Summer Program

Today I finished the registration for attending The Rock School's Summer Intensive! I'm so excited to be spending five weeks in Philadelphia this summer! I have already started to gather and order the supplies needed, including pointe shoes. :) Finishing the registration has meant paying one third of the housing and tuition. The next third is due April 18th. Over all I only lack $1600 for the tuition! Please continue to pray for me as I near the Intensive! :)

Photo by Jairy Hunter Photography 

Rehearsal Photos

Lovely shots taken last Saturday by Jairy Hunter Photography

Taking a bow.

Practicing pirouettes before Rehearsal.

In Brazilando 

Wellness Wednesdays

Water

There are two life giving substances that I drink daily; coffee and water. I used to hate water with a passion, yet my mom would tell me to drink more water as a solution to everything. Tired? Drink more water. Headache? Drink more water. Grumpy? Drink more water. You get the picture. Of course her being my mother, she was right. Your body is made up of about 60% to 55% water, depending on your fat ratio. (Fat cells hold less water).  Your brain is made up of about 80% water. If you're dehydrated your body is going to send you signals that you are in desperate need of some H2O, this includes headaches, being tired, hungry, or in a sour mood.

When you perspire it's water that has flowed though your cells and has picked up sodium and some electrolytes along the way. This is not a bad thing because it's flushing out toxins and cleansing the body. The problem comes when you aren't replacing the good stuff, electrolytes, fast enough. This is why sports drinks are so popular, it's an easy way to replace the electrolytes. Remember, sports drinks are only a replacement for water in the right situation, e.g., a hot day, excessive exercising, etc.

Now that the science and disclaimers are over, What about the rest of us? Most people complain about the taste of water. Water doesn't have a taste. A squeeze of fresh lime or lemon in a glass of water is a nice way to "give it some flavor." There are many other "water enhancers" out there that you can find at almost any convenience store, but water doesn't need "enhancing."

So how much water should you drink? There are a lot of factors that go into the exact amount, but the average is 8 glasses a day. Once you have it figured out add in water slowly, an extra glass per week at different times of the day. Make sure you are hydrated before you exercise as well. Trying to hydrate yourself while sweating is counterproductive and puts strain on the body. 

-Josie

Fundraising Update

I've been asked for a progress update on my fundraising for my Summer Intensive.

As of now I have raised two-thirds of the funds I need!  For those of you who have given, I cannot thank each of you enough! Your gifts of money and encouragement have meant the world to me! They have made me smile and cry a little (or a lot) with joy. They have touched me and are helping me realize my dreams!

Many of you have asked me for a deadline as well.  Since most programs require full payment before day one of the intensive, my final payments will be due on or around May 1.  

If you would still like to give (or give again!), since I am still short of my financial goal by $1,900, any amount you can contribute will be greatly appreciated. 

I'm extremely excited for what this summer has in store for me and within the next few weeks I shall be enrolling!  

Thank you for all your support!

-Josie

Wellness Wednesdays

Sugar

Last week I was going to post about sugar. Sadly I ended up with a bad cold and was unable to do much of anything, much less write and finish a blog post. Below is an excerpt of what I was originally going to say.

"...The Sugar Monster

Once upon a time, there lived a little red headed girl in a magical kingdom. Every morning she would have toast for breakfast at 8 o'clock. One day she decided to put some jam on her toast. At 9 o'clock the earth started to shake and something ripped off the top of her little house. A HUGE ugly monster looked down at her and...

Okay that story is a piece of poor fiction. But it's surprising how often the sugar monster can visit you as soon as you have some chocolate or jam. An hour or so latter you suddenly could really go for another piece of chocolate, maybe even some cookies? The trick to dealing with the sugar monster? Don't eat sugar. If you do and the sugar monster does come, ignore it. Starve the monster and the smaller he will become. And ladies, lets not use our hormonal imbalances as an excuse to eat the whole bag of M&M's. Yes we do crave it more, but using it as an excuse to not feel guilty about poor health choices is not a good idea..."

I must have been in a bad unforgiving mood when I wrote the above. I must have been hormonally imbalanced and dying to eat that whole bag of M&M's in the pantry.  Possibly I was feeling guilty about attempting to eat the whole bag weeks before. That attitude is the exact one you don't want to have with sugar. Yes, it's very delicious and we do make poor choices, but being harsh on yourself and acting as if it's the end of the world won't make things better.

This friday is Valentines Day. My Sweetheart has already given me a heart-shaped box of chocolate. He knows I love chocolate and it's ultimately the perfect gift for me. I have already opened it, and have been trying to slowly enjoy each piece through out this week. It's a gift to me, not a burden. I can't let sweets be anything other than a gift. Enjoy it, savor it, but don't over indulge.

-Josie

Pittsburgh Ballet Theater - Summer Intensive Auditions 2014

Early Sunday, January 26th, my Dad and I drove up to Charlotte NC for my PBT Summer Intensive Audition. We had some lunch and then found our way around Charlotte.

The Audition was held at NC Dance Theater inside the Rehearsal Hall.

Above, filling out my form beforehand. Below, standing in age line to receive an audition number.

The Audition went very well. It was very organized and informative about the program. I'm looking forward to hearing some news!

-Josie

Wellness Wednesdays

Vegetables 

Sunday night on my way home from an audition we stopped at a chain restaurant that is supposed to symbolize home cooking. I ordered the meat loaf, with steamed broccoli, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese. The meatloaf was delightful, the macaroni and cheese and the potatoes were fair, but the broccoli was greatly lacking!! I love broccoli! I can not stress to you how much I love it! But this stuff was not very appetizing. Steamed broccoli still has that crunch so you really need to toss it in something and add a dash of something else to really bring out the flavor. Other wise you are left with stuff that in my opinion just tastes dry and flavorless.

In America, vegetable is a bad word that strikes fear into the hearts of many. Parents fear the chore of trying to feed them to their kids, hoping that by magic they end up with a child who like veggies.  Children and young adults alike know that they are supposed to eat them, whether or not they have an appetizing flavor.

We think of vegetables as a healthy side dish that is our duty to eat. When in reality we should be thinking of them as the main attraction. For example how many burger and fry joints can you think of? We celebrate and search for the perfect fries and a juicy burger. What about pizza? Whole cities argue about their version of a perfect slice!* Now what about vegetables? Is it just me or do very few people care about sautéed squash, glazed carrots, or cooked spinach with green onions, nutmeg, and a touch of heavy cream?

I believe the root of the issue is this: would you serve cooked spaghetti plain? Would you cook ground beef with out adding anything to it, not even some olive oil or onion? I hope not. So why would you serve vegetables without adding more flavor to them? There are countless ways to cook and season them!

Here are a few of my favorite ways to add some pizzaz!

Greek - A few dashes of Greek seasoning, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of feta cheese.
Citrus - Lime juice, lemon pepper, fresh cilantro, and a drizzle of olive oil
The Basic - olive oil, garlic, chopped onion (get creative: normal onion, red onion, green onions) and salt and pepper.
Italian - The basic plus: oregano, rosemary, and shredded parmesan.
American Chinese - Sauté your veggies with cooking oil, garlic and soy sauce.

Don't forget you can mix and match your veggies, squash and carrots, zucchini and corn, the list is endless!

-Josie

*New York style all the way!!