Dance, Dance and more Dance

Jessie made the local high school dance team back in May and our family's life hasn't been the same. She not only takes two independent dance classes (from some awesome teachers) but she has three to four dance practices with the high school dance team a week. Needless to say, I've become that dance mom! The past two months have been especially busy as she and her team prepare for district and state competition. 

Redmond High, the high school, hasn't had a dance program for very long and so it isn't as strong as other schools around. On top of that, of the 22 dancers only four are returning dancers. This is a very young team. Thankfully they qualified for state and so we packed up the kids, headed to Yakima and watched her and her teammates compete. Their goal was to place higher than Skyline (a rival high school) and they did! We are genuinely proud of the hard work Jessie put into this year's dance team. Now we only have a four week break before tryouts for next year's team and we start this all over again! 

I should also mention that she has both a right and left split as well as a triple turn. They even put her triple turn in the competition! So proud of her!

Jessie is on the far left (under the word "tires")

Jessie is on the far left (under the word "tires")

Jessie is the fifth from the right (her toes are barely hidden by the view finder). 

Jessie is the fifth from the right (her toes are barely hidden by the view finder). 

Steve, Matt and Chris all with ear plugs. That's you how can be in a dome building and listen to 9 hours of dance music! 

Steve, Matt and Chris all with ear plugs. That's you how can be in a dome building and listen to 9 hours of dance music! 

Just Be Fit

Just Be Fit is the name of Doreen's business. She used Jessie's initial to come up with her clever name. Steve worked out all the legal stuff and now she is accepting clients. She has a facebook page, logo, gym, equipment, license, certificate and now clients. She even has designed a 20 minute workout plan for her missionary son. He has successfully lost weight! Yes, she is just that good. 

 

Matt and Chris enjoying the dance competition. (No, it's really a dinner break)

Matt and Chris enjoying the dance competition. (No, it's really a dinner break)

Odds and Ends

Not to leave Steve or Matt or Chris or Jason out of the Blanding Bugle here is an update: 

Jason is working full time as a service lot attendant at VW of Kirkland and preparing to attend BYU at the end of April. We rarely see him at home but when we do we love having it home. 

Matt just finished a term at Bellevue College and is preparing for his final term with an AA. He has been accepted at BYU Idaho and is in the process of getting his mission papers ready to submit to serve a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Chris took the entrance exam for the Running Start program and passed (duh!). He is finishing up this school year with a computing class at DIgi-Pen (and loving it), a writing class (does wonderfully well) and all the stuff I make him do (which he hates). He is also now officially over six feet tall and the tallest in the family! 

Steve is busy being a manager at Expedia and loving it. He has just been asked to spend a two week "sprint" in India this summer so we will see what happens. 

And I'll throw in what Kray is up to. He has left Quosal and is now a car salesman at Toyota of Kirkland. We are proud of him and wish him well. Alysia is still applying to grad schools and working at a day care.