coming out of hiding.

{milano photography}

10 things to explain my absence:

1. this perfromance took just about every second of every day, there for awhile.
2. a lovely girls trip to san francisco. rain or shine- we know how to shop, eat and have a good laugh.
3. midge's visit that was long, but still not long enough. mother's are the best visitors, especially when she's your best friend, too.
4. indulged in the time to sleep- or rather caught up on the lack of sleep from the last busy month.
5. lovebird's spring break seemed to have distracted me with kisses, a gossip girl marathon, an adventure or two, a temple trip and an unusual amount of heart to heart talks.
6. truthfully, i needed a slight break from technology. i did the whole "unplug" thing for a little while. it was beyond refreshing. instead, i've been on a big reading kick.
7.  san francisco, again. and again. we have literally been up there every weekend for the last two months. {now, i'm trying to convince lovebird to move up there. help me please!}
8. mowgli is quite possibly been my biggest distraction. his need for attention has grown rapidly. but, i don't mind; days at the dog park, walks around the block and never ending games of fetch- i love them just as much as he does.
9. teaching and then more teaching. between teaching piano and pilates, my days seem packed. however, i wouldn't want to be doing anything else. i love it.
10. my mind has been somewhere else lately, trying to make sense of the future and the unknown. while it's been slightly exhausting and stressful, it leaves me eager and excited to see what's next.

i'm so sorry to have been gone for what-feels-like forever.
life seems to happen so fast, and it takes us with it sometimes.
i'm back and here to stay.
at least for awhile.

tell me what i've missed. catch me up, pretty please. 

theater week.

{milano photography}

theater week is here in full swing. 

this week, is what we ballerinas, like to call "theater week".

it's basically the week we move out of our own homes, 

and into our dressing rooms at the theater.

this means that i'll be spending more time at the theater than at home.

which also means, i'll spend more time in my pointe shoes than time in lovebird's arms.

it means late nights, sore feet, hair tight in a bun, stage makeup,

long rehearsals, costumes, caffeine, epsom salt baths, hairspray and color days.

as long and hard as the week may seem to go,

it's always all worth it, the second the curtain flies up on opening night.

the thrill, the excitement, the nerves and the joy-

completely erases the pain, aches and tiredness from an exhausting week.

being a performer is magical and it's often times indescribable.

a performance is when my passion for this art is amplified and showcased.

it's almost surreal.

it's always hard work- even in the moment you are dancing your heart out.

but, it's that moment when you succeed the challenge of it all on stage,

because after all, it only counts on stage.

and that right there is a hard truth-

as ballerinas we work so hard for so long- preparing for a single moment to shine.

we are given one chance to make it count.

not to mention, that one time is on stage, under pressure and in front of an audience;

but, that's the thrill of it all. 

this ballet world, is a crazy world we live in.

i love it and wouldn't trade it for anything.

this week will be a busy one- one that will leave me away from my computer.

so, please know that my lack of posting is a result in me not being "home" for the week.

plus- i have special guest coming into town for the show-

and of course they will get every ounce of my attention.

i'll do my best to post- but can't make any promises. ;)

happy tuesday

cheers to the long, but exciting week, ahead of us all.

xoxo

b u s y

life is is full swing right now.

dress rehearsals and performances galore.

one last final today. {thank goodness}

guests arrive in a few days.

christmas is just around the corner.

traveling home for the holidays.

christmas shopping and wrapping on the "to do list'.

and the list goes on...

i'm just trying to keep my head above water right now.

after this final is over, i have a feeling a big weight will be lifted of my shoulders.

i'm waiting for it to feel like christmas-

i don't know if it's because i'm too busy to realize it's just 15 days away,

or maybe it's because i don't live around snow anymore.

but, i'm guessing it's because my mind is purely occupied on nutcracker

and finals that i haven't even begun to have thoughts of christmas festivities.

i'm hoping that all changes in a few hours after i hand in my final. 

but, let's be honest- finishing your finals, feels like christmas come early every time. 

yahoooo! wish me luck. here i go. 

i look forward to jumping on the christmas bandwagon later today. 

dreamer.

{image}

be a dreamer.

dreams are the backbone to life-

without dreams, goals and aspirations our life would be empty.

so, dream away.

make life count by following your dreams;

you'll then live with no {or fewer} regrets. 

it's been a dream of mine, to be a ballerina, since i can remember.

{tutus, the color pink, performing, bouquet of roses... the whole enchilada.}

i followed my dream, when those have told me to stop.

the moments when i'm performing, make me feel like i'm actually in a dream.

my parents, and now lovebird, have always supported this dream of mine.

i suddenly feel like it's not a dream anymore; but rather real life.

i'm truly living a dream.

my heart is overjoyed knowing i get to perform the nutcracker all month long.

yes, this involves the tutus, the pointe shoes, the color pink in all it's glory...

but, the thing that excites me the most, is knowing that 

i have followed this dream.

a dream that so long ago felt so unattainable.

also, that i get to share the stage with those who have the same dream,

as well as, share this dream of mine to those who come to watch.

i'm especially grateful for this dream, during this season of giving. 

quite ironic that, the nutcracker is based off of clara's dream-

a dream so magical and full of fantasy.

and that's when it hit me, that 

my life as a ballerina is just as magical.

the life of a ballerina.

{source}

a little thing called, 

"the nutcracker", 

has taken over my life as of late.

i'm so sorry for being a flaky post-er, please let me explain: 

instead of letting my thoughts spill onto the keyboard,

my thoughts have turned into visions of sugar plums, who dance in my head.

instead of spending hours on pinterest drooling over new boots to buy-

i cram my feet into pointe shoes for five hours a day.

instead of staying up late to snuggle with lovebird at night-

i make him message my sore muscles until his hands ache.

instead of singing the christmas carols, that i so adore-

i find myself humming the waltz of the flowers, from rehearsal the night before. 

instead of studying for finals, cleaning the house or making dinner-

i come home to an unopened text book a dusty house. oh, well.

instead of flying home for christmas 'the normal', several days in advance-

i perform up until the christmas eve, to the very last second. 

all of this business is hard work and adds to the already crazy holiday season.

however, as much as my muscles may ache, my hours with lovebird are limited,

my studying gets put on the back burner and my life is hectic...

it is all worth it.

nutcracker is a beatuiful tradition;

one that i am so happy to be a part in,

and one that i look forward to taking my future little ones to. 

so, please bare with me-

i promise to post as often as i can in between rehearsing and studying for finals. 

until then, so you know exactly what i'm up to....

watch this trailer to our show!

challenge: can you find me?

hint: don't look for red hair- blonde instead!

p.s. is it a tradition of yours to go to the nutcracker?

if not, it's never too late to start now. 

i'm certain no matter where you live, 

a company nearby is putting on a production of it. 

or, always check for the annual tv debut of the san francisco ballet's version.

{it is breathtaking, truly. get a taste of it here.}

outweighing tiredness.

ah! a whole week has come and gone,

and i only managed to post a couple of times.

life was awfully crazy this past week.

we, as ballerina's call it: "theater week."

meaning, we live at the theater for the week.

nothing but dress rehearsals, make-up and tiredness. 

i debated moving an air mattress into my dressing room-

i was that tired at the end of each night.

{which explains the lack of blog posts. ops!}

on top of many hours at the theater,

being a mum to our new pup was quite tiring in itself.

if i wasn't out walking him or playing with him,

i was spending all my minutes thinking about {and adoring} him.

or... worried that he was okay in his kennel all alone at home.

puppies are the best thing in the world- hands down.

but, they do take tiredness to a new level. 

lastly, on top of all of that, my parents came into town on thursday.

it's always the biggest treat when they visit.

they met their first grandson {aka our pup},

went to my performance {they've always been my number one fans},

and we all enjoyed a day in gorgeous yosemite.

it was a week to remember.

nothing beats the thrill of performing,

hugs from your parents {who live too far away},

and cuddling a ball of soft puppy fur. 

every ounce of tiredness was forgotten thanks to these great things.

happiness is love, life and family.

{and of course- husbands, ballet and puppies.}

hope you had a lovely weekend.

i'll be catching up {on lots} of your fun posts from last week.

xoxo

{picture above: courtesy of milano photography}

i'm in shock.

i'm so sorry for the small hiatus.

i suppose that happens when life takes over all at once.

all a little too fast.

i've been busy rehearsing, performing and studying.

but, today... today i only have two hours of dance.

happy friday to me.

{this never happens}

and.... drum roll please....

i have saturday off too!

now, that never happens. 

this my friends, is why i am in utter shock. 

happy weekend to you.

i hope you all have lovely adventures.

our's will hopefully be spent puppy shopping,

having a date night in- watching a chick flick,

eating gelato, and catching up on some much needed sleep.

enjoy your weekend. i'll catch up with you monday.

xoxo

{photo credit: milano photography}

stumped on a hump.

today, i'm stumped:

stumped on what to write about.

also, stumped because i'm exhausted.

so,i guess it's cheers to it being hump day.

i hope you are overcoming your week's tiredness,

the midweek blues, and the feeling of wishing friday was already here.

i certainly trying to. 

sorry for the boring post of words-

instead, i thought i'd enlighten you with a photo from this and this shoot. 

we truly had so much fun.

even waking up at 3:00 a.m. to get ready and strip down 

to nothing but our leaotards in the morning's brisk chill.

today, i'd make any excuse to go climb a mountain in pointe shoes and leotards.

anything to get over this midweek stump of mine. 

i may not physically be in yosemite today,

but i'm certainly there in my mind.

again, happy hump day.

where is your happy place at the moment?

p.s. can you tell which one is me? extra love points for you, if you can!  

swimsuits to leotards.

{photo credit: milano photography}

summer is officially over. for me, at least.

ballet begins today.

i'm sad to bid farewell to summer,

but am happy to say hello to dance {and working out}.

this picture is from the yosemite shoot a few weeks ago-

lovebird finds great joy in making fun of that mole of mine.

i on the other hand, find great joy in these recent cravings:

can i please hang you on my wall?

the olympics may now be over, but i still want you.

i'm squeezing this simple recipe in before summer is over. 

my trip to montana has me craving indian patterns. these especially. 

while we are on that topic, i adore this sweater too. 

i wouldn't mind you in my living room. 

this is a back to school must. right?

happy monday. 

ballerinas meet yosemite.

{instagram username: eleasejane}

we had quite the weekend with this photo shoot.

the beauty that is engulfed in yosemite is unbelievable.

every single time it takes my breath away.

standing there in nothing but a leotard felt exhilarating;

as if for some reason my "nakedness" gave me a grander sensation. 

what better way to spend your weekend than hiking in your pointe shoes?

we all had so much fun laughing, posing, shivering, splashing and snacking.

it was a day full of nothing but smiles.

as well as posing with tourists, drinking the most delicious hot cocoa,

waking up {too} early to get ready, caravanning in the most windy canyon, 

demolishing our pointe shoes in the river, soaking up the sun,

posing over and over again, and laughing more than we ever have before.

 it was day to remember. 

how was your weekend?

did you spend hours watching the olympics? i sure did.

"olympic time" is possibly my favorite time. 

i think it's safe to say:

pointe shoes, yosemite and the olympics make for a perfect weekend.

happy monday. 

xoxo

ouch.

hello muscles.

the ones i haven't used in a couple months.

the ones that are screaming with soreness and exhaustion.

the ones i am suddenly discovering, almost as if i never knew they existed.

it takes me a good twenty minutes to actually roll myself out of bed.

as i do so, you should hear all the cracking and popping.

doing the good ol' wake up stretch in the morning is suddenly painful.

this is the life of a ballerina.

in fact, it's almost expected to wake up sore year round.

good thing the "out-of-shape" sore only lasts for a little while.

or at least that's what i'm hoping for.

i wouldn't trade my life of being a ballerina for anything.

however, i would trade those sore muscles of mine any day of the week.

oh, the life of a dancer.

this week i'm saying: bring it on. 

have a happy weekend.

this weekend for me includes:

a photoshoot in yosemite, while wearing a leotard and pointe shoes.

just when those tourists thought they were going to see half dome,

they just might run into some crazy ballerinas hiking and posing.

afterwards, i plan on coming straight home to sit in an ice bath. 

my muscles may then, actually thank me. 

surely, i'll post pictures. 

{instagram username: eleasejane}

follow along, and i'll follow your lovely weekend too. 

xoxo

just a taste.

here's a little taste of venice. 

i am still sorting through the ba-jillion pictures we managed to snap.

if only it was a quick and easy job to sort, edit and post pictures.

part of me has needed a vacation from my vacation. {if that makes any sense}.

i've been taking things slow:  

running errands, slowly getting back into work,

visiting with friends, laying by the pool and cleaning my home 

that seemed to have collected an inch of dust while we were gone.

{what a nice welcome home gift, right?}

so, please bare with me-

i do promise to eventually post pictures from italy. 

meanwhile, it's back to dance i go.

today is going to be ruff.

 tomorrow my muscles will be screaming.

wednesday, they will want  to kill me.

thursday they'll still be paying for the consequences 

of not me not staying in shape over the summer.

friday they may finally be used to the pain

and saturday they'll be rejoicing in a day off.

my reply to the pain will simply be:

sorry that i'm not sorry, because italy was well worth it; 

every last second of it.

life seems to suddenly be starting back up again at full force.

where did summer go?

is it really already over?

at least we have one last destination wedding to look forward too-

oh, and our anniversary too!

it's not quite over, and believe me- 

i'm holding out for every last second of summer i can get. 

fly me home.

i felt like i was shot out of a cannon this weekend.

i jumped on a plane {way too early in the morning},

finally landed in the beautiful city of salt. {aka: salt lake city},

raced to special events, such as ballet performances and baby blessings.

then finished the weekend off with my lovely parents on the couch.

sundays are the best, especially at home. 

i hope you had a lovely weekend,

minus the feeling of being shot out of a cannon. 

xoxo

busy being busy.

dear blog:

you can thank my finals for never seeing me.

{and the worst part is, i still have two more.}

you can also thank lovebird-

he has been quite demanding of my time,

now that he knows i have a little extra time to spare.

{obviously, i don't object to this in the slightest.}

i've been as busy as a bee over here.

with dance coming to an end

plus the school semester wrapping up,

things on the busy scale in life have really been amplified.

i'm alive, though.

and for that, i'm thankful.

i'm thankful for performing, testing, stress, lack of time and hardly any sleep- 

they all make life exciting in an unexpected way. 

that being said, i will definitely be

just a little more thankful when it's all over.....

because lovebird and i have a lovely getaway planned.

one that i can't wait to tell you about. 

i promise to be better at posting and writing about our

crazy adventures in life right now.

and to my readers and blogs i love to follow:

i promise i will be back at %100 in the next few days.

i've missed you and your cute blogs dearly.

p.s. if you would be interested in guest posting while lovebird and i

spend time far, far away.... 

please email me at

thelittlelovebirds.blog@gmail.com

{dates of guest posting will be in june and july}

done and done.

the season has come to a close.

{this phrase might be foreign to those outside of the ballet word}

i am officially as free as a bird.

my afternoons and evenings won't consist of five hour rehearsals.

{at least for a few months}

it's time to celebrate.

{picture source}

here are the first five things on my "to do" list now that dance is over:

1. hit the spa, duh.

as in get a pedicure to remove my calluses and cover my bruised toenails,

and paint my fingernails a funky-bright color.

{i've been dying to do these both for a couple of weeks now}

2. spend my evenings with lovebird.

this never happens, and i mean never.

i plan on cooking lots of dinners so we can eat 

at a normal hour instead of at 10:00.

cuddle on the couch, watch movies and eat gelato.

and get planning our little trip that is coming up oh-so-soon. 

3. soak up some vitamin d.

simply sit by our pool, relax, drink lemonade and read a book not related to school.

all, of course, while getting a healthy dose of the sun.

i repeat: healthy.

{i've decided getting a nice golden tan is officially lame and stupid.}

4. study for finals.

i realize this isn't so fun...

however, i'm excited to see what school is like without having to stress

and juggle homework and studying around 40 hours of dance each week. 

{not to mention, teaching piano and my other little job.}

5. clean our little home.

you'd think a tornado had come and gone through our little place.

{rather a tornado of busyness, school, stress and lack of extra time.} 

i'm a clean freak... and it's driving me crazy.

but now, with a little spare time i've already fantasized about being cinderella.

let's face it: i enjoy cleaning.

and i enjoy nothing more than the sight of a clean home.

well, there you have it.

there's my recipe to a celebration at the moment.

i'm looking forward to catching up on all the fun things
that i've missed on your lovely blogs while i've been busy performing.

{i'll post pictures of the show soon- i promise}

xoxo

p.s. don't forget that the coupon for nicole's shop is still up an running!

go take advantage of an awesome discount on such lovely prints! 

coupon code: lovebirds

sharing the stage for the last time.

tonight is opening night of 

romeo & juliet.

so happy the performance is almost here.

we've been rehearsing for what feels like forever,

and nothing beats the thrill of finally performing.

as happy as it will be to do what i love most in life,

tonight may cause a few tears to fall.

it's my best friend's last performance with the company.
he's been more than just a best friend to me,

he's been my everything in life.

{and i can even say he's been my romeo.}

i'm happy for his adventures that will soon come his way

and for the new chapter in life he's about to begin. 

i'm forever thankful for the memories we've shared on stage together,

the diet cokes we've laughed over, and the countless days

we have spent in the company of one another.

i love you joe.

good luck on your last performance as romeo,

you will be nothing short of the best. 

{here's a little teaser of our show!}

bet you didn't know i could sword fight.

{more like fence, but sword fighting sounds more impressive}

grab your ticket to the show now! 

one last thing:

giveaway winners announced!

{drum roll please}

the giveaway winner of a print from haley's shop is: 

and the giveaway winner of a print from cole&co designs is:

congratulations!

send me your mailing information via email so we can ship you your lovely gift! 

xoxo 

on the go.

hello lovely readers, 

happy thursday.

i'm doing all i can to keep my head above water right now.

the word busy is an understatement.

that being said, busy is a good thing.

it keeps me on my toes.

{quite literally.}

i have just enough time to make a list of a few things

i'm simply loving at the moment:

1. i adore this hair color. so rich and beautiful.

i'm thinking this will be the picture i take into my next hair appointment.

2. i love catching myself in a moment of happiness. 

{one that makes me stop and smile to myself.}

right now, i catch myself in those moments when i'm day dreaming;

day dreaming about the adventures and mini trips lovebird and i will soon go on.

3. if i could be a wedding dress model,

i would beg to wear this one. 

simply put, i'm smitten by the bow. 

4.hearing my little brother's voice on the phone this week was amazing.

it's only been two months, but boy do i miss him.

hearing his laugh on monday will get me through the next 88 mondays.

5. i'm a ballerina, it's no wonder i love:

these cute colors, this leotard, and this hair tutorial.

i hope you are having a busy yet fantastic week.

the first week of may deserves a little celebration every day. 

i'm on the go as usual,

but i hope to sit and stay awhile next week.

{i'm counting down the days}

xoxo

life of a ballerina.

hello! another new week has so quickly begun.

i'm hoping your weekend was full of good weather,

date nights, laughter, food, parties, relaxation and lovely friends.

our's was full of most of those things-

plus the dreaded homework, long work hours and too many rehearsals.

i'm happy and excited yet tired and sad to announce 

that it's my last week of dance for this season.

it's always a bitter sweet thing;

bitter: because the thought of not dancing or working out 

for a few months is frightening and depressing. 

also, saying goodbye to those not returning next year is never easy.

sweet: because my body kills and is begging me for a break.

plus- the end of the season means summer is finally here.

i have hundreds {not an exaggeration} of photos from this ballet season,

but i thought i'd share just a few to wrap it all up.

we finish our season off with romeo and juliet this weekend.

it will be a busy and stressful week, to say the least.

i hope to stay caught up in blogging and reading your lovely posts-

if i don't, bare with me and remember my summer starts

in a week from now and i'll have lots of time to do just that.

unfortunately, the semester doesn't end until the end of may-

but believe me, not having to dance for six hours a day,
certainly frees up a lot of my time. 

cheers to the last busy week of the season.

xoxo

hump day.

hello hump day.

you've definitely been a big bump in my road today.

although, i'm now sliding down the backside of your bump.

my tests are over. done and done.

 thank heavens.

i feel like i can actually breathe again.

and i may even be five pounds lighter without my stress.

however, my brain still feels like it's swimming.  

as for the rest of my wendnesday:

1. i am drooling over this hair do.

i've got a crush on messy braids with tons of volume right now.

2. i am searching for the perfect floral pant.

lovebird isn't crazy about them, and has even made fun of them.

so i must find a lovely pair. and one that he approves of.

you know best. which ones are you eyeing?

3. i'm jumping for joy. because technically my weekend starts today.

no school friday! hip hip hooray!  

4. i'm getting ready for a little performance tomorrow.

watch this sneak peak.

5. i'm craving broccoli.

oh wait, that's every day lately. weird, right? 

happy hump day.

xo

weekend on stage.

rat pack!

just a little preview of what my weekend consists of.

opening night {last night} was a big success. 

one down, one to go!

can't wait to perform it all again tonight!

i wish i could stay awhile and write a big post, visit your blogs,

drink a diet coke while spending time in blog land. 

{lovebird might say "wasting" time. but, what does he know.}

this weekend is just too busy for that.

but, i promise i'll be back tomorrow.

{i've got time to kill in the airport}

happy weekend. 

xoxo


{photos curtesy of milano photography}