a vacation to the land of sweets.

.....and this is why i've been on a forced vacation from the blog.

nutcracker season devours every minute of every day.

it's over now; which is always bittersweet.

bitter: because as much work as it is, it is so fun to dance, perform,

and spend loads of time with dear friends cooped up in one small dressing room.

sweet: nutcracker being over, means going home {utah} for christmas,

time with family and friends, and time to relax my sore, sore muscles. 

so, now i'm here today, enjoying time off in the company of loved ones.

what could be better? nothing. 

i hope to be more on top of posting, 

however, now i'm really on vacation- so i can't make any promises. 

i hope you all had a lovely christmas.

we sure did.

this time of year is seriously splendid. 

{photo credit: milano photography}

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.}

"say cheese"

life as a ballerina, according to my phone:

{here are lots of pictures from the weekend of performances}

sorry for the lack of posts this weekend.

i've been a tad bit busy with performing, family in town and finals.

so for now, pictures will have to do. 

nutcracker has come and gone already. crazy.  

i hope you had a lovely weekend full of christmas parties and peppermint goodies. 

we {my family and us lovebirds} are headed to san francisco tomorrow.

crewser's first trip there. any suggestions out there? what to show him in one day...?

{happy holidays}

can you believe christmas is in one week from today?

i can't. however, i'm greatly anticipating being home for the holidays. 

watch this:

thought this was quite funny.

i also thought i would share a little clip of our company performing the nutcracker.

{click here}

the whole clip is magical. 

{but if you are my mother or my husband, start watching the clip at minute 1:35}

happy hump day to you all.

one more day of studying and one more final and then it's time to party!

good luck to all those out there finishing up the semester. 

xoxo

it's show time!

nutcracker has begun. wahoo! 

nothing brings in the holidays like performing the nutcracker.

this past week was consumed by hours at the theater. 

other than my body feeling like it's been hit by a train, 

it feels so good to be done performing the first week of shows.

now... unto the next week!

{sometimes i can't believe we do it all over again. it's almost like hitting a repeat button.}

however, i'm excited to get the chance to perform again.

my lovely parents are coming into town this week. i can't wait to see them.

i am extremely nervous for whats ahead of me. 

but, anxious and happy to share it with those i love most.

this weekend was snow queen and next weekend is sugar plum.

hard, challenging, nerve-wracking yet exhilarating, fun and rewarding.  

another week of rehearsals, time with the parents, performing, and finals....

here i go! wish me luck. 

xoxo

a proud sister

yesterday was quite eventful.

it started bright and early with two performances of the nutcracker.

onto work, studying for finals and cooking dinner.

then we decided to be festive, and decorate our christmas tree. 

{despite how exhausted we both were.}

on a typical day of the lovebirds, decorating the christmas tree would normally seem 

like the grand event. the big bang. 

but yesterday, something super special and exiting happened.

my little brother

[aka: crewser, my best friend, c-cup and crewber]

received his mission call to.....

mexico city!

awesome, right?

{if you have no clue what i am talking about, click here.}

he is going foriegn, which he wanted desperately.

 he is also learning spanish. which, in my opinion, is such a useful language to learn.

lovebird and i being beyond excited for him quickly did some research to find out

where exactly our brother, who is growing up way too fast, 

would be spending the next two years of his life. 

he is going to an incredible place full of culture, history and people.

fun little fact: the population of just the metropolitan area is a little over 21 million people.

that is a ton of people. holy cow.

 anyway, we couldn't be happier for him.

i'm already trying to imagine life "without" him for two years. it's going to be ruff.

good thing for handwritten letters, and two phone calls home a year.

looks like i'll have another nickname to add to the list... elder carlson.

i promise to post some photos and a video of him opening his call very soon.

we are beyond elated for you, crew. 

xoxo

tech week:

{tutu's and holy berries. it's beginning to look a lot like christmas.}

well... it's begun.

theater week, that is. 

this week is also known as one of the

 busiest, most stressful, happiest, most fun, and craziest weeks of the year.

it's a joy to be in the theater all week.

the hours are hard and long.

being in a dressing room with your friends for hours on end is a blast.

the performances are nerve wracking but exciting.

nutcracker music 24-7 is overwhelming, yet makes it feel like christmas every day.

trying to be a wife, a student a 'personal shopper', and a piano teacher 

while spending 70 hours in the theater this week...
might be a little crazy to say the least. 

that being said... performing is one of the best parts about being a ballerina. 

the stage, the audience, the lights and the expectations are thrilling.

theater week is all worth it in the end.

oh but wait, then we turn around and do it all again next week.

the life of a ballerina is a busy one.

life is lovely right now.

how can it not be when visions of sugar plums dance in your head?

dozens and dozens

beautiful, right?

{wish you could see them in real life.}

i certainly am loved.

a total of five dozen roses. 60 roses. 

i have thoughtful and loving husband. 

and a special thanks to my ballet company 

for presenting me a couple dozen as well.

what a crazy, nerve racking, exciting, successful and busy weekend.

nutcracker shows, lovebird's father in town, christmas parties,

 and a little thing called work. (which doesn't seem so little anymore)

needless to say, it is over. and i am still exhausted. 

however, a new week has already begun and it is about to repeat itself.

another theater week, and another weekend of performances.

oh, how tired i am. but excited that it is almost christmas.

performing nutcracker is a real treat. i feel honored and lucky.

do you know what else i feel lucky about?

that he is mine.

sorry for the creepiness of my face. 

{you can thank stage makeup and slick back hair for that one}

say cheese

this week is crazy. absolutely crazy i tell you.

its so happens that final week and theater week are the same week. 

lucky us. more like busy us. 

however, on the lighter note, lovebird will be done with school tomorrow night at 5:01 sharp. {but who's counting? me. obviously} And theater week always gets me anxious to perform and throws me right into the christmas spirit. this week may be a bit of a stress, but that's the joy in life. what's life without a little challenge? to all of you out there studying for your finals or preparing for you nutcracker performances, i wish you the best of luck. hang in there, because christmas is just around the corner. 

oh! and when life seems stressed take funny pictures. it does the trick. there's never a dole moment when making ugly faces. and it manages to give you a split second of relief and a worry free brain. 

cheers and luck to the rest of the week!