Culley's Corner: Nationals Time!

Nationals was exciting this year because we got to go with Em and Livy. A sister and biggest kids bonding time! We left early in the morning to catch our flight. The sunrise seemed to be telling us that it was going to be a great time.

Our flight took off on time with no hiccups.

Our first hurdle when we landed was the rental car. We knew they had the date of pick up wrong. Long story, but they got the date wrong, quoted us a price using that date, and when we tried to edit it online it doubled the price. We decided to let it be, show up at the rental desk, and see what we could work out there. Adrienne and Livy found a bench to settle in and watch the show. I have a history of scenes in airports, so Adrienne got just far enough away to pretend she didn’t know me should things go south. It ended up going so easy it was almost disappointing. They gave us a car and charged us $30 extra and everyone was happy(mostly Adrienne and Livy).

We had a few hours to kill before we could check into the hotel, so we got lunch, groceries, and Hawaiian gear for spirit day.

Yuuuuummmmmm. By the time we got to the hotel, we were set up for the week! Our view was not to shabby.

I’ll just leave this right here.

There was a door decorating contest, and I’ll admit I did nothing for this. Em brought it all!

We unpacked and got the lay of the land. We were thirsty.

Livy and Adrienne both found their friends and split off with them. Livy’s group was planning on staying by the pool and getting dinner at the hotel. Adrienne’s group had plans to go out. Appropriately, we ate at “Big City Tavern”!

We had the entire next day free as we weren’t scheduled to dance until Tuesday. Adrienne’s friends wanted to do the banana boat.

We spent the afternoon by the pool with the best chips and mango salsa.

Adrienne asked if I would find a place for dinner that night and make a reservation. This is a big responsibility…and I’m kinda a newbie to the mom group. I did not want to screw this up! I asked around the locals for recommendations and made some calls. I settled on a seafood restaurant that gave us outside seating on a private dock. SCORE ONE FOR THE NEWBIE! It worked out great.

Finally, on Tuesday we danced! The girls were pumped! And they delivered.

Funny story. The girls had to be there pretty early in the morning. So of course the senior parents were like, oh hell no. We arranged for the hotel shuttle to take them and we would meet them later when the actual dancing started and we had gotten a Starbucks:) I added Livy in the count, because hello, one rental car and early morning. Buh Bye. Em and I managed a “good luck” from the comfort of our beds as the girls left the hotel room. We took our time getting showered and ready, went to Starbucks(with a list of orders from Em’s friends who had already been there for hours with their Livy aged children), and then headed over to the convention center. It was pretty funny when we strolled in. Em was like “has anyone seen my kid?” Her friends were like “how did you manage this wonderful morning you’ve orchestrated????” Needless to say, the shuttle left the hotel each morning with all the seniors and Livy on it. Actually, that isn't true. One morning she decided to meet a friend for breakfast, missed the shuttle, and jumped in a friends car. Em and I had no idea until we got to the convention center later. #worldsokayistmoms #again

Love an independent kid. Bam.

Bittersweet to see my girl dance for the last time, but awesome to see her culminate her journey with this experience.

Tuesday was also Hawaiian spirit day. The girls got to wear our dollar store purchases from the first day.

The next day was more dancing, including production.

This is the moment Em and I decided Adrienne could not go to college. Ever.

There was a big awkward break in the day and the girls weren’t allowed to leave. We could though:)

We went back for awards which, not going to lie, were disappointing. We’re about having a good time though, so honestly, we never really care about the results. However, once in a while you feel really cheated, and this was one of them.

We had the Big City party on the beach that night! The kids split off in teams and did a scavenger hunt.

There was a little dancing the next day in the showcase, and that was it. 16 years of dance classes, conventions, workshops, travel, performances, and competitions. All behind us, and new adventure in front of us.

The girls were happy to get some pool time before dinner.

Dinner was tricky that night. We didn’t have reservations and it was a Thursday so restaurants were more busy. Somehow I got voted in charge of finding a place. I did, and made a reservation for 30. Kids kept texting Adrienne and asking if they could be added on. After calling the restaurant 4 times, they finally said they were at capacity and absolutely could not add any more. There was one family that I knew before coming to the studio last year. They were not very nice to me when I saw them, and certainly didn’t make any effort to include me or show me the ropes as a new parent. Fast forward to this summer, and that same parent called me to see if they could be added to the reservation. I was able to say, “I feel really bad about this. I know what it’s like to be on the outside and not be included. I don’t like anyone to be left out.” Sometimes life comes full circle and (although not mature) it feels good. However, I took the high road and called the restaurant one last time. We got seating for the parents in the bar area and accommodated all the kids in the dining area. The funny thing about this long story is that when we got there they had basically given away our table and it was one big cluster. They seated us in a separate room but the kids didn’t get to see the Polynesian dance show. All's well that ends well, and in the end the kids got food and sat together.

Thank God Livy’s friends went to same place, because this is the only picture of the 4 of us we have!

It was a awesome trip, and one for the memory books. We love these girls, and realized they are basically the same person.

The next morning was an early one. These girls didn’t mind at all. They kept telling us, moms, we love you so much. We would get up at any time of the morning in order to be with you.