Mom's Birthday

This year we celebrated mom's birthday for 3 days!!!

Day 1 - Saturday - VA State Open competition which was amazing with very high level couples competing and fabulous Max Kozhevnikov and Beata doing the show. My favorites were the Mirage (Rumba), the Gypsy (Paso) and Chaplin (Samba). It is hard to believe that human bodies are capable to move with such speed and precision. Their artistry is quite amazing as well. Well, for those of you who missed the show - put it on a must do list next year. (In addition to my Race for Hope :-)) If you want to see some pictures - you can do so at my friend's blog: elizabethrichardson.blog (I just had to borrow this Rumba picture from her site)

Day 2 - surprise party with mom's friends. Thank you all who joined us on my short notice to wish mom Happy Birthday. You made the party! Unfortunately I forgot battery for my camera so pictures are from the phone. Mom's expression when she saw everyone there said it all great!!! She keeps talking about who much she was surprised and happy.

Day 3 - winding down - just a dessert at my friend's (Alexander Arman) new restaurant in Rockville, but Teramisu was quite wonderful. This place - Fortuna Grille has great food, excellent service and now live music on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. I hope you will check it out. Mom got totally drunk hi-hi-hi and acted silly. Overall, very, very nice weekend she truly enjoyed. Well.....back regular schedule now.

Va Beach Trip

Virginia Beach

Just wanted to share my pictures with friends. It is amazing what 4 days of leisure can do for you. You teach teach teach...........until you start shouting in response to a simple question: "would you like some coffee?" So luckily I had to take a break to heal my knee a little and thus decided to use that time more fruitful and take off to VA Beach. My mom and I turned out very lucky with the weather and had wonderful relaxing time on the beach, so I will try to put some pictures to prove the same:-)
I hope Liz and I will now be able to plan another escape perhaps to Miami and perhaps in September. Tag along - the more the merrier!

Garry Gekhman - thinks I am a great talented dancer!

I am so excited - my new coach Garry Gekhman has moved to VA for good and now I get to dance with him more often. I think he is a brilliant instructor ......if you are willing work hard. Sometimes it may feel like "I can do NO RIGHT!" But then I got comment like - there is nobody to dance here with except of you and Polina or he asks if I would be willing to be his demo partner on the work shops.... OF COURSE!!! I guess I am doing something right. Garry definitely knows his stuff in and out, knows how get it though to you most of the times (although I still like Genia most for Latin). And did I mention that Garry is a sweetheart? Very nice, sweet, reliable guy, a kind you want to be close friends with.
Anyway with Garry and Genia - I could not be happier in my professional carrier. Wait....- could be - if I had a partner of my own :-) Hey - available partners out there - Garry thinks I am excellent - where are you :-) ??