Preference 2020 (Day Date)

Preference is a girl's choice dance. There is always great debate amongst the chicas about who should ask whom. June usually has someone in mind, but ironically it usually isn't a boy she likes. She likes to go to dances with friends, because that is easier and more comfortable. (I bet this strategy will change eventually.)

June asked a good friend, Xavier to go with her. She dropped off Stroop waffles and cider and this funny sign. (It says: You can WAFFLE as much as you want, but I think it's be SWEET if you'd DE-CIDER to go with me to preference!)

He responded with Starbursts. (I'd be BURST-ing with joy to go to preference with you!!)

I can't decide if I like girl's choice or boy's choice more. I enjoy helping the girls plan the date. But I really like not having to worry about anything. I guess I'm glad there are both types of dances. In this case, I ended up helping out quite a bit with this dance. I agreed to take pictures, but then I also decided to help with dinner, since they wanted Pacos and not many people have made those before.

Christina's mom, Joanna took the other half of everything. I bought food, and she decorated and offered her house. And she offered to prep the food since I was taking pictures. It may not seem like a lot, but it was a group of ten couples. Twenty people!! That is a lot.

On the day of the dance, the girls went and did a day date at the mall. They did a photo scavenger hunt. Not everyone was able to come and some people showed up late, but they divided into two groups and they were given phrases. Each team came up with their own interpretation of the phrase and took a picture to go with it.

Some were very creative. Later in the evening, they showed the pictures and voted on which they liked best. I don't know if there was a clear winner, but I think it was just for fun anyway. You certainly can enjoy these and decide which you like best from each phrase.

Both groups had the same idea on this next one.

This next one is my favorite!

Fun stuff. Both teams did a great job. I figured that was enough pictures for one post, so stay tuned for the evening glamour.

Sing to Me, I'll Sing to You

I like having a birthday near Tyler. It is easy to get it all done in a couple days. And nice to blog about it together. ;)

First up (always) is my birthday. I told Tyler what I wanted and he is always good to get me just what I ask for. This means I got some new tubs for my flour and sugar.

And I got a Fitbit watch. It isn't a Fitbit actually. It is the generic version, but I wanted to track my steps and make some fitness goals. In general, I don't like bracelets or watches. I don't like things on my wrist, but the Fitbit hasn't been bad at all. And I love keeping track of my steps. It reminds me to park farther away at the store just to get in a little more walking.

Tyler got some of the regular Dad gifts. (Regular to him, not to most dads.) A shemaugh to add to his collection and some Epson Salts. (Yes, everyone will steal when they take a bath.)

But the best gift was dates from the kids. Each kid chose something they wanted to do with Dad. They wrote it down and we hung them up.

Dad took each down, opened them and tried to match them to a kid. He failed miserably. At one point, he had them all mixed up. Five wrong out of five. But that doesn't matter. We got them worked out in the end and now he has some fun dates planned for the year.

As for cake, I wanted to make myself a carrot cake since I found an amazing recipe recently, but I was slow getting it done. Robyn finally made it for me. She is awesome.

I made pastries for Dad. She made cake for me. And we blew out candles like you are supposed to. Just small candles. We are getting old enough that 83 candles is a fire hazard.

What makes me happiest is not cake and presents (although I like both) but being with family. I have an amazing family. How did I get so lucky? Happy birthday to me!

Plus, I planned to throw myself a birthday party later. Who said adults can't have parties? Stay tuned...

Twelve Days of Origami

So, I lied. I still have one more December post up my sleeve.

Christina and June wanted to get Hannah a nice gift for Christmas. They thought about it a lot and they know Hannah likes Origami, so they decided to do the 12 Days of Christmas for her...origami style.

I laughed at them a little because out of the three of them, the one person who could probably help them figure out origami was the recipient, so they couldn't ask for her help. Christina and June watched a LOT of youtube videos. They did a great job making a ton of origami figures. The first bit was mostly birds.

They would leave them in fun spots for Hannah to find. Often in her house, but sometimes in other places.

When they got to the people stage, it got a bit harder. People are tricky. They did a great job on maids a milking.

Then the rest of the guys looked a little bit like frogs. (That's a leaping lord.)

But if you add accessories, you can tell what they are. See? Pipers piping.

Last but not least were the drummers, delivered on Christmas Eve. Hannah was not home, so there were many things left on her doorstep. That wasn't all put there by June and Christina. June put the drummers in the Christmas trees.

The final gift for Hannah, on Christmas, was none other than a pack of Origami paper. Now Hannah can practice her people making skills. I thought it was such a sweet thoughtful idea. They are good friends.

Amazing Grace

Daisy has less competitions this year than usual. There has been some issues with the ballroom team and the kids being in Level one or Level two. It wasn't planned very well, and this year, they had to bump up several kids just to have a Level two team. But I'm glad they did, or Daisy wouldn't have been dancing at all. (At least not at competitions.)

School performances are great too, don't get me wrong, but competitions are so fun and help the kids work under pressure. Daisy was partners with Henry. She almost always is because they both have been in ballroom together for the longest time. She is still taller than him, but I think that will change in the next year or so. I foresee Henry being a tall gangly thing in short order. On Daisy's team, the girls wore yellow roses in their hair and the boys had yellow numbers on their backs. Here they are walking out to find their places on the floor.

Each couple has an assigned dance and then they get a surprise dance. Daisy and Henry were assigned the swing. They are really good at it and they have so much energy when they dance. When they jump, they both come off the floor.

Then for the surprise dance, they got Cha-Cha. I also really love to watch them dance this style. I was hoping to see them do Foxtrot, but not all dreams can come true. There were a couple moments where they got off beat in the dance, but they were always quick to pick right back up. They are so fun to watch.

As a whole, our school struggled this year. As I watched other couples perform, it was not the best. All the kids were trying hard, but I don't think they have had excellent instructors this year. This competition is to see whether schools qualify to go to BYU, and I was honestly worried they wouldn't make it.

When all the kids had danced twice, the teachers did a number. They had fun costumes, but with the wigs, it was really hard to pick out who was who.

Then the kids did a large all-schools number. They have been practicing for a long time and I was excited to watch. Daisy was across the gym, so her back was to me most of the dance. Everyone did a great job.

Finally awards were announced. One of our school's teams got Bronze, but Daisy's team got Silver. Phew. I think that means they can go to BYU. I honestly think Daisy, Henry, and another couple carried their team. Even more surprising was that Daisy's team had the highest silver, so they got a trophy as well. Good job guys!!

Daisy loves ballroom most of the time. She enjoys dancing and putting on a show. It is so good for her since she does have a shy side as well. This is just what she needs to get out of her comfort zone.

Wasatch Invitational

Competition 2 of 5. This was Pearl's first official competition. All the events are hosted at the same building because it isn't easy to find a place that can hold the right amount of equipment and space for so many athletes. At least that meant that once we figured it out, we would know what we were doing. It is an hour drive to get there, but it could be out of state, so I'll just be happy it isn't too far away.

This first time, I sat in a lower row and people were constantly walking in front of my camera and video. That was my own fault and the next time I went, I sat higher up. Live and learn. Pearl wasn't sure what she was doing the first time around. She went down to the warm up area and found other people from the gym. It is so nice that the older kids look out for them and help them through new experiences.

This was also the first time Pearl had a competition leo. She got it the day before and wore it for the first time for the competition. It has long sleeves and is sparkly. I think it is very classy. Each gym has their own comp leo. I like most of them. There is only one gym that I really don't like the colors they have, but that is just my opinion.

As always, Pearl does three events. They tell you in advance when her times will be for each event. And they stick pretty close to the schedule. Pearl was on tumbling first. They always get to practice each pass once and then it is the real deal. High five from her coach for doing a good job.

Can you find Pearl flipping in this picture?

I took a video of her first pass because I thought she did a great job.

The scores are posted in different places. You might see them on a large board but it is constantly changing and sometimes you miss them. They also post them outside in a hallway, but I didn't know that until a later competition. Also, this list is deceptive. It looks like Pearl got 11th place, right?

Well, apparently that was a couple groups combined. I was surprised when they announced she got fourth. We'll take it. Good job Pea!

Next up was Double Mini. Pearl was really far away and I couldn't catch any good stills, so I only have the video. I got her first pass because she always says it is so easy. It really is. I even think I could manage it.

Pearl did great. She got second place.

Then she had to wait a while. Her next event wasn't until the afternoon. That meant hanging out with mom, eating snacks, and being a little bored. 

Eventually, it was time for her tramp routine. Same story. They get to do two practice routines and then the third pass is scored.

Her pike was a little low, but she did a great job. When I first looked at the board, I was excited that she got second again, but if you look closer, she tied for first. Fantastic.

It was a really fun day. The medals are different depending on who hosts the event. These medals were all the same, but there was an extra pin if you got first, second, or third.

It takes most of the day for an event like this, but I really don't mind going to watch Pearl. She is confident and strong and I love to see her talents growing all the time. I think tumbling has been a great experience for her. Now we have the first competition under our belts, so we'll know what to expect next time.