so you think you can dance

This weekend Jared and I saw the So You Think You Can Dance tour. It was amazing! If you've never watched the show, you should next year when they do it again. It's one of the best things on television. The dancing this year was phenomenal. Truly inspiring dancers and choreography. It was such a treat to be able to see them live. One thing that was cool is that the dancers themselves did all the introductions before dances. It was fun to see them get to show off their personalities.

The only thing I can complain about is that Lacey (she was in the top 4) was not able to dance due to a knee injury. They had Shauna fill in for her, and although she's a great dancer too, she doesn't have the spark that Lacey does. Of course our favorite is Danny and he did not disappoint. He is probably the best male dancer I have ever seen. So graceful and powerful and beautiful! I can't describe in words how amazing he is. It must be experienced.

Unfortunately you aren't supposed to take pictures, so all I have to show you are a couple we took before the show. One of us (rather awkward because there was little room to stand between the rows of seats and we wanted the sign in the background) and one (rather blurry) one of the stage. We had good seats. It was a very fun show.

autumn dance

photo from photo.net

I think fall has finally arrived to North Carolina. We had a teaser a few weeks back, but summer temps soon returned. And then, yesterday I could smell it. And the air felt a bit crisp all day. And the breeze was lovingly chill. And then today.... oh today it is cool enough that I had to go back inside and grab a jacket. I love fall! Unfortunately, the leaves are still mostly green and don't really look like that picture up there, and from what I've heard may not be all the pretty this year. You see, NC is experiencing a major drought. It makes my heart hurt because I have really been hoping for a real Eastern style Autumn. I'll keep hoping until all those leaves are gone.

In other news, we got a new computer yesterday and it is pretty. I'll have to take a picture to show you all. Jared has been having so much fun setting everything up.

Lastly, we have an exciting weekend ahead of us for we are going to this:

Oh yeah, we bought tickets online during the season finale and are SO SO SO excited to see Danny, Sabra, Lacey, Neil, and everyone dance LIVE! I'm sure it's going to be amazing. I'll report back with details on Monday.

Happy weekend everyone!

miracle

Miracles are real.

I experienced one yesterday.

redheaded prejudices

I recently came across this June article from BBC News Magazine called, "Is gingerism as bad as racism?" (For anyone unaware, Britons refer to red hair as "ginger".) The article says that in Britain redheads are often the butt of jokes and mocked without the same fuss made over racist or sexist jokes. "In adult life, women get stereotyped and red-haired men take much of the worst abuse. Treatment of red-haired children in school ranges from mild taunts to grim persecution."

The article also speaks of photographer Charlotte Rushton, a redhead, is working on a book called Ginger Snaps. She says that of the 300 redheads she chronicled, only 2 have never been bullied because of their hair!

Interestingly, this seems to be a uniquely British problem. Rushton says: "In other countries redheads will get teased at school but it stops when they become adults. If you are a woman you are fiery and alluring, beautiful."

And Michael Elliot, an American who runs a British children's charity, says: "There is nothing like this in the US where having red hair is not a precursor to having someone abuse you. Red hair is considered glamorous."

As a redhead, I must say that it what I have found. Other than being asked if I have a bad temper (I don't), or the one stupid 14 year old boy who asked me a highly inappropriate and personal question regarding my hair in 9th grade, I have never been made fun of because I'm "ginger haired". In fact, it's exactly the opposite. Since I was a child, I've had strangers comment on my hair. One old man in a Cleveland grocery store even touched my head in disbelief when I was about 4 years old. And my husband certainly is enchanted by it.

But I have also felt that for some red hair is either loved or hated. I found that especially true for guys. Some are either very attracted to it, or aren't really at all. I had a hair stylist once who told me that when she first lived in Provo, she had her hair super blonde. As a blonde, she would get asked out all the time. But after she colored her hair red (and it was really cute, as was she), she got asked out way less. Interesting, don't you think? Of course, this was also in Provo, where for those of us who have lived there, blonde does seem to be the hair color of choice, whether natural or not.

I also think that there is a double standard for male redheads. I will be the first to admit, that I think there are way fewer good-looking red-haired guys than red-haired girls. I wonder why we think that. Of course, I've just never been attracted to guys with red hair. It always seemed like just too much of a good thing. And I felt like people would think we were related.

So while the prejudices aren't nearly as bad here in the US, perhaps they do still exist. What do you think? I know there are some redheads out there reading this! Have you guys ever been picked on because of your hair? For the rest of you, have you ever felt there was a prejudice against redheads?

one year ago

I was sorting through some pictures from last year and came across these. I took them October of last year in Salt Lake City. This is one of the first days I spent with the kids. Much has changed since then, and they have all grown so much, as is the way of children. Most especially Grace.

What were you doing one year ago?

the surreal life

I'm not one to usually post more than once in a day, but I'm feeling rather random and in the mood to share. (Plus, it's a slow day at work.)

I was just looking at pictures my friend Afton took at my wedding that are on her facebook page. There I am in a wedding dress and Jared is in his suit and we look all happy and excited. We are leaving the reception to go to the hotel. What's not to be excited about, right? It was a very good day after all. And then I was thinking about how we plan on starting a family in the coming year. And then it hit me how surreal life is sometimes. How did I get here? Do you ever look at your life as an outsider and wonder how it all happened? And even though I can retrace all the steps that led me here, it still seems rather shocking that I am married and could have a child of my own by the end of next year.

It feels good to take a moment and digest that.

i am a woman and i like milk

Today, I truly entered the realm of womanhood. I survived my first real visit to the gyno. The kind where you wear paper and use stirrups. It was not NEARLY has uncomfortable as I thought it would be. And was also quite short. I don't know why had I envisioned it taking longer.

Also, I really love this stuff. You should try it out.

And speaking of milk, although of the dairy variety, I still want to know what you all are paying for it. So scroll down and tell me. Thanks.

PS...(Added for clarification) I am not pregnant, just relieved to have had a positive doctor experience. My doctor was so nice and appropriately chatty that I felt oh-so-very comfortable.

what does milk cost where you live?

I'm not sure if this is just a North Carolina thing or what, but milk has gotten incredibly expensive! At most grocery stores around here it is over $4 a gallon for skim milk! I spent $4.09 at Target a few weeks ago, and I noticed it was $4.19 at Food Lion. We have found that Costco not surprisingly has the best price at $3.19 the last time we were there, but it is too far away to go too often. So we have been getting milk at Whole Foods Market. Their store brand skim milk is usually about $3.50.

So, I'm wondering, what does milk cost where you live?

because it's been awhile...

At least a couple weeks since I've posted a personal picture, here we are at the dance performance we went to on Friday. We had to use the flash so pretty much you can't tell where we are at all. But we look pretty (despite some funky bangs action), and that's what matters most, right?

For anyone wondering, The Cloud Gate Dance Theatre performance was amazing. I have never seen anything like it. They pretty much danced to NO music, just sounds of wind and occasional bells and the rhythm of their own breathing. The movement was mostly slow and extremely controlled, but also incredibly beautiful and graceful. It was also definitely the most intense dance performance I've ever experienced. It literally took WORK to watch it and stay focused. It was almost like intense meditation. It took extreme concentration. They are such disciplined dancers and the nature of the choreography required the audience to be as well.

mother load

This is what a 17 pound baby looks like. Here's hoping I never have to birth one this large (or anything close to it).

I think this picture is hilarious. The little one on the right is saying, "Wo, Nadia! What planet did you come from?"