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

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!  

it's over already?

thumbs up to a new week.

the weekend has come and gone.

{believe it or not}

a fun weekend jam packed with dance, friends,

a baseball game, chocolate cake, dinner dates, church, 

swimming, homework, snuggles from lovebird and late nights.

our ballet company did a little event at the baseball game this weekend.

we really had a blast.

baseball games, friends, hot dogs and tutus are a recipe for fun.

check out more pictures on instagram!

{username: eleasejane or CentralWBallet.}

how was your weekend?

tell me your instagram name below, so i can catch up on 

the snapshots from your fun weekend.

lastly, can you believe september is knocking at our doors already!?

i'm in shock at how time seems to be escaping rather than just passing by.

since it's a new month and fall seems to bring on a new beginning,

 i'm looking to add some new faces {aka buttons} to my blog;

if you are interested in a swap and/or sponsorship email me at:

thelittlelovebirds.blog@gmail.com

i hope to hear from you very soon.

cheers to a new week, instagram, ballerinas at baseball games 

and sharing some blog love. 

xoxo

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

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 

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

little love notes.

a few {little} love letters as of late:

dear elder carlson: i get to talk to you in one week! i am waiting as patiently as i can for monday to come. you can bet your bottom dollar i'll be by my phone 24/7 that day- i am dying to talk to you- and that's an understatement. hurry up already- mexico is calling your name!

dear shellac/gel nails: you are the best invention {ever}. if i could convince myself that i deserved to spend money on you every two weeks, i totally would. i'm a sucker for nail polish; especially un-chippped and shiny nail polish, which is exactly what you are for a solid two weeks.

dear romeo and juliet rehearsals: you are exhausting. your rehearsals are long. or maybe it's the long day i have before i start rehearsing you. you're lucky i am in love with the music and the starstruck love story- or i'm not quite sure how much longer i can put up with you and the bruises you cover my poor knees with.

dear number 26: what a special number you are this week. you happen to be lovebird's golden birthday this year. i'm looking forward to thursday, his birthday, and the year that follows. i hope 26 is a good year for him. please bring lots of luck, love, traveling and maybe a graduation...?

dear hairs upon my head: thanks for not being the oily type. i don't know if i'm embarrassed or proud to say that i haven't washed my hair since wednesday night. {that's not a joke.} with my extremely busy schedule not having to wash my hair is a true blessing simply because i don't have to take the time to style it from scratch every morning. a special thanks to moroccan oil, dry shampoo and the top knot for allowing my hair to get it's debut for several days in a row.

dear artichokes: you are a recent love of mine. i ate a whole one for dinner last night, and could have had another one if lovebird would have let me. you are scrumptious. why didn't i like you as a kid growing up? i wasted all those years on not enjoying your yumminess.

dear evolution: exploring your theories and principals are quite interesting. being raised religiously and believing in a creation my whole life interferes with you slightly. that being said, you do intrigue me. i enjoy learning your perspective. your point of view is scientific while my point of view is based on faith. both of our ideas together, make for a confused outcome. one thing is for certain; my anthropology class has certainly made me open my eyes to a whole new concept while planting my feet even further in faith.

earth and time.

happy monday.

i hope you had a lovely weekend.

earth day was certainly earthy over here.

we spent our time loving the beautiful weather outside.

of course we had homework, so why not take it outside and do it at a park?

genius idea, i tell you.

we are surrounded by national parks and there's no charge to enjoy them.
{thanks to earth day}

we just may have to take a trip to yosemite.
nothing beats the beauty of that place.

life is hectic right now.
if i could only slow it all down, add an extra hour to the day
or put everything on hold and concentrate on one thing at a time...
now, that's what i call blissful living.
if that were the case, it may actually feel like i am living a real life,
rather than feeling like i am in fast forward motion;
blinking and wondering how i say hello and goodbye
to the same day in a single sentence.

all this to say, i am looking forward for that moment when
life will suddenly slow down.
{it will, won't it?}
for me, it will be at the close of my ballet season and
after the end of the this semester.
{just a few more weeks. i can make it.}
maybe then, will be have time to explore all the beautiful
national parks we live so close to.
and maybe then, will the days feel like they pass me by one by one.

cheers to the start of a new week!
may the days pass slowly enough to enjoy them-
yet quick enough to get through them.
if you know what i mean.
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

bachelor ben.

better late than never, i suppose.

i hadn't watched a single episode of the bachelor this season...

until last night- when i watched the season finale. 

i wasn't that into the show, simply because i wasn't up to date with

all the drama, make-out scenes and gossip leading up to it.

but, nonetheless, i had a lovely night with friends.

we had a 'girls only' night.

we drank sparkling cider and ate yummy finger foods. 

my conclusion of the show:

i feel sorry for ben.

i loved him last season, but this season

  {or should i say the one episode that i watched?} 

i didn't feel that love. 

i wasn't too attached to either of the girls-

but from first impressions, i would have picked lindzi.

oh, well.

love is a crazy thing and doesn't always work out perfectly.

that's even true for those in hollywood. 

that being said, thank goodness for reality t.v. shows;

they give us an excuse to get together with the girls and eat chocolate.
{of course, while wearing our comfy sweats. or in my case, lovebird's clothes.}

xoxo

i know some of you are much more into the show than i am.

so, what did/do you think?

i'm looking forward to reading your comments below

as well as all the blog posts posted in honor of ben today! 

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}

rat pack!

it's show time, baby! 

if you are in the area, come see the show this weekend!

here is a little preview both here and here. 

{can you tell which one i am?}

it's a fun show. you won't want to miss it.

it's lovebird's favorite one to watch- and that's saying something.

how could you not enjoy a little evening of frank sinatra,

girls in fishnets and jazz hands? 

if you don't have anything planned this weekend,

consider that a false statement as of right now....

you're coming to the show!

see you there.

xo.

p.s. this cute girl is simply adorable.

can't wait to meet her after this crazy weekend of performing is over with. 

{tj- thanks for the little note on your blog today. you made my day.}

playing catchup.

is it weird that i feel guilty when i don't post something for a couple of days?

i wish neglecting the blog wasn't a result of life being so busy.

however, being busy for the holidays is something i truly love.

the hustle and the bustle of it all.

running here and there. wrapping this and that. going from party to party.

this weekend {and now week} has been crazy busy.

we spent a beautiful day in san francisco eating seafood, walking, shopping 

and exploring the crazy city with my family.

last night we hosted a little christmas party for my friends from my ballet company.

we did a little {white elephant} gift exchange.

we ate homemade lasagna and yummy goodies all while playing apples to apples.

and lastly, we visited one of our favorite families who just had baby #4.

we are so happy for them. congrats tui's! 

due to the"big event", we lucked out and got to babysit the three other kiddos.

who we try to steal and call them our own.

{i'll post pictures soon amongst getting approval}

after all the business that the holidays bring in,

lovebird and i find ourself cozying up next to our christmas tree and a fire...

sitting for more than five minutes on the couch. it's a miracle, i tell you.