Taylor Cheerleading

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T Dancing Ballet

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The Show

Good lord, this show was so cute I couldn't stand it! It all started out with the modeling. Here as some of the little models here, posing for a quick shot before the show got going.
T was having a ball hamming it up. I'm trying to upload video of the cheerleading and dance portions. If I do say so myself, T EXCELLED at the dancing. She's never had formal dance classes, so everything she's learned came from camp. She's really good at the ballet, but really knocked 'em dead with her Flamenco dancing.

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Out of a room full of little hispanic girls who were wearing authentic or near-authentic flamenco costumes, La China-Gringa...decked out in her gymboree cotton summer skirt... was named "The Spanish Rose". She was voted the best Flamenco dancer in the camp! Dot and I nearly fell out of our chairs hyperventilating at this!

A little old Cuban man in heavily accented, broken English, congradulated us and said that T's dancing was "as delicious as paella". Wow. Can't get a better comment than that!

So, if I can ever upload the movies, which take FOREVER, I'll be posting T in all her glory!

BRACE YOURSELVES...

...and stand by for some really big breaking blog news!

Don't have time to go into detail, but suffice it to say that tonight is T's End of year show at camp. There will be four segments: modeling, dance, cheerleading, and flamenco.

It also involves costume changes for each segment.

Oh, the cuteness! I can't stand it!

Hopefully I can get some cute shots.

Show starts at 7:00 p.m.

Ciao!

Kicking it up in the Keys

well, the day didn't start so well. We drove down to Pennekamp and where highly disappointed. There is no beach there. Nice park for snorkeling, but we weren't there for that. We were there for beach which didn't exist. There is only a fake beach area like a lagoon, but it was creepy and really crowded. While there, I realized that I was actually thinking of Bahia Honda, when I was remembering a gorgeous beach. Bahia Honda's beach was voted one of the country's top 10 in 1992. I was there in 1997 and it was lovely. Pristine white sand, really large beach. Gorgeous...even by this life-long Floridian's (i.e. beach snob's) standards.

Unfortunately, alot has happened since 1997. Namely, hurricane Wilma. Came through and eroded 2/3 of the beach. In some places, the entire beach was gone. VERY disappointing. What's worse, what beach that was left was covered in seaweed, as you can see from this picture. I figure that's a function of state of fla. budget cuts. Luckily, we had fun anyway. The water was nice and warm and crystal clear. It was shallow really far out and with no Atlantic waves/undertow, so T could splash around.

Took her a while to get acclimated. She didn't like "that dirty beach" or "that sandy floor". She didn't understand why the bottom wasn't concrete like the pool. So, Dot and I sat in our chairs, with rain umbrellas to hide from the sun, similar to those old sci-fi vampire movies. T played in the sand. Then we were out of there.

Drove back north and went to an all you can eat seafood buffet that was yummy.

The other big news of the trip: T lost her 3rd tooth while crossing the 7-mile bridge. Dot played tooth fairy and upped the ante on me. Crazy woman left a whole 5 bucks. T added it to her stash, and we were off to Target for her to buy something. She chose aqua sand. Google it. I can't explain it. Other than to say its a big mess and alot harder than the commercial implies. Typical.

So, that was our big day. Felt like I was on vacation.

Shhhh, Don't Tell Taylor...

I'm planning a surprise for my kid. Close readers of this blog realize that we live in the frickin' armpit of the country...ooops...I mean sunny South Florida. Despite this, my sweet daughter has never been swimming at the beach. Many who live within a mile or two of the beach, never step foot on it. That's us. T has played on the beach 2 or 3 times, at sunset.

I admit that I'm a bit chicken about undertows and all. That's another reason. Anyway, I plan to remedy this woeful lack of socialization this weekend. Hot on the heels of T's hula party at camp, we're headed down to Key Largo on Saturday. Pennekamp State Park. We'll play on the beach (which has much less waves and no undertoe), perhaps rent a canoe and paddle around in the mangroves (taking care to slather ourselves in bug repellant so that the skeeters don't pick T up and fly off with her), perhaps picnic on the beach, and have yummy sea food for dinner.

That's the plan, at least.

Pray that reality doesn't ruin the whole thing with my dad wigging out. If he does, it will just have to play itself out, as we'll be about 2 hours south. Que sera, sera...my new motto.

So, (if I can successfully crop out Dot or I, who will be donned in our Orca suits, from the pictures), you may get some pics. Meanwhile, I may hunt up our old Doris Day album for inspiration:

When I was just, a lit-tle girl...

I asked my mother, what I would be...

Will I be pretty, will I be rich...

Here's what she said, to me....

Que sera, sera

Whatever will be, will be

The future's not ours, to see..

Que sera, sera!

What will be, will be...

Strange Happenings

Today was such an odd day. As some of you know, every day I go on a "pill run", work allowing. I usually pick up something to eat for my dad, take it to the house, make him take his meds, fix his TV, throw out fraudulent sweepstake mail, then return to work. I do this everyday that I can. Often, I'll take someone with me to avoid his screaming sessions about his objections to the guardianship we got on my mom.

Anyway, often I'll pick up something at a Wendy's drive through. While going there, I pass by a restaurant called Jimmys, that says on the window that they deliver for free. Its the old Lattas rest on NW 7 Ave near their house. I've been meaning to stop in, to pick up a menu for a couple weeks. They serve total diner-fare. Anyway, for the first time in probably 40 years, I stopped in. It was later than usual, around 2:00 p.m. And who do I notice sitting inside?

My dad.

He hasn't been there in years either, yet there we both were. He had just ordered when I got there. When I asked what, he said a burger for him and a steak to take home to my mom. I had to remind him that she's in the nursing home. I gestured to the waitress to cancel that order. By the time we had finished, he had forgotten that he had ordered it. Anyway, we have lunch, then go back to his house, where I gave him his meds.

While there, the mailman arrived with a certified letter from the attorney on the guardianship. My dad asks what it is, and I say "don't yell". Its a motion in the guradianship to make sure that when mom dies, the money is immediately transferred back to you, to avoid probate. He says that he doesn't like that guardianship stuff, to which I reply that I know, but we did it to protect mom. His response?

Well, I'm all for anything to protect your mother.

That was the last that was said on the subject.

Ahh.... Shades of my old dad coming through. He's always been the most generous man I know. And kind. Would do ANYTHING for my mom, my sis, or me. I guess that's why its so upsetting when he goes off the deep end. I hate this disease. I just have to guard against thinking that controversy over this is over, as when I least expect it, he's going to wig out again. I know this. Sigh.

But, it was really nice to have my dad back, at least for today. I'll take what I can get.

As I said, strange happenings...

Guess where T is going on friday?

The Luau Party at camp. I stopped of at the party store to pick up a few essentials...

Throwing a bone...

...to T's rabid fan (our Aunt Connie), who is craving a T update. Gotta keep T's most loyal fan happy! So, here goes:

• We're the happy owners of a whole new set of school uniforms and school shoes in a bigger size. First day of school is 8/22. How'd that happen so fast?
• T has gone to Chucky Cheese (which I've refused to take her to on general principle) with the camp, and reports that she had a FAB time.
• T has also gone to the movies again. She was thrilled, and feeling quite grown up.
• My mom is doing OK at the moment. Went for a colonoscopy, but I don't think they were able to do it. Apparently the "prep" didn't work. 'nuf said!
• T has figured out how to use the remote on the TV, to change the channels. Now, everytime I leave the room, I come back to cartoons.
• Medicare runs out at the nursing home mid-August, so we have some really big decisions to make re my mom and what we're going to do with her.
• That's all I can think of, for now. Hope you all have great night!

Camp Dust-Up

Some type of dust-up occurred at camp today.  When asked if she was a good girl, T started looking quite guilty.   Said she hit Gabriel with her jacket.  Teacher said it was with the jacket but in the eye.    T gives absolutely no explanation for why she did it, when asked by either the teacher or me.

 

So, T’s restricted from the computer and TV tonight.  We’ll see what tomorrow brings…