A Decision

"Private choices are not private; they all have public consequences... Our society is the sum total of what millions of individuals do in their private lives. That sum total of private behavior has worldwide public consequences of enormous magnitude."  

                                                                                      -James E. Faust

PS...To all my American friends, Happy Memorial Day.  

 

A Napping Naval Officer

Remember my friend, Andrew, the Naval airman who has the cutest dog ever?  I saw the best photo of him on his Facebook page and thought I would share it with you.  He works hard for our country and deserves a little R & R with his loyal pup.

Have a great Saturday and don't forget to eat well, laugh lots, and hug as many people as you can.

Friday's Dancing Bloggers

Every Friday I feature you, Dancing Branflake readers, so all dancers and non dancers can show off  childhood dancing photos, random dancing photos in the street, or (my favorite) your jumping photos.  Here's your platform to show off your moves and share your blog.

Blair from Wild and Precious sent this to me and I absolutely love it.  I also love her blog.  It's filled with sunny thoughts and hopeful visions, just like this photo.

Isn't she awesome?

Do you want to be featured?  Just send in a dancing, jumping, twirling, etc picture of yourself and a link to your blog (if you have one).  Email them to me at tiffkaddy@hotmail.com

Warm Ups and Kisses

 In my opinion dance warm ups have much to be desired in the fashion department but I think these Discount Dance ones are pretty sweet.  I love the tiny stripes, contrasting colors and $8 price tag.  

For all you fashionable ladies: Do you wear leg warmers to keep your gams warm on a cold night?   Perhaps while on a date with a cute boy in slacks?  Leg warmers aren't only for dancers!

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Princesses

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I teach a lesson to my little Magical Ballet class that's called "Delicate Hands."  We sit in a circle with nice posture and pretend we are princesses with elaborate gowns, delicate tiaras, diamond rings, and white satin gloves.  We then begin to pick either flowers from the garden or stars from the sky.  It's a game to promote gentleness in the fingers but I love it because I love being a princess.

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You can join me today in standing a little taller (as to not let your tiara fall), handle objects more gently, wear a little more jewelry, and spend your day feeling like a princess. And maybe pick a few flowers and stars along the way.

PS... when you go to Disneyland you feel like a Princess every day.  

Staying Fit (Hopefully)

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 At the hotel in Disneyland, I wrapped my arm super tight in athletic tape and went swimming at 6 AM.  I was craving an intense workout and by lap one I was huffing and puffing away.  I forgot how much I love swimming.  I love the feel of water and the sound it makes when your body goes through it.  I can't wait to swim myself fit this summer.

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On top of that my friend invited me to take a rowing class this summer with her.  I am so excited!  I've never rowed but I think it's important to try new things when keeping in shape.  I'm just hoping my arm will be healed by then.  Oh, I can feel the muscle mass in my arms fading away everyday.

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I know this isn't a rowing class but I love the picture.  It was either this or the scene in the Notebook.

 

How are you staying fit this summer?  Any fun new activities?  I'm always looking for ideas.  I know Sabine Psynpopsis is playing tennis in England in her cute tennis outfits.

ps...Thank you for all your sweet comments about my love story.  I did eventually tell him what happened right before we got married.  After reading my post, Chris laughed because he said he tells it as a funny story to people whereas I tell it as a romantic story.  To each his own.

My Love Story

Pen.ny recently blogged about a cute "how we met" story.  Although all love stories are beautiful and special, I think my own personal love story is pretty epic.

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We met at church in 2001 and after four months of casual conversations he finally got the nerve to ask me out.   We planned our date for the following week.  The day after he asked me out was when the accident happened.  He was walking from campus to his car and waited at a crosswalk for traffic to stop.  A car stopped for him and Chris resumed walking across the street.  At that moment another car, too impatient to stop, pulled around onto the shoulder and hit Chris.

Chris is lucky to be alive.

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Among other things (like a fractured skull), he suffered a major concussion and didn't remember anything from that day or the before.  When I saw him again at Church he vaguely remembered who I was.  I never told him about our date or the fact that we liked each other.  How do you tell someone that they are supposed to like you when they barely remember you?

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After the accident we became friends but both dated other people.  I eventually moved out of town and he moved out of state.  Through it all we sent countless emails to one another and he was always the guy I looked to for advice and help with the men in my life.  We were happy with being just friends and didn't want to risk ruining a good friendship by admitting our feelings to one another.

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Finally, in 2003 (two years after the accident), Chris couldn't handle it any longer and he asked me out for the second time.  Our first date was perfect and surreal and I would not have wanted it any other way.  Everyday that followed was complete bliss and he proposed seven months later. 
 He still doesn't remember asking me out the first time.  Looking back it amazes me how close we were to never dating.  Life is all about timing though and you have to just be patient.  Sometimes things don't work out how you plan it to but then you find out it's so much better that way.


above image via

Secret Love

Did you ever walk into a room and forget why you walked in?  I think that is how dogs spend their lives.  ~Sue Murphy


I have been wanting a puppy for a very long time.  My husband says no.  I say yes.  Here's why:

Image unknown.  I found it on my cousin's Facebook page.

Do you have a dog?  If you are thinking about getting one I highly encourage you to adopt.  And then email me a picture so I can live through you.

Click here for my interview on Dance Advantage.  All dancers should check out their website and friend them on Facebook.  It's a great resource for students, teachers, and professionals.

Little Dancing Bloggers

Our first male blogger!  Henrik has an awesome blog, Tights and Tiaras, and blogs about the life of a professional male ballet dancer in the Czech Republic (although he is Norwegian).  Henrik explains this awesome picture:
"It's from when I was about 10 years old, I was dancing in Aladdin, I think, but I don't look too thrilled about it."

So handsome!  Thanks, Henrik! To see what he looks like now and what life is like as a male professional dancer check out his website, Tights and Tiaras.  Send me your childhood dancing photos or any dancing photos to me at tiffkaddy@hotmail.com.  And don't forget to tell me your blog so I can link it on the post.

Also, I have news!  Dance Advantage has interviewed me for their website and you can check out the interview here.  I am so humbled to be on this website for it is one of the top dancing websites out there.  Go check it out and see what I have to say about the blogging community, my number one favorite blog, and what's in store for the future of Dancing Branflakes.

Pain. I Am in Pain.

photo courtesy of my awesome sister-in-law, Stephanie

My chest hurts.

My head hurts.

My cheeks hurt.

All because I cannot stop laughing and smiling.

Short post today because I really should rest my arm.  Thanks for all your well wishes!  But no pain is stopping me from visiting your blogs and making comments.  You guys are all too fabulous!

And seriously, if you have any jumping pictures then please send them my way.  I'd love to post them.  I LOVE jumping pictures.  tiffkaddy@hotmail.com

Disneyland and a Photo of My Injury

I love Disneyland!  Everything is magical and perfectly overwhelming.  I seriously can't stop smiling from all the excitement.  Can you guess my most favorite Disney Character?

I sure did eat Mickey Pancakes my first morning in Disneyland. 

I waved hi to the couple during the parade.  My friend, Jana, was also dancing in that parade.  She's so sweet!  She saw me and hugged me in between songs.  Love her!

At the finale of the parade, dancers threw Mickey Mouse confetti.  All the little kids scrambled to pick it up.  It was so cute!

I want these!

The highlight of my day.

Who's your favorite Disney Character?  Lilo?  Minnie?  Belle?

ps... I fell last week during rehearsal and that's the sling and splint I have to wear for another two weeks.  It looks like I'm giving you a thumbs up.  

Baby Sea Otters

At my sister's awesome surprise birthday party I got to talking to one of her good friends who happens to volunteer at the Monterey Bay Aquariums with the baby sea otters.  When I told her I had never been to Monterey she told me I "had to go" and when I did she would show me around and give me a "behind the scenes tour."  Ummm... YEAH!  How amazing is that?

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I guess the baby pups have fur that's so thick that all they can do is float.  When she throws them the fish and they miss, they immediately plunge down back into the water only to bounce right back up.  Sounds like the cutest thing ever.  I'm on vacation and I'm already planning the next one.  Sounds about right.

iPhone vs Blackberry

Remember when I called your advice on what new phone to get?  So many of you voted for the iPhone (21 votes)  while others were either Blackberry (9) or about to throw your phone (or carrier) out the proverbial window (13).  So I decided, with eagerness to get...

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The iPhone!  But now here's the problem.  Should I get it now or wait until the new version comes out, whenever it comes out now that the prototype has made international news headlines (really? Is it really that important?  I guess since I'm married to a future intellectual property lawyer I should think it matters THAT MUCH.)

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Here are some fun iPhone user tidbits from Retrevo.com's Gadgetology Study that I think are hilarious.

~ iPhone users negatively judge people who have out-of-date gadgets and, furthermore, consider someone who has cool gadgets to be more attractive as a potential dating partner than someone with a college education.
~ iPhone users consider themselves to be more intellectual, extroverted, and media savvy than users of other devices.
~One in three iPhone users has broken up with his or her significant other via text or e-mail.

When I read my husband this he quickly responded that it's funny that, according to the study, iPhone users think they're smarter when the iPhone was created so that anyone could use it.

Lemons and Summer

My mom and her husband have a thriving Meyer lemon tree in their backyard.  Meyer lemons are grown mostly in certain parts of California.  They are smaller, have a more floral scent, and taste a bit sweeter than your typical grocery store lemons.  I have a bulging bag of Meyer lemons in my fridge and I know just what to do with them.

Aren't these so sweet?  I can imagine eating them at one of the many barbecues I'll be having this summer. 

For more lemon recipes, go to Martha Stewart's website 

(of course, who else would do something so awesome?)

Anyone else celebrating the lemon this summer?

Little Dancing Bloggers

This is a very special post for me.  Robin Konie, my former dance teacher in college, is one of the coolest people I know and was one of the best dance teachers I ever had.  She truly transformed my body and gave me a leg up in the dance world.  She's also so chill and fun that she made dance feel chill and fun.  Whenever I have teaching blocks I always think back to Robin and her amazing classes.  I think all who had her would agree.

Isn't she so cute?  Her blog, Thank Your Body, is all about body awareness and a blog that celebrates the incredible human body.  She's also a bit quirky.  Here are some Robinisms:

~ Fiercely celebrates Pirate Day.  All of us college kids would dress up like pirates on this day and create piratelike routines.
~ Decided to be left handed for one month, just because.  Can you imagine? 
~ Has decided for an entire week she will not look in a mirror to help promote inner beauty.
~ We had our final at her house where she videotaped her class dancing on a bridge.
~ For their wedding announcements, Robin and her then fiance dressed up like super heroes with capes, props, cheesy grins, and major acrobatic jumps.
~ Wore striped knee high socks at her wedding.  With white Mary Janes.

If you want your picture on this blog, just submit a dancing photo.  Could be you in a tutu as a child, maybe you dancing on the beach in Italy, or perhaps dancing at your wedding.  Come one, come all!  Email them to me at tiffkaddy@hotmail.com.  

Santa Cruz

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Santa Cruz.  This city holds a special place in my heart.  As a kid, the cousins would get to spend a week in a beach house perched along a twisty and hilly road.  It was constant play as our parents... well, I have no clue where they were.  All my memories are with just us six wildly happy kids doing what kids do best: living.  Our activities included:

~Roasting marshmallows in a pit on the beach and eating smore's with sticky fingers.  
~ Playing poker with actual grown up poker chips until 5 AM.  I won, only because everyone else was so tired.
~ The beach house had bumper pool right next to the family room.  Oh, mighty intense games were played on that table!
~ Watching the sunset while wiggling our toes in the sand and then unexpectedly seeing countless dolphins jumping in and out of the waves.  They played for hours and it is one of the highlights of my life.
~ Body surfing in the cool water, secretly hoping the dolphins would come back and swim with me.  A little relieved when they didn't because I think I would have freaked out.

As an adult, I would love to do all these things again.  This summer I can't wait to get back to the beach be a kid again.  And I will for sure get me some jumping pics on the beach.

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Who else is going to the beach this Summer?  Anyone love Santa Cruz as much as me?  Anyone miss childhood as much as me?

Exercise

Remember my exercise program?  Well two weeks ago I plateaued and was started to gain a little weight (read: had a major freak out).  So after a few grumpy mornings I sprung into action and bumped up my cardio just a bit more.  The result?

In three days I lost three pounds.  I'm sure some of that was water weight but that's certainly okay with me.  Three pounds on my frame is like six on a regular sized person.  All I really did was go a little faster on the treadmill.  It comes to show you that sometimes little things can make a big difference.

How's your exercise program going? 

A Sweet Proposal

Kirov Dancers

On Saturday night, during the final bows of San Francisco Ballet's production of Romeo and Juliet, principal dancer Davit Karapetyan (who played Romeo) proposed to his girlfriend, fellow SF Ballet principal dancer Vanessa Zahorian (who just happened to be Juliet).  Here's an excerpt of his story straight from the company's blog:

"...I forgot my speech. I realized that I’m not going to remember anything I said and it was all getting very emotional for me. I just walked around to Vanessa and went to my knee and the audience went crazy! They started screaming and I got even more nervous. I handed the ring out of my poison case and I asked Vanessa to marry me. She got teary eyed and was in shock; she said, “yes, yes, yes!” It was one of the best moments in my life. What a great way to end the season and with Romeo & Juliet: a true love story. Thank you for all who helped me make this a reality!"

To see her priceless reaction visit the company's blog, Open Studio.

I love proposal stories.  Do you have a good one?  Maybe your own?

Going Back

This summer I'm going to do it.  I'm going back to Utah.  After I graduated from college I vowed I would never go back.  Promises clearly mean nothing to me. 

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So I'm going back to take a two week intensive workshop at Repertory Dance Theater, a Utah based company that has amazing dancers and a schedule that fits perfectly with my work schedule back here.  My first choice was New York City but I couldn't attend any workshops there without missing work. 

I lived in Utah for four years and never once went hiking, rock climbing, skiing (I lived a half hour from Park City), or camping.  I am not a nature girl but I hear being outside is a good workout so I'm going to redeem myself.  I'm going granola.

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Jodi from If You Never Did, You Should blogged about bouldering, a harness free form of rock climbing. Her pictures looked so fun and, like all her other posts, inspired me to do something about my fear of nature. It's a pretty intense fear. I'm a city girl all the way.

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 Don't get me wrong, I love a beautiful sunset and a run in a field of wild flowers.  But, I am a lover of pavement and nice bathrooms.  Are you a city person or a nature person?  Or both? 

Chocolate Cups with Raspberries

My local grocery store, Nugget Market, sells these beauties at their bakery.  They make the cups using balloons as a mold.  Genius!  For the recipe go here.

Sweet Little Dancing Bloggers

Hey cuties!  I just love this photo.  It reminds me of all those nights being surrounded by vanity lights in a random theater.

This is Lauren from Art Intercepts.  Lauren is a regular columnist at Dance Advantage and has an amazing blog with incredible articles on dance, the body, and dance education. 

Sooo......

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 If you want to submit your own photo just email me at tiffkaddy@hotmail.com.  Heck, it doesn't even have to be childhood.  Did you dance in the street last night?  Go ahead, email it to me and tell me what gets you grooving.

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I Am a Dancer

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"Back when I was starting out, someone at a party asked me what I did, and I said, 'I'm an artist.'  And a friend of mine said, 'Faith, would you please stop telling people you're an artist?  You're not an artist.  You're an art teacher.'  I thought: That's interesting that she thinks she can tell me who I am.  I'm the one who determines when I'm an artist.  And that's right here, right now."

-Faith Ringgold, famous artist featured in The Oprah Magazine (she even had a school named after her)

I wholeheartedly identify with this statement for many different reasons.  A while ago we talked about what we are meant to do and my question for you this time is who are you right now?  Does it embarrass you to say it?  Do you wish you were someone or something else?  And has anyone ever challenged your identity?

A Surprise Party

I typically don't post pictures from my real life because 1) my camera is no match for all those awesome bloggers out there and 2) I never think people would care.  But, I love a good party and last Saturday we had a Hawaiian themed surprise party for my big sister who just turned 30.   It went over well.  Her friends were in charge and I really just helped out.

She was way surprised.  Author note:  I was with her when she bought those shoes.

Some of the gals.   All the guests wore leis and the girls wore hibiscus flowers in their hair.

When we went to Hawaii people thought we were twins.  I think my sister was way more offended than I was.  Oh well.  Another note, she was the one who got me into ballet.  She taught me how to point my toe and not look so awkward.  Then she quit to play soccer.

Her friend, Rey, was in charge of the food.  Spam Musubi, Parmesan cups with a Spring salad. 

Scallop Ceviche in cucumber cups.

Hawaiian Bruschetta with Canadian bacon, tomato, and pineapple.

I made the favors with Happy Birthday in Hawaiian and a monogrammed "H" to seal it.  They were filled with chocolate covered Macadamia nuts.

The Aloha Cake.  Pineapple and custard with coconut lining the edges.

The guests ate by candle light while listening to Hawaiian music.

I have never had a surprise party.  Have you?  If so, were you surprised?