It was a sunny day in Anaheim, and the heat was impossible to deal with today. It was the spring of 2002. My hair was extra frizzy that day, the day haven't forgotten.
"Alright, my girl. Don' t forget, do your best, have fun, and make sure you don't fart! We will be cheering for you!" my dad said.
I stood there, in the gigantic auditorium, waiting for the storm of kisses to end. You might be thinking, wow, your dad's a little weird. Well, yes but, well, he is my dad and I'm pretty strange too. Mom marched up, wished me luck, and gave me the biggest, most GINORMOUS bear hug i have ever gotten. As soon as the family was gone, I started to turn around and walk towards the group, when someone from behind pulled me into and extremely tight hug. I twirled around, and there was Ryan, the best cousin of all time.
"Haha, you scared me," I said, as he chuckled with his own joy of frightening me. He slowly leaned forward and whispered, " Break a leg, kiddo." And with that, he swirled around and headed towards the stairs that lead to the upper level. I walked over to where my dance teacher, Miss Kathy, was calling the tiny troup to line up.
I knew this was it. There was no turning back now.
Cofidently, I fixed my too-high bun on the top of my small head, tightened my red sequined belt, and marched triumphantly toward the door where destiny awaited me.
As the dark blue curtain parted, and the blinding lights snapped on, I breathed nervously as the familiar tune of Yankee Doodle kicked on. One, two, three, four...STEP, STEP, TAP, TAP, point to head, march...lookin good I thought. Oh jeez, here came the twirls. Remember, I thought, 3 twirls, then hands on hips and toe point. Here it comes...one, two, three...well, I guess I was too busy enjoying myself because, even though I told myself not to, I did 5 twirls. Plus, I was two moves behind and I was extremely dizzy! I decided that since I was too far behind, I threw in some moves of my own. Stepity Step something tap tap...and jazz—and at that moment the curtains snapped shut, and the darkness of the stage surrounded me as if i was in the middle of nowhere. Wow, that planned backfired big time. Thank god it was over. I made my way out of there as quickly as possibly, and made my way to mezzanine level, where my family waited for me. But I was stopped short by a crowd of cheeky people that looked extremely familiar. It looked like they were all cheering for me!
I ran to them now, more happy then ever. Ryan winked, my friend Tanner waved, James smiled, and yet another storm of kisses abducted me. I swear, I got so many, my cheeks were numb. On our way home, we laughed about the stupid mistake I had made. Yes, I laughed too because I knew that mistakes aren't a big deal. And you gotta admit, this was pretty funny!
SnapShots
1.
I let my toes sink into the soft silk the world calls sand, and let myself blow away with the salty ocean breeze. California beaches, my home away from home.
2.
I wade myself out until I can't feel the bottom, invisible to me now. I let the water surround me completely until my mind blocks out everything else but the feeling of the first swim of the summer.
3.
I step off the plane, and instantly feel a rush of warm air. The smell I had been used to before has come back to my memory now. Beaches, warmth, family, and love have all come back to me, and I become overwhelmed with joy.