Dinner for Two

“A travel adventure has no substitute. It is the ultimate experience, your one big opportunity for flair.” -- Rosalind Massow

Summer is here and that means vacation! I just returned home from a cruise to Jamaica and Grand Cayman Island. The cruise experience was a first for me and my husband, and so was vacationing with 60 other people that we know. We traveled with Melanie Pascal’s Dance Creations and our dancers had the opportunity of a lifetime to not only sail the open seas, but to perform on the cruise ship. Our dancers were awesome because they work hard and train with the best. From the moment we stepped onto the ship, memories were being made. Yet, the performance was definitely the highlight of our vacation. Aside from performing, if someone asks me what I will remember the most about life on board, I will tell them it has to be the meals in the dining hall.

Each night was an interesting evening of elegant dining with everyone attending dressed in his or her best. It was a chance for our group to see each other and catch up on all the fun stuff we had done that day. Our men dressed a little nicer and our ladies had the opportunity to dress up and feel pretty as we showed off our new dresses we bought on the islands. From the moment we entered the dining hall, we were waited on hand and foot. The Maître’d greeted us with a smile and the waiting staff pulled out the chairs for the ladies and placed our napkins in our laps. Fine China and sparkling glasses decorated each table. Bread was delivered to each person and water poured into our glasses as we looked at the menu and “ooohed and ahhhed” over the choices.

Each meal we enjoyed in the dining hall was extravagant. It was definitely a sight for this Southern girl to see! It was the type of dining where you have three forks, two knives, and two spoons- you think there’s no possible way each person could need all that silverware, but we did!

Appetizers preceded the entrees and each plate of food was fancifully decorated in the finest culinary style. Things got really interesting when everyone seated at our table ordered something different. It was so much fun to see each plate and hear one another’s reactions as we took that first mouth watering bite. There was strawberry soup with fresh mint, lobster bisque, prime rib, shrimp, veal parmesan, grouper, and too many other items to name. There were items I had never heard of, and some that I could barely pronounce, but we tried them all. And just when we were stuffed to the gills and didn’t think we could hold another bite, the dessert menu was placed in our hands. My favorite dessert was the warm chocolate melting cake that surely lived up to its name.

Our waiter assured us that each dessert was calorie free and that salt air has been known to shrink clothes. I didn’t believe the part about “calorie free” but I can testify to the fact that salt air really does shrink a person’s clothes! There was something special in store for us each night in the dining hall. There were magic tricks from the waiting staff or a big song singing after the meal. Some nights the waiters jumped onto the tables and danced for us right there in the dining hall. We crowded around and twirled our napkins in the air, clapping and raising our glasses in excitement.

The truly amazing part of the dining experience was our view of the ocean as we ate our meals. Our table was seated at the back of the ship where huge glass windows provided a breathtaking view as we sailed the Caribbean. As I looked around I wondered if this was how the first class passengers aboard the Titanic felt when they dined so exquisitely in their day. Sometimes the ship rocked and we could see the water in our glass shake. One night, we actually wondered if our plates would stay on the table, but they did.

As all good times must come to an end, so did our time aboard the Carnival Destiny. It’s back to the old grind and reality on land. It’s back to paper plates and paper napkins and only on fork per meal at the Rorrer household. That’s OK because we like the plain and simple, but it was nice to enjoy such elegance for one week!

Dance to your Dreams...

“Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another.” ~Anonymous

When I was a little girl, I had a sign that hung on the wall in my room that read: Dance to your dreams. My favorite necklace charm was a tiny pair of ballet shoes and I wore it every day for years. I took dance classes for many years and I can’t imagine the thousands of dollars my parents shelled out year after year on shoes, leotards, costumes, classes, competition fees, time, and travel. I lived for dance and I had big dreams of becoming a famous dancer and actress. I never made it to Broadway, but I have kept a love of dance and theatre in my heart for many years.

Now my daughter takes dance and last week was recital week. This is an incredibly busy week that any family with a dancer in it living in this town knows all about. There are late rehearsals, suppers eaten on the run, and mornings that come too early. There are technical rehearsals, dress rehearsals, and finally, the real show. A year of time, effort and practice cumulates in this one week and it all boils down to the final show. Moms and dancers fill the dressing rooms. There are costumes of all colors, Capezio tights, bobby pins, hair gels, tons of make-up, cameras, body glitter spray, and too many shoes to count! Surely if all of us moms had sons instead of daughters, we could save a ton of money, right? We could buy cleats and ball gloves instead of pink tights and tutus. We could teach them about sportsmanship and never have to worry about pirouettes and pleas. The numbers 5, 6, 7, 8 would not be engrained into our heads.

But as a former dancer myself, I have to say that there is nothing that compares with the experience of the recital. There is one thing I gained from those years of dance class that money can’t buy. And rest assured that our daughters will gain it too. It takes confidence to jump on that stage like you own it, so just ask any dancer who loves really loves it what it’s like to perform. She’ll tell you that nothing compares with the experience of performing under bright lights that illuminate the stage, surrounded by music that pumps in your head and body, and before an audience whose claps and screams penetrate the dancer’s heart in a way that is indescribable.

The girls who begin dance in their early years and continue dancing through high school share a special bond. Their bond is the ultimate example of sportsmanship. They learn together, perform together, win together, learn together, and cry together. They learn to move together and think together; they must trust each other and encourage one another over the years. Without a doubt, they become a team. And without a doubt, they share memories that will last a lifetime.

My dancing days aren’t completely over. Anyone who knows me knows that I still love to perform. But now I get to share in that unique experience with my daughter. As a backstage mom, I get to stand in the wings when it’s her time to shine. I actually prefer the wings of the stage as opposed to the audience because there, no one can see me biting my lips and wiping my tears. I have more anticipation than she does as I wonder: “Will she nail her arabesque? Will she remember to smile? Will she make it to her color?” When I see her on the stage, any thoughts about money, or lack of sleep, or one crazy hectic week disappear. I see a dancer who loves the stage, loves to dream, and has the confidence to face the lights and people with grace and poise. And that is worth every penny I spend.