Fall Decorating!

Hello! This is Kirsten writing. Today, Kit and I were at our school "boring" (Boarding) room by ourselves. Everyone else had after-school activities. Kit and I had been having a contest throwing paper balls, but it just wasn't doing it for us.
As you may have guessed, we were bored. So... we decided that the room needed a bit of redecorating! We pulled the fall decorations out of the closet and went wild. Doesn't it look great? The pumpkins were Kit's idea, although I think we got them a bit early.
Happy fall!!

Curtain call!!

Hello! So, after the lights dimmed and the actual show was over, it was time for the curtain call!

I was feeling a little tired from the dancing, but I couldn't wait for curtain call. My leg throbbed. It had been slightly throughout the whole program, but it was at its worst now. I had learned to ignore it.

The lights came back on. When our names were called over the speaker, we did a little twirl, and a curtsy. Then we went behind the stage.
After each name called, the audience burst into thunderous applause.

Molly, Daisy, Eliza, and Josefina's names had already been called, leaving me alone on the stage. I was feeling a bit conspicuous, so I was glad to hear my name at long last: "Samantha Parkington," the person in the sound booth announced.
I twirled and curtsied, basking in the glow of the spotlight.

The audience erupted with applause.
I could see Kit, Kaya, and Kirsten in the crowd. Kit looked as if she had been one of the main "cheerers": her hair was flying every which way and looked as if it hadn't been brushed in ages.
Kirsten had brought her camera along, and had been snapping pictures the whole time!

I was thrilled when people in the audience threw  flowers onto the stage for me. I hadn't expected that at all.

When I was done on stage, I came out of a back door.
I was wandering around in the crowd, trying to find my family, when I was ambushed by Kit and Kirsten. (Kaya was finding Josefina.)
"Oh Samantha!" Kit gushed. "You were amazing!"
"Yeah you were!" Kirsten assured me. "And I took loads of pictures!"
All I could do was grin.

The Performance!

Hi! Yesterday was the big performance! I would have posted about it yesterday, but I got home really late. I am pleased to say that it went without a hitch. Well, except for when Ashley fell off the stage when we were practicing, but that's another story. When it was time to go on, we slipped onto the dark stage quietly, and waited for the curtain to go up. When it did, we were slightly stunned by the sudden blaze of light. The spotlights always do that to me though. 

When the music came on, it sent a shiver up my spine. In the back of my mind I had kind of been hoping that by some fluke the music wouldn't start, and that we could go back behind the stage. I wouldn't tell any of my friends or family this, it would surprise them too much, but dancing on stage terrifies me more than anything else. Practicing is fine, but my confidence gives out when I have people watching me. 

I had to push these thoughts out of my mind, and start dancing. It felt as if  I were dreaming. My mind felt numb. I was operating more from memory than conscious thought. Once my initial stage fright wore off, and I was able to think again, I started enjoying myself immensely. I "pirouetted", and "jetéd" across the stage. I felt like I was flying. 

Then, at the peak of my enthusiasm, it was time for me to "chassé" off the stage to allow time for the four-person procession. I don't know what it is technically called, but that's how I refer to it. After the four people had finished their procession, I "chasséd" back on the stage, and began to dance again. The whole performance was thrilling and stunning, from my perspective anyway. Kit told me later that it was enchanting. 

She also said that she hadn't been that excited ever since her baseball team scored a fantastic victory. I suppose that's a compliment. Back to our subject, after a bit more with that group of dancers, they left, and a new group came. Towards the end they came back again, and we danced some more. I was really happy to finish the performance with my friends. I haven't had that much fun dancing in a really long time. The whole experience was just such a delight. I was honestly very sorry when the music finally stopped, and we had to stand still, waiting for the curtain to fall. 

If I had the chance, I would do it all over again.

Dress Rehearsal!

Hello, this is Samantha again.
Good news! My foot has healed enough that even my mom agrees that I should be able to dance on it. I was thrilled to hear so.

Anyways, today was the dress rehearsal for the performance. I love my costume. It's so soft and beautiful, it's a pleasure to wear.
For the first part of the dress rehearsal, my teacher had me run through it one time on my own, just to get the feel of it.
I was surprised by how well my foot felt. I could almost believe that I hadn't hurt it at all. Almost, but not quite.

I floated through the dances, feeling as light as a feather. I emerged breathless and triumphant.
"Very good." my teacher complimented me warmly. "Now let's see you with the other dancers."
The other dancers joined me on the stage. I was in almost every dance, so I got to see a lot of different dancers.
"From the top!" the teacher called, turning the music on.
I stumbled through the dances, feeling just about as graceful as a one-legged hippopotamus. I emerged embarrassed and hot. My ankle kind of hurt too.
"Hmm.." my teacher said. "One more time!"
I somehow managed to survive, although I thought I might pass out.
"That will do." my teacher said. "You may all go home now, I'll see you in a few days. Don't forget to practice!!!"

I knew I wouldn't, if it would help me avoid another rehearsal like this one.

Silence is Golden...

But so is music.

Hello, this is Samantha. As you may or may not know, I love music and dancing. My favorite is ballet, but I also take jazz and tap dancing. The peak of my Autumn is usually the annual performance that the dance company puts on.
A lot of the music danced out of my life two weeks ago, leaving me with a lot of silence. I had been walking home from dance lessons with Josefina. I was so delighted that I had one of the main parts in the ballet, that I didn't notice the drop in the sidewalk.
I was lucky: I was left with only a twisted ankle. But that meant that I couldn't dance for a while.
My ankle will probably heal in time for the performance, but I haven't been able to attend the practices, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it.
The performance is this Saturday. I've been busy stretching and applying ice to my foot for the past two weeks, in hopes that it will heal enough for me to be able to confidently attend a practice. I have most of the routine memorized, but I'd really like to try it with the other dancers. Wish me luck!

Oh, This dress was made from a McCall's pattern. It was intended to be a shirt, but it turned out a little too long. It's one of my new favorites!

Wendy

A small girl scurried out of the four o'clock train, and onto the smoky platform. Her eyes came to rest on a well-dressed man who was scanning the crowds anxiously. "Are you Mr. Harrison?" she asked him.
He looked down and smiled. "Yes." he said in a stately manner. "I presume you are Wendy, the Edwards' guest from England?"
Wendy nodded. "Well good." Mr. Harrison, the butler said. "Then I suppose we can be on our way now, unless of course you have any other luggage we need to pick up?"
"No sir." Wendy said simply.
"That makes it easier. Come along now, we have a carriage waiting."


"Why hello child." Mrs. Edwards said grandly. "I have been expecting you."
"I know." Wendy told her.
Mrs. Edwards was taken aback. Nobody had ever spoken to her in that impertinent way before. She tried to conceal her horror. "Well darling, let us go out, and do something about that hair of yours." Mrs. Edwards cooed in a syrupy voice.

She had never seen such atrocious hair. It was so straight, so dull. She could fix that. And her clothes! Mrs. Edwards thought that such a horrendous dress should be burned at the soonest convenience. She would have to deal with that later.


They were home again by five. Wendy had somehow managed to escape the hair dresser's with only a light curling. Mrs. Edwards had wanted something much more flashy, but somehow it didn't make it. "Here's your room Kitten." Mrs. Edwards (who apparently had a fondness for nicknames) said.
Wendy looked around with shining eyes. The room was lovely. In truth, Mrs. Edwards despised the room, and was only too glad to let someone else use it. (Before, she had kept her extensive button collection in it.)
"Honey-cake, I took the liberty of buying you some brand new clothes. I hope you don't mind too much."

"Mind? I don't mind. Should I?" Wendy asked.
Mrs. Edwards gasped audibly. She didn't know what she would do at all if the child kept on behaving so impudently. "Dearest angel, why don't you acquaint yourself with the house? I'm certain that you will find something to interest you, Lovey."
"All right." Wendy said, as she flew out of the room to explore.
Mrs. Edwards leaned against the bedpost, looking quite pale. "That darling rogue will be the end of me with her antics, I swear."

New Camera!!

Hello! Just the other day, my new camera arrived in the mail! It is a Kodak Easyshare C182. I got a blue one. :)
I'm really impressed with it. I expected it to be fine, but it is excellent!! It is very easy to use, has a lot of settings, and the photos it takes are very crisp and pretty!
I took Kirsten outside to test it out. The two pictures in this post were my favorites, although the top one is a little green...
Thanks for looking!