Wow, over a week since I’ve posted…sigh.  What can I say?  I’ve been distracted by everything going on in my life.  There’s not much down time in this house as of late.  It won’t be like this forever so please hang with me until life returns to normal.  A HUGE chuck of my time goes into studying…everyday.  I haven’t worked in weeks.  I’d be happy about this, but I’m also not getting paid.  However, I need the time to devote to making sure that I can be a teacher next year (assuming I get hired).  I can’t get hired if I’m not certified (well, I could but let’s not put all our hopes on that avenue).  To sum it up: the name of the game is tests – study, take, and pass!  Studying pretty much sums up all of last week as far as daytime goes.

As far as nighttime goes, it was all about TKD as I was preparing hard for the 2009 Spring Regional Championships that were held on Saturday.  I was working hard to get my form down as well as get in any point sparring practice.  There was a seminar that was held on Thursday night at the school run by a 7th degree senior master.  I wasn’t impressed with this seminar.  In fact, I was quite disappointed.  It started out well, but then quickly moved into sparring which would’ve been great had it not all been geared toward point sparring.  Point sparring, in my opinion, is not one of the things I need to be successful at in martial arts.  Sure, it’s great to be great at it, but it’s not the reason I come to class every night.  Oh well, any practice is good practice.

Friday night I didn’t go to Ryon’s conditioning class.  I hope no one thinks that I was scared off because that isn’t true.  I just needed to be able to move on Saturday for the competition.  Instead I drove down to the south school in rush hour traffic to catch upper belt (4th degree and higher) testing.  It was pretty cool to watch especially the board breaking which always impresses me.  I can’t believe I only have a few a couple of testings left without breaking boards.  That scares me so much!

Saturday we were up and at the tournament pretty early.  I was competing against brown-senior red belts (women only).  First up was forms which I did make a stupid mistake on, but the judges didn’t catch it….whew.  I won first place in forms which was awesome because for the first time in my martial arts career I wasn’t nervous.  I was a little nervous, but not like last year when I was so nervous I was shaking and bombed my form.  I was also extremely nervous at the Kung Fu tournament.  This was a huge step for me and my happiest moment of the day.  But I wasn’t finished.  I went on to sweep the sparring tournament also.  Bryan was there taking pictures and videos.

Pictures from the tournament:

a view of the rings

our ring

the judges talking to us

the judges

3 down

shot of the competitors

me and the trophies

Videos from the tournament:

my form

my first round of sparring

my second round of sparring

After the tournament it was lunch downtown followed by Kung Fu and Tai Chi class.  I love a day of martial arts.  🙂

That night we went to Scott and Kelley’s party, but because we had taken a nap prior to the party I felt groggy and just blah.  We didn’t stay long before I dragged Bryan away to come home and curl up on the couch.

Pictures from the party:

group shot attempt one

group shot attempt two

holly

me and ravi

v n b

Sunday:

We went to the Kung Fu conditioning class which we haven’t attended in a really long time.  It was awesome!  Then we took Bryan’s grandparents furniture shopping (a very successful trip!).  That night we all met up with Jason and his parents for dinner.

Awesome, awesome weekend!  But now it’s Monday again, and I’m back to the books (currently working on math – yay!).

Songs I’m digging lately:

Come On Get Higher – Matt Nathanson

In Other News:

Check out Sam‘s upcoming show!  I’ll be there!!

Friday night:

I finally dragged my ass to Ryon’s  class even skipping my sword class at the TKD school to catch the 30 minutes of sparring prior to the workout.  I won’t even pretend that that class wasn’t hard; it was killer.  However, I didn’t die.  I’ve been sore since though, but I hear that’s a pretty common side effect.  It was a benchmark day which is a nice time for me to jump in so that I can see how far I’ve come the next time we benchmark.  Again, it was hard, but I felt good for doing it.  I won’t be able to attend this Friday night because I need to move the next day for the tournament.  I can’t risk not being able to use my legs.  I know I’ll get a lot of smack about not coming back, but I promise I’ll be there the following Friday.  I apologize if anyone thinks I’m weak for not going this Friday, but I have my eye on the prize so to speak.

Saturday:

I was up and at TKD at 9 AM.  There was a long time that I didn’t go to this class, but I’m glad I’m going again.  It’s a pretty nice class – small which I like.  There’s some things that go on in this class that don’t happen throughout the week so that’s nice.  I was able to work on my form a little which is definitely a big priority with the tournament coming up on Saturday.

After class was over, I went to the Kung Fu school to meet up with Bryan.  I watched the last few minutes of his class which is always inspiring.  A few friends came along with us to eat Greek (yum!).  When we arrived back at the school there was still an hour before my class so we just hung out in the car resting and talking which is always a pleasure.

I did lower belt class followed by Tai Chi working on reviewing in both.  I’m hoping not to cram anything in before the tournament.  It’s all about TKD this week sadly.  But I need the focus.  I need to be zoned in on one thing only before I compete.

After class we came home, took a way too small nap, and then headed over to Nik’s.  Several of us went out to eat and then back to his place to watch the last 2 Futurama movies.  However, less than 10 minutes into the first one we had to leave because I didn’t feel all that well.  Sorry guys…I hated to eat and run, and you don’t know how bad I hated missing those long awaited movie viewings.  🙁

Sunday:

Jason came over that morning and was kind enough to drive with us and Bryan’s grandparents on a scenic viewing of Austin and the river.  It was nice with lots of beautiful things to see.  We walked down to the water’s edge for a few minutes.  It was super nice.  I think that they enjoyed seeing some of Austin’s hill country.

Here are the few shots that I snapped on our drive:

I went to sparring class at the TKD school while Bryan worked outside cutting the much needed grass and edging.  It looks so nice now.  I’m super happy he did that.  Then Bryan’s grandmother made homemade mac n cheese – too delicious!  After our bellies were full we cleaned the entire house…ugh, but it needed it.  Now I have a nice lawn and house…ahhhh.

Monday:

I turned in my very last school assignment!  I spent most of the day on it, but it is finally finished (and so am I!).  Well, there might be a few things, but it should be test preparation type of things.  I spent the remaining time before class making more index cards and studying for the first of my 5 big tests.  It’s a slow process…ugh ugh ugh!  I wish I could just learn by osmosis or something.

Things getting on my nerves lately:

• Cedar Park traffic – I swear it gets worse everyday.
• snobby attitudes

Saturday:

Saturday was the 2009 Shaolin-Do tournament – a first for me.  Tough it was a long day (over 12 hours), I had one of the best days ever.  I love the Shaolin-Do family, and I love that I’m a part of it now.  I met so many new people (including the Grandmaster), and I got to hang out with all of the people I already know and love.  It was such an amazing day.  There was never a dull moment.  Something was always going on.

Some of my favorite moments were:

• helping to set up and run the table o goodies
• watching the children spar (especially Master Joe’s son Chris) – too cute!
• meeting and talking with Grandmaster Sin
• getting my gi signed and my picture taken with Grandmaster Sin
• winning silver medal in Kung Fu forms
• winning forth place in Sparring (blue through 3rd browns)
• winning bronze medal for lower rank tai chi forms
• every single demo
• getting to do 24 with everyone as part of the demo
• being with all of my current friends
• meeting new friends
• being inspired by some amazing martial artists

I was really nervous every time I had to perform except for when I sparred.  Sparring doesn’t really bother me.  You can’t have a game plan really so there’s nothing to forget.  However, when I was sparring, I took a nasty fall.  I wasn’t embarrassed, but it did hurt…OMG did it hurt.  I kicked at the same time my opponent ran into me knocking my other leg out from under me, and I hit the gym floor with my hip bone.  Take a look at the pictures:

the bruise that night

the bruise the next day

It’s pretty actually.  I nicknamed it the nebula.

Here are all of the pictures from the tournament that I collected from everyone that posted them.

Album 1

Album 2

Album 3

Here are the videos that I took or collected from others from the tournament:

Sunday:

I went and sparred at the TKD MMA sparring class.  I was really exhausted from the previous day and decided to work more on my blocking and deflecting.  This is something that I’ve seen needs work for a long time now.  I just kept telling myself “that everything was moving in slow motion” or “that I could see everything before it happened”.  It really worked.  By not focusing on the match, I was able to just react.  Except for my instructor who moves at the speed of light, no one else got much in.  I still got hit and I got some hits in, but my main focus was on blocking.  I am definitely going to keep working on this and see where it can take me.

Sunday night was the Black Belt Banquet that I could only attend thanks to dating a black belt.  :)  It was so much fun.  I laughed the entire time.  Again, I was reminded how awesome our little Kung Fu group is.  I’m so thankful for all of them.

Here are the pictures from the banquet:

Banquet Album

Monday-Friday (today):

Pretty much all I have done during the day is continue to study for my first exam (Generalist EC-4).  I have been reading the book I bought as well as making flash cards.  It’s a long process, but the 2 combined are already helping some of the facts stick in my brain.  I’m a visual/auditory learner so I definitely need to try to use this to my advantage.  This will also give me the option of having Bryan help me study even if he knows nothing that’s discussed in the book.

I went to Kung Fu on Monday and skipped Tuesday and Wednesday.  Wednesday night I had a video conference for school which is the last – yay!  Thursday night I went to TKD.  I have a TKD tournament on the 14th and am trying to stay focused on that until then.  My form is still not committed to muscle memory or any memory really.  I’m still struggling to remember the moves so that I can work on refining them, but I’m getting there.  What can I say?  Kung Fu and Tai Chi are just too distracting with there cool moves and weapons.  🙂

In other news:

Bryan’s grandparents have a closing date on the house which is exciting for them.  Everything is coming along great in the house, and they are starting to learn their way around Cedar Park/Leander.

Upcoming Events:

March 8:  going to play bingo with Bryan and his grandmother / Daylight Savings Time begins

March 14:  TKD Tournament

March 17:  St. Patrick’s Day

March 20:  Carson’s (my little brother) birthday

March 24: Jay’s (my older stepbrother) and Sara’s (my stepmother) birthday – yeah she had him on her birthday

March 30:  closing date on the house

Recent pictures of the cats:

Bryan's being sneaky again. Me sleeping with Bella and Sweet Pea.

So sorry that I haven’t posted in so long.  It feels like forever to me, but it’s only been 9 days.  Still, that’s too long.  However, I really do have good excuses this time.  I have been studying my head off…ok, not really because that might be counter productive…but you get the point!

Monday:

I went shopping at the bookstore for some much needed study aides.  I bought a lot of books to help me in the quest to pass the 5 tests I’m going to take (4 content tests and the PPR)…ugh!  I spent a lot of money too, but I really think it’s worth it.  I’d rather pay a little extra cash than have to pay to take the test twice because they are not cheap!  I’m not saying I won’t have to take them twice, but I hope the books make a huge difference.

Tuesday:

I studied math all day…really…all day…like, no joke.  I got a book just to teach me math.  I’m sure a lot of you saw me with it…most likely with my nose buried it and a confused look on my face.  That’s because I have never been that great at math.  However, I still really enjoy it when I do catch on to the concept.  This book however quickly showed that I am like a brown crayon (you know, not the brightest…nevermind).

Wednesday:

I studied math all day again…ugh.  I have had myself buried in the bedroom refusing to come out in case I get distracted by something like the TV or the Internet.  I have barely Facebooked this week.  You know how hard that is for me!

Thursday:

I finally managed to wrap up the math book sometime in the afternoon.  I went on to the grammar book that I bought.  Who knew that nouns and pronouns could be broken down in so many ways.  It makes my head spin.  I also had developed the worst sore throat.  It hurt sooo bad.  Nothing makes you feel like a wuss than a sore throat.  Why is it necessary to swallow so much?

Friday:

I subbed.  The only day I worked, but sacrifices have to be made.  I can’t pretend that I’ll work all day, come home to study, and go to martial arts.  I know that will not happen, and these tests are too important to me and the future of my new chosen career.  My throat killed me all day.  It was torture. I really appreciate Bryan being sweet and taking care of me.  🙂

Martial Arts:

I attended Kung Fu all week in order to prepare for the tournament that was on Saturday (next post – promise).  On Thursday we went to the school but not for class.  Instead we were there to watch the testing.  It was fun.  I admire all the ones that get out there and do there best.  Some people never seem to be unnerved when testing.  I, on the other hand, am a basket case.  I get soooo nervous.  It sucks.  I have got to do something about this.  I feel better each time, but I’d like to just feel nothing….or at least just excitement.  It was really cool to watch the upper belts test!  There testing was so exhausting just to watch.  Congrats to everyone who tested!

School news:

I have one more lesson to turn in.  It should be pretty simple once I sit down to actually tackle it.  :)  I’ll get it in there.  I have one more video conference, and then I think I’m all done with course work.  I think there are some other things they offer to help prepare you for the tests.  I will definitely will want to participate in this.  I need all the help I can get.

Other news:

Bryan’s grandparents are staying with us.  They have been here a week now.  They found a house on the first day!  It’s really nice.  I’m excited for them.  It’s in Leander not too far from us in a nice development.

Recent pictures of the cats:

Sweet Pea says studying is for the birds.

Bella loves her mommy.

??? Oh, Sweet Pea...

I’ve been home all week.  I wanted to sub today very badly but there seems to be only the crappiest of choices available today.  I suppose I’m not that desperate to work.  You only have to sub for about 2 weeks straight to become quite the expert on the district.  I know which schools, grades, and administrations to avoid.  I also know that special ed. assistant usually means you’ll actually just be sitting in a chair in the back of a classroom all day doing nothing….literally.  I refuse to take special ed. jobs anymore for that reason.  I wouldn’t mind if I knew that I was actually going to work with some kids, but most of the time it’s inclusion teachers.  I guess they don’t have a category for that so they just lump it in under special ed.  I’ll be glad when I get my certification if for no other reason than I’ll get a better pick of jobs or at least I’ll be on the top rung for the normal classes.  I’ll also make more for subbing.  However, I really want subbing to be a temporary job on my way to the big picture.  I have one lesson left!  I am simply waiting on the enrollment key to begin.  It will be given to me during a video conference which is something new but cool.  There is only one a week so unfortunately I’ll have to wait on that to move on.  Then it will be study, study, study for the big test which I hope to take ASAP.  I’m very nervous.  I don’t like to think about it too much because I’ll get little anxiety attacks.  Breathe…breathe…

Wednesday:

Wednesday night was a Kung Fu night.  Bryan and I both went to the lower belt class.  I did fluidity (my first time in a hell of a long time) before class so when Tommy said we were doing bag work I was already exhausted.  I had also done some bag work at home between fluidity and leaving for class – not much but enough to make bag work in class that much more exhausting.

We went out with some of the gang to eat after class.  That was a lot of fun!  I especially enjoyed the rock, paper, scissors game done round robin style.  What better way to decide who gets the last piece?  I only wish I had recorded it.  😀

Thursday:

Thursday night I went to TKD.  I’m competing in the sparring tournament on Saturday morning.  We’ve been drilling sparring all week.  It’s been fun, but I’ll be glad when we return to some form time next week.  The annual regional tournament is coming up in March so we’ll have to start drilling both pretty hard until then, but I’m sure the focus will be more on forms.  That’s awesome because I need a lot of help with mine.  I worked on it before class even though I knew we wouldn’t do them in class.  I have been trying to work on my forms everyday.  Even if I can’t do them all, I try to work on as many as possible.  It definitely helps for numerous reasons.

Last night’s class had a moment that was a big deal for me.  There’s this one kid that I hated sparring when I was just beginning.  Even though he’s a black belt, he has no control what so ever.  I can’t tell you how many bruises this kid gave me even where I had pads on.  He was just like a tornado of fists and kicks.  I dreaded being paired up with him.  However, last night we matched up for the first time in quite a while.  And…he didn’t kick my ass.  In fact, he got very few things in.  I’m getting there…slowly but surely.  And I think its been Kung Fu and Tai Chi that have put me where I am.  I have made the most advancements in those classes than any other.  Let’s just hope it all pays off tomorrow morning though point sparring shouldn’t be much of a marker of my skill level.

Friday (today):

There’s isn’t much to report.  I’ll have to find ways to keep myself busy at home today.  That shouldn’t be hard since there is sooo much cleaning to be done since Bryan’s grandparents arrive tomorrow afternoon.  The guest bedroom is ready to go, and that’s the only room that is.  I skipped conditioning class this morning so I wouldn’t have to worry about picking my legs up tomorrow.  I’ll have to find some other workout – most likely fluidity.  I think I’ll try the advanced workout.  :O

Please forgive me for not writing sooner.  Our Internet has been down intermittently making it difficult to find time.  Plus I was trying to finish up my last couple of lessons for my school work prolonged thanks to the Internet outages.  The end is near refers to the fact that I’m almost done with school (would be if not for the Internet) – ok, I’ll drop that.  🙂

Friday:

Not much to report.  I couldn’t sub because school was out for the kiddies.  That was fine by me since I had school work to do which didn’t pan out as I had anticipated thanks to the Internet being on the fritz (oh yeah, I’m done with that).  We met Nik and his girlfriend plus Jason for a dinner in honor of Jason’s birthday that week.  It was nice.  We hadn’t seen Nik in awhile so it was good to see him again.  I had prepared a cake to bring with us for Jason.  I love chocolate and so does he so it was easy to make a cake that was all things chocolate.  There was so much chocolate in this thing it was crazy!  I was happy with the way it turned out and think he was too.  No one spit it out which is a nice sign that it was at least edible.

Here are the pictures from Friday night’s dinner:

the cake upon completion

Jason about to blow out the candles

Bryan in front of the the giant fork/heart

Saturday:

Saturday was busy, busy for me.  I planned on having the entire day to make sure that Bryan had an awesome Valentine’s day where he didn’t have to lift a finger.  The only thing I had to do that wasn’t related to this task was take Sweet Pea to the vet for her checkup.  This is so vital if you get a shelter animal.  Of course, she had an upper respiratory infection.  I’m beginning to think this is standard shelter procedure.  She also had a lot of ear gunk – like so much it was shocking.  They said she was negative for ear mites but still had some bacteria in there.  So I had to buy ear drops that she gets twice a day.  She does not love this ordeal.  I had a voucher for a free examination up to $46 and it still cost me $114 – wow!  However, I think she’s good to go now until old age *crossing my fingers/saying a prayer/knocking on wood*.

After I got back from that I quickly made the desserts before Bryan got back from class.  I made little individual cakes.  They were strawberry from a box mix which I cut into small circles.  There were 2 layers to each cake, and they were smothered in strawberry icing.  I adorned them with lots of fresh strawberries for that added flair.  There were very delicious.  🙂

I then worked all afternoon on some home made gifts for Bryan…dorky, I know, but it’s the thought that counts.  Besides, he loved them.

Around 6ish I headed back into the kitchen to start the meal.  We had an appetizer followed by the main dish.  Bryan knew nothing of the 3 parts of dinner until they were laid before him.  I was really proud of how all the food turned out and extremely thankful that he liked them all.  I know have the #2 recipe in order to get to my 5 so I can knock it off of the list (you remember, before I’m 30 – did you think I forgot?).  ;)  We enjoyed delicious wine with our meal.  The night was perfect.  He even bought me flowers which I love and were the centerpiece for the meal.  🙂

Here is a picture after Valentine’s Day:

our stuff

Sunday:

I went to the sparring class that my TKD instructor started; it was the first day.  It was a lot of fun, but I was disappointed by the fact that NO Kung Fu people showed up.  Please don’t disappoint me this Sunday.

Monday:

President’s Day…the kiddies were out of school again so no working for me.  We had such a lazy day.  Bryan was off, and neither of us was motivated to do anything.  I did manage to get some stuff organized in the garage making it look the best to date.  I know, you still can’t believe I’m organizing the garage – me either!

Monday night we went to Kung Fu and Tai Chi.  It was a good night of both.

Tuesday (today):

I woke up late…typical.  AT&T was here to fix our Internet for the 3rd time…so far, so good.  I began doing school work finally.  I got a lot accomplished.  I went to Kung Fu which was awesome.  It was all sparring in order to get ready for this Saturday”s sparring tournament.  After I returned home it was back to school.  I stayed up until I finished the lesson.  Now I’m awaiting the enrollment key for the LAST activity which hopefully I can complete and turn in tomorrow because this has drug out way longer than I ever intended it to.  Then…on to the BIG test…ahhhh!

Here are some videos of the cats:

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This little game of tagging and telling is all over Face Book.  At first I was like no way, but now I’ve read a few that were pretty good so now I’m thinking why not?  So here it is…enjoy!  Oh, and I won’t be tagging anyone….you’re welcome.  🙂

1. I DO NOT like steak.  And no, I don’t want to taste yours even if it is the best you’ve ever had in your life.  I don’t care if it’s cooked to a crisp or raw; I will not enjoy the bite.  Sorry…
2. I have never once tried a cigarette or an illegal drug of any kind…not even the smallest amount…nothing.  That is not necessarily a brag, just a fact.  I can’t say the same about alcohol, but I did wait till I was 20 to start.
3. I have a degree in photography and very rarely use it.
4. I have a giant collection of books from every series of the Sweet Valley Twins.  My collection is well over 300 books that span several of the collections.  I will take donations if you have any of these you’d like to get rid of.  I will never stop collecting until I have them all.
5. Mary Poppins is my FAVORITE movie.  I know it’s a child’s movie and a musical (an old musical), and I don’t care!  I love it, and I’ve seen it over 200 times!  :O
6. I was raised by my grandparents.  I think I moved in with them sometime around 4.  It was the best thing for me at the time, and I’m grateful my parents were able to see this.
7. I’m frugal.  I will do just about anything to save a penny or make something last.  I can’t stand to see things go to waste and live by the motto “waste not, want not”.  I cut coupons, pick up change off the ground, shop around….I even cut open containers just to make sure that it was all used.  But my best trick is getting my friend Jason who has to stay in hotels all the time for his work to bring the shampoo.  I haven’t bought shampoo in over 2 years!  😀
8. I also collect literary classics.  I love, love, love old works that have stood the test of time.  There is something to be said for a book that is still relevant even today.  I think it’s a little sad that most people don’t see how it’s relevant though.  Oh well…I still love the oldies but goodies.  I find most of them at Goodwill because most people just don’t appreciate them.
9. I love martial arts!  I know this isn’t surprising to anyone.  However, just in case you didn’t know – I have a brown belt in TaeKwonDo, a blue belt in Kung Fu, and on Saturday I should have a yellow sash in Tai Chi (currently white).
10. I still love cartoons.  Always have, always will.  I try to stay current on them, but it’s getting harder.  I don’t like most of the stuff they make now, but I’m willing to try them.  I hope I can share the ones I grew up with my children one day.
11. I hate flying.  Ok, I’m like absolutely terrified of it!  I don’t even like to see planes.  We flew to New York, and I got upset at my stomach every time I thought of the flight for the prior 2 months.  I cry, hyperventilate, and rock when flying…I make everyone else miserable.  I don’t think I’ll ever get better, but I’d like to.
12. I’m a horrible cook.  Seriously.  I can cook like one dish.  I can’t make even the simplest of dishes.  I’m embarrassed by this, but also having anyone teach me makes me completely nervous and self conscious.  I do try new dishes every now and then.  I keep trying, but I’m not seeing much improvement.  🙂
13. Another no shocker: I’m addicted to Face Book.  I like to have everything current and correct.  All I can say is that if my house burns down it will suck, but at least all of my pictures are stored on FB.  🙂
14. I know I look young, and I don’t care.  It doesn’t bother me in the least.  However, I’m sick (and have been for years and years) of everyone telling me that “I’ll appreciate that when I’m older.”  Do you know how many times that has been said to me in my life????  Too many to count.  Come up with something original already or better yet just say nothing at all.
15. I don’t know how to use a condiment lightly or sparingly.  I just can’t do it.  I HAVE to have a shitload of it.  Ketchup (my favorite and most used), mayo, syrup…it doesn’t matter.  I need my food to disappear in it.
16. I still count on my fingers when adding.  I guess there’s not much hope for me to stop at this point.
17. I’m terrified of being old but not dying.  Perhaps I’m just terrified of being old with out accomplishments…I’m not sure.
18. I was engaged before, but Bryan is ‘the one’.  And I couldn’t be happier that I’ve found him.
19. I’m a Libertarian and proud of it!  In fact I have “Liberty: Don’t Tread On Me” as a tattoo on my lower back.  I love it!
20. I haven’t met anyone who has the same beliefs as me on religion.  I am a Christian and consider myself a Southern Baptist, but I still don’t know anyone who agrees with all of my views.  I have met some that were very close though.
21. I used to have a lot of piercings.  I had a nose, eyebrow, nipple, and upper ear.  I wish I still had them.  I would love more, but alas have picked a career that is not friendly to this type of self expression.  Society is sad like that.
22. I actually ordered the free CD lessons from Video Professor, and I found them to be quite good.  I would order my next from him.  He was totally right!
23. I grew up with 4 channels later maxed to 6.  I was often out of the loop with what other children in the country were watching.  Cable is still unavailable at my childhood home.  They did get satellite but only after I went to college.  Lame.
24. I’m extremely cold natured, and it sucks!!!!
25. I don’t like spicey food – not even a little.  A ginger snap once made my stomach hurt for 30 minutes.  You’d be surprised what I find spicey.

There you go.  25 facts about moi.  It was harder than I thought.  🙂

Monday night (anniversary date):
It was an awesome night!  Bryan made sure it was perfect.  We arrived at North around 7 PM for a delicious dinner. Next we went to Main Event to play mini golf.  It was just like our first date except I felt much more at ease.  Plus there were kisses…hehe.  :)  The night was super romantic.  I totally devoured the chocolate covered strawberries that Bryan prepared for us.  They were soooooooo delicious!

Here are the pictures from our date:

me and Bryan

Bryan and me

appetizer

me and my drink

Tuesday:

I subbed a Pre-K class for the day.  I never thought that that was something I could handle especially by myself, but I managed to make it through the day and only one kid cried!  Hey, it wasn’t me!  Some other kid called him mean, and he took it personally.  What can you do?  Wanna know what my favorite part of the day was?  Nap time!  Nap time was great except for the fact that I couldn’t take one.  They almost looked like little angels there sleeping…almost!  No, they were a really good group, and I really enjoyed my time that day.  We read a book about dentists and made a tooth headband.  Where else can you have fun crafts like that?

That night Bryan and I went to the Kung for school for Tai Chi and Kung Fu.  I’m really trying to get ready for my testing on Saturday in Tai Chi.  I still needs tons of practice though.  I learned the bird form.  It was a good night.  I love when you get a good night of martial arts…ahhh.

Wednesday:

I stayed home from work to finish the last of my school lessons because I FINALLY mailed in my classroom observations.  However, the Internet decided to crash in the middle of the night.  They didn’t come until late afternoon, but they did get everything back up and running.  I managed to do a little on a lesson, but it was mostly a wasted day.  I felt bad for Bryan who had to go to a coffee shop for the morning in order to get some work done.  We thought they fixed the problem until we had another short outage last night.  They are supposed to be sending a technician out here sometime today to diagnosis the problem.  Hopefully this won’t become a reoccurring problem because that will not work.

We didn’t go to classes last night and instead decided to work on our stuff here – in the clean garage.  :)  Bryan helped me work on all of material which was super nice and helpful of him.  What would I do without him?  :)  I feel much stronger about all of my material, but I definitely need to go out there and practice my Tai Chi today before class.

Thursday (today):

There is not much going on here today.  I did some school work, and while I was printing off the next lesson ran out of ink.  I’m also dangerously low on paper…sigh.  I’m looking forward to class tonight.