25 years and still going strong

This month, my parents celebrated their 25th anniversary. How awesome. I look forward to one day being there with Tom.

Nutmeg

Tom and I had dinner with Trevor and Kennie the other night. After, we went to Pet Land for fun to see and play with the cute puppies for sale. We knew that we ever got a pet, it would have to be a non-shedding, hypo-allergenic pet. But, we had no intention of considering buying one. We held a few pups, and then we came across this tiny 8 week old girl Shih-Tzu. She was while with some light brown spots on her body. She was so sweet and she had just gotten to the pet store that day. 

We were holding and playing with her in one of those play areas, and it just snuck up on us...we fell in love with her. So much in fact that Tom started talking prices, etc. with one of the employees. Problem was that she was a little costly and we were worried if we wanted to make the financial commitment that comes along with having a puppy, potty training, and all that. But I was game, I wanted her. Trevor even offered to pitch in because he wanted us to get her.

At the end of the night, we ended up leaving the store to think about it...without her. We got home and I felt kinda bummed out. I remember telling Tom that I wanted her and how I felt like we were ready for another addition to our family. Without kids right now, it felt right to have someone else to take care of and love on. Tom slept on it and then next day I got up early to run errands and Saturday chores. I was at Leah's house when I got a picture mail message from Tom. As I'm sure you might guess by now, this is what I saw...

Shocked and giddy, I called Tom. I said "Tom, you got the puppy?!" and he responded something to the effect of "Yeah, I knew you wanted her so I got her first thing when they opened." Now, don't let me fool you, he wanted her, too :) Then he said "when are you coming home?" and I said "now!" I was so excited.

I showed Leah and Kerry the picture and said my byes. Needless to say, it has been a fun, new adventure. She is a ball of love. We named her Nutmeg.

Anniversary and Baby blessing day

Today, Tom and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary. Also, sweet baby Violet was blessed in church. It was a great day to be with family. I am blessed beyond measure and am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for putting the most special and beautiful people in my life.

Crusing the week away

I love traditions, especially this time of year. November brings our annual cruise vacation! We are addicted to taking cruises, it is the perfect vacation. We have more pictures but this was taken one night at one of the ships restaurants.

We have always traveled with Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) and this year we sailed on the Epic ship. It is the largest of the NCL ships. It did not disappoint.

The entertainment was awesome. Blue Man Group was on the boat along with a Cirque type dinner and a show called Cirque Dreams and also a show called Legends in Concert where there were look-a-like performers (Michael Jackson- the best crowd response and REALLY good, Britney Spears, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, etc). It was entertaining and it made me wish I had gotten to see the real deal MJ in concert. He was so incredibly talented. Despite his personal life or whatever you think about it, there is no denying that man had some serious talent. What a gift.

There was also other entertainment like piano bars and sing alongs, night clubs, and our favorite ship entertainer, Bernie Martini who is a lounge singer that is a mix between Frank Sinatra and Michael Buble. We're been fortunate to enjoy his entertainment on the past three cruises we've taken.

One of the funnier moments was participating in Dancing with the "Epic" Stars. Oh wow, this was hilarious. I got chosen from putting my name in a drawing to be partnered up with one of the staff on the Epic. Don't let the title fool you, these partners did not have dance ability...at all. It kind of ran the same way as the show except they played music for the different styles of dance that you did on the spot and then they judged after each one. I got paired up with this guy who had not a clue, we did the Waltz first. I didn't care about winning, just having a good time and laugh..which we did. Good thing I didn't care to win because we got voted off by the judges first! It was too funny and we got interviewed right after by a guy in Second City (one of the comedy groups on the ship). They made my partner feel bad because I told them I actually did dance for a living (kind of). The whole program aired on the ships TV channel all week as did the other events on the ship that week. Tom taped it too, memories!

Another successful vacation down...is it sad we're already ready for next year?!

We have a niece!

I witnessed one of the most miraculous things in my entire life, child birth. My sister, Leah, invited me to be with her and her husband in the delivery room at Kennestone Hospital when she delivered her first baby. I am so grateful for Leah and how close we are. I can't imagine not being there, after all was said and done.

Violet Pearl Thompson was born November 9th at 2:20am weighing 6lbs 4oz 19in of pure perfection.

Here's the story:

Leah called me on Monday afternoon telling me that her water broke and they were headed to the hospital. I made my way to the hospital about an hour later to find her getting set-up and checked out. If you know Kerry, he came prepared with a bag of candy (twizzlers, mints, and snacks) among other things and I brought myself and my laptop.

The nurse explained the contraction and heartbeat monitor to us so we could see the contractions as they were happening which was very cool. I had also brought a book that I was reading and read out loud to Leah to get our minds on something else while Kerry ran home to get a couple things and grab something to eat for us. Leah was a trooper and held out for a while before she decided on the epidural. I watched everything and I mean everything. I was so interested and concerned for her well being. I am so protective. She was a champ during the epidural, holy cow that needle was long. After that, smooth sailing. I swear she didn't feel anything...and when she did, she just gave herself a couple more taps of the drug. I would see a large contraction and say "wow, that was a big one, look" and she'd say "oh, wow." It was so surreal. 

Come around 1am her nurse came to check on her and to her surprise said that Leah was ready to push. Her doctor got there shortly after, got her ready, and Leah started pushing. I had one leg and an arm and Kerry had the other. Her doctor was so calm and sweet with Leah. I was encouraging Leah, telling her she was doing so well with every push she made. I would tell her that we were so close to seeing the head, it was just amazing. One the head was out, it was just another push until Violet made her entrance into this world. A cry just escaped me as I witness this true miracle right before my eyes, in 30 minutes time. After that and seeing me cry, Leah started crying. Kerry cut the cord and Violet was placed in Leah's arms before she went to get cleaned up. The uniting of Mother and Daughter in that moment was so beautiful. I was the designated picture taker so I made my way to the scale and captured Violet there. She barely cried. She was definitely a skin to skin baby. She liked feeling close and secure and with you. 

The moment I got to hold her after she got cleaned up was a feeling I certainly can't explain. Violet and I bonded in that moment. I felt like she came knowing my struggles and how special this experience was for me. 

Soon after, we were moved to the recovery room. All of us were going on zero sleep. There wasn't really a place for me to lay, of course Kerry had dibs on the bench/bed thing and Leah had the bed. I asked Leah if she cared if I went home because I was so tired. She didn't want me to..so what did I do? I got in bed with her! Now don't worry, I used about 1/16 of that bed space but at least it was something. Right after we got situated, in came breakfast. So, both laying down, I fed Leah as she was holding Violet. It probably really was a funny scene. We were delirious. We got very little sleep but enough to hold us over. New mothers really don't get much sleep. I knew this, but experienced it with my sister in the hospital. I was so proud of Leah as she learned to breast feed, was taken care of after delivering and grateful I was there to help her and capture sweet moment of this experience. Seeing Violet bathed for the first time was so sweet and I was able to capture that moment for Leah while she was being taken care of by the nurses. Kerry's mom and sister came to visit Leah the next day and some of her sweet friends came to visit her while she was there also. Since my parents had recently moved to Virginia, they came a little over a week later for the Thanksgiving holiday and my mom stayed for about a month after. I had to leave that evening for Dance Team practice and to get some z's but I was there the next day after work with Tom to see her again.

Kerry was great during this and I'm also thankful to him for letting me experience this so closely with Leah. It was truly something I will never ever forget and am better because of it.

Here is a picture of me and Violet in the recovery room and a beauty shot taken by Tom.

Skin tags

Tom and one of his best friends, Cam, decided to play surgeon the other day. I had a few small skin tags, that they wanted to remove. Let me tell you how they did this...with an ice cube and a razor. I am a brave girl to have let them. I hope this doesn't gross you out, but this is how it was done. I held ice on there for a few minutes, swabbed it with a sterile alcohol pad, then they pulled the skin tag a little and just sliced it off. I was so scared for the first one but it didn't hurt that bad, just a little sting. The guys took turns. Then Cam sliced me a little too close to the skin and that one hurt a bit...an explicit MAY have slipped out. But we all laughed about it right away. So here are my battle wounds. So pretty.

Holly Homemaker

Bottom line, I love homemade things. I love to bake and cook (I wish I had more time). I made this cake for a Halloween party one of our friends threw. It's a pumpkin cake made to look like a pumpkin. The stem is a green colored ice cream cone and I outlined the lines on the bundt cake. I had fun making it and it tasted so yummy.

I am also wearing an apron that I made with my mom. It's so sassy with the 3-tired ruffles. My mom created the pattern and I'm glad she taught me sewing skills while growing up and how to use a sewing machine. Definitely have much to learn but the knowledge is great to have.

New Orleans and Biloxi

For Tom's birthday, we decided last minute...very last minute, to drive to New Orleans and Biloxi for a good time. It was so fun to just go on a whim and play around all weekend. We left Friday after work and came back Sunday night.

When we got to Biloxi on Friday night, we checked into our hotel and then spent the evening and early morning at the Hard Rock Cafe & Casino. Saturday we walked around New Orleans and there was so much to see. I can't imagine what New Orleans is like during Mardi Gras because it was a total party just on this random Saturday, although there was a football game that afternoon. Maybe that had something to do with it. Regardless, we had a great time. There were so many street entertainers. There were also a lot of "statues." Some people paint themselves in silver paint, create a set-up and then people take pictures and give tips. This is one of the "statues." The dog is actually a statue thought...that would have been too difficult.

There was a magician on the street and both Tom and I at separate times got brought into his little show. Too funny. Then there was this b-boy crew of 4-5 guys, 3 of them are in the picture below. They literally put on a show with a TON of people watching on one of the street corners. It had stairs with sort of an amphitheater set-up and they wowed us. At the end, they brought some people into their show...how did you guess...to dance a little and then be part of this stunt where one of the guys did a trick over about 6 of us girls scrunched down side by side. It was pretty cool and quite funny. They were definitely talented and really entertaining.

We sure created some lasting memories that weekend. So glad we took the opportunity to be spontaneous and go with it!

We are the champions

The WNBA Atlanta Dream are Eastern Conference Champions!! This was a really great season to cheer for the Dream. I enjoyed the staff, the experience, and my teammates. This game was crazy! Confetti from the ceiling, pictures on the court, everyone was stoked! Go Dream!

Listen to vlukenss Playlist

Remote Kontrol

For the past few years, the KSU Dance Team dances at the beginning of the KSU Freshman Convocation Ceremony. This year along with the Spirit Squad (cheer/dance/mascot), there was a special guest. Remote Kontrol performed and really hyped the crowd of new KSU students. Bryan, the guy on the right, became well known from his fantastic audition for SYTYCD a few seasons ago. He wasn't able to go to Vegas and move on in the competition, but he is so good at what he does and is also a KSU student. Shortly after his audition, he formed a crew called Remote Kontrol. They pop, glide and put on a show. I was chatting with the guys and took the photo opportunity.

Disney World and Universal Studios

Matt and Jeri came to visit Georgia from Utah. The Lukens gang picked them up from the airport and we all drove to Florida for some quality time. Where? The happiest place on earth...DISNEY!

Epcot, I would say that is one of my favorites. I love visiting the countries and we had so much fun. One of my old KSU Dancers was working there for the Spring/Summer so she joined us for some fun, also.

Here we are at Epcot. Little did I know that one of my childhood memories, none other than Captain EO, was back at Epcot!! *For those of you that don't know Captain EO, youtube it. It's with Michael Jackson and it is classic* We enjoyed watching it and it was just like I remembered! We even rode a segway for the first time in one of the centers. The test track was another favorite and had us cracking up the whole time.

Matt, Jeri, Tom and I went to Universal Studios the next day. It was our first time at Universal. Another one of the reasons we went was to experience The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It opened up in June and it was STILL packed out. It started to rain around lunch time but we still stuck it out and had a great time the rest of the day. Here I am enjoying a glass of butterbeer (if you're read or seen any of the Harry Potter movies, you know what this is). It tastes like a butterscotch, cream soda with a little frost on top. So good!

Mother's Day

The Shooting Stars traveled to the Atlanta Dream's pre-season game in Cookeville, TN, which was an all day event. We met early morning and rode a charter bus to TN, danced/cheered at the game and then drove back. It was fun. I got to know some of my teammates better.

Since I was gone for Mother's Day, my family was able to talk to Laura on Saturday, the day before instead. Laura is currently serving her mission for our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Belem, Brazil. We look forward to talking with her on Christmas and Mother's Day. The are always special calls for us. We're so proud of her.

Mr. Harrison retires

Band was a huge memory for me in High School. I went to Sequoyah High School, I was in band and marched all 4 years of High School on the Drumline. Those memories I will always remember. Band practice, band camp, football games, percussion class, drumline practice, traveling to away game on the bus, band competition, fundraisers, friends, etc.

I had the same Band Director, Mr. David Harrison, all 4 years and he was a really great leader. I really respected him and just cherished my band experience. He is planning to retire at the end of the school year, so they put together a huge retirement program and party for him at the school.

The program and presentations were nicely done. It was also nice to see a lot of faces I haven't seen in a while. Afterward, there was a reception. They had a book to sign for him and a line so we all got a chance to talk to him one on one briefly. The booster club was also selling these "Harryisms" t-shirts. On the back of the shirt were phrases I'd heard all through High School so I had to get one. Thought I'd share some of my favorites:

Life According to Harry:

Attitude is everything.
One person can and does make a difference.
Work hard, play hard.
On time is late.
Bigger is not better - better is better.
Help others.
Find work that is meaningful.
Listen and learn from others.
Don't turn the music down - feel the rhythm and the lyrics.
It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
You know more than you think.
You can always get a standing ovation by pulling out a giant American flag.
Choose battles that count.
The best is yet to be.
What goes around comes around.
Lead, follow or get out of the way.

-David E. "Harry" Harrison

Ok, that was actually all of them. They are all so good. Anyway, I thought this was worthy of a post.

Atlanta Dream Shooting Star

I decided to audition for the WNBA Atlanta Dream Shooting Stars Cheer Team. I have missed performing for a crowd and wanted an opportunity to dance on a professional team. The Dream plays in Philips Arena and basically has a summer season. It runs April- August/Sept so it wouldn't conflict with my commitment to KSU Dance Team.

I went to a prep clinic and Q&A session one night to decide if I liked their style and it was something I wanted to do. I decided so. So, on April 18th I auditioned. I made it through prelims and semi's and made it to finals! With each cut came new choreography.

The following week consisted of Monday the 19th- interview, boot camp and choreography; Tuesday the 20th- boot camp and choreography, Wed the 21st- final audition. And I am proud and excited to say that I made the team! It was a great feeling to prepare, go through the process and make it. I haven't been on a team in 5 years. Tom came to support me as well as a couple of my dancers from KSU (they surprised me). My dancers came stocked with signs and were definitely loud. I really appreciated the support on my behalf.



Here is the first team picture after we all made the team. My old coach from KSU, Sandra, made it back on the team. We were even in the same audition pair for the routine! That in itself was awesome.


So now, I'll be dancing at all of the WNBA Atlanta Dream basketball games in Philips Arena. Looking forward to the experience. Come to the games!

Church Basketball

Tom plays church basketball every week with his buddies. This year they brought back the church basketball tournament for the Marietta East Stake. It was really fun to see Tom play. He did great! The Kennesaw Ward even won the final game tonight :) Champs. We took a picture but I'm not sure where it is. They got a framed certificate. It's all in fun but I know the guys were excited and playing it up.

Co. Dance

I love this time of year! I was able to work Co. Dance again this year in Greenville, SC. It is a dance convention and the staff/dance faculty is amazing. Every year for the past 4 or so years, I've been able to work it and every year I come back inspired.

It runs Friday-Sunday and it's filled with dance company competitions, showcases, faculty classes for students and teachers, meetings, an audition, etc. I come to work and just help the faculty/staff run the event.

This year, was filled with adventures and great times. A couple of the faculty this year was Barry Youngbloog (amazing hip hop instructor), Greg Russell (tapping extraordinaire) and Lauren Gottlieb (fantastic contemporary dancer/instructor, also from SYTYCD). I had worked around Barry and Greg before but just met Lauren. She was awesome and really cool to be around.

There was this sushi place that was amazing, we ate there twice. One night, Ashley (my friend working the convention with me) and I ran into Barry and Greg at the restaurant. They asked what we were doing and that we should hang out. We end up going back and hanging out with them and Lauren (who came after her master class that night) and ended up in the Blue Martini, a dance club and bar. It was right next door to the sushi place, in the basement of this pub. It was apparently the place to be. It got packed! It was fun dancing and seeing the faculty in a different element.

Ashley is on the far right and I'm next to Barry. Lauren and Greg aren't in this picture.


We were exhausted the next day, but it was worth it. I loved taking dance class all weekend and helping with everything. I look forward to it every year!

27

I am now 27 years old. Honestly, I don't feel old so I guess I'm ok with it. It has been a good day. I started the day off judging a Dance Competition in Peachtree City, GA and then spent the rest of the day with my Tom. Nothing too crazy, which was needed.

I've reflected on this past year. It was full of LIFE...ups, downs, good times and the bad but I am grateful to have lived and experienced another year. Always at the end of the day, I am truly blessed.

Here's to the next!

Atlantic Sun Basketball Tourney

Tom and I are really into KSU Athletics. I work there as the Spirit Coordinator for Athletics (over Spirit Cheer, Dance Team and Mascot) and Head Coach the Dance Team. Tom does the music and sound for Basketball games.

KSU Athletics Basketball made the transition from D-II to D-I in 2005-2006. Since then, due to the probationary period when switching divisions, we haven't been eligible for the tournament. But this year we are! Both our Men's and Women's team made it to the tournament and played 3 days in a row on the 3rd, 4th and 5th. It was held at Mercer. It was so awesome and was a great start to what will come in the following seasons after this.

Go Owls!

Leah & Kerry Thompson

My big sis, Leah got engaged to Kerry Thompson on December 17. 2009, the day Kerry got back from Basic Training with the National Guard. He planned the whole thing with my mom, who helped pull it off. We all knew, except for Leah :) With Kerry entering AIT in Augusta shortly after, reporting January 2, 2010, Leah and Kerry decided after much thought and prayer to wed New Year's Day 2010. It was a small, beautiful and intimate ceremony held at my parents home. Kerry will be graduating from AIT mid May. So needless to say, there wasn't much time to plan things but everything turned out so perfectly and wonderful.

Right after the proposal.


I threw a Bachelorette party for Leah and it was soo fun!


I also made them matching shirts. So cute :)



The wedding day.


Picture with the family (Laura is here in spirit since she's currently on her mission in Brazil).


Thanks to Bev who decorated their car so nicely.