Little Miss Fierce

This past weekend, Mark, myself and our four Angel Daughters were here.  At the Wynn Hotel.  In Las Vegas, Nevada, a city I used to love, but which now just causes my brain to ache.  When our girls were little, Mark and I used to visit Las Vegas as a get-away.  I used to enjoy competing in Black-Jack tournaments and Mark, who does not gamble at all, would use the time to relax while catching up on business.  At night, we would go out to dinner and catch a show or spend time with our good friends who moved out to Nevada about ten years ago.  These days, a lot of national cheer and dance competitions are held in Las Vegas, which is what brought us out there this past weekend.
I love the way that my Angel Daughters support one another.  I think it is wonderful to have your own built-in cheering section that will always be there to strengthen your morale.  So, when we weren't relaxing in our room or visiting with our friends, we were at the convention center cheering Angel Daughter Number Four on!
Angel Daughter Number Four is the captain of her Hip-Hop team.  She is the little one who is front and center.  And although AD4 is small in stature:
She is a fierce little dancer!  When she hits the stage, you can almost see the adrenaline begin coursing throughout her veins as she takes on the personality of the music.
And although Hip-Hop is her style of choice right now, she can just as easily become a graceful ballerina with a simple song change.  Movement and dance live inside of her soul and I am so grateful that she follows the call.

We had a great time on our little family adventure.  We even got the opportunity to see Le Reve which is an amazing Cirque Du Soleil production.  It was truly one of my favorites.  Absolutely breathtaking.  If you ever get the chance to see any of The Cirque productions, you must.  The things that these individuals can do with their bodies is beyond almost anything you can imagine.  

Angel Daughter Number Four's team won first place out of seven teams!  Their performance was crisp, energetic and fabulous!  They had a great season winning first place, plus overall Grand Champions out of the entire competition in their last three competitions.  I am so proud of my girls.  When driven to do something that they love, they do so with all of their hearts.  To me, there is nothing like watching my daughters living a life that they love.  I want their lives to always feel full and purpose-driven.  I want to watch them as they continue to sprout new feathers on their wings and as they share their gifts with the world.  These are some of the things which fill my soul.  These are the moments when my own feathers feel the fullest.

Glass Flowers or Leaving Las Vegas, Part II

Since you have embraced the sadder times of life with me, it is only fitting that I share this little miracle with you.  This is my youngest angel getting to know my great-niece, soul to soul.  And yes, she smells as wonderful as she looks.  There is something about a new baby...Let's just say that I might have had another one if my husband and my OB hadn't nixed that idea.  I am one of those kinds of women.  Extremely maternal and naturally in tune.  As a child, the only thing which I knew for sure about my future was that I would have children.  I am very lucky that I married the man that I did.  He is also a natural father.  Strong, paternal, and a total goof-ball with our daughters.  I only hope that our angels marry men who are a lot like their father is.  My future son-in-laws will have some big shoes to fill.
Ah, Las Vegas.  Interesting town.  Whenever we go there to visit our dear friends, I think about how many times this town has redefined itself.  From the days in which the mob ran this place to the failed attempt at making it a wonderful family destination(Bad idea. Very, very bad idea.), this city has changed it's facade dozens of times.  Being the "card shark"(tee-hee) which you now all know me to be, I have witnessed several of the major changes, myself.  I will tell you one thing.  People do not go there for the shopping.
I'm not sure who the man in the white shirt is(good thing he still has his shirt after spending some time in Vegas), but I can tell you who all of these lovely, smiling individuals are in the center of the frame.  On the left, is The Cheesemiester, my oldest daughter's boyfriend, and my newest Black Jack student.  I think, from now on, I will also refer to him as "Grasshopper". Next to Grasshopper is Angel Daughter Number One, Angel Daughter Number Two, Angel Daughter Number Four(I get so confused when they mix themselves up!), and Angel Daughter Number Number Three.  Next to AD3 is...Wait who is that pretty young lady and what is she doing in our picture?!?!  Okay, just toying with you.  That's B, one of AD3's very best friends.  She came with us to Vegas, and I am very glad that she did.  B is a very sweet girl.  Polite and friendly.  It makes me happy to know that my girls have such wonderful friends.  She was a delight to have around.  You should have seen our suite after six kids and two adults got finished with it!  Oy.
If you have never been to Las Vegas, this is the ceiling at The Bellagio Hotel where we stayed.  Those are individual colored, glass flowers which were placed up there to resemble a giant flower garden.  The colors are vibrant and magical.  I must admit that with the endless supply of money that Las Vegas takes in, they do use their imagination to create interesting and creative casinos.  However, people sometimes forget that glass flowers are still made of glass and can easily shatter unlike the real thing.  This town can fool people into thinking that what they are seeing is real.  Most of it, is in fact, a facade or an illusion.  Much of this isn't reality.  Once again, let me remind you as a kind of public service announcement.  People do not go to this town for the shopping.
And finally, here is my family.  Look!  All of our angels are in the correct order, surrounding their daddy.  He is a very lucky man.  We are a very blessed family because we have each other. This is what is real.  No glass flowers here.(except on the ceiling)

May you be blessed with as much good as your heart can hold.  May you always find a way to recognize what is important and holy in a life which can sometimes be painful.  Life is a classroom and we are both the students and the teachers.  May you find ways in which to learn from all of the experiences of your days, and may you sometimes stop to contemplate who your teachers are and who your students might be.  Distinguish what is real, and hold fast to it.  Balance.  Balance.