O hello again!

SOOO much has happened since I last blogged!! I will catch you up later but first...some new photos!

Introducing.....

So I guess it's time to introduce you all to Dennis. ----------->
Dennis is my new dance partner, and he is an absolutely fabulous and beautiful dancer! This weekend I went to Birmingham (where he lives) for our rehearsal, and got to meet his beautiful wife and kids...oh and the dogs..can't forget them!! We definitely give each other a run for our time. When I first met him, he told me that he loves to practice, so that made me very happy because I REALLY love to practice....and then when we had our first rehearsal...Oh my gosh...when you put two people together who love to practice...it never ends...and I leave barely able to walk out the door!! I complain to Britt FOREVER about being sore..but really it's great, and considering that we only get to practice 2 or 3 days a week because we live in different places, our practicing addictions work to our benefit! Things are shaping up very quickly, and I am very excited!!!

Cilantro lime Mexican Lasagna

So I tried a new dish last night.... Mexican Lasagna and my version is the Cilantro Lime Mexican Lasagna. I tweaked a few things here and there to make this a little more healthy. The original recipe calls for ground pork and I used lean white turkey, I also used black beans in place of hominy, and I used Flatout Healthy Grain flatbread wraps instead of the traditional tortilla. This took some of the fat out(turkey), added more protein(black beans), and cut down on calories and unhealthy carbs( multi grain flatbread).

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, grated or chopped
• 2 jalapeno or serrano peppers, chopped- 3 or 4 for a little more heat
  
• 12 large tomatillos (14 to 16 if small), peeled (the leafy peel) and coarsely chopped
• A handful cilantro leaves- parsley leaves can be used if you are not a fan of cilantro
  
• 3 avocados
• 2 limes
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 package large tortillas
• 1 pound pepper Jack cheese, shredded
• Sour cream, to pass at table

Directions

Place rack in oven in middle of oven and heat broiler or place oven on 400 degrees F.

Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, a turn of the pan, in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add turkey and crumble up as it browns. While turkey browns, season the meat with cumin, coriander and salt and pepper. Once browned evenly, stir in black beans and reduce heat to simmer.

While meat cooks heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a sauce pot, add onions, garlic and peppers, season with salt and pepper and saute until softened 5 to 6 minutes. Place tomatillos and cilantro or parsley in food processor and process until almost smooth. Pour into onion and garlic mixture and simmer to mellow, 5 to 6 minutes more. Replace the processor bowl. Pit and scoop the avocado flesh into the processor, add the lime zest and juice- careful it can get strong. Add the honey, puree until smooth and season with a little salt. Stir the avocado mixture into the green sauce and remove from heat.

Char all of the tortillas over an open flame or in dry hot skillet.This is important!!! If you don't do this the tortillas will get a little more soggy!

In a baking dish layer sauce, tortilla, meat, cheese, sauce, tortilla, meat, cheese, sauce, etc. End with a layer of tortilla, sauce and finally cheese. Place baking dish in the oven and bake for 4 to 5 minutes until bubbly and cheese is brown. Pass sour cream at the table.

I really loved this dish! I am a huge fan of lime and cilantro. NOTE: add avocado and honey and let the tomatillos cook longer to mellow out the tartness of the tomatillos! For a thicker and dryer lasagna use more meat and beans!!

A third great LOVE

#1- my personal hottie (britt)
#2- dancing
and drum roll please........

#3 cooking!!!!!!!

I REALLY REALLY love to cook. I mean REALLY! I started doing my own cooking pretty young. When I got married, I started cooking ALL the time...like tons! I would come home from work and start cooking not ever realizing just how relaxing it is for me. I love to create things and this is just one more avenue for me to do that. I like to get ideas from other recipes and then create my own versions or just give it a total makeover altogether! I also enjoy doing things for people...ok more like pleasing people, so I feel like I can do that by cooking. Since I now have DVR, I have started watching a ton of food network...which I love and is even more amazing on my 42" HDTV. The other day I was watching it and I caught myself thinking..." I could really do this for a living and really love it!" Of course having my own show would be ultimate cause I could still be an entertainment personality and a cook, but I think it would be SOOO fun to even just do catering or go to culinary school and become a top chef. If I had lots of time and money I would do just that...I would spend half of my day learning to cook and cooking and the other half training for dance and dancing....WHAT A BLAST that would be! So be looking for my recipe and experiment postings and updates!!

The adventures of Britt

So Britt has started a new hobby...rock climbing or as he sometimes refers to it....poling...don't ask. He was inspired to start this new hobby by his sister, Amber, who picked up the hobby in DC. Britt thought it would be a great thing he could do with his lil' sis' and fun for himself as well. He's gotten pretty good now, climbing 5.10's and 5.11's....that's the difficulty measurement. You have to be able to climb a 5.12 before you can do what they call lead climb. Lead climbing is where you are the first one up...that means there's no rope from the top that you are connected to...you start climbing and hook in as you go. I get woozy just thinking of it!! So anyhow it has been quite amusing for the past few months. Each time he comes home from a climb we have show and tell...hehehe. First he "tells" me how he conquered the next level or how he "flashed" the wall that was hard last time ( flashed is where you climb right up to the top fairly quickly without hesitation) ; I also get to hear all the weird stories about the "interesting" people at the rock climbing gym. Then it's "show" time as he will proceed to show me his veiny arms and rock hard forarms. It kinda makes me chuckle cause it reminds me of my little brother a bit when he first started lifting weights and stuff(the excitement that is...not the size of the muscles of course) but I'm SOO excited and proud of his progress. AND he's started taking the yoga and abs classes that they offer at the climbing gym. Now I swear by yoga as a GREAT stress reliever!!! He is taking his first climbing trip into the "wild" the first weekend of April. He, one of his climbing buddies here, Amber, and some of her climbing friends and instructors are all going to Red River Gorge which is apparently one of the best places to climb in the States. I'm a little nervous to be honest...but at least I don't have to climb those walls....just a TAD high for me!! I'll keep you posted on his progress and the trips...hope to get some pics up soon!!

sweet peace of closure

And a HUGE sigh of relief! A burden lifted, bitterness turned sweet, and the black yuckyness in my heart and spirit now cleared and replaced with peace. Closure. Open honesty. Candid, blunt, up front, forward..whatever you want to call it; it is SO key in SO many things! Why do we mask things under ambiguity or "sugar" ? I don't get it, and I never have. It clouds communication, and as we have ALL heard time and time again.."communication is key". We hear it all the time about making marriages work, but it isn't just marriages. That holds true for all relationships from friendships to business relationships. When communication is clouded it complicates things by bringing ambiguity in the picture. When ambiguity makes it's way in, as humans we start to assume to make up for the lack of clarity. And assuming, as we all have experienced, is almost NEVER good or fruitfull. Why can't we all just be clear, open, and honest all the time?

Sometimes I think people have this idea that they don't want to deal with confrontation, so they create a distance in a realtionship. This IS a block in the communication line and creates ambiguity(which we've established is BAD). This is actually what WILL lead to a VERY confrontational situation which is what they were running from in the first place. So again being upfront, open, and honest from the get go is the solution.

I also think that sometimes people are too concerned with offending others. Well I think that you can't offend; people CHOOSE to take offense. I'm not saying to be rude to people. There is a difference in being up front and honest and being down right rude. Rudeness is created by adding poor attitude to your words.

Communicate and do so clearly, openly, and honestly.

This is another one of those things that ties to dancing. If the communication lines (your frame or center) is broken or blocked there is no clarity and assumption begins...ahhh disaster!!

House Hunting

So it has FINALLY come!!! Britt and I are officially looking for our first home. We actually went and looked at some open houses for the first time this weekend. We looked at 4 houses, and I could easily see us living in 3 of the 4. This is gonna be harder than I thought. There are SOO many things to think about and make decisions about...yeah that's right the D word...decisions. I can't even make up my mind at a drive through window. How will I ever make up my mind? So we really don't need all that big of a house...I mean it's just Britt and me. Even if we suddenly popped out a kid...don't get any ideas anyone...that was NOT a hint...we still wouldn't need a lot of room for a while. BUT it is such a great buyer's market right now, we could get a bigger house and probably end up with more equity once the market goes up..... What do I do?? And when I say bigger, I don't mean huge. Like this weekend we looked at a house that was 1365 sq. ft. and one that was 1750 sq. ft. neither of them are HUGE but the 1700+ house was way more than we really even need. All of them have been updated so they didn't need much but the one that was only 1300+ sq. ft. had been totally gutted and had granite counter tops, all new stainless steel sppliances, the really nice expensive carpet, tile, very high quality fixtures ( water fixtures, light fixtures, door knobs and such) I mean it was decked out. BUT it doesn't have a garage and would need a fence in the back yard..well we would like one anyway. The other two we liked had a garage and didn't really need any updates either.....I dunno!!!! All of them however were in newer subdivisions, so they dont' have the charm of the mature subdivisions and we really do love charm..haha..hmmm. So the hunt begins.........

just a quick note

There are so many times when I'm teaching a lesson to a couple that I want to parallel the dancing relationship to a marriage...but I have to remind myself that I'm not a marriage counselor. I use many references when I teach but I don't know that this one is appropriate to use...though VERY relevant. Thoughts are appreciated. I have a friend who is a student and has also realized this paralleled relationship and is writing a book about it. This excited me sooo much!! I encourage all to follow and read it!!! Her blog is linked to the word friend above!!!

Nashville Starz

WHOA!!! This past week and weekend has been a whirlwind! Nashville Starz competition was a great success!! I had one student competing and he did so very well!! I was very pleased with his placement! The whole studio actually did very well. Friday went down without any major bumps. Saturday, however, was crazy as one of our instructors ended up in the ER and Sunday was a blast! I am SOOO excited about the next couple of months. I am going to start working as a rep. for Dore` Designs. I have been interested in joining a designer for some time, and am going to start here soon. Since I won't be on the competition floor as pro/pro for a while, it's also going to be an awesome way to keep myself in the ballroom/competition circuit while I am searching for a new partner. The next couple of months is going to be sooo very busy. My schedule is really picking up and I'll be starting with Dore soon. Trying to find a time to head back home to Texas to see the fam will be a challenge.

The value and importance of a true friend

In the past couple of months I have sat back and realized the value, worth and hard work of a true friend. All my life I have always been surrounded by my very closest of friends until I moved. Those friends were a lot easier to make since we were all in school together. I seem to have been so wrapped up in my own world of working that I haven't really bothered to cultivate many friendships. I have realized just how hard it is to make and find those special people. People already have their groups they hang with and who really wants to add another?? Then you think you find someone and it's not what you thought and that process goes on and on..... That part is really hard for me since I tend to trust everyone immediately. I tend to get hurt often and that only makes me want to shut myself off from everyone.

Found some great quotes I wanted to share...

"Sometimes in life, you find a special friend. Someone who changes your life just by being a part of it. Someone who makes you laugh until you can't stop. Someone who makes you believe that there really is good in the world. Someone who convinces you that there really is an unlocked door just waiting for you to open it. This is forever friendship. When you're down and the world seems dark and empty, your forever friend lifts you up in spirit and makes that dark and empty world suddenly seem bright and full. Your forever friend gets you through the hard times, the sad times and the confused times. If you turn and walk away, your forever friend follows. If you lose your way, your forever friend guides you and cheers you on. Your forever friend holds your hand and tells you that everything is going to be okay. And if you find such a friend, you feel happy and complete because you need not worry. You have a forever friend, and forever has no end." ---Unknown

"Friends are the most important part of your life. Treasure the tears, treasure the laughter, but most importantly, treasure the memories."---Dave Brenner

"Sometimes life is hard to bear when a friend is just not there." ---William Franc

"A best friend is a sister destiny forgot to give you." ---Unknown

"Friends are always friends no matter how far you have to travel back in time. If you have memories together, there is always a piece of your friendship inside your heart." ---Kellie O'Connor

What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies. ~Aristotle

A friend can tell you things you don't want to tell yourself. ~Frances Ward Weller

A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Before him I may think aloud. I am arrived at last in the presence of a man so real and equal, that I may drop even those undermost garments of dissimulation, courtesy, and second thought, which men never put off, and may deal with him with the simplicity and wholeness with which one chemical atom meets another. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Pride and Prejudice

So I was watching one of my most favorite movies the other night, Pride and Prejudice. Being in the analytical and contemplative state of mind that I have been in for the past month, I started to realize myself (younger and current) in one of the characters...Elizabeth...and also realize who I am starting to become...Jane.

I was the spitting character image of Elizabeth growing up and still very much am to this day.I am, however, starting to see chracteristics of Jane come into my life.

So quickly I have stated things about each of these characters personalities that I realize are also my own:

Elizabeth is lively, quick-witted, sharp-tongued, bold and intelligent. Elizabeth is concerned with propriety, good-manners, and virtue. Jane Austen portrays Elizabeth Bennet as "strong and intelligent, yet bewitching in a completely feminine way". "Elizabeth's possession of these attributes: strength of character and moral integrity, great intelligence, and an attractive personality, make her an admirable person." Yet Elizabeth has faults. She has pride in her abilities to perceive the truth of situations and of people's characters. However, her perceptive abilities fail her frequently because she is influenced by vanity and judges people rashly. By the end of the novel she overcomes her prejudice through her dealings with Darcy. Somewhere in my life I feel like I overcame my prejudice as well...not the pride though HA! Because of this change, I have realized that there are now things about Jane's character that I have now. Jane is good-tempered (I haven't mastered that one), sweet, amiable, humble(not this one either... at times) and selfless. She refuses to judge anyone badly, always making excuses for people when Elizabeth brings their faults to her attention (this is where my biggest flip/change has occured ..or is a working progress anyway). Her tendency to give people the benefit of the doubt leads her to be hurt by insincere friends such as Caroline Bingley.

I think that once I get hurt by my tendency to give the benefit of the doubt...I quickly return to my Elizabeth characteristics again. I am not sure how I like my progression toward having Jane's character...transformations that have or are taking place now I think I'm ok with...but I rather like my out-spokenness and my bold, charasmatic personality. yup..no more Jane for me!

trying to find the calm after the storm

It is interesting to see how my mood swings affect my emotions...now that I blog, I can really see the HUGE difference. So I am trying to find the calm after the storm. My mood is back to normal, so now I can think a little more clearly...God really had such a sense of humor in the makings of a woman. And I think the joke is on the men...or the nightmare might I say. Anyhow, I realize that some things are just out of my control. When I am not the cause of things that happen, I (most of the time)have no control over the outcome or changing the outcome. That is something that is hard for me to accept. I am...yes this is in writing.. a control freak, so releasing situations that I cannot change is hard. I think I actually subconsciously try to make the situation somehow linked to me so that I feel like I can change the matter...and that only makes me a crazy mess which is doesn't help things!! It is crazy how much power the mind has on us. So (deep breath) I have to sit back and let things work themselves out because there really isn't anything that I can do....and that is my constant reminder. In the mean time I have killed the crazy woman so that my fun, bubbly, and silly self can come back, and I can continue to be the best friend that I can be.

showcase pics

Got some pics from showcase from TM!!
Grandad (louie), TM, Me, and Frank
(below) Britt..who doesn't look thrilled..me, and Frank

so confused

Sometimes it is so hard to describe what is going on inside. I wish I could just pull it all out of me and lay it a paper to analyze...like when Dumbledorf pulls memories out of his head.

I'm so bad with words...that is why I dance. Dancing for me is a way that I can outwardly express an inward emotion. I remember a coaching I had with David Hamilton where he had me describe the feeling I had when he danced each particular way. I couldn't do it...I had no words to describe it. HAHa and I remember telling him " I don't know..I can't find a word...I'm not good with words, David, that's why I dance." BUT I could react and respond to his dancing with my own dancing and it matched in tone. And THAT is the beauty of dancing...THAT is what it is all about...taking the energy given, creating and moving with it, and then giving it back.His point in this lesson was to show that you must be able to "move" your partner by the energy you give, and that a great partnership would possess that quality. For the first time in my dancing career, I was able to experience that. That is huge for me. I am a pretty stubborn person and a very emotional one. The combination of these two attributes means that I won't "move" for just anything. I am very sensitive to the energy I feel from people, and to "move" me on the dance floor, I must feel a genuine energy. I have danced with people before that just go through the steps....analyzing each movement and dancing far too much from their brain instead of their heart. It is SO hard to produce a product that moves the audience if it doesn't move you. That is what the arts are about right? Moving people, touching their hearts and souls, speaking to them on a deeper level? Communicating those things is what makes us artists. People, talking about all people in general, love the arts because it bypasses the brain and touches them in their soul and takes them to a new place...whether it be the artist or the person viewing the art. That is why I love what I do...because I touch and change the soul of a person... their core...the basis of a human. So on the competitive end it's about how many judges you can move. Don't get me wrong; technicality is a part of it as well (and we all know it can get political) , but a couple can be very technically correct and BORING!! There are several top couples right now that I would describe this way. The only one that isn't are the current title holders of the American smooth. They do the most simplistic things but they MOVE people. I want to be that ...I want to be the most moving. (big sigh) And now I'm back at square one, but I'm gonna for for it, and I'll win....and it may take me years to find another partner that I can know I can accomplish that with, but it'll happen.

Maybe I'm not too bad with words....so after all that...those are the feelings I have inside about dancing...and right now I feel like that has been ripped out. And as a cherry on top the two friends here I had hoped to become great friends with suddenly don't seem to feel the same...