STFU about the Oireachtas

This month's Shut the Feis Up post recaps the Oireachtas from a boyfriend's point of view. Better two months late than never!

All fall long I was anticipating the arrival of December 2nd, the morning when Sara and I would fly down to Orlando for her Oireachtas of 2011. Knowing that I'd be in Florida during winter was an amazing image to keep in mind while I waited for that date to approach. Goodbye cold DC, and welcome to beautiful, warm weather Orlando! It truly was paradise there. Oh, and did I mention that we got to stay in the Ritz Carlton!? Truly an incredible experience filled with gorgeous scenery, exotic cars, the nicest hotel room I've ever been in my whole life and great tasting food!

...But our trip to Orlando wasn't all about the weather, hotel, the cars or the food, it was time to get focused on the dance competition. Day one was full of relaxation, (which was highly needed after the morning we had experienced: I left my wallet in the car that morning and almost didn't make the flight because airports require IDs.) We walked around the two connecting hotels scoping out the ballrooms where she'd be performing, buying the obligatory Oireachtas t-shirts and other valuable items that were necessary for the Oireachtas.

Now I have had previous experiences of Irish dance competitions, (I've attended two feiseanna) so I somewhat knew what to expect when it came to regionals. To my surprise I didn't end up being overwhelmed thanks to the many warnings from Sara saying how long it'll be and how crowded and loud the rooms will be (complete chaos), but just like before I was able to man up and pull through with very little complaints and mostly a smile on my face for the whole weekend we spent there.

The day was long, but I had the most important person in my life at my side to get me through it, and of course I loved every minute of being there for her. I stayed by her side to help motivate and calm her nerves down, because even I could tell that she was nervous when I'm usually the one being nervous for her. When it was time for her to wait in line for her competition, or when she was off stretching or watching others dance, I did get the chance to meet her dance class mates. It was an enjoyable experience to be able to talk with them and get to know everyone.

Almost all her friends decided in literally a minute that they liked me a lot when they found out I had bought her the new dress that she premiered at the Oireachtas . She received many compliments about the dress, and in return I received many compliments from her friends about how awesome I am. I was very happy for her that she finally got a new dress to wear, because I knew how badly she wanted one, so I decided since the Oireachtas is a huge competition, she deserved a brand new dress to show off in one of the most important competitions of the year.

It was a long and expensive weekend, but when it came to money I did not care one bit, because all of everything spent was worth it just to see my girl dance. I am so happy I went to go watch her; it was the best part of the weekend when I got to see her up on stage throwing down her dance moves! And especially showing off that new dress! Let me tell you, man did she look great out there! I would by far and without hesitation and question attend another Oireachtas, and escape the regular world to run off to the world of Irish dance. Its uniqueness is great and interesting. I still have so much more to learn, so much more to experience, and I can't wait to keep on going through this epic journey with Sara through the Irish dance world.

Days till NANs: 143