summer2011.

"I know I dreamed you a sin and a lie
I have my freedom, but I don't have much time
Faith has been broken, tears must be cried
Let's do some living after love dies
Wild horses couldn't drag me away
Wild, wild horses, we'll ride them some day" - Wild Horses, The Rolling Stones.

Photography by Portia Favro.

stars.

The last-minute plan nights are always the best ones.

Driving home last night, we reminisced about this summer so far - no boy drama, lots of time to just enjoy each other's company and opportunities finally coming up for everyone.

Here's sitting under the stars, late-night champagne runs and laughing until tears stream from our eyes.

Happy August Long Weekend - stay safe and have fun!

house.

Something has gotta be said about throwing all caution to the wind and throwing yourself out there. Trying new things is extremely nerve-wracking, especially in a public forum.

This summer I've been immensely blessed with work, dance and precious, precious time that I've gotten to spend with my family and friends.

However, it's thrown some curve balls, and as much as I didn't want to do some of the things that have come up, in the end they've been fantastic.

This is a small example, but tonight I was invited to jump in on a House dance class at my studio. House dance is the general "groove" if you will that you see in the clubs or even just cool people on the street, sometimes with some break dance mixed in.

House dance looks easy, but is difficult to master as we're trying to look like you're not trying while you're trying really hard.

Oh and have fun.

I took a House class when I first moved to Toronto and loved the instructor but felt like I failed. Some of those guys were just so good.

When the opportunity came up for class tonight, my initial reaction was "I'm no good at that. I'm a contemporary girl".

But I took the class anyway.

And you know what?

It was beyond fun.

I spend so much of my time teaching and taking classes in my own realm of dance that stepping out of it, even for just an hour makes me appreciate my craft and the skills of others that much more.

So my challenge for you is to take a risk this week (not life-threatening, don't make me go all lifeguard on you). But do something that scares you. I know I looked like an idiot doing some of those moves, but the feeling afterward it worth more than money.

Try, try, try,

fantastique.

Who would not just have died to have been at Natalia Vodianova's Love Ball this summer?

I'm swooning over the dresses, the theme, the guests...and mostly Anne Hathaway's bejeweled flower crown, oh la la!

la_vie.

There are few feelings better than finding out that things are starting to fall into place and some dreams (even those you didn't know you had) are starting to come true.

Life is good. Nothing to complain about.

valerie.

R.I.P. Amy Winehouse. This was pretty scary as I was thinking about her new album that is reportedly supposed to be out in the fall last Friday.

feathers.

Oh sunshine, Sundays and summer, j'adore toi. I know that Toronto has been roasting for the past week, but B.C. has been chilly and rainy - not so fun.

However, this weekend the heat arrived in full force, right in time for some tanning and good hangouts with your girlfriends.

Here's what I'm loving this month:

Reading Lyrics 2 Live By , it's spot on for so many true things, and reminding me of songs and musicians I've forgotten.

Sipping on Granville Island's False Creek Raspberry Ale. The absolute best beer for the season - light but still tasty.

Check out the site PS I Made This for unique and interesting homemade fashions. I'm loving these personalized feather earrings & other jewelry ideas this season.

Feeling under the weather? Head to Oranj Dance and Fitness in Kelowna and take any class. You'll feel a hundred times better after a good yoga class, peppermint oil neck massage and smoothie. The staff also bring in their pets! Check out the tour by owner Shelia Chutskoff above.

Cover every surface with fresh, colourful flowers in mason jars. So simple, but gorgeous. It's the little details that count.

Enjoy the rest of the day - I'm off to walk my puppies around downtown Kelowna and look for the Ogopogo. Cheers!

maturity.

How many times have you heard "kids nowadays...they're growing up to fast." (If I had a nickel for every time...) But I'm here to make a counter-argument.

Mind you, I'm biased, and will admit that up front. Working with kids ages three to 12 full-time in a non-school setting opened a lot of doors to their minds.

Yes kids are more mature than ever nowadays, but they are also sophisicated beyond belief.

This week, I had a camper who was so embarassed over something that she started to cry. Thinking back to my childhood, I was totally in that girls shoes once, and was prepared to step in and tell her that we all have our moments.

What blew me away was that none of my other campers laughed, joked or made fun of their crying peer over her actions.

Instead, not one, not two, but at least half a dozen of the girls all said, "Don't worry, I've done that before, she's so strong to stay at camp and keep her chin up."

In a group of 20 girls, no one mentioned it for the rest of the week.

Yes, we long to be young, stupid and naive at certain moments of life. When my kinder-dance kids pee their pants, I wish that they were older. But now, I see that we're in an exciting time of change in the "modern" childhood.

The grace and maturity that these girls demonstrated to me this week was unparalleled - I know people my age who don't know have any of those social skills.

Driving to work yesterday, a report on CBC Radio caught my ear and I immediately cranked it.

The report was discussing how children are not able to gage risk and danger because parents hold them back from getting hurt. Therefore, the simple method of getting hurt once and remembering that big fall, scrape, etc., (and thus not doing that again) isn't even in the picture.

So how is it that these kids are so mature, yet we're treating them like they have no brains to understand danger?

Hmm.

I'll let that sit. Next week I'm going to watch more of what I'm doing and how this plays out. I have so much hope for this next generation of children. They aren't horrible people, they're just different. And at the end of the day, different isn't good and it isn't bad, it's just different.

fleur.

So simple, but divine, divine divine. Beautifully executed.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Tulips from Chris Abbas on Vimeo.

B&W21.

Quote of the day: "Best friends listen to the things you don't say."
Very true. I'm lucky to have some of those friends and hope that they know that's how I treat them as well.