Coming home from Kansas City

Today we are making our way back home, an eleven and a half hour drive day towards Jackson MS, from a weekend in Kansas City where we spent our time performing and teaching a master class.

Work . 

Our sponsors were a Ballet Company known as Dramatic Truth Dance Theater. It was special to be brought in by this particular company because apparently their artistic director and ours, have been long-time companions over 30 years, and surprisingly this weekend was the first time ever that we've partnered together! On Friday, one of our dancers taught a ballet master class at the Dramatic Truth facilities and on Sunday we, both Dramatic Truth and Ballet Magnificat put a show on together at the Bell Center of MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kansas. Dramatic Truth opened up the night presenting 'Passionate Pursuit' and then we did our ballet called 'Strategem' which is inspired by a book written by C.S. Lewis called The Screwtape Letters.

Our performance that evening was monumental, not only because we got to work with Dramatic Truth but also because it would be the last performance done on tour by our long-time, well-loved company member, John Vandervelde. He has been dancing with Ballet Magnificat for several decades and now is being called away elsewhere, by God, unto something new. He has been such a friend, role model, and teacher to us all. He is a staple to our ministry, an overseer, and holder of numerous responsibilities. His resignation with Ballet Magnificat will be made official come the fall and we will all be sad to see him go; His absence will be felt, but as one of my peers has said, 'This could be the best thing that has ever happened to this ministry.' Though change is sometimes sad and hard, it is also good and promotes growth.

John and I after a show

Play .

Prior to this past weekend, and being that it was my first time ever in Kansas City, I knew not what to expect of it. I was very confused that Kansas City was not in Kansas, but we had fantastic, hospitable, accommodating, hosts who taught us all the random facts we needed to know about Kansas City like how it is the largest city in Missouri or that the official nickname of it is the City of Fountains with over 200 fountains in the city which supposedly makes it the second with the most fountains in the world, just aside from Rome! They also told us about the best places to go sightseeing.

We had a day off on Saturday. It was a gorgeous chilly day. I did not pack the right kind of clothes for the Missouri climate, but I made due. A few of my friends and I decided to visit one of the places that our hosts mentioned called The Country Club Plaza. The Plaza is a beautiful, outdoor, 15 block, shopping mall with tons of stores, restaurants, and fountains! The air deliciously smelled of BBQ there. I thought the architecture was so beautiful! The orange shingled upon the roofs everywhere gave it a Tuscan feel, but the ornateness and colors of the archways and tiles made me think Moroccan. I had a blast exploring The Plaza and shopping with my friends. I've been on a mission to find a new purse; One that is big and durable and tough enough to handle the rigors of my tour life. Unfortunately, I did not find the perfect one for me that day. What stores do you recommend for finding a good purse at a good price?

The Country Club Plaza, Kansas City Missouri

We also made it a priority to stop at Trader Joe's, which you must know is a Ballet Magnificat Dancer's favorite, though unfortunately, we do not have one in Jackson, MS. All of us stocked up on our favorite goodies to take home with us!

I discovered Kansas City to be an altogether charming place! Great memories and friends were made there and they will be forever cherished.

This run-out to Kansas City, Missouri was actually our last stop for the season. Though I thoroughly enjoyed Kansas City, finishing with it seems kind of anti-climactic in comparison to the previous years finishing the season touring in other foreign nations. But that is okay. Things are winding down and for the next couple of months we will be laying low at our home base in Jackson, MS preparing for our big 4-week summer dance intensive(SDI) workshop held in July.

SDI is always a highlight of our year! It attracts hundreds of students from all around the world and we delight in teaching them dance classes and bible studies, mentoring them, and worshiping with them. We sometimes say our summer program is a Christian dance camp, but not only just for Christians! It is so exciting to witness how the Lord moves among the hearts of all the students, and ours! If you would be so interested to stick around, I will be sure to keep you up to date with all the details and exciting happenings leading up to our summer workshop and then on into it. Also, now that my company is spending quite sometime slowed down, settled, and at home, you can expect to see some more posts about my recreational ongoings. Yipee! One of the pros to the "off season" of touring is that now that I am home, I can return to my own cooking, and sewing, and crafting and creating! It is so nice to be reunited again with all of my supplies here at the homestead! Creativity coming soon to a blog entry near YOU! ^_^

Today I will leave you with a song I discovered by Sandi Patti, that I have just fallen in love with, as being a performer, but perhaps you might find appreciation for it too?!

  Lyrics to THE STAGE IS BARE  -by Sandi Patti
the stage is bare The crowds are gone
The love we shared still lingers on
We sang and played and we laughed and cried
And in our fumbling way we tried
To say what only hearts can know
And all too soon we had to go
But now here in this darkened room
Just empty seats there's just me and you

It was so easy to call you Lord
When a thousand voices sang your praise
But there's no one to hear me now
So hear me now, be near me now

The stage is bare
The crowds are gone
Lord now the time I need your song
To give me joy and certainty
When no one else is watching me
I need you more than words can say
Tomorrow's such a daily day
And so I need to feel you then
Holding my hand
Please hold me then
I need you, Lord

Blessings dear friends,

Thank you for reading!

comment, follow, subscribe, and don't be shy! 

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A Day At The Theater

Today I thought I would give you a sneak peak into the life of a Ballet Magnificat company artist and what a typical performance day looks like for us! You'd be surprised to know that the majority of what we do on a performance day is actually not the performing! Unlike most ballet companies, who's members solely stick to the dancing and rely on stage crew and specialized technicians to prepare the theater prior to the performance; here at Ballet Magnificat, we do all of that work ourselves! It is one of my favorite things about being a member of this company. We learn to wear many different kinds of hats so to speak. We are taught all the necessary skills such as the lighting and audio of the theater for example, that are required for putting on our full-scale productions. Though it makes for a LONG DAY for us, having a hand in the technical preparations prior to the actual show broadens my perspective and appreciation for what we do as performing artists.

Recently we toured to Florence and North Augusta, South Carolina where I very intentionally documented the on-goings of our time there, in order that I may then share them here with you. For the inquiring, go ahead and take a look below at my composition covering all of what our set up days involve!

What  Tour  Life  Looks  Like : 

8:30AM  Waking up in Florence, SC in the most comfortable bed ever; After I get dressed and am made all presentable for my day, I emerge from my bedroom of temporary residence and join my host family (and 4 other dancer companions that they were also able to host) for breakfast. I love breakfast. Because of waking up too late this day, I was unable to have my customary set aside morning quiet time, but at least I was able to get some bible reading time in the night before. 

9:50AM  This is the time we had to leave our host home in order to arrive at the theater on time to begin our setup and performance day. Our venue for this booking was at the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology; Nice place! We start off by unpacking all our stuff from the trailer. This includes all the audio and lighting equipment, rolls of marley for the floor, props, costumes, sales merchandise and more. We had trouble getting the trailer door open at first so our efforts were stalled, but once we got it open the 19 of us company members, as well as some volunteers, got on a roll! Many hands make light the load.

The Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology (SIMT)

How many men does it take to open the trailer?

Though I would take the opportunity to snap this photo while waiting for the trailer to be opened, me and my happy friends!




let the unloading begin! That green thing in the foreground is a rented generator. Sometimes if the venue doesn't have a large enough power source, a generator needs to be rented for an extra supply to meet the needs of our demanding lighting and audio equipment.

Emily's job is to tell people where to put stuff! ^_^

 As Margot from inside of the lighting bin heads up unloading the stage lights, we assembly line it.

11:38AM  By this time we had finished unloading the trailer and it was time for me to start the assigned set up job I am in charge of which is to unpack and organize all the products we sell and to set it all up at the merchandise table in the lobby. I like that my job has me in the lobby with windows instead of in the dark theater which once my set up job is done, is where I will spend the majority of the rest of my day. I used to be John's helper with doing the audio cables in the theater, but that didn't last long. Though I learned very much about the audio, sound, speakers and monitors, and all that stuff during that season, I am not very technologically inclined and I struggled, so I was reassigned to a job where my natural giftings in the areas of organization and marketing could be used. Surprisingly it takes nearly two hours to set up and organize all of the merchandise. I have a helper, Maggie to assist me. We have a lot of stuff we sell that makes for quite the display! I will take this moment to say: if you are interested in purchasing any Ballet Magnificat Memorabilia please check out our online gift shop HERE. ^_^

Abbey's setup job is to lay down and arrange the marley floor on the stage.

Elisa's set up job is to set up costumes and here she is straightening out some wigs.

Rachel, our tour director focuses the lights.

Here is sweet Maggie, my helper and I setting up the product display.

Our setup in North Augusta at Grace United Methodist Church.

1:23PM  Not quite done setting up the merchandise table yet, but we are invited to break for lunch so we happily comply, drop what we are doing, and follow our noses to the dining room.

Yum!

1:55PM  By this time I am back at it with the product table, wrapping up last minute details such as making sure everything is price labeled correctly, ironing out display shirts, or straightening out backstock etc.

2:15PM  By this time it is time to get into performer mode; Primp and preening time! We are scheduled this allotted time to do our hair and makeup. I like to do my hair first and my makeup second. On this day, we were to perform the ballet Stratagem, a ballet in which I wear a wig so not much is needed to be done with my hair. I like to do my makeup a little different each time depending on what ballet we do. For Stratagem, I like to use pinks and purples. 

My Makeup station

Our messy makeup and hair station. I spy, one angel and one demon...
Can you find them?
(you might not know what to look for unless you've seen Stratagem)

My finished face! Maybe in the coming days,
I will write a blog entry on the different
kinds of makeup I prefer to use. 

3:00PM This is the time that we began "blocking and marking" which simply refers to the time that we take to physically and mentally walk through the ballet in a compressed amount of time. We review and talk through the placement of where the dancers should be and where they should go, discussing traffic patterns and the pathways we should take to work around sets and other hindrances that their maybe be, due to the platform shape or size. The stage at each venue we perform at tends to vary.  

4:30PM  Next after blocking, we usually  circle up and have a time of devotions unto the Lord. What we do during this time is never the same. Sometimes we'll sing, sometimes we'll share stories, but we always make sure to offer up to the Lord through prayer, our evening and to ask him for fruitful ministry, his blessings and favor, and that all may run smoothly with our show. 

A photo I snapped during our time of devotions in North Augusta.

5:00PM  This is the time that we started our warm-up class which we take to prepare our body and muscles for the performance.

These are the portable, collapsible, tour friendly ballet barres that one of the guy dancers built for us to use for when we take class on the road.

Here we are taking warm-up class on stage; getting our daily dose of tendus in for the day.

6:00PM  This was our thirty minute call time until the show starts at 6:30. We must clear the stage, put on our costumes and do any last minute hair or makeup retouches at this time.

Usually, we don't eat dinner until after the show, so we request that there be a snack table provided which helps us to get through the evening.

It is soon to be showtime!

...

9:00PM  The show ran on time and went well! After performing we have a time where we get to go out into the audience and meet people and sometimes pray for them too if the Spirit leads. Then, when that is over and the house is cleared out, it is time to STRIKE, undo what we did during setup, tear down, pack everything back up!

Down come the lighting poles!

And time to pack back up the costumes...

 saying goodbye to an again vacant theater.

Back into the trailer everything goes!

10:10PM  Thankfully striking everything went fairly fast. After everything is packed back up, at 10 at night, NOW we can think about having dinner. Usually, we request a light dinner that will sit well in our stomachs so late at night.

My random assortment of food! ^_^

11:00PM  A successful performance day behind us, we head back home to our host homes in hopes of having a good night's rest after having had such a full day of so much physical activity. Then at 7:30am the next day, we must wake up and head out by 8:15am to travel 145 miles to North Augusta, SC where we will do it ALL OVER AGAIN!

Amo Mi Vida!  

Thanks for reading!

Do you have a topic idea or suggestion of something I should write about? 
Do you have a question you’d like to ask me?
Leave a comment below!

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No Pain No Game

On the road again! Today during our eleven and a half hour drive day, with the 25% left of mobile data that I have, I am going to give you an update on how tour is going. We are 5 days into the tour. Our first booking on this tour took us to Troy Michigan. We left Jackson, MS at 8 am on Sunday and drove for two days (stopping overnight in Cincinnati, OH halfway) to get to Detroit, MI on Monday by about 5:30 pm. It so happened that The Valparaiso University basketball team was having their Horizon League Semifinal game that evening in the Joe Louis Arena downtown and since our boss' daughter is married to Bryce Drew the head coach of the team, he and our tour director made arrangements to get us in to see the game. I had never actually attended a live professional basketball game before, and I have never really known much about sports in general, besides the little that I've learned in high school gym class. Basketball has always had a small place in my heart. I cherish the childhood memories I have of playing the game with my Dad, brother, and other family members while growing up. I thoroughly enjoyed attending the game this past Tuesday, more than I expected. Valpo did a great job but I will tell you more about the game later!

We performed the next day at Zion Christian Church and the performance went very well! The church did an excellent job bringing us in and sponsoring us! They had brought our company into Troy, MI two other times in years past, but this was my first time working with them since joining the company. I thought everyone there was SO kind, helpful, and welcoming; great people! One of the highlights of the night was after the performance when I got to connect with a fellow blogger in person. She decided to travel several hours with her family just to check out all of what Ballet Magnificat is about, and to see the show! It was so sweet! We talked briefly about dance, and family, and crafting, and blogging and then before parting ways they blessed me with sweet gifts; an awesome little duct tape purse (not pictured) made by the grandchild, and a book by Elisabeth Elliot that I can't wait to read. Also, my new friend made me a beautiful bookmark like the ones that she talks about on her blog. All these things meant so much to me! It is so great to make new friends all around the country and world! ^_^

Next Ballet Magnificat Alpha stopped in Kentucky for one day to teach some workshops and now we are traveling to Florida! I have some more friends AND family that I look forward to meeting there too! We will first stop in Tallahassee for a performance tomorrow, then Jacksonville, and then visit St. Augustine for two performances. We will finish our tour with a stop in South Carolina for a performance and then head back home. 

Things I Learned From Watching Basketball : 

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to attend my very first live professional basketball game. Call me sheltered, I know. It was the Valparaiso Crusaders against the Green Bay Pheonix. It was a PHENOMENAL GAME even though the team I was rooting for, Valpo lost. I had a great time! Check out the game stats at this following link.  The moment I stepped into the arena I was captivated by all the different sights and sounds; the athletic men warming up, the young ladies with pompoms, band members tooting their horns, lots of yummy junk food everywhere, and one scary mascot. It was an exciting, thrilling, and in a funny kind of way it was a refreshing experience to watch somebody else be in the limelight of their profession for a change instead of it being myself, with dancing, if that makes sense. The profession of basketball is like a whole new concept to me. As I observed the game, I tried finding similarities between the profession of basketball vs. ballet. The Lord often gives me pictures and analogies based off of random things in life, that He uses to teach and encourage me with. This time, He used the basketball game to draw different parallels and lessons that can be applied to my life and maybe yours too! I thought to share them with you; some of the little personal revelations that the Lord gave me while I was watching the game.

1. Receiving correction. What struck me was the amount of correction and instruction the basketball players received. Grown men were being disciplined by the sound of a whistle by the referees whenever they committed a foul. Wow, it is not just ballerinas who are called out whenever we make mistakes, but basketball players too! It is to my relief that at least our dance instructors do not use whistles to do it. I was also in awe thinking about the amount of humility these players must have to always be constantly and carefully following the instructions of the coach and submitting to their game plan for the sake of the team and winning the game. I know for me, in my life, sometimes submitting to the plan of another is a hard thing to do. I don't ever really like being told what to do, and naturally my pride wants to override the advice of others. Instead, I find myself thinking "I know what is best, my way is better" not being able to trust the guidance of others, unfortunately sometimes even if it's coming from someone more experienced or wiser. But I figure if grown men can pull themselves together and be submissive, I can too! Proverbs talks a lot about the value of good discipline.

• Proverbs 10:17 "Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray."


• Proverbs 12:1 "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid."
• Proverbs 13:18 "Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored."


• Proverbs 13:24 "Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them."

2. Teamwork and respect for one another and the coach. The basketball players exhibited outstanding teamwork and exemplary team ethic. It was obvious that they had to work together if they had any hopes of winning the game. It was estimable to observe how they unitedly cooperated with one another. That is when I came to the realization that they actually needed  each other, as they all had different talents and giftings that supplemented and complimented one another. I realized that that is how my company is too and it caused me to be more grateful for my role in what we do as well as valuing the roles of my fellow cohorts. Not to mention, recognizing the important position of the coach and the role that they play, in my case our artistic and executive directors. From the outside looking in, I realized that it is as though it is the coach who bears the brunt of the weight of the game. They seemed to call all the shots and be responsible for all their players. I was reminded that "Wow, I have amazing, winning coaches" that I must be careful not to take for granted.

• 1 Corinthians 12:14-25 "Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be?If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other."

3. Seeking professionalism, excellency, and taking the game seriously. I was simply impressed with the appearance of integrity that the players had for their profession. Granted they had a game to win and a reputation at stake. They were also young eager-beaver college students, but that doesn't mean we can not (I can not) also strive for excellency with enthusiasm remembering my first love, why I got into my profession in the first place.

• Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."


• 1Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."


• 1 Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

4. An enduring hope that lasts till the end. I never imagined I would enjoy the game as much as I did! I was on the edge of my seat nearly the whole time! Though at some points the game would seem to drag on, at other points an unexpected wrench would be thrown into the play that would just demand all of my attention and prayers and spirit fingers. At times, the suspense seemed enough to kill me. No pain, No game. It was amazing to me how the scoreboard would just flip flop in a matter of seconds. Just when my heart would sink to the floor because I had convinced myself that my team was too many points far behind the other team to catch up or win, we would miraculously catch up by getting points by the other team striking several fowls! And towards the end of the game, just when I thought my team was going to lose, 5 seconds before the clock would run out they score a 3 pointer bringing them back up to a tie. Unbelievable! Into overtime they went. What God used this to show me about life was: Never give up or lose heart, no matter what the clock/reason says. there is ALWAYS hope.

• Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."


• Romans 12:11-12 "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."


• Romans 8:24-25 "But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." 


• Romans 5:3-4 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Please be praying for the health of the dancers in my company. We have a number of people sick and injured which is never fun, especially on tour. Prayers are appreciated! 

Thanks for reading!

Please comment if you enjoyed it! ^_~

Twelve Hour Travel Day Thoughts and Toilings

We are more than half way through tour and it has been going so wonderfully well. Unfortunately, I have been so busy that I have not been able to update you guys about it until now. Today we are on our way from Phenonix, Arizona to Amarillo, Texas, a twelve hour drive. I really love long drive days on the tour bus because I can get a lot done!

My To Do List:

• Bible reading
• Nap
• Study Spanish
• Write/and decorate junk journal
• Bible study with Alpha at 2:00pm
• Edit photos
• Plan class I am going to teach for the workshop in Amarillo
• Write, edit, submit new blog entry: ^_^

Unlike the tour we are currently on, our tours are usually comprised mostly of performance bookings. This laid-back 18 day south western tour consists of only 3 performances and many more workshops. When I am not scheduled to teach and there is no performance, those days become free days! It is quite a treat to have a few days off sprinkled into our busy tour. I have only been scheduled to teach five times during this tour, but even those days are still more relaxing compared to performance days which are typically an all day process. We all agreed that the pace of this tour, due to all the workshop bookings is quite enjoyable, but I had to laugh when our boss Kieth said "Well, if we keep up at this pace... we will be put out of a job!" So I guess we better enjoy this tour full of workshops while it lasts.

So far we have had one performance of Deliver Us in Ft. Worth, Texas at the Scott Theater. In Dallas we held some workshop dance classes at First Baptist Dallas through their school of the arts program. I taught a creative movement class to 7-12 year olds. Next we passed through Mckinney, TX and held some workshop classes there as well, at the Texas Youth Ballet Conservatory. Since I didn't have to teach in Mckinney, I enjoyed my days off relaxing with my host family. The Texas Youth Ballet is one of my most favorite ballet studios across the country that we have worked withed. I have taught at their studio in the past and their students are so diligent, hardworking, and have an excellent foundation of strong clean ballet technique. Even though I didn't get to teach there this time, one of the highlights of being in Mckinney was when I got to reunite with some old students/friends I made last time our company visited.

Micky and I reunited with the cutest twin ballerina girls ever! McKinney, Texas

We then headed to Lubbock, Texas where we held a three day workshop that I did not have to teach or be involved with. We worked with an organization called Christ In The Arts (CITA) and I was hosted by the founders and directors of CITA during our time there. They were very hospitable and accommodating. They told us that there was not much to do in Lubbock but that they were willing to take us anywhere we wanted to go. We ended up finding ourselves content with just chilling and hanging out around the house, talking, taking naps and cooking. We also watched some DVDs of the dance productions that they have put on in the past. I thought they were phenomenal, entertaining and annointed! I was extremely impressed by their talent, passion, and professionalism. I had never heard of Christ In the Arts prior to us being booked there, but I had such a delightful time learning about them and getting to know the families and people there! All of their kindness and love is what made the experience so special! Christ In The Arts is another dance studio that has recently, also won a spot on my list as a most favorite studio that we have worked with. Way to go CITA!

 Next we continued our journey west to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I SO enjoyed watching the scenery transform as I have never been so far west before! While traveling I took hundreds of photos of the landscape, though in the end they all seem to resemble one another. I have included a number of the photos below. At the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, we performed Stratagem for only the second time this whole season; It went well.

I fell in LOVE with Arizona, where we went next to teach workshops at the Experience Arts School; I taught beginner ballet and a creative worship class. It was SO beautiful. America is SO beautiful. I knew it before...but now I know it better! ^_^ America is a wonderful diverse country both in its people and terrain. In Arizona, I experienced many 'firsts'. First time seeing the desert, first time picking a fresh grapefruit from a grapefruit tree in my hosts front yard, first time visiting a Hillsong church, and first time seeing a saguaro cactus in person. I LOVED IT! Be sure to check out the pictures I snapped below!

It feels good to be on the road again. The Lord has been teaching me SO much on this tour. All that is to be shared another time. The tour is not over. In fact, we only have a couple more miles to go before we return back to Texas. Amarillo here we come. THANKS FOR READING! ^_^

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Last Day Before Tour!

I am so excited for tour! It is about time for a change of pace and scenery. We have been working hard on these ballets, rehearsing day in and day out and now it is finally time to take these babies out on the road!

I am so thankful God gave us wonderful, sunny weather this week to load up our trailer!

#beautifulweather#nomakeup#yesiamwearingbananaearrings

Friends!

We have quite an extensive amount of sets, props, costumes, and equipment that all need to be packed into the trailer. Some of them seem quite odd, but if you were to attend one of our shows, then you would understand. Sometimes we feel like a traveling circus!

The trailer seems pretty big at first, but as we begin to fill it with all of our stuff it suddenly appears so small. We pack it to the rim and everything has to be strategically puzzled together in order for it to all fit.

Catherine is in charge of puzzling everything together. She does a great job!

Emily carrying a sandbag

The harris' watching and waiting for instruction

These bases are what we use weigh down and erect our lighting poles. Each one weighs about 50 pounds! We let the guys take care of those!

After we get all our props and sets stowed away, we close up the trailer and call it a day. Tomorrow we will add in all our personal luggage.

I packed my ballet attire and gear in a backpack; my foam roller didn't fit. I packed my other clothing in my duffle bag roller, and I am bringing a tote bag as my bus bag to fill with books and other activities to keep me busy while traveling on the bus.


 It took me forever to pack for this tour! Maybe it took me so long to pack because we haven't gone touring in awhile, but also this tour was difficult to pack for because we have so many workshop days lined up, which means that we don't only have to pack normal clothes but teaching clothes too! I am looking forward to traveling to the south west because it will be warmer! It was fun to pull out all my summer clothes so early in the year. I forgot what they looked like!

First stop: Texas here we come!

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