Dancing Queens

Apologies for being MIA lately. With summer activities, a new job (!!) and wedding planning, the ol' blog has been on the back burner. I'm not making in promises it'll get any better this summer, but I'll do my best :) 

But for today, I'll share some pics of my beautiful cousins from their LAST recital! They were phenomenal! It's been fun to go back and watch them grow into such incredible dancers - even though they are wrapping up their time at the dance academy, I have no doubt that dance will continue to be a be part of their lives.

Audrey is off to college and Jenna will be starting her senior year. Pretty crazy, huh? I know I'm young, but when people who I once babysat start going off the college, it really makes me feel a little more old. 

Jenna's solo.

Audrey's solo. 

The Nutcracker

Jenna and Audrey certainly shined on the stage! I had a perma-smile during the entire performance. They were breathtaking and so incredibly graceful (and tear-jerking for my Grandma!). I already can't wait for next year!
We also got to watch the adorable Katierie and Taryn, our close family friends. They love their Miss Koby. And Miss Koby loves them :)

Break a leg, ladies.

You know how parents always say, "they grow up so quickly!" Well, even as a cousin, I wholeheartedly agree. My adorable, sweet, little cousins who I used to babysit - Audrey and Jenna - are growing into beautiful women. Tonight, I'm going to watch them in the Skagit Valley Academy of Dance's Nutcracker performance. As two of the leads, Clara and the Snow Queen, I have no doubt they will dazzle the crowd.

Even though I turned my pointe shoes in for dance team pom poms (after nearly 10 years of ballet!), I still have a soft spot in my heart for the grace and beauty of ballet. Especially when it involves people you love! Good luck and break a leg, Audrey and Jenna!

Miss Harper can most certainly do it!

I'm only like 100 pages in, but I would officially like to endorse the book, Miss Harper Can Do It. Not only do I feel like the main character's thought process is sometimes just pulled straight out of my head and on to the page - I know the author! Jane graduated two years ahead of me from BEHS, went to Skagit Valley Academy of Dance (so did I) and worked at Sakuma's too.

The story is set in Tacoma - about a 24-year old dealing with her boyfriend's deployment to Iraq. It's really entertaining so far, but I'll give the full review once I'm done.

Rumor has it, her next book references the Longhorn in Edison. I'll definitely be reading that one as well.

Update: So the main character got a little more crazed throughout the book, so I couldn't identify as much, but that made it even more entertaining! Read it.