dancing with benefits

Meeting new people and making new friends is one of the many perks of dancing at Highland Games. This is a plus in J's mind. She loves nothing more then making a new friend.

a new friend from on holiday from Australia.


discussions include Disneyland rides, the fact that Australia is on the other side of the world and so much more





After all that fun and one more dance, and she won this...

sword dance

Here is my babe dancing the sword dance yesterday at the Highland Games in Costa Mesa. She received fourth place. Let me know if you have issues viewing. Thanks and have a wonderful week.

I have homework to do!

highland dance competition

Julia had her first highland dance competition at the Queen Mary in Long Beach yesterday. She told me a while back she was a bit nervous, but does a six year old child really get nervous? Not sure. If she was nervous she did not show it. In fact, this little girl has amazing confidence in herself. Last year she was swimming laps as a five year old and keeping up with seven and eight year old kids. Honestly, I think she believe she can do anything which is exactly what I want her to believe. You CAN do anything if you apply yourself and believe you can do it.

Julia looked a bit shy on stage at the start, but after she finished her 16 pas de basques there was no stopping her. She danced all four primary dances, 16 pas de basques, pas de basques and high cuts, fling, and sword dance. Highland dance is a very athletic sport, believe it or not. The stamina these girls have is amazing.

Grandma Sharon and Grandpa Frank came to cheer her on. The competition began a bit early and thankfully James made it there in time.


Julia won 3 medals and each little girl was given a cute Queen Mary bear.

I love these next three candid shots of some of the girls and Julia on stage.






After she was done we toured part of the ship and headed down to the games to watch some bands.




friends checking out the bands

new experience

Julia is taking a break from swimming for a while and moving on to something new. She is a great swimmer and I hate to see her stop, but she is only 5 for goodness sakes and she will swim again! I am amazed how confident she is when placed in new situations and meeting new people. She certainly is turning out to be a self-assured young person.

Today was Julia's first highland dance lesson. Pas de bas and high kicks are the first steps to learn. She LOVED it. She has informed me, "I like swimming, but I LOVE dance." So we will do dance for a while and check it out. She wants to go back next week so that is a great sign. As long as she has fun and enjoys new things we will keep at it. Maybe she will be competing at the games next year.