Road trip roundup

The trip to Bend was just what the doctor ordered. Being surrounded by love and laughter at a time when we need it most=happy, relaxed Shay and Chris. And despite Gretchen's complete inability to chill on the entire 6+ hour drive (she was very very stressed, panting, pacing the WHOLE TIME), once there she was a gem of a pup and it was awesome to have them both there to cuddle and be near. It relieves our stress to have their fur to run our fingers through, puppy kisses to collect, and general cuddles.

Our Gypsy Fire family is just an incredible bunch of women, and now we can include their hubbies and children in our glowing review. What a joy it was to meet them and get to know them a little. Quinn was a wonderful host, as we knew she would be, giving us time and space to find our groove, and being completely accommodating.

Bend itself is beautiful, and the weather turned incredibly sunny the day after we arrived. This allowed for dog park time, walks along the Deschutes river, delicious local organic food enjoyed on the deck, seeing Gypsy and Sister Fire perform at an outdoor bazaar, drinking local beers on the bar patio, and hot tub time under the awe-inspiring canopy of stars. Got some color on my skin, and some joy in my heart. We truly didn't want to leave.

Even the drive home held its delights. Quinn recommended a state park stopover on the trip home, which took us to a stunning view of red rock mesas and canyons--a popular rock-climbing area. After a short "hike" in the intense sunshine, our visit was topped off with fresh huckleberry ice cream in the shade of an accommodating tree.

We are already looking forward to a return trip, to spend time with our loved ones and to take in more of the outdoor activities we didn't have time and energy for on this trip.

Road Trip

Today, we're gettin' the hell outta Dodge. That's right, it's Road Trip Time.

We're heading down to Bend to spend some time with friends, get away from the everyday reality/life/crap, and just try and relax. Chris and I haven't taken a road trip in a shockingly long time, though I have taken many with other girlfriends over the years. I am looking forward to taking one with my best friend starting this afternoon. :)

This will be the first road trip for our dogs, however! We would always have Chris' Mom doggie-sit for us when we went anyplace, and that not being an option for this trip, it's an opportunity to give them an adventure and see how they do. It will be 6+ hours in the car each way, plus staying in a strange house, with two other dogs to boot. I am confident Loki will be the gem he always is--he is St. Loki, I swear. But Gretchen...she is a Bitch. And fancies herself Alpha much of the time. So going to another house with another Alpha Bitch...let's just say she may spend much of her day in a crate and on a leash. Which is fine by me. She could use a little extra socialization and humbling. ;)

It's also nice to think that we will have them with us when we go to bed at night. That is always one of the hardest things when we travel. When the action of the day is through, and we're crawling into bed, we almost without fail make some comments about how we wish our dogs were there to cuddle. It's just not "good night" without our fingers running through black fur and scritching pink bellies, and receiving the requisite puppy kisses. So having that on this trip is a joy.

So what's on the agenda for the weekend? Eating, drinking, hot tubbing, laughing, dog-cuddling, sleeping, repeat.

Off to Jamila Weeklong

Renee and I are leavin' on a jet plane today for SF to attend the Jamila Salimpour Weeklong. I am sadly injured on two levels and won't be dancing much, which makes me very sad, but I am still excited to get to *literally* sit at the feet of one of the most influential dancers in American Bellydance history, soak up her knowledge and stories, share some good times with my friend Renee, take in San Francisco for a week, and generally make the most of a week of learning and silliness!

I will not be testing as we have to fly back on Friday for our annual troupe retreat. Testing begins at 1pm and our flight is at 3pm. Though testing would be something I would like to do (if for nothing else, to be able to have the option to do the Level 2), I am not going specifically to get a certificate, but instead am plenty happy to get the knowledge and hear it from the Source. Then we're happily heading home early so we can be swapping bags and leaving immediately for the cabin to meet up with our dance family for a weekend of sharing, drinking, noshing, laughing, drumming, dancing, crafting, and generally bonding with my dance sisters.

Wow, a whole week without my hubby (I will see him for about 30 minutes when he picks us up at the airport until we hop into Renee's car to drive off), and without puppies. But also a whole week without working on anything yard related! Woot! Though in related news on that front, We Can Haz Lawn! We have a weirdly perfect sod lawn outside my window as I type this, and it is tripping me out!

Okay, gotta finish my last minute packing, then off to the airport! But before I do, here is a little taste of what I will be working on.

Here is the performance we did at the Northwest Folklife Festival last year. The first zill portion was inspired by the Jamila Level 2--Renee came back aflutter with finger cymbal goodness and orchestrated this zill-off. Then Renee, Quinn, and I perform El Ataba Khadra from Jamila's Level 2 coursework, which Renee and Quinn learned and brought back and included me in performing it. Enjoy!

Jamila weeklong, here I come

It's finally in the works. My registration is in, and I am going to the Jamila weeklong next month. Booking flights and hotel next, along with Renee who will be a TA that week so we are traveling together. I love these bonding travels with Renee, where we get to dig into our passion for dance together and share in it on a deeper level than the day-to-day grind of teaching and running a troupe.

The workshop itself? As soon as the first one was announced, I knew it was just an absolute "must do" for me. While I don't agree with the claim that Jamila was a "tribal dancer" as we understand it today, her influence is completely and inarguably inseparable from the evolution of tribal as we know it--her aesthetics and fusion of cultures was the inspiration for tribal and fusions of our day--and I am eager to dig into those roots and see how it influences my dancing today. It was that kind of "faux-kloric" dancing that got me excited about bellydance in the first place (studying with Aleili, from old school Yaleil) and I am excited to explore those roots in greater depth!

A little bit about Masha I hadn't read before after the jump.

Reflections on Breitenbush 2009

This planet spins faster every year, doesn't it? My Reflections on Breitenbush 2003 doesn't seem so long ago, yet it is really worlds away, in time and in space.

My dance experience has grown. My dance family has grown. My dance world has grown. And every year at Breitenbush is a time to look back and see where I have come from and see where I am going to. But if I am being honest (and what else would I bother with?), with each year at Breitenbush I feel less and less of a need to be there. What do I mean? Read on...


Michelle, Sharon, and Rochelle
Breitenbush 2001When I first started attending Breitenbush, around the turn of the century (that makes me giggle to say), tribal bellydance was sparse. Most dancers I knew didn't know much about it, and there certainly wasn't any to be had in my neck of the woods. I remember taking workshops with Paulette each month that I could, learning more about this dance of which I knew so little and yet felt such a strong pull to be a part of. And I got to know Paulette more, and basked in the atmosphere she created around her--at the time, the word "community" didn't come to my lips as quickly as it does today, so I hadn't really identified it as that yet. I loved the feeling of connection found in the dance (and was sometimes overwhelmed by it, too), and I remember wishing so much that it didn't have to come and go in a single day each month when Paulette was in town.


Dance Intensive Participants
Breitenbush 2001When I went to Breitenbush, it was a kind of tribal bellydance nirvana. I was constantly surrounded by not only this magical forest, river, and mountains, but all that amazing energy and creativity of tribal bellydancers flowed through it all. I met dancers from other cities, saw different styles, talked about dance, moved through the dance, thought about dance...I was seeped in it. Add hot springs and chocolate and you have the makings of a very heady concoction. Each year was a family reunion, where I would be reunited with friends old and new who shared this love of tribal bellydance--I could completely immerse myself in a community that "got me" and what I wanted to explore in my dance. I would carry home an emotional and technical goodie-bag filled with all this new inspiration and uplifting energy that I simply could not find anyplace else.

As I began to expand my own classes and workshops, having been trained by Paulette personally, it meant a lot to me to be able to take home "source material" from my own mentor to carry into classroom and share with my students. I wanted to share with them even a small piece of the unique experiences I had soaked up in my days away, and try to find a way to keep that momentum pushing forward for myself and for them. Every year was a new chance to fill the creative and energetic wellspring, and then bring that back to dip into at will to slake my artistic thirst, for my students and my troupe.

And something wonderful happened. I won't say unexpected, because truly, this is exactly what I was trying to do. Somehow, I took all those bits and pieces of Breitenbush--the community, the positive energy, the creative forces, the connection--and I started to seed my own dance family with it. I tended my own p-patch of tribal bellydance, and it flowered more than I could have imagined. Pretty soon, I had my own community right here under my nose! Weekly class had become a "family gathering", and events I put together drew our collective even tighter together. Our shared joys and sorrows over months and years bonded us, and our shared love of the dance was the foundation of it all.

I remember back to my first phone call to Paulette where I shyly asked if she might teach me how to teach this dance, I told her it was because I wanted to build a community in Seattle like she had in Portland. I suspect that very phrase probably endeared me to Paulette--hearing that my motivation was rooted in the community of the dance, and not necessarily making money, or chasing fame. Knowing Paulette as I do, I like to think that this motivation mirrors a lot of what makes the dance important to her, and at that moment she saw the chance to nurture that in me...I was so grateful she said yes!

And here I am. I have arrived at my goal...inasmuch as one can arrive at a constantly shifting destination. :) I have built the community I dreamed of those years ago, and continue to water and til and nurture this garden of dance. And around me has also grown up more tribal dancers and their classes and troupes, and the delicious overlap and interplay within our greater Seattle bellydance community has been such a joy and an honor to be a part of. And in the national and international bellydance community, tribal has exploded such that "tribal" is a household word--there are entire websites, businesses, festivals and more built completely around this branch of the bellydance family tree--it even has sprung its own sub-branches!

Whenever I want to talk dance, I can log on to any number of dozens of online websites and communicate with like-minded artists the world over. Whenever I want to see dance, there are thousands of videos on YouTube, performance and practice videos for sale on Amazon.com, and the art is being performed on stages and in clubs and restaurants in every major city in every part of the world at any given time. If I want to meet other dancers, there are workshops and festivals and meetups happening nearly every weekend most of the year. And of course, I have my students and my troupe-mates--amazing women who come to classes every week and sweat and laugh with me, or are cheering enthusiastically in the audience when I perform. I literally can get overwhelmed sometimes with all the ways in which I can get my daily dose of dance.


Partying in Santa Rosa
2008 Tribal Fest
inFusion Tribal and their sisters of Gypsy Fire
who we met at Breitenbush in 2004So that grasping need for "someplace I can dig into my dance" that pulled at my gut all those years ago is gone. I don't feel the same desperate fervor to go somewhere (anywhere!) to seek information, inspiration, community and connection. Because I have it, right here in my back yard. And more than that, with each passing year, more and more of my students have joined me in my trek to Breitenbush. And even students of students, and friends of students...the Seattle(ish!) contingent grows every year. Sometimes it almost feels like walking into a class or workshop back home with the sea of familiar faces--albeit one far more scenic and relaxing!

In the past few years, I have found a lack of enthusiasm for this event which once got me so excited I would be babbling about it months in advance. I have spent a lot of time meditating on why I have found my fervor for this annual pilgrimage waning; and I can see a glimpse of the root of my ennui.

At first I thought it was the result of the event getting shorter each year. In the early years I attended, there would sometimes even be a pre- AND post- extension, where we would arrive on Thursday and not have to leave until Monday. This gave us plenty of time to really sink into the energies and experiences the weekend had to offer. With us driving 6 hours from Seattle to attend, every moment counts, whether you fill it with dance or soaking or hikes or naps. And when you only have one full day without being in a car for 6 hours, as has been the case the past couple years at least, it can be hard to feel like you ever even arrived before you are back in the real world again. With limited time, you have to make hard choices on how to spend it. If you choose to hike or soak, you miss out on the meaty workshops which were the focus of the retreat in the first place. But if you only attend the workshops, then really the event could be held in a conference room at the Hilton and it wouldn't matter--half the point of going all that way is to be in that place, so the pull to skip workshops and do other things around the area is strong.

But no...that isn't quite it. When I would go to Breitenbush, it was a chance to step out of my usual life--my patterns, my thought processes, my expectations, even my relationship dynamics. I didn't have to be a teacher or a mentor or a director. And I could just be a pure lump of clay, molded by whatever Paulette brought. And that was what I needed and wanted at that time in my dance: someone to mold me. But as I grow more into my own unique dance-self, and develop my own approach and philosophy around the dance, I don't have the same need to be molded so firmly by stronger hands. And as more and more of my dance life has become my life, and as more of the relationships and dynamics of my daily dance life follow me to Breitenbush, the result is, sadly, that I don't get to "switch off" as much as I used to when I first went.


My inFusion Dance FamilyWith each passing year, a combination of a stronger sense of my dance self having asserted itself, plus the abundance of dance community and connection to be found back home on a daily basis, plus those roles and responsibilities of director and teacher following more closely on my heels into this "other realm", I have felt more and more detached from what once drew me to this magical place. I find myself spending more time in my room, more time on my own, more time journaling quietly and avoiding the workshops and discussions--something which lays a heavy layer of guilt on my heart for coming all that way, and then appearing disrespectful of, or disinterested in, Paulette and the other teachers for not showing up, which is simply not the case. I find myself more distracted and pulled in other directions by the forces around me, rather than the pure focus I had in the earlier years (is this a common stage of development for full-time dancers, I wonder?). With the shifts in my personal style and development of my own teaching methods, what I often learn is not quite as compatible with my direction as it once was. It doesn't directly translate as effortlessly as it did in years past, and I find myself further distracted by my critical thinking processes as I dance--turning over how to alter or approach it differently to make it work back home--rather than just being able to sink into the new ideas and modes of movement with a pure mind and body.

This change in attitude and mindset are entirely in my hands, and a result of my personal perspective and how my dance world has evolved over the 10 years I have been dancing. Breitenbush is beautiful as always. The workshops and themes presented throughout the weekend are just as important and inspiring. My Dance Momma just as dear to my heart and linked to my soul as ever she was. I will still and for ever more sing the praises of this retreat to all who will listen, and continue to encourage my students to make that trip and soak up all the joys and inspirations it surely has to offer them. But this retreat does not fulfill the same need for me as it once did. That space that was empty, which Breitenbush used to fill, is overflowing with regularity for me right here at home. All the preparation and long drive feel more like running a gauntlet, without the same prize waiting for me at the far end. Today, the most compelling motivation to make this trip is an amazing circle of women that I am lucky to know, but this is no longer the only, or even the most significant, link between us as it once was.



Sharon and Paulette, 2001I will not say something so flip as "I am not going back." Because I know that to say "never" is a very short-sighted and silly way to compartmentalize things in your life, which I am not interested in doing--I want to stay open to possibility in every way I can, in heart and mind. And I know I would miss the chance to see my dance Momma in this most special if all meeting places we have shared so many years. But right now, I can't be sure that what I bring to this event through my participation and energies, and what I carry away, is of a great enough measure to warrant taking a spot away from someone else who would like to go. In years past I have been so certain of my intention, I would put down deposits for the following year the day the current retreat ended. But for right now, I will be grateful for the many blessings I have been privileged to receive through the friendships and knowledge that this retreat has offered up to me each year. I embrace the understanding of myself enough to recognize the change within me, and honor it however I can. As for the future, I will wait and see...

Reflections on Breitenbush 2003

An old post about my experiences at Breitenbush in 2003. To follow soon, reflections on this year, if and/or how my view has changed...

"I love attending this retreat every year. It is a touchstone I have for myself, where I can spend a few days in the company of my sisters in dance and really delve into this passion of mine. The activities at Breitenbush can be broken down into three categories, as I see it--discussion/introspection, dancing/drilling, and relaxation. The relaxation, to me, is just icing on a very thick and delicious cake. Soaking in the tubs is socialization time, time to soothe aching muscles, to breath the air deeply into myself, to fill myself with nothing but peace and laughter. The dancing is a chance to absorb new skills. Dancing there is a challenge to my body and my mind as I learn to execute new moves and incorporate familiar moves in a new way into my dance. Since the Gypsy Caravan style is my main study and focus in both my performance and my teaching, this is a chance to develop my core vocabulary in a supportive space with others who share my deep appreciation for this format. Lastly, the discussion/introspection time is an opportunity to examine where I am at this point in my dance life, and consider how it fits into the larger community. It's a chance to look ahead and set goals and to look back and appreciate how far I have come. It is the time when we all get to share our accomplishments and our frustrations, and find connectedness in the common truths we find among us. When I come away from Breitenbush, not only do I have new inspiration, but more than that I find a centering of myself in my dance. I find validation in my own growth and challenges, and come home with a newfound motivation to create. When I return home, I am newly grounded in my community. "

The Dogs of San Francisco

So just about a week and a half ago, I returned from a trip to San Francisco. I did the FatChanceBellydance General ATS Teacher Training (mouthful!) and I am now officially certified by Carolena herself to teach ATS. That's a subject for another posting...

I don't know why or how, but at the beginning of my trip, I decided to snap photos of the Dogs of San Francisco. Well, I was just snapping pics of dogs, and Quinn (who was there for the same training) said "It's like your tour of the dogs of San Francisco", and the idea was born. So I snapped as many as I could as I walked around.

At first I was trying to stick to just living dogs (not that the alternative is DEAD dogs!!). But I kept walking away from all this dog art and sculpture, I felt I needed to start including it as well.

It's funny how happy people get when you ask to photograph their dog. Actually, their first reaction is bewilderment, and then they beam at you and try to get their dog to stand still and be good and look pretty. Which of course they won't because dogs are camera WHORES and when they see you pull that camera out, they are SO excited to be photographed, they can't stop wiggling and sniffing and letting you know how very happy they are that you have taken an interest in them.

I lamented later that I did not take down the names of all the dogs as I met them. Because there were some freakin' cute names. Like Mitzi. And Kiko. But I am afraid you will have to be happy with imagining names of them for yourself.



The dog that started it all. One morning at Boogaloos having breakfast, I saw this punim outside the joint and had to capture him!

The FCBD-ATS-GSI Wrap-up

We joined our gals for dinner again that night, this time at a bistro tucked into a 102 year old farmhouse about 15 minutes away. It was lovely, with the courtyard and porch lit by oil torches, and stark white tables in a whitewashed "living room". The food was fabulous (Renee and I split a to-die-for baked goat cheese appetizer, then I moved on to She Crab Bisque and finally Atlantic Salmon), we shared a bottle of wine, lots of laughter, and dance philosophy and dreams. We were so lucky to get to meet up with such wonderful women. Mindy with her strong desire (and blossoming ability) to foster community through the dance, and using it as a tool for battered women. Laraine quietly soaking up the experiences of the other women to take back to her "just broke away from our teacher" troupe, interjecting with occasional questions and contributions. Connie with her desire to bring more codification to her troupe, and some pointed questions to Renee and I about our experiences. Margaret with her classes teaching little girls how to dance, drum, and play zills, and the neat exercises and traditions she has developed to help these girls grow up strong, confident, and nurtured by their little circle.

It's da 602, BAYBEE! ATS General Skills

I am writing from our *excellent* (**second**) hotel room in Atlanta, where Renee and I are attending the ATS General Skills Intensive certification program with Carolena. Oh yes, Sharon gets the best adventures and drags other people along, I think. Well, I take the blame because it seems like I am the constant in these things. Nevermind the horrid check-in at the airport. Nevermind the ridiculous security line (idiots running that place!), and barely making our flight in time. Nevermind that the people who volunteered to pick us up from the airport neglected to mention that they also agreed to pick up three other people...three hours after our flight arrives, so despite landing at 7:30, we have to sit in the airport waiting and get to our hotel at 11:30pm... (believe me, I am grateful for the generous gesture, but had we been informed of this, we would have rented a car, which would have also settled a few other transportation issues we are running against now)...

Chilliwack is da bomb!

This past weekend was wonderful fun. Gen and I head up to Chilliwack, BC to teach a weekend chock full of dancing goodness.

We got stopped for a full search at the border which was scary. I mean, had I brought a ton of stuff to sell at the workshops as I usually do, we would have been in a very awkward position, surely. But we didn't, so the car search didn't implicate us in any way. And the immigration guy was so very nice, and we chatted him up a little bit about bellydance and the workshops we were going to... Puts the fear o' god in ya, lemmie tell ya.

Troupe Retreat 05!

So last weekend was our annual troupe retreat. Continuing the pattern of beach vs mountain every other year, this year was back at the beach. Thanks to the troupe fund being pretty full from a busy year, we opted to get a nice place this year.





The beautiful Miramar

Spendy, yes, but damn it was nice! A big ass house with two story windows, a loft...everyone got their own bed except for Renee and I who shared one of the master bedrooms. Sadly, Sarah had a last-minute school related commitment, and had to cancel the night before we left. WAH!

Renee and I left at about 1pm, and it seemed like it took forever for us to get out to Ocean Shores! I don't know why, it just did. We immediately set to getting things ready for the rest of the gang, who was arriving late due to various home and family commitments which had them leaving town around rush hour.

Memory Books, and troupe gifts from Renee and Sharon

Renee worked on the troupe meeting materials while I went to town on the troupe scrapbook. I had printed out a gazillion images and little tags and notes, and had to clip and paste all of them in there. When Renee finished with her stuff, she came and helped me.


Rene and Sharon sip cider and work on the troupe scrapbook.

As we sat and sipped cider and relaxed in the cozy house, the gals began to arrive. Food in tow! Hooray! One of the best parts of the troupe retreats: we EAT! Like...yum. Everyone brings their best recipes and favorite snacks, a ton of wine, and we hang out in comfy clothes and chow down.

The last gaggle arrived close to 10pm, so we got a late start. We talked and ate and watched some dance videos, including Renee's second solo performance EVER, back down in Berkely! By about 2am (I think...it was late and we had drunk a lot...) Kym suggested we walk on the beach. It was the night before the full moon, and the whole world was silver and beautiful! So Kym, Gen, Amy and I walked down to the beach. I wish I could describe it. I wish the camera could have truly captured it (I tried). The tide was way out, and the beach looked like silver glass. The rushing sound of the waves was so loud...it was so surreal!


Beautiful moonlit beach. A pitiful attempt to capture it...

We headed back up the beach, and it was closing in on 4am. There were a lot of cars coming out to the beach, and many parked at the lot near the entrance to the beach. A ranger was there and we asked what was going on. "Tribal clam digging. Starts at 4:15am." TRIBAL CLAM DIGGING! Well, officer, let us just go get our official 'Tribal Butt Pants' and we'll join ya! Okay, we didn't say that until we were back at the house. But we got a kick out of it anyway.

Everyone was in bed, but Amy and I were still awake. We actually *gag* got ourselves more wine, and sat and talked and talked and talked. We watched the sun come up, and then some. We finally decided we should probably get some sleep. My head hit the pillow as the clock rounded 7:30am. :)

Hung over and tired as could be, I woke about 12:30am. Ugh. I felt crappy, but wanted to get the day started. I needed to get to work on the memory books--with 8 gals in the troupe, that makes for 7 troupies to write to. 14 pages of writing....by hand. And I don't write by hand much any more. Who does? We all pulled out the snacks to steel ourselves for the task ahead, and with pens in hands, we spread out around the house to settle into writing about each other for a few hours.


Bren jots her thots.

My brain...ouch, my brain! Don't make me think! I felt awful that it was such a struggle to THINK, let alone write something meaningful and profound in each journal. But I struggled away at it. I know it wasn't my finest work, but I did my best to do right by the four books I got done that afternoon.


Amy soaks up some sun on the deck while she works on some memory books

Most of the group ran into town to get supplies, while Gen and Amy and I hung back and watched movies and ate more garbage. Whee! Gorging! Later in the afternoon, some went for a walk, some sacked out in front of movies, and some (namely me) sacked out for a two hour nap. Ahhhh, I needed it. Refreshed and ready to meet the evening, I joined everyone in the work to get dinner ready. Saturday's dinner is a potluck, where everyone brings a main dish, and something to share.


The feasting begins

I brought pasta (didn't turn out, thanks to stove problems :( ), St. Agur with crackers, and salad with blue cheese dressing to share, as well as my spinach dip, which we were already digging into. Bren and Kahla made these amazingly yummy BBQ skewers with chicken, potatoes, peppers, and onions, all marinated in a Jamaican jerk spice.


The gang sups together.

Amy also made her steak with the same marinade. Kym made this incredibly delicious veggie soup, which she had put together in the early afternoon, and let stew in a stock pot all day long. YUM! Oh, and Amy of course made Michelle's garlic brie bowl. Always a favorite. Gen made an incredible cheesecake, which she decorated with the inFusion logo:


Gen's speciality: cheesecake and blowing us away with her creativity!

We started late on dinner, which means the troupe meeting was late as well. Oh we were dragging by the end. But the meeting was awesome. Got to talk about the past year, the year ahead, our goals, our concerns, and our kudos. It was especially great to pull out our list of goals from last year and literally check, check, check marked off everything we had hoped to accomplish and had! How gratifying! It was also great to make sure we were all on the same page about where we're at and where we want to go together. I always feel so much stronger in purpose and direction after our troupe retreats. Renee does a kick-ass job at this kind of stuff, and she ran the meeting like the pro she is. :)

We tried to watch some more videos, but the VCR was crapping out, and by the time we switched to DVD's, we were all so tired. It was late again, and we had eaten and underslept and drank wine...it was time to crash out. So we hit the sheets.

Next morning we were up, grabbing breakfast, packing up, and finishing our memory books. We had to be out of the house by 1pm. I was much more fluid in my writing on Sunday, and was glad I had saved Renee's until I felt more "alive". I ended up writing three pages in her journal, I had so much to thank her for in the last year. We had both worried last year, when Michelle took leave of us, that it would spell trouble for us. Michelle was a balancing force between Renee and I. But instead of trouble, we strengthened and grew closer, and I think became even better directors as well as better friends. I have loved what we have done with the troupe in the last year, including some huge milestones for the troupe (featured at TF and TQNW, for a start), and I needed to try and put all that into words. No easy task. But more easily done sober than hung over, indeed. LOL!

We were out on time, and piled into our cars, agreeing to meet in "town" for lunch. We ended up having an incredibly yummy lunch at a Mexican restaurant in the strip mall, getting to hang out, debrief, and prepare to go back to the real world. I wasn't ready. None of us were!

I was bummed that our retreat got such a late start. It meant we didn't get to play any games! Hopefully next year! And it did make the retreat feel shorter, even though it was truly only by a matter of hours. But regardless of that little thing, the rest of the retreat was awesome as always. I was reminded, yet again, what a rare and precious thing our troupe is, and how so honored I feel to get to dance with the incredible women I do. I love them all so much...



Yeah, life is gooooooood.