she tucked her coral lipstick away and floated back to the party...

Just a side note- not a deep post today:

I got a kate spade bag for $55.  It normally runs for a little over $300.

 I've never spent this much on a handbag.
But I love it, and treat it like a baby. 

Its sitting on my bed right now. I never let anything sit on my bed. 

Also- I'm going to the beach in July. So I bought a swimsuit. Less than $15, thanks to a little blemish that got me a discount. Super cheap. 

(No doubt in compensation for the crazily expensive-- 

yet unbelievably clearanced-- handbag.)

And as I blog, I have another window open with some really adorable (and clearance- I swear) flip flops that I may or may not purchase depending on how much self control I have at this hour....

Time will tell. 

I don't know why- I just thought I'd share. 

...I love my bag.

reunite.

Last weekend there was the first ever Contemporary Dance Theatre reunion for alumni dancers of BYU Idaho. I actually barely made the invite- I was on the very last CDT outreach before the university formed a new company called Dance Alliance. 

 (The main difference between CDT and Dance Alliance is that CDT focused on modern styles whereas Dance Alliance focuses on many different genres.)

 I have people ask a lot which company I prefer, and I'm always a little unsure on how to respond. 

Its like picking if I like my arms or legs better.

I can't decide if I prefer Dance Alliance over CDT, but I will say this: 

My first year of CDT was the absolute best environment for me to develop and nurture my understanding and love of dance. 

Something about the director- Jennifer Wadsworth, the dancers I was blessed to work with, and the movement that we took on tour- it planted within me such an intrigue and admiration for movement.

I also have to point out that most of the dancers on the touring team that year (many of which were at the reunion last weekend) served as a major inspiration for me during my undergraduate education. At the time, I'm sure they had no idea I existed. 

It's kind of funny how you can be completely star struck by someone you don't really know- and meanwhile, they think they're completely ordinary. You know?

 By the time I graduated, I'd gone on four tours (one with CDT, and three with Dance Alliance), and had a fierce desire to continue studying and pursuing movement creation and performance. 

There's no way I'd be where I am (or married to who I am for that matter) if I hadn't waltzed into the wrong audition room in January of 2005. 

And I couldn't be more grateful.

I have to say- dancing in my old studio, with my undergraduate teacher Wendy Bone was such a breath of fresh air. 

There's something about dancing on that campus that is magic. 

You can roll your eyes and say I'm silly, but its absolutely true. 

And we got to see the Dance Alliance show. 

(including choreography from Gideon and yours truly)

Magic.

As always.

And when you're driving back to real life from extravadance,
its always nice to be reminded you're home.

Loving life so much today, 

ps- thank you to Karli and Justin, who let us stay with them in their lovely home. An extra BIG thank you to Karli for forcing me to watch our first tour video, for all the memories and giggles, and especially for helping me plan for big dreams to come.

ache.

Yesterday I woke up with a small pinch in my upper back. It was annoying, but not enough to stop me from taking a 2 mile run, showering, getting ready for the day, going grocery shopping, and running the rest of my errands. 

Around 3 in the afternoon, I could tell that the pain was a little more serious than a pinch. So I took a nice long hot shower, and tried to rub it out. No dice.  It was starting to seriously hurt. 

Around 6 I wasn't walking. Just sitting on my bed wincing. I took the maximum suggested dose of ibuprofen, and didn't notice a single difference in the level of pain I was experiencing. 

At 8 I called my awesome massage therapist friend (soon to be full time employed) and begged her to work on it. I had relief for about 1/2 an hour before the pain came back with a vengeance despite the second hot shower and additional heat I put on it. 

And around 10pm I was just silently crying myself to sleep because it just hurt so so so bad.

This morning I woke up around 9:45. Rough, rough night. Soo sore. I alternated packs of frozen fruit (strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and peaches if you're curious) on my back just long enough before they'd come close to thawing. (Um- we don't have an ice pack.) It was when I began to alternate heat and ice that I finally felt some miniscule improvement. As I was in a hot bath I felt a soft shift in my shoulder and heard a distinct pop.

Sigh of relief. 

I'm still in pain, but its a cake walk compared to last night. Oh-And after Gid got home from a long day at work and caught me with a frozen ice cream sandwich (it was wrapped and Soy by the way- so its not like either of us was going to eat it) on my back, he immediately went to the store to buy me more powerful meds (instead of going to a cool work event like he'd planned), and brought back a proper ice pack, red-vines, extra strength tylenol, and a pint of mango sorbet.

There are 2 morals to this story:

- Having a rib come out of alignment sucks. Always has, always will. 

(Sometimes I really miss working for a chiropractor.)

- My husband is kind of the best. And when I say kind of, I mean absolutely. 

Wishing everyone (including me) a pain free evening,

camp rose.

Confession: I've been keeping a little secret for the last 12 months.

Mom when she was my age. The woman doesn't age...

I've been planning a surprise party for my sweet sweet madre's 60th Birthday. 

With Uncle Danny (I think?)

My mother may look pretty normal, and perhaps she would be- if normal included being impossibly lovely, unassumingly sweet, creative and darling.

 One of many reasons she's extraordinary? 

My mother raised the craziest kids in the world: me and my siblings. 

Little Ephraim

Little Sammy

The rest of the clan (except me-- I was in her tummy though...)

Mom taking a moment to daydream while entertaining ephraim and keeping an eye on me...

lots of babysitting along the way (ephraim is the blond chub in the middle)

My mother is an adventurer. An explorer. She'd take sleeping under the stars over any fancy resort. She's stunning. And happier wearing sweats in the back yard while gardening than she'd ever be wearing expensive jewelry, driving luxury cars, or wearing designer labels. 

I think she honestly may be the least superficial individual on the face of the planet. 

Things of value include service, time spent outdoors, and teaching children. 

The thing most valuable to her: time spent with family. 

Well. It just so happens, that getting our entire immediate family together is very difficult to arrange. Even during Thanksgiving and Christmas, getting everyone under one roof is a little iffy.

This is why, about a year ago, I began calling my siblings and asking them to mark off the weekend of mom's birthday this june. Most of the kids in my family (including me and gid) didn't even know where we'd be in a year, so the chances of us all getting together in the same town on the same weekend seemed pretty bleak. 

So, you can imagine my excitement when everyone's schedules magically seemed to come together for this one weekend in june. Seriously, there must've been angels working hard to make sure that all five kids plus spouses/girlfriends were able to make it (plus one aunt, a grandma, two grandbabies and a crazy busy hubby-- my dad). 

A few months before, I began sending weekly emails out with updates and instructions. We decided to give the weekend event a name: Camp Rose. You see, my mother's name is Rosemary. And she loves to go camping. So even though I knew I couldn't take us camping, I thought I could bring the camp to our little texas home.

I love that Mom actually thought her birthday would be a pretty quiet weekend initially. 

Sweet Aunt Patti flew to Texas amidst business trips and family time to be there for camp rose.

It was when mom decided to run to the store with Grandma (to pick up a few toys for the grandkids) that the magic really began to happen. Dad, Gid, me, Melody, Andy and mimi were already home. Sam, Nicki, and their sweet boy gabe came over, followed by Josh and Melissa. Ephraim and Jeanne parked their car a block away so mom wouldn't suspect anything. My AUNT flew into town. We wrote out the words S-U-R-P-R-I-S-E on paper and each held a letter. 

And you know what when my mom got home-

 she was really really really happy. 

And surprised. 

And seeing that smile- 

is worth any 14 hour drive in my book. 

 I kept finding mom in corners wiping her red nose, 

and hearing her giggle to herself and say, "I'm just so happy". 

(Thank you to Aunt Julie and Uncle Steve for this DELICIOUS edible arrangement)

One of the last things we did as a family was each share cherished memories of mom. 

Even I was blown away hearing the way my siblings told of what an impact my mother's grace, patience, and poise affected who they are today. 

Even my usually rough around the edges and incredibly sarcastic brothers. 

I couldn't believe the tenderness that was in their memories. 

My aunt made us all laugh by telling stories of my mom when she was a kid.

(Not much has changed, eh?)

 My grandmother gave sweet memories of my mother as a baby.

4 generations of lovely ladies

 My father (who gave twice the requested amount of memories) 

declared his adoration and love for the woman of his dreams. 

Even the grandkids participated. 

There's no amount of diamonds or jewelry that would have meant as much to Mom as hearing these stories.

Oh. And there was a party. 

A huge party that we had over 50 people show up to. 

When I told mom we'd be having guests over to celebrate her birthday the first thing she said to me was, "Oh Alyssa, no one is going to come." Remember how I said she was unassuming? 

People came all right. Lots. 

We had guests late into the evening still hanging around so they could get a chance to tell mom how much they love and appreciate her. 

She was giggly all evening, wiping her eyes every now and then. 

(Certainly when we lit sparklers and sang her happy birthday.) 

What an evening to remember.

And one last surprise: I began asking close friends and family if they'd be willing to write mom a letter of thanks and appreciation. My goal was to give her 60 letters for her 60th birthday. I had over 80 responses. 

To all my sweet loved ones who helped me create these lasting memories for a truly remarkable woman: I thank you with all of my heart. This was a weekend she won't forget anytime soon.

Happy Birthday to the woman who has inspired me more than I can say.