Next Stop, Chautauqua

Hayden In Costume

We are both up early because we want to be on the road, so we get back to the lake at a decent hour. And the girls are off to school by 7:30, then Jill to work, so there is no sense in hanging around.  We have been away for two weeks, so Chautauqua sounds good, even with snow and  a frozen lake.  The morning here is clear skies, amazing after of weekend of rain and sleet.  We never saw the sun, nor went outside with the girls, other than to a restaurant or dance performance.

Yesterday, as I mentioned was eaten up by the dance competition in a high school about 45 minutes from Bristow.  We were all up early Jill, Evie, and Hayden were off by 9:30, Drew, Halle and I following at 10:15.  Hayden was in four dances but they were spaced out in such a way that you had hours between dances.  So, we watched her dance at 11:00, and she did not have to be back on stage again until 4:00.  So we all drove to an upscale mall, and decided to eat at a chain called Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, really modern and interesting decor inside, and by the time we left it was half filled with parents of other dancers I assume.  The food was quite good, though most of us had soup and salad, with great homemade bread.  The girls had toasted cheese, with a couple of sides, though they were not very hungry.

Dinner at Firebirds

Drew and I dropped the girls off about 2:00 and because we had another two hours, we did some browsing at REI, then went to the nearest BW3, had a Sam Adams Seasonal, and watched the first half of the Michigan State/UConn game.  We got back to the auditorium in time to watch the presentation of trophies; they are given half way through the competition and at the end.  At least fifty to a hundred trophies and ribbons were given out for various dance groups.  Hayden did not get back on the dance floor until about 4:30, and it lasted about five minutes.  She would not be on stage for another hour and a half so Drew and I decided to take Halle home because she was worn out from sitting around.  We did not mind.  Hayden danced well but there were many kids on stage so it was often hard to pick her out but she has made great progress as a dancer over the past year and seems to love it.

Hayden, Upper Right (with red scarf), With Team

About 6:30, Drew and I ordered pizza, so we could enjoy it watching the second half of the Michigan/Kentucky game.  We got enough so when Evie, Jill, and Hayden arrived home, they could also have some. I put Halle to bed around 9:00 and we lay in bed talking for about 15 minutes.  It's amazing how talkative kids can be when they are supposed to go to sleep...she's a master at it. The dancers did not get home till around 9:30, exhausted but hungry and thirsty.  So we sat around unwinding, talking about the show, with pizza and beer, until  10:30 when we all sort of pooped out and wanted to get to bed.  A long day but fun to watch Hayden, fun for her.