National Champions

We just got home from my team's first competition.

Emerald City Xtreme is now a National Champion dance team!!! (well, technically).

They did such an amazing job today! They were the only ones in their division for this competition so that gave them automatic 1st place (that I knew going into it), what I didnt' know is that their plaque would say National Champions and that they would get a National Champion banner lol. 

They were excited to say the least. 

I am ecstatic for them. I was crying during their performance (of course). While they were dancing I just couldn't help thinking, "Wow, this is real!" It was a different experience today being on the coaching side of things. A first for me. I was so nervous all morning. Where do I register them when we get there? Where do they go backstage? How do we know when it's their turn to warm up? Where do I do their music? Can I use an iPod or CD (we used iPod)? Where do I get their scoresheets after? 

So many new experiences. Things I never had to think about before. I loved every second of it. I was pretty calm. Strange how for the things where everyone including myself expects me to freak out is when I'm the most calm (ex. our wedding and today). 

Matt's really getting a kick out of their new title lol. I do agree it's funny because they were the only ones. But for these K-6th graders...today was huge. To see their faces when they saw that banner and trophy was the best feeling ever. They were so so proud of themselves. I hope they always get to feel that way. Practice next week will be intense for them. I know what we need to fix now before our March 25th competition. There I know there will be more teams in their division. This was perfect for them today. A wonderful learning experience for all of us. 

Matt was a wonderful dance husband. He asked me while the two of us were standing in the registration line together, "Can I be your Assistant Coach from now on? That way you don't have to do this or go to the coaches meeting and can stay with the girls." Boy do I love that man! Thankfully today Autumn (their ballet teacher) came with to help. We left at 5:40am this morning and it's now 1:30pm and we're already in our pj's :) That was a big day. I can't wait to see if we can hang that banner up at the Community Center!!!!

We leave for Vancouver tomorrow bright and early. I'll blog about it when we get home of course :)

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Pinterest Friday!

It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday!

Yeah, I sang it while I typed it lol. (no we are not fans of that song)

{Yep. True. I want our kids to live that same way. I really really hope our kids are more like Matt, but I really hope this is the one trait they get from me.}

{I need to remember this. I already worry that I will be someone who is unable to have children...that is impossible to know until we try. I need to stop worrying about things I have zero control over}

Yeah, do it.

I'm hating our white curtains. I would love to try this. Buy a table cloth for no-sew curtains! Target has adorable table cloths all the time, especially with spring/summer around the corner!

Table Cloth Curtains DIY

I have loved being married. I love that the things we focus on are now each other and making our life together better. In all ways. We have been really working on being more organized, with our time and our budget. I'd like to be more organized with household stuff too. Our schedules are so weird with my job and Matt's school, it's tough.

Organize Your Life

We have finally become fond of wine. We used to not like it. But lately, we have liked it a lot and have been drinking more of it. I love it :)

These are adorable! It would be fun for parties or just to have a glass ready for Matt when he gets home with a cute little note on it!

DIY Chalkboard Glasses

Our all-time favorite date together. We used to walk around the Boardwalk and talk for hours. They have a little beach with lawn chairs. I bet that is where we learned the most about each other...good memories.

That's all for now :) Have a good weekend everyone! 

Tomorrow my girls have their first competition...I'm so anxious.

Sunday/Monday we're headed to Vancouver, B.C! YAY!!! We are really looking forward to that time together :)

Who'da Thunk.

Matt gave me a surreal realization tonight.

He asked me, "When did you move to Florida..like what day?"

"March 15, 2008."

"Wow, you would have never guessed then that one year from that day you would be living in Washington and already be nannying for two weeks...!"

Now I just saw this and thought it was so fitting.

Living here with Matt really is a dream come true, a dream I never even knew I had.

Washington?? Ask me 5 years ago where it was on the map and I probably would have had to think about it lol. I thought for sure I would live in Wisconsin forever. Or maybe Illinois.

I remember before I met Matt and had a friend at Disney from Oregon and I remember thinking that was just SO far away...like another country far. Ha. I really would have never in my wildest dreams guessed that I'd end up being in Washington. That I would get married in Washington. That I would own a dance studio in Washington.

It's just so crazy to me when Matt put it like that. Kind of scary really. It gives me a weird yucky feeling. An exciting yucky feeling, but an out of control feeling.

He ended the conversation with "Ha, and you think you can plan everything..!" Then just started a new conversation.

...I didn't laugh. I was definitely not done thinking about what he said. It is still sinking in. I suddenly feel a bit home sick. (April's not too far away). I don't like not being in control of my life. That has been the biggest challenge I've faced in being married. There is always that little feeling and reminder that no longer for the rest of my life can I just make any decision I want and do it. We're a team. Just because I want something, doesn't mean Matt has to. So far I've been lucky...in general, we want the same things. 

Man, it's just so crazy. In one year my life went from dreaming big a Disney to moving to Washington with the man of my dreams...who is now my husband! We've been married for almost 6 months and it still feels cool to say :)

I hope I never stop dreaming. I hope I never stop planning. Just so long as I'm okay when those things change...that's what growing up is all about. Adapting to change.

A Valentine's Surprise!

Matt successfully surprised me last night...this never happens. 

I was fully convinced that I would not be seeing my husband until 10:30pm. 

When I got home from dance at 7:15 last night, I walked in the door ready to give Matt a quick kiss as he ran out the door to go to school...

Nope!

I came home to a dim lit apartment with candles and a beautiful dinner on the table, as well as flowers, chocolates, wine and my favorite (Regina Spektor) Pandora playing...I cried.
Matt played hookie.
He completely 100% had me fooled all day. I kept texting him all day how "I really miss you today" "I wish I could see you tonight." I even tried to get Autumn to sub for me (good thing she couldn't or Matt's plan would have been ruined).

He still had his interview clothes on and looked so handsome.
Dinner was delicious. After dinner we baked cookie brownies and ate them with ice cream...I also at a bunch of my See's chocolates and drank 2 glasses of wine :)
We watched Dance Mom's (yes, we both look forward to it on Tuesday nights) lol.

It was perfect. Matt is such a great husband and really is my best friend. He knows me so well. (Sometimes I think too well to where he knows me better than I do...)

I hope everyone had a great day yesterday!

I also wanted to share with you the present I made for Matt.

*Orlando/Vero Beach, FL (where we met and went on our first getaway)
I put the heart next to Windermere too because that's where we had a town home.

*Issaquah, WA (where we got married)

*Sunriver, OR (our honeymoon and where we're going back for our 1st anniversary)

I also got him Top Gun on blu-ray. It was the movie we watched together when he came over after our first date :)

Booking our hotel for Vancouver this weekend now!! YAY!!