Flying Like a Crow!

Tonight I did this! As I came down out of this pose, I think I was smiling from ear to ear! For all you strong and flexible people out there, pretend to be impressed. However, when I started yoga I was the antithesis to both of those things. Strength I had none, and flexibility, well I groaned about stretching after a long run. I felt that yoga was a weak excuse for exercise and felt time was better spent seeing how many calories I could get the elliptical machine to tell me I had burned in an hour. In Greenville that all changed (ah Greenville), and I joined yoga at the Y. My instructor, Jeanie, was an amazing first yogi to learn from. At the beginning of every class, she would repeat this mantra which is also the reason I love yoga... you are not in competition with the person next to you, you are not even in competition with yourself. It was a good thing to, because when I began, balance was out and that crow's pose above- unthinkable. Though the yoga I am now able to afford is much more mass-produced (apparently the lack of a large number of yogis in Greenville kept the price down!), I still enjoy the challenging yet relaxing nature of it all. And so today, after almost 3 years, on a day I forced myself to go to class and not home... I did it. I was flying high... for about 5 - 7 seconds. Namaste!

"Real" Ice-Skating

On a frozen pond.

Yep. It was really that cool (pun intended).

We joined Carissa and a visiting (new) friend in Evergreen for some icey fun! It was really crazy to look down and see the layers of frozen ice. On one curve, I was frequently pushed along by solely the wind! Eric held my hand @ first because I was nervous he loves me. Then I released him to go do some daredevil tricks with Al. It was a great new memory day- all you children of the North, I am no longer as jealous. On to igloos!

It's Like Rain (or Snow) on Your Wedding Day

Eric and I have been blessed with many incredible friends. For this post, though, I will focus in on one special group of people that I have been blessed to know for 8 years now. We became friends freshman year at John Brown, and have gone from group activities involving 40 people to adding in a few spouses over the years. While we are a group of guys and gals, single and married, living state bound and overseas, in school and out... our friendship has been a constant. And for that Eric and I feel very blessed. With the wedding of friends Allie and (now!) Matthew, I thought I'd reflect on some of our weddings over the past few years....

The weddings all started with Alan and Susan's on a very rainy day in March. It may have been ironic, but it sure wasn't bad luck, especially because it didn't allow us to decorate up their car...


Our turn came next... Eric and I married on a very sunny, humid day in June. Though we did score the first engagement on an elaborately schemed camping trip...



Three weeks later Paul and Bethany followed suit with only one minor casualty on the dance floor involving Jason...

About a year later, two of the crazy tiki torchers above got hitched. Julie and Chase married in April, but there were no more showers.

It started with rain, and (for now) it's ended with snow. Allie and Matthew married a couple weeks ago, and Jason got to show off his snow shoveling skills. Eric now has a buddy that's also married into the friend group and who also happens to be a Texan. Megs even flew over the International Date Line to make it.

Deep Breaths

This is what I will be doing in an hour at yoga.

But I'm also doing it now. The last two weeks have been crazy busy and long with testing, planning, RtI meetings, and oh yes teaching... thankfully I still get to do that!

But I am looking forward to relaxing over this 3 day weekend. I brought home minimal work, so I will toast my cup of coffee to relaxation, time in the community of friends, and of course to Martin Luther King Jr. for his courageous stand for equality and for this weekend he has earned for me.

Those Texas Boys Were Better Tonight

And more of them are older than me too, heh. Go Cowboys!!

No Sweet Home for Texas

Well Eric and I watched the game. It was fun. We really did want Texas to triumph. As I asked Eric, "Can you whoop for Texas??"

Oh well.

Mostly, it's just crazy those boys are younger than me.

Small Group Milestones

So first off, our church small group rocks my face off. And it's even cool (that's for Eric who proclaimed this word meaningless earlier this evening).

The five of us couples have been together almost a year... some of us longer. And as is common in this phase of life, there have been milestones along the way...

- getting a doctorate
- starting grad school
- buying a home
- fixing your friends' home (that's for you Philip)
- etc.

One of the most recent exciting milestones is that Bob and Kyla recently have been in the process of adopting a baby boy. And I mean baby. Like less than two months old. And, as I affectionately refer to him, "Baby E" is so cute in a cool way. For example, he has a huge head of mohawkish hair. And today, he was pumping his arms like he's the star of the show. (Which pretty much, he is.)

But for one member of our little group, a new milestone was reached this evening. I held Baby E, and I didn't even freak out. First of all, I don't think I've ever held a baby that small before. Secondly, for those of you who know me well, you know I have a phobia of holding tiny infants. There's arachnophobia, breakingsomeone'sbabyphobia, you know. I think it's partially because I've never had a good friend who's had a baby before, and I've always been worried about them judging my poor attempts at head support, neck support, backside support... But Bob and Kyla were judgment free, and I think I'll do it again... because after all, he does have the coolest mohawk ever!