Dream On

So like most white girls, I take ballet lessons. However, a couple of years ago, I took my ballet training to the next level by beginning pointe work. I was 13 and had recently switched studios. My old dance studio refused to put me en pointe, claiming that I “wasn’t ready.” Well, I was most certainly ready, and I had been for the longest time, but that’s another story. Anyway, I had made the executive decision that I would only be able to progress in my dancing if I moved out of my studio of six years and go to a new place where I could make a fresh start.

At my very first class in the new studio, the ballet instructor almost immediately put me in pointe shoes saying that I was “more than ready.” I was relieved to finally know that someone thought I was ready for this next step.

Pure Beauty

A week later, I came to a new class with company girls and donned my pointe shoes as I prepared for barre. I went up onto full-pointe, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world; I couldn’t belive what I had been missing out on for so many years.

As the class started warming up, I fit right in and picked up on all the new combonations. I was dancing like a pro before you could say “ballerina.”  Before long, I learned how to do one of the hardest maneuvers en pointe, a fouette turn. I requires the dancer to swing the leg from a front position to a la seconde as the standing leg jumps up onto the platform of the pointe shoe. The dancer continues to turn in the same fashion until she gets too dizzy to keep going.

One of many steps in a fouette

I’ve found my niche and refuse to give up on my dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer.

A Saturday Downtown

Last Saturday, one of my best friends, Kyra, invited me to go shopping in Buckhead (only the finest for us Dunwoody gals). We decided to invite two more friends to join us on our little venture down a road less travelled by, well, actually, the road most travelled by. I texted our friend, Kayleigh, and she immediately agreed to join us. Kyra, on the other hand, contacted one of her best friends, Paola. Despite the fact that Kayleigh and I had never met Paola, we all meshed the second we crammed inside of Kyra’s mom’s BMW. We headed down Lenox Road towards one of my most favorite malls.

You could say I love to shop.

We headed straight towards Bloomingdale’s the very second we entered the epitome of corruption in America (doesn’t keep me from finding the best deal!). However, the clothes (and sales associates) were simply not fetch enough for our taste; so, we left almost immediately. Next, we strutted down the store-front walk towards C. Wonder (only like the savviest store like ever). Sadly, I refuse to pay the outrageous prices for the cheap merchandise that claim to be “of exceptional quality”. So I typically leave every store empty-handed. We then continued our pursuit to find the most hipster clothes for the best deal, but we single-handedly found ourselves in  the most expensive store for those on the “teen scene”, Vineyard Vines. I took a look on the price tag of the closest t-shirt, and I almost died. The $40.00 seemed to jump off of the tag and whack me in the face. It was just too outrageous for me to linger any longer in the store. We then decided to answer the calls of our ferocious stomachs by heading to the food court.

Once there, we stopped at a brand new yogurt and smoothie store, Delights. Kyra ordered this extremely strange concoction entitled “Bubble Tea.” What makes it “bubbly” are these tapioca balls found at the bottom of the drink. Yet Kyra insisted that it was such a yummy drink. So I reluctantly tried just a bit. However this small taste almost made me barf all over the entire mall. These tapioca balls, I must admit, are the strangest things I’ve ever put into my mouth. Never again.

Like what?

Ew. That’s all I have to say.

Despite my horrid experience with the so-called “bubble tea”, I continued to feel adventurous by trying sushi for the first time. Wow. Who woulda thunk one could make two terrible decisions within 10 minutes of each other. We soon decided it would be best to leave the food court and go to Urban Outfitters before I decided to try spicy salami wrapped in artichoke leaves.

Our little posse gazed at the extremely hipster clothes of Urban Outfitters for a rough 30 minutes before making our purchases and exiting the store. We got back in touch with Kyra’s mom and headed over to Westside Provisions, an outdoor mall very similar to Atlantic Station.

Rustic, isn’t it?

(I think I’m a shopoholic)

We found a little ping-pong table just outside Jack Spade. Kayleigh and I played a couple of rounds while Paola watched and Kyra video tapped (for her future vlog of course). After meandering in and out of picturesque shops, we traveled across the bridge that connects one part of Westside Provisions to the other. We headed over to the Jonathon Adler store (only my favorite designer ever) and I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO FIND A PHONE CASE TO FIT AN iPHONE 3G. I CRIED.

After my amazing find in the Jonathon Adler store, we went over to Anthropologie just across the street to admire the beautiful, yet extremely over-priced, clothes (I mean, I saw a candle that was no bigger than my thumb but was about $20. Ridiculous).

We finally concluded our trip in the local ice cream shop, Jeni’s. Honestly, they have the BEST ice cream ever! I got one scoop of brambleberry crunch on top of, wait for it, loveless biscuits + peach jam (and yes, I said biscuits). There were actual pieces of biscuits in the ice cream!! It was an amazing finish to an amazing day!

Here are just SOME of the exceptional flavors at Jeni’s!