My sister and mom

Enjoying Hawaii

Swimming with dolphins

This past summer was a complete whirlwind for me, but full of some much needed relaxation! While many dancers opt to continue dancing and guest at various places, I spent the bulk of my summer with my family.  My family lives in Chicago, a place I  always love going back to visit.  I’m very close with them and since we don’t get to see each other much during the season, we definitely take advantage of being together whenever possible. This summer was extra special as my sister graduated with her doctorate of physical therapy and recently got engaged! We were fortunate enough to celebrate with a family trip to Hawaii before my sister weds next summer.

It was my first experience in Hawaii and I was completely blown away!  I was in complete awe of the island’s beauty, the glorious weather, and how warm everyone was to us; I’m also so thankful for such an incredible experience.  We split our time between the northshore of Oahu and Waikiki. Some of my favorite moments were hiking Diamond Head, swimming with dolphins, horseback riding, and just splashing around in the ocean with everyone. It was an amazing trip and one that I will always remember.

After leaving Hawaii, I spent even more time with my family and then came back to San Francisco to embark on another new adventure: moving.  I recently moved in with two of my fellow dancers and dear friends, Jordan Hammond and Kim Braylock. While moving was a huge challenge, I had plenty of help from my boyfriend and his family.  I don’t know what I would have done without them, but I love my new apartment and my roommates are the absolute sweetest!

While summer is definitely a time to relax, I still managed to take a few ballet classes here and there and stay active.  There is nothing harder than coming back to full days of work after six weeks of not dancing!  I came back to San Francisco a couple weeks before work to start taking classes and spend time with my boyfriend and his family. Since being back at work, I’ve quickly adjusted to full days of rehearsals and hours in pointe shoes, but I’ve enjoyed all of it.  It feels great being back with my ballet family at SFB and I’ve had so much fun catching up with everyone in the company.

We spend so much time together and have all become so close and supportive of each other that it truly is like a family, which is something you don’t see in most companies.  I feel blessed to be a part of such an amazing group and look forward to more memories and adventures in the future.