Oregon Trip Pictures...

My first stop in Oregon was to see my dad for a couple days. It was fun to hang out and celebrate our birthdays together, which meant going out to an italian restaurant. But of course, it just wouldn't be the same unless we at one point, eat gourmet food at home and watch a movie.

At last, my dad has found the perfect woman for him!!! Let's keep our fingers crossed that it sticks!


During this trip, I also got to spend time with my friend Katrina and her 2 1/2 month old baby girl. It was a good preview for me, for someone who hopes to be a mother someday. Above picture: Anyone else like shopping for cheap cute stuff? Katrina and I bought the same jacket totally separately (different states even!) in different colors at Forever 21, so of course we had to take a picture.

The cutest baby bear I've ever seen-- little Josie!


Fun at Cannon Beach... Yet another cold and beautiful day, but what else can one expect on the Oregon Coast?

Me in front of Haystack Rock.


Katrina takes advantage of the humor in the situation, which involved a crying baby bear.

I also got to spend time with friends I've missed very much, including my good friend Toni. Miss you all! Thanks for hanging out, see ya next time!

More California trip pictures!

Casey and I were so excited to be at and involved with our godson's baptism. Here we are with him at a local park. What a special day and event for us.



Proud parents and great friends/relatives. Casey and I are spoiled to be so involved in their lives.

Out at a beautiful local state park. My mom and Freddie are ruthless when it comes to making us do mushy pictures! Not that we minded much :).




My mama, myself, and my brother's girlfriend making lasagna from scratch. It was gooooood.

Casey and I at Bodega Bay-- I loved seeing the ocean again. It just feeds my heart in a strange beautiful way. We went on this mini-trip with my mom and Freddie, feeding the seagulls, and eating some a-mazing smoked salmon. It is my new favorite food.

It looks sunny but don't be fooled. It was COLD!


We got to see my best friend (who is about to have another baby in a couple months!! Congrats my friend!) and her two year old daughter. I haven't seen her little girl in a while and it is amazing how smart and beautiful she is even at two. Watch out boys, she's gonna be a heartbreaker!

I love shared mommy-daughter giggles!

Father and son, waiting for dinner. We got to see so many people! Fun fun fun!

California dreamin, on such a winters day.

We got to visit my family and friends in SUNNY Nor Cal this last week. Here in Colorado it is chilly and about to snow (BOOOO), so I am looking longingly into my memory to lock the sunshine in! Here is a couple teaser photo to leave you with-- first is us at a state park. Second is our godson and nephew, who was holding Casey's hand through one whole car trip! More pictures to come later.

How Casey almost asked me out.

Some of you know this story already. But I had to share because I just ordered us matching t-shirts (cue gagging noises) that were custom made, printed with the words Casey spoke to ALMOST ask me out the first time. Keep reading if you want to know what those words were.
The night was Halloween a few years ago. He had attended our costume party out in Hillsboro, Oregon (which I dressed up as a princess for, and he dressed up as his own twin....Nope. He didn't dress up at all). The large party had gotten smaller by around 10 pm. We all had eaten some good food, had some good Napolean Dynamite quoting time, sat around a fire and made s'mores, and even talked a bit about God. I was impressed by his obvious love of the Bible. Also, he was pretty dang hilarious. Those of you that were there, may remember his (and Katrina's) ingenius creation of the jingle for their fictitious product "Urine-all." I had only talked with this mysterious, tall, blonde curly-headed, Converse-wearing guy a couple other times (the latest time being a "chance" meeting at Starbucks with our ONE mutual friend Katrina), and very briefly. I was pretty convinced he was probably a jerk because he was so funny and entertaining. However, I couldn't help but notice him more and more throughout the night.
So, after mostly everyone called it a night and walked away from the fire back to their cars, he just "happened" to be leaving the same time as I was (lucky me!) We talked for a couple minutes about something I can't remember. I was thinking, "This is going well. Maybe he's not a jerk." Then, came the question I had a feeling was coming:
"So... what are you doing tomorrow?"
My 'about-to-be-asked-out' radar went crazy, and I said, very carefully, "Well, probably sleeping" (it was about 3 am at the time). The subtext of my statement, which I only was saying in my mind silently, was: "NOTHING. NOTHING AT ALL. I AM COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY FREE FOR ANY DATE-LIKE ACTIVITY YOU MAY HAVE IN MIND."
A pause.
"Oh," he answered.
Another pause. I try again.
"Um, what are YOU doing?"
"Well, helping out at church in the morning, but after that not much."
Again, awkward pause.
Seriously? Is my radar so off that I cannot tell anymore if I am about to be asked out?
We are walking still, now very slowly, toward his large truck. I give him a little more time by not saying anything.
Yet another awkward pause. I think he got his keys out at this time. He starts saying something. And it is...
"Well.... See you later I guess!"
WHAT?!?
"Ok... Maybe I'll see ya at Starbucks sometime" (my lame attempt to keep things open).
He gets in his car, says goodbye, and drives off.
You would think at this point that my radar was very, very broken-- if you didn't know the end of the story. Late I found out that when I said I would be "sleeping," he thought it meant I was busy (maybe a modern day version of "I need to wash my hair"). So much for being sly about keeping my day open. He didn't want it to seem like he was forcing things. So, he kept coming over to hang out for our parties, and didn't end up asking me out officially until New Years eve. Slow mover? Yes, and that was probably exactly what I needed at the time. And God knew that.
So-- end of story. Our t-shirts will say, "So what are you doing tomorrow?" --to immortalize the great moment where Casey ALMOST asked me out, and to commemorate the fact my radar was indeed NOT off (yes, I am still proud of this fact).

And the bug is...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopyge_opercularis

The Scariest Bug You Have EVER Seen.

Seriously guys.
Please someone tell me what in the frick this is.
Have you ever seen ANYTHING so creepy???
Love the last few seconds of video and what the lady says to whoever else is there.

Tap and All That Jazz!

I (Gina) am learning how to tap! Growing up, I was pretty obsessed with ballet (not to mention dance classes are expensive, so I had to choose my favorite genre) and therefore never did much with jazz or tap dancing. Lately I have wanted to branch out a bit-- mostly because I have always thought it would be fun, and also because many dance companies in the area require their dancers be adept at many disciplines. So, I actually bought my very own pair of tap shoes and ventured into the world of very-not-ballet.
It was interesting to feel like a "beginner" again in a dance studio. I have been dancing, ballet that is, since I was seven (you do the math). So to feel as if I have no idea what is going on is not a normal thing for me. But it was fun! It uses a different part of my brain than ballet. Instead of using the positions I know and drawing on the knowledge I have accrued over many years I had to relax my ankles and concentrate on the rhythm of the several steps we practiced (the time step, the Shirley Temple, etc). The teacher and other students were very patient with me and helped me along with some of the basics. I walked out of there humbled, yet also with new knowledge! I am excited to continue my improvement in this very fun and DIFFERENT type of dance.

Lent

Today I am inspired to ramble a bit about lent-- inspired by my friend Krissi who also mentioned this season in her blog recently. I (Gina) grew up (partly) Catholic. Growing up Catholic can mean a lot of different things to different people depending on their experiences. For me, it meant 45 minutes of church every Sunday and going to catechism (catholic sunday school, which oddly met in the afternoons during the week instead) to learn how to recieve my first communion. Because we stopped going to church when I was about 12, I never got past the first communion thing to be confirmed and all that. As far as Lent goes, I can't remember doing much with it except getting a gray dusty cross on my forehead on a certain sunday.
The years went by and I hadn't thought much about it until I came to the realization Jesus is the King and Creator of the Universe and deserves my very heart and life (when I was about 20 years old). That is the time I remember as becoming a daughter of God. It was then also that I found out other people besides Catholic people gave things up during Lent. As a new believer in Jesus, I gave things up such as chocolate, coffee, etc. I will admit I have ignored this very cool practice in the last several years. But this year, my friend mentioned he was giving up soda for Lent. "Geez," I thought, "Maybe I should do something too."
Not because it was something I am SUPPOSED to do-- I am pretty sure God isn't taking down names and things people are giving up for Lent. But I realized at that moment that I have been pretty self centered lately. When I gave my life to God ten years ago everything changed, and my heart was suddenly focused on what He had for me in this life-- relating and talking with Him, and seeing the miracles and changes He brought about. I have gotten away from that focus and I will admit my heart has felt more empty than when I was in constant communication with Him, recieving His love and encouragement and being molded into the person I was born to be.
So, Lent. Remembering what Jesus gave up (His very breath) for me has reminded me that every relationship is a two way street. He sacrificed for me. And as I remembered that, I wanted to give something back to Him. Not to earn brownie points with Him (I am totally accepted and loved by Him as I am thanks to Jesus), but to bless His heart. I want to contribute to His happiness and joy, to let Him know I love what He did for me.
It has been cool for me to remember my Catholic roots in the last week or so, and to think about how God used that time in my life to make me who I am today. So, I have decided that because I spend so much time on Facebook (can anyone relate??), I will only spend a few minutes a day checking that account during the time of Lent. I am doing this because it is something that takes up too much my time and energy-- time that I often could be spending with Him. My heart misses God. So I am hoping this season of Lent will bring my heart closer to His and bring me back to the awesome close relationship I have shared in the past with Him.

My Long Awaited Piercing...

For anyone that has known me more than a couple hours, you know that I am slow to decide and slow to act. Some people call it being indecisive, some call it being cautious, some call it annoying. Anyway, my desire to have an little earring/stud in my upper ear (cartilage) has been with me since junior college (eighteen or so years old). I just have always thought it looked super cute and delicate.

Being as I am super cautious, especially when it involves inflicting voluntary pain on myself (funny since I dance on pointe for a job), you can see, can't you, why it took me so long to pierce my ear way up there? Most sources/people recommend going to a body piercing studio where they used a hollow needle to create the hole, then insert the earring. It's just safer for the cartilage that way, and easier to heal. I also, incidentaly, hate shots with a passion (I can never look), so the thought of a needle piercing my upper ear was a little scary.

I just finished my first season with DTDT, and I felt I needed some kind of mile-marker, to remember how I made it through, with God's carrying me through most of the hardest moments of course. I decided that this piercing was it, especially since I'd wanted to do it for so long.

After a lot of internet research (during which I learned there are ALOT of piercings stranger than the one I was considering), asking around, and hemming and hawing, I finally decided Bound by Design in downtown Denver was the place due to the good reviews and recommendations. With Casey and Sarah at my side, I walked into the brightly painted shop and the adventure began.

The bleached blonde, extremely tattooed and pierced girl at the glass counter greeted me. I glanced to my left and there was a room on the side of the shop where a guy was getting tattooed. I glanced into the glass counter which displayed lots and lots of earrings-- there were some crazy looking spirally looking things, plugs the size of racquetballs (the rings people use to stretch out their earlobes), and after that I stopped looking in order to stop my fast-mounting panic. She answered some last minute questions about the safety of this particular cartilage piercing and helped me pick out a small diamond stud that would soon be IN MY EAR (panic still mounting)... I then signed a paper that said I wouldn't sue them and paid for the earring and piercing. I made a quick visit to the bathroom so that if I happened to faint, I wouldn't pee in my pants without knowing it. While back there I looked in the mirror and asked myself, "What are you DOING." But then I thought about how terrified I was to perform a certain contemporary ballet piece earlier in the season, and I told myself, "If you can do that, you can definitely do this."
After waiting a couple minutes for the piercer to get everything sterilized in the piercing room, she called me back. Casey and Sarah went back with me, and I quickly noticed that she had lots of piercings-- cheek, lots in her ears, and lip. After cleaning and marking my ear, she had me check to see if I liked the placing. Then she had me lay down on this hospital-bed-looking thing. At this point I was getting really nervous and was trying really hard not to show it. I had Casey come hold my hand (I know... baby...) which helped immensely. She told me to take a few deep breaths (could she see how scared I was???). She came up really close and then told me to take another deep breath, that she was going to go ahead and get the first step done.

I felt a quick pierce of pain with the needle, almost like a shot, then it stopped. She said "Ok, now I am going to put the earring in, so another deep breath and you'll be done..." One more deep breath, and I felt one more pierce of pain and then that one stopped as well. I asked if that was all, because I had expected something far worse! She said it was done, and gave me a mirror to look at it.

I loved it! It was exactly what I wanted and perfectly placed. My ear was starting to feel very warm, but not painful. She then took me through the cleaning steps I would do at home for the next ten billion years (ok, maybe just the next few months, but it sounded like a lot). Care for a cartilage piercing is a little more involved than an ear lobe because this area of the ear gets less circulation and cartilage heals a lot more slowly. She then told me to take as long as I needed to continue laying down and as long as I needed before I left as well (apparently people have felt fine after a piercing, then drove off only to crash a couple minutes later due to fainting!). She was very professional and soothing, and took great care of me through the whole experience. After taking a couple pictures we walked out, me with a new (long awaited) earring! It is still feeling great after several days hours (it does hurt a bit when I clean it or bump it however), and hopefully this trend will continue.

The moral of the story? If Gina, the slow-as-a-turtle-cautious one, can do it (with many prayers uttered beforehand) you can. And if you decide to do it, I highly recommend Bound by Design if you live in the Denver area.

The Conservatory Overcoat GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Conservatory Overcoat GIVEAWAY!!!!
A very cute post, and plus, I want that even cuter coat...

To Nutcracker, Christmas, and beyond!

Why is it that I always blog when I am sick? Maybe because it cheers me up :). Once again, I am home due to my body rebelling against my wishes, but happily I can update everyone on the last month. It was a busy one. Today, I am opting to tell the story with pictures (it's shorter and more interesting that way). First off... My mom came to visit us! She came with the intention of maintaining her spot as "Gina's #1 Fan," as I was about to embark once again on Nutcracker. She and I (and Casey) hung out, visited downtown Denver, and she accompanied me to the theater most days I was there for performance week. Staying true to her time-honored role, she saw me perform five (yes, 5) times. Plus, she watched most of my warm up classes. You just can't knock her out of that spot (she's maintained it since I started ballet at age 7)! Here are some pictures of our adventures.

At Panera Bread Company, one of my favorite breakfast spots.

Trying on hats and other various winter accessories downtown.

A VERY expensive coat and hat ($7000 plus)- but very warm. It better be.

Mom getting sassy!
Next came Nutcracker....



Fuzzy picture of us backstage between acts-- smiles camoflauging our exhaustion! We did ten shows in six days and while it was fun, I was happy to get some rest when it was done.


Casey and I at home after a show-- before I took my stage "eyes" off.


Me in my angel costume.


Me backstage in my chinese costume.
Then, we got to go to Oregon for Christmas. On the way, we randomly saw one of my best friends in the airport with her husband! We had the exact same flight schedule through Denver!

Jess and I SHOCKED at seeing each other at Denver International Airport!



In Oregon, the record snowfall got us stuck on the way to Casey's parents' house, and I got sick several days later (not because of the snow :) ), but other than that it was really fun to see family and relax a bit.


Casey and his cute grandma Jackie.


Casey imparting some wisdom on whoever is sitting next to us. I am more interested in the present. :)


Here is where we got stuck in the snow. We are waiting in the car for a shovel to arrive with Casey's dad.


"Mom" Shari and I wearing our traditional Eslinger Christmas accessories. WHAT did I marry into??? :) Just kidding.

My brother about to open his "gift" from us. The airline lost the bag that had all our presents in it, and we didn't get it back until a couple days after Christmas. So we wrote little cards describing the gift so they could open SOMETHING.
After we got back to Colorado, we had a belated "Christmas" with our friends here. Below are some pictures of us and our friends frosting, decorating, and eating sugar cookies. Some of us went nutso on the frosting and I am sure paid for it later :).





Tummyache in the making? Oh but it was fun. :)

"It's Christmastime in the city..."

What's the deal with the time whizzing by, it's less than two weeks away from Christmas!!! It is getting a little chilly too. We hit a record low of -4 here in Denver last night. Yikes!
We just got our tree up, a tiny one that fits perfectly into our apartment. It is super cute and making our place so cozy. We went to the local supermarket to find it:


We choose tree number two...

He's so tiny!

It was very easy to load.
I (Gina) am back from tour and about to embark on Nutcracker madness. We open at Lakewood Cultural Center December 18th-23rd. Tickets are already selling out so if you want to come you can call them and order tickets or do it online. I enjoyed the tours, it was a great thing to get some shows in before we open on the big stage here in town. I got to know my co-workers better (how could I not, with hours upon hours in a 15 passenger van?) which was really fun. It really is a privilege to do what I do for a job, even though it can be physically tiring. We got great reviews from all three of the places we performed which is a great feeling as well.
Above is our director helping the mice in Sheridan (we had local kids there dance these roles) find their way onstage with all the props. Sorry no photos of me, it's hard to take pictures when you are dancing :).
During the tours I missed Casey a lot, so it is nice to be back together and doing Christmas-y things together like Christmas shop and decorate our tree and bake Christmas cookies :).
Here's the bad news: Casey is sick again and on antibiotics :(, prayers are appreciated (for him as well as for me, that I won't get sick for the shows)! Also, it seems God is taking us on His own journey for us at the moment as far as employment goes for him. Please keep praying for that as well. In this economy it seems everyone is struggling to find work. We both know He will continue to provide for all our needs regardless, and I can see how He is working in both of our hearts through this hard circumstance, but it would be great for Casey to find something he likes to do soon.
Love to everyone and we hope you are having a wonderful, joyful, cozy Christmas season so far.

Sooooo tired...

Hey all. I just wanted to say how much I respect my fellow dancers who dance all day long then go teach little ones at night to pay the bills. I just taught for 2.5 hours after work today and I am beat. So kudos to all of you. I don't know how you do it. Today (and most of this season actually) I feel just like this little girl above. (I love this picture for a couple reasons. One: I relate to her. Two: Lately God has been showing me more about how He sees me as His little daughter, even when I dance, and this gives me much happiness to know He is pleased and delighted with what He sees...)
We had a dress rehearsal today in the studio to practice the costume changes (I have six). Being a dancer all day long is so much more exhausting then I ever thought it would be. It IS my first season, and we are definitely in the thick of things now, we are leaving for our first tour on Wednesday. But still. GEEEESH! I am surprised I can even walk. Seriously.
We open on December 18th in Lakewood, Colorado (our home base) and it will be fun to get onstage to do this Nutcracker thingy. And I am quite proud to say my stamina has gone way, way up. Although I still feel tired, I am basically dancing through the entire show. Hard work, but worth it in the end.

Happy Birthday Casey!

So, Saturday was Casey's birthday. Yep, the big 32. (Ok, so I am catching up soon... but we won't talk about that right now.) He had a two-part celebration, one part on Thursday and one on Saturday night. Since I had the day off on Thursday, the first thing I did was surprise him with Starbucks and Krispy Kreme for breakfast. Then, I took him to the Denver Art Museum where he'd been wanting to go for a while. We saw some really cool stuff, some modern paintings from a german artist and some amazing sculptures as well.

We had lunch at a place called Mad Greens (if you have one nearby you, I highly recommend getting your booty to one asap). It has gourmet salads, panini sandwiches, and awesome soup, all for a good price. We ended the day with some nice red wine and chocolate.... Yummmm chocolate.....
On Saturday night, we were joined by several of our good friends here at Rio Grande Restaurant, a really good mexican place only about 10 minutes from our apartment. Awesome chips and salsa, good food in general, and delicious yet dangerous margaritas. So dangerous, they say, that they have a "three margarita limit," which I can't imagine even getting close to. I finished about half of one strawberry margarita and that was enough for me. Casey was given a birthday sopapilla, topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. Very delicious.
Needless to say we were stuffed. It was an extremely successful birthday celebration. Having only moved here just a bit ago, I think Casey and I can both say that God has truly gone overboard on making us feel loved and surrounding us by people who bless us by their friendship. Thanks guys.

Nutcracker!

It's Nutcracker time once again... As I write this, I am counting up the many times I've performed in this particular ballet. I began as a "Tiny Tot" or as others call it, "Gingerbread" under Mother Ginger's skirt when I was seven years old, the typical starter role for a baby ballerina. I then continued on every year until I was eighteen years old. Let's add on last year's Nutcracker in Portland, where I danced the roles of Snowflake and Dewdrop Fairy, and that makes a grand total of... (drumroll)... twelve Nutcrackers for which I have donned pink tights, ballet shoes, and costumes .

The result? I can sing the entire score of Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker Suite" to you if you ask me to. And I still remember all the steps I danced for eight years in my hometown at Ballet California and Academy, even though I haven't danced that particular choreography in over twelve years! Funny that I can't remember what I did last weekend, but I remember Mr. Martin's "Waltz of the Flowers."

But I digress. This year I have been given the opportunity to dance six different roles, some technically challenging and some that give me the chance to ham it up a bit: Clara's Friend, Mouse, Angel, Snowflake, Chinese, and a Flower. We will be doing two tours (one out of state and one in Colorado) and then coming back to perform twelve shows here in town.

In other news: Last week Casey, while fixing a car, got two pieces of debris in his eye and had to make two visits to urgent care... Poor guy. All the while fighting a bad cold and sleeping a lot. He is better now after getting the debris removed and taking eye drops for several days...and much happier to have a less-red eye and strengthened immune system. Please keep praying for a job for him, as he is still searching.

Can Someone Shut That Window!!!!

It sure was windy on Halloween here in Denver! Ok, so that's a lie, but here's something that isn't... Casey and I dressed up as a "windy day duo" this Halloween. This costume idea was extremely cheap, because all we had to buy was wire to make our clothes look like they were flying in the wind. We attended two parties (count 'em, TWO) this weekend. We really aren't usually this party animal-esque but we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly at both parties. It was nice to get out and socialize, despite the fact we were both feeling a bit under the weather starting Saturday afternoon. Thus, we spent today hanging out at home, resting and (Gina) making chicken soup and (Casey) sleeping his sickies away hopefully. I (Gina) also spent much of the day taking echinacea and vitamin C pills to prevent catching Casey's sickies.

The Show Must (and Did) Go On...

My (Gina's) show with the company (" 'Medusa' and other haunting works") went well the other night-- we basically had a full house and a great audience which included some friends from in town and out of town (even a friend, and surprise arrival, from bella Italia!), and my parents in law. Everyone agreed it was a wonderfully "creepy" show, and it was great to get onstage again-- although I always get quite a lot of butterflies before I go on, even after all these years onstage. I will post pictures when I get ahold of some.
Casey did not get that job he interviewed for-- BOOOOO! We are still waiting and trusting God to lead him to the perfect job for him. Please continue to pray for that. He is very excited lately about the coming of snow in Colorado-- meaning ski season is almost upon us. There's always that extra sparkle in his eye when the subject comes up...
Next on the list: Starting Nutcracker rehearsals Wednesday with the company and other dancers hired on for this particular show. I am praying for fun and challenging roles, and that God will allow me to see improvement in my artistry, technique, and stamina during this next part of the season. (pictured below: snow scene from DTDT's previous year's Nutcracker)

God answering prayer!

Today Casey got invited back for a second interview at a private equity construction loan company (they lend private money to construction companies)!! He interviewed there for the first time last Friday and will have a second interview tomorrow at 3 pm. This is very encouraging and we are very excited. Please pray for him, that God would guide him through the interview and that they would see what a catch he is :), and above all for God's will to be done. We have been praying for a good job for him to come his way for a long time now.
Speaking of prayer, thank you to those of you that prayed for my foot/ankle!! It worked! I am able to wear my pointe shoes (aka "toe shoes") all day now. The problem now is that an old knee injury has come back, not in full force, but there is definite soreness and pain. I would love more prayer for healing and general protection from injury for my body because we have a show this weekend, and a couple more the weekend of October 25-26th... Despite all this, I am enjoying my job as a dancer, though days are long and I am very tired by the end. I can see that aches and pains will be a daily "norm" for me for as long as I do this. However at the end of each day I drive home grateful for the chance to be a professional dancer (a dream of mine since I was about seven) and hope to continue for as long as God allows me to.

Something you'll never hear in Portland...

I (Gina) was leaving work the other day, and I noticed some grayish/blackish rainclouds virtually covering the sky. I guess I've been getting used to seeing the sun here because I was staring up at them for a few seconds, taking them in. While I was doing this, a woman was walking toward me, and as she passed she smiled and said, "Looks like we might be getting some rain soon... Hopefully!" My brain instantly logged this comment as "unusual."
Yup. Something you'll never hear in Portland!!! (You Portland-ites know what I mean.)