"Spring" Break... finally in the sun!

In three days I leave for Central America. I’m looking forward to this trip for many reasons.
1. Current temp in Valpo:25 degrees. Costa Rica: 72. Nicaragua: 82. Get me away from this crap. I don’t think I even remember what it feels like to have the sun warm my body.
2. No cell phone, twitter, facebook or email. Being out of touch with the world is something I wish I could get away with more often.
3. I’m coming back with color, even if it is red. My poor body is practically see-through at this point.
4. I get to use the skills I’ve been learning in school to make a small difference in the world.
5. I’m not in charge, nor am I responsible for anything, once we get on the plane. I get to follow and relax- two things I think I’ve forgotten how to do.
6. Language barriers are incredibly humbling. I can usually tell when people are talking about me, and most of the time I don’t really mind. Finding other ways to communicate is always hard in the beginning, but I’m pretty good at charades, and I learn the essentials (bano, agua) pretty quickly.
7. Since I can’t really talk to people, I’ll have a lot of time to discuss with God upcoming plans for my life, and my dependence on Him always increases when I’m out of my comfort zone.
8. My assessment skills will get much, much better. One of the keys to any kind of nursing is a good assessment, and mine could probably use some work.
9. Ziplining through the jungle? Yes please.
10. Seeing my dear friend the Pacific Ocean again. I’ve missed her.


And RM designed some pretty sweet t-shirts too!

Look for pictures in a few weeks!!

Final Curtain

It's over. My dancing career as I know it, is finished, and I don't think it's hit me quite yet. This last weekend’s Dance Ensemble Spring Concert was a whirlwind of mixed emotions, and Sunday’s performance was a bit surreal. On one hand, I’m glad to get my life back. For some reason, no matter how much time you actually commit to dancing, it takes over your life, so I’m glad to add the time back into my weekly schedule. I’ll admit that I was a little disappointed with this year’s show, and certainly my role within it. I was hoping that after years of hard work, the choreographers’ would reward me with some cool pieces. The two that I was in were a lot of fun- my trio with Jayme and Melissa being my favorite- but I was still a little disappointed.

I’ve learned over the many years I’ve devoted to dance, that a little disappointment is always a part of the deal. Perhaps it was because I didn’t start dancing until 7th grade, so my technique wasn’t as advanced as others, but I never got the really cool parts- the wow factors. Instead, I got to dress up like the “evil fairy” and chase people around the dance floor. Which, I will admit, was a lot of fun, and the only reason I didn’t care that we came in dead last that year. (and who doesn’t love completely changing costumes behind a painted tarp tree)

Sissy recently talked about the character building that can come from judged sports. (not that I’m even going to try to say that dance is a sport, because we both know it’s not) She’s right. At some point along the way, you have to stop defining success as a certain score- there’s too much subjectivity and personal feelings involved. (we were once given a lower score because a judge didn’t like the movie our music came from) So you go out there, and you do your best. You hit every triple and split leap. You sell every single move, regardless of whether or not it’s the right one, and you do it all with the biggest smile your face has ever felt (piece appropriate, of course.)

And I guess that’s why I love dancing- because it’s something that I do, just for me. Because it can cure a broken heart, and a hangover and it reminds me that doing something because you love it is more rewarding than doing it for a certain score.

So yes, I will definitely miss it.


(Because you know you'd seen that picture before...)