One show down, one to go...

Well, our first show was last night. Not too bad, really. We laughed, we cried, we danced with Nicola and random strangers.

I was serious about the crying, by the way. The tribute to Caroline went great, I think. It's the only time I have EVER danced without smiling and not gotten reprimanded. But it wasn't too serious, sappy, or sad, either, and Saroya and Sarah scheduled one of the beginner students with a really upbeat, light-hearted number right after us.

I really do a much better job dancing with props. We did fans, and it was so much less nerve-wracking than it would have been. Fans, swords, candles, tambourines, baskets, canes, veils...I love them all! Except zills. Zills are evil incarnate.

By the way, did you know you can practice double fan to White and Nerdy? Now you know...

I can't believe I'm doing this...

Well, my dance troop, Seshambeh Dance Company in Atlanta, is part of a twice-yearly show at Nicola's Restaurant in the Emory area. This year, we're doing a tribute to my friend Caroline Moulder as our group number. Did I mention we are each doing a very short solo as part of it?

Yeah, you heard me right. A...solo...ME. Sure, it's really, really short, but for me, it's still a miracle. Oh, and I left out the part where we do TWO shows this year! So I guess you know where I'll be December 4 and December 11. And in the MIDDLE of those is the church's Christmas show.

And it's too late to back out now! I have the tickets to sell and everything. And the group choreography is already broken into solo sections, so no backing out of that, either. Did I mention the part where I said I MIGHT do a solo—a REAL solo—in June? Yeah, I've done it now. But one performance at a time...

In Memory of Caroline Moulder

This is the saddest post I have ever made. It's been over a month, but I still don't know if I can get through this without crying, so bear with me.

On July 26, 2006, in Afghanistan, a very sweet, beautiful young woman named Caroline lost her life in a helicopter accident. She was traveling with her mother Darlene and her sister Bryn to visit her dad, a civilian contractor working on base in Afghanistan.

Caroline was a wonderful person and a true joy to know. She was always kind and always exhuberant. She and her mother and sister were active members of their church in Midtown Atlanta. Caroline had just graduated from Grady High School and would have started at the University of Georgia last month.

My fondest, clearest memories are of her and her best friend Kate joking around in class. Whenever we were working on a particularly difficult combination or routine, we could always count on them to remain upbeat. Together, they were a blast. The loss of Caroline makes me treasure Kate all the more.

Please pray for Kate and for Caroline's family, especially her dad. Perhaps it seems strange to ask that now, five weeks later, but I think now is when they need that prayer most. All around them life has returned to normal and settled into a new routine. But for those closest to them, the pain and emptiness left by the loss of the Moulder women won't disappear so soon.

Caroline, I can't wait to see you again. You know I'll look you up when I get to heaven.