Miss W's Dance Recital

Hard to believe, but Sunday was Miss W's fourth dance recital. It was fun to look back on the photos of the past recitals to see the costumes and to see how much Miss W has grown as a ballet dancer.

she chose this back drop

G'ma chose this one

She and her classmates were divided into four groups, each dancing one of the four pieces of "Dance of the Hours." (Dawn, Morning, Afternoon, Evening) Can you guess based on the costume in which of the four hours Miss W danced?

Once again she did us proud with correct foot placement, dancing in time with the music and piece movement, and correct hand and arms extensions. Thank You Miss W for a fun afternoon!

Past recital photos:

2016

2015

2014

Derek & Julianne

Those of you who know me, know I am a fan of Dancing With The Stars. I have been a fan since the show first aired in June 2005. I'm not a nut-so fan in that I could NOT tell you who won in which year or who danced in what year. I'm a fan in the moment and the season. I often don't know the celebrities chosen to perform for a season. And I'm not a fanatical fan about any one professional dancer. I like the show, the music, the costumes. I admire the creativity and skill of the professionals.

I don't miss many shows of any one season, just ask Hubby. So when my friend Linda called and asked if I wanted to see Derek & Julianne Hough dance in Sioux Falls, I said, "YES!" She got the tickets and our husbands joined us for the evening of high energy entertainment. And what a great evening it was!

Move - Beyond Live Tour

Julianne dancing with the male troupe

Derek dancing with the female troupe

he ripped off his shirt in the fourth number

the crowd went wild

I was so excited the photo is fuzzy

they co-created, choreographed, and produced

Move - Beyond Live & Move Live

Move Live toured in 2014 & 2015

I did not realize he sang; he sings VERY well

he selected a woman from the audience

she was at the end of our row and was SO EXCITED

by the way, we were in row 10, first floor

she was the perfect participant

the costumes were awesome and were many in number

they both sang often

Derek has 6 Mirror Ball trophies

and will be a judge on the NBC series World of Dance, fall 2017

Julianne has 2 Mirror Ball trophies

often both of them were in a routine

one or the other was on stage for every number

the lighting was stunning

the cubes were used as back drops, dance stage, and props

the theme for this tour is earth, wind, fire and water

high energy, lots of color and movement

simple props used in creative ways

Derek had a nice blend of bare chest & formal attire

she is also a recording artist, an actress, designs activewear,

has her own lifestyle blog & website, hosted holiday television

specials, and is the face of Giorgio Beverly Hills Fragrances 

AND is active in causes and organizations that serve women & girls

Julianne chose two male audience members to come on stage

our Hubby's did NOT volunteer

the lighting was spectacular

they danced with each other most of the time,

 but did have other partners occasionally

singing Disney numbers

What an awesome evening!

They really are amazing performers.

You can read more about them & their tour.

McBe's Program

Another long overdue blog post. We attended grandson's end of the year preschool program last week. Here are some photos:

'graduating' class

Then we hung around for a couple of days to help with daycare and after-school care. We also did some geocaching in the area. Spending some one-on-one time with McBe was a real treat.

ice cream treat after the program

('cause we did it for his sister)

hanging out while we were geocaching

3 days of eating out for lunch

Spring Flowers #2

Most of the tulips opened and displayed their colors over the weekend. Now I just need some time to work on the weeds, dig in the dirt, and hit the greenhouses and look for some new perennials.

the small perennial bed

it was windy - moving tulips

the Lily of the Valley are really popping up

the larger perennial flower garden

the weather is warm enough to sit outside and enjoy the color

Weekend Road Trip

We spent the weekend in MN to celebrate Our Favorite Daughter's birthday. We stopped in Granite Falls to admire the Minnesota River.

We did some geocaching before we left the Twin Cities. The geese were just too photogenic to not grab the camera and take some photos.

quite a line-up

two little swimmers

lots of goslings

dunking & diving, preening & eating

a nice day for a swim