The Picture.... or sound.... of health

I'm in tip top shape. Just listen here: http://home.mckallip.net/dl/knee/j-knee.wav

Yeah, that really is what my knee sounds like. awesome.

Something I probably shouldn't be happy about

ok so I'm the newbie at my job. The last person hired on my team was hired 7 years ago.... so when I found out that my district was opening a new school next year, it was understood that I would be the first to go.

Not that I liked that.

I love my team, we are nothing alike, but we have so much fun. Generally when I can leave early, I don't, because I'm in someone else's classroom BSing for an hour.

So, a month or so ago they redistricted the school and we found out that we would be losing a teacher at my grade level. Fine... I'll go...

I'd been thinking about how much it is going to suck and how I'd miss seeing my teammates. Last night I was thinking well... if we go to KToT (yeah, that's Kindergarten Teachers of Texas... I'm cool, you're jealous) next year, maybe I'll still stay with them. Would that be mean to my new team? Do I care? Nah....

I got to school a little bit early today in anticipation of a new student. Who home schools their kindergartener only to enroll him in public school in late March????? The principal comes over the loudspeaker and tells us to check our e-mails right away. Aww man, we must have a meeting or something or maybe a fire drill...

But no, lo and behold it is a letter from the superintendent saying that construction has been delayed on the new school and it will not be opening for another year! I GET TO STAY!!!!!!! I immediately forwarded it to my mom, John and Jamie, who have all listened to me whine about how much I don't want to leave. Then I hear KRUUUUUUUUUUUUUPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! Yelled down the hallway. It was my team leader who came running down the hall to hug me after she read it. We all met out in the hallway and jumped up and down and got giddy and excited!

It was complete cheese. But I loved it!

So annoyed

DISCLAIMER: This whole post isn't about how much I work out or how many calories I burned etc. (So, Laura, you can read it and not want to gouge my eyes out)

Ok, so here I am... working out for the 4th day in a row this week thinking, "well, even though I'm sleeping until 10 am each day, at least I'm getting up and working out after that." So, I turn on exercise TV and bust my butt for about 45 minutes and decide, ok I can do this for a few more minutes. I flip through the new listings and get angry that they took off my favorite workouts and then Ta-Da! I find Tae Bo!

Now for most people, dancing around comes somewhat naturally. I'm not most people. So any cardio type workout I can find that doesn't have me booty dancing following 642 steps is super. I've done Tae Bo before and it is simple enough for me to follow along with out feeling like I should be drinking a 40 while doing it.

Push play and get ready.... wait, what does that banner in the background say? Faith?? what? Find my inner strength? Who is Billy Blanks kidding? Ok fine he's pretending this is some eastern philosophy based work out. Whatever, let's get on with the punches and jabs..... "What's that clap for?" Why I don't know Billy, do tell!

JESUS CHRIST!

huh?

Find your strength within! Jesus will give you the power to complete this work out. If you feel like you just can't make it, Praise the lord!

Wow, I didn't know Jesus could cure fatigue. I thought rest and hydration did that.

so I refuse to do the claps and then he tells me to punch it up to the lord. and I refuse to do that.

WHY MUST MY WORK OUT BE A RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE!?!?!?!

If God is going to make my work out better, super. I'd prefer that he didn't make chocolate taste so good. Then I wouldn't need to work out in the first place.

So, we're standing on one leg and kicking with the other, Billy tells me that if I'm falling to call on the power of God with my inner strength to help me stand tall. Man, and all this time, I grew up thinking that balance was what helped me stand tall. That Jesus must have a sick sense of humor because I sure have fallen plenty of times in my life.

I can just picture Jesus sitting up there with his disciples saying hey man, watch this little girl, she's going to try to roller skate, we'll test her faith...

Let me set the scene, I'm rocking out to NKOTB with my side pony tail and my pink hand me down satin jacket (with denim shorts of course) scrunch socks and some rented roller skates. ohh-ohh -ohh-ohh-ohhh Hangin' Tough! whoa... whoa!!!! CRASH!!!

Jesus: ha ha! She didn't ask me to help her not fall, she didn't use her inner strength, now look at her on the ground sucka!

Me: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY ARM IS SNAPPED IN HALF!!!!

Needless to say, I won't be sticking to a Tae Bo work out. I'll stick to Satan Strength Training. Until god makes chocolate and ice cream taste like asparagus and asparagus taste like chocolate... I'll leave the church out of my work outs.

Why I love Austin

Reason # 567832098674095

While sitting at home on a Sunday afternoon with the windows and doors open... I look down out of our upstairs window and see three ladies walking two horses by on our sidewalk.

John's Response, "You wouldn't see that in DC." No you sure wouldn't. It is good to be home. It is even better to be home and be on Spring Break.

ok one more....

I WANT ONE!!!!

Supa Cute

Here is one of my Panda pics. SOOOO cute, not even the best picture I have, but I just wanted to throw one up here for tonight.

Let me tell you how much I'm looking forward to waking up in 6 hours and getting ready to go back to work.

This trip was planned perfectly. Took Mon. and Tues. off, I'll go back to school Wed-Fri and then it will be spring break and I'll have 9 days off followed by a work day. Ahhhh... I guess I can handle that schedule.



Anyway, say hello to AJ and Kirby's future friend. I will have a panda someday.

lotsa

Lots of things have happened since the first night here. I saw Giant Pandas... by far the cutest animals in the whole friggin' world. I could die now and be relatively happy. I'll post pics on here when I get back home and I'm not stealing internet.

Also, we met some really nice people, made me feel like this place isn't so bad after all, but then again... these really nice people were from Texas :) ha. Small world.

Tomorrow is our last day. The museums here are free and AMAZING! I (heart) the smithsonian institution. We're going to the Spy museum in the AM and then heading back to nice, lovely, kind, sweet and warm Texas.

HOLY CRAP!I

I know I'm a non-urban girl, but jesus christ, this place is kinda scary for me. Will update later... if we don't get robbed/attacked by homeless people/killed/mangled in a subway.

Laura, how did you do this for over a year????????????

I respect you so much more now.