Connie's has been my home

Dear Mrs. Connie, Ms. Carrie and everyone,

Miss Jessica started dance very young thanks to her mom Cheryl. I didn't know or understand dance back then. I was a wallflower (in a guy kind of way ;) back then. I started taking photos of her and her friends and just kept them to myself. I looked at them sometimes and just smile.

I remember Miss Alley who Mrs. Dee Anna tells me is now a real tom-boy. She left Connie's early on. Alley is one of the very young dancers from my all-time favorite pictures of them all in red in the chairs. You can find that photo it in July's archives. All I wanted was all these girls to be together for as long as possible - forever. Not much later, Miss Alley left Connie's but we still had the rest of the group that Jessica started with, mostly.

Later, I really came to understand that dance is more than dance. It is the families you meet along the way in dance. I love how civil and pleasant the other families are and how warm they are to see and help you. Like Mrs. Amy offering for us to caravan with them to Nationals. I love seeing their faces during competition, we both smile and just feel that connection that you don't get with strangers. Then you get to meet new families. I didn't know Aunt Nikki (Miss Bailey's aunt) until I went to Nationals. How nice.

You know you're loved when you visit Connie's at her home as I did a few weeks ago and she leaves you with her grandson while she checks on her mother. I was there with Jordan for a while. We played ball and talked and had a really good time.

You hurt when people leave. I about died when I heard Miss Rachel was not coming back. I also died when Mrs. Brie left very recently. They were extra special people in my life. I really died last year when Miss Ashley left Connie's. You see, I had just been talking with her mom a few weeks before about my dream to keep these girls together as long as we can. Her parents did all those props and costume things. Oh my! What was that dance, oh yes, Music Box Dancer. When they came out of that music box I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!

There are more and others. David Judd comes to mind. And I just loved when last year Miss Kelsey came back to Connie's because she missed everyone - I heard she told them she 'had' to come back to be with everyone. I love David and his family and gosh Kelsey told me the sweetest thing last year, rather her mom did. I did this video from competition last year that was only about nine minutes long, but she said her grandfather was ill and has been for some time and had never seen her dance. He got to see her in that video.

I knew this past year would be very special. Most of Jessica's life-long dance buddies are still here. But things are changing. I can't stop it. I can accept it. Jessica too is moving on. I know I told you Mrs. Connie she'd be at summer classes but Jessica wants to be with her high-school dance team friends. At first I wanted to stop and stay with Connie's (I will always feel that way). Mrs. Connie, this has been wonderful. You have given me the Arts and I'm thankful. Because of you Mrs. Connie, Jessica really, really loves to dance.

Love,
Brian