Dance Class!

I take an adult jazz dance class. It is so much fun (most of the time). I've been doing it since 2000, when my cousin and her friend, and now my friend, convinced me to give it a try. I had never danced before this, except for one year around the age of 3 or 4. I cried through the entire dance number, which was I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. I danced every step but sobbed through the whole thing while my cousin poked me and gave me dirty looks. We have this on 8mm tape and when we are feeling nostalgic my dad will set up the projector and a big sheet and we'll watch the silent movies of my childhood. But needless to say, I never danced again after that. Mostly because I was a really shy child because I know now that my parents would have kept me in classes if I had asked.

But anywho, tangent:) I started taking this dance class when I was 22 years old and I have been having fun ever since. It is my one hour plus drive time every week to get away from it all. I'm not mama or wife or daughter or sister. I get to spend that time with some friends and get very little exercise. Did I mention we do the recital at the end of the year? We usually make people sit up and think that these old broads are pretty cool/brave for getting up there on that stage! So this year we're thinking of dancing to Bush's Machinehead, which is beyond cool. We started a small routine this week and I'm so excited for this year. A cool song, very different dance moves and hopefully a rocking costume. I love getting hyped up for a new year and having it come together without the drama. And yeah, there can be drama in an adult dance class. Don't even get me started:)

I'm back!

We had a marvelous trip to Disney World but I need a vacation from my vacation. There is so much to do there and I like to fit as much fun in as possible. I'm not a sun rat. I can't lay still and tan or hang out on a beach for hours and days on end. Besides the boredom, I have the world's whitest skin that burns and freckles if I even consider spending time in the sun. So Disney is almost a perfect place for me. We are on the move all day long plus with the dining plan you eat TONS of food and so much to look at, do, people watching to do, etc etc etc.

But man am I tired. Two weeks ago we had the wedding to go to than had only 4 days to get everything and one Disney ready. After 8 days of non-stop action, I had to wake up early on Friday to get Annabelle to school, then GNI that night. We had to run errands on Saturday, grocery shopping, b-day present for my nephew so that we would be prepared for Sunday. We had church then Josh's party and then Annabelle and I went to Shea's (one of our local theatres) to see Mary Poppins The Musical.

I am so ready for a normal week, back to our regular routine. I am going to try to get around to posting some pictures this week of our trip and maybe get a bit more in depth because is really was fantastic. I think I might head over top the couch for a power nap while the laundry is in the dryer:)

Packing Again!

I'm soooo ready for a real vacation! I have been running around in circles for months, doing things for other people. My daughter, my husband, sister, mother, aunts, friends. But I;m so done with it right now. So I'm packing our bags to head to Disney World in the morning. It wouldn't have been my first choice for another vacation even though we had a blast last year when we went. But Disney is easy and it's fun and relatively inexpensive, especially with free dining. We're saving almost $500 just on the food (and you get a crap-load of food on their dining plan!).

Annabelle has been squealing with delight every day while doing her sticker countdown to Disney. Now the paper is full and she's like an excited puppy. Just imagine a brand new puppy who is excited to see you. They wag their tails so hard that their whole body vibrates. That is Annabelle right now! She keeps asking if Mickey will remember her and if she can sit by the window on the plane and if she gets to sleep in a hotel. Hotels are like crack to my 4 year old.

I'm looking forward to her face lighting up when she sees all of the rides and characters and parades. It will remind me of the ease that I must have had as a child to get excited. But I'm also excited to go on the Tower of Terror, even though I'll have to go alone, and acting like a kid again myself.

So I'm off to pack for our 8 day vacation to Fantasy Land. I'm not going to think about our dirty house or fights with friends or the fact that they might kick Annabelle out of the UPK program just because she will be out of school for 6 days. I'm not going to read blogs or check out Facebook. I HATE when people e-mail or update their statuses while on vacation. I seriously don't care or think about anyone back home when I'm on vacation. I try to soak up every single moment we're there. I don't knit pick over spending money either. Who knows when or if I'll ever be able to go again?

I'll be back after our time in the Land of Mouse. And while I may have wished for a vacation a little more grown-up friendly, I know I'll have a fantastic time making memories with my little family.

Picture Time!

We had a whirlwind of a weekend that was mostly good. There were some hiccups along the way, as there always is with my family, but overall very, very good. We had the rehearsal dinner at The New York State Military Museum where my aunt's now husband works as a librarian. He showed us some very cool artifacts that were all locked up in the basement, mostly paper and maps because that is what he works with. But we also got to see a piece of cloth with Abraham Lincoln's blood on it from when he was shot! How freaking cool is that?! Of course the camera wasn't with me at the time so no pictures of any of that. I don't think Jim would have let me photograph it anyways. (We weren't supposed to be down there.)

Then the next day was THE day. 10-10-10 at 10am and the wedding began. Annabelle did great and had a blast dancing and eating and playing. It was a happy occasion and I had such a good time celebrating with my family. So without further ado, here is a mini pictorial of my Aunt Michele's wedding and Annabelle being a flower girl:)

My husband, Mark, pretends to drive a Jeep.

My mom and dad

My peanut posing for some pictures in the museum

Annabelle and my nephew, Austin, make silly faces during the speeches.

Wedding Day! All dressed up!

My little princess.

My niece Anya, Austin and Annabelle are just the cutest kids on the planet!

Annabelle was a little bit nervous at the last minute, so she walked down with my cousin Emma.

My Aunt Michele and Jim

The kids had their very own table with gifts and fun things to do.

My family. Me, Annabelle and Mark

Very sleepy little girl, dancing with her Daddy.

The high light for everyone was playing with the blow up instruments and then hitting each other with them until they broke!

Too Busy!

We're leaving for Albany in two days for my Aunt Michele's wedding. Annabelle's going to be a flower girl and she is super excited.

But I've got about 400 million things that I need to do before we leave. Do you have any idea how much crap we have to pack for an overnight trip? All the bathroom stuff; shampoo, conditioner, curling irons, hairspray, deodorant, toothpaste and brushes and hair pretties, etc, etc, etc,

Then there are multiple outfits. Casual stuff for Saturday morning/afternoon, mildly dressy for the rehearsal and dinner afterwards (which is at a museum), then our fancier outfits for the day of the actual wedding and comfy clothes for the 5 hour drive home.

The we need things to do in the car for that 5 hour trip for the 4 year old. Videos and books and crayons and games. Lots of snacks and the camera and video camera and can't forget the potty seat. Pooh Bear and all of his stuff needs to be packed too. Does anyone else have to pack a bag for a stuffed animal? I'm tired already and we haven't even started yet!

Mark has to travel to Rome on Friday (Rome, NY not Rome Rome) which is about 3 hours east of us. He's thinking of just staying the night in Rome since we have to pass right on by there to get to Albany anyway. So I will have to pack the suitcase and car and child all by myself. Now I usually do all of that anyways, but at least he's there to do the heavy lifting.

I know we'll have a fun time though and I'll take a bazillion pictures. So just be prepared to see us all, dressed up and looking fantastic on Monday:)

Mad

What do you do when you're mad at God? I have a belief system. There is a God but church and all the guilt that goes with it are optional. But right now I am royally pissed at Him. In the past 6 weeks I have now lost 6 people that I have known and loved. Four of them were expected. They were older, sick, had lived their lives. My uncle passed unexpectedly and it hurt but he was in his 60's. While that is still too young, he had lived his life. But this last death. It's pointless. It's mean. It's hateful.

My husband's cousin, Kim had just gotten married 2 weeks ago. She is 27 or 28. Her husband, of two weeks died on Saturday. He was 30 years old and had just married his best friend. They have a beautiful 2 year old daughter together and were planning on adding to their family soon. But he's dead now and I am mad. He had epilepsy. They think he had a seizure, fell into a small garden garden pond (about 6-7 inches deep) and drowned. In his own backyard while his new wife and daughter played in the house. It is just unimaginable what Kim is feeling right now. Bailey will never really know how much her Daddy loved her. Joe was a quiet guy but when he was talking about Bailey, he just lit up.

When I found out I just couldn't stop crying. I told Mark he wasn't allowed to die on me because if I hurt this much, how does Kim feel?

So I'm mad at God and I don't know what I feel about that. It's supposed to be wrong to feel like that right? So I'm sad and mad and confused all at the same time. I'm done with all the dying and the pain. I'm so over it.