HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had an amazing year because I know I sure did! I decided to hop on the bandwagon and take a look back at 2013. It was fun to go through all my photos and see what an great year 2013 was! Here are some of the highlights.

January

+ ODC half times

+ Watched the vibe show "Floored" at the Scera.

+ Hit my first 100 likes on Instagram

February

+ Had a Valentine for the first time

+ Lost my best friend, Sydney, to suicide

March

+ 18th birthday

+ California with Davis for ten days

+ Watched a lot of basketball

April

+ cuddled lots. (that's everyday)

+ Keys to Success assembly

+ Fun double dates to Nicklecade 

May

+ Graduated high school

+ ODC Spring concert-performed my first solo ever

+ Took Senior pictures

+ One Year Anniversary with Davis

June

+ Went to Lagoon

+ Davis got his diploma

+ Summerfest

+ Cooper's Run parade

+ Started teaching dance class at Dance Showcase Company

July

+ Davis' birthday

+ Laci's birthday

+ Went to the Hogle Zoo

+ Spent the Fourth of July at the Johnson Mill

August

+ Swiss Days

+ Made Davis get over his fear of snakes

September

+ cut my hair

+ BYU vs UT game

+ Louisa left on her mission

+ more Swiss Days fun

October

+ Halloween

+ My nephew Thomas was born

November

+ Thanksgiving with Davis' family

+ started to nanny for my cousin Tiffany

+ Jake left on his mission

+ My niece Ceni was born

December 

+ Christmas

+ New Years

+ Temple Square

+ Saw White Christmas with Davis' family

+ Hung out at the Johnson Mill

+ Winter cruises

+ my best friend Ellie left on her mission. 

2013 was definitely a year I won't forget, but I'm excited to see what 2014 has in store for me. 

THROWBACK THURSDAY-THRILLER

Last year around Halloween time I had the opportunity to dance in Thriller (if you have never seen Thriller, I recommend you go see it next year) with two of best friends from high school, Liz and Ellie. Liz's dad owns a dance company called Odyssey Dance Theater so we all decided it would be fun to try out together and luckily, we all made it! 

When I was younger, I would go see Thriller with my family. I used to be so afraid of the zombies that would wander around outside. It's crazy that last year I finally got to be one of those zombies I was always so afraid of. It was such a fun opportunity and I am so happy that I was apart of the show. 

Happy Halloween & TBT! 

DANCING UNDER THE STARS

On Friday, Laci and I went on a sister date to Dancing Under The Stars at the Scera Shell. Over all, the show was pretty good. The greatest part of the whole show was being able to see Shaping Sound. If you haven't heard of Shaping Sound you should look them up. They are AMAZING. I never wanted them to stop dancing. Some of the best contemporary dancing I've ever seen in person.

Another dance that I LOVED was a dance by Divinity Company choreographed by my old teacher Alan. This video isn't from the show on Friday night, but from the Divinity concert that was at the beginning of the month. I didn't get to go so I watched this dance on Youtube when Alan posted it. It was amazing to be able to see it in person on an actual stage. Alan is an amazing choreographer. 

That girl, the blonde soloist. That's one of my besties Ellie. I've danced with her since I was itty bitty and she is outstanding. I mean, just look at her! 

I had such a fun night hanging out with my sissy, watching some amazing dancing, and eating this amazing ice cream treat.

Happy Sunday!

FLASHBACK FRIDAY - ODC FOREVER

Orem Dance Company 2012

Today I watched the Orem Dance Company concert from my Junior year and I decided that I wanted to share a few of the pieces I was lucky enough to choreograph for my company. The first video was one of the first things I had EVER choreographed. I taught that piece my junior year. It's crazy to think that, that was my first real taste of teaching dance.

The second piece I choreographed about a year ago. It was a half time for dance company just this last year. It's crazy to me to see how far I've come. Even without dancing at a studio this past year, I have grown as a dancer. I have been able to teach and spread my knowledge of dance to young dancers and it feels amazing. I can't wait to see what else I can do with everything I've learned.

The third video is my Senior Solo. I've already posted this before, but since I'm showing off my work I thought it'd be appropriate to post again. One of my favorite moments performing on a stage is when I performed my solo. I was so nervous to perform this and after I did I felt so proud of myself. I will never forget when my hero and director Hollie texted me seconds after performing my solo saying, "That was the greatest I've ever seen you dance." I love Hollie. She is my role model. 

Hollie and I

I miss dancing so much. It was and still is such a huge part of my life that I will never give up. Yes, I quit dancing at a studio, but it doesn't mean that my love for dance changed at all. Dancing at a studio is hard and time consuming. It is a huge commitment that I just couldn't handle anymore. I don't regret quitting one bit, but I miss it like crazy. I need to get my butt into a dance class ASAP.

The girls of ODC 2013

I'LL BE THE JUDGE

Today I had the opportunity to judge Dance Showcase's company auditions for their 2013-2014 teams. I had never been a judge before and I had a blast. I'm so glad that I was able to judge and get a new skill under my belt. It was a good time with free lunch! (BONUS) I couldn't be more grateful for the chance I've had to be to able to teach and dance again. It has honestly been the best experience and I certainly missed dancing. 

SUCCESS//FOOD//DANCE//DOGS

HE DID IT and i am soo excited for him! it's been amazing to watch davis grow. i am stoked for him to start his amazing job and make his life exactly how he wants it to be. i am so grateful that i am apart of his life and that i have been by his side through this awesome journey. 

CONGRATS BOO. i love to you. 

tyler, davis, and their amazing teacher tony.

a few fun side notes!

#1 before davis' event, laci, davis and i went to in-n-out burger to have some lunch and celebrate his success. it was a yummy meal filled with burgers and way too many animal style fries.

#2 i finishing teaching at dance showcase's intensive. my strength training class went GREAT. it was hard for them, but they all pushed through like champs. i am sore as EVER and i bet they are too. walking up the stairs and sitting on the toilet are now a struggle for me and after lagoon and swimming yesterday {post to come} it's even worse.

#3 the crazy dog is gone. duncan left today and i am just a little excited. the cat has been in hiding for the past five days now and max has been more annoyed than ever. he was a pain in the butt but how can you resist those puppy eyes? it was a fun couple of days, but i'm happy the adhd (i swear! he is too hyper) dog is outta here.

life's great. can't wait to see what this week has in store.

BACK AT IT

today i realized how much i love being in the dance studio. it is seriously where i belong. although i don't regret not dancing at one this past year, i am grateful for the years i did get to spend in one. i am very lucky that i danced at such a professional studio and was able to have some pretty amazing training and opportunities. the vibe was literally my second home. i honestly believe i spent more time dancing than i did at home. now it's exciting to be able to walk into the studio and not be the student anymore. it's fun being the one in charge. i love helping these girls get better because i know i can. it's totally different {and kind of weird} walking into a studio that isn't my own. nobody knows me {except hollie} and i feel a little out of place. luckily, i'll be spending more time at dance showcase and things will become normal.

today i got to teach three jazz classes and had a blast. surprisingly, i had the hardest time with the seven and eight year old kiddos. i have never had the opportunity to teach kids that age until today and must admit, i was a little unprepared for it. i still had a great time and believe i did a good job. i'm excited to go back on thursday to teach three contemporary {my favorite style} classes. i will definitely be more prepared and hopefully everything goes smoothly.

i'm still in need of advice. i am teaching three strengthening/work out classes on friday and i a little clueless on what i should do. if you have any ideas for me i would much appreciate it. the ages are seven through eight, 9 through eleven, and twelve and up. i'm thinking that i will do the pretty much the same class for all three ages seeing that working out isn't too technical. i don't want the classes to be too hard, but still effective. PLEASE let me know. anything will help me out. xoxoxo

  

LAZY SUNDAY'S///NEED ADVICE

most sundays around our house are very very lazy. they mostly consist of long naps and movie marathons. yesterday, davis and i decided to get our bums in the kitchen and make some yummy cookies! seeing that we both aren't too great in the kitchen, we just used cookie dough and didn't make anything from scratch. we're pathetic, but we still had fun.

don't tell davis i posted this... he'll kill me.

2 random side notes... 

#1 today, janet, the owner of dance showcase called me and asked me to teach some classes this week. i taught there at the beginning of the month and luckily they liked me and want me to come back. i got to teach these cuties (and other group of darling girls i didn't get a picture of) and loved every second of it.

hollie, my orem dance company director, hooked it up since dance showcase is where she teaches. i am teaching tomorrow, thursday, and friday from 9:30-12:30. i'm teaching jazz technique, contemporary, and strength training/fitness. i am prepared and ready to teach jazz and contemporary but i'm a little stumped on what to do for strength training. 

if you have any ideas for what i could do PLEASE let me know. i am teaching three 50 minutes classes. 7-8 year olds, 9-11 year olds, and 12 and up. i want to teach a fun class that isn't too hard for them. i also don't want it to be too easy and be effective. let me know!! 

#2 i am selling some of my gently/never used clothes! check out the link {here} or click on the for sale. tab at the top of the page!

MY SENIOR SOLO

change the quality to 480p before watching for better quality

after over a month of having our whole orem dance company concert on dvd, i finally figured out how to rip the dvd to my computer and trim the whole thing down to just my solo. i'm proud of myself for figuring out something like that without having to run to davis for help.

i had soo much fun performing this solo. i took some of the choreography from a dance i did at vibe (choreographed by the brilliant erica sobol) but most of the choreo is my own... actually almost all of it. i would have to say that this is some of the best choreography i have even done. good thing it was my best work, because all my friends from school and now you readers and seeing it. my director hollie told me that when i performed my solo, it was the best she had ever seen my dance so i really hope you all enjoy it. it took a lot of hard work and perfecting to get it to look just the way i wanted it to and i am so happy with the way it turned out. most of the time, i watch dance videos of myself and just point out everything i did wrong, but for once it was different. i was so surprised at how well i looked. i'm not trying to sounds cocky or anything, but i think i looked great and i am so happy that i was able to perform this solo as one of my last dances on the orem high stage. 

sorry these photos are blurry. i didn't have pictures from the actually performance so i just screen shotted these from the video!

VIBE COMPANY SHOWCASE

ari, ellie, and i after the showcase

on tuesday laci, ellie and i went to the vibe company showcase at the covey center. it was fun to see all my friends dance on the stage together and it made me miss dancing with all of them. even though i didn't dance this year, i don't regret not doing it. it is a lot of hard work and dedication. 4 1/2 hours a day at the studio started to ware on me after 10 years. everyone did an amazing job and i am so happy that i got to see everyone. hopefully ellie and i can make our way to the studio this summer to take a few classes.

IT'S FINALLY HERE...

today was officially my last day of high school EVER!! 24 hours from now i will be an orem high school. graduate, class of 2013. umm... wait, WHAT!? i'm already graduating? how is this real?

this morning i had to be to school bright and early {6:30 am} for the senior send-off assembly practice. it was hard getting up this morning, but it was bittersweet. it was the last time i would ever have to get up to go rehearse for an assembly. shucks, it was my last assembly ever as an orem high student {tear}. i was lucky because i was able to perform with the seniors of odc one last time on the orem high stage. it wasn't our best performance, but it felt good to move and perform. i don't get the opportunity to dance as much as i used to. i have always enjoyed being able to dance in front of my peers in assemblies and at half times. it was fun to show off what i could do one last time before saying goodbye. i had miss hunter film our last dance and i want to share it... {don't kill me girls!} like i said, it wasn't our greatest performance. the dance looks a little messy. {okay, it looks really messy...} we hadn't even thought about it since our concert which was at the beginning of the month. i'm proud of these girls. i'm so happy to have them as sisters. even though it was messy it was totally us. like liz said on our last day of dance company,  "we are one dysfunctional family". the messiness fit us perfectly.

after the assembly i got my last yearbook. for not being at school a lot this year, i was in the book more than i had planned so that was pretty cool. since i didn't have a ton of friends this year, and only a few close ones, i didn't have many people sign my yearbook. i got the people who i cared about to, and then went to get my cap and gown...

ignore my closet behind me...

as i went up to the library to get my graduation attire, this is when things started to feel real. i can't believe that my years of high school are over. i am finally graduating! when i was little, graduation seemed so far away. even when i was a sophomore, it seemed like it couldn't come fast enough, but it did. it's already all over. i wish i would have realized how fast it was going to fly past me. i have mixed emotions about the whole graduation thing. i'm so excited to finally be out of there. no more of that lame "school" stuff. i'll miss the fun parts high school: dances, odc, student council, football games, assemblies... the list goes on and on. i will for sure miss high school even though all i talked about all year was how much i hated it. there are some things i regret and wish i could go back redo, but for the most part i loved high school. i love orem high. i wouldn't give up the experience i had there for the world. that place will always feel like a second home.

tomorrow i get to walk with my class and receive my diploma. i finally get to step through the "o" and have my name read aloud in front of the whole audience. having my name read is a pretty huge accomplishment. when they read your name to everyone, they are pretty much saying, "you did it." it's like the icing on the cake. it's taken some hard work to make it through high school. some rough times and some amazing times. i'm so happy that i made it and never gave up.

CLASS OF 2013, WE DID IT!!!!

ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END...

i am dreading tomorrow...

tomorrow is my last day of orem dance company, aka the only thing that kept me sane this school year.

i'm so sad that i have to leave this group of people. i'm going to miss everyone so much! i am going to miss dancing at half times and on the orem high stage. i am going to miss never going to school but always making sure i was there, just for dance company. i could always be myself in dance company. i could let loose and have no cares. it was always so much fun to go and dance with all my friends almost everyday. i'm going to miss being on presidency. ellie, maddie, naomi, liz, and i rocked it this year. 

i am going to miss my amazing director, hollie, the most. i'll miss her craziness. i'll miss the yells that we would constantly hear from her. {out of love of course}  she has taught me so many life lessons. she is always for me if i need someone to talk to. i could call her up at any time of day and she would stop what she was doing to help me or give me some advice. i'll miss sitting in her office and having "gossip hour". hollie is my second mom. she is such an amazing woman that i look up to more than anything.

dance company was the only thing i looked forward to all throughout my senior year. i'm crushed that it finally has to end. i knew it was coming, but i didn't know it would be this hard to say, "see you later".

 i will be back for gossip hour you can count on that. 

I LOVE HOLLIE & ODC!!