think it may be some kind of Hawk, it was bigger than other birds in our area and the pattern on it looks similar to other hawks. So it just goes to show that if you want to get the photo you need a little bit of both adventure and comfort. just make sure you wear the right clothing for the activity.

*To check out more awesome photos from my family check out our photo blog nielsenfamilyphotos.blogspot.com

The Butterfly and the Bat

2009-01-08T18:05:00.000-08:00

During all the family fun of the holidays Shelly and I started a game of pretend with Jaxson and Emma. Emma started to pretend to be a butterfly and Jaxson was a bat. They would fly around and pick berries and flowers for us. Eventually we told them to find for us Fairies and lady bugs and Lions and Zebras. All these things were downstairs in the game room, and they had to get past the Troll AKA Michael to get these things. with AJ as there helper they were able to find us everything we asked for. It was a lot of fun to watch them use their imaginations, and brought back memories of our pretend games as kids, those were always the most fun.

The Best Gift Ever

2009-01-08T17:46:00.000-08:00

This holiday season I have found myself asking everyone what there favorite gift or most memorable gift has been in there life. It started out as a simple question to one person and I thought it was such a good question I asked as many people as I could. And every time they would return the question and I would kinda ho hum about a favorite gift, maybe this one, maybe that one. But I could never confidently say "this gift is the best one ever" that is until I received that gift this Christmas. My parents spent a lot of time and energy into this gift, and it was all worth it to them they say when my reaction was just what they hoped for. As I tore open the paper and saw my dance shoes in the corner of the glass I knew instantly what it was they had done, and I couldn't stop the emotion from coming through, the tears came and I was just so touched at how beautiful and touching this gift was. So now any one can ask me that question and I can without hesitation say my shadow box frame, filled with my memories of dancing.

Holiday Fun with the Family

2009-01-08T17:29:00.000-08:00

The holiday season has come and gone again, and once more I am left with amazing memories of our family fun. We spent lots of time together, opening presents for Christmas, watching bowl games for football, putting a puzzle together, eating lots of great food, and all around just having fun together. Every room in the house was filled with something fun to do and some family member to laugh with here are some photos of our fun. Most of the photos I have are of our sledding trip and of Christmas day.

Christmas

2008-12-18T13:40:00.001-08:00

I have finally finished, I have finally done it!
All my Christmas shopping is all over and done with.
I clicked confirmed order and it is being sent on its way,
coming UPS instead of the Santa Claus sleigh.
It will get here just before Christmas eve day,
Then I wrap it and bow it and give it away.
I have finally finished, I have finally done it
all my Christmas shopping is all over and done with.
-Lindsay Nielsen-

Needless to say I have finished my Christmas shopping, now all that is left if for me to feel that Christmas spirit, I think this year a lot of people are having a little bit of a hard time feeling it, I have no doubt that Christmas eve night with still come with that wonderful feeling of anticipation of the next morning, and the excitement of opening gifts and the best part of all a house filled with family. I love that part the best, the laughter, the goodies and the inevitable search for the Christmas gift that accidentally got thrown away with all the wrapping. So until that day comes I will continue to leave people with a "Merry Christmas" as they walk out the door, and sing a long with the Christmas music playing at work, I think the Christmas feeling will come, I think it will come in the laughter and hugs, and not through the presents under the tree. I believe it will come through the family and friends and the blessings from God. For he has blessed me well, and that is all I need for Christmas this year, the gift of faith, patients, courage, and love. And all of you in my life have helped given me those gifts. So Merry Christmas all, I love you!

Turkey Day!

2008-11-27T16:11:00.000-08:00

So first I have to thank my sister Kindra for the pictures, she was the diligent one that had the camera. So thanks Kin! :)

Thanksgiving was a great day this year, we kept to tradition and the girls stayed in the kitchen and made great food ( I attempted stuffed mushrooms for the guys and the turned out great. Thanks Maria for the idea and recipe) and the boys enjoyed some tv and relaxation. We were also joined this year by Brent's mom, Sue who recently moved here from Michigan.

Here is Dad carving the Turkey

And here is the whole gang enjoying the final product (minus mom who was taking the picture)

While we were waiting for Kindra's fabulous dessert we crashed in the family room for some great conversation and laughs.

The highlight of the day was the early Christmas gift mom got from Kindra and Lee, it is a chocolate fountain that can be converted to a ranch fountain for our relish tray. Doesnt it look great :)

There is so much to be thankful for I couldnt possibly list everything here in this post. But most important things are my Family and Friends and the blessings they bring to my life. Each and everyone of you, whether we ate turkey together today or not you were in my thoughts and I am so thankful for all of you. I Love You!

Cool Web Sites I have Found

2008-10-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

If you want to spend some time looking at cool photography while you should be working, doing laundry, cleaning, or just want to procrastinate in general check out these web sites:

http://mhj.smugmug.com/

(smugmug has tons of cool photos, this photographer is one of my favorite on the site)

http://news.yahoo.com/week-in-photos

( Yahoo recaps the week with photos of stuff that has happened around the world)

http://sharonmontrose.com/

(this photographer has some amazing animal pictures, her kids and baby's are awesome too)

Me Myself and I

2008-10-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Another Fun Tag

I am: clumsy

I think: About the Future all the time

I know: Which Actors played in which movies, ask me any time "What else were they in?"

I want: To become a better photographer

I miss: The social life of high school

I fear: That I will lose someone with out them know how much I love them

I hear: Maria singing along with the radio at work

I smell: My cups before I drink out of them ( weird quirk my sister and I have)

I crave: Cafe Rio Pork Salad

I cry: A lot less than I used to

I usually: Listen to my music too loud and drive too fast

I search: The Internet for episodes of House to download

I wonder: Why super glue doesn't stick to the inside of the tube

I regret: Not getting to know my Grandparents better

I love: Rainy days

I care: If people don't like me

I always: Hit my snooze button "just one more time"

I always like to: See a new movie

I worry: All the Time

I am not: You're average Utah county girl

I remember: Lake Powell trips with the fam

I believe: In Miracles

I dance: everywhere; In my car, in my room, in my kitchen, at work. I am always at least tapping a toe :)

I sing: In my Car where no one else can hear me

I don’t always: Eat as healthy as I should

I write: on patients files all day long for work

I win: Bets where the wager is food

I lose: Keys, phone, I pod in my room all the time

I wish: On shooting stars

I listen: To about 30 seconds of a song before my music ADD kicks in and I change the song

I don't understand: Math

I can usually be found: At work

I need: A Hug

I forget:When Peoples birthdays are

I am happy: 80% of the time

Someday I will: Travel to Europe

I tag: Any one who wants to play :)

Things I've Done

2008-10-07T19:15:00.000-07:00

I thought that this would be fun to do...The idea is to highlight the things you have done out of the 200 items on the list.

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain (Does Timp Cave count?)
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (This was at Bear Lake, which I know isn't "at sea" but it was still very cool)
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse (I can't remember if it was a total or partial, but either way it's really cool to see)
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking (Gotta love those high school days)
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone - verbal not physical
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (crawdads are the most i can count)
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97.Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair (Highland fling baby!)
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people ( I hope so anyway)
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe.
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco (High school dance)
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style (leg warmers baby, high-schoolers are so impressionable ;)
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in a historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one (Not on a real golf course though)
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Ran a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David ( the one in vegas)
147. Had your portrait painted (does a characature count?)
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunch box
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a camp fire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

Work Party In The Canyon

2008-09-17T16:35:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we went to Mutual Dell with the office for our annual summer work party. This year we ended up doing it a little later than normal because of our slew of weddings in the office :) and doing it later made it just a little colder than normal, but staying close to the fire solved that problem :) we always have a great time up there with lots of good food, even better company and fun games for the kids provided by Maria. It is definitely something that I look forward to each year :)

we needed something to help start the fire and I happened to have a Vogue magazine in my car so we used that. Here is Cole, Maria's Husband, checking out the styles before he burned them. all I can say is our fire was Fierce :)

here is Maria's daughter and new son in law Kenzie and Mike

The "girls" :) Maria and Falecia

Lori trying to stave off the cold with two jackets

Little Asa, Jani's boy, he is such a cute little boy. We love it when he stops by with mom to the office.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

2008-09-08T17:59:00.000-07:00

I got the opportunity to go to Vegas with my friend Luke and his Family for his Brother in Laws 21 first B-day. We got to stay in the Rio and cruise about the town having a blast! I won my first money on the "wheel of fortune" slots ( $60.00 baby! ) and got to choose a clam that had a pearl inside, it is beautiful and big, so lady luck was on my side :) I have to put a huge shout out to Luke and is family for being so generous and hospitable and letting me tag along on their trip. The best part was hanging with them :)

The Eiffel Tower at the Paris

Lukes Family with the Blue Man Group Statues

Inside the Venetian

the "nascar" boys driving the go carts :)

what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? .....I'll let you decide :) :) ;0)

My Sister

2008-08-29T18:30:00.000-07:00

My sister Kindra is SO talented. I have her to thank for the beautiful background design that I have on my blog. I am so amazed at the natural talent she has for this blogging and digital scrap booking. And she is all self taught! I could never teach myself all that. So I want to throw a major shout out to my wonderful talented sister and tell her how proud I am of her :) and thanks in advance for teaching me *wink wink* I love you sis!

My First Photo With My New Camera

2008-08-21T15:36:00.001-07:00

There is a beautiful sunflower across the street from us and they are one of my favorite flowers, so I took my new camera out for a test drive.

POEM TO A SUNFLOWER

I see you there in glory shining bright,
Following the sun and its path of light.
Standing tall above all others in the field,
You grow, conquer, and do not yield.

The little birds take great delight
In playing round you, from day to night.
With your petals of yellow and leaves of green
How very easily you are seen.

But there is more to you than first sight,
More than beauty and grander to delight.
Every beautiful aspect that appears,
Gives praise to the Father dear.

He made you a part of creation,
And you praise him in glorious celebration!
The beauty that within you is expressed,
Gives testimony to his greatness.

Sunflower, how I long to be like you!
Glorifying God in all I do.
Following the Son and His path of light,
To worship Him in His glory shining bright.

I can learn from you, my friend,
With every breath, praise to God, I might send.
With all of his creation telling the story,
Might I, with you, proclaim His glory.

~By Katherine R. Lane (April 19, 1995)~

Back To School

2008-08-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

With all the excitement of back to school I have decided to take some classes my self. I have found some online courses through UVU that you don't need to be a declared major type student to take, kind of a community courses type thing. So the first course I am going to take is a digital photography course. I have always loved to take pictures just like every one else im my family but I have never known how to use all the features on my camera, so I am gonna learn :) I'll post the photos that I take through my class to keep keep you up with how it is going ;)

2008-08-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

As per my previous post....Maybe I shouldn't take up betting. but at least my picks made it to the top two :)

And The Winner Is.......

2008-08-07T14:26:00.000-07:00

So two of our shows that we have been watching are coming to an end tonight so I thought that I would make my predictions on the winners. each week I have been calling who would be voted off and I am almost always right so........Drum-roll please........

And the Winner of Last Comic standing goes to.......

Marcus From Utah! check out this clip below of his set from the semi finals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm2_FJIcR6M

And my prediction for the winner of So You Think You Can Dance is..........

Twitch! Here is a link to his final solo on the show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDCRMY2MDyY

Tune in to see if I got it right :)

Viva Las Vegas

2008-08-05T18:45:00.000-07:00

I found out today that I get to go to Vegas for a Vision Expo. Dr. Hooton is going to let us ( Me and two of my co-workers) go for some education hours and apart from some really cool classes we get to go to the "expo" part which is a ton of vendors that set up booths to show their products ( and every one knows that means free stuff ;) ). I am so excited to go, my co-workers are getting a good laugh at my excited-ness :) But hey Vegas here we come....ok so it's 2 months away but there is nothing wrong with looking forward to something... right?...... :)

Ohio

2008-08-04T19:08:00.000-07:00

I got the chance to go with My sister Kindra and My Mom to Ohio to visit my other sister Alison and her husband Kolby and the kids Jaxson and Emma. Our trip was filled with lots of laughter, lots of dress up and sparkly makeup, T-ball, Big Roller coasters and of course being around family that I have missed so much!

Giovanni The Baby Bird

2008-07-19T13:41:00.001-07:00

Dad found a baby bird in our garage the other day, we figure he was just learning to fly and must have bumped his head. He was docile and trusting of us, letting us hold him and take care of him. Mom and I being worried about him placed him in this little tupperware with some water and some bread crumbs, they were Italian bread crumbs and so I decided to name him Giovanni. So little Giovanni became our pet for a day and a half. We could hold him on our finger and he would just sleep, he was so tired. Well eventually has all "children" do he left the nest and flew away. We figure he finally got the strength to fly over the fence. So little Giovanni where ever you are I hope your safe :)

A DIFFERENT KIND OF TAG

2008-07-16T12:35:00.001-07:00

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn’t matter if you knew me a little or a lot, if we’ve actually met in person or not, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.

**If you don't have a blog, feel free to still leave a comment!

BUG SPRAY AND SUNSCREEN

2008-07-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

Bug spray and Sunscreen can equal one sticky mess on your arms and legs but it can also only mean one thing SUMMER IS HERE AND WE ARE GONNA PLAY :) this summer has been filled with adventures for me, i feel like a kid again on summer break from school. My most recent adventures have included Seven Peaks and Moab. None of us wanted pictures in our swimsuits so i got some pictures of the boys playing gladiator on the blow up toys ;)
Moab was so much fun we took the Jeeps on a couple trails, discovered a "secret hideout" for these people living off the land and went on a night time boat ride that offered this light and sound show, they placed a huge spot light up onto the rocks and told the story of Moab as we floated down the Colorado river, very cool. My sister Kindra placed a really good explanation of the people living in the mountain on her blog so if you want to know more about that i would check that out (saves me some typing time :) ) so here are some pictures of our adventure

A little late but extra juicy :) ( Fav's of the week)

2008-07-05T18:24:00.000-07:00

Double feature this week. Two Lyrical dances made it into my favs this week, and ironically each one cover opposite ends of the spectrum of Love. The first one is two people totally happy and crazy for each other and the second is about being heart broken over a loved one. Two things that every human being I believe has felt as some point in their lives.

Enjoy :) :)

THAT TIME OF THE WEEK AGAIN

2008-06-26T19:42:00.000-07:00

My favorite routine this week was a hip hop by choreographers Tabitha and Napoleon. The story is about a workaholic and his wife, and how he is gone all the time and how she needs his love. I love the emotion in each step and in their faces, they really got into the story. The girl is from Utah and normally I am against the whole "vote for the Utah kids" but she is genuinely good....really good. She is a ballroom dancer and you would never know by how good she is in this routine.

we're fixin ta get to the rodeo ya'll!

2008-06-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

Dad, Mom, and I decided to be good PG citizens and make it to some of the Strawberry days activities, so we went to the rodeo. We ate strawberry's and cream and dad threw on his cowboy hat and boots, and we got great seats to see some awesome things. Bare back riding, team roping, steer wrestling and even some mutton busting ( kids riding sheep) I ended up really enjoying myself, though I couldn't help but feel a little bad for the poor cows ;) especially the one that they put 100 dollars on (in 1 dollar bills) and let about 30 kids chase. I still cant believe what those cowboys will put their body through and how talented they are. I left wanted to take riding lessons those girls riding their horses looked SO cool :). I figured though that we could probably just borrow Syd and Tess wrestle instead of steer wrestle, she is always a good target to hog tie ;)

This last picture was taken during the team roping and was surprisingly interesting the way it blurred it seemed very "artistic"

Favorite Routine Of The Week

2008-06-19T15:09:00.000-07:00

This week my favorite routine has extra special meaning to me. Jean- Marc and France the choreographers of this routine are very special people, I was blessed enough to be able to work with them for a weekend last year and got to know them very well. Aside from being extremely talented they are the most sincere and beautifully spirited people I have ever met. Their love for each other is so obvious and they never stopped talking about their children. Their daughter Francesca was diagnosed with Rhett's Syndrome. This disease took away all of her motor functions at a very early age. She cannot speak, move, do anything for herself, and is usually in a lot of pain. When Jean-Mac showed me a picture of her the first thing that struck me was how beautiful she was, her blue eyes jumped out of the picture and mesmerized you. She looks perfectly normal but yet suffers from this disease. Jean-Marc and France host several charity functions each year to raise funds for the Rhett's Syndrome foundation, ever striving to find a cure for this disease. This week as Jean-Marc mentions in this clip, he felt touched by this song and was inspired to choreographed this Viennese Waltz for his daughter. Watching people move is one of the things that brings a smile to her face. Jean-Marc and France are very intelligent people and always wanting to learn new things, they quickly became curious about the LDS religion during their stay with me and Desiree, and being able to tell them my knowledge and belief about eternal family's and the fact that some day in heaven Francesca will be able to dance with her father and run into her mothers arms was a beautiful moment, I could feel the spirit so strongly and I could see in their eyes that they did too. This routine made me cry because I knew that Jean-Marc and France put their whole heart into it, and these dancers did it perfect justice, they danced it with all their hearts and they are so lucky to have that piece of choreography placed on them. So this post is dedicated to Jean-Marc and France and their beautiful daughter. They touched my life and I hope that all you will be touched through this piece. It is a little long but I hope you will all take time to watch it :)

Fav commercial

2008-06-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

Mom and I absolutely loved this commercial when we first saw it, and we only saw it once on tv, so I hunted it down on the internet and found it to share with you all :)
GM: Robot - General Motors

4 Wheeling Fun In Castledale

2008-06-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went with Luke down to his parents house to go 4-wheeling. I had so much fun, it was my first 4-wheeling experience and Luke made sure i got a good taste of it (even it that taste was mostly dirt :) ) He only made me nervous a few times, but the kind of nervous like you get on a roller coaster right before you go over the edge.

Along the ride we came to this river oasis among all the dirt, you totally wouldnt expect it to be there.

So we rode up this hill (Backwards mind you) to check out the top of the water.

It seems to be in our family that there is always a picture of someone hugging a tree, I think one of Alison's friends started that so I had to get one, and I made Luke do it to :)

Here are some other random pictures.

Here is a video of Luke showing off his skills :) ( this is the same hill we went up backwards)

Even though I had so much fun, I did miss Fathers day with my dad, so I want to do a huge shout-out to him right now. It is thanks to him that I have such a great sense of adventure, I am always up for climbing a rock, chasing down a lizard, or jumping off of something big into water. I owe so much of that to my dad, growing up I have so many memories of he and I and the rest of the family camping, bike riding, climbing and jet skiing, he is always so patient with us girls when (in life or on the trail) maybe it gets a little too hot or we think that rock is too hard to climb, but he is right there giving us advice on where to to place our feet for that solid footing to get us that much higher. He is always there with those strong dad hands and that kind dad smile and laugh. So thank you dad for showing me how much fun I can get out of life and nature. I LOVE YOU!!!!

My Favorite Routine

2008-06-13T16:43:00.001-07:00

So I have decided to post each week my favorite routine from "So You Think You Can Dance" one of my favorite shows. Wednesday night was the first night of performances and this one I fell in love with. It is a Mia Michaels routine, she has always choreographed the most beautiful and interesting routines. They can be a little different but that is why I like them. This routine, she describes as Tim Burton's Wedding, I found it to be so uniquely beautiful. The love between two people totally able to be themselves with each other and be accepted for who they are. Hope you enjoy :) if you want to skip the "pre" stuff you can skip to about 2 minutes and 30 seconds, that is where the routine starts.

2008-06-12T17:20:00.000-07:00

So I have to thank my friend Jenn for another post idea, she always has the cutest posts on her blog and I always end up copying her for my blog....So Thanks Jenn!

ABC's AGAIN

A- Attached or single: Single, and using every second to learn more about myself
B- Best Friend(s): Megan and Desiree
C- Cake or Pie: Pie, especially home made pies, you get all the fun of making and eating
D- Day of choice: Thursday, My day off of work
E- Essential Item: I never leave the house without my phone or my Ipod
F- Favorite Color: Right now Bright, Bright Pink
G- Gummi Bears or Worms: Gummi Worms
H- Hometown: Pleasant Grove
I- Indulgence(s): Long baths, Sleeping in, Reading, Watching Movies in our theatre
J- January or July: July it means lots of family get togethers, warm days, and fireworks
K- Kids: none yet
L- Life is Incomplete Without: My family. I love them!
M- Marriage Date: I'm thinking a Tuesday sounds goods :)
N- Number of Siblings: 3 sisters
O- Oranges or Apples: Oranges, with salt on them (I know sounds weird, but oh so good)
P- Phobias or Fears: Anyone that knows me knows it is Moths, I have a unnatural fear of them it is so strange but I cant even be in the same room with one, the attack..I'm serious!
Q- Quotes: "Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations, I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead." Louisa May Alcott
R- Reason To Smile: Everything, there is no shortage on beauty in this world to make me smile
S- Season: Fall
T- Tag Three : Shelly, Kindra, Alison
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I am actually a very shy person, new situations and new people and I clam right up, but after a while as i am sure you all know I am not shy at all :)
V- Vegetarian or Meat Eater: meat eater. I love a good BBQ!
W- Worst Habit: Wasting Time
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: X-ray's and I have had a lot of them...clutzy me :)
Y- Your Favorite Food: Cafe Rio pork salad
Z- Zodiac: Aries

Boys Will Be Boys

2008-06-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

At a family get together last weekend Kindra made way yummy cheesecake, with optional toppings of cherry or raspberry it was so good. Well being the "guys" that they are and seeing an opportunity to eat more, they took the extra topping in the cans and decided to make a contest out of it to see who could eat it faster. In the video there are a few pauses, that is because I took pictures through out the video and it made it go funny. But it is still a great video, and I will leave it up to you to decide if Lee cheated or not....

4 THINGS

2008-05-19T18:05:00.000-07:00

4 MOVIES TO WATCH OVER AND OVER

1. You've Got Mail

2. When Harry Met Sally

3. Sense And Sensibility

4. The Office * not a movie but I am always watching re-runs

4 JOBS I'VE HAD

1. Gift Shop @ The Utah Shakespeare Festival

2. Seagull Book

3. Optometric Assistant

4. Assistant Coach to Lone Peak Ballroom

4 PLACES I'VE LIVED

1. Highland, UT

2. Pleasant Grove, UT

3. Cedar City, UT

4. Logan, Utah

4 FAVORITE FOODS

1. Mom's Spagetti

2. Cafe Rio

3. Toast

4. Cookie Dough

4 TV SHOWS I WATCH

1. Office

2. Lost

3. Pushing Daisies

4. So You Think You Can Dance

4 INTERNET PLACES I VISIT DAILY

1. blogs

2. email

3. Insurance websites (for work)

4. facebook

4 PLACES I'VE VACATIONED

1. San Diego

2. Disneyland

3. Cancun

4. Florida

4 PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE

1. Home
2. In A Dance Class

3. Lake Powell

4. In Bed Curled Up With A Book

4 PEOPLE TO TAG

1. Shelly
2. Kindra
3. Alison
4. Kathy

San Diego

2008-05-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the amazing chance to go on a trip to San Diego. It was my first time there and it certainly made a great first impression! We got to stay in the Hotel Del Coronado, a historic Victorian hotel right on the beach. It was inspiration for the movie "Somewhere In Time" and set for the Marilyn Monroe film "Some Like It Hot"

Even though it was cloudy for the trip the beach was so beautiful, and we got to see lots of Naval ships

Among the activities laid out for us was a trip to Sea World, I love how no matter how many times I see those shows with the dolphins or Shamoo i still leave wanting to leave everything behind and become a trainer for them, just like i did when i was a little girl. I got to feed the dolphins and get up close to the Budweiser Horses, they are so big, and knew the cameras were around, one even made a funny face at me

One of the best and simultaneously worst nights came the night that we got a special perfomance by Jay Leno at the awards ceremony for the top sales people with T-Mobile, (that is why I got to go on this trip, Luke one top sales in the region and T-Mobile paid for he and guest to go.) Jay Leno was hilarious! I dont have the pictures yet, because Luke took them on his camera so Pictures soon to come. The worst part came after Jay's performance, one of the winners with T-Mobile, he actually won sales person of the year a mere 20 minutes earlier, collapsed on the floor, after everyone got quieted down we realized that he didn't just pass out. he was 2 tables away from me and we started to hear people calling for someone who knew CPR, they called 911 and started chest compressions. Every one was asked to leave the ballroom and the paramedics arrived very quickly. Unfortunately we found out the next morning that Yuri had passed away, he was only 20 years old and the parents requested not to have an autopsy so we will never really know what happened. But he did live an amazing last day, a walk on the beach, a trip to sea world, he personally met Jay Leno, and won Sales Person of the year. My prayers and thoughts still go out to his co-workers and family. it was a scary yet eye opening experience to the shortness of life. And although it did put a damper on the trip I can still say that it was an awesome time! A trip that I will never forget! Good company and Fun Adventures.

In case there was any doubt about my wierdness...

2008-04-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

So I found these photos of me and my friends attending the 3rd Harry Potter Premier. We all dressed up and hit the midnight showing. I couldn't re sist putting these up for the world to see, Just to keep in fresh memory how strange I can be so metimes. Hope you all get a good giggle from these, I sure did. :)

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Tulip Festival

2008-04-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

Mom, Kindra, Shelly and I went to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point on Saturday and it was so beautiful! Here are some of the pictures I got.

A FANTASTIC BIRTHDAY

2008-04-14T19:43:00.000-07:00

so one year ago today I received a birthday balloon from my office manger Maria. Today I pulled it out from the storage room and it still had enough float left in it to skim the ground. I thought about how much time 1 year is, especially in the life of a balloon, it is practically immortal compared to other balloons :) I then thought about all that had happened in the year that it floated in our storage room , It had seen an amazing trip to New York, A new friendship built with the Lone Peak High School Ballroom team and their coach Desiree, A once in a lifetime opportunity to work under and with world professional ballroom dance legends, A broken toe, and first time trip snowmobiling and many many other amazing adventures. This balloon in the year that it floated represents all the awesome things I got to do with my 22nd year. Today though I turned 23! and I cant wait to see what will come in this year of my life. I hope that this year brings as many fun adventures and wonderful new people into my life just as last year did. So here is to 23.

I GOT SOME BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS

AND ALSO LOTS OF BIRTHDAY HUGS, AND EVEN A KISS FROM TESSY :)

I think my favorite part was simply all the Happy Birthday Wishes I got from everyone. I have so many wonderful people in my life that care so much about me. I am so lucky to have so much love being sent my way.

ABC'S

2008-04-09T20:05:00.000-07:00

I saw this idea on another blog and thought it was so clever so I gave it a try. So here are the ABC's of things I love and am grateful for.

A- APPLES as in Mac apples. I love my mac, I love my Ipod and I cant get enough of those Mac PC commercials :)

B- Boxers no not the unmentionable kind, boxers like my dogs. They keep me laughing and are always there for a cuddle when I need one.

C- COOKIES I love to make cookies and love getting them. Me and the girls at work can get almost any one, like even people we have met for the first time , to bring us cookies. what can I say it is a gift :)

D- DANCING Dancing is one of God's gifts to the world and to me. Nothing is better than getting out on the dance floor and dancing a Cha Cha or a swing, and even the waltz and foxtrot can be fun.

E- ELBOWS Elbows are the funniest body part, maybe not when you bump that funny bone, but if you really think about it you cant help but think of them as funny.

F- FOOD I am a big fan a good food, I find myself wanting to be more experimental with food, I am becoming more willing to try new kinds of food.

G- GLASSES because with out glasses I would have a job :) working for an optometrist and selling glasses all day is actually quit an adventurous job, probably because of some of the crazy people you come across.

H-HAIRSPRAY where would a girl be without it. Especially a ballroom girl :)

I- IMAGINATION so many things in life would never of been accomplished without a little imagination in life, novels and movies to say the least two of which I love

J- JOKES I love to laugh, give me a good comic, a funny story of just my self to laugh at.

K- KIDS not my own, yet, but my sisters kids. I love being an aunt and when I get to spend time with AJ, Mike, Jaxson, and Emma I am so happy.

L- LIGHTS Christmas lights to be exact, nothing beats twinkling light in the windows and taking a sleigh ride with hot chocolate to look at the lights.

M- MOVIES I will drop everything for a good movie, I love the whole experience and being a self proclaimed critic after watching a movie.

N-NOVELS a good book will stick with me forever, and one that I can read over and over again is extra good

O-THE OFFICE I absolutely love the tv show the office! I giggle just thinking about that show he he

P-PAPER,PENS,PENCILS I have a weird obsession with office supplies, give me a gift card to office max and I am a happy girl

Q-QUIET TIME sometime you just need some peace and quiet, to read a book, watch a movie all by yourself, or just lay on your bed and day dream

R-REALITY TV I will admit I have an addiction to reality tv, pretty much if it is a reality show i will find my self somehow hooked to it

S-SHOES I love shoes, I have far too many shoes but when it is the only thing you can be guaranteed will always fit, how can you not love them.

T-TRIPS/TRAVEL I love going on trips, New York, Disneyworld and someday hopefully Europe

U-UNDERWEAR come on where would we be with out it :)

V-VALLEY, UTAH VALLEY I know I make fun of it a lot and say I want to get out, but in truth it is home and "there is no place like home"

W-WATER I practically grew up on a lake, with jet skis and boats in the family I am always up for a trip to the lake.

X- X the letter x is the strangest letter in the alphabet, is it really necessary? how often do we use a word in every day language that starts with X? therefore I find it simply amusing

Y-YELLOW Yellow is one of my favorite colors.

Z- ZOO'S I love visiting the zoo and watching all the animals.

What To Do On A Friday Night

2008-03-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

So there we were Kindra Lee and I, sitting around bored to tears on a Friday night, trying to figure out how to entertain ourselves. Movie? No. Board Game? No. Card Game? No. NO NO NO nothing sounded good. Just when we thought we were doomed to spend our Friday night staring at eachother I had an idea...................................................................

LETS BUY ME A NEW CAR!!!

ok so the idea stared out with lets go look at new Jetta's and ended with me walking away with a brand new 2008 Jetta. And my favorite parts are the Sun roof and the heated leather seats. :)
I am still in a bit of shock that I have a new car, I also keep trying to start my car like a standard, going to put my foot on the clutch and instead hitting the floor. I am also having a hard time finding it in parking lots because of the new color :) I think I have decided to name it Meep, because of the Meeping sound it makes when you hit the lock button, but I am still open to suggestions, every car needs a good name :)

BYU DANCESPORT

2008-03-23T17:51:00.001-07:00

So as most of you know ballroom dance is a huge part of my life, and recently if took up a whole 3 days. Each year BYU hosts the National Amateur Dancesport Competition, bringing dancers from all of the world to compete. This year I was able to grab some of the most coveted (and most expensive) seats in the whole Marriott center. Table seats. Seats right next to the dance floor, they are the best seats in the house because you get an up close view of the dancers, seeing so much more than just the dance moves, but getting to see their facial expression and my favorite part, all the dresses! :)

Many people don't know that ballroom competitions are a lot like sporting events in that you are encouraged to cheer and scream for your favorite couple. This year me and Desiree became the personal fan club to 3 different couples. We noticed how good they were and quickly fell in love with them.

This couple here is Pasha and Inna from New York, they left with 1st place in Standard and 2nd in Latin. They were my personal favorites . They were simply brilliant on the dance floor. I still cant get over the fact that they are only 18! After the comp me and some of the high school girls who were cheering with me went backstage to get pictures. We were lucky enough to find all of our favorites. I thought that i was going to need to get medical attention for the girls, they were practically hyperventilating from excitement ( ok i was too) but can you blame me? i was meeting top dancers in the nation! and even though he was only 18 Pasha was like my little Fred Astaire :)

This is couple 403 , Tal and Kate from New Jersey. After the competition they left as 1st in the Nation in the Youth Latin category. they also placed 3rd in the Ameteur Standard and 3rd in the Ameteur Latin. Basically they rocked and took home a lot of National titles :).

My favorite part is that whenever Tal wasn't flirting with his partner during a dance he was flirting with us. I couldn't help but blush every time he would point or wink at us. And I don't blush easily.

Couple 142 from Brooklyn New York, Max and Kristine knew how to put on a show! Max was so tall you couldn't miss him on the dance floor. And all the boys on team left with a crush on Kristine. Max loved his personal cheering section, during a break of one dance he told us that we were his favorite corner. A highlight of the night was when he asked Desiree for a drink from her water bottle! I think she still has it saved ( oh dear we are dorks :) ) though nothing beats an amazing dancer flirting with you on the dance floor.

Max was the best, practically running from the dressing room to get pictures with us when one of the boys ask him too.
And the best for last. The Professionals. This couple is Victor and Anna, they are currently 6th in the WORLD! I had the pleasure of meeting them thanks to Desiree, she works with them at the studio she is employed with in California. they took 1st in the Professional showcase that night. And Victor helped me achieve my goal for the weekend, when he winked at me during the slow foxtrot. I had told the girls on team that being winked at by dancers is fun but nothing beats being winked at by a professional. And I was right, i felt so cool at that moment :)
Gary and Anita were one of my favorite professional couples. The way they would glide across they floor was like a dream. You can kind of tell from the picture how much detail goes into the girls dresses, with nothing but Swarovski Rhinestones and sometime pearls being used to embellish them, you can imagine why they cost thousands of dollars sometimes. In the end the only thing I can say is Table Seats rock and I will never be sitting in the bleachers again! :)

I have caught the blogging bug.

2008-03-23T17:02:00.000-07:00

So thanks to Kindra I have joined the blogging revolution that has swept our family. She helped me get it all set up and has shared in infinite wisdom, and I am sure that I will soon be joining blogger anonymous :). So here it goes, hope I can keep up with the excitement of everyone else's blogs.