Leap.

Happy Leap Day, Friends! I thought you may enjoy some fun facts about today's holiday. You know leap years only happen every four years. But did you know we have leap years because it takes the Earth 365 1/4 days to orbit around the sun — minus 11 minutes every year? Because of that 11 minutes, we skip scheduled leap days three times in 400 years.


Did you know in Scotland it's considered bad luck to be born on Leap Day? Here in the U.S. it's just considered a novelty to be 1/4 your real age.


Finally- did you know February 29 was the one day an Irish woman could propose to a man — and he'd be fined if he refused? Did you know that? 



Thinking about how there won't be a february 29th for another four years.  Wondering what changes in my life will have come to pass by the time the next one comes. Ever do that? It's fun. By next leap year I'm hoping to have lots and lots of baby gideon and alyssas. I'm also hoping to have traveled around the world a few times. I'm hoping to start a ridiculously awesome dance company (as long as I'm dreaming)... 

Also- I'd like to have had a ride on a hot air balloon. 

I like leap day.

 It's like dream day. 

But I guess every day is basically dream day. 

Well, that's all. I've got a paper to write, and a back to ice.

Hope you ladies are being creative with your proposals today.

the mathematician and me...

So I'm in the library. It's the afternoon. I've just finished ballet technique, and I have a few hours before my choreography workshop.  Pink tights peek out from loose black sweatpants, paired with an old t-shirt I got on tour in Canada. In case you're having a difficult time painting a picture- go ahead and trust me when I say that I do not look cute. I'm fumbling over granola and yogurt, trying to get the crumbles into my mouth and not on the floor. Feeling very uncoordinated. Plus- not cute. (Did I mention that?)

I'm hungry. Tired. Grouchy. As I'm looking up european post modern choreography on youtube, (on mute) I hear an irritated voice say, "is that homework"? I become aware of the studious looking girl sitting next to me.


Her hair sleekly falls to her shoulders. She's wearing a button up 3/4 sleeve shirt, a pencil skirt, and glasses that suggest there's nothing wrong with her vision and she has impeccable style. I'm startled. I'd been in my own world; feeling sorry for myself for being tired and unable to eat granola gracefully. "Is that homework?" she repeats again, sounding a little less irritated and a little more patronizing. She continues, "Because if it's not, you're really not supposed to be using this section of the library's computers."


Half amused and half perplexed, I answer (my mouth half full of granola) "actually it is homework." She doesn't believe me. Slowly, she says, "what are you studying?"

Now I'm annoyed. Who does this girl think she is? The library police?

Determined to keep my cool, I tell her I'm pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in the Department of Modern Dance. "That oughta shut her up", I think to myself. There's a pause. She has nothing to say. (Good.)

 I return to the youtube search. She responds, "I used to dance".  My eyes flicker to her computer. She's working on some sort of equations. I'm thinking statistics or calculus. Goodness, how I hated those classes. I immediately feel sorry for this girl and regret being irritated by her.  Maybe I can make some polite conversation. I ask her what her major is. She answers: Math.

Then she continues (with a hint of smugness), "so I can get a real job someday."

Another awkward pause. 

I'm trying to figure out if she's trying to be funny, or suggesting that I will never get a job. Either way, this girl seems to lack some very basic social skills, and I'm more concerned for her than offended by her comments. I shrug, and cheerfully say something along the lines of "good for you for being so smart", and mention something about how I've always hated math because I'm so terrible at it. She rolls her eyes, and says perhaps the most depressing thing I've heard all semester:

"who says I don't hate math?" 

Third awkward pause. 

I'm beginning to think that there's no recovery from this conversation. I'd gone from being annoyed, to sympathetic, to trying to compliment a girl for being exceptional at solving equations to apparently offending her for assuming she enjoyed her major. She glares at me, says, "at least I don't have to starve myself by only eating yogurt and granola for lunch." Then she logs off her computer, gathers her books and backpack, and storms off. I'd just filled my mouth with another bite, so there was a fourth awkward moment (with the exception of me crunching my granola).

I go back to my youtube clips.

Not quite sure what to think about all of this, friends. I don't want to read too much into it. Most likely it was just an odd girl having an odd day (during an odd time of the month). I'm not suggesting that she's depressed because she's a mathematician rather than an artist. It was actually quite an interesting pop in my grouchy and tired afternoon. I do wish her the best. (Even though she really needs to see a therapist if that's how she behaves to every stranger she meets.) 

I wonder if she looks up dance on youtube during her free time. 

Probably not.

I will say this: I'm very glad I'm not studying math. 

Even if it means I don't dress cute all the time.

ps- for another awkward dance-y story that this reminds me of: http://theveryhappypear.blogspot.com/2011/01/matryoshka-story.html

Valentines 2012.

Gid made valentines super special for us this year. Since I have an evening class on tuesdays, he surprised me by taking me to a swanky restaurant on top of the Joseph Smith building downtown. "The Roof" turned out to be very nice with tasty food. Here's a few pictures from our Monday night outing:

love this building.

...never been to the top before, though!

The view from our table. 

handsome sweet boy.

Such a fun night.

After such an extravagant Monday, we both agreed that we'd be doneish with the valentines holiday. 

I say "doneish" because we all know valentines is never over on the 13th of February.

I made gid a romantic heart pepperoni pizza.

(almost as good as the evening before)

And he got me lovely flowers.

I wrote him a love letter, 

cut it into a puzzle, 

attached clues to it,

 and sent him on a scavenger hunt while I was in my philosophy evening class.

He figured it out. 

Smartie-pants.

And to top it all off- we used leftover balloons from Mimi's birthday party.

I think they still look good, don't you?

All in all- best Valentines yet. Love my guy.

How did you spend 

your valentines holiday friends?

Happy Wednesday.

One Year.

Little girl turned one this week.

Poor thing- she had to be woken up from a nap after getting some shots and then face a party. What a good little sport she was; I'd have been screaming the whole night. 

(Even though it was awesome.)

"Mom, there's an open flame right in front of me..."

My sister and I spent a ridiculous amount of time baking and preparing tasty treats. 

Four words, friends: all. so. worth. it.

Stayed up till 3am the night before to make this cake. I want to try to do a rainbow next...

Naomi had zero interest initially, 

but once she got a little taste, she became a little more open to it...

And those eyelashes haven't changed a bit, if you were wondering...

About halfway through the party, my sister and her husband did a sweet little tradition that one of their neighbors told them about. Here's how it works- You put three things in front of the baby at their one year birthday: money, rice, and a crayon. 

The tradition says that if the baby crawls towards the money, it means he or she will be especially prosperous. Should the baby crawl towards the rice, they are said to live an especially long and healthy life. Finally, if the baby crawls towards the crayon, they are said to be especially artistic (obviously this was the one I was hoping Mimi would choose...).

And she did. 

Atta girl, little artist. 

We were all clapping, I think she knew she picked a good one.

The presents came next- I couldn't believe how many gifts were given to this little girl! 

Popular already.

Since before she was born, I've been buying her little owl things- 

I couldn't resist when I found this little sippy cup at target.

Its adorable, but I was a little skeptical of how much mimi would like it. I wasn't sure how well the straw worked, and I worried it would just be something cute in the back of a cupboard. 

I was pretty thrilled when she wouldn't let it out of her sight for the rest of the evening.

Such a determined little baby...

In the end, the party was a huge success.

Beautifully decorated. 

Lots of attendance. 

Lots of sweets. 

Lots of gifts.

 

Isn't this little lamb cute? I'm not sure who gave it to her, but she loves it already.

Happy happy memories for this sweet family.

Dance Log 23

This past friday the program had auditions for next years graduate students. As we spent the day with the auditioners, I couldn't help feeling this weird nostalgia. I can't believe it was almost a year ago that I went through the graduate auditions. (I say "almost", because each year they hold two auditions- one in february and one in march. Mine were in march.) Yeesh, I remember hours in the studio agonizing over tiny moments of my audition piece. I remember thinking I should loose weight. I remember Gideon editing my letter of intent; thank goodness he did. He's so much better at writing than I. I remember getting so much support with letters of recommendation. First Jennifer's. Then Wendy's. Gary's came last; he even included extra copies for me. I still keep them in my night stand so when I feel like I'm a really crap dancer I can look at them and try to feel better about myself.  People who changed my life profoundly were so eager to help me move forward in my pursuit of studying dance. And the support I was given when I received my acceptance letter? Unbelievable. I can't believe it was a year ago.

Did I mention that Gid and I were able to go down to BYU Idaho to set some choreography on Dance Alliance, friends? Incredible to be back on campus again. Gid even took his dancers to work in the Kirkham. Lucky ducks. My dancers are unbelievably stunning. I hate to admit it (actually, I love to admit it), but the touring company gets better and better each season. Gid and I were so lucky to be able to spend our undergraduate years participating in the dance department. This April, it'll be three years since we got to go to russia on tour with Dance Alliance. Isn't that crazy?

Realizing that it's almost been a year has created (I hope) a sort of surge of optimism and confidence in myself. I keep thinking things like, "If I made it this far, who's to say I won't make it all three years?" I actually haven't seriously considered quitting grad school or anything, but I often find myself feeling unbelievably confused about what I'm doing with my life. I could've sworn yesterday we were being placed into levels for technique, but then again- I could have sworn just yesterday we were setting the first piece of my final year on dance alliance. How is it that time becomes so muddled? Can you imagine what a basket case I'll be when we have kids? (shudder) What a frightening thought.

My point is-- (...what was my point again??) Hmmm. I guess my point is, I can do it. If I could get through that exhausting audition without passing out, and be accepted into an institution that isn't afraid to push me to my physical, emotional and intellectual limits, I can not only complete this program, but I can finish it a better dancer than when I entered.

...I guess that's what my point is. 

(oh, and best of luck to all of the auditioners. You were nothing less than stunning.)

Happy sunday to you all, sweet friends.