I have been going nonstop this past week. However, I found myself skipping a lot of the regulars…blogging, for instance. I also went to no martial arts classes this week except for Saturday and today (conditioning).

Subbing:
I took Monday off and did some school work while I took care of Bryan who had caught the Shaolin stomach virus. Thankfully I didn’t…whew! He had a pretty rough day, but while he napped I got shit loads done! I also took Tuesday off and did even more stuff. I was really proud of myself for getting so many things accomplished. I subbed the rest of the week. I had a great day subbing a 2nd grade class and another great day subbing for elementary art where my classes ranged from K-5th. A lot of the kids drew me Christmas pictures which I have decorated the house with. They really add a nice and unique touch – cheap too!

So what did I do if I wasn’t doing martial arts every night? Easy – working my ass off doing chores and preparing for Christmas and all of the guests that we are having this month – oh, and being dead tired from subbing all day. Those children can take it out of you. I went to bed at like 6 one night…just sad. Christmas shopping is almost done though – yay!

The weekend:
Bryan’s boss came to stay on Thursday. Friday night we all went over to Jose and Lucy’s house for dinner which was very delicious! I got to see their baby finally. She was too cute. I even got to feed her. Saturday I slept in really late which was perfect. Those 4:45 mornings come early during the week. I did make it to class. When I got home we prepared for the Kung Fu school Christmas potluck. We went to the potluck and got our grub on…yummy! After stuffing our faces we came back home to get ready to host the second installment of pancake theater (the Christmas edition).

Pancake theater was fun though it wasn’t quite as good as the first. Perhaps Miracle on 34th Street wasn’t the best choice. Still we made fun of it, and I enjoyed myself. We had to drink each time some form of the name Santa was mentioned which was lots!

Sunday was nice. I went to conditioning class and then when I got home we went to out to eat and then to see what goods we could get at the Circuit City closing. We really racked up. I got several CD’s because they were 50% off. Later Jason came over to exchange gifts. He got me volumes 1 & 2 of the Goo Goo Dolls greatest hits which I LOVED! The rest of the day was all TV – perfect!

Bryan’s parents are coming on Tuesday and leaving on Sunday. We leave for Mississippi on Monday. I need lots of energy for the rest of this month! It will be fun though. I do love Christmas!

Pictures

me feeding miss Sofia

the potluck (this is all that was posted by others so far)

pancake theater (don’t ask)

You’ll only get that title if you know the work of Jim Gaffigan – more on that later.

Thursday and Friday I subbed (middle school then high). They were pretty good days I’m happy to report. I didn’t go to any classes, this I’m sad to report. It was kind of a weird week as in I just felt kinda offish. I don’t exactly know what that means, but there you go. 🙂

Friday night Bryan took me out to eat pizza. Then we came back home and caught a movie we had DVRed when all the movie channels were previewing for free (yay us!).

Saturday:
Wow, what a day! Saturday was one cool thing after another. First of all we went to the Kung Fu school to participate in 2 seminars. The first was to learn this really cool form, and the second was to learn to put out a candle with your hand. No, not like waving it out. It was so badass when Bryan and I finally achieved it. I wasn’t surprised when Bryan did it, but when I did it I was simply blown away (hahaha…all puns intended).

We had to bolt from the candle seminar a little early because I had a photoshoot with Sam. He shot me in my TKD and Kung Fu uniform. My dad really wanted a pic of me in my TKD uniform with all my medals. While that is very cheesy, Sam still helped. We did the one shot and then moved onto some much cooler moves including getting to beat Bryan up. Ah, I love the way Sam’s mind works…hehe. After the shoot we walked down to a bbq place for some late lunch with Sam.

Here is a photo that Bryan shot of me: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30348072&l=33668&id=163200356.

After getting our grub on it was time for Jim Gaffigan! We bought these tickets so long ago that I didn’t think it would ever come, but finally it was really time to go see his show. I love his last album which Bryan and I quote all the time. I can’t tell you how excited I was to attend this. It was almost like seeing my favorite band. Even cooler was that Comedy Central filmed it for their channel. I doubt you’ll see Bryan and me, but you never know.

We had 4 tickets (we met Tommy and Elizabeth). They were really sucky seats. No, really…last row in fact. I got dizzy just looking down. Then outta nowhere the producer of the show comes by upgrade our tickets. Apparently, there is some last row lottery. That was crazy cool and much appreciated. We got to move down to the bottom section. It wasn’t front row, but at least I could actually see Jim who was hilarious by the way. He was everything I was expecting. He even did his Hot Pocket bit at the end. I seriously laughed the entire time.

Here are some pictures from the show:
the marquee
me n bryan
no hot pockets!
our first seats – ugh

After the show we stopped by Ben’s house for a little bit before finally heading back home.

Sunday:
We decided to skip conditioning…so bad of us! Instead we did some more Christmas shopping. We shopped forever and only managed to knock a few more names off the list – lame! I wrapped some gifts and addressed our Christmas cards when we got home. It was definitely all about getting stuff done yesterday.

Monday (today):
I woke up early this morning to find that Bryan had threw up and was feeling very crappy. I was already planning on staying home. I sure picked the right day. I’ve been doing my best to help him feel better, but I think it’s one of those things that just has to work its way through. He already feels better, but I don’t think you’ll be seeing him in class tonight. Please don’t let me get it too. I’ve been trying to get more stuff done today as well as work on my next school lesson. I got my lesson plan grade back – 93! I was shocked but elated.

Songs I’m Digging at the Moment:
Power to Change – The Black and White Years

Also check out this link because it’s a story that the Jackson, MS local news station did on my grandfather for their series on veterans for Veteran’s Day. Be sure to watch the video if you don’t like to read. 😉

Is it only Wednesday? Ugh….

Tuesday:
I subbed middle school which in my opinion is the worst of the schools. Those kids think they know it all. It wasn’t a bad day, more like boring. I was subbing for an inclusion teacher. I was more in the way than anything.

Last night I went to TKD. We have gotten a lot of new students here recently which is nice for a little change up. We mostly did target drills and sparring. We only touched on our forms for a few minutes. The instructor said we will focus on forms heavy after Christmas.

Wednesday (today):
I subbed middle school again. This is the WORST day of subbing I have ever experienced. I had multiple students leave the classroom against my protests. I did good just to keep them in the classroom and not running around doing anything they could think of. This school was just horrible. So bad, in fact, that I received a hug from the office staff upon leaving. They wanted to make sure that the students wouldn’t keep me from coming back to sub again. The school was super easy to get to so that is a plus. However, I just checked the available jobs, and I can sub there again on Friday. I just can’t bring myself to accept the position. I don’t want to go back. Being in schools like this makes me very, very scared for our nation’s future.

I had a stomach ache on the way home. I don’t think it was induced by the children. 🙂 Because of it I decided to take a night off. I’ve think I have had enough punishment for one day. I hate that I missed sparring though.

Tomorrow I’m subbing for a woman I subbed for about a week ago. She called me directly to come back and sub. I have no idea why she called me directly, but I definitely appreciate a job being thrown to me and not having to fight for it in the subbing system. It was my first direct request. It felt good. The downside? It’s middle school! 🙂 I think it’s safe to say that while I might be getting my certification to include middle school there is no way in hell I’ll teach it! Why do I feel like I’ll eat those words?

Upcoming Events:

• December 4 – happy hour with some of Bryan’s friends
  
• December 6 – Seminars at the Kung Fu school and then Jim Gaffigan show that night!
• December 9 – our 10 month anniversary
• December 13 – potluck dinner at the Kung Fu school and then pancake theater (Christmas edition) at our house (be there or be square)
• December 16 – 21 – Bryan’s parents will be here for Christmas
• December 22 – 27 – we’ll be in Mississippi for the Christmas (for real)
• December 24 – Christmas Eve at Granny’s
• December 25 – Christmas Day at my Grandparent’s house
  
• there’s talk of a party on the 6th as well but because of the show I don’t know if we’ll make it

The month looks full! It also looks like it will be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to all of the festivities. I can’t wait to go home to Mississippi. I can taste Granny’s food already. I’m ready to see my family and just be back in the Hospitality state for a few. We have lots of stuff planned. It will definitely be a packed trip.

Christmas pictures:

our Christmas card picture


our attempt to have the cats on our Christmas card

I love long weekends! I enjoyed the extra off time with Bryan. Thank goodness it finally got chilly outside. Now it’s starting to feel like Christmas.

Thursday (Thanksgiving):
We met Nik at his grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. We went there for Easter and had awesome food and a great time. I was really looking forward to eating there again. And just as I had anticipated, we had a fantastic time. There was great conversation and yummy food. We made a cranberry coffee cake that was moist and delicious even if the top was a little burnt. 🙂 After we left there we went home and hung and watched TV/movies. It was a perfect day.

I am thankful for more this year than ever before and most of that is thanks to meeting Bryan. 🙂 This has shaped up to be a great year even with the few bumps.

Friday:
Bryan was off work which just made the weekend perfect and super long. 🙂 School was closed so no subbing. Bryan has caught what I had last week. He didn’t feel up to conditioning class so we just slept in. We cleaned the house for hours because we had let it go soooo long. We did what I like to call a deep cleaning. I cleaned everything! It’s super clean now though, and looking oh so nice! With cats the house never seems to stay clean for long. 🙂 That night we spent more time taking in TV and movies.

Saturday:
Shaolin-Do day as usual. We ate out for lunch and did a little shopping (the best kind – no buying), and then headed back for my class which was great. I got some great review and even learned a few new things.

Saturday evening we put up the Christmas tree which looks so beautiful. I love the ambiance that a Christmas tree creates. The cats have really taking to it too. Mallos is constantly under there sleeping. I have some wrapped presents, but I can’t seem to bring myself to put them under the tree for fear of their safety. We were going to have a date night, but we ended up feeling more like staying home. Instead we – you guessed it – watched TV and movies. Hey, I like these 2 activities!

Sunday:
I woke up just in time to get ready and leave for conditioning class. Class was great. We did kicking and lots of it! I’m a kicker at heart so this was like the funnest hour ever! After that we went for lunch with Sean. Then we stopped at Target on the way home where we got even more Christmas shopping done. The list is steadily getting smaller, but I won’t be happy until all Christmas shopping is complete and wrapped. I also put up the stockings. I would love to go all out with Christmas decorations, but I’m feeling too strapped for cash working little and going to school. I hope next year is a lot less stressful in the finance sense. We finished the night up with a movie.

Monday (today):
I took off today in order to complete some school stuff. I finally turned in my first lesson plan. I can only imagine the criticism I will get back when this thing is graded. It was super hard, but I’m very happy with parts of it. I still feel like it was missing something. Oh well, for a first try, it was pretty good. I’m glad to have finally turned it in as I put it off for WAY too long. Now I can look forward to making more of them – yay.

We took our Christmas card photo today. I’ve never made photo cards before, but I have always wanted to. I think they turned out pretty good. I really wanted the 3 cats in the picture, but true to their nature they didn’t cooperate. That’s life with cats. 🙂 We got them ordered and will pick them up tomorrow. Now for lots of addressing. I’ll probably be asking for some of your addresses. Make sure to put our picture up on the fridge where you can see us everyday…hehe.

I’m looking forward to class tonight. It’s a new week so we should start something new in Kung Fu and Tai Chi – sweet! I’m subbing middle school tomorrow so pray for me.

Christmas pictures:

Cats drawn to the tree

Our stockings (made by me)

The cats’ stockings


Our tree

I am almost better thank goodness! I am so ready to stop coughing already. Bryan might be more ready than me. 🙂

Friday:
I didn’t sub. I guess it’s a good thing considering my condition – cough cough. I decided to do some Christmas shopping. I went to some places on my own and then called Jason. We met up and ate lunch and then hit up the outlet mall. It was getting late so I headed home so that Bryan and I could get ready for my TKD belt ceremony. The ceremony was just like all the previous ones. They aren’t that exciting, but I still get excited knowing that I’m going to get to wear that new belt. Senior blue…it feels nice. The rest of the night was lazy night at the house; it was nice.

Here are the pictures that Bryan took of the ceremony:
new belt
the whole gang
new belt, old belt
i’m a senior blue

Saturday:
Saturday was just another Shaolin-Do day – just like I like ’em. 🙂 Bryan did his 2 classes and then we ate. When we got back from eating I went to my class. I am still digging all of this new material. It’s so much fun! The only down side of class was after we starting working out my throat felt like it was literally on fire – not fun! Finally, it was time to go back home. Good thing – those long Saturday mornings tire me out! The rest of the day was was get stuff at done at home. Bryan mounted the speakers to the wall so we could push the couch back for extra room. We also hung the belt racks (finally). They look awesome!

Sunday:
Sunday morning was all about being at home. I wanted to go to conditioning class, but after my throat on fire feeling from Saturday, I thought maybe a day off was better. At 1 PM Jason met us here, and we all headed to the mall to do some Christmas shopping. All we bought was some ribbon and gift tags for wrapping. However, we bought no presents. Oh well, it was fun hanging out and looking at all of the things that I can’t buy. 🙂 After the mall we all went to eat some Mexican food. It was good to stay in for the night and prepare for the short work week.

Here is a stupid video that Bryan started taking without my knowledge – thankfully he didn’t catch me dancing to the American Eagle store music which is what he was aiming for:



Monday:
I didn’t sub today. I didn’t do much of anything today. Not sleeping well from coughing does not make for a productive day. I actually had to get up around midnight and move to the guest bed so that Bryan might actually get some sleep. My coughing is keeping us both up. The poor man is exhausted, and he isn’t even the one sick! I did run to ToysRUs for a couple of presents.

Monday night was a Kung Fu class. I got the end of the form I started learning last week. It was a great class. My lungs didn’t catch on fire which is always a plus. I also went to Tai Chi where I got to review the portion of the form that I have been learning for quite some time now. I got it on my own though so perhaps I’m finally ready for the next section…maybe. 🙂

Tuesday:
I didn’t do much at all today. I slept in thanks to coughing all night. I think the cough is FINALLY starting to wear off – a little! I stopped taking medication for it. I did some more Christmas shopping, but this time from my seat at the computer. Ah, online shopping – it is truly wonderful. It appeals to my lazy side. Plus, there are no lines or crowds. 🙂

Tuesday night was a TKD night. We did some conditioning at the beginning of class which was different but cool. Then we practiced our forms and then finally sparred. My instructor put his gear on for the first time. I was crapping my pants! And for good reason I found out when I had to spar him. OMG! That guy was hitting hard! He was all over the place. I think I got one punch in. I think he tried to ax kick me. I’m not sure; it was all a big blur….too many punches to the head. While I was waiting for Bryan to get home from Kung Fu I got in some Gamecube (we got some new games the other day).

Wednesday (today):
So far nothing to really report. Bryan had to go sleep in the guest bed last night thanks to…you guessed it – my coughing. Poor thing. I plan to spend the afternoon knocking out some school stuff that’s way behind. Sigh.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I hope everyone has a wonderful day. We are going to have dinner with Nik, his grandmother, and the rest of this family. Thanks for the invite, Nik! We went there for Easter and had the best time. I’m really looking forward to this.

Being sick sucks! I have slept great every night but tonight. However, Bryan on the other hand hasn’t slept good in several days thanks to my constant tossing/turning, coughing, nose blowing, and whimpering. Yes, I whimper in my sleep when I don’t feel good. Poor Bryan! Tonight was really bad. It’s 3:23 AM as I am writing this if that gives you a clue how this night has gone. I finally woke up about 30 minutes ago and gave up on sleeping. I wasn’t really sleeping, more like in between sleep and awake. Ever get stuck in that in between area? It sucks because you’re not awake and not really resting. Plus, when I get stuck in this spot I grind my teeth pretty badly so I usually wake up with sore teeth. I feel bad that Bryan has to suffer along with me; it’s not fair. I finally got out of bed because I could see sleeping tonight wasn’t going to happen, and one of us should get some sleep. As I’m sure you guessed I’m not working tomorrow.

We are supposed to go to conditioning class in the morning. I’ll see if I feel like it when the time approaches. We are also supposed to go get a Christmas tree tomorrow! Yay! It will be a fake one, but it will be a nice fake one (pre-lit, I hope). I can feel Christmas getting closer, and I am loving it! I have already begun to buy presents and wrap them. I have bought all the cats stockings (lame, I know). I think I’m going to make mine and Bryan’s stockings. I’ll let you know how that turns out. I have ideas, but haven’t found the materials yet.

I can smell Christmas on the air at times. I’m getting excited. Bryan’s parents will be coming down right before Christmas. We are planning a nice dinner to celebrate. It should be a lot of fun. I am already picking out the recipes that I want to try. On actual Christmas Eve and Day we will be in Mississippi with my family which I am looking forward to so badly. I haven’t seen any of my family in months (since Bryan and I went there). It seems like it’s been forever. I can’t wait for Bryan to meet the ones he didn’t get a chance to the first time. I look forward to Granny’s food, all the traditions, and of course, presents!

I love buying presents. I really like trying my best to buy something that I know the recipient will really enjoy or use. I like to show people just how much I know about them. I really try my best to put an effort into picking out the right gift.

In other news:
My bo staff arrived yesterday in all of its awesome glory. It is perfect, and I love it! I can’t wait to start using it. However, I think I only get to learn bo staff swings for this belt. I have been twirling it all over the house much to Bryan’s dismay. I don’t understand why he’s convinced I’ll break something. 😉 I was a flag girl for 4 years so I do know how to twirl a stick, but I did often drop it so he’s probably right. I should definitely leave the bo staff twirling outside, or I might just end up buying us a new TV for Christmas! 😀

Saturday:
Bryan went to Kung Fu early in the morning, but I slept in so I’d be prepared for my TKD test. The testing started at 3:30 PM. I was pretty nervous because I didn’t really feel all that prepared thanks to my new love of Kung Fu. However, my instructor was the main judge so that helped. I think I did pretty good considering the lack of practice.

Here are the pictures Bryan took of my testing:
lined up to warm up
warming up with blocks
hook blocks
sparring
blue vs. blue
round 2
bring it!
blue vs. green
sparring down a level

Here is the video Bryan took of my form:

After my testing was complete we went over to the Kung Fu school to catch the last few minutes of the open house and potluck. 🙂 After hanging out there for awhile, we went over to Ben’s where a lot of us met up to watch the UFC fight which was crazy and awesome! It was a lot of fun. I enjoy watching anything in our little group. The commentary is the best! Finally, it was time for home and bed.

Sunday:
We attended the sparring tournament being held at the school. Unfortunately, I was the only girl that showed up at least for white – brown. Since I couldn’t spar in my class level, I had to spar up and with all boys which didn’t bother me. Once I knew this though, I knew I couldn’t win. I actually came in last, but it doesn’t bother me because no one really beat me by too much. I think I held my own, and I’m proud of myself for that. The sparring wore me out, and I was very ready to go home.

We then went to do some grocery shopping and then out to eat. We were supposed to clean the house (it needs it sooo badly), but we were very lazy and didn’t do much of anything.

Monday:
I subbed middle school and it sucked. I went to Kung Fu that night and started learning my yellow belt material which is awesome! I was feeling wiped out and took a nap on the couch at the school. Somehow I managed to wake myself up and drag my ass to Tai Chi which I’m super glad I did because I really needed the review.

Tuesday:
I woke up feeling a little sick which got worse that night. I subbed at a high school. It was very boring day – weird setup. I was glad to roll up outta that place when the final bell sounded. That night I went to the Kung Fu school and took a class I had never gone to before. It was pretty good, and I finally started learning my first long form which so far I love! I took another nap on the couch at the school. People are going to start wondering if I sleep at home.

Wednesday:
I didn’t take any jobs and instead decided to stay home and rest in order to try and feel better. I was pretty much in bed for a majority of the day. I couldn’t believe how much I slept. Against Bryan’s judgement, I went to Kung Fu. First I sparred for almost an hour and, then I attended my regular class which I left about half way through. After that Bryan helped me go over all of my material which was a great review and much needed. It felt good to get back in bed even if I had been there all day.

Thursday (today):
I cancelled my sub job for today because I still feel like crap. I don’t wanna sleep all day, but my brain is kinda foggy so I’m not good for much else.

In other news:
My Kung Fu Toe Hole is getting worse? I’m not sure if it is or not, but it looks worse. I’ve decided to post pictures after all. 🙂 I expect to hear lots of comments for doing this.



Recent pictures of the cats:

O.C. on my schoolwork:

Blogs you should read:
My food blog and Bryan’s food blog. RSS them!

What a week…

Wednesday:
We had to get up early so we could be at the DPS by 8 AM so that I could get my driving exam scheduled for the day. The slot that they had open for me? 10:45 AM. That’s right we drove all the way there to schedule it (this is the ONLY way it can be done) and then we had to drive home then back at for the exam. Bryan of course had to drive me there because I can’t drive myself…sigh. We came back at the appointed time, and I did the exam. I didn’t do so hot (according to the instructor) at parallel parking though I made it between the poles so I was happy. However, despite the less than perfect parking and forgetting to look backwards when backing up (yeah) they still gave me my driver’s license. The real one will be here in 2-3 weeks. It will no doubt have some very horrible picture of me printed on it so that I may see it for years and share it with all the strangers that I meet in life…yay!

The rest of the day was spent hanging around the house doing a little coursework and this and that.

That night it was Kung Fu time! We started with some sparring. I sparred with Ryon for a really long time, but he seriously gave me some awesome pointers and help that I will definitely be using from now moving forward. Then I did my class, and finally, I tested! And I passed. I’m now a yellow belt! I’m super happy because now they will start giving me weapons and forms!!! Yay!!!

Thursday:
I spent the day subbing at a high school (my first time). OMG! I don’t think I could ever drag myself back to this high school if any high school. I have never witnessed such a disregard for authority in my entire life. It was me and another sub in the same room so at least I didn’t have to face those brats all by my lonesome. We only had 3 classes – 9th and 10 graders, but they were so rude and BAD! One girl called me a bitch after I told her to be quiet for the second time. One boy was drumming on his desk loudly during a test, and when I told him to stop he simply looked at me stone faced and continued. It was a constant battle of wills which I’m proud to say I won every battle, but I was really thinking “Oh my God, what do I do if they don’t stop?!?!?” I was never so glad to hear a final bell.

That night I was back to TKD – last class before testing on Saturday. It was a great class, lots of review. I was able to do my form several time and get in some sparring. I’m glad that I’m finally getting better at sparring and becoming better at holding my own in these classes. I got my uniform top back complete with patches and my name. It looks really awesome even if it did cost me a little much (it was a requirement). I’m still nervous about testing. I’ve had all my attention focused on Kung Fu that I’m not really prepared for this test.

Friday (today):
I took today off from subbing to finish a lot of schoolwork that has been building up. However, it’s after 10 AM, and I haven’t even started. The house is also very dirty and needs cleaning – BAD! I’m supposed to meet an old friend for a late lunch or early dinner, but we’ll see.

In other news:
I have Kung Fu toe hole. That’s were you get crater size holes in your feet from the mats. It is not a pleasant sight so I won’t post pictures on here, but if your curious enough just tell me, and I’ll be glad to show you. It’s pretty gross yet I can’t stop starring. 🙂 It keeps getting worse, but it doesn’t really hurt. I was wrapping it, but I gave up on that. I think it needs to just do it’s thing.

Also in regards to Kung Fu – there is an open house tomorrow at the school. We won’t be there because I have to test, but I urge you to go and check it out. And there is also a sparring tournament at the school on Sunday which I also urge you to come and check out. All the details are on the site.

And lastly, I opened up my own Cafe Press store, but please keep in mind that I’m still working on it so check on it often to see what’s been added or changed. Also, please let me know if you have any suggestions because they are most definitely welcomed. I want to add other things to this shop as well as maybe open another with some non liberty things. 🙂 Hope you check it out…

Why isn’t it cold outside yet? I have so many sweaters, but I can’t wear them in 70/80 degree weather! C’mon!

Friday:
What a day. This is my 2nd installment of why I loathe the TX DPS. I received my birth certificate so I headed back to the DPS to try and get my driver’s license. Yeah, it went dismally. I think they love to make this process as excruciatingly painful as possible. Apparently if you let your license expire that means your driving skills also expire or become impaired. If you allow your license to expire even in the same week then you have to take a written and driving exam. Yes, you are reading this correctly. I took my written exam but was told I’d have to come the day I wanted to take the driving exam in order to make an appointment. There were no open spots for that afternoon. That’s right, you have to drive down there and make an appointment even though you have no idea what slot you’ll receive. You can’t call in or do it online. Can I get a show of hands for how backasswards this is?

The rest of the day I just hung out at the house doing this and that. Bryan and I attended a short stick seminar taught by a 7th degree from Alabama. It was a pretty cool event. It was geared toward using any stick in a street type fighting…basically using a weapon you could commonly find in easy and logical ways.

After the stick seminar we met up with a few other’s at Ben’s house, and then we all went to see Zach and Miri Make a Porno. The movie was sooo hilarious! Then it was bedtime. 🙂

Saturday:
It was just another Shaolin-Do Saturday. We were there early for Bryan’s class then lunch then back for my class.

That night we celebrated Jason’s birthday by going out to eat at a Hibachi restaurant. It was a lot of fun. The food was good and the chef was great entertainment.

Here are the pictures from the dinner:
Dinner

Here are the videos from the dinner:

Sunday:
Sunday we got some much needed things done around the house and a few errands taken care of. We went to Game Over and traded in some things and got some new games for the Gamecube. We then worked on a Christmas project of mine and then finally played the games we purchased…good day indeed.

It was our 9 month anniversary! 🙂

Monday & Tuesday:
I spent both days at a school in Leander observing more classrooms. I’ll just say again that observing is quite boring….quite. The school was nice and everyone is friendly, but I’d rather be standing at the front of the room than sitting in the back. I would like to teach here in Leander; it’s close and the schools are very nice.

Monday night I went to Kung Fu. My material has really come along though my sparring was terrible. I was actually told I would be testing on Wednesday so we’ll see. Tuesday night I went to TKD where my sparring was still terrible and my form has really suffered thanks to my new found love of Kung Fu. I have also come to really not like the TKD school that much. I’ll be glad when my time there is done I think. I think that most of it has to do with the change of owners but some is credited to seeing it with new eyes after seeing what a real school can be like.

Upcoming Events:

• Wednesday: Kung Fu Testing (?)
• Thursday/Friday: High School Subbing (1st time! – scary!!)
• Saturday @ 3PM: Shaolin-Do Open House (won’t be there because….)
• Saturday @ 3:30PM: TKD Testing (from blue belt to senior blue)

Recent pictures of the cats (a little photoshoot with Bryan/Mallos):
a kiss
face off
stretch
look this way
close up

I really regret not posting more regularly. Will I ever get to present day without a posting the size of a small book?

Monday:
I subbed the special education class again. I like subbing. You get to meet tons of different kids and see all the school. It’s also helping me see which grade I’m more leaning towards. It’s also kinda cool to go to a new location every time you go to work – keeps things interesting. 🙂 The kids for the most part are really sweet, and I really enjoy my time with them.

I received my present from Bryan’s parents. It was Marry Poppins on DVD. It’s like they know me or something. 😉 They also mailed us lots of yummy food!

Monday night we went to class.

Tuesday (Election Day but more importantly my birthday!):
Tuesday I decided not to go into work so that I could go get my driver’s license which expired on this day. Yeah, yeah…I know I waited until the very last minute, and believe me, I paid for it! I got up super early so I could be there when it opened so as not to spend all day there. Turns out I could have slept in on my birthday because I needed my birth certificate which was in Mississippi. I never even got a number. I was SUPER ticked off that I had wasted my time and that my license was going to expire before I could get a new one. The Texas DPS site did say that I needed it but only if you know to search really hard to find it. They could really make that site more dummy proof. I suppose the employees of the TX DPS must really enjoy hearing the same complaints and arguments day after day. Wonder what their breaking point is on getting things changed?

So, back home I went. I started watching a movie and Bryan went and got my a chicken biscuit for breakfast. He fed me all my favorite foods on my birthday. He’s the best!

I convinced Bryan to take the rest of the day off and play hooky with me! He made an awesome lunch and later followed with an awesome dinner which wouldn’t have been possible if not for the food that his mom mailed us. We watched a lot of House since they were running a marathon (great present from the TV!). I FINALLY received my present from Bryan which was too perfect. He found a place that will print paintings on canvas. He had them do a beautiful Munch painting. You can even see the brush strokes; it’s crazy and beautiful. He knows me so well! I enjoyed hanging out with Bryan at home even if it did start out a little rough thanks to the TX DPS.

Pictures of me opening Bryan’s gift:
It’s so big!
What could it be?
But first the card
Will I ever get to it?
Almost there…
Who packaged this?
OMG!
Wow!
It’s beautiful!

Wednesday:
Subbed again – my own class this time – a first! It was a fourth grade class – all Hispanic and I don’t speak any Spanish. Luckily they were all very fluent in English or that would have been a major disaster. The kids were pretty good until last hour when talking became a problem. The talking out of turn started to get to me. I was relieved when it was time to leave. Overall, my first experience running a class was great. They listened to me, and I feel that I did a pretty good job reacting on my feet and making sure that we got all of the day’s activities in found on the lesson plan.

Wednesday night we went to the sparring “class”. I kicked someone’s elbow with my foot again and boy did it smart! It’s only just now feeling back to normal today. I love this class. I’m learning a lot and noticing that I’m reacting a lot quicker than I used to. I’m also able to see thing that are happening where they used to just be a blur. I do love to spar even if I’m not all that great at it. I tried to do the Kung Fu class after this but my foot was hurting so bad that I opted just to leave.

Thursday:
I FINALLY started my classroom observations. It was at this brand new elementary school really close to the house. It was kind of boring just observing and taking notes, but it was an opportunity to learn. Everyone was really nice and welcomed me into their classroom which was nice. It’s always good to see what other teachers are doing so I can know not to do that or to pick up some great ideas.

Thursday night I went to TKD which was cool because a 7th degree senior master was there and taught class. I always love taking class under someone knew because they all focus on different things which is a great learning experience. I also realized that I had kinda forgotten my form thanks to spending all my time focusing on Kung Fu and almost none on TKD. I stayed after class and went over it till I had it down again. I better practice because testing is next Saturday! I also got a chance to converse with the senior master. He was really awesome!