So What Wednesday

This week, I'm saying SO WHAT if:

• I stay up until WAY too late simply because I'm trying to milk every minute of summer and when I go to sleep I know that's one less day until I go back.
• I am getting really excited about how my room is taking shape.  I was there with a good friend yesterday for multiple hours and it's really starting to look good.  I'll upload pics tomorrow.
• We have nothing of substance here to eat, so we've been just haphazardly figuring out meals one at a time.  It's not good.  I should really do something about that.  But SO WHAT. :)
• My OCD brain is beginning to itch for a normal schedule where I don't have to look at my planner each night to determine where I need to be at what time.  I've been living on the edge this summer without a set schedule.  I really know how to live on the wild side.
• Tomorrow is August.
• I am two weeks behind on So You Think You Can Dance and I am seeing a marathon in my near future.

What are you saying SO WHAT to this week?

Kindness

I just can't really express how much I LOVE this quote.  I have loved it for a long time, but it means even more now because every time I look at it, I think of Julie.  I can't explain how humbling it is for me to be on the receiving end of such an act of kindness.  Really, I'm not sure you could call selflessly offering to carry a child for 9 months and then give birth to said child without asking for a solitary thing in return merely KINDNESS, but I honestly don't know what else to call it.

It convicts me for sure.  I have always thought of myself as a kind person - but in today's world it is very rare to find someone who genuinely doesn't want ANYTHING in return.  Someone who does the right or kind thing simply because it's the right thing to do.  I want to be that to people I encounter each day.  I pray that my students see that in me.  I pray that the grocery clerk thinks that of me when I walk away.  I am so in awe of Julie.  She has been thru hell and back in this process so far - blood draws, medicines, shots, 45 minute drives across town multiple times per day - you name it, she's done it.  And she has never one time made me feel like she is being put out.  In fact, she's never made me feel anything besides that she is happily going about the business of making Kevin & I a baby.  I know that my calling is not to be a surrogate for another family - but I have prayed many times in the past few months that whatever my calling is in this world, that I can do it with the loving kindness that Julie has shown me through this process so far.

Most of all, I pray that I can instill this quality in my children one day.  I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to share this real life example of pure and intentional kindness with them.  I am hopeful that my miracle(s) will be someday be a constant and living reminder to anyone who knows the story of their conception and birth that kindness still exists in this world today and it's power transcends all else.

Never underestimate the power of kindness.

Monday Morning Musings

I spent quite a bit of my weekend in the car driving to or from St. Louis - but it was so worth it.  I loved spending time with Julie and her family in their own environment.

Julie and I talked for hours on Saturday night while Dan was at football.  She made a delicious Mexican dinner and we drank a few (too many) lemonade alcoholic beverages.  It was really nice to be able to just sit at her kitchen table and chat with few interruptions.

• Genevieve FINALLY came to me (I may or may not have bribed her with M&Ms) and I have an adorable picture of us however it's on my cell phone and I am too comfortable to get up and get that...so perhaps that will make the blog later in the week.
• My nephew and niece are coming to visit for the last part of this week and I can't wait!  It's my last full week of summer and I can't imagine a better way to spend it!
• The weather here in Iowa has been ridiculous this weekend - I'm not complaining because I do love sleeping with the windows open and having it be a tad chilly...but I wasn't really ready for pool weather to be over.  Didn't that just start?
• I'll be spending lots of time in my classroom this week trying to get things settled.  More picture updates to come.
• How is the end of this week AUGUST already?!  Wasn't it just May like two minutes ago?!
• I'm still a little confused on this whole Google Plus business.  It's fun to see people adding me to their circles and I did a little adding myself earlier last night, but I truthfully have no idea what I really did.  Whatever I guess.

I think that's about it, Ladies & Gents.

Have a great week -

Silent Weekend - St. Louie Style

Visiting these awesome people this weekend before the craziness of back-to-school hits.  See you on Monday  :)

Dear Platinum {camp summary}

As mentioned in my earlier posts this week, I spent the beginning part of the week with my high school dance team at UDA camp.  This camp is our bid to Nationals and the official kick off to our season, so it is CRITICAL that we have a successful week.  Success isn't necessarily defined in my book as winning, although that is certainly an added perk.

Here's the run down of the AMAZING job my girls did at camp:  1st Place in Home Routine {a routine they learned before camp and brought with them to be judged against the other teams at camp}, Full Out Award for Team Routine {a routine they learned on the first night of camp and had to work together to create formations and alter the choreography to be unique and creative}, Superior Placement for individual routines, 6 of my girls were named UDA All-Americans, Won the Leadership Award {all teams at camp get one vote and are asked "if you weren't on your own team, who's team would you want to be on?"

So with that, I wanted to take a moment to write a little note to them to speak my heart.

Dear Platinum, 

I know camp is super stressful and extremely exhausting, but I am confident that you left camp a much stronger team than when you arrived.  I hope you've learned a lot more this week than routines and technique.  

I hope you've learned that you are MUCH stronger together than apart.  I have loved watching you develop this week as a team - it's always interesting to watch who emerges as a leader and who is more comfortable following.  As a coach, it doesn't matter to me which category you fall under because the bottom line is that our team needs BOTH.  

I hope you've learned that it's not only important to work hard, but to play hard as well.  Nobody can be serious all the time - life is all about balance.  There is certainly not a lack of FUN on this team.  But, to be honest, it's one of the things I love most about you.  You are some of the funniest people I've ever met.  The fun times are what will get us through the upcoming hard stuff we have to do {puke practice, anyone?!}.  I adore when you come running into my hotel room to tell me something funny that just happened or to show me a ridiculous video on your phone.  You make me smile every single day and that makes my job SO much easier.

I hope you remember the moment captured in this image.  The moment they announced that you WON.  The moment that every second of sweat and hard work paid off.  While these moments are few and far between, moments like these are certainly what makes the work we do worth it.  Obviously only one team can win, and it won't always be us - but when it is, I just love to watch you.  The pure joy and excitement in each of your faces was worth every single early morning alarm and sweaty hour in that hot gym this summer.  I sat there watching you with tears streaming down my face because I am so blessed to be your coach.

And lastly, I hope you always look back on this past week at camp {and our entire season really} and remember that our team would not be the same without each and every single one of you.  Each of your strengths and weaknesses and quirks add up to be one of the most remarkable groups of young women I have ever coached.

Each season is special for different reasons and this one is no different.  I will look at that Gatorade container at each practice and think of each of you and this week we got to spend together.  It was an amazing start to what I know will be an awesome season.  Thank you for working hard.  Thank you for playing hard.  Thank you for being humble.  Being the coach of this team is one of the greatest blessings of my life.

I believe in you always -

So What Wednesday

Joining Shannon at Life After "I Dew" for another installment of So What! Wednesday this week.

This week I'm saying SO WHAT if:

• I have eaten far more junk food than anything else this week while at camp.  {to be fair, our camp served less than healthy choices which didn't help this little issue}
• I brought quite alot of school work with me to camp to work on and didn't get much of it done.
• The one thing I was able to complete are the headers for my homework board - they are ADORBS.  
• My sister made fun of the amount of time I spent on said Homework Board headers.  Whatever.  She's just jealous of my awesome-ness.
• This Friday is our last summer get together with work friends which means the beginning of school is nearing.  {perhaps I'm just pretending to say SO WHAT to that so that I don't begin crying that summer is over?}
• I'm heading to St. Louis this weekend to visit with Julie & crew before we head back to school - Kevin can't go...this means a road trip by myself.  YIKES.
• I realize that this Royal Baby business has no relevance to America, but I'm fascinated.
• I'm about to break up with Candy Crush Saga because I cannot pass 102.  Now that I've said that, I will likely pass it the next time I open it to play.
• Still haven't read a solitary children's book this summer.  Oops.
• My ab workout for this week was laughing with my friends at dance camp.  Inside jokes are awesome.  "Worry about yo-self!"

What are you saying SO WHAT to this week?

10,000 and a camp update

For the past 10 years my sister and I have coached a high school dance team at our alma mater, Pleasant Valley.  There was no program for dance when we attended there, so it has been a pretty huge task to build this program to what it is today in 10 short years.  We are so thankful to the supportive parents in our program and our extremely talented dancers make our jobs SO much fun.  

This week we are at camp with them learning new routines, bonding as a team, and hoping to earn our bid to Nationals in Orlando, FL in February.  The camp experience is a TON of work for the girls but inevitably winds up being one of their most memorable experiences as a team.

Before we left for camp, one of our families graciously allowed us to invade their home for an afternoon to swim, eat dinner and then have a sleep over.  The girls had a BLAST!

This is SO them.  They are silly and fun - but hardworking and dedicated all at the same time.  We love them so much!

Ok, now for the 2nd part of this title - 10,000.  Does anyone know what that is?!

That is the number of page views this little blog has gotten!!  

Unbelievable.  Thank you so much for your interest in our story - I find it so amazing that other people have found this little online home of mine and enjoyed it so much that they continue coming back.  I wonder if that will ever cease to amaze me?

Have a super day friends