Introduction - Kelly

"Dance isn't a form, it's a way of life." ~anonymous

I've never written a blog. Never wanted to. I don't have anything against them, but I'm a private person and I have other things that seemed pressing. I'm a writer. An artist. And oh yeah, I do a little consulting. I like to take walks. Attend exercise classes. Garden. Be a fun Aunt. And of course, dance, which includes lessons, practicing, and going out to dance. A lot. And then all the other things that go along with a dancing lifestyle. Like researching where to go. What to wear. Eating out before or after. And so on.

When I analyzed why I wanted to write a blog (as is my wont, my MBTI type is INTJ, part of that consulting thing) I decided there were two reasons. One is selfish, one is for others. Pretty balanced, right? The selfish reason is to record my husband (Gary) and my progress and to keep a running journal together. Awwww, aren't we sweet? The second, philanthropic reason for the blog is I want others to try dancing and maybe get a few tips from our site. We did a bunch of work and spend much in figuring out what worked best on a number of things, so maybe we can save you time and cash.

All this coming from someone who never thought she'd like it. A woman who was called "Grace" Kelly in her youth, and not because she was. A woman who thought her husband would try it and not like it (my husband was the one who started this adventure – or, rather, my sister did, and then my husband, but that's for another entry).

But...I did enjoy it, I do enjoy it, and I know my husband and I will continue to enjoy it. And, as the quote above illustrates, it has changed our lives.

So. That why. Now the what. Since I've just said dancing is all encompassing, that is what I intend this blog to be from my end. Where we go. How we liked the venue. How nice (or not) were the people and the funny names we sometimes give them. Where we take lessons and our wonderful teacher, Melissa. The clothes. Oh the clothes. Jewelry. What kinds will fly off and what kinds will injure your partner. Why you should not wear hand lotion before a dance (bad, very bad). Shoes. How many, what kind, how make your own dance
shoes...OK, stop already. You get the idea.

My hope is to inspire others to try dancing. And for us to finally start using our cameras.

Until next time.