NYC

Kali and I had a whirlwind 3 days in The Big Apple! What a trip! Even though the bus ride took 11 hours - it was worth the wait! Our hotel was right in the heart of Times Square! At 42nd St and Broadway!!!! Talk about exciting! The first night in town we shopped and went to Ripley's Believe It or Not! Kali had a blast!

Our 1st morning was spent at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Yes, that is Kali scaling the pedestal. The weather was just beautiful! 80's, sunny, no humidity - we couldn't have asked for more.


Next stop - Ellis Island. What a heart wrenching place - so much hope and depair at the same time. Walking the steps of the immigrants was an amazing thing. Our country is so diverse thanks to the brave people who came through those halls.

Kali had her caricature drawn in Battery Park. She was so excited, I didn't have the heart to tell her it looked nothing like her!?!? The street performers were amazing. Kali's 1st Broadway Show was "Wicked" and it was spectacular! She will remember that performance for the rest of her life.

OMG - Zac Efron! A girl after my own heart - Bela Lugosi was one of her favorite figures!

The final day started with a trip to Madame Tussaud's and it was a big hit! Kali has to pick a figure she saw, dress up like that person and do a report. So many to choose from - her short list - Judy Garland, Josephine Baker, Lucille Ball. She got her picture taken with all of them, so we're covered. Then it was on to The Top of the Rock - the observation deck at Rockefeller Center. The views were amazing. We were let loose on 5th Avenue for the afternoon. Our highlights included FAO Schwartz and Tiffany's. Kali was so impressed by "the women's lounge" - how many people can say they pee'd at Tiffany's?

We walked through Central Park to ride the carousel and then meandered through the "Madagascar Zoo." No Melvin.
After dinner at Bubba Gump on Times Square, we finished our trip with our 2nd show - Mary Poppins. The ride home was quiet, Kali slept the entire time - she was worn out.

She Did It !!!!

Kali is officially a 1st Degree Black Belt!!!! Yeah!!!! She is so excited, I am so very proud. The journey has taken 2 years and, for her, it was worth every minute. It is so wonderful to watch her enjoy herself. She absolutely loves Tae Kwon Do! She's awesome, too.

With Master Jeon and breaking 3 boards with her kicks.

Perfecting her defense in sparring and receiving the coveted belt.

Now that this milestone is over, we can look forward to the next crazy week. Show Choir auditions, 3 days in NYC, one dress rehearsal and 2 performances! I can't wait until Memorial Day, that's when my vacation officially starts.

Dance 2009

Springtime Celebrations

Well, we are halfway through the crazy month of May and what a time we've had! I had the pleasure of taking Kali and her Big Buddy, Mackenzi to the Akron Zoo. It was fun. The Jellyfish were awesome! The girls even had some time to "themselves."

Peyton had her big Spring Program this week. As you can see, Peyton's Pre-K class were spiders. She did a great job in her stand up comedy debut. "Why did the spider buy a car? So he could take it for a spin!" She delivered her punch line flawlessly. I can't believe that this year is over, she has really matured.


The finale of the week was Kali's even bigger Vocal Music Show. The evening was great and Kali's Miller South debut was amazing! She managed to keep her cool through all 15 costume changes! Of the 33 numbers in the show - she was in 16 of them!!!! We are so proud of her. She is such a fabulous performer. She's hard to ignore on stage. As a 4th grader, she held her own (and more) with the 7th and 8th graders. I can't imagine the command she will have on stage when she is an "upper classman." She is in her element!