Clarification

Bryan alerted me to the fact that some of you may have used the link I gave you in the previous post to RSS my blog which will not work.

When RSSing please use:

http://yellowgin.elear.net/?feed=rss2

Moving - You Can Come Too!

Well, I'm sure you already know that Bryan moved his blog. I also am now moving mine so please make sure to update your RSS feed so you don't miss out on a minute of my awesome life. :)

Here is the link to my new blog:
http://yellowgin.elear.net/

Too Many Good-byes...

I don't want to bore you with a detailed list of all of the things I did last week. Since I've taken so long to post I have pretty much forgotten what all I did anyway. I went to both TKD and Kung Fu/Tai Chi several times this week though I did skip twice during the week thanks to feeling like crap. I was just wiped out on these nights. I couldn't fight my body. I subbed a couple of times including a 2nd grade class which was one of my favorite days to sub so far. They were a super sweet class, and days like this really show me that elementary is the place I want to be when I finally get to the point of job hunting. I also started the third and final section of my schoolwork. I only have a little more to do before I can start preparing (big time!) to take the teacher certification test which I hear is quite difficult.

Saturday was a horrible day. It started out bad and only got worse. The only good thing about the day was the open house at the Kung Fu school which was actually a lot of fun. I won't go into the thing that set it off, but I'll tell you the rest of the day. I tried to go to TKD/Jiu Jitsu but failed to remember it was board breaking clinic. So, I had to return home mad about wasting gas. I took Astoria for a walk and then headed to the Kung Fu school. I met Bryan and we went out for tea and a quick bite. Then we went back to the school for Kung Fu and Tai Chi class. I finally finished 24 - yay! I also am ready to test in Kung Fu. :D After class it was time for the open house. It was a lot of fun. The demos were cool, and it was awesome to see how many people came. Hopefully, we have several new students!

Pictures from the open house:
Master Joe speaking
Master Joe receiving his house warming gift

Here are the videos I took of the demos - not all of them because Blogger is being difficult:


In sad news:
I hate to report but we had to give away Astoria. Though we tried our best we soon realized that we were not a good fit for one another. We tried to walk her everyday and many days twice, but she still had energy to spare. She began to find outlets for her energy which I can't blame her for. However, she chose a destructive path. We had noticed she liked to chew, but the longer she was with us, the more it was apparent. This is most likely due to the fact that she went from being an outside dog to an indoor dog. The more days she spent inside the more she found to chew. On Saturday while Bryan and I were at the Kung Fu school for classes and the open house she destroyed half of the closet including a brand new pair of shoes Bryan had just purchased. Don't worry - I have already replaced them. Finally we had to sit down and discuss what to do. We both agreed we weren't able to provide the time she required. So, we posted her on craigslist and we were able to place her on Sunday. She is now living with a couple. The guy works at a dog friendly office which means Astoria will be able to go in and be with other dogs all day! I know this will be beneficial to her. I cried a little, but I'm glad that we did the right thing for her and us. Here are some videos I took of her on the day she proved to us she could indeed fetch. I love the leaps! :)



On a better note:
On Sunday after running errands galore, we went to the Williamson County Animal Shelter and found a dog that is hopefully much better suited to our needs. He is a terrier mix, and much smaller than Astoria. We learned a lot from Astoria, and I think we can do much better this time because if we can't I'm done with dogs for a long time. His name is Atley, and he is too damn cute! I'm going to pick him up this morning.

Last night's Kung Fu and Tai Chi class were awesome! Master Joe says I test on Saturday! Ahhhh! I better start hammering my material. I'm ready but not mentally. I need to review and review in order to feel confident. I'll probably be testing in Tai Chi during the first week of February. So that's 3 testings for the next 3 weeks...um, yay?

Bryan is gone on business for the week, and won't be back until next Monday! That is the longest we've ever been apart, and I already miss him like crazy.

Don't forget that this weekend is the Pancake Theater which we moved up one night to Friday the 23rd. It will be starting directly after Ryon's class so head on over as soon as your done. There will be pancakes so bring your appetite. We'll be making fun on Robin Hood so bring your wit and anything you want to drink. There will be some beer here, but I still encourage you to bring something you like. Ryon - will the fruit fucker be coming? It's always welcome. :D

You Have To Buck 'Em!

So, Wednesday night I went to my first Jiu Jitsu Class followed by one of the best TKD classes I've ever attended. Jiu Jitsu was pretty good. My shoulders hurt thanks to some dumb exercise called a caterpillar roll. Not only did I look absolutely awkward doing this, but I was the slowest in the class - yay me! Once we got on the ground and started to do things though I really started to dig it. The only downside was being grouped with 2 girls who found the class way too funny. There is nothing worse than giggling girls sometimes. TKD was also great. We didn't even spar or work on our forms. All we did was KICK! Love it! We got to run at bags and do flying side kicks. Then we ran at them at did jump combos. It was so sweet. Lastly, we practiced our jump 360's on clapper targets which I failed at miserably as usual. I think I'm gonna have to get a private lesson just to get these down or up and around rather. However, if any of my black belt friends want to help me out say maybe for a meal or something well then, just speak up!

Thursday was kinda weird. I awoke early in the morning to finally cut off a horrible dream that felt all too real and left me feeling extremely sad. Then I slept and slept and slept. I couldn't seem to wake up, but finally did. Needless to say, I got nothing accomplished this day - nothing. I took Astoria out for a walk in what was NOT winter weather. Geez, it was so hot! She was panting something crazy, and I wasn't far from joining her. She loves her walks however. The leash training is coming along. She's great, but she just has a little problem with wanting to lead most likely because we don't go at the speed she'd prefer. Oh well, I have 2 less legs than her. She's also learned several new "tricks" since moving in. She's smart though stubborn at times. Bryan and I both stayed home for the night. He cooked a Granny recipe for the first time. He's good at them, and I get to eat food I love! Mmmmm.... Then we played Little Big Planet which Bryan bought after renting it. It is one of the coolest games I have ever played.

I'm not really sure what we are going to do tonight. I am going to my sword class at 6PM. After that, I suppose we'll hang out at home and play more Little Big Planet. Tomorrow I am going to Jiu Jitsu at 9AM followed by TKD at 10AM. Tomorrow afternoon we are getting a security system installed. The company came by yesterday and talked to us about their services. The price was very reasonable, and they were very nice. This will definitely make me feel better when Bryan is gone for business. I know that his mind will be more at ease also. There is nothing planned for the rest of the weekend, but I'm very okay with this.

Stephanie agreed to go to the Alamo's Pop Princess Sing-Along on the 22nd. I am sooo excited! I missed the Madonna Sing-Along which greatly depressed me. I think we'll have a lot of fun. All others interested should meet us there! Yay! (That's my Bubbles cheer!) :D

Photos of Astoria:


Songs I'm digging at the moment:
Fly on the Wall - Miley Cyrus

A Look Into January

Today I went to Kung Fu class at 7:30 AM which was kinda blah. This afternoon I subbed at a middle school. It's not a full day's work, but I'll take it to not working at all. They did have a little screw up however. When I accepted the job it was for language arts, and then when I showed up it was an inclusion teacher. Inclusion is the worst job you can get as a sub because there is nothing for you to do in the class but sit there which I did. Ugh! I'm going to TKD class tonight where I'll be taking my first Jiu Jitsu class first! I'm a little nervous about that!

Here's what's coming up for the rest of the month:

• January 9 - our 11 month anniversary!!
• January 17 - open house at the Kung Fu school
• January 18 - Astoria starts an 8 week obedience class at Petsmart
• January 24 - pancake theater at our house (Robin Hood)
• January 31 - TKD testing (testing senior blue to rank up to brown belt)
• I should also test in Kung Fu this month to go from yellow to blue!

While The Rest Of The World Returns To Work...

Friday:
Bryan worked while I tried to do certain things around the house. Then we had a furious cleaning session to prepare for Kevin and Sarah who stayed with us for the weekend. I hadn't met them yet since they live out of town, but they were super nice. The first night we just hung out around here. I even cooked! I know!!!! :O It was fun.

Saturday:
Saturday the 4 of us went out to lunch. Then Bryan attended my laser hair removal appointment with me. Ouch! That night we played Phase 10 and drank. I love that game. It's sooo much fun, and we did have a blast. Then we went to Kerby Lane for a late night dinner. Ah, good times! Kevin and Sarah, you are welcome back anytime...

Sunday:
Bryan with very little help from me managed to re-catproof the backyard. This time it is for real! There will be no more little "Lewis and Clark" adventures. I'm really glad this got completed because OC and Mallos were becoming quite annoying to be around without their "freedom".

That night Bryan, Sarah, Kevin, and Jason went way down to the Salt Lick for dinner. I'm not a big fan of BBQ anyway, but even so I still really did not like this place. They are real jerks and morons here. Yes, I'm being very opinionated. My conversation with the waitress:

Me: I'd like the turkey sandwich. Can I get the "special sauce" on the side and mayo on the sandwich.
Waitress: I'm not sure we have regular mayo. The sauce is mayo habanero.
Me: Ok, scratch the sauce all together (I don't do well with spicy). Do you make the sauce yourself?
Waitress: Yes
Me: Well, then go find the mayo they use to make the sauce.

Oh well, the sandwich turned out to be pretty good, but I mostly enjoyed the conversation and the stories which were all really funny!

Monday:
Monday was a hang around the house kind of day. It was so cold - crazy Texas weather! I got a little schoolwork done. Some is better than none I suppose. I took Astoria out for a jog/walk for about 30 minutes until my chin went numb. Bryan and I went to Kung Fu/Tai Chi. It was our first time in the new school. I definitely like some things about it, but I'm still not convinced it was the best option. There is tons of room, and yet, there is not room. Hmmm... I discovered that I have all of my yellow belt material. Now all I need to do is practice, practice, practice. I should be able to test sooner than expected - yay! After class we came home and caught some DVRed TV. Ahhh....

Tuesday (today):
It's yet another hang around the house kind of day. I can't seem to snag any jobs. I guess all the teachers are expected to work after their long break. Sigh. I watched a movie this morning. Then I got quite a bit of schoolwork done today - go me! Astoria didn't get to go out this morning thanks to the rain. I should probably keep her out for double time this afternoon or else she'll be off the wall. It's a TKD night. I look forward to being back in class after all this time off. It feels good to use my body again.

Meet Astoria

While we were in Mississippi we somehow decided that we wanted a dog. So, on Sunday we scoured the Internet for the "right" dog. We had a lot of requirements. For example, no puppies or lap dogs. We sent emails and applications for several dogs. On Monday we went to one of the shelters in Austin. We found one dog that was okay, but none of the dogs really met our needs. That night we drove to Seguine, TX to look at a 1 year old boarder collie/lab mix that we found on craigslist. We took her home. She is sooo sweet. We renamed her Astoria. The cats are still getting used to her, but so far she has been doing great with everything. I think we got lucky and picked a superb pup.

Tuesday:

• took Astoria to the vet to get vaccinated and enrolled her in obedience school (starts the 18th) - both a Petsmart

Pictures of Astoria:
me and the dog
astoria

first night home


on the couch hamming it up



Here is a video of Astoria and Mallos:


Wednesday (New Year's Eve):
Bryan had purchased tickets for us to ride the Twilight Flyer train for New Year's. I was pretty excited about this. We had a lot of fun. I have never been on a train like this before. The people around us were really friendly, and they made the event for me. There was a buffet and of course drinks. There was some entertainment, but it wasn't all that entertaining. Next year I want to maybe do something downtown. All in all, I had a great night. I can't think of a better way to start the new year off right than beside my sweetie. :P

Pictures from New Year's Eve:
about to board
me and bryan
bryan
cute couple
the entertainment
pimping
?
lucy and cher
lucy
marilyn
smokey
miss texas
smokey again
drinking
celebrating
no, I didn't
kiss

Videos from New Year's Eve:


Thursday (New Year's Day):

• did stuff around house - mainly organize all the stuff from Mississippi :)

I do have a New Year's resolution to keep up with my blogging. I'd love to blog daily, but that ain't gonna happen. :) But I will try bi-weekly at the least. I hope everyone had a great New Year's, and I sincerely hope that everyone has a great 2009.