4/6/09
Well another few weeks have gone by just like that. Can you believe there is only two more home games left of the Jazz season?  I sure can’t! I have been super busy the last few weeks because the studio I teach at is now in competition season. We went to St. George last weekend and the girls placed first and second in most of their dances. This weekend we went to the extreme Danzz competition at the Energy solutions arena. The girls had so much fun performing on the actual Jazz floor and in that huge arena. They felt like they were the famous ones just because they got to dance on our famous floor. It was fun for me to be there teacher and be at the place where I work - it was my home away from home for the weekend. They also placed first and got two high points which means they will be able to perform at a Jazz game next year. I am really excited about that!  Now we get one week off until the next competition which will be held at Kingsbury hall later in the month.  Awesome girls and so much fun!

School is almost over and I sure can’t wait for that day. A few more weeks until this semester is over then its one more class till graduation. I don’t know what I will do afterwards. It is a little scary thinking about the real world and having to get a real job!

I want to go into special education so I may go back and get my Masters. I have also been thinking about doing study abroad in Europe so we’ll see what the world brings in the following weeks!

I am the kind of person that likes to be on the go all the time. I have been a little overwhelmed with the my schedule lately that I took a little break this week and got a deep tissue massage and pampered myself to a pedicure. As a girl on the go as so many of us are, those are the two things that I love to do that will relax me. Along with working out with our awesome Jazz trainer, I have been working out on my own each day, trying to keep that Jazz dancers body!

I hope that it will get warmer and that we can start to feel spring. I don’t know what is up with this weather I think maybe our seasons might be changing from winter to summer and summer to winter. I don’t like the cold very much.  I am ready for summer! This week on Wednesday I am going to Wicked opening night with a friend. I am so excited because I have been to New York twice and I have wanted to see that Broadway each time and have never gotten to.  Friday I will be hosting the 2nd annual Dance4Life concert at the Sandy Boys and Girls Club. I am really excited about it because the kids have done so well this year. They were able to perform for a few different events and now will perform for their parents. It will be held at the club at 5:30, and we are looking for lots of people to come and support them so if you have a moment come take a look at what these kids have been doing – you will have a blast!  I can’t wait for this weekend because other than the game I don’t have to teach or work, I don’t have any fun plans yet but I hope to do something adventurous.  

I haven’t been in a few games for awhile so it was nice to dance at the game on Friday. We performed a new dance that Nikki one of the girls choreographed to Poker Face. I always love performing new dances for the first time. The Jazz had a close one that night, we deserved it dang it!!  This year has been a fast one. It feels like we just had tryouts and starting practicing but now it’s nearly the end of the year. It has been nice to have a trainer this year that works us out each practice and helps us stay in shape. Along with the working out, the girls have been so fun to be with and I think we set a new record this year with two pregnancies and three engagements! Wow! A lot of wonderful changes!  We will be performing our last half time on the game on the 13th in which they will announce the dancers of the year. I hope we continue to the play offs and can make our journey just a little bit longer, both for our awesome team and the dancers!  Well, have a great week and keep cheering on our team even though they are away this week!  GO JAZZ!

>>Return to Arial's Bio page
>>Check out Arial's 2007-08 Nu Skin Dancer Diary
>>Check out Ricci's NEW 2008-09 Nu Skin Dancer Video Blog
>>Check out Jocelyn's NEW 2008-09 Nu Skin Dancer Diary
>>Check out Jocelyn's 2007-08 Nu Skin Dancer Diary

3/23/09
Hello Jazz Fans! We have a lot to catch up on! First of all I have been keeping something in the bag that I would like to share and that is that I will be competing in the Miss Utah Scholarship pageant again this year in June. I competed last year as Miss Sandy and this year I have the title of Miss Pioneer Valley. Great opportunity for scholarships and growth for all you young ladies out there – it’s changed my life in ways I never anticipated. I am really excited for the pageant as again, it’s a great growth experience and so much fun to spend time with these amazing women!!

Last week I went snowboarding for the third and last time of the season. I went with my dad and step-mom to Solitude. It was such a beautiful day to be up there with the warm weather that we have had – my favorite time to board since I’m not too fond of the cold! Along with that my cousin got married that same night so we went to her wedding. Weddings are like family reunions, I saw so many people in my family that I have not seen for a really long time and it was nice to catch up.

This last week I have been on spring break from school. I wish it was spring break for everything else in my life too so I could go on vacation, ha, but it was nice not to have to worry about going to school. Instead of going somewhere fun I worked and worked out really hard and it felt great! We also had our one home game, The Wizards and how ‘bout that Wizards game? Woo hoo Jazz!! It was fun to dance at the game finally, since the Jazz have been on the road it’s seem like too long since we’ve been able to dance! Unfortunately, they’ve been gone again this week but we look forward to having them back soon. It is nice to have a little break here and there, but a whole week without games seems quite long. I am so proud of our team and how they handled the Thunder – a much needed road win. I can’t wait for playoffs to come! COME ON JAZZ, LET’S GO!!!

The girls I teach have competition this weekend so we have been pushing them really hard to get their routines ready. The competition is in St. George so it will be a fun road trip for the weekend. Also this week, Brook and I went to a couple of movies. After work on Monday we went and saw Shopaholic at Jordan Commons. The best girl movie ever! I only wish I had that much money to spend on clothes. Then Tuesday after the game we went to the Gateway and saw He’s Just Not That In To You. That show had some of the best actors and actresses in it and is another chick flick. Then this weekend I saw Duplicity with Julia Roberts. It was a very interesting movie and hard to follow but very good.

I volunteer at the boys and girls club in Sandy teaching them dance and having fun each week. A program I started about two years ago called Dance4Life. It has been such a great opportunity for the kids to be able to take dance class and perform. So yesterday, there was an open house at the Real soccer game and the kids were asked to perform at the pregame!! I had some t-shirts made for them all, and they went out there on that big field and performed AMAZINGLY! They are the sweetest kids, to watch them and see how nervous they got, but how excited they were for this opportunity was a humbling experience for me. It was really heartwarming to watch them have so much fun, believe in themselves and create a wonderful memory! They have a couple more performances coming up and they will be performing more than one dance at those events. This program has really helped them with their belief and confidence in themselves, they are learning a new skill and we have a blast at the same time. I just love going there and being there with the kids!!

Ok, so my indulgence. I was very excited yesterday because I was able to go to the new Nordstrom’s! Yes, I can be a shopaholic myself. The store is huge and so amazingly nice! I felt like I was in a story in Vegas. I met up with all the girls in my family at the new Bistro that is in the store, and then my mom and I stayed to do some shopping. It is now my new favorite place to shop! I recommend going to see it if you haven’t. But back to reality, this week it is back to school and more hard work. I only have a few weeks left and then I’ll be out for the summer. So I’m going to try and push it really hard even though I enjoy some play time too – it’ll be so worth it!

Well that’s it for now. I can’t wait to see you at the game Tuesday! GO JAZZZZZ!!

>>Return to Arial's Bio page
>>Check out Arial's 2007-08 Nu Skin Dancer Diary
>>Check out Ricci's NEW 2008-09 Nu Skin Dancer Video Blog
>>Check out Jocelyn's NEW 2008-09 Nu Skin Dancer Diary
>>Check out Jocelyn's 2007-08 Nu Skin Dancer Diary

3/6/09
Hola! Como Esta?
I have just returned from a trip to Mexico, my second time there. It was so beautiful and so fun to be on vacation finally for a few days. This time, I went to Puerta Vallarta and stayed at an all inclusive resort – can you say “pampered”? You may remember from an earlier blog, I received this trip for Christmas and my birthday from my parents. I decided to turn it into a service project for some underprivileged children there. I collected (from wonderful family and neighbors) school supplies for wonderful school called “School of Champions” which serves children in a very, very poor area. We also collected toothpaste and toothbrushes for the kids. While it was incredible seeing their big smiles and wonderful attitudes, the hardest part was seeing the way they live. It is so different from what I have ever seen before and I was a little surprised at many of their circumstances. The most incredible part though is that even under these extreme hardships the kids just have smiles and laughs galore. They were so darling to see. It taught me a lot about humility and gratitude. We toured the school, and the neighborhood where they live.

After some of the service, we took some time to play a little. I was able to swim with the dolphins the next day, which has actually been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. This, in addition to the cute kids there, made the whole trip. It was better even than I imagined!! Afterwards, I even got a kiss from a stinky sea lion. They are so adorable though! As I believe you also know from other blogs, ice cream is my favorite treat and at the resort the serve it all day long. So can you just imagine how much I was eating that up? I tried to run most every day, but still – I did splurge a bit.

I also went on a parasailing adventure. They harness you up right on the beach and your tied to a boat that once it takes off, you are pulled right up in the air. It was so peaceful and I felt like I was flying. It was scary though when they bring you down because your right over the land with people and buildings, I was afraid I was going to hit something. Being there reminded me that my most favorite place in the world is on the beach. I love sitting there at night listening to the ocean and watching the waves. It is so mysterious and sort of puts you in a trance. I should just be a bum and do that the rest of my life, ha ha. Even though it was wonderful, I am glad I’m back and I have worked hard to catch up on school and work. You know what its like when you get back!

While I was gone, I missed three games (I didn’t like that part), and my first game since my trip was last night. Wow, what a game! The house was rocking, the crowd was cheering and our players played amazingly well. And the big boozer is back! Woo hoo! It was so nice to be dancing again. It’s hard to take a long break. I felt like I missed out on a whole lot and I missed the girls. We have been learning a lot this month for new material. I feel like the year is just flying right on by. We have also been working out really hard as usual and I just love it! I love the feeling of being sweaty and having sore muscles.

Of most importance this week, is saying goodbye to an incredible man. I know many of us weren’t that close to Larry but it has been a sad week I’m sure for all of us, particularly his family who we extend our thoughts and prayers. We will remember him dearly and all the wonderful things he has done not only for the Utah Jazz but for this entire community – more than we’ll ever know I suspect!! I never had the chance to formally meet him in person, but I saw him at every single game on the front row with his sweet wife. Thank you Larry for all you have done. You have left a legacy and set a great example for the rest of us. We will always be indebted to you!!

I hope all of you have a good week. We have two games this week so I will see you there cheering your hearts out and we’ll do our best to help entertain you too!! GO JAZZ!!! WE LOVE YOU LARRY!

>>Return to Arial's Bio page
>>Check out Arial's 2007-08 Nu Skin Dancer Diary
>>Check out Ricci's NEW 2008-09 Nu Skin Dancer Video Blog
>>Check out Jocelyn's NEW 2008-09 Nu Skin Dancer Diary
>>Check out Jocelyn's 2007-08 Nu Skin Dancer Diary

2/19/09
Happy Valentines!
It has been a really long, exhausting BUT … especially fun week! I have been super busy, running around from one place to the other with thirty minutes to spare in between. I don’t know if life is supposed to be that way, but I like to be busy and have things to do all the time.

Last blog I told you about going to the car show, well this time I went to the boat show. The boat show out did the car show by far! I saw a new race boat I want, a new house boat I want, a cruising yacht for the Bahamas, and a new ski boat. Too many toys and not enough money! Also, my birthday was on Thursday, and I feel super old now. Ok not that old but older as they say. I didn’t get to celebrate much on the actual birthday day, but I have been celebrating all weekend which made it like a “birthday week” which is awesome. I did have to go to the dentist on my birthday early in the morning to get my teeth drilled on. Sounds like so much fun, huh? But, then after Jazz practice all of us girls went out to eat at Applebee’s. We all got dessert and were able to have some fun. I liked it because it has been awhile since our whole team went out and did something together. This time of year is always fun for me, because of my birthday and Valentines Day. So continuing …… Friday night I went to the Kalai concert up at the University of Utah with my boyfriend and some friends. Kalai is now my favorite singer and guitar player of all time. He is hilarious and very entertaining in show too.

Then of course, Saturday was Valentines! Yeah for love! I went snowmobiling for the first time ever that day. I was a little nervous at first because it’s something I have never done. But you know me; I love adventure so right after I got on that thing I was ready to fly! The snow was awesome and the powder was up to my knees. It got cold after awhile so we didn’t stay up there too long. That night, for Valentines dinner we went to eat at Carvers. Its one of the best steak places in town. Not only did we have steak but we had shrimp, and Alaskan king crab legs! That is now my favorite food. Have you ever seen that show, “Deadliest Catch?” I have watched it a few times and while I was eating my crab it reminded me of those guys out there catching the pinchers!

Oh my gosh - HOW ‘BOUT THAT LAKERS GAME? !!!! Woo Hoo!! That game was amazing! I am so proud of our team and how well they played on Wednesday. It was the closest thing to a play off game you’ll get to during the season. The fans and the crowd were super loud; we were able to do lots of dancing and cheering on the sides. More fun than ever!!

This week I am leaving to Mexico! I am so excited to go on vacation. It is very much needed and to go somewhere somewhat paradise ish! I got a passport a long time ago for a trip I wanted to go on and never got to, so I am most excited to use my passport! Ha. While I am down there I will be doing some humanitarian work and have the wonderful opportunity of visiting a few children centers and a hospital. I have been able to collect school supplies, toothpaste and toothbrushes for the kids from many wonderful friends and family. I can’t wait to deliver them and meet the children there! My mom is going with me so it will be a fun girl’s trip. One goal I hope to do while there is to swim with the dolphins. That’s something I have always wanted to do and my fingers are crossed!! Dolphins are my absolute favorite!

Well I hope you all had a great Valentine’s Day and a good weekend. Have a great rest of the month and cheer super loud at all the games we have coming up! I will only be there Tuesday this week and even though might swim with some dolphins will miss our Jazz Fans and the great games!!! So, Go JAZZ and see you soon!!!!

>>Return to Arial's Bio page
>>Check out Arial's 2007-08 Nu Skin Dancer Diary
>>Check out Ricci's NEW 2008-09 Nu Skin Dancer Video Blog
>>Check out Jocelyn's NEW 2008-09 Nu Skin Dancer Diary
>>Check out Jocelyn's 2007-08 Nu Skin Dancer Diary

2/2/09

WOW - Welcome to February! Happy love month! Did you know that Valentines is my least favorite holiday? I’m sure you can guess why, ha ha. Last weekend I went to Las Vegas for the Miss America pageant. I flew down Wednesday afternoon for a preliminary night and flew home Thursday early early morning so I could be at practice and school. Then my mom and I flew back down on Friday afternoon for the weekend. We saw the most amazing show called “La Rev.” It was so artistic, acrobats from the ceiling and dancers in the water. Saturday we shopped (we must have walked 10 miles!) and then went to Miss America. The show was live with Mario Lopez on TLC. Miss Indiana won the show! She did amazing throughout the whole competition. On our way home at the Las Vegas airport she was eating at the same restaurant we were. I got to talk to her for a minute but I didn’t get any pictures. Next story about our trip, and this one wasn’t fun……our flight coming home was a nightmare – seriously. The flight from Las vegas should only take an hour, and it took us four hours to get home. Everything went wrong from an aborted take-off, to circling SLC for an hour, to landing in Boise, BUT on a positive note - we finally made it home at two in the morning, but safely and full from a fantastic trip. We exhausted ourselves trying to take everything in, but it was well worth it!! (I’m still trying to catch up on my sleep thought). Sometimes it seems there is never enough time in the day for everything. J

We have had some extra practices because there have been three games in a row and we aren’t able to get everything done that we need. We also got to dance with the mascots this week. So Monday, we practiced with the mascots for the bear’s birthday the next day at the game. Dancing with the mascots or our dads is always fun, entertaining and crowd pleasing (we love you guys and your cheers!). Wednesday night we did an appearance for the season ticketholders barbeque. We played the “deal or no deal” game. It was a fun night because all the players were there and we had our own booth for free pictures that people could take with us. During the contests Deron Williams got up and directed a “dance off” between two of the players. Koufos and Fesenko got up and battled it out with their hot dancing! It was so funny to see two huge basketball players try to dance but surprisingly, they were pretty good! The whole rest of the team were rolling on the floor and falling out of their seats just laughing at them. What a fun night!!

Our coach Jan is also the coach of Bountiful High School Drill team. They just competed at state on Friday and they won! If any of you know, drill team is a very competitive popular sport here in Utah. So congratulations to Jan and the Bountiful drill team! After the game Friday some of us girls went to dinner at Happy Sumo. I absolutely love sushi and could eat it all the time if it was available that much. I also love spending time with the girls on the team. It makes us all closer friends and were able to talk more personally than at practice. We catch up on everyone’s love lives and whatever else were all up to. Saturday I went to a dance convention at the Salt Palace called West Coast Dance Explosion. It was really fun to dance with some amazing choreographers and of course the girls I teach took class so I got to watch them all day. Two of our girls from the studio received scholarships to the convention for next year. After that, I went out to dinner at the Olive Garden - YUMMY. My favorite food besides sushi would be Italian. I love their bread sticks too! I also saw a scary movie called “The Uninvited. ” I got so scared during the movie that I spilled my hot tomales right out of the cup holder all over the floor! I was hoping I wouldn’t have any nightmares after that. I like seeing scary movies but do worry that it will stay with me for a long time - luckily it didn’t.

1/21/09

Hello Jazz Fans!
Back to school! I started school full time this week and boy is it a drag! I only have two semesters left. Yahoo! And I really do love it – just hard to get back into the swing after having some time off. I have also started volunteering at the Sandy Boys and Girls club again this year. I teach the kids a dance class for an hour, and at the end of a few months we will put on a dance program for the kids to show the club and their families what they have learned. I developed this program last year and it has been a great experience for the kids to learn and grow and very rewarding for me to work with such great kids.

On Wednesday, I had the chance to go up to the new Draper Temple. I didn’t get to have a tour on the inside yet but we drove around and took a few pictures of the outside. It is so beautiful up there on the hill looking over the valley I couldn’t believe it. I also had a taste of my new favorite treat Red Mango! I like to pretend it’s not as healthy as it is so that I will feel like I’m getting my sugar craving.

This weekend was a full one. I taught a lot for my dance studio, we are getting ready to compete soon which makes us push harder to be ready and prepared to WIN!… I had sushi on Saturday night and after that went to the car show at the South Towne Expo Center. I found the new car I want! It’s a brand new Lexus. Yes, it is way out of my league but I can always hope right? I saw Maserati’s, and old Mustangs, along with some Porsches. It was fun to see all the new cars and styles that are coming out in this day and age. After one of our last home games, some of us girls got together and went out to dinner and a movie. We saw the new Bride Wars. It was hilarious. I have to say I hadn’t done a girls night in a while so it was really fun to be with them!

Our practices have been very nice the last couple days. We haven’t had to prepare for too many games since the Jazz have been on the road. Don’t get me wrong, our workouts are still really tough. I think each time they get harder, which is good because we are all getting stronger. I think we’re the strongest girls in town now thanks to Neil, our trainer!

Did everyone get to see the Dad’s dance at the last game? My dad was doing really well until we hit the dance floor in front of thousands of people. I could tell he got really nervous, he started laughing and then he was off count. I give him props for going out there and dancing for me. I know he hates it, but he loves me too much! Thanks Dad!

This coming week, I will be back to school. Luckily we had a day off this week to celebrate Martin Luther King. I hope we can all remember what an amazing man he was and all the things he did for this country. Over the weekend, I get to go to Las Vegas with my Mom. Another girl’s trip! I am going down there to see the Miss America Pageant at Planet Hollywood. I am very excited to go for a few days and pretend like I’m somewhere really far away and to dress up (it’s a girl thing!).

Well, finally – we have a game Tuesday and practice Thursday with another game Saturday – yes! I hope everyone has a great week, wears their blue and roots for our team to kick some butt and win the games this week!! See ya soon!

1/5/09

RED, RED, RED – did everyone see the game? WOW Utes- you represented and showed all of us your incredible heart, talent and commitment!!! Best team in the nation, hands down!!!

It is finally time to start a new year and wrap up 2008! What a year full of change – some good, some not so good …. But it’s fun to look back at all the events and activities that have happened. And what about New Year’s resolutions – did you all make some? For the Jazz, let’s hope for health and healed injuries, our guys deserve it!!

A few fun things we’ve done recently over the holiday…… We had our team Christmas party at Crystal’s house this year. Each of us brought a white elephant and also a gift for our secret sister. We take turns youngest to oldest on the team of who opens when. Some of the white elephant gifts are really hiliarious. They are always fun, because you get to see who comes up with interesting presents. I love Christmas time because it is a time to remember those around you, to give to those you love and spend lots of time with family. I have two sets of parents so each holiday I get like four rounds of everything. It can be so much fun but a bit exhausting at days end. This year I went to my aunts for breakfast, then my grandmas for lunch, and back to my dads for dinner. I really tried hard to not stuff myself at each place but we all know that holiday food is too delicious!

As the Jazz dancers we were able to do an appearance at Southtowne mall during the holiday season. We wore our Santa hats and tried to be festive while we gift wrapped presents for those who were in the mall. It was a fun way to get into the Christmas spirit and see what everyone is giving. I hope our wrapping skills weren’t too bad! Another really neat thing my dance studio did was take on a Sub for Santa family that needed a little help this Christmas. The dancers raised some money and then a few of us were able to go shopping for the family and get some fun things for them. After that, I took it all home and didn’t realize how much there was too wrap. It took me a whole day to finish it – but it really was fun to do. Then Santa and his elves and a few more of us got together and were able to deliver the gifts to this neat family. It is so wonderful to be able to give a helping hand and honestly, I think it does more for those of us able to participate in the giving than those that receive. It was a highlight of my holiday.

To celebrate New Years Eve I was able to hook up with some old friends that I hadn’t seen in a really long time. Most of them like to country dance, and of course so do I!, so we all got together and watched the ball drop, threw out confetti and danced the night away. I have to tell you that recently I have hung out with so many old acquaintances, it has been so fun to catch up on everyone’s lives and see what they are all up to now. It’s almost like a high school reunion, too much fun.

I have been loving being this holiday break! My cousin Corey from San Diego came into town for a little while and we went snowboarding at Brighton, sledding on the hill and ice skating at the Gallivan Center. She has never seen snow like this before so she was freaking out on how much there was and how great the skiing was. I also went up to Solitude snowboarding a few times this week and the snow has been awesome. I like to go by myself sometimes and jam out to my ipod. I have also been able to sleep in each day, do a little shopping, go to the movies, and spend lots of time with friends and family. It makes me almost want to stay on break forever. I don’t really want to go back to school in a week or back into the normal schedule. It’s always hard to get back into the routine after a big nice break like this.

We have a great week coming up with the jazz; three games this week - whooo whoo! Let’s hope we can win the games and all cheer loud for our team. They deserve it! At Saturday’s game we have a nice little surprise dance at the game that you won’t want to miss. I’ll see ya there and remember GO JAZZ – we love you!

12/29/08

Well hello again Jazz fans and Happy Holidays! What a crazy month! But let’s talk about the wonderful snow that has come to greet us this week. Not sure about you, but I have been waiting and waiting for it to snow especially since it has been so cold! I am an avid snowboarder so I am excited for all the new snow to go up and shred the mountain. I usually get a pass at solitude and I try to go up each week. My new goal is to go up more this year than last year because last year I wasn’t able to go very much. With all the snow it will actually feel like Christmas, and I can tell I am now starting to get more into the Christmas spirit ….. I even listen to Christmas music in my car and on the radio a lot! Ha ha.

Saturday’s game was a little disappointing to watch. I went to the game but I didn’t dance at this one. It one of the few times I’ve gone to a game as a spectator since becoming a Jazz Dancers. It was interesting being in the crowd and not down there on the floor. We sat clear up in the upper bowl and it was a little hard to see clear down on the floor. I didn’t realize how far up it really is, and I realize I now that I needed some binoculars up there! I had fun watching all the girls dance to Christmas music. They even did half time on Saturday. We have cute little Santa outfits and the girls looked like beautiful Santa’s helpers!

We have been able to do a lot of community appearances this month. We attended the best buddy’s ball last Saturday. Best buddies ball was something that a service group put on for high school students around Utah for a night out at the prom. It was really neat to see the kids and how happy they were to get all dressed up and go dancing. The current “Mrs. Utah” was there to play with the kids along with some other title holders in Utah. We were able to greet everyone as they came in and sign posters. Along with that we ended up dancing with the kids and announcing their prom queens and kings. Another wonderful appearance was a visit his last Friday to Primary Children’s Hospital. That is one of my favorite appearances to do all year long! The players and coaches all come as well and we go around talking and meeting with the kids that are at the hospital. They get so excited to meet the Jazz players and it was really neat to see them smile.

We had our family Christmas party Sunday. I love being with my family and catching up with everyone’s lives. Nowadays it seems like so little time we get to all spend together since everyone is so busy. It was also my uncle’s 50th birthday so we celebrated that as well. The entire family surprised him with a 1965 Ford Mustang! He had one when he was a bit young and has talked ever since about getting another one, so the family got together and made it happen. It was so fun to do that for him!!! We also had a food drive and gathered canned food for the shelter which we get to deliver this week. I think that that’s what makes the Christmas spirit when you get to serve others and hope they have a good Christmas too.

I teach at a dance studio and we have our Christmas concert coming up this Friday. As a studio we are doing a Sub4Santa project. We have asked all the girls to donate to the cause and raise some money for the family --- another wonderful opportunity to serve. The concert will be the first time they get to perform after learning all their routines this summer. They work hard and I have so much fun being their teacher and being involved in such a positive atmosphere.

Tonight, my little brother Ben had his “Break Dancin’” Christmas concert. I had to miss it because I teach on Monday, but I’ve included some fun pictures. You’ll see in one of them him and his friends are holding little gingerbread guys. They made these for a school project and have been carrying them around with them for the last week. They are called “Gingerbread Fred”. You’ll notice, I was also talked into to a picture with them! Anyway, it’s pretty funny actually and they are very enthusiastic about their gingerbread friend!

Well, I have three finals coming up this week and I hope I pass all my classes; I have to say I'm a little nervous for them so wish me luck! We get a bit of a break from games for about a week and half so I will be missing all of you but look forward to seeing you after the holidays! So Merry Christmas to all and to all ……. A GREAT JAZZ SEASON!

12/3/08

OH my goodness how is it already December?! I cannot believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone, it was just Halloween yesterday, I’m sure of it! We are one month into our Jazz season with nine games down in November - Wow what a month! And couldn’t be better for all of us that can’t get enough of our GREAT Jazz!

Soooo…… I must comment on the big “rivalry” game; BYU vs. Utah, and boy did Utes get the job done!! I knew we were good, but WOW - Go Utes! Kristi, another one of the Jazz Dancers, and I sat in the muss with all the “passionate” (or crazy) Utah fans. The game was out of control, in a great way, and I’m so happy we won. The Ute’s have done an amazing job this year and I’m so excited for them to go to a BCS game. You can just sense our next win and an undefeated end to this perfect football season!!

I am almost done with school up at the U. I have to finish this semester and next semester and I could graduate with my Bachelor’s. Talk about feeling old! I have had a lot of projects and tests due this week, it’s crazy that they all come at once. This semester I have had to write paper upon paper and they feel like novels because they have to be ten pages or longer. Hopefully, my writing skills are improving!

This Thanksgiving morning I went on a hike with my Dad up to the top of Mount Olympus. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera but the view was incredible. It took us four hours to hike up and back. It was so tiring and my legs were like noodles when we got to the bottom. At the top of the mountain, they have a book you can sign so I got the chance to sign it, proving I actually got all the way to the top, woo hoo! Along the way, we saw some mountain goats along the cliffs of the mountains. While it was quite cold and muddy (actually, snowing a bit that morning) I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was up there. I was sliding all over the place. Luckily I didn’t break a foot. After the long hike I was ready for that yummy turkey. This year, I went to my grandmas for dinner. Of course the whole family was there and it was good to see them all. I mean that’s what thanksgiving is all about. I think this year I was most thankful for my family and all the love and support that they give me. I would not be who I am today with out them.

After dinner I went to a move with a very special person (you know who you are!) and their family. We saw Four Christmas’s. It was really funny! Following the movie we went on a cold, but really fun scooter ride around the neighborhood. Even though I love adventure, on a motorcycle I always get a bit scared I’m going to fall off. But as you can see, I had a fantastic Thanksgiving.

The next day as we all know, it was back to the ESA for another great Jazz game. I got to go and see the temple lights after the game Friday and that was fun cause that was the first night they turned them on and their were so many people there I couldn’t believe it. But it was amazing too! This week there was four games along with our regular practice Tuesday. We were able to have Thursday off due to thanksgiving but it was back to work Friday and Saturday. So it has been one busy and fun week for us Jazz dancers and hopefully, you fans as well. After the game I watched “Elf” (so dang funny) and got into the Christmas spirit. Can you believe my family already went and bought a Christmas tree? It is all decorated and set up with all the other decorations in the house. But that makes me happy, because I love this time of year its one of my favorites! I hope to go ice skating this year at least once down at the Gallivan Center. I have never done that before and it sounds like fun. Maybe during the holiday break which is actually only two weeks away (then no school for a bit – yes!).

We have a few appearances this weekend. Some of us dancers will be in the Provo Parade on Saturday morning, and that night there is a “best buddies ball” at the University of Utah. I love interacting with the kids and people in this community. That’s the best part of this job by far!! I also love the girls on the NuSkin Jazz Dancer team. We’ve all been working so hard together this year. We have some wonderful new outfits that are fun to wear, and we’ve been working hard to create some good entertainment for our fans. Thanks for your cheers and smiles, while it’s our great players that need it the most, we also love your energy and enthusiasm!

Well, I hope you all have a great week and that we can all get into the wonderful Christmas spirit, and maybe even some fresh new snow!!! Talk soon and GO JAZZ!!

11/17/08

Hello Jazz Fanz!

Are you all back into the season yet? We are off and running and while the road trip was a little rough, we have done really well at home …. I'm really impressed with our team and how they have worked so hard together this year. And obviously, YOU, the best fans in the NBA, make all the difference in the world when they are at home! Gotta love our Jazz!!

So is it a busy time of year or what? Seems like the “busy” time; our fun and wonderful Jazz games, the holidays and everything else that comes along. The Jazz Dancers have started off super busy; all the games this month, and learning more routines to keep our fans and the crowd entertained, it gets a little crazy and for me sometimes my brain has a bit of an overload, but we love it and are so fortunate to be a part of the wonderful Jazz organization! We have a new team member on Jazz Dancers and her name is Malory. She is in my dance class up at the University of Utah. We are so excited to have her and you will get a chance to see and meet her soon too. Also, we learned a new dance with props! It’s a lot of fun and we’ll get to show it to you very soon!

My trip to Las Vegas was AWESOME! I went with my studio and the girls I teach to participate in “The PulseOnTour”! They are famous dancers and choreographers there that teach us new material. I got to meet Mia Michaels (can you say AMAZING!), Shane Sparks, Dave Scott and Tyce Diorio. Do these names sound familiar to any of you? They were on the T.V. show “So You Think You Can Dance” as judges and choreographers? They truly are some of the best of the best in the dance world – very inspirational. After dancing, we went for dinner at Margaritaville and then rode the New York New York roller coaster. I was the only teacher that went on it with 5 of my girls. WOW - it was so much fun, I love stuff like that. Then, Saturday night we went to Hard Rock Cafe inside the Ceasars Palace. I just about got lost inside it’s huge with all kinds of stores. I did splurge on a huge ice cream cone and it was delicious! On the drive home we got a little crazy in the car. We are packed in the car, 7 of us in total, and we put on Michael Jackson’s Greatest Hits. Well, of course we had to make up a car dance, which we danced to the whole way home. We stopped for gas at this gas station in the middle of nowhere and were dancing to “Thriller” in the gas station while the gas was pumping. I think the cashier thought we were crazy! We all had to use the bathroom and the one that was at that gas station was clear on the other side and outside. With it being the middle of the night, we were too scared to go to that one, so we drove across the street and went to the next gas station just to use the bathroom. Needless to say, we got home very late - the next day I slept all day long!!!

Last weekend I went to the Miss Utah USA Pageant to watch some of my friends that I competed with in the Miss Utah America pageant. I am pretty much addicted to pageants now and love going to watch them. Smart girls, talented girls, a lot of community service and of course beautiful – a great way to grow and learn and gain scholarships for schooling! It was funny though because having been through it you realize the nerves that come on and sitting in the audience, I felt nervous for the contestants! I didn’t know the winner, but my friend who has been a wonderful inspiration to so many young girls, placed 2 runner up.

Lastly, it is my older brothers birthday this week. He will be 28 years old! I cannot believe it. He will be at the game so HAPPY BIRTHDAY DJ! I am the only girl out of three brothers and can’t believe I have survived it... ha ha. But, my mom keeps me in line!

11/3/08
Happy belated Halloween and how about that season opener? How did everyone like the new opening night with “lights out”? It adds to the whole effect of our arena and I think it gives all of us in the arena a huge adrenaline rush. Yes? We had huge glow sticks that we danced with opening night and it looked really cool out on the floor. Our crowd (of course – you are the BEST!) was awesome that night. It’s funny to go from the pre-season games with smaller crowds to the opener with nearly a full house of eager AWESOME Jazz Fans! As a dancer you get more nervous but it also is more exciting when there are lots of people cheering. We have new white outfits this year and I have to say they are one of my favorites. It has been so busy this year trying to get all of our dances ready and learned, we still have so much to do. The training is still kicking my butt! It puts us in great shape and we all feel a little bit better about ourselves. I have to confess that practice last Thursday was a little grueling. We had weigh in’s (ugh!) since it was the end of the month, then we worked out and normally our workouts last only 20 minutes but this one took us 45 - it was really hard! After we worked out we set the game for Saturday and leaned a new dance. We didn’t get it all done even though we started at 6:00 and we didn’t end till 10:15. It was one late night!

We finally had our picture day a few weeks ago. We were able to tryout our new outfits and everyone looked so amazing. We have not only a beautiful team, but great dancers and fun young ladies! I couldn’t believe they had our new picture up on the website just a few days later. Hopefully we’ll have our posters out soon so we can pass them out to the best fans in the NBA!!!

This last week has been a little hectic and it only gets better this upcoming week. We had two home games, along with practices and I have two tests this week to take in my classes at school. BUT, I will be going to Las Vegas later this week for a dance convention where we take classes from professionals from LA and New York. They are always so incredibly invigorating and inspirational. I love learning from the best and having my eyes opened to new choreography, music and ideas. I cannot wait!

For Halloween I dressed up as a firefighter. I am not really a fan of Halloween and I wasn’t looking forward to it this year but my wonderful friend Emily got me to dress up and have some fun Halloween celebrating. While out and about, we saw some crazy costumes. Some of them were really creative and others I was like WHOA! I have to admit I have been eating a lot of candy. I am a big sweet tooth and need to watch it because if I eat too much I might have too many cavities! My little brother dressed up as a “jumbo plumber”. It was this big blow up suit that he put on and it fills with air. It’s the funniest thing when he puts it one because he looks like he is floating in the air and his legs are about 2 inches tall. He’s wider than he is tall. He was hilarious! My other little brother was a Storm Trooper from Star Wars. Amazing how popular Star Wars is still after all these years.

After the game last night I went to the sky box with some friends. With the big Jazz game, I had forgotten that the Utah game was on and when we walked in there that place was filled with red! The big screen was turned on the game and it was so loud. So we sat and watched the game for a little bit and what do you know, we Won! We’re still undefeated this year so watch out! Number 8 as of the latest polls – woo hoo!

I hope you all have a great beginning of November and enjoy this incredible fall. Have a great few weeks and we’ll see you soon! GO JAZZ!!

10/13/08
Hello Winter, Hello JAAAZZZZ!!
Wow, one game down and many more to come. Can you believe it? I cannot believe we have already started another season. Time flies when your having fun! I was surprised to not see very many people at the game on Thursday. Granted it is a pre-season game, but where was everyone? Ha ha

I was a little nervous to get back out on that floor and dance again. We have a lot of new dancers this year and they are AWESOME and adorable! But we have been preparing for the upcoming games and somehow I felt this game snuck up on me. I didn’t feel quite ready, but once I was out there, it was time to shine. It was the first game for our rookies as well and they did a great job! I feel for them, it is hard to be a rookie! Go rookies!

I had a great opportunity to go to the LDS General conference recently with some of my friends. I have never been to one or been in the conference center for an event. It was really neat to get a feel for what it is really like and how many people were there. I could not believe how many travelers come into town to experience it in person. It will remain with me as one of my most incredible experiences.

If you haven’t noticed, my hair got changed a little bit this year. So …. Blonde, to brown and now, lighter sorta red? Ha ha – it’s still me, Arial, with lighter hair! I like going lighter but, we aren’t quite there yet – but I am the only one with this color! Funny story, I had an appointment to get my hair done at 4:00 on a Thursday before practice. Well we started late and they ended up having to do more than I thought to get my hair a certain color. So 6:15 rolls around, and mind you we have practice at 6:30 and usually we are always fifteen to twenty minutes early. I was laying in the sink with the color still in my hair and foil wrapped. There were three people working on my hair to make the process go faster. By 6:25, I raced out of the salon, with orange wet hair and went to practice! I worked out with a mop head and my hair looked horrible. But, I made it through and went back the next day and had it fixed. They are pros!

This week has been a little crazy for me. I have had school everyday and have an upcoming test after fall break. What teacher does that? We have all this week off then go back and take a test. So… not fair! I know, life isn’t fair ….. And besides that our football team had another amazing win on Saturday! Go Utes!

Saturday I was able to go to Body Worlds with my family. I was unaware it was a complete family outing but to my surprise the whole family was there. For those of you that don’t know what Body World’s is, it is a museum of real bodies that have been donated to plastination and put in forms for us to understand how the body looks, and how it moves. There was every single body part, broken down into sections, and put on display. They even had the circulatory systems on display and it showed where your blood is most relevant in the body and how it flows. It was the coolest thing I have seen in a long time. My favorite part was the process of an embryo into a baby. They have these things in tiny bottles and it shows the hands and feet of these little fetus’s and they are real! So if you get the chance I highly recommend going to see these fascinating bodies and the artistic and incredibly informative display.

I plan on catching up on a lot of sleep this week with no school. I don’t know what I will do with myself. I love staying busy and any down time I have I find something else that I think needs to be done. So it will be nice for a change to not have that much going on. We still have practice, and I teach a couple nights this week along with doing some more community service. And don’t forget I will still be working out! Staying in shape is very important for me! It’s hard though cause I need to work out extra hard for those cookies and ice cream I love to eat every once in awhile! I have a sweet tooth I’ll admit and my favorite is chocolate – DANG IT!

I have been loving this fall weather, with the beautiful leaves changing. My family and I went up the canyon for a drive to look at all the colors. It is amazing what our world can do, and the beauty it brings. I would love it if this season lasted a few more months, and the snow waited for a bit longer. I was disappointed to wake up to snow this Sunday morning! I am not ready for winter yet, I was a little bitter about that but will grow to love it again, I’m sure!

Well Fans, I hope you have a great week, and Halloween is coming up fast so you all better have your costumes ready and maybe you should wear them to opening night on Oct, 29th! I’ll be looking! Trick or treat and see you soon!

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