Just before she was 3, the Lass started ballet. Since starting, she has missed one performance due to illness, three rehersals, and no classes. She is dedicated to the art of dance and following her heart.

"Ballet is in my heart." She told me last week.

I do not doubt it.

In addition to missing little of the ballet season, she has also missed only one day of summer camp.

That's right. Summer camp. Ballet is a year round activity for her. She takes classes from September through June and then is in summer camp through July. She does not go to the studio in August as the directors need a vacation, but this does not mean that she doesn't dance.

Her first summer she was quite upset when summer camp ended - she didn't want a vacation from ballet, why should the instructors?

Although she understands that people need to take a vacation now and again, she is still not a fan of a prolonged period without ballet.

Today she started "her" summer camp.

She was ready when I picked her up at 10:30.

"This is my first real camp!"

Unlike previous camps, this camp is a few hours of instruction for five days. Although it is a pain for parents, the kids really seem to enjoy it.

I like summer camp as it seems that few parents truly take advantage of this opportunity due to vacations, break from ballet, etc. As a result, the class is usually quite small and the instruction is a bit more individualized. There are just 4 students in her summer camp. This is also good for the Lass as she can truly shine. (A smaller class also means that she does not day dream nearly as much as she does when the class is larger and the teacher works with other kids)

She leaped, jumped, floated, skipped, and literally flew to cam this morning. I don't know that I have ever seen her so thrilled to be doing something that promised only that it would be different than the norm.

When I picked her up she was glowing.

"It was SO fun!"

She went on to tell me the good news, the corrections she happily accepted, the attention she had received... the joy in her heart was evident.

And everything fell into perspective. Yes, life for this week will be a pain for me - getting her to and from this and that camp... and it is all, in the end, worth it.

"Do you want to go back tomorrow?"

"YES!"