I'd do it all over again

15 years ago today

Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly Away Home

This is Rachel (center) and two of her fellow ladybugs from "The Secret Garden." Alas, the garden is no more. I wish I had more pictures to share, but my camera was not all that cooperative during the dress rehearsal. Even the mom shooting next to me with the digi SLR and big fast lens was having difficulty with the various lighting changes throughout. Oh well.. I will still be depending on her photos. Between those issues and the fact that I only had one chance because I was working back stage the rest of the time, plus the lovely mint green walls in the reception area, I admit I am a bit disappointed photo-wise. As long as I have a few in the end, I'll be happy. Less photos means I don't have to spend much time picking which ones will actually make it into the scrapbook. :)

We still have the spring performance (aka dance recital) left to go this weekend. The girls will be a sea of white. The entire junior division, from the pre-ballet students to the pre-pointe students will be in white leotards with white romantic tutus. Each level will have their own color sash, I've been told. Should make for some pretty photos... I hope!

On other fronts, I am healing once again. Self-inflicted this go round. I tore a muscle in my calf last week. Ended up with a quick visit to my pals in the ER and a set of crutches. My usual impatience with these things has reared its ugly head. Plus I am just plain no good with crutches. I had a flashback to highschool when I injured my knee in a soccer game. I was sent to school on crutches and called my mom in tears third period because it was just too much.

I have been off crutches since Saturday. I couldn't see walking around New Hope on crutches, so I left them at home. :0 We just walked slllooowwwlllly and leisurely. Otherwise, I really have been resting it as much as I can and I really can walk just fine now. The limp is only noticable if I have to walk quickly. Really. Honestly, I don't have pain now, but the calf still feels tight. I am going to give it one more week before I get back to my normal exercise routine (you know... walking, ballet, Pilates, ballet, ballet, and walking some more). I am still a control freak. With the inability to exercise this week, I've started keeping detailed food diaries again, hoping I can somehow manage to not gain weight this week and maybe, just maybe, I can figure out something helpful to actually LOSE these last 20 lbs.

Shoes for Sale

*************EDITTED TO ADD:

This post gets many hits. I need to point out (no pun intended) that this post is now a year old. Most of the shoes are long gone. The firebird shoe, orange shoe and the purple one with the huge flower and rhinestones are about the only ones left from this photo, as far as I know. The shoes in the photos are mostly various Capezio styles in various sizes. I was able to obtain a small lot of shoes at a great discount from a Halloween store that had bought the stock of a dance store. The particular shoes in the photo were all new unused shoes. Since that time, I've been using used shoes. The used shoes require a bit more care to create.. trimming worn ends, multiple layers of acrylic paint, and sealer. Once again, they are not meant to be worn. They are for decorative purposes only. I do tend to use smaller sizes for aesthetic reasons (equivalent to street sizes 4-7 or so).

I should be posting some new shoe photos soon. :)

******************************

I have a small number of decorated pointe shoes still available. They are $20 a piece plus shipping. All proceeds to benefit DanceVision.

Of those seen above, I believe we have the purple one with the large flower, the green one with the multicolored flowers and the silver shoe with the hydrangeas available (the silver one may be spoken for though). I also have this red "Firebird" style shoe and a similar one in yellow with yellow feathers and a green rhinestone.

If anyone is interested, please email me (use the email icon at the bottom of the post and please include your email address in the text so I can reply. :))

Want to see what I've been up to?

It feels like it's been a long time since I've had any scrapbook pages to share. I really have not been doing much in the way of papercrafting of late.

I have, however, been using my papercrafting stash.

Come see a sampling of my latest project here (click the word "here")

I've made probably 10 more. We're going to be selling them at the boutique at DanceVision's "The Secret Garden" , the group Rachel dances with here in NJ. The show is going to be spectacular from what I have seen from the dancing alone. If you are local, come out and see in on May 17 and May 18 (details are available if you click 'The Secret Garden" :))

Another May Day

Another May Day.

For me, May 1 means another "cancer-versary" for me.

2 years ago today, at this very moment, I wound up on this crazy road, with no way to turn around. No way to get back on that picturesque road I had been following.

It amazes me what a clear cut divide there is in my life; life before May 1 2006 and life after May 1 2006. The two are are quite different. There are so few definitive moments like this. My wedding day, the birth of my daughter, the death of my mother, and the day I heard the words "it's definitely cancer." All moments when my life changed forever.

I would never in a million ways want to say that this was a blessing of any sort. People say that sort of thing ALL the time. Cancer is NEVER a blessing. I am NOT a better person. I am NOT a better wife or mother. I am NOT a better physician for this. I truly hate when people say that one because it's rude and presumptive and it's never said by anyone who knows what I was like as a doctor before. Never.

Yet, I do live my life in a somewhat different way today. I am more selfish. :) Less tolerant. OK. So, I was never all that tolerant in the first place. I am a priority in my own life. I am re-discovering who I once I was. I read more than I have read in years. I dance more. I'm starting to even find that I am singing more. It's the old "what will you regret if it's all over tomorrow." I'll never regret doing things that I love and I'll never regret spending time with those I love. It's only the time in between that's wasted.

Happy May Day!