There will be blood.

Had my first "blood draw" at the new studio.
okay, okay, so there wasn't really blood...
but there was loss of skin, so that's something.

Now this is gross and kind of pointless, but it really made me happy.

My feet are starting to look like dancer feet.
They're forming callouses and rough spots and toe nails are starting to split.
I'm starting to get dancer's feet.
The normally dreaded thing is more like a right of passage to me,
A red badge of courage, so to speak.
It means I'm getting somewhere, means I'm growing.
That I'm not just getting blisters because I have the wrong shoes, but because I'm working hard and improving.
(okay, so it was because my toepad slipped, which rubbed my foot wrong, but whatever.)

Nutcracker auditions are tomorrow.
I'm excited and hopeful that maybe I'll be good enough to get a part fitting to my age group.
If not, it's okay.
I tried and that's what matters. I can do nothing but improve from here.
(technically, I could stay stagnant, but really. What would be the point?)

Thursday classes leave me feeling invigorated.
Mrs. Munro complimented me, and helped me reach a higher back attitude and arabesque than I thought was possible. She pointed out that the reason I'm not going higher--because I should be, and I'm able to--is all because I just need to let myself lean forward a little.
Simple.

I'm excited to see where this year takes me.