Thankful...

My dancers and their parents are so unbelievably thoughtful. It's our last week of classes before Christmas and I have been absolutely showered with gifts. I'd like to think that I'm not a very materialistic person, but I have gotten some really cool stuff! I've received some beautiful ornaments (which I'm in desperate need of!), some bath and kitchen type stuff, a really sweet bag, Webkinz clothes and cards (yes I have Webkinz - blame it on my petite company girls - they got me hooked), and lots and lots of gift cards. Much needed gift cards.

I'm not doing that great financially right now, so it's really nice to have those gift cards. I'm very thankful. I met with my small group at Barnes & Noble tonight to pick out a new book for our study. I got a book, the workbook for it and a hot chocolate with a gift card I received from a few students - and still had 15 cents left. Woo-hoo! I'm also in need of a winter coat - it's kind of cold around here. I saw the exact kind I wanted at Target yesterday for $50. Definitely don't have that kind of money right now. I got a gift card from one of my classes tonight. $50. I'm pretty pumped. And like I said... thankful. Very very thankful.

The Evolution of the Butterfly...

Stretching with the little ones is always really fun. And usually really funny. Every time we do our butterflies, I ask my girls what color butterfly they want to be. At the beginning of the year, they usually pick one color (typically pink, sometimes purple, and in Amber's case... brown). By the middle of the year, their response usually sounds something like this:

"Well my body is going to be tan. And my head is going to be brown. My wings are all the colors of the rainbow, pink, black, purple, yellow, pink, blue, purple, green, yellow, pink sparkles, rainbow sparkles, all the princesses, castles, Hannah Montana, Sponge Bob, Sandy, Patrick, Sponge Bob's house, Sandy's house, Patrick's house, pillows, all of the girls in the class, you (that's referring to me, their wonderful, amazing ballet teacher), ballerinas, diamonds, gems, crowns, and sparkles."

I kid you not. It's hilarious. My personal favorite is pillows.

What color butterfly would you be?

I'm back

So I just returned home from an 8-day adventure in the Caribbean. My mom and I went on a cruise. And it was nice. And warm. I hiked and did a canopy tour in Jamaica, went scuba diving in Grand Cayman, went to an adventure park in Cozumel, and layed on the beach all day in the Bahamas. Oh, and shopped. Pretty much everywhere.

The ship was nice. There was lots to do. I read a couple of books, got myself a tan, had a couple of drinks... a day, spent time with my mom, watched movies and football on the big screen under the stars, met some really cool people, and bought a couple of really nice things. It was a great trip.

I'm really glad to be back though. I heard so many people on the ship talking about how they were dreading going back to work. I couldn't wait. I love my job. I missed it while I was gone. I missed my kids.

I went to the studio last night to work on some choreography for the week. And I've gotta say, I think the break was good for me. I have really been struggling lately with my choreography. I haven't been feeling very creative. But last night I was on a roll. Which was very refreshing. Now hopefully I can remember everything I came up with last night....

My Breaking Heart...

So I'm staying with my friend's daughter this week while they're in California. It's a pretty easy gig. Really easy, actually. She's 15 and has a ridiculously busy schedule. Between dance and poms, I basically don't see her. Except when I'm driving her to where she needs to be. This week is actually pretty much cooler than the rest of my weeks. I get to drive a really cool car and I have internet. No complaining here.



My friends just got a dog from a rescue group about a month ago. Her name is Tika. And my heart absolutely breaks for her. I don't know what her past is, but I'm positive that it was rough. I'm not sure if she was abused or neglected, but I'm certain that she was not treated the way that she deserved to be treated. And anyone who knows me knows that mistreated animals kinda gets me going. Tika lays in the corner of the dining room all day. Except at night, when she comes up to their bedroom and sleeps in the corner. It's very sad. She's very unresponsive. Although today, day 2, she actually made eye contact with me. She's very sweet. She lets me sit by her and pet her and all that. But that's about it. Oh, it's so sad.



Here's the little girl. Isn't she adorable?

Blog Slacker...

As previously discussed, I don't have the internet. So I go online about once a week. So blogging doesn't really happen. I'm loving Joliet. Here is my new environment:






I definitely fit in a lot better with my brother and the dog than I ever have in a house full of girls. This is my kind of crib.

On Getting Old...

I've noticed lately that I'm starting to do some things that make me feel, and probably look, old. For instance, I find myself listening to - and enjoying - talk radio. Just the other day I was listening to Larry King Live. I never thought I'd see the day. They were talking about autism and I found myself sitting in the driveway listening to the rest of the segment.


Exhibit B. I went up to CMU this weekend for homecoming. When I was in college, we wouldn't even go out until at least 10:00. Saturday night - we were home at 9:52pm. I'm embarrassed. Granted, we were up since 3:30 in the morning (4:00 am departure! - who am I?), so we were really tired. But I'm still embarrassed.


Speaking of homecoming, it was really fun. My friend Missy came up with me. I tell ya, that girl is hooked on Mt. Pleasant. She's been up there with me 3 times now. We left early Saturday morning, tailgated, went to the football game, hung out at my old teammate's apartment, went out, went to bed, woke up, and drove home. I really wish I could do longer visits up there.

The game was great. We beat Northern Illinois 35-10. The team looked really good. The only downer of the trip was watching a guy have a heart attack in the stands right by us. It was really scary. They did CPR on him for probably a good 25 minutes. He didn't make it. So it was really sad, awkward, scary... all of those things. I felt so bad for his family.


The highlight of my trip had to be hanging out with my old coach and his family. We went out to dinner and grabbed a drink on Saturday night. I was really close with all of them in college. We used to have the boys stay at our house every once in a while so L-Train and his wife could have a night alone. They were 4 and 6 my freshman year. 9 and 11 when I graduated. Now they're 12 and 14 and huge! The 14-year old is 6'2" now. It's crazy. My boys are growing up so fast. So it was definitely a trip to hang out with them.


It was really great to be up there and run into old friends and teammates. I really do miss my CMU friends.


As always, I'm awful about remembering to take pictures. So here's a couple that my friend Mary took...









Tailgating





















The game

Mary, Mike and Me at the Cabin. I miss my throwers.













The guy at the Cabin who had eyes on his butt. For real???

Watch Your Language!!!

So I have this little 4 year old who has better manners than pretty much anyone I know. She is quite the proper young lady. Sometimes when I say 'yeah' she says, "No, it's 'yes'". The other day I said 'thank ya' to one of my girls and she said "It's not 'thank ya' - it's 'thank you'" I'm being corrected by a 4 year old. How funny...


Well I'm in my new place. The move went really well. I've realized that I have some pretty incredible friends. Not that I didn't really know that already, but I was definitely reminded of it on Sunday. I had 6 friends that were completely willing to give up their Sunday afternoon to help me move all of my stuff. Which was great. We made it all in one trip. But they didn't get anything out of it. Except for some pizza. Of course we had a great time along the way. But I'm just grateful to have such wonderful friends.

I don't have internet at my new place, so I'm sure I'll be spending quite a big more time at the local Panera. Which will be great around Christmas time. Last year, I got like $75 worth of Panera gift cards from students.

I Was a College Athlete...

As I'm packing stuff up and getting ready for the big move, I've been going through some stuff that I haven't looked through in a while. I read through some old newspaper articles from high school and college. Looked through some old pictures. Found some of my old workouts (man, I used to be strong). I was a standout high school athlete. An average D1 athlete. And I graduated and that phase of my life was over. Just like that. And quite frankly, I miss it.

I don't miss hurting just about every day of my college career, which I, over the course of the 5 years I was there, had a displaced nerve in my arm, a dislocated shoulder and 2 knee surgeries.

But I miss the people. I miss accomplishing such great things. I miss being part of such an amazing team. I miss my coaches. I miss having my parents come support me at my meets - seriously, they came to all but 2 meets my entire career. I miss the locker room. I miss my CMU track family.

3-time MAC Champs

The best meet of my career...

2003 MAC

Championships

Always having a good time together.

Perhaps one of my ugliest pictures ever...

But I still love it.

Me and Tash after she just won the MAC title in the javelin.
I was very proud of my roommate and best friend.

Throwers sending birthday greetings to our teammate John while he was on a 2-year mission trip in Argentina.

Tash and I realizing that our track careers had just come to an end -- a very emotional day.

I'm blessed that I'm able to coach the sport I love so much at a collegiate level. I just hope our athletes have an experience as amazing as the one I had during my years at CMU.

A Really Long Blog Entry...

Even though I'm 26, it still makes me feel really good to hear my mom say that she's proud of me.

A (not so) Fun Fact About Me

I'm hard enough on myself. So when I feel like I'm being judged, I put my guard up. Some people get mad. I just shut people out. It's easier that way.

I guess I'm starting to realize it. Or maybe I've always known it, but I'm finally admitting it.

How do you respond to judgement?

Long Weekend...

I don't know exactly how I can teach dance for 9 straight hours. Literally, 9 hours. No break. I was at the studio from 7:30-4:30 today. I don't know how I don't get hungry or have to pee (too much information?). I think my bladder is awesome. My friend Amy thinks I'm ruining my kidneys.

Speaking of ruined, how about Notre Dame's season? Or I'll even go as far at this point to say their future. And I'm a fan. But come on. They're pitiful.



Okay - huge dilemma. Bears kickoff is tomorrow at 3:15. My friend's wedding is at 3:30. I'm going to the wedding. But so is my cell phone with ESPN mobile. Is it tacky to be following the game during the ceremony? During the reception? How far is too far? Where's the line?

Putting myself in a bride's shoes... There are some people you just expect that kind of stuff from. And you go with it. I don't think I would be offended. Then again, I would never schedule my wedding on a Sunday during football season. There are some things you just don't do.

Which leads me into a story. Mom, hope it's okay I share this one. My grandpa died in January of 1986. What else happened in January of '86? That's right folks, the Bears won the Superbowl. Conveniently enough, he died just in time to have his wake be on the day of the Superbowl. So my parents did a bang-up job of planning it so there wouldn't be visitation hours during the game. They said that you could see all the Bears gear underneath people's coats as they came in to the wake. In between the visitation hours, my parents had to go home and "check on the kids." Turns out that's just code word for "have a party." Genius. And that is why I love my family. And get inspired to watch the game during the wedding.

Those Crazy Russians are at it Again...

Russian region to host Day of Conception

By MASHA STROMOVA, Associated Press WriterTue Sep 11, 12:51 PM ET

Make a baby. Win a car. Don't be surprised if the streets are empty and curtains drawn in this central Russian region Wednesday as residents take up an offer by the regional governor to help stem Russia's demographic crisis.

Ulyanovsk Gov. Sergei Morozov has decreed Sept. 12 a Day of Conception and is giving couples time off from work to procreate. Couples who give birth nine months later on Russia's national day — June 12 — will receive money, cars, refrigerators and other prizes.

It's the third year that the Volga River region, about 550 miles east of Moscow, has held the contest. Since then, the number of competitors — and the number of babies born — has been on the rise.

"If there's a good, healthy atmosphere at home within the family, if the husband and wife both love each other and their child, they will be in good spirits and that will extend to the workplace. So there will be a healthy atmosphere throughout the country," he told AP Television News. "The leadership (of the country) is interested in the family."

Russia's population has dropped since the 1991 Soviet collapse, fed by declining birth rates, a low life expectancy, a spike in emigration, a frayed health care system and other factors. The country — the world's largest — now has just 141.4 million citizens, making it one of the most sparsely settled nations. And experts estimate the population could fall below 100 million by 2050.

Just 311 women signed up to take part in the first competition, in 2005, and qualify for a half-day off from work. The next June, 46 more babies were born in Ulyanovsk's 25 hospitals compared to the previous June, including 28 born on June 12, officials said.
More than 500 women signed up for the contest in 2006 — resulting nine months later in 78 babies, or more than triple the region's daily average. So far this year, the region's birth rate is up 4.5 percent compared to the same period last year.

"I don't think people get pregnant just to get a prize on the 12th (of June) but if the dates coincide and they give you a ... car there's nothing wrong with that," said Yuri, a 28-year-old father-to-be who declined to give his last name.

Last year, President Vladimir Putin called the demographic crisis the country's most acute problem and announced a broad effort to boost the birthrate, including cash subsidies for couples giving birth to more than one child. Women who give birth to their second or third child receive $10,000 vouchers to pay for education or home repairs.

In Ulyanovsk, everyone who has a baby in a local hospital on June 12 gets some kind of prize. The winners of the grand prize — a locally made SUV called a UAZ-Patriot — are couples judged by a committee on criteria such as "respectability" and "commendable parenting."

Perhaps not surprisingly, the effort has drawn snickers. According to one joke circulating on the Internet, regional university teachers — after being ordered to draw up special activities for Wednesday — proposed covering the floors of school gymnasiums with mattresses and dimming the lights.

Andrei Kartuzov, who won the last "make a baby" grand prize along with his wife, Irina, said they had been planning to have another child anyway.

The campaign "is a good help for people, especially for those living in villages," he said. "If they hold such actions every year, then maybe we will have (more children) growing up and Russia will be bigger."

On Faking Confidence...

I'm not really the most confident person. But I've learned that to get through life, sometimes you just have to fake confidence. Like when approaching strangers. Or inviting people to do things. Or teaching other people something out of your own 'area of expertise.'

I'm always terrified when I'm teaching my own choreography to my students - no matter if they're 3 or 20. I'm always worried that they won't like it. That it's not good enough. I'm usually pleased with the end-result, but the process really freaks me out. I believe that movement is personal, and when I'm creating that art I'm making myself vulnerable. And I don't particularly like being vulnerable. So I worry what people think. I don't so much worry about what judges think when we go to competitions. They can take it or leave it, I really don't care. But I worry about my dancers think. I want them to be doing something they enjoy.

But I know that if you want people to believe in something, you first have to believe in it. So I fake it. I had the ultimate test for me last night. It's our first week of classes at the studio and one of our teachers already needed a sub. So I took her classes yesterday. One of which was Advanced Hip Hop. Anyone who knows me knows that hip hop is not really 'my thing.' But I shimmied something up and figured I'd make it through okay. Imagine my surprise when 26 people showed up for class. I gave them fair warning and proceeded with the class. And hey, they actually seemed to enjoy it! I even got a few "that was a really cool dance"s afterwards. So I guess all ends well when you fake it.

I'm Movin' On...

So clearly I've moved my blog. Mainly because xanga is blocked on our church computers. Which is funny. It's blocked for "mature and adult content." Please. There is nothing adult or mature about my blog. Or my life for that matter....


I'm also moving. As in a change of residence. My house is offically 'breaking up.' Kind of sad, yes. I'm moving to Joliet. With my brother. And his dog.

Here are some things I'm looking forward to:

• paying dirt cheap rent... which makes me one step closer to being able to one day call myself a homeowner (it's my American Dream - a house and a dog)
• hopefully getting to hang out with my bro more, even though we have completely opposite schedules
• living with his dog. Anyone who knows me knows I'm obsessed with Noel. She's the greatest.
• Being forced to downsize on the things that I own. It's about time.
• Earning some extra cash flow on all of the furniture that I'm selling. That's a major bonus, really.
• Being WAY closer to St Francis, which means that I don't have to leave the house anymore at 5:00am for a 6:00 practice. Yahoo!!!!
• Not feeling obligated to do so much anymore - it happens around here.
• Having a live-in sports watching buddy. You don't get that much living in a house full of girls.

Some things I'm not looking forward to:

• Not being able to wear fleece anymore (see above statement about living with dog). Which stinks. Because I really love my fleece pants. All 4 pairs of them...
• Living much farther away from my friends in Naperthrill (a rather obvious one)
• Living with my brother. Let's be honest. Sometimes it's just not as fun than living with a bunch of friends.

Moving on... (get the theme here?)

I would personally like to thank the Vs. tv network, which up until last week I had never heard of. They broadcasted 8 days - that's right folks, 8 days - of track and field coverage from the recent World Championships. And you better believe that I've tivo'ed and watched (well, I'm almost done) every episode. It's really been a treat.

Notre Dame Football. Oh wait, I really don't want to talk about that.

Michigan Football - ha! they got beat by a 1-AA team. I'll just focus on that and not the Notre Dame loss.

Joni Kay's family has been staying with us for what seems like forever. 3 of her sisters and her brother-in-law have been here since Thursday. They just left today. It's kind of nice to have our house back. Except it's a complete mess. Enough about that...