Whew!
After a couple of weeks of nanny duty, and a weekend of grandmother visiting, and three days of not doing much more than sleeping, eating, and, well, dancing, I finally feel like my normal self again. Watching the kids (an eight year old and a four year old, both of them adorable, but very energetic) was definitely a learning experience. I don't think I was quite prepared for the 24 hour a day job it is. Add into the equation a neighbor with a rooster that crows at all hours, and I was rather exhausted by the time the kids' dad got back from vacation. Let me tell you, fried chicken was starting to sound awfully good after several nights of waking up to that darned rooster's grating call. Or maybe chicken and dumplings. Or chicken cacciatore. I slept for 14 hours straight the first night I was home. I've also been put on a different schedule by all of this, falling asleep (whether or not I want to) by 10:00 every night, and waking up around 6:00. That's really quite normal, but not for me!
I'm glad their father thought I did a good enough job to merit extra pay for the extra time I ended up watching the kids.
In other news, I've been taking a ballroom dancing class, in part because I've been inspired by watching the Dancing with the Stars show and in part because I've wanted to for a while anyways, and it has been so much fun!!! In two lessons, both of which went at least 15 minutes over time (joy!), we've learned basic steps for the fox trot, tango, east coast swing (which I knew already), Cuban-style rhumba, and Bolero-style rhumba, and some fancier steps for the foxtrot, tango, and swing.
Though I went to the first lesson a bit concerned that I didn't have a partner, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was one younger man there who also was by himself. As an added bonus, he's taken dance lessons before, and he's quite good looking! And single, hmmmm.... maybe I will at least have someone to dance with should I not be able to convince friends who don't know how to tango to go to a tango bar with me. He is likely a good ten years older than me, though.
I hear there are tango bars in Seattle, so I must go! That's even better than going salsa clubbing, especially since tango is my new-found favourite dance! The sexy, pacing aura of the dance is built right into the basic steps. Just add a bit of tango music, and it is so easy to get into the character of it!
I'm glad their father thought I did a good enough job to merit extra pay for the extra time I ended up watching the kids.
In other news, I've been taking a ballroom dancing class, in part because I've been inspired by watching the Dancing with the Stars show and in part because I've wanted to for a while anyways, and it has been so much fun!!! In two lessons, both of which went at least 15 minutes over time (joy!), we've learned basic steps for the fox trot, tango, east coast swing (which I knew already), Cuban-style rhumba, and Bolero-style rhumba, and some fancier steps for the foxtrot, tango, and swing.
Though I went to the first lesson a bit concerned that I didn't have a partner, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was one younger man there who also was by himself. As an added bonus, he's taken dance lessons before, and he's quite good looking! And single, hmmmm.... maybe I will at least have someone to dance with should I not be able to convince friends who don't know how to tango to go to a tango bar with me. He is likely a good ten years older than me, though.
I hear there are tango bars in Seattle, so I must go! That's even better than going salsa clubbing, especially since tango is my new-found favourite dance! The sexy, pacing aura of the dance is built right into the basic steps. Just add a bit of tango music, and it is so easy to get into the character of it!