Two Step, Line Dance, Gumbo, and Bridge

Back from Texas with some tales...

I had a difficult time finding places in Tomball where adults dance. In checking out the library which was apart of a technical college, I found that they offered dance as an elective - never heard back from them about non-students taking dance classes. So then I browsed a few dance studios in the area, and checked into taking classes.

Photo Taken from VPAC on facebook

They were all for children which yes the argument can be made that I am an over sized child, but I wanted a Danceworks reincarnated. I did however end up finding work with one of those dance studios, Velocity Performing Arts Center, teaching 3-5 year olds Ballet, Tap, and Creative Movement along with 7-9 year olds beg. Jazz which was a blast. Being my first dance studio job, it was a challenge. I developed my own rhythm though after some time, and by the time we found out we were moving back to Wisconsin, I was sore to say goodbye.

Getting off track a little... I still hadn't found a place to dance with grown-ups so I looked into the community center in town, and found that they offered a slew of classes in different subjects from Zumba to line dancing to needlework.... that should have been my cue for what was coming next. I joined in for my first lesson of line dancing, and was pleasantly surprised when I was the youngest person in the room. The gap was probably, oh, a mere 40 years difference, and they were some of the coolest ladies ever.

One of which, Mary Ann, adopted me as her Wisconsin grandchild right away. I still check in to update her on my life. She taught me to cook some awesome food including: chicken dumpling soup, jalapeno cornbread, lasagna, cream puffs (with 0 sugars), meatloaf, chili, and gumbo. If you have never tried gumbo, I make it real mean - the spice is almost entirely in the Italian hot sausage that I love so much, and it will make your nose run. I never liked to cook. I don't know how she got me to make all those delicious meals, but I now have a growing repertoire in my cookbook.

Mary Ann also introduced me to a card game called Bridge which I am now a junky. Bridge is probably one of the hardest card games to learn, and the most addictive games to play - thankfully it's not a gambling game. Playing bridge, I became pretty good, and could have went on to be great!

Bye Texas!

I also became heavily addicted to Karaoke on a regular basis. It has been difficult being back where I can't rely on there being Karaoke every night of the week... I do have a few spots where I can get my fix up in Wisconsin. Some good times with good people.

This is probably just half of the stories I've got to tell since I had 3 jobs at one time, and studied for a few months with Fred Astaire to teach ballroom where I learned how to Two Step -which is basically a casual Fox Trot. I don't make any promises that I will get around telling all the stories, but one can hope.