Blah, Blah, Blah

I'm in kind of a blah mood. Nothing is really wrong except for the usual things in life but I'm just feeling kind of blah.

I'm looking for another gig so if anyone knows of any fabu positions in Communications/Event Planning please send them my way. Maybe I just need a change

Life is chugging along and I really do not have much to talk about. Just checking in I guess. Still dancing, still planning events, still being caregiver to the fur baby.

The dance floor is still good to me. I need to stop wearing sneakers to dance during the week. The floors are not always the best and my knees are mad at me for a few days after. I know the wear and tear is causing damage. Even with compensating my dance style for a sticky floor with rubber soled shoes I still find myself dealing with aching joints.

If you watch this clip you can see me compensating for the lack of 'glide' on the sticky floor. If you listen around the 45 second mark, you can hear my partner declare he's tired and calm down our dance pace! This is after dancing that pace for most of the 5+ minute song. ROFL!

I love that someone is always taping you or taking photos of the dance floor. I also love the fact that I very rarely notice until they show me the footage after ;-)

Dance floor Therapy...it is cheaper than the gym and a psychologist.

Blessed and Highly Favored

"What's meant for you will come your way.
No one will get what's meant for you but you."

That quote may sound redundant but my Grandmother (my family called her Dear, but I called her Granny) used to tell me that all the time. As well as this quote:

"It'll be alright after while."

She left this earth over 10 years ago but sometimes I swear I hear her in my head saying the same things. So much so, that I find myself repeating those words (in her Southern dialect) to the people around me. I said those quotes to my business partner numerous times over the past year. I kept telling her everything happens for a reason and things happen so other things can transpire.

I thought of this business idea and held onto it for over a year. I was terrified to approach anyone about it. The world of dance can be a little fickle to newcomers but she jumped on it and away we went. Talking to people on the low, putting bugs in people's ear, trying to create something that had not been done in our area.

Our first few events met with stereotypes and people trying to purposely sabotage our events. It was extremely hurtful. A deep wound forms when someone attacks your character but we talked each other through it and kept going.

Every time one of us was at our breaking point, someone would come up and tell us how much they enjoyed the last event and ask about the next date. More than a couple of times when we were faced with finding a suitable venue one would mysteriously land in our laps with an irresistible price tag that happened to be free or half off for that month. Coincidence? Not at all...

We learned valuable lessons from the ground up and approached each event as a learning experience. We make sure to greet each attendee by name and if we don't know you when you come, we know your name by the time you walk out of the door. We have been accused of making our dance nights too cozy and comfortable because people will get comfortable and sometimes forget about the dance floor. But you know what? That is fine with us because they leave with a smile on their face.

Of course you can not please everyone all the time but we are working on the select 'hard nuts to crack' and they too will leave this next event happy, sweaty and tired. I am extremely grateful for finding what I think may be my calling. I am extrememly blessed and highly favored for using the gifts God has bestowed upon me.

I am so thankful that I am growing into the person I think I was meant to be. Two years ago I made a contact with someone and kept it going just enough to work out a great deal for my little company that could. My little company that is barely one year old is hosting a room for three nights at a major event in the area.

My little company that could is being put on the map.

My little company that met all that opposition is now being marketing by the very people who tried to shut us down.

My little company that could...is proving that it CAN!

And for that...I am extremely grateful, humbled and have the strength to keep going.



Until Next Time,
Peace & Blessings...

Random Thunderstorms...(Week at Home)

One of the very few perks I have with my job is the time off. We are closed when people usually request time off so at the end of the physical year I have time to burn. I like to take a week after things have died down and just use it for myself. No traveling, no visiting family or friends, just time for me to do whatever I want to do.

I used the week to stay at home, relax and turn off my damn alarm!

I spent three days with myself. Me and the furry one stayed home, kept each other company and enjoyed being lazy. At least I did, he does that on the regular!

I danced four nights straight. I missed Salsa and my partners. It was so good to be on the dance floor again even if the NBA finals made for some interesting crowds.

I lost half of those pesky pounds that found their way to my waist, hips and thighs. Gotta love that dance floor!

Speaking of losing weight...who goes on vacation and LOSES weight? Once again, I LOVE the dance floor!

I ventured out to a few new dance spots and people did not know me. When you are new, people can be reluctant to dance with you. Thankfully I can lead so I danced with a few women and happily mingled with the crowd. One of the men hugged me and told me he had to bow because I was mean on the dance floor. I could only laugh and say thank you.

I was really flattered when on the way out a lady stopped me and told me she had watched me dance and I was her dance inspiration. ME?!? Someone's dance inspiration? I remember how I felt when I first found my dance inspiration, being someone's dance inspiration is a great honor. I hope I do not disappoint her, LOL!

I happily checked off a few things on my house 'to do' list. My ego got a gut check when I ran across a few old photos from when I first moved in my house. I had just walked away from the marriage and had all the debt with a small income. I left the furniture and all reminders of that life. I had lost sight of how far I had come and only thought of the things I wanted. Those photos reminded me of how I am slowly and surely making my house my home.

I also spent the week making strides to perfect my craft on the event planning side and dance.

That was my week in a nutshell...how was yours?


Until Next Time,
Peace & Blessings...

Time and Chance Meetings

I wrote in February about my trip to San Francisco and the more downs than ups experienced by my performance group. What I did not mention in that post was the meeting of a legend in the Salsa dance community.

I dragged into the hotel lobby with my performance group Director after our more than four hour flight delay and paying triple the cost of a cab ride because transit was closed. There were no smiles on our faces and everyone could tell we were exhausted. A smile found the way to my Director's face when this thin-framed man walked up to her and spoke softly in Spanish while hugging her with a bear hug of an old friend.

He turned to me and asked my name. She introduced me and he immediately took my hand, looked me in the eyes, said what a pleasure it was to meet me and kissed my hand. (All in Spanish, of course). I returned the kind greeting in English and he asked my friend/Director if I spoke Spanish. She assured him I could understand him and he continued our conversation in Spanish as I returned his answers in English. He said he would talk to us over the weekend as we dragged ourselves to our room.

I had many interactions with him over the weekend. Every time he saw me he kissed my hand and told me what a delight it was to see me (All in Spanish, to this day I never heard him speak English). As I mentioned in my previous post I was sick most of the weekend so I missed his class on Rumba but got a lesson in the roots of Salsa and how most instructors are not teaching it properly in the U.S. over breakfast that Saturday morning.

I am always told I have an old soul and my spirit connects with people. I wondered why he was drawn to me in my group of 6 ladies, many of which he had met years before. I can only say that old spirits connected like they had known each other for years. Maybe they have known each other way beyond anything we can comprehend in this lifetime.

I received the news through the Salsa connection that he recently died. I had no idea he was sick when I met him in San Francisco. I had no idea that chance meeting with him would be my one and only interaction with a man who touched the dance world way beyond the Rumba/Afro-Cuban/Salsa teacher I knew. My description of him in this tiny post in my small blog does not come close to touching the tip of what a gift he was the dance community.

I do believe that everything happens for a reason. Our spirits met again in this world and I am looking forward to being lucky enough to meet him again in the next. The dance world has suffered a great loss but I smile every time I think of him kissing my hand and saying what a pleasure it was to meet me.

It was a great pleasure to meet you as well, Pupy. Rest in Peace my friend.



Until Next Time,
Peace & Blessings...