Puzzle Completion- May 31, 2010

Our NYC Time's Square puzzle is now complete!

Beth has an obsession with puzzles. I always act like I'm not interested in putting together puzzles, but somehow always end up wanting to do them once I see the pieces all layed out. So on this rainy afternoon, we sat down determined to finish this puzzle. And we did! It glows in the dark too, enough said.

Avatar- May 30, 2010

I have the cutest little brothers in the whole world. While my sisters and I were babysitting them, we all talked about wanting to have a movie night together. When we came downstairs in our pajamas, this is what we were greeted with. The boys had layed out blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals for us to lay with to watch the movie.

Avatar is one of their new favorite movies, but I was one of the few people in the world that hadn't seen it yet. For a movie enthusiast, I've been quite disappointed with myself for being so behind on the highest grossing movie of all time. I have to admit, I think the movie lived up to the high expectations.

Since that night, I've already watched different parts of the movie about three or four times since. (Not by choice, but because my brothers are obsessed.) But it's actually a movie that I don't mind watching multiple times, it really is that good. So if you are one of the few people that have yet to see Avatar, go see it! It really is awesome!

Caitlyn and Aaron's Wedding!!- May 29, 2010

It's official: Mr. and Mrs. Distler!!

Today was Caitlyn and Aaron's wedding, one of the most beautiful and wonderful weddings I've ever been to. This was the moment they were just pronounced man and wife and headed down the aisle for the first time as a married couple. Everyone was full of happy tears and smiles!

I couldn't be more happy for the two of them, the most perfect couple in the world. I'm so happy that I was able to be a part of their celebration and witness their wedding together. The reception following was filled with so much love and fun, too! The two of them deserved a perfect wedding...and I think they got it! Best of wishes to you two!!

Brookes' Talent Show- May 28, 2010

Today was Brookes' talent show. Stephanie, Beth, and I all helped teach students from Brookes' class a Michael Jackson medley dance to perform for the school. (Last year we did a sort of Disney pop mix and now Brookes is known for being the talent show superstar.) The students were awesome! The girls were in cute skirts and scarves while the boys were decked out in their zombie attire. One boy was chosen to be MJ himself with the sparkled glove and all. The students did a fabulous job, I'm so proud of them all! We'll so who all will be requesting to be in B's class next year so they can be a part of the next medley!

Twinkle toes- May 27, 2010

There seems to be a certain theme in blog posts this week...my brothers. Now that I'm finally home and able to spend time with them, we're pretty much together all the time. Especially with my mom being gone this week, I've definitely been with them more than usual. So for our fun activity of the day, we decided to put pointe shoes on Christian. Surprisingly, he was quite good. He walked all around our upstairs and never stumbled at all. He was all the way up on his pointe, too...a task even some good dancers struggle with. I'd say he's pretty much a natural. It was pretty sad, too, because I had just put them on right before him and didn't want to be on them for more than a minute because they hurt so bad. Apparently it's been too long since I've done point, my feet aren't so tough anymore.

Charz- May 26, 2010

This is my cat Charlize. We call her Charz. She's a bit of a wanderer and I never really know if she likes us or not. She becomes an argument in our house quite a lot because no one really knows whose resposibility she is so no one is wanting to do the work. So usually every time I come home there is something to be cleaned up of hers in in the garage. Her new thing is shedding. Gotta love Charz, but for a cat, she is pretty high maintenence.

All hail the Wii- May 25, 2010

The epitome of my brothers...staring at the TV while playing Wii and not realizing the world is happening around them. Babysitting my brothers is quite an easy task when they choose to play video games. It's as if the world stops around them and they become entranced by the TV. (They didn't even notice that I took a picture of them.) So after a while of video gaming, I have to force them to get in the pool or play outside...such a hard life.

My crazy bro- May 24, 2010

Although I love this blog and have fun writing my little entries and comments, for the next couple weeks I'm just going to have my picture of the day and a brief caption or description of the photo. I've been super busy planning Europe, babysitting my brothers, and trying to not live on my computer before I leave my family for almost a month. So enjoy my little break of blogging and stay entertained with my little captions. ;)

Since my mom was at the hospital for my grandpa's surgery, I was put on babysitting duty. And with this crazy kid, it's pretty much a day of fun. Christian and I sword fought, had light saber battles, played with silly bandz, and swam in the pool. His new favorite identity is "Puss in Boots"- he slips on his rainboots, ties a belt around his waist, and whips out his sword. He is such a cool kid!

Grandad's Gathering- May 23, 2010

Before Grandad's operation in the morning, we all gathered at our house to spend a fun evening filled with family and love. All of my mom's siblings were in town for the first time in so many years, and we were all able to spend time with the man who leads us all.

Grandad is always in such good spirits. Even when he is about to have a huge surgery, he is still cracking jokes, laughing, and the happiest man to be around. Between him and Grammie, they are two of the most positive thinkers and spiritual people I know. We will all be praying for and thinking about Grandad in the morning. He knows how much we all love and care for him, but we just can't say it enough!

Recital Day 2- May 22, 2010

Day 2 of the dance recital went just as well, but was a much, much longer day. There were three shows back to back that lasted from 1pm unitl about 10pm. My feet and legs were so exhausted by the end of the night that I could hardly stand up. I was so happy to have my sisters watching one of the shows so they could finally see the students that I taught and how awesome the older dancers at the studio were.

I was also so excited about these shows because I got to perform in them! All of the dance instructors of the studio danced together in a "staff dance" that was a sort of mockery of the company dances. Although it was just a silly, fun dance, it was still nice to actually perform on stage again. I know all the students thought it was hilarious and we definitely had fun while dancing.

I'm going to miss the staff and students at UPAC so much. Thanks for a fabulous two years!

UPAC Recital- May 21, 2010

Dance Recital Day is finally here!

All of my dancers looked beautiful as they arrived in their sparkly tutus and shiny costumes. My little preschool dancers looked precious in their first ballet costumes. It was adorable to see the excitement in their eyes as they anxiously awaited their first dance performance on stage. All of my dances looked awesome and I'm so proud of how hard everyone worked this year with me. I was definitely blessed with a wonderful group of students and hope they all continue to dance for many years to come. Congratulations girls! You did great!

Roomie dinner- May 20, 2010

Today my roomie Jayde cooked me a marvelous dinner. :)

Since Jayde couldn't make it to my graduation party this past weekend, she had her own little celebration with me. She cooked my favorite meal that she makes: homemade chicken enchiladas. They are so delicious! Whenever we moved in together I wanted to eat them every day, but they are only made for special occasions. I think that's what makes them so special!

So we brought our food to the typical location of the couch, and chatted together while watching TV. I can't believe we won't be roommates soon because we have been for 3 out of 4 years during college. I'll definitely miss her because she is one of my best friends and she better come visit me all the time!

Later in the evening we turned on Grey's Anatomy. It happened to be the most intense episode I've ever seen. We both watched through the slits in our fingers over our eyes. What we thought was going to be a nice relaxing evening turned into an intense night!

Thanks Jaydie for my lovely enchilada night!

Banana Split- May 19, 2010

Today I had the first banana split of my lifetime. It was delicious!

After a lovely sushi dinner with my sister Beth, we began the hunt for dessert. We walked downtown hoping one of our favorite ice cream shops would be opened. Unfortunately, none of them were. Kilwin's locked the door just as we were walking up. Insistent on eating dessert, I suggested Sonic because we hadn't been there in years.

Listed on the menu was a banana split. I wanted to venture out and try something new, so I ordered one. I also ordered a Butterfinger Blast as a backup in case I didn't like my first choice. (Yes, that's how much dessert means to me.) And to my surprise, it was quite delicious. My first banana split was from Sonic and I don't regret it. :)

Clear blue water and Margaritas- May 18, 2010

Summer is here and life is good. :)

Ever since my graduation party, we have been enjoying the benefits of having a new margarita machine at my house. My little brothers have designated themselves as the bartenders and are happy to serve us whenever we ask. (Obviously we supervise them, even though they don't need it.) And I definitely don't think any of us are complaining. They've mastered the art of making margaritas, daiquiris, smoothies, and snow cones.

It has definitely been a relaxing break to be home. Lounging by the pool is wonderful, but swimming is another story. My usually perfect little puppy Prince Charming hates it when anyone is in the pool. He literally barks nonstop until you get out of the pool. I know it's because he's protective and thinks we are drowning or something, but it is quite annoying. I literally had to get out of the pool after only about 5 minutes because it wasn't worth the barking.

So I've resorted to laying out and sipping my frozen drinks. While doing this, he lays down next to me and sleeps. I guess his lazyness is rubbing off on me now.

Plan, plan, plan- May 17, 2010

Barnes and Noble, our second home now.

With Europe being less than a month away now, our planning and booking has been put on hyper speed and has become the main focus of our days. The trio of travelers all gathered together at Barnes & Noble to discuss an official itinerary and plan for the upcoming trip. We ended up booking chunnel tickets, our flight to London, and our hostel for the first four nights. This has been the most we've accomplished in months.

After B&N closed on us, we headed back to Lauren's house to continue our winning streak. We always get so worked up and excited when planning our trip because we find all of these amazing places we have yet to discover. The hardest part is narrowing down our trip because we want to do everything.

Week one of our European excursion is complete! Two and a half more weeks to plan. And four weeks until we depart!

Graduation Fiesta!- May 16, 2010

UCF Graduation Party and Fiesta!

To celebrate my graduation from college, my family threw me a fiesta at our house. The party was filled with family, friends, tons of food, cake, maragaritas, and daiquiris. It was so great to see friends from college, friends from high school, and family from near and far. It means so much to me to have so much support and love from all of these people. It is definitely very much appreciated.

I had so much fun celebrating my graduation with such great people. Thank you so much to everyone who attended! And thanks so much to my family for throwing me this party. :) I have the best parents in the whole wide world!

3 shows, 1 day- May 15, 2010

Welcome to Hollywood!

Another day of dance rehearsals, much longer than yesterday. The day started out with the preschool dancers then a run through of shows two, three, and four.

I was at the auditorium from about 8:45am-5:30pm. Enough said.

Dance Rehearsal- May 14, 2010

Long night of rehearsal!

Time to put on my sweats and sneakers and head into the auditorium for an evening of rehearsal for the dance recital.

After the evening of rehearsals was complete, all of us teachers jumped up onstage to rehearse our staff dance. We're doing a dance that is sort of a tribute/mockery of the company dances. It's definitely a fun dance to perform, and just being on stage makes me want to dance so badly.

It's always hard to watch other dancers onstage and not be able to jump up and dance right up there with them. So at least I have the staff dance to fulfill my dancing needs for a while.

FroYo Obsession- May 13, 2010

A new discovery near my apartment: FroYo!

Ice cream, frozen yogurt, and desserts- obvious favorites of mine. I've recently found a new love for frozen yogurt with all of the new little shops opening around the country. I had discovered one back home that I loved, but couldn't find any near me at school....until now!

Let me introduce you to "Simply Frozen Yogurt", one of my new favorite spots for my after dinner treats. New York Cheesecake frozen yogurt with fresh cut strawberries mixed in. Perfection. A healthier alternative to last summer's favorite at "Tilly's Twistee Treat".

So with my newfound love for FroYo, I decided to skip dinner and have a large bowl of Strawberry Cheesecake instead. Loving life :)

Last day at UPAC- May 12, 2010

For the past two years I've been teaching at a local dance studio while attending UCF. As my time at UCF has come to an end, so must my time at UPAC. :(

The UPAC family has been so nice in welcoming me in. I know from experience back home, getting new dance teachers is not something to be excited about. Not because students are rude or mean, but because for dancers, your dance studio is your second home and your teachers and the other students are your family. I didn't feel like I was stepping into foreign waters when I came to this studio, I was immediately welcomed and felt at home.

While working here I've taught ballet, tap, jazz, acro, and lyrical. I've taught 3 year olds and I've taught high school students. I definitely think I've grown as a dancer and a dance teacher from working here. Just watching the senior girls alone is enough inspiration for me to dance. I've witnessed some of the most talented dancers here and feel lucky to be one of the teachers at the this studio. Unfortunately, since I'm moving home, I won't be teaching here any longer...but they will always be my second dance family! I hope my dance studio back home is ready for me to come back because I miss my home away from home!

(The mug was a present from one of my preschool students. Definitely an adorable gift to remember my last day of teaching dance at UPAC.)

Europe planning- May 11, 2010

Europe 2010 is officially happening!!

We have spent the last few days researching flights, cities, hotels, hostels, and everything you can possibly imagine to help plan our trip to Europe this summer.

Our itinerary includes:

Dublin, Ireland

London, England

Paris, France

Berlin, Germany

Munich, Germany

Zurich, Switzerland

Portofino, Italy

Barcelona, Spain

This also includes side trips to other nearby cities and landmarks. (Including Disneyland Paris and Neuschwanstein Castle, for us Disney lovers...as well as kissing the Blarney Stone and seeing the running of the bulls!) If you have any suggestions or ideas for our trip, let us know! I can't believe this is really happening. I'm about to travel the world with two of my best friends! :)

And...drumroll...we booked our flights!! (Updated on May 14th!)

Ray Bans- May 10, 2010

I love my Ray Bans!

I've always wanted a pair of Ray Bans and have had way too many imitation pairs that just break or don't fit right. So for graduation, I got my first pair! They are so adorable and have the NY subway station map printed on the inside of them. Yay, I'm so excited!

Now I won't get premature wrinkles around my eyes from squinting in the sun. So obviously, it was a necessary purchase. And...I feel like they inspire travel with the map on them, so it was crucial for my Europe planning. Thanks pops!

Mother's Day- May 9, 2010

I love my mommy!!

The best way to celebrate Mother's Day is to have all the children together in one place with our fabulous mother. It's quite a task rounding up all the siblings together for a weekend, but since it was my graduation and Mother's Day, it actually happened. :)

My mom is the best mom in the entire world! Seriously, she is. She devotes her life to her children and always puts us first no matter what. Even with so many of us, she makes sure we all feel special and she makes time to spend individually with all of us. She probably deserves a hundred days of the year dedicated to her, but here's at least one to show how thankful we are for her. I'm so happy and lucky to have such a loving and caring mom. I love you Mom!! Happy Mother's Day!

(Dad, you're also the best and I love you, too...but today is Mom's Day!)

GRADUATION!!- May 8, 2010

I'm officially a University of Central Florida alumnus!! Aah!

I successfully walked across the stage, free of any trips or stumbles, and received my diploma...fake diploma, that is. I think my proudest moment, however, was seeing my family at the end of the ceremony holding up their U-C-F arms! And I think I got some of the loudest cheers as I walked across the stage. :)

After the ceremony, we headed straight back to the Hard Rock, slipped into our bathing suits, and headed down to the pool. Sunshine, pina coladas, daiquiris, old school rock'n'roll, and swimming...couldn't ask for a more relaxing way to celebrate being done with college. I was even announced through the speakers on the pool deck! It was so nice to celebrate with my family and just relax after such a crazy and busy semester! Farewell college, you've been superb. :)

Graduating tomorrow!- May 7, 2010

Tomorrow I am graduating college!

My family came into town tonight and we all stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel by Universal, one of my favorite spots in Orlando. My parents, Beth, and I all went out to a fancy-shmancy dinner at one of the other hotels and it was quite delicious. They kept bringing us free food because it was my graduation which was definitely an added plus. I also got a dessert with "Congratulations" written in chocolate syrup across the plate. Yay!

Going to bed at night was definitely a weird feeling knowing I would be graduating the next morning. I think it finally hit me that this chapter of my life is ending and although I've been really excited, I'm not sure if I'm really ready. It's definitely a time filled with mixed emotions: Excited, relieved, nervous, and anxious! We'll see what the next chapter has to offer!!

Class of 2010- May 6, 2010

UCF class of 2010!!

It's official...

we are graduating this weekend!

Me and my bestest friends at UCF went on our last photo shoot around campus before we become UCF alumni. It's kind of pathetic, but I didn't even know this knight statue existed on our campus until today. But hey, it made for a good photo backdrop. I still don't understand why it's hidden back behind the stadium.

It's so crazy to walk around campus and have so many memories from the four years here. Every area of campus brings back some sort of happy memory. I've had such an amazing experience here at UCF and will never forget all of the amazing people I've met and moments I've experienced. I think I've crammed everything I possibly could into these four years and yet Orlando still has so many places yet to be discovered and experienced by me. Even if I don't live here in the future, Orlando has definitely been a fun and crazy place to live! I wouldn't change my time here for the world!

Celebrations- May 5, 2010

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

To celebrate graduating college, Cinco de Mayo, and Chuey's birthday (even though the others didn't know we were celebrating this), a group of us went to a piano bar at Universal's City Walk. It was filled with my besties, live music, and an outrageous drink. We definitely hogged the attention of all the tourists with the purchase of a 3-foot beverage called "The Hurricane". This delicious masterpiece was like KoolAid mixed with fresh oranges, cherries, and ten giant straws. And it definitely made some people's night more interesting than expected.

The live music was also a fun experience, with two grand pianos facing each other playing requested favorite tunes. We sang along to favorites such as "Don't Stop Believin'". This night out was definitely a fun and memorable experience before graduating. I think we all got a little closer from this experience. :)

Chuey's Birthday- May 4, 2010

Our dear beloved pet Chuey is getting older. Tomorrow is his 3rd birthday and it's crazy to think we've had him for so long!

Chuey was originally bought as part of our Cinco de Mayo celebration at "The Flats", our old place of residence. We originally stuffed him with candy but couldn't force ourselves to hit him open so we picked all the pieces out and have kept him as our little pet for the past three years. He has stayed with us through moving and has been the highlight of many holiday parties. His costumes have varied from a ghost to a fortune teller. I think he likes holidays just as much as Lauren and I do. Many of our Acehouse traditions include the dear "Chuster"and we really couldn't imagine not having our little pet.

So here's to you Chuey, the best little burro we could have asked for. :)

Laundry- May 3, 2010

I had been avoiding this for over a week, but the time finally came when it was necessary to do laundry.

It's always weird getting the last item of clothing out of the laundry basket because it seems like forever ago that it was worn. This time might have been the worst, with clothes from my last days of internship in there which was quite a while ago now.

Laundry days are annoying but necessary. I was getting down to wearing the articles of clothing that I try not to wear unless it's needed. Now I finally have clean clothes!

Brookes' 1st Communion- May 2, 2010

Brookes had his 1st Communion on Sunday and was officially welcomed into the church.

Our family and relatives gathered together to celebate his special day with him. He looked so adorable in his black suit and white tie. During the program, he stood up in front of the entire church to speak, and did so perfectly. We're all so proud of him!

It's hard to believe how long it has been for all of us other siblings since our first communions. The priest spoke of how it's a day that you'll never forget, and I hope it was memorable for Brookes.

After mass, we all gathered at home for cake and celebrations. We love you B! Congratulations on your big day!

Caitlyn's Shower!- May 1, 2010

Today was the lovely Caitlyn's bridal shower! The girls all gathered together to celebrate and shower her with gifts and love.

We all ate delicious food and cake and watched as she opened her gifts, items from kitchenware to lingerie. I'm sure we got some stares from the nearby families eating lunch as she was pulling out her Victoria's Secret gifts. It's still so crazy to me that she is getting married in less than a month now!

It's so fun to dress up and have girly days like this, especially when it's celebrating with your friends! Caitlyn is the perfect bride-to-be and I'm so happy for her!