December 10th - A Day of Dance

It was a whirlwind day, to say the least - I don't think this past Saturday could have been any more jam-packed than it was. But it was fun, and a lot of memories were made and best of all, a lot of friends were seen. The social part of activities is always the best part! Brailey started her day by working at the free dance clinic the Sheldon Colleens held in the morning. She had some young kids in her group, and they sounded absolutely darling! They were in good hands with Brailey and her teammates. While the dance clinic was going on in the gym, the Holiday Bazaar was going on in the cafeteria.There were so many amazing booths! It reminded me of Denver and Dallas Market - a bunch of vendors waiting for customers to come by. It is a shame more people didn't come. My mind is already turning thinking of ways to get more people there next year. Above is our dear friend Aimee, who has an amazing business with doTERRA Essential Oils. She is an absolute wealth of information! Any time one of us has an ailment, I ask Aimee for help. These oils are so amazing,  they are the leader in truly natural oils and the very best quality money can buy. They work on animals as well as they do people. We love Aimee so much! She also had those adorable horse head wreaths for sale, but sadly, I'm the only who bought them. They are seriously the most darling wreaths I've ever seen, whether you are a horse lover or not. They almost seem real! If you are curious about improving your life with quality essential oils, contact Aimee and she will set you up.
Aimee's Wild Country Oils
And here is our other good friend who had an amazing booth of handmade goods, Dannie of DC Designs. I was so happy to find some more wonderful treasures at her booth, also. Truly darling Christmas gifts! You should look her up on Facebook - she has some darling items for sale.
DC Designs
Below, I caught Brailey in the act of eating a cookie while the Colleens were cleaning up from their free dance clinic. The lady on the right is one of her coaches, Coach Carson. So cute!
Just as we were leaving to go home for lunch, we ran into Brailey's best friend Nikki and her mom, who had these gorgeous pink roses and a good luck balloon for Brailey. The timing could not have been more perfect, and it meant so much to Brailey. (It almost made me cry!) It was such a sweet, sweet thing for Nikki to do and I love this darling picture of them. The world needs more girls like these two! And her sweet friend who is now one of my dear friend, Denise, was able to come and watch Brailey in her Dance Showcase. Nikki had to go to an orientation for her trip to Mexico she was chosen to for through her church, but it was wonderful to have Denise with us. She is like and aunt and truly loves watching Brailey dance. Denise is the sweetest lady I've ever met!
After a quick, quick trip back home for lunch, we headed back in for the Holiday Dance Showcase. I had a terrible time filming - it turns all their faces white, which is the most beautiful part of the dance. I finally gave up. And then my camera is still giving me fits - even on the high shutter speed setting, it can't keep up with the fast moves. I managed to get a few pictures. This was a very dramatic dance (click here if you want to see the video) and they did so well! It is called, "Castle." I love the expressions on Brailey's face throughout this dance.
She is the girl on the end in the picture above. She is in middle, third one in from the left below.
And then my other favorite dance, their Missy Elliot hip hop, which is so fast, I didn't manage to get one good picture! But check out that face in the picture below. Those lips! (Click here to see this dance.)
And their Exhibition Kick routine below. Bray is fourth in from the left or right.
After a wonderful showcase, we had the Dance Banquet. While we were waiting for this, we were able to hang out at the JV basketball game and watch the Sheldon boys play. They are amazing! I was so happy to see a couple of my friends at this game, and especially one of my dearest friends, Renee. And needless to say, Britt and Brady were thrilled to have basketball to watch while we waited for the banquet.
Brailey and Lauren, another freshman on the team. Sadly, just as she and Brailey started to get to know each other, Lauren decided dance team is not for her. But they will always be friends! And aren't they so lovely?
Brailey received a participation award for being on the JV team, and for each dance, they received a special charm that goes in a sweet necklace that holds all the charms. Brailey also earned a certificate for her 4.0 GPA, which she has worked very hard to maintain. High school is, as expected, more demanding than middle school. Brailey always makes sure her academics are the number one priority in her day. We are so proud of her! And that's a wrap on her first fall season of dance! We are going into winter season, next, which she just tried out for last night. Dance has been a struggle in some ways, but we are doing our best to work through the struggles and to (pardon the pun) find our groove. We have learned so much this season! At least now we have a better idea of what to expect and how to fit dance into our life without it completely take over. Balance - the key to success! We are looking forward to a brand new season and a fresh start, in more ways than one. Goodbye fall, and hello winter!