Can Has Dry Feet?

Dear readers,

At long last, things are starting to piece together and get better. Mother Nature is playing games where the weather is outstanding and beautiful beyond compare for a couple of days, and then freezing cold and rainy the next. Such a tease. An awful tease.
On another plus side, I am not becoming a hermit. I have been staying social with my peeps, but at the same time I have been staying busy and keeping my mind off things. Talking to friends helps a lot, whether it be face to face or on facebook (due to the fact a lot of my closest friends live insanely far away).

This is going to be an incredibly long week, due to the fact I have to get a lot done in preparation for next week since I will not be here all weekend. “Where are you going?” You ask. Well, this weekend it is FINALLY our swing competition! I am incredibly excited to go and dance for three days straight (literally). Us swing dancers stay up until ridiculous hours of the morning, always sometime between 4 and 5am. All I can say is thank goodness for the invention of chairs! You may be a tad skeptical, “how can someone dance from 1 in the afternoon to 5 in the morning?” Well, most of the afternoon is composed of lessons, so no hard-core stuff yet. Then around dinner time after you have learned the basics and some cool moves, people are ready to put on their best clothes and look snazzy and show off their fancy footwork. The funny thing is, you lose track of time so easily. With all the music, people asking you to dance, as well as chatting with people, hours can easily fly by. When you finally start to get sleepy, it is 5 in the morning, and boy does it feel like it.

That was my fantabulous swing dancing rant. I have grown a very strong fondness and appreciation for it since I have never danced in my life and was actually terrified to try it out. Two semesters later and look at me now! Performing with an amazing group in a competition this weekend! Miracles can happen my friends; never let anyone tell you otherwise. ;) So be daring and get out of your comfort zone!

I sincerely hope that the weather improves. People all around me are starting to get sick, which results in me getting incredibly paranoid. I’ve been staying on top of taking my vitamins and drinking Naked Juice, so cross your fingers and hope that I don’t get sick for my competition!

It also doesn’t help that today is a rainy day. I didn’t check the weather this morning, so I walked out of my dorm totally unprepared. No umbrella, no boots/rain shoes, not even a proper coat. And of course it starts pouring once I am half-way to class and don’t have enough time to turn back and get it. With hair and feet completely wet and dripping, I sincerely wish that you, my kind and gentle readers, will stay warm and dry.

P.S. I am permanently keeping an umbrella in my backpack from now on.

Keep smiling! The sun may not be in the sky, but it is always shining in your heart. You could also be like this cat and raise a few smiles. :)

Hearts and Lace and Glitter

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

T’is the day of lovers, flowers, chocolates, cards and teddy bears. If anything it is the epitome of a Hallmark holiday that is both cheesy and wonderful. If you are like me and are single this year, spending it doing productive things and surrounding yourself with friends is the best thing. Eat lots of ice cream, chocolate, and watch Pride and Prejudice (trust me, it helps). So yeah….I’m pretty sure you can tell that I had a crummy Valentine’s Day and life is less than stellar at the present (because that would be a vast understatement), but I am putting on a good façade for everyone who doesn’t suspect a thing.

Aside from all of that jazz I have some exciting news! Le gasp! Something happy at last!

Number one, our swing dance team is going to the local competition at the end of this month! We have been working LONG and HARD on our routine and we’re going to be buckling down and perfecting things for the next two weeks. We are all very excited and are intent on doing our best and having as much fun as possible. Our school just hosted a swing dance recently and we invited a lot of our of town schools to join, particularly their swing dancers, and they were FANTASTIC. I had some of the best dances of my life that night with fantastic leads. I also got to see a very good friend of mine, who never failed to lift my spirits that night and keep me smiling despite my inner turmoil at the time.

Number two, after our swing dancing competition it is practically spring break! My big sister is coming home for this holiday and I cannot wait to see her. It’s one of those moments in life where you want your big sister near you. Knowing us, we will cause oodles and oodles of trouble, as well as eat bad food, watch fantastic movies, and go shopping. Much girl time is needed, I assure you.

Number three, puppies. Yes that’s right. Puppies. Little wiggly balls of fluff have been born from a breeder we got our last dog from, and they are heart—melting and precious and adorable. They are Australian shepherds, which are a fantastic breed. I am very much looking forward to meeting these puppies and having them all cuddling in my lap vying for attention. There is nothing quite like having a lap full of puppies, let me tell you. It’s therapeutic.

I hope that you all are staying sane and happy during this cold and dreary month. February is not always the most wonderful time of the year, but soon we will be visited by warmer weather and all will be right with the world (maybe). Turn on your sun lamps and be sure to laugh and smile each day. Find the beauty in little things, even if it’s a flower poking its shy little head out of the snow. I’m hoping to bake brownies/cinnamon rolls soon. They have them at the market near our dorm and a couple of our friends down the hall have baking utensils, so…I’ll keep you posted on the baking.

Stay strong ladies and gentlemen, summer is just around the corner. :) If possible, do some swing dancing, it does wonders for the soul!



~Piper

"Bruce....why do we fall?"

To suffer the slings and arrows and outrageous fortune....

That basically sums up this last week. It is also safe to say that I have experienced some of the best and WORST times of my life this year. (Pets, relationship, etc.) I am sure those of you who have suffered a broken heart know what I am going through. But I am taking each day with a step forward. It's a shaking, hesitant, frightened step forward, but nevertheless...it is still a step in the right direction. I'm making myself out to be braver than I actually am, but at least I can create a good facade with my words. If anything, they are my comfort right now. Nothing but more than mere words can fully express my inner turmoil and suffering, they are my outlet, my friends, my constant companions.

Last night my roommate took me to see a concert to get my mind off things for a while, and I have to say that it was the perfect thing to do. The group is called "Naturally 7" and it is an a-capella group composed of 7 black men who have by far the most amazing voices I have EVER hear. They do not need instruments to play on stage, instead they have their voices and there raw talent, and the seats shook from their awesomeness. Needless to say...I am finding their CD.

Castle is becoming more and more territorial, which I personally find hilarious. Any time I put my finger up against his tank he charges at me with gills fully puffed up! Then if I wiggle my finger he darts away and hides behind his pineapple, only to swim around as though he is ignoring me, and then charges again! What a meanie face.... Clearly he does not understand who feeds him every day.

Another fine update is that school here has been canceled two days in a row! Tuesday classes were canceled after 2:00, and then Wednesday the campus was closed and all classes were canceled. Can you say "thank you snow/ice"? Although Mother Nature is being cruel, she is also very very kind to us college students who are looking for a break. Trust me, I needed one.

Tonight will be swing practice and the long awaited "taping of the routine"! We will most likely work our butts off for a couple hours and then tape the final outcome once everyone has everything down. I cannot wait for this night to be over, I am already exhausted. Very little sleep will unfortunately do that to you.

So, for the mean time that is all I have to report, unfortunately, I wish I had more interesting things to say but my creative process is severely lacking for the time being. But rest assured I am alive and well. "Well" being a very questionable term. Interpret it as you wish.

I love you all, my dear and gentle readers. I hope you are staying happy and letting your loved ones know just how much you mean to them.

~Piper