I didn't want to be a quitter; I wanted to dance. I danced five days a week with the Houston Ballet Company. I was on a strict diet that consisted mainly of water, fruits, and vegetables. When I got to go home on the weekends I ate nothing but junk food knowing that my instructors would be able to tell when Monday rolled around. I learned self-discipline when it came to food and exercise. It might sound harsh but you had to learn how to eat right and exercise right to keep you healthy. .
Being the youngest and newest to the dance company it takes more to get adjusted to that type of life style. I would wake up at seven a.m., get dressed and eat breakfast. I would attend English class, math class, history class, and science: each for one hour a day Monday through Friday. I would then eat lunch and take a break before dance started that afternoon. I would dance from two p.m. to five p.m. each day. Maybe once a week we would run or do something besides dancing to relieve us from ballet. After about three months of the same schedule I was ready to come home for Christmas. I felt some days as though I was in a prison with no escape. My best friends were all I had. I had seen many girls go at first and it made me scared that I would be the next to go. One night I was laying in my room in the housing facility crying because I hated ballet. I hated practice, the food, the stress, the instructors, the whole idea of ballet pissed me off. The more I cried the more and the more determined I became to exceed in dance and make the dance parts for our end of the year recital. .
Christmas came and everyone parted and went their own ways for the holidays. Kelli came and stayed at my house for that whole month because she couldn't go home. It was hard to adjust to the old lifestyle that I use to live; I was use to dancing all day everyday. As much as I hated to dance I missed it. I missed the girls I had grown to care about.