I had so much fun over the week-end and when I got home I was not a mess. I was a bit headachey but Tylenol PM took care of that.

The workshops were wonderful. I took a veil workshop and actually learned a few steps. What I should say is I learned and remembered a few steps. Yeah, it's the remembering that makes the difference, isn't it. Haha! My favorite class was a belly dance samba class. It was a blend of Brazilian samba (very energetic and you stick your behind out a lot) and belly dance (lots of shimmies). Gosh, I had a great time. If I had not been jogging and working out at the gym I'd have never, never been able to keep up in the samba class. What a lot of power it requires!

The show was well done and I wished my family could have seen it with me. The lighting, the live dancing, the costumes, the music. . . were delicious. The dance is but a moment in time. It passes, never to be experienced again, but the memory of it lasts a long time. Because I was there with a belly dance crowd, when we got to the show I found others had saved seats for us! Oh my, we were in the very front row. Little did I know, foolish girl that I am, one of the belly dancers who the girls I roomed with knows, is sorta famous. She came to our room and visited us. I looked around the internet and found she made a video about veil dancing. It's the most curious thing - to meet her she is, well, somewhat dowdy. She wears glasses. She has short, brown, permed hair. She's hasn't got a remarkable body. It's nice, but not like wow. So I had no idea of how good she is. But when she goes on stage, look out. She fills the stage with her presence. They call that star power. Charisma. I was with two remarkable dancers, chatting and what-not, and I didn't even know it! Hehe! One of them, Suhaila, saw me in the samba workshop and said to my friend that I was a good dancer. Gee, it made my day.

There was one piece in the show I didn't like. It was little girls dancing. They were about age 10 to 13 and I could hardly look at them. They were dressed in pink and the costumes were appropriate with only a couple inches of tummy showing, but the moves - I did not like them. Several of the girls were shaking their bottoms as hard as they could and I just could not bear to watch. I was embarrassed for them. It would have been so much better if they had danced a folklorico dance. I don't know who choreographed them. [Sigh.] I am, for sure, the most conservative of dancers of this genre.

In one workshop we had to walk from the wings (side stage) to center stage and say our name, where we're from, and name one favorite thing about ourselves. The teacher said she didn't want to hear that we read the Bible from front to back or won the Nobel Peace prize. She said name something simple, something physical. I did it and the correction I got was not to walk with my palms facing the audience. It made sense, but I was so nervous that I don't know why in the world I had my palms facing that direction. And I said my favorite thing about myself is the small of my back, in profile, when I hold my tummy in real hard. And I did it and showed them and I could hear murmuring, "Oh yeeeah, we see that!" I was pretty happy that they didn't say something like what is she talking about. I tell ya, it's a long walk from the wings, to center stage, and back to the wings! Don't think it isn't, and don't think it's easy. Performers sure make it look effortless though.

I love my husband. I love my family. I love the Lord.

During the week-end one of my roomies, she is the daughter of a Baptist minister. Her family is not pleased with her dancing. She's extremely good, well-trained as she has been to Egypt for classes from famous dancers. She said to me that she is Christian too, but she is not a good one. I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing. I have to think of what to say next time that comes up. All the dancers think I am a very good Christian. I admit, I feel amazed and odd that I am described this way. I am not unhappy about it. Little do they know, because I don't share it - I have used heroin, I have been with men wrongly, I married a criminal in my youth, went for legal aid for abused women (the abuse I experience was small because I left soon), aborted a person, attempted suicide. I don't tell because I don't want to shame my family. It could make a good testimony though, couldn't it. Some of those girls do much wrongly. It's a sad thing. I notice they hardly cuss around me and I presume it's for my reputation. Words slip once in awhile and they say sorry. Well, maybe being a model helps. I did say to someone who asked me my astrology sign that I was born under the sign of the cross. I want the Lord to use me where I am. I am not concerned with avoiding sinners because you know what? Sinners, actually avoid me. That's a funny one, eh! Now that's a laugh a minute! Praise the Lord for His mercy and saving grace.

I ordered two more pair of the yoga pants that I love. My husband told me to, so I had to do it. Oh boy!

I worked out on the elliptical today and did weights. I'm not doing the elliptical anymore. I did it for 30 minutes and my feets were going to sleep. That's weird. The movement is just too small and circle-y and repetitious. I'd rather do the stationary bike for 30 minutes. They were all taken though.