B. Beautiful Blog

Here is a list of my favorite books of 2016. Some of these books did come from NaNoWriMo as well as others I just so happened to stumble upon.

The Hallows Series by Kim Harrison

Water for Elephants, Riding Lessons, & Flying Changes by Sara Gruen

The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Divergent by Veronica Roth

New Video on how I prep for NaNoWriMo.

Check out this new video of my fall Lush Haul!!!

Dance has always been in my life. My mother danced in high school. My father's side of the family is Puerto Rican so dance was always a means of expression, along with passionate hand gestures.

I spent most of my life (age 9 +) figure skating. So as a form of cross training, I danced a lot.

In high school I went to a magnet school for the arts. So I spent a lot of time in dance classes.

Oddly enough, I was never as passionate about dance as I am now. I really fell in love with ballet in the past year.

After a few months of taking as many classes as I could, I decided to try pointe shoes again. Keeping in mind I had not been in pointe for about 10 years.

Here are a few things that helped me keep the fear of judgment at bay:

1. I dance at an all adult studio. Yes they exist.
The best part of this is that no one judges and we all push each other to become better dancers. I love my teachers and classmates because they all know what the first plie of they day sounds like (crack pop crack pop).

2. YouTube

Yep, YouTube again. You can find a video on anything, from basic ballet terms and positions to full classes you can follow along with.
I found Ballerinas By Night to be a great help in just understanding that I am NOT the only adult ballet dancer out there.
While Kathryn Morgan is helpful with technique and her personal story is inspiring. This once New York City ballet soloist shows that life may throw you a curve ball, but you have to keep dancing.

3. Talking.
Talking to other dancers and hearing their stories can put things into perspective for you. Some adults come back to dance after decades. This can help you to understand that your not alone in the struggle.
Some adults try dancing for the first time after their children are all grown. If you fall into this category you can find friends that are going through the learning process with you.

4. Focus on your dance. 
This is hard to do if you are in your first class or if you are dancing for a top company. DO NOT compare your body, technique, or anything else to another dancer. This can only hurt you in the long run. Just try to improve and be happy with your progress.

5. Enjoy it. 
I know this seems simple, but some dancers get stuck on perfecting so much that they forget to smile and enjoy the art. If you find yourself questioning why you started to dance in the first place, just think about the reasons you fell in love with dance and those moments that made you smile along the way.

I hope these help you love dance as much as I do!

-Kristina B

While visiting the ER, it is very important to be honest and open with your care providers, there are, however, a few things that can annoy providers to no end.


Here are 5 things you should never say in the ER:

1. "Well, this started last year..."

2. "The internet said I have... "

We all have passions.

It could be a love of cooking, planning or simply drinking wine. Everyone has atleast one passion in their life.

That one thing that is a part of their soul and will always be there waiting under the surface.

For me this is photography.  I have always enjoyed hearing the shutter and matching the final image to the real thing. A photo is like holding on to a moment in time.

In fact the first thing I ever bought myself was a chunky Polaroid camera. Yep, the old kind. I loved that camera.

Since then I have progressed through point-and-shoots to my first DSLR, a Sony A300.

"Cottage"

I really enjoyed the freedom the DSLR cameras gave me with my creativity. I scoured YouTube for ideas and tips. My ability began to evolve, but all of my images seemed to be lacking that spark that would make them stand out.

Just recently I sold my Sony camera and bought a Canon t5i. This is the camera I needed. The clarity is amazing! I was drawn to the LCD  screen that can rotate and be set up for filming YouTube videos. Since I bout the Canon I have found a whole new level to my photography.

"Tide Comes in"

My oldest niece was looking through a pile of my images one day. She asked me why I didn't sell them. Honestly, I have always been afraid to show them for fear of rejection.

So in order to get past my fear I put some of my images on Etsy.

Etsy has simply been another step in getting past my fears and putting myself, and my art, out there.

I urge you to find a way to get past a fear you have and just allow your passions to grow!

-Kristina B.

Day trip to Tanglewood farm in Georgia.