Happy Anniversary to ME!

Wedding Wednesday will return next week... 

Until then, enjoy my walk down memory lane!

The next 7 days I will be celebrating my 10 year Anniversary in NYC!

Today we go from birth to junior high! 

My first solo award.
April 1994.

This story begins so long ago I don't even know the real beginning. 

I guess you could say it begins from the very first time I was asked that age old question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" You see, unlike most children I had the same answer from the first day I was asked until, well, now! I have always wanted to be a dancer. Always. No wavering from this decision. Even when I left the college dance department... I still wanted to be a dancer. It is both a blessing and a curse to know what you want from such a young age. But I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Like any other life long story (career) mine has its ups and downs. Mostly ups. 

You see, I came into the dance world naturally... my mother is a dancer. And when I was a kid she so badly wanted to not be pushy... that she enrolled me in gymnastics. NOT DANCE! Ugh! (backfire much?) All my little friends took dance, but not me. So sad. I did not start dance until I was 5 years old. While this may seem young, I was in the 1st grade. It's old in dancer years people! :) Anywho, my mother taught dance at a local studio in town and I took my first classes from the owner. I loved it. I got to be "teachers kid" but not really. Best decision ever! Had my mother been my teacher at 5 years old... I think she would have killed little bossy me. 

My first real downer (or so I thought) in dance was the summer before my 4th grade year, when my mother decided to open her own studio and leave the place I began my training. I can only imagine what she felt like when I told her I still wanted to take jazz at the other studio because she was just a ballet and tap lady! (Oh boy she must have wanted to kill me!) But ...I will never forget my mother calling the old studio and asking if I could still take one class there. The answer was, "No". She asked for me! Can you believe it?! What a woman! I was heartbroken but soon learned how awesome it was to take from my mother! 

"Keep Warm" Jan. 1992
(and yes, I am still a foot shorter than these girls)

The next few years were a learning curve for us all. I started to get really great ballet training (Thanks MOM!) and Mom learned the jazz & funk world inside out. By the time I was in 6th grade... we won our first high score overall! 

"The One" April 1993

After 7th grade, I attended my first dance camp. Talk about falling in love. Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute was and still is one of my favorite places in the world! Ballet for 6 and half hours a day and I loved it!

Mountain View Cabin... LOVE!
June 1994.

And by the time I was in 8th grade... we were killin it! We were, and still are, the only dance studio to perform at an OU halftime. We promoted the opening of the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History all year long! It was amazing! Not too mention... got a PERFECT score at competition!

"Jurassic Park"
Promoting Sam Noble Museum of Natural History April 1995.

I attended Quartz Mountain again this summer and then my whole world got rocked...

Stayed tuned for the story of the boobies tomorrow!