Aspen Grove!

I spent last week with some of the coolest people I know - my family! Really, I never grew out of the "little sister thinking everything her older siblings do is so cool" stage. I really love my fam and it was great to spend time with them. My nieces and nephews grow up so fast . Sorry there are so many pics! I could've posted more , i just chose some of my favorites. Jared and I in front of the cabin we had all to ourselves, but we loved having the kids come sleep over!
The guys entered a 3 on 3 basketball tournament - they made it to the finals! Jared is pretty good, watch out Kobe.
Annie and I couldn't get Jared to take a normal picture - but here is one of our attempts, thanks anyway Anne!
My brother Brendan's kids; Courtney and Alex, so cute!
Me with my younger siblings Jonathan and Annie on the Jungle Gym.
Indiana Jones! Well, actually it's Jared with a whip playing a game at Frontier Night
Free Snowcones at Frontier Night!
Playing DDR, I actually was better than I thought I would be at this!
Proud Grandma with baby Scarlett - only two weeks old when she came on the trip!
My sister Becky with her cutie pie Eliza who turned ONE while we were up there.
"Dead or Alive" how do you like our criminal faces?
They had these miniature old towns up there for the kids to play in, with a bank and a barber shop . . .etc. My parents in front of the "school" i think.
I think this was the bank - I know how to use these phones from watching Mary Poppins.
Brendan with Alex - he is a good dad!
Marisa (with Scarlett), Warren and I - we loved the wooden swings.
Watching Tarzan in our cabin with Charles, Audrey and Warren
My Dad, and my sis-in-law Shera did the high ropes course, I was a wimp, unfortunately, but most of my family ended up doing it - I was proud.
Joel on the high ropes course.
Eliza's big one year old birthday party!
Courtney, Julia and Warren sleeping over in our loft.
Julia and Courtney on the grizzly!
Beautiful view of the back of Timpanogas! This was after "outdoor" church.

The trip was awesome! Thanks Mom and Dad!

Summa Time . . .

and the livin' is easy.

Which I am really still trying to adjust to. I love summer, it is a great benefit of teaching because you get summers off. But it is really weird not to be driving to Salt Lake everyday and to be on my own schedule! I have officially been out of school for just over a week. The last day of school was bittersweet, I will miss my dancers, my co-workers and having my own dance room. I have learned so much teaching at Granite Park and have really grown as a person!
Here are a few shots from the last days of school:
yes, i was getting just a bit sentimental . . .

Katie, Lily and Rosy brought me flowers and showed me a dance they choreographed and dedicated to me . . .it was really sweet. (the locker room was closed so they had to wear their jeans)

This is a few of us teachers waving good-bye on the last day as the buses pulled away, don't even ask what the guy with the megaphone is doing . We're a crazy bunch.


Ok, now for some summer stuff we've been up to:Visiting my sweet new niece, Scarlett Elizabeth Wright!
Fran and Josette's wedding reception. Fran and Jared were in a few Spanish plays together, we are so happy for them.
This was at a couple's shower celebrating Anna-Lisa Halling and Juan Carlos Hermosilla's wedding! They are some more of our BYU/Spanish Play friends. Their wedding is TODAY! My nieces Audrey and Julia, and Audrey's cousin Molly, playing princesses


My one year old niece (today!) Eliza!
My sister Becky threw a shower for my sis-in-law Marisa and baby Scarlett. Here are all of us girls.Last but not least, summer means birds, and we have a couple swallows (Hanzel and Gretel as Jared has named them) that have built a next right outside our door, here are their babies.

SYTYCD Frustrations . . .

So You Think You Can Dance . . .
So I've loved the show for the past three years, I still love it. What draws me to it the most is the extremely talented CHOREOGRAPHERS (the dancers are great too but not what I look forward to the most). Choreography is what pulled me into teaching and it would be a dream to be able to choreograph my most creative ideas on people who can do almost anything. I especially love Mia's choreography, her work in the Celine Dion show nearly brought me to tears - anyway.

My frustrations are with the judges and contestants. This season I've been a little bugged with the audition process. I've seen and heard of some AMAZING dancers who got cut because they didn't have some traumatic story or troubled background. Less talented dancers have moved on because they could provide that drama. Now don't get me wrong, the contestants this season are very talented and I'm impressed with their stories but I know of dancers that auditioned in Salt Lake City that could rip some of them to shreds! Next, what really bugged me with tonights show was how Nigel kept saying things like, "You're a ballroom dancer and shouldn't be able to do those things, I can't believe it!" Ok, hello! Even if you perform and compete in only one style, when you get to the level of talent and experience that the contestants have you MUST have had training in other styles as well. All genres go hand in hand and lend themselves to each other. You only get that strong in one style because you've had training in other styles. The most talented dancers are those who can do each style and look like that kind of dancer, do modern and look like a modern dancer, do jazz and look like a jazz dancer, do ballet and look like a ballet dancer . . .(with expression and passion of course)

I guess the show is more about making TV more entertaining and dramatic and not necessarily about talent and passion for dance. anyway, just had to get this out before I go to bed!