Dancing Queen and Seventeen

Emmie is part of a new dance studio this year. Our old studio had a recital, but it was really on a low scale. The most I ever paid for a costume was $12. No tickets to purchase for the recital. Sweet and simple. I appreciated that.

But that studio ceased to exist and so we moved to one that came highly recommended. The monthly cost was just slightly more, but when the recital drew nearer the difference from last year became pronounced. Let's just say the costume didn't cost $12. And the recital is no longer in a church multi-purpose room, but in the high school auditorium. And it's not just one afternoon for 45 minutes. It's 3 performances at two hours each. And the price of tickets? Let's just say I complained for weeks that it cost $12 for each person in our family. Except Lulu. It would have been $8 for her ticket.

No longer simple. But, there was still much that I appreciated. In fact, I have had to apologize to the people that I complained to because, in the end, it was worth it. The show was high quality and very entertaining. There were darling dances as well as deeply moving routines. The costumes and dances were modest. And even though she was on stage only 3 minutes of the two hours, she loved being a part of something big.

The Before and After...
Behold the power of glitter eye shadow...
Helping backstage watching the girls giggling and skipping around made me smile...
Seeing Jack nervously give his sister flowers made me laugh...
(He actually enjoyed the show. Tate? Notsomuch.)

Watching my daughter get over her nervousness and actually smile during the last performance made me sigh. And what a smile it is...
I must admit, I may be doing a few kick ball changes as I twirl around the kitchen the past few days. She's not the only Dancing Queen in the family, ya know...
It was a busy weekend, especially considering our 17th anniversary was thrown in there as well.I had a delightful dinner at a Thai restaurant...
In a charming location...
With my favorite...
The Dancing King...