Dance Photos

After posting about the dance competition last weekend, Heidi pointed out that we hadn't posted any good action shots of Allison doing her routines. So here they are (click to enlarge)....

Hey Daddy (jazz) flying leap...
Hey Daddy (jazz) again... Ally is 2nd from the right.
Scooby Dooby Doo (hip-hop) beginning...
Scooby Dooby Doo.. Allison is on the left.
Scooby Dooby Doo ending... Peace!
The Shoop Shoop Song (tap).. Ally is on the right.
The Shoop Shoop Song... it's in his kiss... that's where it is....
The Shoop Shoop Song kick line...

Talent On Parade National Finals - Des Moines, IA

This weekend was the Talent On Parade National Finals at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, IA. If you ever have 7 1/2 hours to spare and want to ride in the car with virtually NOTHING at all to look at, point the car west and take a trip to Des Moines. I've heard it's a boring ride and that is an understatement. Luckily, we broke up the drive out there by leaving Thursday night after my softball game and stopping about half-way for the night in Princeton, IL. The following morning we took a quick dip in the pool and headed out for the rest of the way to Des Moines.

While the drive wasn't that fun, the competition was pretty cool. There were groups from a bunch of different states and it was fun to watch the different routines (I think Nathan just likes looking at all the girls!) Luckilly, Allison performed all three of her dances on Saturday. Her group was the first of the day doing The Shoop Shoop Song (tap). Then she had a break and did Hey Daddy (jazz). A couple hours later, they did Scooby Dooby Doo. The girls did a GREAT job and performed each of the songs better than they ever have. Perfect time to nail it! They received an Elite Top First ranking (based on scores) for each of them which is pretty impressive. In terms of awards they did great too. The Shoop Shoop Song took 2nd place in the large group category (behind another BLDC routine done by kids in the next older age bracket). Hey Daddy took 5th place in the line group (larger than a large group). Plus, the judges give out "special" awards for whatever they feel like... The Shoop Shoop Song won one judges "Tu-Tu Cute Award". By about 6pm all the awards were presented and we headed back to the hotel for some pizza and swimming.

I must say I'm extremely proud of Allison and the way she's thrown herself into dance this year. She was a bit nervous during the first competition (and who wouldn't be when on stage in front of a crowd of about 1,000 people, judges sitting right in front of the stage, TV cameras, etc?). By the time Nationals came around she was like an old pro. She was clearly just having fun and enjoying herself and it really showed. And of course I let her know just how proud I was...

Heidi & Allison at the entrance.
Prior to the first dance of the day...
Stretching with the other BLDC dancers in the early morning...

Summer is here?! Random thoughts...

I have no idea where the time has gone since early April. Spring is gone and summer is here! I thought after hockey was done in March we'd have all sorts of free time. In reality, it was just the opposite. With both kids playing ball and Allison still doing dance we actually were more busy! But that's about to change (I think). The kids are both a year older now (10 and 7). The Wings lost in the cup finals (but secretly, Nathan is excited because Dan Bylsma - the Penguins head coach - is running a hockey camp this summer that Nate is attending). Allison and Nathan just wrapped up softball/baseball last week. I started my softball league with some guys from work. And we even built a 10'x5' box garden at home in the back yard. I'll have to post a picture sometime. It's growing very well. We've got some lettuce, spinach, brocolli, tomatoes, beans, cukes, peppers, etc. We haven't had a garden since our house on Fuller about 9 years ago.

We haven't been able to get up north as much as we'd like but we have been able to get some yard work done around the house so it looks pretty nice. We're travelling to Des Moines, Iowa this weekend for Allison's National dance competition. Now, it's getting very nice out and staying light until 10pm. We'll have to take full advantage and enjoying the outdoors until the madness begins again in September.

Great Grams' Rose Bush

Heidi's Grandma had a giant rose bush in her yard in Chicago. And when she passed away a few years ago, the bush was split up among a few people in her family. We got a little piece of it and planted it on the side of the house. The first couple years it didn't do much. Last year we cut it back and it actually grew pretty well. But this year, for some reason, it seems to be growing like crazy. Heidi picked up a trellis for it to climb up and it's already filled the whole thing. Here are some pictures she took of it in full bloom. It's still got a ton of flowers on it. I have no idea how long they'll last but it brightens up the side yard...