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Over summer tour, between listening to the new Renegades playlist and plowing through Harry Potter, I thought a lot about what this post would say. I’ve given you the play-by-play of Recital the last two years, and I didn’t want this post to be a schedule, as I did then. I wanted non-dancers to be able to relate to the feeling a dancer gets when she has only two songs to change into an elaborate costume, plunges into the darkness of stage and waits for the lights to come up, gasps for breath in the wings and reenters with emotion to match the piece or watches the rest of the show from backstage. Then, I realized– I couldn’t do that. It’s impossible to relate feelings like these to something else because there’s nothing like them. But once you’ve truly experienced dance, there’s no letting it go. It takes a piece of your heart and replaces it with music. You live to share your song.

So, what did happen at Recital 2015? Prelude 2, Multiplied, Arise and J’y Suis Jamais Alle won over the crowd, and I, in turn, was wowed by everyone else, particularly my own teachers. We danced to “God Is Bigger Than The Boogieman”, and Abby helped me “not fail” my last four pieces as Firebird. I can’t get “Something in the Water” out of my head (mostly because I keep listening to it and smiling).

SO MANY THANKS to Ms. Tina, Miss Mia, Miss Bethanny, Miss Sara and Miss Mimi for the best two days of my entire year. A HUGE thank-you to Emma S., who brought all of my kiddos onstage and off, and to my ever-amazing mom, who helped me into my corset one more time.

For the smile on my face, I could be writing this the day after the shows, but it’s been awhile! I’ve added Leaps and Turns with Miss Bethanny to my summer schedule, wherein I’ll be assisting with this year’s Frozen camp and Dancing Dolls camp as well. We worked a lot on this year’s photo shoot on tour. I’m a very happy person.

When does the beginning of something become the rhetoric middle? I missed the last week of dance classes, but school says I’m a junior. Life is weird and wonderful— all at the same time.

This is such a crazy time of year— for everyone. I still can’t believe how many of my fellow dancers will be graduating and moving on after this year. I’m so proud of them. This year has felt a little unreal, I guess. 2014-2015 is disappearing… but it only just started.

The littles had dress rehearsal yesterday, which is always a fun adventure. Running back and forth between studios in the rain is especially fun. Hey, it was like 72 degrees in the Training Center anyway.

Recital Week itself doesn’t start until Sunday, but it’s coming in with a bang. On Monday, we’ve scheduled an extra in-studio rehearsal to polish Arise, and then we’ll be heading over to the high school for the full-on dress rehearsal. Following rehearsals will be one awesome weekend of performances. This has got to be my favorite week of the entire year.

Ballet progress reports were handed out yesterday, and the stakes have certainly been raised; I really need to work on my flexibility over the summer. I’m excited to have so many Training 2s entering and bridging into Training 3!– just so proud of everyone.

In other news, The Order of the Phoenix is really long. And it’s raining again. If it would ever stop, my mom and I could continue with our “progressive photo shoot,” which will be up ASAP.

Just as soon as it stops raining.

If I had to wake up at 5:30am for school every morning, I would always be tired, between classes and dance until late some nights. Thankfully, homeschooling doesn’t ask that of me. FYB, however, asked me to perform for some local kids who do get up early and go to school. I was positively amazed by how AWAKE the elementary students in Arts Chapel were at 8am; how thrilled they were to watch Starz, Faith and the missions team perform. I’m sure the pleasure was ours.

This, taking place yesterday, being Faith’s final outreach production with Firebird, it was bittersweet, but I’m so glad that I got to share it with the theater kids. Faith can get uptight and quiet (I think we’ve taken “professionally focused” to a whole new level of awesome.)– but Starz is always ready for action. One minute, they’re organizing backstage, and then they’re warming up their signing voices, and then they’re working on three different dances at once, and then they’re doing sound check, and in the grand scheme of things, they never stop being PRESENT, onstage or in rehearsal. They are absolutely some of the funniest–and most fun–people that I know. I’m going to miss the Anneites nearly as much as my Firebird friends.

But there’s Recital. And it is now Picture Week. And the ballet/tap kids have dress rehearsal coming up. And I have lots of schoolwork to do.

What a day! Faith, Training and pointe dancers spent several hours of it running all over the local mall. With rehearsals until late last night and five different pieces performed today, I can honestly say that I’m falling asleep sitting up, so when this post comes out repetitive and full of typos, we can all have a good laugh. 🙂

Flashback to Classics 2014: I performed in one dance. It was a lot of fun – something that I will never forget, in fact. Revisiting Hungarian for a day was about equal to somebody handing me a bag full of chocolate coins (emphasis on the chocolate).

That said, upping the dance count to five this year was both nerve racking and exciting. Faced with more quick changes than I ever thought possible, it was a fantastic experience in more ways than one. Given the opportunity to transform once again into Firebird, I soaked up the sunshine (quite literally, since there were windows right above the stage), and the pointe and Training dances went really well, for a first show. Plus, I don’t think I’ll ever worry about a quick change again in my life, especially when I’m surrounded by such lovely people as Abby, Caroline and Moriah. <— three reasons why my head is still on

A special thanks to Ms. Tina, Miss Sara and Miss Mia for their hard work in organizing this event for us and, as always, for their dedication. Also to my mom, who is now a professional when it comes to tutus. I’m pretty sure she could button Firebird up with one hand tied behind her back. That’s talent. And to Abby, Caroline and Moriah because I can’t thank them enough.

My mom once told me that when unexpected–not necessarily fantastic–situations arise, we, as human beings, need to treat those situations as “experiences.” I never planned on giving up my second dog, Grace, and it broke my heart to watch her go. But the pup wasn’t right for our family. I wrote a poem about her once, and while I won’t post it here, I will say that it isn’t flattering. Suggestion: If you ever end up parked on a highway for six hours, you may want to consider turning around. God might be trying to warn you!

In life, I think we’ve all seen an unexpected thing or two. Maybe it was awesome, maybe it wasn’t. The important thing is how we handled that unexpected situation.

I guess, until a few months ago, I never really considered what EXACTLY I was going to do after graduation. It seemed so far away, almost unreachable. Now, I’m planning my future, and as exciting as it is at times, it’s also kind of scary. I want to do so much, say so much. I can’t afford to draw a box around myself and never experience anything. I want to write, and I want to dance, and I want to help orphans, and I want to be everywhere and see all that there is to see. I want to suck every last ounce of life out of just that– LIFE.

Some days are better than others, as we all know. And sometimes, you just need someone to tell you that they know how you feel. A lot of the time, I find that hope in music, especially Bon Jovi, who has a song about pretty much everything. First and foremost, of course, is Jesus. He invented hope.

• Any Other Day by Bon Jovi
• I Can Only Imagine by Bart Millard
• All I Want by Jared Anderson
• Just Older by Bon Jovi
• Bad Day by Alvin and the Chipmunks
• Counting on God by The Desperation Band
• Everybody’s Broken by Bon Jovi
• One Of These Days by FFH
• When We Were Young by Benjamin Dunn & the Animal Orchestra
• Livin’ On a Prayer by Bon Jovi
• Noise by Colton Dixon
• Undignified by David Crowder Band
• What’s Left of Me by Bon Jovi
• Breathe You In by Thousand Foot Krutch

I’m back, lovelies!

The west coast, though. I have no words. I’ve never seen ocean waves that arc backward or had crazier hair. There I was – *gestures dramatically* – thinking that California humidity would have nothing on Pennsylvania’s. I was wrong. *shrugs* And I could sit in the Transformers ride at Universal Studios about a thousand times and never get bored (maybe a little nauseous, but not bored). Having Harry Potter along wasn’t all bad either.

I did, of course, need a playlist to get through the drive (and missing the ocean later on).

• California (There Is No End to Love) by U2
• I Don’t Know A Thing by Lucy Schwartz
• Beautiful, Beautiful by Francesca Battistelli
• Firework Katy Perry Piano Cover by Nazareno Aversa
• Complicated by Bon Jovi
• I’ll Be the Light by Colton Dixon
• Every Breaking Wave by U2
• I’m Letting Go [Dented Fender Sessions] by Francesca Battistelli
• Livin’ On A Prayer by Bon Jovi
• Talk Of The Town by Jack Johnson
• London by Benjamin Dunn & the Animal Orchestra
• Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi

More sunshine.

More warm breezes.

More outside time.

More open windows.

More screen doors.

More grass.

More t-shirts.

More sunhats.

More sandals.

More books.

More movie nights.

More BBQs (SHOW ME THE HAMBURGERS!).

More music.

More road trips.

And less school!

Two modern classes, one ballet class and one pointe class every week, along with a modern intensive in July. I couldn’t possibly be MORE ready for summer.

We can pause for Spring Break, though. I’m putting together my California playlist, folks. Look out.