We are leaving for Mississippi tomorrow!  I am too excited!  Well, except for the fact that there is a ton to do before we can roll out in 2 days!  It wouldn’t be so stressful if I didn’t have to work all day at the TKD kids camp which by the way is wearing me out this week.  For example, today we spent over 2 hours at the pool…ugh!  But back to the trip…the reason we’re going is none other than the Neshoba County Fair.  You might remember me mentioning this grand event last year in my blog though instead of being happy to go like this year, I complained about how I was missing it.  I’ve waited an entire year, and this time I’m not missing it!  I’ve only missed it maybe twice in my entire life; as a Neshoba County native, this fair is a HUGE deal.  It’s also my favorite reason I was glad to be born in the small town of Philadelphia, MS.  Other than the fair, I could have done much better than this tiny town of boring, but for this one reason alone, I’m glad to call it home.  Weird, I know, but it’s the truth.  And what I’m most excited about this year is exposing Bryan to this amazing event for the first time.  I’m also super happy to see family and friends and also enjoy a cheat day filled with the foods I grew up with and maybe some alcohol.  🙂  It’s going to be killer to stick to Paleo for the entire week.  There is just way too many yummies around to ignore, but I’m going to try my best.  I’m not making any promises though.  🙂

In other news, I’m having little mini anxiety attacks about August.  I have to test for sword and TKD maybe on the same day but definitely in the same week.  I know my TKD test is on August 8.  There’s not much time and I don’t feel solid on my form, and I’m so terrified I won’t break my boards which would result in a no change.  I also have to test for Kung Fu – my first time in front of the grandmaster.  And just days after testing we’ll be having the Kung Fu tournament which means competing.  Ugh…I get so worked up about all of this being put on the spot stuff.  I have gotten so much better….loads better.  I’m really proud of the improvement that I’ve made, but I’m still not at the point where I can just go out there and do what needs to be done and feel confident while I’m doing it.  My biggest hope is that while I’m preforming or competing that my brain doesn’t turn on.  As soon as I start to think about what I’m doing then I start making mistakes or freaking out.  The best I can hope for is to just let muscle memory do its thing.  I’ll keep working at not letting my nerves get the best of me.  It’s definitely a work in progress, and it may take years to achieve.  I’m willing to keep working at it however, and that’s really all that matters.

When I’m not having anxiety attacks about martial arts then I’m having them about finding a teaching position.  I’m going to be sending out resumes to schools, but I’ve already applied to all the school districts.  It’s mostly a waiting game now.  🙁

I’ve made my TKD school a fan page on Facebook.  Please visit it and become a fan!  I’ve had fun working on it.  I’ve gotten to learn a part about Facebook I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to explore yet – fan pages.  Well, I’m a fan of a lot of things, but I had never created a fan page.  I’m happy to be making such a big contribution to the school.  It’s always good for business to reach out to the younger folks where they hang out – the Internet.  🙂

Pictures take on my Mac:

me

me again

😛

Cat Videos: (It’s not our cat for once but one of the cats that we were cat sitting)

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Artists I think you should know:

Dina Goldstein – Photographer:

Dina is an awesome photographer with a unique outlook on life.  You have got to check out her princess series which shows the down side to all of the fairy tale princesses that you grew up reading about.

Scott Campbell – Tattoo Artist/Artist:

Not only are this guys tattoos wicked, his art is also pretty amazing.  I especially like his laser cut dollar bill series.

Ashley Lebedev – Photographer:

Her work is simply beautiful.  She has a style that incorporates a decaying look with old charm.  It’s very interesting.  Her photographs can keep you entranced for minutes.