SAHS Dance Competition: Inaugural "For the Love of Dance" Event

Last Saturday, SAHS hosted it's Inaugural (that's the correct way to say first annual, I recently learned) dance competition. I've never been to anything like this before. There were so many cool and unexpected surprises. LOVED IT!  :)

The day started out with The National Anthem. This guy belted out some seriously beautiful a cappella sound. He gave me goosebumps. Totally put me in the perfect mood for rocking out some dance photos. 

Did you know - the hosts don't officially compete at these events? (They still get scored and stuff - they just aren't in the running for prizes). When I first heard that I thought it was the strangest thing, but watching the competition, I really liked it. The Southern Belles are AMAZING hostesses (and amazing young women.  Seriously. Classy!) I wish there had been more girls like them at my high school. Anyway, NOT competing meant that they could be truly genuine and awesome hostesses (and they totally were!!) It was really awesome to see Albany represent so impressively.

Anyway, on to the dancing. ENJOY! To see all team photos, just click on the hyperlinks and you'll be sent to the galleries.

West Albany

Grant Union

Amity

West Salem

Lebanon

Gladstone

Bandon

Philomath

Marshfield

South Salem Saxons

South Albany

Sweet Home

 

Awards Etc.

Putting together a big event like this takes quite a team. Between each dance, the floors get swept by THE SWEEPER BOYS! These guys were totally cute with their broom pushing all day long, so I shouldn't have been SHOCKED when they busted out their own dance routine at the end of the day. But I totally was. LOVED IT! There were also TONS of parent and staff volunteers too - WELL DONE TEAM!!

One of the dance fund-raisers that happened during the competition was that you could have an announcement read over the loud speaker for like $2-3. Below is a series of shots of one of the dancers getting asked out to prom via loudspeaker note. It was all kinds of adorable.

Next: the winners of "Drill Down." I think I "get" this, but I know I don't get it enough to explain it. Ask a dancer.  :)

I'm sharing the photo below because of the story, not the photo. One of the many jobs that put me through school was "Janitor." It's not glamorous. And, it's not usually that appreciated of a job either (speaking from my own experience). So, it MADE MY DAY when the Southern Belles introduced Mr. AWESOME, the janitor who had been helping out at the event, as one of the people who deserved extra thanks and praise for his efforts and assistance with this event. See what I mean!?! These girls are AWESOME. And, so is Mr. Awesome!

And, reactions to winning - (although these photos don't include dancing, they are some of my favorites from the day).  :)

Gray Gable Estate Wedding with Shaved Ice Treats

Thanks to Stephen Hamilton of Remembrance Photography for inviting me to tag along for this event! I (obviously) had a blast at Annie & Jason's Wedding.  :)

I haven't had a Shaved Ice in Forever, but I was happy to change that when I saw Annie & Jason's Shaved Ice Bar!  YUMMY! It was a PERFECT idea for a hot wedding day. 

So, when I think of choreographed first dances, I usually think of the hours of practice and the effort involved. NOT SO with Annie and Jason's. They were having SO much fun! Yes, they must've practiced for hours. But it was worth it. And not just because they had a beautiful wedding dance to show for it. Annie and Jason are great dance partners, and they will be for life. And, watching them spin around on the dance floor, I gotta say  - That Is Pretty Dang Awesome.  :)

PS - I've never seen a woman on a dance floor who doesn't enjoy being spun by her dance partner. Just Sayin'.

I must admit, I'm also a big sucker for a sweet father-daughter dance.

Annie & Jason also had awesome flowers for their guests. They sent me home with two of them (SWEET!). As you can see (in like ALL of the photos below), everyone LOVED the hair flowers. :)

Enjoy your Happily Ever After, Jason and Annie! You guys are off to an AMAZING start!  :)

Intimate Orcas Island Destination Wedding

Josh & Jodie's destination wedding on Orcas Island can best be described as gorgeous, relaxing, & intimate. If one of your wedding day goals is to really, really, relax and enjoy a calm and peaceful wedding day, an intimate destination ceremony is The Way To Go. 

As soon as we boarded the ferry and headed topside, the warm air just blew away the hustle and bustle of daily life and we were literally transported to a place that seemed worlds away from reality.  :)

The Rosario Resort & Spa (pictured below) is a gorgeous place to stay. It's also REALLY really peaceful. 

Josh and Jodie found a hidden gem of a chapel on Orcas. And, seriously - it's hidden. Victorian Valley Chapel is at the end of a meandering dirt road - past ponds and trees, nestled perfectly into the scenery. 

Jodie's dad wanted to make sure he didn't mess up on his part of the ceremony, so he employed an age-old memory-enhancing technique. Loved it!

He did a great job of giving his daughter away!

Josh & Jodie did a wine blending (and preserving) as a part of their ceremony, to be saved for a future anniversary. Isn't that a cool idea?! Officially the FIRST time I've ever seen/heard of it.  :)

Because it was such a relaxed and intimate day, we had a flexible schedule and plenty of time to take plenty of photos. 

While we were enjoying our "couple portrait" time, we found a frog! Country girls like Jodie and I don't pass up moments for frog-catching.  PS - getting a frog to hold still for a photo: not something I considered while frog-chasing.  :)