Quick Quick Slow - Quick Quick Slow ...

We had our first official dance lesson on Monday night - what fun. I keep hearing in my head our instructor telling us either "Rock, Rock, Rock" or "Quick, Quick, Slow". I find myself repeating the dance steps in my head while falling asleep at night (I think of it as a fancy way of counting sheep). Our instructor, Nataliya, is wonderful. Last night she taught us another step in the Waltz - which was very confusing at first, but we found that it's always easier when you pick it up again in the next lesson. We also added more steps to the Rumba, which was so much fun. I can't wait to practice that one this week. I feel like we are actually progressing to where we will be able to put together a nice mini routine to dance at weddings we attend.

I just went on the Fred Astaire Dance Studio website tonight and saw that there is a directory of their studios across the country. There's also a gift certificate that can be printed for one free private lesson and one practice session.

Our dance shoes should be on their way shortly, can't wait. Especially now that we are learning more dance moves, the shoes are going to make the lessons so much better. Next week, Nataliya is going to move forward with more Rumba moves and we'll work on some Swing. (more to come...)

Dancing With The . . . Husband

For my birthday in late January, my DH surprised me with introductory lessons at our local Fred Astaire dance studio. We loved the intro so much, we have signed up to continue our lessons. Our first official lesson is this Monday February 27th. So far we have learned the basic initial steps in the Foxtrot, Waltz, Rumba, and a bit of Swing. In our last lesson, we added another move to the Rumba. The lesson on Monday is 45 minutes long instead of our usual 30, but I still don't think it's enough time. It seems like you just get started and the time is over. We are having lots of fun and I love being able to spend the time with my husband, away from our computers :) Please keep checking back to my blog as I write about our lessons and what we've learned.

We'll both be getting real dance shoes from Melissa at Best Ballroom Shoes - I know which ones I like, just waiting for my hubbie to pick out the pair he likes before letting Melissa know. She has been a great help in letting me know what styles are good for beginners. For instance, she recommends that the guy would probably be most comfortable in a standard shoe rather than a Latin shoe. (Latin shoes usually have a 1" heel and has them leaning forward...which is hard for guys at first) I'm going to go with an open toe cuban style shoe as I don't want a tall heel that will make me taller than my husband. Melissa, who has been ballroom dancing for years, has told me "You really need dance shoes if you want to dance. You can not really move without suede bottoms, especially the woman who does more turning even at the beginning."

Well, that's all for right now - it's time for me to start some dinner. Plus, we should probably get some dance practice in before our next lesson.

Don't forget: The Season Finale of Dancing with the Stars airs on Sunday night, 8 pm EST, on ABC. I am so hooked on that show, plus my DH likes to watch it with me (which of course makes it even more fun to watch, except when he knows it's time for me to call in my votes after the show) - he got hooked on the shows this season once he knew Jerry Rice was competing.

Wedding of John & Jacqueline in RI

While in Newport, RI for a weekend getaway, my husband and I attended Sunday mass at St. Mary's Parish (less than a 2 minute walk from where we stayed at the Francis Malbone House). This is the church where John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Lee Bouvier were married on September 12, 1953. During our stay we found out that their wedding reception was held at Hammersmith Farm, a 28-room Victorian mansion in Newport, RI. We actually drove by the farm (click here to see a picture I took), which was the childhood home to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and became known as the 'Summer White House' of President John F. Kennedy. It is now a private home and no longer open to the public. But, at the time when tours were offered, you could see their children's bedrooms (Caroline and John Jr.) and the balcony where Jackie had tossed her wedding bouquet. When the chief executive officer for Fruit of the Loom Inc. bought the mansion in 1997 for $6.7 million, all the furniture was sold at auctions. In 1999, Hammersmith Farm was sold again for $8 million.

I hope that someday the farm is opened up again for public tours, but until then, you can find lots of information online about the history of the Kennedy and Bouvier families, the wedding of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Lee Bouvier, and surrounding buildings on the 48-acre property.

While looking online for additional information on their wedding I found some fun tidbits that I thought you might like to read:
- 1,200 invited guests attended the wedding reception
- receiving line was 2 1/2 hours
- Jackie loved horses, her husband was allergic to animals
- Jacqueline hated her wedding dress. Her mother had picked it out and Jacqueline thought it looked like a lampshade.
- Hugh D. Auchincloss gave Jacqueline away at her wedding (Jackie's step-father) Jacqueline's father, John Bouvier, was expected to give her away. But, Jackie's mother, Janet Auchincloss, did not invite him to the wedding reception. He had gotten drunk and wasn't able to perform his duties.
- Jacqueline was a very heavy smoker. While she smoked all the time, Jackie didn't allow any pictures of her to be taken when she was smoking.

Sales Galore!

I know I promised another post about Newport, RI this week....but I wanted to let you know that the sales page on BestWeddingSites.com has just been updated with some amazing last minute Valentine's Day Gift Shopping links and coupon codes. Please take a look and I'll be writing about Newport again in my next post.

Here's a Quick Sale Finder Guide:
- Beauty
- Favors - Gifts - Chocolate
- Jewelry
- Invitations
- Intimate Apparel