The dance dad is home thank goodness

 IT WAS A VERY LONG WEEK SOLO PARENTING 80% OF THE CHILDREN. 

Even though, really, Ben took maybe the most difficult one with him to Florida for GO SHOWSTOPPER dance nationals. 

(No, it’s not really in all caps. And honestly? I don’t know if the GO belongs there? Like, it’s in some of their branded content but not all of it? Also, is it really a national tourney if there are like 5 of them throughout the country (just that particular brand- there are even more OTHER BRANDS of national tourneys) and if you don’t have to qualify? WHO KNOWS.)

If you ask this one, she will tell you that YES IT IS A REAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TROHPY SHE IS HOLDING.

Can you tell how incredibly happy she is? 

The TL; DR is that Ben and Dorothy had a great time in Orlando. 

Both of Dorothy’s dances got big trophies— 1st overall in junior production (pictured above) and 3rd overall in advanced junior large groups— below— and that trophy got to come home with her where it will live in her room forever.

She loved staying at the convention hotel with her friends and hitting the pool, one day from a swanky cabana

She loved having her dance teacher do her makeup (Ben did the hair— woot woot)

And she OF COURSE delighted in a trip to the magic Kingdom

Ben had fun too

Her whole team got to come home national champions because they were either entered in the junior production or the senior production, and both of these giant dances won their category. I think that was the studio’s plan since last summer’s try out, and it worked out so well— all the kids felt so special and proud of themselves.

Ben and Dorothy flew Spirit Airlines from Milwaukee to Orlando with no problem— they arrived 40 minutes early even. But! On the way home Friday night, their flight was cancelled, and the airline told Ben they could rebook him on Tuesday (LOL LOL LOL). A super nice ticket agent also told him that if he took the Tuesday ticket and then found something better on another airline, they’d refund him for the return flight. So he did, and they did. Phew! One extra night in an airport Hyatt and they were home just 12 hours later than planned.

AND BOY WERE WE GLAD TO SEE THEM.

And listen. If driving 5 kids to Florida for Thanksgiving didn’t make me want to fly, and staying home with 4 kids by myself for a week didn’t make me want to fly (because then I could have been the parent at the dance competition), THEN WHAT EXACTLY WILL MAKE ME WANT TO FLY?