Happy Memorial Day friends out in 311 nation! Before you head out to celebrate, take a moment to meet our latest fan spotlight – Sandra Dee Guillen!
It was Sandra’s fiancé who introduced her to the sounds of 311. It was the island vibes to rock vibes and everything in between that really sucked her in. “Was feeling the grooves and nodding my head to the beats. While getting groovy…I even found myself doing a little ballroom dance & break dancing.”
Sandra lost count at 21 of how many shows she has been to. “It’s not the number that should matter but what we do with the time … every second…every year…. we must make every moment count.” Some of her favorites that she attended include both the Jamaica and Cozumel cruises, Asbury park shows, the New York City Halloween show, and Atlantic City. Her first show ever was in Philadelphia at Festival Pier.
First favorite song for Sandra was “Sunset in July” because she loves dancing and having the time of her life with friends. A few of her other favorites are: Tranquility (because it helped her through a tough time of losing 3 parents and 2 fur boxer kids in a short period of time), “Beyond the Grey Sky,” “Face in the Wind” (because it makes her think of just putting yourself out there and facing your fears), “Inside Our Home,” and “Island Sun.” One of her favorite quotes comes from her first favorite – “Rockers by my side, time is flying by. Watching you dancing and having the time of your lives and it gets me high.”
Born and raised in the Rio Grand Valley, Sandra is from the southern tip of Texas. She has a degree in Graphic Design but stuck with her passion, which is dancing. Dance and teaching took her to Las Vegas for 4 years where she competed in a variety of ballroom and latin style dances. She then moved to Pennsylvania and has lived there for almost 12 years. “It was then when I was introduced to that scratched CD…. that got played so much it looks like it has burn circles from the songs I played over & over.” She is a professional ballroom instructor and her dream was to share her love of dance with others, which she does at Pivotballroom. She opened this studio with her partner almost a year ago. “A place where when we were renovating the walls heard Mosaic on repeat through many hours/days of tears, sweat, injuries & even helped us get past the days we were most tired & overwhelmed. Yes… 311 stuff can be seen/found in and around the studio.”
Sandra has had a love of classic music from an early age. On Saturday mornings she would be woken up by the sounds of old school music being played on the record player. “Dad would play all kinds of vinyl and we had a dance party in the living room. Gosh I miss those days.” Her musical choices are pretty diverse, including everything from blues to ska, from country to old school hip hop. Other artists she enjoys besides 311 include Dirty Heads, Rdgldgrn, Full Service, Soja, Prince, Beastie Boys, Frank Sinatra and Metallica.
Fun facts about Sandra include that she is a paranormal investigator and her nickname is Cha Cha. As mentioned, she loves dancing and has a talent for it. She can even break dance! Guilty pleasure? “Mermaiding.”
Sandra was lucky enough to meet Nick one day and this was her interaction:
Sandra Dee to Nick: “May I have a hug?”
Nick: Yess…sure.
“He sort of looked a little thrown back.. my guess is cuz I asked for permission instead of just going in for one :: shrug shoulders :: & I was frozen.. wanting to respect his space/energy…with a huge smile on my face. Did I mention he is so much taller than I expected too..his energy was great!!!”
Finally, here is Sandra’s message to all the other fans:
“Fin ups!! Get out there and whatever makes your soul happy do that!! Be what we see and hear so often from 311… be yourself. .. Remember you attract what you put out there. So let’s all be creatures for awhile… spirits on the run…. living and let live with love & kindness.
And if you see me don’t hesitate to give me a high five but….
*** Warning** I’M A HUGGER!”
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That was the story of Sandra Dee Guillen! It was a pleasure to write and share her story. Much gratitude as always for those who read each week. Now go celebrate the day and keep on spreading that positivity!
Much Love – The Runt