Thanksgiving and on

Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone! Or, as I like to call it "see how much food you can pack onto your plate and not have to go up for seconds for atleast 20 mintues" or better yet "eat until you feel like your food stops in your throat and you slowly slip into a diabetic coma on the couch while watching football." Any of these descriptions will do. This year, much like the last, I had to work. I went to Flagstaff, Arizona with my team to play in a tournament. It was a really good trip. Before I left, Ryan went with his team to Anchorage, Alaska and did really well at their tournament. So, Sunday night was the first time I had seen him in a week.
Flagstaff was awesome. We got there Wednesday and ate at a coach's uncle's house. They had traditional Thanksgiving grub along with some authentic southwestern cuisine. Nothing like turkey, stuffing, and tamales! When they said they had tamales I thought of stuffed peppers, or something hot like that, but actually it's meat prepared, wrapped in a tortilla, which is then wrapped in a corn shell. We all had to get specific instructions on how to eat the tamales. "Take the corn husks off first! Please dont try to eat them!", was repeated to us ignorant non-southwestern residents that poured the beans and hot sauce topping on the husks. Good thing we didnt break a tooth.
The next day, we drove about 2 hours to the Grand Canyon. I've never been before and felt a lot like Clark Griswold on his way to WallyWorld. "Who's the moosiest moose you know? Wally Moose!" Calling it the Grand Canyon really doesnt do it justice. I was amazing. No words can describe the magnitude of this wonder of the world. It just kept going and going and going. It's hard to believe one river and a couple of tributaries created this massive structure over millions of years! Well, I guess the Ice Age helped.
We went to the south rim of the canyon which is about 1000 feet lower than the northern rim, but it was still freezing. Everyone was wearing multiple layers and jackets. But you forgot the cold the minute you got to the edge of the canyon. Just looking down made you dizzy. I got a little nervous when I noticed that much of the path along the edge has no railing. I guess it would be hard to put railing along the entire 277 miles (in length) of canyon.
We wandered and took pictures for over an hour and some of us even became brave enough to stand out on some ledges to take pictures.

This is me and my student, Amber, standing on a cliff over looking the rim of the canyon. When I get more pictures uploaded, I will put them up.

Oh yeah, thanks to everyone who called, emailed, sent cards, etc. for my birthday yesterday. I'm still wondering how I got to be 29? Wasn't I 10 just yesterday? Many thanks!

Expanding cultural boundaries through Youtube

Tuesday was much like how I expected it to be. The day before a holiday break therefore, nothing to do. Some of the people I work with were in the office with me and we were talking about music. My friend Lainie started talking about the Soldierboy dance that apparently is sweeping the country. I, of course, announced my ignorance: "The what dance?"

You would have thought I had lobsters crawling out of my ears with the way they looked at me.

"Are you kidding me?!" Lainie exclaims.

"No." I say, slightly offended because apparently I am showing my age. The generation gap begins. I kind of feel like my dad on the day back in college when I told him that my friends thought he was "the bomb."

"Oh good!" He says. He hesitates for a breath and then asks, "What's that?"

So Lainie and Jackie proceed to look up videos of this Soldierboy dance on Youtube.com. There were thousands of these videos. One was of a very young ballet class doing this dance. There were cheerleaders, average joes, and other dancers all over the country. It's everywhere.

We continued to talk about music of our youth when Lainie then shows me this video of a bridal party dancing to Michael Jackson's Thriller. I mean they were doing the actual moves from the video! These are my kind of people! I used to dance in the backseat of our van (when I was 5 or so) to that song everytime it came on. So obviously I was interested. After that video, I happened to see a listing for "Indian Thriller." I told Lainie to click on it because I had to see if it was up to par with the original. Little did I know.

Words cannot describe the hilarity that ensued due to "Indian Thriller." Tears were streaming out of my eyes, I was laughing so hard. I highly recommend this video. You have to see it!! The dancing alone is enough.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=LbvP7dT3Dx0

Officially old

Well, it's official. I'm old. Last night (that would be Friday night) I fell asleep in front of the t.v. at 10:00pm. I was in my pjs at 8:30.

Watch out!! Party animal comin' through!!! It's tough keepin' up with me!!!!

Some of my favorites

Ryan in Key West..."Yeah!"

Sunset at Mallory Square in Key West

Us in upper deck at U.S. Cellular in Chicago

My boss, Neal. He has 7 kids. We are rooting him on for 8 in '08.

I smell food!

The house where Ryan and I live

Me and Mom in summer of '06...apparently doing a Bud Light ad?

Me, Ian McGriff, and Sara McGriff (my BFF)

Key West 2006

Mama J and I... or Mama J and me? (whatever)

Discuss amongst yourselves

So, here's the deal...
Ryan and I were lying on the couch the other day watching t.v. and talking. Anyone who has tried to cuddle on the couch with their boy/girl-friend knows the complexity that can occur with trying to fit two on the couch, escpecially laying down. There are a few positions that I find work best:
#1: Lying head-to-toe with one of the each person's legs lying on the other person.
#2: Both on their side facing the same direction with boy in the back of the couch with arm under girl's pillow. Girl's back pressed up against boy's front with arm also under own head.
#3: Boy on his back with girl wedged over his side next to back of couch with arm and leg draped over him.


That day, we were in position #3 on the couch (everybody get your mind out of the gutter!) when I decided I wanted something to drink and attempted to un-wedge myself from between Ryan and the couch. I gingerly tried to crawl over him when my foot GRAZES Ryan's...area. You would have thought I had run from across the room, jumped up, and stomped on them! He rolled off the couch and cupped himself for about two minutes breathing like he was in lamaze class. I apologized to him but half-heartedly because I knew I didn't hit them very hard at all. I was trying to be careful not to knee him or kick him anywhere!

So in the millisecond it takes me to realize how not hard I touched his...area, I begin to think, "It can't hurt that badly! I barely touched him!" Then it hits me, "This is a conspiracy! Men everywhere are in this together. How can barely touching him create that much agony?! I call bullsh*t!" So, of course, me being the caring girlfriend that I am, I tell him, "This is bullsh*t. Come on! It can't hurt that bad!"
And then he gives me the typical guy answer, "You have no idea." Maybe not. I don't see how men can walk with those things, much less what they would feel like!
I said, "All right. Since I can't refute that, explain it to me."

Now, (according to him) when they are hit hard it is the pain that makes men practically paralyzed and then the nausea comes on like a tidal wave. This I can agree with since anything hit hard enough can cause pain and nausea. I tell him about the time I pinched the tip of my finger under a 100lbs plate in the weight room and how everyone said I went white in my face (which is usually beet-red when I workout) and I had to sit down because of how painful it was, then I became extremely nauseated. "So how is that any different?" I asked. "I wasn't moaning or crying out in agony. I would think the finger tips have just as many nerve endings as your genitalia. And besides I didnt kick you! So why did it hurt so bad now?"
Well, this got Ryan thinking and the only answer he could come up with was, "Well your fingers aren't the same thing. They can't be. You just don't understand. And it's not the actual pain from what just happened. A lot of times it's the fear of what pain could suddenly appear, or the sudden panic of the nausea maybe hitting you like a ton of bricks."
"A-ha!!!" I exclaimed. "So you are saying that a lot of the time men are faking it when they aren't kicked or crushed but only grazed on accident!! I knew there was a conspiracy! You should try getting elbowed in the boob!!! That freakin' hurts! But you don't see women rolling on the floor in agony when it happens. Therefore, we win!!"

All I got in response to that was, "You are so weird."
I can't argue that.

IDK...My BFF Max?

This is Rocky's best friend, Max. Max belongs to my friend Kirk and we get the dogs together whenever we can so that they can play. Rocky freakin' loves it. He and Max will wrestle and play until they can no longer move. It is hysterical. They can get so tangled up in their leashes that they literally cannot pull apart from each other! Usually Max will get tired first and try to escape the constant mauling by Rocky. This usually done one of two ways: 1) Max will climb up onto the couch or chair you are sitting in and either sit on you or behind you, or 2) Hide under a table (kitchen table, end table, doesnt matter.) Usually after an afternoon of playing together the two pups are down for the count from fatigue for atleast one whole day. It's awesome!

What is even funnier is that Max is the complete opposite of Rocky in looks and in demeanor. He is the most laid-back, mellow dog. He loves to just lay around inbetween playing. Rocky on the other hand...

Ryan and I love to keep Max whenever we can for Rocky to have someone to play with. Maybe we will get another dog one day. Maybe.

Too cute!

Here are some photos of a coach's son dressed as Nemo that Ryan sent to me. Absolutely precious!!

I think the butt shot is the best!!! Ha ha!

Man down!

Apparently Ryan and I left early (1:00am) before the real fun began. As a result of all the fun, there were a few men down at the Halloween Party.

If you look closely, you will see that his helmet is on backwards...men.