Masquerade Dance Competition- 2013

This past weekend was the Masquerade Dance Competition for the Lake Area Dance Angels. This was the 3rd year Grace competed at this competition. It’s been a favorite every year.

This year, it seems as though they did their schedule differently. I’m not sure if it was actually different, or if I just didn’t notice in the past. What I do know, is that it was a LONG day! Grace’s first dance of the day was scheduled at 11ish. They were a little ahead, so it was more like 10:30 am when she danced. Her last dance of the day was scheduled for 8 something pm, but awards weren’t until about 10:30 pm or so.  It ended up that we were there for about 14 hours. I don’t know how the dance teachers do those long days over and over, weekend after weekend.

The Venue: 

Because we had some dancers that were entered at the Elite level, our studio competed at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center (PAC) rather than the Hopkins High School Auditorium we were at last year. We love this venue for competitions because of the spacious lobby areas, large auditorium, and beautiful courtyard.

There is a Subway nearby, and usually they have subs catered in. By the time we purchase them from the concession stand, the subs are often soggy. The convenience makes them worth purchasing in a time crunch. This year, they had hoagie style subs (not by Subway). They also had salads for sale. We still opted to walk over to Subway, but the sandwiches they had looked pretty good too (not soggy). In the evening, they sold wine, bottled beer, and mixed cocktails. This was the first time I had seen alcohol at a dance competition.

There was also a booth selling Maui Wowie smoothies. I made a deal with Grace that if she successfully completed a move in her jazz dance that she’s been struggling with, that I would buy her a smoothie. Each smoothie was made with banana. We did not realize that fact until we were up to the smoothie stand. Grace is allergic to bananas. They were nice enough to make her smoothie without banana, but did not rinse out the blender in between. We told her that was probably ok, since there would be such a small amount of residue in the blender. This turned out to be a mistake. By the end of the night, Grace’s tongue felt swollen, and her mouth was itchy. From now on, Benedryl will be in our Dream Duffel at every competition!

The Schedule:

I mentioned that the schedule was done differently. Dances were divided up by the style of dance. Each dance style was ordered from petite (under age 8) recreational through elite, then juniors (8-12) recreational through elite.

The day started out with some solos, duets and trios. Then, all the ballet dances went, then all the tap dances, then musical theater. Then there was a break with some awards being given. After awards, which for our girls only included adjudication, not placement, came the petite elite duo/trios, then all the lyrical dances, pom pom, and some petite elite solos. Next were all the hip hop, Lines (think SUPER large group), then all the jazz. Encore dances were announced, and the last solos of the day.

The Judging:

Judging was tough, as always at this particular competition. During the first award ceremony, the girls were given a high gold for their tap dance. Not many platinums were given out across the board; the ones that were, were mostly all Elite Level dancers. They didn’t let this stress them out. They performed their hearts out, and were awarded platinum for both their lyrical and jazz dances.

They also were ranked 3rd place in the Junior Intermediate Large Group category for their jazz dance, and 1st place in the same division for their lyrical dance. They didn’t place with tap, but they had given it their all.

The awards ceremony seemed to last forever. After what I thought would be the last announcement that would pertain to our girls (and Daniel), I headed back to the dressing room to gather all of our things. It was well after 11:00 pm, and we were wiped out. Soon after, the girls started coming in from on stage. They were all excited about getting first place. They were talking about their award for “being the best” with their lyrical. One of the girls said, “and then when they started playing our music, I couldn’t believe it!!” I stopped and said, “Wait, music? What? I didn’t hear the music.” Then they told me (pretty much all at once): “Yeah, when we got Best in Show!”  WHAT?!?!  I can’t believe I missed that announcement! Awesome for them though! Their lyrical dance got the top scoring dance of the day in the Junior Intermediate level!

Several dancers from our studio were chosen for the Parade of Stars at Nationals. This is a huge honor that allows selected dancers to perform in the opening number at the Final Award Ceremony at Nationals during the summer. Our studio is attending the National Competition for Masquerade at the same venue this regional was held at. Nationals are in the summer.

One thing I didn’t like about the awards ceremony: only the first place winners got to stand at the front of the stage. They bowed, and were sent back to their group. I definitely prefer when the entire placement order (or at least the top 3) all get to stand up there together, announce their studio, teachers, etc.

Other Notes:
The Masquerade “store” is always a popular stop. They always have  colorful masks, sweatpants, pajama pants, lots of different styles of shirts (including the one that has the names of all the dancers on the back), jewelry, and so much more! Programs were for sale for only $7 – a great price, I thought! They also had a “city package” for only $55. It came with a program, pen (that also had a highlighter on the other end), a t-shirt with the names of all studios and their dancers, and any pair of sweatpants.

**Something important I learned at this competition, prop helpers are NOT supposed to wear anything that has their studio’s names on it when they go on stage. The judges are only given the letter name assigned to each studio. In theory, they do not know which studio is which. Apparently, some competitions are VERY strict on this, and it can hurt the scores if the prop helpers give away the identity of the studio. Unfortunately, I did not know this rule when I carried the chairs on stage for their tap dance at the beginning of the day. I don’t think Masquerade is one that docks for breaking the rule.

Although the day was long, I still love the Masquerade competition. They are high energy, have judges that are very personable and relate well with the kids, and really know how to keep the excitement up all day. The awards ceremonies are fun, even if the first place winners get all of about .02 seconds to revel in their win. Oh… and the pin they each get for getting Best in Show is pretty awesome too!

Related posts:

Masquerade Dance Competition 2011

Masquerade Dance Competition 2012

Masquerade Nationals 2012

Hall of Fame Dance Competition 2013

This past weekend, we attended the Hall of Fame Dance Challenge in St. Paul, MN. This is Grace’s 3rd year dancing competition, and it was her 3rd year attending Hall of Fame. I wrote about the first year (which, I believe was also her first competition ever). That year, she was dancing for Eau Claire School of Dance. I also wrote about last year’s competition. We had moved to MN, so this time, Grace was dancing for Lake Area Dance, where she continues to dance.

Every time I come back to this competition, I enjoy it more and more. I think part of the reason, is because I know what to expect. A couple of things were different this year, or at least seemed like they were:

*It didn’t seem as dark this time, which was helpful. It was nice to be able to find your way around more easily and read the program.

*There were still 2 stages, back to back. The 2nd level dressing areas were open, but blocked off with curtains, so as not to be so distracting to the dancers on the stage. I think in the past, this was not the case, and there was often a lot of commotion at the back of the room. There also used to be a dressing room area (partitioned off with curtains) at the back of the room with Stage 2. I did not see it this time.

*The Stage 2 side seemed to have been bigger in the past 2 years. I’m not sure if that’s because of how they blocked off the areas, some other reason, or if it’s my imagination. What I do know, is that the few times this weekend that I was watching Stage 2, it was standing room only.

*While the competition ran ahead of schedule on both stages, there was less skipping around than in years past. They did allow a few dances to go early due to costume change needs, or skip a group who wasn’t ready, etc. For the most part though, it seemed like they tried to stay mostly on track. Grace’s first dance of the day was about 50 minutes early. Unfortunately, this meant that some of her family that was watching live or online, missed the first dance. I know this was the case for others as well.

*There was a professional photographer taking pictures again this year. I did not know about this feature at this competition until after the fact last year. One of the girls in Grace’s group said, “Hey, let’s go look at the pictures”. I asked where they were. The table of laptops for viewing photos was in the back of the area where Stage 1 was. To view them, your back was to the dancers on the stage. It was somewhat hidden unless you happened to know they were there, or came in on that side. Photos were pretty pricey at $25 for one photo. If you bought an entire dance, the prices got better – $45 for the first dance, $25 for the 2nd, and $15 for the 3rd. One of the moms was able to work out a “studio package” for a great price. Thank you to Hall of Fame to honor the studio package deal even after I purchased all 3 of Grace’s dances.

*Prices at their boutique were fairly reasonable. The programs were $10. I thought the shirts were a bit expensive at $25 for any t-shirt. That said, I thought the price was decent for the one that was all blinged out in rhinestones, that I got for Grace. They also had sweatpants for $35 (which Grace got, and said were super comfy), and some really cute (and soft) hoodies for $40 (I think). I didn’t end up getting the hoodie, because I only had so much money to spend that day. I really liked them though.

*One of the things I love about Hall of Fame, is that they live stream the entire competition. Grace’s dad had to work the day she danced, but he was able to watch her dances online from work. We also had some friends from Eau Claire School of Dance watching and cheering for her online. Sunday, we had a lot going on at the house, and weren’t available to go back to St. Paul to watch the dancing. While we ended up missing the dances themselves, we were able to watch the awards ceremony, and the American League dances that were going on all afternoon (think best of the best of the Twin Cities).

Grace is getting to an age where she wants to do more hanging out with friends, and is less dependent on me. She spent much of the afternoon hanging out with them. I tried to give them plenty of space, though we often ended up near each other anyway. She kept inviting me to sit near them, and I was trying really hard to just give them space. That said, a group of 10-12 year old girls can be quite entertaining to listen to!

As for how the day went, it started out with us getting there at about 8 am. This was about 2 hours before they were scheduled to dance. Several of Grace’s teammates were still performing their solos. Grace got her lyrical costume and lipstick on, and waited. Dancer lesson of the weekend, if you are in your costume, you should be stretching/warming up… even if you are waiting. In just over an hour, the girls ended up competing. As I previously mentioned, 50 minutes earlier than scheduled. Unfortunately, because of the timing, they also didn’t get a lot of time to warm up together. Obviously, they do well under pressure, because they did a great job!

Their second dance of the morning was jazz – “Cold Hearted Snake“. It was the best I had ever seen them perform it (though, at least one of the dancers will tell you otherwise). Third was their tap dance. Their dance is fast, hard hitting, and takes a lot of maneuvering around and on top of desks. The chair Grace was supposed to step on to get up to the desk had fallen over. She had to act fast to get up to the desk without missing a beat (which also meant without messing up her arms). She somehow was able to pull it off. So awesome. Afterwards, one of the assistants came up and congratulated her on her save. I thought she was going to pee herself, she was so excited. Thank you Lexie for making her day! Anyway, I thought they were spot on with their dance. I was excited for awards!!

Hall of Fame has 3 levels of competition. There is the Rookie League (recreational), National League (Intermediate), and American League (Elite). Levels are based on how many hours a week the dancers study, and how much competition experience the dancers have. Lake Area Dance typically dances at the National League level, with some of the younger dancers and small groups competing at the Rookie League Level.

All dances are given a score, and an “adjudication award” based on that score. Whenever they say “adjudicated”, I hear someone near me ask what that means. I was one of those people Grace’s first year in competition. I don’t remember them doing this back when I danced competition. Anyway… all dances are given either a silver, gold, high gold or platinum. All dancers are given a pin with their scored level, a plaque is given to the studio.  Once all the scores are given out for every dance, they rank the dances. The number of places they acknowledge depends on the number of dances in a category.

It was a very exciting day for the Lake Area Dance (LADC) Angels (Grace’s group)!! They got 1st Place Platinum for all three dances. I believe the 1st place before the platinum means they got first in their specific age/style category. They took 1st place for their lyrical dance, 2nd place for jazz, and 3rd place for tap!

There are also many special judges awards. Lake Area Dance was given a choreography award for “Tears of an Angel”, their lyrical dance (choreographed by Mike Dietz). One of the dancers in Grace’s group was given an intensity award for her solo.

After the placement awards, there were Best in Category awards given out. For solos, two dancers from LADC took best overall jazz solo, and best overall lyrical solo. For large group dances in the Junior National level, “Cold Hearted Snake” took best overall jazz dance, “Tears of an Angel” took best overall lyrical. Congratulations to Woodbury Dance Center in having the highest scoring tap dance of the morning!

After awards, Grace wanted to stay and hang out with her friends, and watch the teens dance. I’m so glad we did! We have some pretty amazing dancers, as do other studios. It was great to be able to sit back and watch without having to run back and forth in between dances to make sure Grace is changed and has everything she needs for the next dance.

A couple of things happened while I was watching the girls (and Daniel) dance that made me really proud. While the girls were doing their jazz dance, I heard a couple of women behind me comment on how good they were. I couldn’t help but smile at that! I also had a couple of different people stop me and ask where Lake Area Dance Center was located. Now that I have a dance jacket, I make sure to wear it at competitions. After awards, I had a few more ask me. They are definitely making their name known with their excellent dancing, choreography, and awards!

Star Systems Dance Competition 2013

As I started writing this, I was still on my, “Oh my gosh, what a night!” high.

This past weekend was the first competition of the year for Lake Area Dance Center (LADC) as a whole. This weekend, our girls are dancing at Star Systems at the Minneapolis Convention Center. There were things I liked and didn’t like about this venue and the competition as a whole, but more on that later….

We got an email earlier in the week letting us know that this would be a smaller competition than some we have attended in the past, and that we should make sure to be there, with the dancers ready to go, at least 2 hours early. We went about 4 hours before that time, because this would likely be the one competition we would be able to catch all the solos and trios, as well as have the opportunity to watch the younger girls. We didn’t get quite as early a start as I had hoped, but we still managed to catch the last 2 solos of our group, and all the trios. We also got to watch all the large and small group dances. It was awesome being able to watch some of the numbers we rarely get to see, and to watch them win awards!

We were a bit nervous about the super fast change times between numbers. The girls were scheduled to dance their tap dance first, then 2 songs later, dance jazz, and two songs later, dance lyrical. Everyone was a bit nervous about that time frame. Luckily for our girls, they were able to dance their tap dance quite a bit earlier than their placement in the schedule, so they had a bit of time to change, etc. The downside of this, was that they had minimal warm-up and practice time (though many had been practicing on their own throughout the day).

The Venue

I snapped a few pictures of Grace and her friend practicing (and goofing around) before I heard them announce that pictures were not allowed in ANY area within the ballroom where the competition was to be held. I knew pictures/videos would not be allowed of the stage area (even wrote a post about it), but did not realize the photo ban included the entire area of the competition. This was a bummer, because the entire competition area was in one large room.

There was a concession stand in the back, with a nice area of seating for people to eat and socialize. From back there, the music wasn’t too loud, but loud enough. You could see the stage, though the dancers were difficult to see. One thing about the concessions at the Convention Center, is that the prices were expensive! It was $4 for a hotdog that came with nothing else. I got a small order of breadsticks for around $3.25. They were good, but small. To be able to get a better view of the dancers, you had to move up to the seating area close to the stage. The music was QUITE loud up there. I think it’s nearly impossible to find a good balance where the music doesn’t overwhelm the audience, yet the dancers can still hear it. The competition staff seemed to turn on some kind of microphones on the stage during some tap numbers. That always sounded odd over the music, but was probably quite useful for the judges.

Other features they had included the “shopping table”. Here you could get programs, pins, shirts, sweats, and a few clothing items you don’t normally find. I thought the prices for programs were a little high at $12/piece, but other items were more reasonable. Star Systems does not give pins to dancers for their achievements, they give ribbons. I was happy to see that pins were available that just said Star Systems for only $3. I got one for Grace to add to her lanyard of dance pins. There was also the section of computers where you could view pictures and videos of individual numbers. I forgot to check out Grace’s dances, since the schedule was a bit crazy. The good news, is that photos are available to view/purchase online. One last thing I really liked about this venue was that they had an attached, yet separate “practice space.” After being at multiple competitions over the past several years, this was something greatly appreciated. Many competitions are filled with dancers practicing in any, and every free space. There was plenty of space to move around here without fear of getting in the middle of a routine that was being practiced.

The Competition

This competition was divided into several categories. By age, it was Mini (8 & under), Junior (ages 9-12), Teens (age 13-15), and Seniors (age 16-18). There was also the competitive levels of Shining Star (what is probably most well known as “recreational” level), Shooting Star (most commonly known as “intermediate”), and Super Star (“advanced” or “elite”). LADC’s mini groups competed at the Shining Star level. Our juniors (Grace’s age category) danced at the Shooting Star level.

I mentioned that it was a pretty small competition, there were probably less than 10 studios overall. Many were from our area. There was 4th Street Dance Centre (4SDC) and Lorenz Dance & Tumbling, both within 10 miles of our studio. My daughter was surprised to see some of her classmates from middle school on stage with other studios, when she didn’t even know they danced. We also saw some great small group and solo dances by Kinkade Dance Industries and QC Dance. I know there were a few other studios there too.

One thing I noticed at this competition more than any other, was the politeness of the dancers, and the courtesy they were showing towards each other. I heard dancers from different studios wishing each other good luck as they left the dressing room area to go dance. I also heard dancers from different studios congratulating each other on a job well done.  All the studio owners and teachers should be very proud of their dancers for their wonderful behavior! There may be hope for this younger generation after all!

The schedule

I mentioned the close time frame of the schedule earlier. I also mentioned that our girls were able to do their tap dance a bit early. While it was a pleasant surprise to see the desks (my daughter’s prop/set) being hauled onstage when I expected to see one of our mini groups perform their jazz dance, I was also a bit flustered by the unexpected. I would have gladly helped get them out and set up.

The schedule at Star Systems jumped all over the place. I’m sure the small numbers, and needs for multiple costume changes probably played a huge role in that. It was still frustrating trying to figure out where they were at, and who might dance next. Speaking of crunched time spans, in Grace’s lyrical dance, she has a minor costume change. While it’s just a matter of peeling off scrubs, and getting a hair clip put in, she was very nervous about it. I stood at the side of the stage with clip in hand. As soon as she was off, we did the quick change, and she made it on time to get back out for her next part. It’s different watching the performance from the sideline, rather than the front.

The Scoring
For those who haven’t been to dance competitions before, the scoring system can be a bit confusing. Each dance is given a score. Depending where their score falls, each dance will receive a High Silver, Gold, High Gold, or Platinum score. For the first time ever, Grace’s dances were all three scored at the Platinum level. It was a huge night for all of them, and a really big deal to Grace! After they tell each dance how they scored, they are then given a ranking.  This is the typical 1st, 2nd, 3rd place most people are used to. They often announce the top 5, though, sometimes, they will recognize up to 10th place. Grace’s group scored 1st overall for tap, 2nd for jazz, and 3rd for lyrical. WOW!!

At the end of the evening, they gave out two Extra Special Awards. These were the Ultimate Achievement Awards. This is the highest scoring number overall. They gave away two: one in the Junior Shooting Star division, one in the Junior Super Star division. Grace’s tap dance to “Heads Will Roll” won this special award. Overall achievement award for highest scoring dance of the day + 1,2,3 placement = Grace so excited! My Mom bought her a trophy that says platinum.

After the competition, we attempted to gather everyone together for a group photo. While it was a bit like herding cats, and some of the teachers and dancers that had been there all day were getting a bit loopy, we managed to capture a few decent shots. We did not attend the teen/senior competitions on Sunday, but Lake Area Dance scored very well then too. They even won the Shooting Star Ultimate Achievement award for dancers age 13 +. So proud to be part of a studio that did so well!

Giving Back

This competition had the potential for LADC to take home A LOT of trophies and plaques. They gave them for category winners (there were many sub-categories that I didn’t even talk about), also for rankings. Something cool they did though, was gave studios the option of not accepting trophies for category winners, instead, they could choose to have the competition donate the values to charity. Studios who wanted to participate could choose to donate to Sandy Hook (in honor of the dancers who were killed in the school tragedy), St. Jude Children’s Fund, or Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Fund. Our studio opted to donate to Sandy Hook rather than bring home a truckload of trophies. I thought this was very cool, and each dancer in a group number still got a ribbon. They did still receive trophies for 1st place, and for the Overall Achievement awards as well.

In a couple of weeks, Lake Area Dance will head to Hall of Fame for their next competition. I look forward to seeing what this (much larger) competition will bring for our girls!

Different Rhinestoning Techniques

One of the fun parts of being a Dancem0m, is rhinestoning costumes. I used to be afraid of it, but I really enjoy it, especially now that I know what I’m doing. Every year, I seem to learn a little bit more about glues, designs/styles, technique, etc. Rhinestoning for this year’s costumes is done, but I thought I’d share a couple things I’ve noticed about technique.

Prepping the costume or clothing:

When you are applying rhinestones to any type of fabric, the glue is likely going to bleed through a little bit. You will want to do a little prep-work to spare yourself from ruining your work surface, as I did the very first year that rhinestoning anything. My name is still forever printed with dried glue on my folding tray that was my work surface.

I have seen different people prep costumes for stoning in different ways. Some people cut a piece of cardboard and slide it inside their costume. I have heard this technique is also a good one to use when you are working with a stretchy fabric. You need to be aware of the type of fabric you are working with, or you will end up with a look that you don’t want when it dries. If you are stoning a design, such as a star, you want to make sure the material is stretched when you apply the design. If you don’t, it might end up bunched up or pulling around the glue; or the design might end up stretched out, ruining the look you are going for.

Some people put a layer of wax paper or parchment paper between the fabric layers (or between the fabric and working surface). This works well for fabrics such as t-shirts, jackets, etc. I have also just taken paper that I was going to recycle (such as junk mail, or a flyer from school) and put it in between the layers.

Last year, we had to randomly put 200 or so rhinestones all over a tulle skirt for my daughter’s tap costume. I kept the dress hanging on the hanger, and just put my hand between the layers as I stuck the rhinestones on. E-6000 dries fast enough, and the layers were loose enough, that I didn’t have any issues with the tulle sticking to anything else. I also used the “hand as a backing” technique for  doing around the neckline of my daughter’s lyrical costume, and for the body of her tap costume. Using your hand allows you to gently stretch the material to avoid the bunching or pulling I talked about earlier. I have not had issues with bleed through, but have hung it to dry, or placed wax paper in between while the costumes dried.

Application:

1. The way I usually apply rhinestones, is to put a dime-sized glob of E-6000 on a piece of cardboard, wax paper, or scratch paper (a small stack might be best, in case it bleeds through a bit). I then use the end of my wax stick (the side without wax),  dip it in the glue, twirl or wipe off the stringy end, and cover the back of the rhinestone with it. I then use my fingers to place the rhinestone on the fabric. I press down gently on the rhinestone to make sure it is completely affixed to the fabric. I use the end of the 2nd wax stick from the package to scrape off any glue that has seeped out from under the rhinestone.

Some people use the wax side of the 2nd wax stick to hold the stone, and eliminate some of the mess. In my experience, a  rhinestone with glue on it, at the end of a wax stick, tends to fall off more easily. Though, I have seen other people do it successfully. I don’t mind the mess on my fingers, they wash. I mostly just use the wax side to pick up a rhinestone from a pile of them.

2. Another dance mom ordered some really tiny rhinestones online. She added some really cool effects around the letters of our studio’s name on her daughter’s jacket. I tried to recreate it with the regular rhinestones I had, but it didn’t look the same. She shared some of her extra stones with me so I could do the same thing on my daughter’s jacket. The stones were so small, that my regular technique didn’t work. I started out with the same technique of putting E-6000 on the end of a wax stick, then made a thin line on her jacket where the stones would go. I used the wax side of the stick to place the tiny rhinestones on the glue. When the stones were all set in place, I used the end of the stick that didn’t have glue on it to scrape the extra glue off. You will want to make sure you use a very small amount of the adhesive when using this technique, or you will end up with a huge mess!

3. The last technique that I have seen some moms/dancers do, but have not had much luck with myself, is to squeeze the E-6000 directly on the garment from the tube. Then take the wax stick and place the rhinestone on the glue. One dance mom said she feels as though this is the least messy, and easiest way for her. When I’ve tried, the glue keeps coming out, or I end up with way too much glue on the spot I want the rhinestone to go. I guess it’s all in the control you have over the tube. I obviously don’t have that mastered yet. The people I have watched do this make it look simple and flawless.

Drying: To dry the costume, shirt, or jacket you are rhinestoning, you can hang it, drape it over something (like the back of the couch, if it’s safe), lay it out on a table, etc. How you let it dry doesn’t matter so much as long as you let it dry before it’s worn. If it’s not completely dried, the stones are not completely adhered to the fabric, and your risk for having rhinestones pop off goes up quite a bit. Most people recommend giving the garment at least 24-48 hours to dry before wearing. The same is true for washing it. Make sure it has had plenty of time to dry before washing, or all your hard work will literally be washed away.

One BUSY Day!!

Some days are busier than busy!!

On March 2nd, I started the day bright and early by walking the Polar Plunge 5K. I met my friend Jen Timmerman (@JenUMN) at the parking ramp in Minneapolis. We didn’t realize until that morning that the shuttle buses didn’t start until 8am. We wanted to be at check-in by then, so we proceeded to walk the 2 miles or so to the starting point. It was a chilly morning, but not horrible. We warmed up in the tent until the start of the event. By the time the 5K started at 9, temps were approaching the teens. As we walked and chatted, the 3+ miles went very fast. We barely noticed it was still winter! We finished walking the 5K in less than an hour. By the time we were done, we had walked a little over 5 miles total for the morning, and were ready for a break. Little did we know that the shuttles taking people BACK to the parking areas were just getting started… we waited almost an hour for the shuttle to come. On a day with an already tight schedule, that was a stressful wait for me.

As soon as I finally got home, I had to make sure everything was ready, packed, and in the car for Grace’s dance pictures later that day. As soon as that was done, we all got into the car, and headed back to the Polar Plunge site. Jason Strate (@StrateSQL|blog), Tracy McKibben (@RealSQLGuy|blog), and Charlie Foster (along with a couple others I didn’t know), were all scheduled to jump in the frozen lake at about 1:30. Luckily, everyone got there a bit early, and was able to jump early. It was a pretty nice day by the time they jumped. If it was guaranteed to be that nice next year, I just might be able to be convinced to jump with them. Instead, I watched, along with my 2 kids, Jen and her husband Paul Timmerman(@MNDBA) and their 2 boys, and Lara Rubbelke (@SQLGal) and her children. It was nice to gather with #SQLFamily, watching Team SQL Plunge jump into ice cold water for charity. They raised $795 for the MN Special Olympics. #SQares

As soon as we were done at the Polar Plunge, it was time to race to the dance studio for pictures. I attempted to do Grace’s makeup in the car on the way, but that’s just a bad idea. Attempting eye makeup while riding on pothole-ridden MN roads in the winter doesn’t go well. We got the the studio by about 3ish, where I quickly finished her makeup and did her hair. There was a bit of bickering between Grace and I (I guess she gets my lack of coping skills when it comes to being highly stressed and rushed). We ended up just on time, and pictures went well. With 3 costume changes (thank God no hair changes were required), we finally finished up only a little behind schedule. By the time we got home, we were all exhausted and went to bed early.

Phew, I’m wiped out just thinking about it. Thank goodness we don’t have many weekends like that!!

Not Just a Dance Mom… I’m a Karate Mom Too!

My son Michael is a busy boy! He has A LOT of energy that seems to never end. We try to harness some of that energy by having him participate in activities in the evening.

This year, he is taking hip hop dance at Lake Area Dance Center. He’s been saying he wanted to dance every year since he was pretty little, but has always decided not to at the last minute. This year, when he found out there were going to be 4 boys in the hip hop class for his age group, he decided to try it. The class is down to only 2 boys among the 9 or so girls, but he’s sticking with it – at least for this year. He’s very nervous for the recital, but doing great at learning his dance!

The main way we harness Michael’s energy, is through karate. For about a year and a half, he has been taking karate at Forte’s Karate. He is currently an Advanced Blue Belt, but plans on continuing to black. It has been a great way to burn some of his energy, but also helps him learn to focus and control himself better. He still struggles in this area some, but has come a long way since starting karate.

Recently, Michael has started sparring on Thursday nights too. I’ve been leary of having him spar because he’s only 7. I was worried that due to the difficulty he has controlling himself on a regular basis, that sparring would not be in his best interest. His dad bought him sparring gear for Christmas, so I decided to let him try it. Happily, I was wrong about him having a hard time with sparring. He’s been doing well and loving it!

I love watching my kids enjoying activities that I participated in when I was younger. I love being a dance AND a karate mom!

2012 in review – Dancem0m

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 10,000 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 17 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

Christmas 2012 – Combined Family Style

Combining families definitely has its challenges at times. If you don’t already know, Jason (@StrateSQL|blog) and I have 5 kids all together. He has 3 from a previous marriage, and I have two. Yes, we are a bit like the Brady Bunch, and no, we won’t be having any more.

Here are our 5 kids, ages 7-14.

The holidays are sometimes tricky, based on the schedules of when we each have our kids. Jason has his boys on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (alternating years). I always have my kids Christmas Eve, and they are with their dad Christmas Day. That means, every other year, we have two Christmases with kids. This was that year.

The morning of Christmas Eve, my kids got up early to see what Santa had brought them. They opened their gifts from us, and Jason’s mom brought her gifts for my two over. We then went to my Mom’s house for my side of the family’s Christmas gathering.

Afterwards, I dropped my kids off at their dad’s, and Jason and I had a quiet evening. We exchanged gifts, and headed downstairs for an evening of video games. Yup, we’re geeks. I recently got interested in playing Dungeon Defenders with him and the kids. Jason and I discovered we make a pretty darn good team, and that I rather enjoy the strategy of the game. We ended up playing until well after midnight…

Christmas morning, we woke up to no kids. It was very weird. It’s not the first time that’s happened, but it was still weird, and a bit sad. The good thing, was that I had a little time to relax with my coffee, and get some cleaning up done before the Strates all came over later that day. Jason’s boys were dropped off late morning. They got to see what Santa brought them, and open their gifts. Just as we got the wrapping paper all cleaned up, the rest of Jason’s family started showing up. The day was a whirlwind of activity for the rest of the day… My kids showed up later that evening. The adults played cards upstairs, while the kids played video games downstairs.

All in all, it was a wonderful Christmas, even if it was a bit unconventional. We hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday season, and a great winter break!

A Coffee Connoisseur I am Not

I really enjoy my coffee. Some of my favorite memories include having coffee.

When I was growing up, my mom, brother and I would meet my grandma at Denny’s for breakfast every Sunday after church. I was probably 12 or so when my mom started letting me order coffee. I don’t know if I actually liked the taste of it then, or if I just felt like it made me “one of the girls” and “one of the grown-ups”. I always had lots of cream and sugar in it… Even as those days of going out to breakfast every week became fewer and further between, I enjoyed having coffee with my mom in the morning. Sometimes, we’d sit on our porch, or even just sat in the yard, looking out at the lake, enjoying our coffee. In the winter, it was a quick way to warm up. Even when there weren’t a lot of words, it was a bonding time with my mom… As an adult, we still enjoy the occasional cup (or pot) of coffee together, just not as often as we used to.

When I was in college, the coffee came late at night, after going out. Sometimes, a group of friends would all meet up at Perkins where we would drink pot after pot of coffee, and just hang out until we were kicked out. They had a 2 hour limit, we often exceeded that, sometimes staying from sunset until sunup. At that point, the coffee became a necessity, because I’d have to go to classes all day.

As much as I enjoy my morning cup of coffee, I AM still Minnesotan. When it comes to spicy foods and coffee, I don’t like them strong! I drink my coffee fairly weak, and usually with lots of “flavor.” My flavor comes in the form of cream and sugar or liquid creamer. My favorite creamers are by Coffee-Mate. My top 3 are Fat Free French Vanilla (not because I’m watching my fat intake, but because I like the taste better), Pumpkin Spice, and Peppermint Mocha. I don’t care for International Delight. They don’t tend to be as flavorful (in my opinion – I know others who think opposite of me on creamers).

I do like coffee shop coffees, but not the “regular” ones. I find them too bitter, and too strong for my taste. That is also the reason I don’t care for some of the brands of coffee I have found available in K-Cups. I have found I prefer to use the My K-Cup with my own coffee grounds. I do, however, really like the Donut House and Cafe Mocha varieties of K-Cups, along with the Chai Latte.

When I do go to a coffee shop, I tend to stick to “my usual”… if it is somewhere I have never been before, I will usually order a Mocha or White Chocolate Mocha. When I was in Seattle last month, I got coffee at Tully’s every day (convenience was a HUGE plus). The White Chocolate Mocha was AMAZING!

When I go to Starbuck’s, which is rare, given that there aren’t as many here in MN, I will order a Chocolate Mocha, or a Mocha Frappuccino if it is summer. If it is close to Christmas, I will order the Peppermint Mocha (newly discovered, I like it better with skim milk).

If I go to Caribou, most likely in MN, since they are local, I LOVE the Campfire Mocha. I discovered the hard way though that drinking them every day will lead to packing on some extra pounds.

We also have a Dunn Bros. Coffee nearby. I really like their Pumpkin Spice latte.

I know many coffee lovers will disagree with my choices, or tell me I need to drink some “real coffee.” I like my coffee the way I like it, but mostly, I like the time spent enjoying it with someone else.

The 3 Day for the Cure 2012 Day 3

Our Safety Crew (in orange) were so helpful! It was sad there weren’t as many of them this year.

The morning of Day 3 started early. We had a lot to do, and had to be out of camp at before 7:30. Before that, we had to pack up all of our things, take down and pack up our pink tents, and eat breakfast. There was only a half hour window between the time they started scanning people out of camp, and when camp would close. We were all in a big pack walking down Beam Ave in Maplewood at the beginning of Day 3.

Finally got to meet another twitter friend, Kim!

There were good things and not-so-good things about everyone starting out at about the same time. Pit stop one was very slow. Not the Crew, they were awesome! The lines for the bathroom were atrocious! We tried moving to the lines that seemed the shortest. Twice, the lines stopped moving, and we ended up at the end of the pack. The up sides of standing in line for port-a-potties FOREVER, was meeting up with more friends. I heard a woman say my name, and when I turned around, there was a face I didn’t quite recognize – until she introduced herself as @ilovemyminivan (also known as Kim DeShaw). She was another person I’ve been talking to on twitter for about a year, but had not yet met. We also ran into the entire Mamalitia (Ally’s team). I promised them a picture of their team in honor of Mandie’s mom, a breast cancer warrior.

Me and the Mamalitia at Pit Stop 1 on Day 3.

Day 3 was a bit hotter, and the feet didn’t want to move quite as fast. We were close to the very last walkers in to lunch. Our feet were tired, and we were moving SLOW, but we were still moving… We kind of had to rush lunch due to being towards the end, but at least we got to eat. We were a bit lucky in that they ran out of the Panera lunches, so they had ordered some Subway for the last few walkers. They didn’t have any meat ones, but the veggie one was surprisingly good! After lunch, we managed to find some new energy, and started making progress again.

I really appreciated the Youth Corps and all the other people out cheering for us, especially towards the end of the day! I was exhausted. The motivation they provided was needed. At the point when you are approaching 50+ miles walked in the past 3 days, it becomes a mental game. You have to tell yourself to just keep going. Luckily, at about that point, we could see the Capitol building. The end was literally in sight!

Here’s Kathi and I at Jody’s Couch, the Capitol building is behind us in the distance.

Eventually, we made it into St. Paul, and onto the Capitol grounds. Jason’s mom, Janelle, was waiting just as we crossed the finish line. We got our victory t-shirts and roses, then sat down to relax for a little bit before the Closing Ceremony. I was so happy to get my shoes off, and put my flip flops on! I had no new blisters on Day 3! I think that smothering my feet in Vaseline, double layering my socks, and wrapping each of my toes as a precaution was the right combination to keeping my feet in decent shape.

We made it!

The closing ceremonies were amazing. I really can’t even come up with the words that describe it. The Twin Cities walkers raised $3.8 million to help fund things such as breast cancer research, emergency financial help for local breast cancer patients, screening and education for underprivileged men and women around the state of MN, etc. Click here to read where Susan G Komen funds went so far in 2012.

At the end of my 2nd 3 Day for the Cure, I was in much better shape than at the end of last year! I had a total of 6 blisters, all relatively minor. My knee was somewhat achy, but I had my knee brace one, so that helped. I was walking ok, but I was definitely ready to put my feet up! I had done my part to help find a cure for breast cancer for this year.

Related links:
3 Day, Day 1
3 Day, Day 2
Lessons Learned in a Tutu