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

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}

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 

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.}