I came, I danced, I still have my dignity

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I thought the 90 seconds that Bailee Garneau and I danced on stage at The Matrix Center for the 5th annual Clarendon County Dancing with the Stars event would be the longest of my life.

But in reality, it was over so quickly that I kind of wanted to do it again after we were finished. And now that all the practices – since the first week of June, mind you – are over and done with, I’m finding I’m in this weird sort of afterglow period.

Summer has flown by, and dancing helped with that. Those of you that know me know that I despise hot weather. But I stay in South Carolina because it’s close to home. I stay near Manning because I love Clarendon County.

I can’t imagine living anywhere else. And participating in events like the one held Saturday night just always reinforce that love.

The support from the crowd was overwhelming, and when I posted the video on my Facebook page, the support there was as well.

I had a notion going into Dancing with the Stars that I would get on stage and people would laugh at me. I saw it as something to be embarrassed about.

But no, people were cheering me on. Those who know my medical history were my biggest supporters. I was so grateful to have my mom and best friend from California there. And I had a table-full of supporters from The Manning Times, including Publisher Leigh Ann Maynard, office manager Ariel Layne and staff writer Joe Perry.

And even if folks like Pete and Jeanine Surette or Dr. Beryl Bachus-Keith or Don Ellis were supporting other celebs, they were quick to come over and hug or congratulate me.

When I woke up Sunday morning, I had 83 text messages. That was a good feeling.

I feel privileged that I have this venue to say my thanks. Unlike the other contestants, who don’t have that luxury, I can say my thank yous in print. However, I open the floor up to them: If they want to do the same, they can just email me their comments and I will run them in a future edition.

So, here goes: First, I have to thank my partner, Bailee. I know I wasn’t always easy to work with. I can be somewhat demanding and a bit of a control freak. I had a kidney stone that kept us from practicing for a week, and I had to cancel a practice or five because of breaking news events, sometimes when you already drove to the studio.

You’re a gem, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I may not be dancing with you in the future, but I’ll always be there to cheer you on.

I’d like to thank Bailee’s parents for raising such a smart kid, and Holly especially for helping raise money for good causes.

I’d like to thank Donna Prothro for not only choreographing our routine, but going through the steps with me and also dancing with me when Bailee couldn’t make it due to school or church commitments. And for letting us use her studio when she wasn’t there. And, most of all, for being so encouraging. I don’t think I could’ve done it without you.

Thanks to Grace Surette for getting me to do it after Cheryl Wingard has asked multiple times. I appreciate Cheryl being so patient with me as I freaked out about partners. But, hey, I think I did pretty well overall. I went from nearly throwing up from nerves at our meet-and-greet to not having that same feeling on the stage.

I’d definitely do the whole experience again. So, Cheryl, if you ever allow folks who’ve done it to come back, I’m game.