It was late October of my kindergarten year, and I was SO excited about the fact that my teacher, Mrs. Francisco, was allowing us to wear our Halloween costumes to school! I probably reminded my mom an unnecessary number of times, and on the morning of the designated day, I jumped out of bed and donned my favorite costume; a pair of pink tight, a pink leotard, my tutu, and a ballerina tiara. No ballet slippers, obviously, because I had to wear real shoes to school. Duh.

We lived in Orlando so, no need for a coat in late October- it was still in the 70’s in Florida. Mom dropped me off at school with a “have fun!’ and I trudged on over to my classroom.

Entering the classroom, I looked around with joy to see what other costumes my fellow kindergarteners were wearing. I mean, clearly, no one was going to look as authentic as me, but I was looking forward to it all the same.

Only… I didn’t see any other costumes. Where were the ghosts and princesses and witches and Belles (because Beauty and the Beast was BIG that year)?!

Oh my gosh…. I dressed up on the wrong day.

I flew to the bathroom in our classroom and locked myself in. I couldn’t let anyone see my shame! The HORROR- people would talk about this for years, wouldn’t they? How could I have mistaken the date?

I don’t know how long I was in there for, but it wasn’t long til I heard a soft tap on the door and heard my mother’s voice- she’d arrived with a set of normal clothes in a brown paper bag, saving me from social embarrassment throughout the day. Savior, I tell you.

And that, friends, is why you always double check your calendar before heading out the door in full ballerina garb.

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Pardon the Facebook quality of the photo. And the creepy ballerina Troll doll I’m holding.

It’s Halloween! And despite the scarring memory I just recounted for you, I dressed up as a ballerina again for a Halloween party this past Friday. I’m happy to announce that I was NOT the only one in costume at said party, however, so perhaps we can now mark that wound as “healed?” (Also, super stoked that I got to use the white tulle skirt my Granny & I made!)

Halloween ballerina costume

As always, lessons learned/events that transpired over the past week:

  • Is it weird that I really like going to the gym on Friday & Saturday nights? See, I’m not very GOOD at working out, so I like going when there aren’t a lot of other people there. Fewer witnesses to my embarrassment when I lift something incorrectly, or have to search Youtube for a “how to” video before I use a certain machine.
  • Matt won’t let me buy that ginormous bag of mixed candy for our neighborhood kids until the DAY of Halloween. Why? Because otherwise, I eat it all. It’s not pretty, with my office littered in Sour Punch Straw wrappers.
  • I’ve never actually seen the movie Hocus Pocus… is that a crime? My parents wouldn’t let us see it when we were little because it contained witchcraft, and I never got around to watching it in my later years. Maybe we’ll find it on our AppleTV tonight!
  • It’s almost November, which means it’s ALMOST time for mulled cider!!! I’m so excited!
  • Shooting with candles outdoors is tricky. See, I’d been DREAMING of the shoot I had last night for months now. Lots of candles, a ballerina, and a staircase. Well, we pulled it all together, but after only 11 shots on my camera, the wind blew out 1/2 the candles, and sudden rain took care of the rest of them.
  • Seriously- FINGERS CROSSED those 11 frames turned out the way I’d envisioned. I shot it on film so I won’t know until I get my scans back from the lab!

A preview from yesterday, because Leah is an absolute STUNNER! She’s a dancer with The Washington Ballet, and having her in front of my camera was a total high!

DC ballet photographer | Abby Grace

Monday Mash-Up

October 31, 2016

  1. Jean says:

    Oh my! I had not heard your story about your costume experience! As always, Mom to the rescue! Love both photos.

  2. Karen aka Mom says:

    You were always a cute ballerina, even today!

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