To West Coast and Back Again

Issa and I spent the weekend in Reston, VA for her first convention and competition of the year! While some things were very much the same, there were also the some major differences. To start, usually we got to West Coast in SC, but this year we traveled North--same teachers different hotel. We also traveled with Breah and Ellie, which was truly lovely. These girls were thrilled for the extra time:

 And I love hanging out with Breah. She doesn't mind driving in traffic; I don't mind navigating. It was a match made in heaven.

Saturday morning, we were up bright and early to start dancing. I was the only parent with this lovely crew:

 Not gonna lie: that was a bit much. They danced so well, though, and I absolutely love watching my girl do her thing!

Saturday night, Issa competed musical theatre. Her teacher had her skirt for a new hem, so we headed down to the competition in most of her costume and sweatpants:

 It amused me greatly. And this crew did a great job:

 They earned four stars and took first in their category!

Sunday morning we were back to dancing:

 I truly cannot believe how much Issa has grown. I still remember her first convention when she spent most of the time looking over her shoulder at me, completely lost. This year, she rocked it. Her highlight was getting positive feedback from the ballet teacher on her strong arms and shoulders. My highlight was just watching her truly enjoy learning and dancing.

The studio rocked it:

 And these two both made the stage for scholarships!

 Issa was a finalist, and Ellie won a scholarship for next year!

We got home at 9:45 last night, so this morning was a tight turn. It was absolutely worth it, though!