Super Amazing Vacation of Awesomeness: Day 74

While waltzing around in the advanced class today, I happened to discover that the girl I was dancing with was a national champion for dancing jive and quickstep.  Do you know how long she had been dancing?  Two or three years. *stunned pause*  Talk about intensive learning. O.o  But you know, when I learn that, I figure that with enough work, I too can become a master ballroomer in a short time.  Something to strive for, right? ;)
Tonight was the youth dance for the camp!  Exciting, yes?  A bunch of other ballroom dancers in a stake dance sort of thing sounds like a blast to me!  Unfortunately BYU camp politics got in the way.  At least that's how it was explained to me.  Since I was off campus and not staying in the dorms, I wasn't able to go.  So instead I went to the BYU bookstore.  Let me tell you how much I love that place. :D  Three stories filled with anything you could possibly want, and so many good books you don't know where to start!  But today instead of going straight to the fantasy section like I usually do, I instead decided I was feeling in a more philosophical mood.  So I spent a good chunk of money buying three important items.

Man's Search for Meaning
   Though a short read, from the small amount I've gotten through so far, this book has so many priceless quotes it's crazy.  It's like something I'd read for an English or psychology class, but so good that I'm willing to spend time on it during the summer.

War and Peace
    A classic!  Or so I've been told...  I got this book specifically with the long road trip ahead in my mind.  Even if it IS difficult to get through; at least I'll have something to do rather than be bored 17 hours every day. ;)

Journal
    Yup.  That's probably the big one in this group of books.  I got an actual hard cover journal!  I'm hoping the fact that it looks pretty official will keep me writing in it. ;)  You might ask, "Why are you writing in another journal when you have this one online?"  But the fact of the matter is that, unfortunately I can't put everything I'd like to online and still be viewed in the same way.  I mean, what all with crushes, people who irritate me, situations I don't want out in the public eye...  Some things I just can't put on here.  Wish me luck though!  Hopefully I'll have better luck keeping this solid life journal than others I've started. ;)

Super Amazing Vacation of Awesomeness: Day 73

So today in ballroom I decided I would up my game and move to the Advanced classes in Waltz and Swing.  Because, those are the two dances that I've been doing for forever. :)  And you know what?  I didn't do half that bad!  The thing about this ballroom workshop is that they teach you sequences of dances.  They don't teach you the individual moves and how to tie them together, but more like a dance routine sort.  Not that I'm saying it's a bad thing, but it's just not my favorite type of teaching style.  I like it whole lot better when I'm taught individual moves that I can freestyle with in Stake dances and the like. *shrugs* But I suppose I'll pull through these next two days. ;)
This was our day to go hang out at the water park Seven Peaks!  I hung out with a large group of teenagers... So basically all we did was make fools of ourselves. XD

Super Amazing Vacation of Awesomeness: Day 72

So we started out on our super long 9 hour road trip to Utah really early this morning.  I don't remember much of the actual trip since I was sleeping most of the way... But I got up in time for the last half of the ballroom dance class today when we finally reached Provo.  And guess who I saw there??  As I was learning the Tango, I just happened to turn towards the door. And just then, I saw my super good friend, Emma walk in! :D  My mind about blew in astonishment.  This girl had been a buddy in AK before she had to go move down to Idaho.  I haven't seen her for around three years, so to meet her in the BYU ballroom dance room was amazing. *giant grin*
The rest of the day was spent catching up with Emma and making a lot of new friends.  For one, there was a TON of Alaska people there!  I kept on running into them and I was all like, "Whoa!  I'm not alone!"  I have a feeling that this ballroom camp will be so much better than the modern one was earlier in the summer.
After our classes ended for the day, Mom and I headed back to the Shelton's house again where I spent a few hours playing with the younger kids (of course).  But now I am tired and ready for bed, so here's Mason, signing off!

Super Amazing Vacation of Awesomeness: Day 71

Woke up at around 2:00pm today... Though to be fair, getting back home at 4:00am last night had a large part to play in that. ;)  Basically all I did today was pack and spend some well spent time with Cameron watching Slenderman videos.  But now as I look at the time (11:08pm) I'm bracing myself for the all nighter drive Mom and I are going to have to do to reach Utah in time for my ballroom dance classes tomorrow. O.o Wish us luck!

Super Amazing Vacation of Awesomeness: Day 70

FUNNEST DAY HERE.  I kid you not; this day tops the previous two, no questions asked.  Besides learning some fun lindy hop sequences in the morning; we also were able to learn some traditional Chile dances as well.  Lots of hip moving.  I felt like I was trying to seduce someone. ::)  But that about wrapped it up with the learning part of today!  The rest of the 10 hours was spent in a ballroom hall where I enjoyed every last minute up to 2:00am in the morning.
In the ballroom hall was the ending performance that the production put on for everyone.  Lots of professional dancing galore.  The Chile even did some of their traditional dances for everyone.  Though I have to say, I was shocked when they came on stage in their costumes.  Let's just say they were extremely revealing and I don't think many people were paying attention to their actual dancing. ::)  After the performance was over, it was dancing time!  Now that I had quite a few lindy moves under my belt, I actually started asking girls to dance. :D  It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when they said they could believe I'd only been lindy hopping for a month. :3  I also made friends with some girls around my age.  Arabella and Sarah.  They were the ones that made tonight such a blast.  From lindy hopping, to asking professionals to dance, to laughing uncontrollably in the elevator, to sneaking in cookies in the dance hall; I was sad to see tonight end.

Super Amazing Vacation of Awesomeness: Day 69

Look alike day!  One of the dance teachers that taught us today looked almost exactly like Captain America.  The resemblance was uncanny. O.o  He was definitely my favorite teacher so far though.  He and his wife were just so cute and fun loving; it was hard not to love them instantaneously. :)









 
 



Then just a little while later, Mom and I met a dancer who looked just like the tailor from Fiddler On the Roof.  Crazy part is, he wasn't even Jewish!  He just looked like the twin of a Jewish guy on a well known musical. ::)













After classes ended, Mom and I had time to spare, so we went down to Wendy's to eat.  Now the thing about were we went was that it was down in the "shadier" part of town.  For example, much to my surprise, we first saw a black woman get yelled at by a black guy in the Wendy's eating area before the manager kicked him out.  And let me tell you... That eating area seemed like it could have come straight from a T.V. show like Hey Arnold.  There was a scrawny old black guy with a white Santa beard, a dude with piercings all over his face, a middle aged white guy minding his own business, a small cute suburban family with mother father and two small children, and then Mom and I surveying the scene.  It just struck me as funny.  But the drama's not over yet!  Before we left Wendy's we saw a buttload of police cars drive up to the road right next to us.  Apparently a guy had road rage and hit another dude with his car and pinned him up against a parked car.  There was an ambulance and everything.  It was intense. O.o  Definitely not something I'm used to up in Alaska. *sighs in relief*
Then later that night was another dance!  Unfortunately I got a little food poisoning so I was out for the count.  But I was able to admire some pretty awesome 60/70 clothes that were for sale.  I even got an epic tie out of it. *fistpump*  But we ended the night early again at 10:30 like last night so we could get home and crash.

Super Amazing Vacation of Awesomeness: Day 68

Lindy hop day!  WELL, more like learning lindy hop.  WELL, more like learning how much I don't know. O.o  So Mom and I went to these lindy hop classes over in Denver all day today.  I suppose the correct term is all day and all night.  The classes start at around 11am and last until the dances end at around 3am.  Yeah... It's been a long day. *harrowed look*  Luckily instead of 11am to 3am, Mom and I decided to make it a twelve hour day and go from 11am to 11pm.  And that alone is enough for me. ;)  So yeah!  It feels good to be learning dancing again! :D