Asha Means Hope

About a month ago, the world lost an amazing young woman named Asha Davenport.  She was an outstanding member of our LEAP Service Learning class at the U, our community.  She really exemplified what the whole "service learning" class was about and her whole life was centered around service. What an amazing girl! I wish that I had taken the opportunity to get to know her better than I did.
My LEAP Advisor Laramie came up with the amazing idea to make bracelets that commemorate her.  They are only $2 and so cute. The money that is made from the bracelets goes to research and help for epilepsy, which she lived with (though no one would ever know it by the way she acted) and ultimately died from.  Buy a bracelet and make a difference.

The Bracelet

A week or so before her passing, we were talking in class about what our names mean, she told us that Asha means "Hope" (her last name also means "couch" which is funny).  She lived up to her name bringing hope to others.  She is loved and missed.

Our Beautiful girl Asha "Hope" Davenport.

Dance. What else can you say?

 Dancing is just discovery, discovery, discovery.  ~Martha Graham

I have always thought of Martha Graham as a genius. Not only did she dance beautifully, choreograph amazingly, but she also wrote honestly.

I had a hard time deciding what to use as my first (yes, this is surely not going to be my last) quote on dance, until I came across this one.  As my blog is titled "Discoveries," how could I possibly pass this up? 

I Dance For The Love

I dance for the love

I dance even when I feel pain
I dance knowing there's something to gain

I dance for the love

I dance for me
I dance for everyone to see

I dance for the love

I dance as the sunshine
I dance hoping you will be mine

I dance for the love

I dance with words to say
I dance all day

I dance for the love

I dance even when you leave
I dance and still believe

I dance for the love
~Amy Lee

This sums up why I dance.  It is a part of me.  One of my favorite parts.  I dance for the love, the love of dance.

PS I loved this quote too (however I didn't think that it was the best way to start out a blog:)

Dancing: the vertical expression of a horizontal desire legalized by music.  ~George Bernard Shaw

Three of my favorite Modern Dancers of Utah's modern dance company RDT (Check them out Here! Can find show times and even start dance classes taught by the company members. My favorite is the Advanced Modern class Tuesday nights!)

The ever fabulous Martha Graham Dance Company!

hAir cUT

Here is the new hair cut that  I got this weekend.  Different, but a little bit too first-grade-teacher for me... Good thing I am getting it redone tomorrow! Gonna go SHORT!

This is a little more what I was going for... Hopefully it looks good on me!

My Past Looking To My Future

A couple years ago, I went to Peru on a humanitarian trip with the organization AYS.  It was the most amazing experience of my life! and it gave me a new appreciation and desire to do more; to serve, to travel, to explore, to grow.  Right now I am working on doing some sort of internship or volunteer trip for my summer.  My top two organizations are ProWorld and HELP International.  They are both great and have so many options!  If you would like to join me let me know! (You would make my dad's life to have him know that his little girl was not going to a third world country alone:)  I am looking forward for my two months of service this summer!

 My Wonderful Group at Machu Picchu.

 One of my favorite pictures of the trip: the sweetest little boy's hand in mine.

 Isn't he the cutest thing?! And this picture looks professional!

 Anna. Would you believe that she is five!? I held her for hours.

 These beautiful children in their new clothes generously donated from the states.

The sweetest, most beautiful little boy in the entire world.  What I wouldn't give to see him again.