A very very very quick post

HI!!!!!
Sese-friday-- see dad's blog here. 28th place!
ME!!! TODAY!!! 15TH PLACE!!! QUALIFIED FOR WORLDS!! I don't think I'm going to go this year. DEFINATELY Nationals, though!!! :) :D :D :D I'll probably do a big album about it or whatever as soon as I get home :) Bye!!
Sonja
(I mean, I don't know how it happened. Last year I got 37th!!! I was just hoping to recall today! WOW!!! I do not know what I did!!!) (The picture is of me, my friend from another school in our area, and another girl from our school. We were all so surprised we qualified!! They were crying but I was too happy! We were just hugging and screaming!!) (I'm the one with black, pink, & blue, and they are the yellow & white and the purple & white.)

Well maybe this wasn't so short after all!!

We're Leaving Tomorrow....

Tomorrow we leave bright & early for our first day of traveling to Columbus, Ohio for Oireachtas. The picture is from last year, waiting for results-this year Selena's on Friday, and I'm on Sunday--so it will be a little easier than last year when we were both on Sunday. :) I'm really excited, and we're both really well prepared, so we'll just get there and do our best! I might post on the way, but I might not so just be patient... :)
If I don't there will be another huge post about it like last year. Dad has an album here on his Picasa so you can look at that if you want! Got to go!
~Sonja~

A Seamus Album :)

Click here to see a large album of (cute) Seamus pictures...some of my pics and also some of dad's...for our favorite boy kitty... :)

Just today he was spending his time torturing the dog behind us that has an invisible fence. It was running back and forth but he was just laying and watching it and looking like he was saying "You are so dumb."

That's all for now,

~Sonja

New Wig!!!

I got my new wig the other day (for Irish Dance, for readers who are freaking out right now and saying "What in the world does she have on her head?" or "How many hours did that hair take?" It's not real hair, it's obviously a wig...) and it's really nice and long!! It's lighter than my old one and it feels really good. I can't wait to wear it at Oireachtas! :D

Here are the rest of the pics.

~Sonja~

Four weeks until Oireachtas/Reigonals

EEEEK!! It's scary to think about it! But at the same time, I can't wait. We're having a lot of fun preparing for this, we have had dance camp, a sleepover, and we will be having a bowling party! This year Oireachtas (Ah-rock-tuss) is in Columbus, Ohio, but next year it will be in Chicago--we will definitely be going to the American Girl Place!! I'd better start saving up. ;)

We have also been very sick recently. A few weeks ago, two I think, the four of us girls were sick with coughing and fevers. Then Dad got sick with a bad upper-respiratory cold. Mom is getting over it right now, I think she had it the worst. :( We've been miserable!! But it's almost done...we should have gotten that flu shot back in October.......
Well that's all for now.
~Sonja~

Iowa & MN feises!...and other stuff

Both of the feises went really well... Dad posted about both a lot more than I did, so you can read about his HERE from IA and HERE from MN feis. Both were really fun and we danced very well. I placed:
1st in Set Dance
4th in Hardshoe round
6th overall
Sese got 2nd in Set Dance,
Izzy got
3rd Reel
3rd Jig
3rd Slip Jig
Miranda got
4th Reel

So it was a good Iowa feis. Selena's new dress looked really nice :D. And mine too, of course.
MN feis we didn't have to get up early at all, so that was nice. It was a very, very good day, even better than IA. I danced amazing, if I do say so myself, and so I got:
1st in Softshoe
1st in Hardshoe
1st overall
1st in Set dance
2nd in Treble Reel

Selena got:
4th in Softshoe
1st in Hardshoe
3rd overall
3rd Set Dance

Isabel:
1st Reel
2nd Jig
2nd Slip Jig
1st Treble Jig
3rd Hornpipe

Miranda:
3rd Reel
1st Jig
2nd Treble Jig
4th Hornpipe

Then there was the after-feis party, which was really fun!!! MN feis is one of my favorites because it's so close and I usually do well...:D
Now it's officially Oireachtas (reigonals) season! I can't wait! I'm working hard!!!

So that's dance news. I'm also working hard on school, violin, piano, and Secret Christmas Present Projects. ;) I can't wait for that either.

Seamus recently turned 1. He's now a very outdoor cat and climbs trees, chases things, gets burrs in his fur, gets barked at by a neighboring dog, and gets beat up by bigger cats than himself. Yes. Very bad. We had to take him to the vet 'cause one of his legs was really bad, it swelled up and he was walking around on only 3 legs...which actually looked kind of funny but it was painful for him, and he took his anger out on a pillow that was left on the floor and is now to never be used again. (This means that he mistook it for his litterbox, perhaps not unintentionally.) But he went and got his shot and is now quite healed. He also continues to disturb our older girl cat, Sally, and so I'm usually yelling at him all the day long. He has not calmed down, like we thought he would. In fact, I doubt if we can have a Christmas tree this year. (We couldn't last year because of him, if you remember.) Well. Enough about the cat...but here's some links to posts I made about him last year:
We've found one
New Kitten Fun
A Short Refrence to his naughtyness in the post Merlin and the Gleam

That's all for now. Keep checking. Don't give up on me!!

~Sonja
PS: It's October 12 and I'm beginning to sing "Let it snow!" Why don't we say "Merry Halloween?" It's going to be a snowy winter here in MN. Uffda!!!

Sese's new dress!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Opening it
The back
examining the cape
Sese doing her set
Fauna and Sese

Last night Fauna brought over Sese's dress (with Mrs. Ausman who helps with the jeweling.) It's soooooooooooooo amazing!! She'll be wearing it tomorrow in Iowa! Thanks Fauna Gille Designs, the dresses keep getting better and better.....

PS. What should Sese and I pose like for this year's Oireachtas picture? (Here's a pic of last years.) We don't want to do the same thing! Any suggestions?

Recent Projects

Here's some pics of things I've been making lately:

I knitted the matching scarf & hat for my American Girl dolls...
And I crocheted this adorable little polar bear. ;) His name is Snowball, isn't he cute??

I really have been bad about blogging....I'll get into it more...I promise....

We're leaving for the Iowa State Feis tomorrow, so that will be something. Please comment, what do you think of the things I've made!?

I've got to get up early tomorrow, so bye!

~Sonja

More pics...

#1
#2
#3: Zebras and Gemsbok
#4 Sleepy Prarie dog

#5 Butterfly on a bench...
#6 Underwater....


Please vote again!! These are more recent ones from the Minnesota zoo (here's the picasa web albums link http://picasaweb.google.com/munson.dancers/MinnesotaZoo# ) and from the sculpture garden where we went yesterday with family. #1 is me 'holding' the rabbit on the bell statue, #2 and #5 are from the butterfly garden, and the rest are just other animals. Oh, you can vote for the one of me picking the cherry on the side of this, too! Just say #7.
What do you think could win the photo contest at the library??? Are these better than the ones before? (Ps, Elsie & Iris won that.) Well, please comment! Got to go! ~Sonja, young photographer at large

Photo contest vote

#1: Elsie & Iris
#2: Iris
#3: Sleeping Seamus
#4: Outside
#5: Playing


I want to enter in a photo for my library's digital photo contest, and I need help deciding which picture to do!!! Please tell me which you think is the best picture of all of these, #1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.

Madison feis Results:

We had a great Madison Feis this last Saturday!
1st Hornpipe
2nd Slip Jig
2nd Reel
2nd Jig

Selena:
1st Hornpipe
1st Treble Jig
1st Slip Jig

Izzy:
2nd Hornpipe
3rd Jig
5th Reel

Miranda:
2nd Hornpipe
2nd Reel
3rd Jig

Izzy and Meema were dancing in the same group for Hornpipe, and they tied in 2nd! Selena got 3 trophies. I got 1 trophy and well...2 medals, because Mom didn't see me on the results thing they posted on my Slip Jig. But when I looked at the results online, I found out that I actually had placed!! Yay! Now I'm qualified for Oireachtas, so we don't have to worry about that. Now I just have to focus on getting into the next level, Preliminary Championship (by winning Reel and Slip Jig.)

This was only Izzy and Meema's second feis in a new level, it was really nice for them to get so many places!! Well, today, Novice, tomorrow, Open Championship!

Sese is 3/4 of the way to the PC--she just needs 1st place in Reel, and she has to get Miss Fauna's approval! Who will get there first, her or me?????? ;) :)

Lemondrop goes to the library

Here are the pictures of when we took Lemondrop to the library. I don't know why this thing isn't letting me put captions up so I'll do them here; first mom and Lemondrop in the car, Izzy and Lemondrop in the reading-thingy, Lemondrop doing some puzzles, and Lemondrop helping Izzy pick out some books. :)

Adventures with Lemondrop!!

When the Duluth Munson's went home from their trip here on Friday, Saturday and Sunday a few weekends ago (to be posted about later), we found they had left one of their crew. Seamus was the first one to find him (see the pic.) So we've been taking care of Lemondrop the penguin. He's been going all over town with us! Next post is Lemondrop at the library which I will do soon. :)
~Sonja

Friendly Gables

We went to the South St. Paul library the other day, and I got about 11 books! Here are details one of my very favorites:

Friendly Gables
This book is by one of my favorite authors, Hilda van Stockum. I hadn't read this before but I had read one of the previous books in the series, the Mitchells. They're a great series about a big family!
(From side flap) "Fifteen-year-old Joan was the only one of the Mitchell children to be allowed free access to Mother's room after twin brothers were (above: Hilda Van Stockum and her children) born that winter in Montreal. She made friends with the stiffly starched nurse, straight-laced Miss Thorpe. Altogether there were now four boys and four girls in the family and Miss Thorpe thought that was altogether too many! "It wasn't surprising that Timmy, Angela, Patsy, and Peter, feeling somewhat resentful of Joan, excluded her from the wonderful hideaway they had made for themselves to escape the vigilant eye of Miss Thorpe. (Three-year-old Catherine was already completely dominated and besides was too young to b trusted not to tell. mother discovered their secret and promised to keep it-even from Daddy-so their privacy was assured.)
"It was a real haven, but gradually the friendly children began asking a chosen guest or two to share it-until even Miss Thorpe, well thawed, was invited!
"This is the same irrepressible American family, transplanted to Canada, and a little more older and more numerous, that charmed the readers of 'The Mitchells' and 'Canadian Summer'. Here again they go their light-hearted way, gathering in friends both old and new, helping one another in trouble and joy, and more fun than ever now that there are ten of them."

More reports coming soon!

Easter

This Easter we stayed home. We always have Easter Breakfast at Church before the service. Here's some pic's with friends, and Seamus waiting to be cooked. ;) Hope everyone's having a great spring!!

Some St. Patrick's day photos...

The four of us at Southwest Crossing Office
Emma and Sese
Izzy and Miranda
Cecilia and Sonja
Me in the Treble Reel


Here's just a few photos from our VERY BUSY St. Patrick's day! We performed at various schools, assisted livings and offices, along with the IDS center, the Landmark center, with Katie McMahon (but that show wasn't in wigs and costumes). Thanks to all of you who were able to come to see us!!

Late Lavin-Cassidy Feis report

                                               In full costume
                                 Two of the first Fauna Gille Designs dresses!
                          All done!!!!! 
                              POPEYES!!
                             Awards & ice cream.....

We had a very sucessful feis! It was Selena's first feis in Open/Prizewinner, and Isabel and Miranda's first feis in Novice, newer and harder levels for them! We all did very well though. 

Obvious by my trophies in the last picture, I've qualified in both hardshoe dances for the next level, Preliminary Championship (or PC)! Time to work on some softshoe....

Sonja:

1st place Treble Jig

1st place Hornpipe

Selena

1st place Hornpipe   (novice)

2nd place Light Jig

3rd place Reel

4th place Treble Jig

5th place Slip Jig

Isabel

4th place Light Jig

7th place Slip Jig

Miranda

3rd place Reel

4th place Light Jig

4th place Slip Jig

The New Dress is Complete!!

It's done!! We got it at dance last night. What does everyone think of it? (I LOVE it!!!)
Thank you, Fauna Gille Designs!!!!

A new look!!

Yes, I got glasses a few days ago. They've taken some getting used to but I can see much better! I'm quite near-sighted.
How do I look??

Oireachtas 2008 Photo