Congratulations to Misty Copeland!

Big congratulations to Misty Copeland for becoming the first Black Principal Dancer with the American Ballet Theater!  It is quite an honor and such a huge accomplishment for her.  Although I don't know her personally, I am very proud.  It shows what can be done with dedication, perseverance, and raw talent.  I know how tough ballet can be just from the years I took it when I was a young girl.  I never aspired to become a prima ballerina, but I dedicated myself to being the best I could be for the concerts put on by my class.  I was both anxious and nervous for my family to see how hard I had worked.  I also wanted my mother to feel good about the hard earned money she had invested in my dance lessons.  There was some healthy competition amongst the girls in class, but it was a fun experience and one that I will always treasure.  I know that Misty serves as inspiration to many young girls, possibly boys too, and I think that is a wonderful gift to the world.  I'm sure many more great things are in store for this amazing young woman.  Check out the article by the Associated Press here.

PO-KE-NO!

I recently went to the home of some friends for a game night.  There were around fifteen people there, and we had a blast!  We played several games, including my rediscovered favorite, Po-Ke-No.  I hadn't played the game since I was a girl.  My grandmother had a set, and she used to have Po-Ke-No parties at her house.  Everyone would come with their bags and jars full of coins, raring to go.  It's a great game that can be played by people of all ages.  My grandmother's players used to start off using pennies and work their way up as the evening progressed.  At the recent game night ten of us played and, while we started with dimes, we switched to quarters early into the evening.  Needless to say, some of the cups had a nice pot of money before too long, while some of the players saw their bank dwindle quickly.  There are several ways to play, and we played with a cup marked for each possible way to win, including 4 of a Kind, Corners, Center, Blackout and, of course, Po-ke-no.  Every player antes up by putting a coin in each cup.  The dealer calls out the cards and the players place a chip on the corresponding picture of the card if they have it on their playing board.  As soon as someone calls, or in the case of my friends, YELLS, Po-ke-no!, the round comes to an end.  That person gets the money in the Po-ke-no cup.  Anyone who called out one of the other wins before the Po-ke-no winner, with the exception of Blackout, gets the money in the respective cup.  With my folks, if you are a winner, you dare not hesitate when calling out your win or someone else might beat you to it!  They want to check your board too to see if you really have it!  It's really fun, loud and serious!  We had a couple of newbies there who are now Po-ke-no fanatics.  I plan to purchase a game for myself soon.  It'll never go out of style.