State Competition

The big weekend has come and gone, and I've survived. Friday and Saturday was the NDADD State Dance Team Championship at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks. Overall, it was a success. It's a weird feeling that the event we've been planning for and thinking about since last January is done. I spent the weekend working mostly in crisis-management mode handling details like 1) Where can the Demonettes store their personal stuff because their bus broke down and they had to unload everything? or 2) How can the exhibition teams get in because they all were given the wrong color admission wristbands? or 3) Where are the individual medals for the champion teams? All this on very little sleep and with the constant thump of dance music booming through the building. I was so totally immersed in it that it took until tonight for me to feel like I am back in my real life.

Not to complain too much. This is also a FUN weekend. I get to see my dance team friends and see some terrific dancing. Here are some pictures.

Carrington Cardinaires



St. Mary's Saintiques


West Fargo Packatahnas


I had a lot of fun with my roommate, Marcy. However, I think that's the last time I room with the treasurer, what with all the money counting until the wee hours.


Marcy and I had the job of sweeping the floor every so often. To protect the floor from damage, we ran to Old Navy and bought slippers to wear. Hers had cupcakes on them and mine were red.


I got to sit at the music table next to these guys all weekend. Butch is the music man, and Dave is our awesome M.C. They make us sound good.

Unforgettable Fire

Brad and I caught this video on VH1 Classic the other night. I had forgotten how terrific this song is. I really like the chiming guitars in the chorus ("Walk on by, walk on through"). Even the video is great, which is saying a lot, considering that it was made in 1984, an era of supremely bad music videos. A truly timeless song. In my book, U2 ranks right up there with Oasis and Indigo Girls.



Here's the link if you'd rather watch it on YouTube.

Potter Addict

Dylan is REALLY into Harry Potter and loves reading the books. In fact, our whole family is enthralled by these stories. They are exciting and funny, and the characters are so vividly portrayed. The Parallel Potter Universe creeps into the boys' playtime and our family conversations every day.

Each book spans a year in the lives of the characters. As they are growing up, naturally, the content of the books is getting darker and more mature. Dylan just finished the fifth book, The Order of the Phoenix, and since he's got several other books he could be reading instead, I suggested he take a break from Harry for awhile and read some of those. "Are you joking?!" was his reply. So now he's on to the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

We recently watched, for the first time with the boys, the films based on the first three books. We skipped over a few of the scary images and scenes, but it's funny how kids view things. A couple days after watching the third one, Prisoner of Azkaban, Connor asked if there were any more Whomping Willows in the world.

The film version of Order of the Phoenix is set to be released in theaters July 13. Click here to watch the trailer. It looks great!

Band of Gold

I hope this isn't a bad omen. My wedding ring BROKE! At first, it looked like a hairline crack, but I was shocked to discover that one of the bands is broken clear through, right next to the spot where the three bands are welded together. It's only 15 years old, so I must be hard on it. My jeweler did tell me about a year ago that the crown would have to be replaced sometime in the near future, but she didn't mention anything about the bands being weak.

Since I don't wear gold anymore, Brad and I have been talking for a couple of years about getting a new setting for my stone. We've been putting it off because I'd like to get platinum, which would be quite expensive. Maybe we'll have to think about doing it sooner than planned...

Far And Away

Yep. Missing my mom and dad tonight.

Free Hugs

Great song - Great video. Kinda made me tear up.



If you prefer, click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Beni The Bull Rider

Beni Paulson is the newest member of Rift. He's also a champion bull rider. I recently discovered that he has a cameo appearance in a Master P video from about four years ago.

The song and the video are atrocious! The clips of Beni are brief, but it's a bit entertaining to see him. There's a good shot of his belt buckle about halfway through. Isn't that the prized possession of a bull rider?



Video link.

JFK Winter Show

This was the scene tonight at our annual Just For Kix Winter Show, with performances by every class in the Bismarck North, Bismarck South, and Mandan JFK programs.

I haven't figured out how to counteract florescent lighting yet, so the photo doesn't do it justice. It was such a sight to see over 400 dancers in their bright and sparkly dance costumes all on the bleachers together.

We had a terrific show with lots of great performances, and things ran quite smoothly. After all that planning, worry, and work, what a relief now that it's done. I was so proud of all my dancers and of my co-conspirators in JFK, Marcy & Jenn. GO JFK!

National Champs

The sport of dance team is, of course, one of my life-long passions. Here are two examples of the best that it can be. The University of Minnesota-Minneapolis Dance Team is the reigning college national champion, and these performances are AMAZING. They make it look so easy and effortless, but trust me, these dances are extremely difficult, requiring incredible strength and control. They make me proud to be a part of the dance team community, and they give me goosebumps every time. You go girls!

2004 Nationals - Aerosmith, "Dream On"


2005 Nationals - Tori Amos, "Little Earthquakes"


If you prefer, click here to view the videos directly on YouTube.

Saving Face

Dylan took a spill on the ice today, and landed square on his nose. Ouch! It bled profusely for awhile and now looks quiet sore. His knee also took a beating. He's tough - hardly cried at all, and never complained after it stopped bleeding.

Jane Austen Rules

I was first introduced to Jane Austen and her novel Pride and Prejudice in college. As I recall, I couldn't put it down and read the whole thing in one sitting. I really like the language and humor.

We happened to catch the recent Hollywood film version of the book from 2005 on HBO a couple of nights ago. It was OK, but paled in comparison to the gorgeously epic BBC TV five-hour mini-series version from 1995. So we got out our DVD of the mini-series tonight and started watching it. Gone are the days, I guess, when I had the time or inclination to watch the entire thing at once. I even remember at least one occasion on which I watched the whole thing twice in a row when A&E was airing a P&P marathon. Hopefully we can finish it tomorrow night. For me, that's one mark of a great book/film: I can read/watch it over and over, and enjoy it every time.