I have found that some times I wish I were creative and could take great pictures like my amazing sister. Most days I am okay with the fact that I did not get that gene. I spent Memorial Day weekend in Vancouver with my sisters and we had a blast. The drive to The Couv was amazing...the wild flowers were in bloom, the trees were all green, the sky was a beautiful clear blue and the mountains were gorgeous. I kept thinking that I should stop and take a picture, but couldn't bring myself to do it. I knew all those cars I had just waited sooooo long to pass would get in front of me again. So, there are no cool pictures to document my beautiful drive that weekend.
The last weekend in May, Cassadie and I spent three days in a park at a swim meet. Hanging out with great people, having lots of fun. I got my camera out several times because I saw something I wanted to take a picture of, but by the time I got it out, there was not picture to take, I had missed the moment. Why didn't I just keep it out?
I just spent the weekend at graduation and graduation parties...did I take my camera? You guessed it, NOPE!
Do you ever see something so crazy that no one will ever believe you, and maybe you're not even sure you really saw it. The kind of sight you would love to get a picture of, or have someone there to witness. The other day, on my way to work, I saw one of these crazy sights. A gigantic metal fish on a Semi-truck trailer. It was the length of the trailer, and as tall as the truck. It was actually quite beautiful. I found myself wondering if I should turn around and chase it down just to get a picture of it. Then I remembered, I don't take pictures, and it would probably make me late for work.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Ichi - Ni - San - Yan ...
So, Jarod had his first karate test this weekend. The owner of the dojo is Sensei Mack Morris. He is about 80 years old and still teaching karate. He has actually been honored by the Prime Minister of Japan for his karate skill, and that's why his belt is white and red striped. He started one of the first karate dojos in America. This is him talking to the students and instructors.
If you look closely, you can see that some of them are wearing blue smocks over their gui. Those are the instructors.
For the actual test, they have to show what they have learned in order to get their next belt. Everyone starts out as a white belt. The next belt is white with a black stripe and then yellow, yellow with a stripe, etc. They test them in groups, so all of the black belts tested at the same time. The second group was all of the orange, green, purple, and brown belts. Jarod's group was last; all of the white, yellow, and gold belts. The test was in the gym at YVCC (Yakima Valley Community College) and the gym floor was full of students of all ages. So, this is how it would go...
1. Two black belts demonstrate the move they will need to show, since there are multiple colors on the floor at one time, they demonstrate each of the different things.
For example, the white belts need to show a front kick, while the yellow belts are showing a round kick, and the gold belts are showing a side kick.
2. Everyone does their move at one time, while the head sensei shouts out commands (in Japanese)
3. The senseis and other black belts move around the floor checking and scoring each student. There are 24 of them total, checking 50+ students.
They had to do several self-defense moves, kicks, punches, etc. Then they had to do their kata. Depending on your belt color, you would do anywhere from 1 to 5 katas. Some of the students did katas involving weapons...those were very cool to watch. Here is the video of Jarod doing his kata. He's not so happy about me posting it, but I'm the mom right.
Jarod got his score Wednesday and he passed so he now has his stripe. They begin a new 4-month session next week.
If you look closely, you can see that some of them are wearing blue smocks over their gui. Those are the instructors.
For the actual test, they have to show what they have learned in order to get their next belt. Everyone starts out as a white belt. The next belt is white with a black stripe and then yellow, yellow with a stripe, etc. They test them in groups, so all of the black belts tested at the same time. The second group was all of the orange, green, purple, and brown belts. Jarod's group was last; all of the white, yellow, and gold belts. The test was in the gym at YVCC (Yakima Valley Community College) and the gym floor was full of students of all ages. So, this is how it would go...
1. Two black belts demonstrate the move they will need to show, since there are multiple colors on the floor at one time, they demonstrate each of the different things.
For example, the white belts need to show a front kick, while the yellow belts are showing a round kick, and the gold belts are showing a side kick.
2. Everyone does their move at one time, while the head sensei shouts out commands (in Japanese)
3. The senseis and other black belts move around the floor checking and scoring each student. There are 24 of them total, checking 50+ students.
They had to do several self-defense moves, kicks, punches, etc. Then they had to do their kata. Depending on your belt color, you would do anywhere from 1 to 5 katas. Some of the students did katas involving weapons...those were very cool to watch. Here is the video of Jarod doing his kata. He's not so happy about me posting it, but I'm the mom right.
Jarod got his score Wednesday and he passed so he now has his stripe. They begin a new 4-month session next week.
Monday, February 23, 2009
"You can't sell me!"
We went to Cassadie's school band concert tonight. As Alex, Jarod, and I were sitting, waiting for it to start I turned to Jarod and we had the following conversation.
me: So Jarod, have you decided what instrument you want to play next year? (They start band in 5th grade)
Jarod: Nah
me: Well, I think you should choose percussion
Jarod: What?
me: You know, drums
Jarod: oh, yeah
me: It's more marketable you know
Jarod: You can't sell me!!!!! (with complete shock on his face)
Alex and I laugh hard for what felt like minutes
me: No, you know, like when you grow up and want to be in a band you can say "I can play the guitar, the drums, and I can sing"
Jarod: yeah (giggling)
I didn't even know he knew what marketable meant, I fully expected to have to explain it to him.
me: So Jarod, have you decided what instrument you want to play next year? (They start band in 5th grade)
Jarod: Nah
me: Well, I think you should choose percussion
Jarod: What?
me: You know, drums
Jarod: oh, yeah
me: It's more marketable you know
Jarod: You can't sell me!!!!! (with complete shock on his face)
Alex and I laugh hard for what felt like minutes
me: No, you know, like when you grow up and want to be in a band you can say "I can play the guitar, the drums, and I can sing"
Jarod: yeah (giggling)
I didn't even know he knew what marketable meant, I fully expected to have to explain it to him.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
I know mothers who are worried about the day that their children grow taller than them. I don't worry about that day, I accept it as inevitable and embrace it. I am really curious to see just how tall my children get. I hope that Cassadie is taller than me, not six feet tall or anything, but slightly taller would be good. For those of you who don't know, I am 5'9" on a good day. I also hope Jarod reaches 6 feet and then some.
I have been thinking a lot about height lately because I have been supervising concessions at the high school where some of my sophomore girls are shorter than Cassadie. Actually, one of them is shorter than Jarod. She had a great attitude about it all and was completely cracked up when she found out he was only 9. So we measured them both the other day; Cassadie has hit 5' 3" and Jarod is at 5' 1/4". They both ride in the front seat of the car now. I gave up fighting with Cassadie when she was over 5 feet and about 100 lbs. So they are both the size of many small women now, and I have no argument left. I actually enjoy the car ride more now with someone in front to talk to. We always talked before, but there is something about having someone sitting next to you.
I have been thinking a lot about height lately because I have been supervising concessions at the high school where some of my sophomore girls are shorter than Cassadie. Actually, one of them is shorter than Jarod. She had a great attitude about it all and was completely cracked up when she found out he was only 9. So we measured them both the other day; Cassadie has hit 5' 3" and Jarod is at 5' 1/4". They both ride in the front seat of the car now. I gave up fighting with Cassadie when she was over 5 feet and about 100 lbs. So they are both the size of many small women now, and I have no argument left. I actually enjoy the car ride more now with someone in front to talk to. We always talked before, but there is something about having someone sitting next to you.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times...
For those of you who don't know already, I am extremely busy. I recently had to buy one of those whiteboard calendars in order to keep track of it all. I found myself getting busier and trying to remember it all. We forgot Jarod's Basketball practice two weeks in a row and that's when I knew it was time. I just filled it in for the month of February and this is it as of today.
We each have a color, so I don't have to write names. It got too much to have to write "Cass b-ball 7-8pm". We thought about initials, but decided on colors as the simplest way.
So why am I so busy? As you've read before, Cassadie is on Swim Team and also plays AAU basketball. Now, Jarod is also playing AAU basketball, and takes a Karate class. I teach at a local University (Heritage Univeristy) twice a week. So, with all that, we have at least two things to do every night of the week. The kids have basketball games and Cassadie's swim meets are on Saturdays. So on a given saturday, I may be in White Swan (a 40 minute drive to the west) for a game in the morning and then in Benton City (a 40 minute drive to the east) for a game in the afternoon. There have been 2 or 3 times where Alex has to take one and I take the other and we head in opposite directions because their games are at the same time.
Cassadie's next swim meet happens to fall on a weekend when her team doesn't have a b-ball game, so we were lucky. She hates to let her basketball team down, but we would have to choose swimming if it came to it.
You can kinda see her new team suit in this pic. Their colors are green and purple, the suit is green and purple argile. Cassadie really likes it, and most of the younger kids do as well. Most of the older kids think they're ugly.
So, I ask myself everyday, how much is too much? When do I tell my children, "no, you can't do that because you have too much going on already"? We have limited them to these two activities each, and I will continue to chaufer them all over the valley as long as they are enjoying it. When Cassadie complains about having no time for anything, or missing out on something, I wonder if we have hit the "too much". She and I have discussed this very issue on several occasions. She knows that she loves swimming and basketball, and as soon as that is not the case, she knows that she can stop.
Jarod has been playing basketball since last year, they just started up again about 3 weeks ago. It just so happens that he started karate classes at the same time. He loves karate. He has class twice a week, and always comes home with a goofy grin on his face and stories to tell. One day he told me that he has the best balance except for the girl in his class. I told him to be proud of that because girls naturally have lower centers of gravity. The next day it was that he could kick the hardest. I just love to listen to his stories, it makes me happy that he is having so much fun. We watched Karate Kid yesterday. He was completely focused for the entire movie, and he loved it, as I knew he would. You should have seen him trying to do the famous crane move (I'm sure we all tried that move).
We each have a color, so I don't have to write names. It got too much to have to write "Cass b-ball 7-8pm". We thought about initials, but decided on colors as the simplest way.
So why am I so busy? As you've read before, Cassadie is on Swim Team and also plays AAU basketball. Now, Jarod is also playing AAU basketball, and takes a Karate class. I teach at a local University (Heritage Univeristy) twice a week. So, with all that, we have at least two things to do every night of the week. The kids have basketball games and Cassadie's swim meets are on Saturdays. So on a given saturday, I may be in White Swan (a 40 minute drive to the west) for a game in the morning and then in Benton City (a 40 minute drive to the east) for a game in the afternoon. There have been 2 or 3 times where Alex has to take one and I take the other and we head in opposite directions because their games are at the same time.
Cassadie's next swim meet happens to fall on a weekend when her team doesn't have a b-ball game, so we were lucky. She hates to let her basketball team down, but we would have to choose swimming if it came to it.
You can kinda see her new team suit in this pic. Their colors are green and purple, the suit is green and purple argile. Cassadie really likes it, and most of the younger kids do as well. Most of the older kids think they're ugly.
So, I ask myself everyday, how much is too much? When do I tell my children, "no, you can't do that because you have too much going on already"? We have limited them to these two activities each, and I will continue to chaufer them all over the valley as long as they are enjoying it. When Cassadie complains about having no time for anything, or missing out on something, I wonder if we have hit the "too much". She and I have discussed this very issue on several occasions. She knows that she loves swimming and basketball, and as soon as that is not the case, she knows that she can stop.
Jarod has been playing basketball since last year, they just started up again about 3 weeks ago. It just so happens that he started karate classes at the same time. He loves karate. He has class twice a week, and always comes home with a goofy grin on his face and stories to tell. One day he told me that he has the best balance except for the girl in his class. I told him to be proud of that because girls naturally have lower centers of gravity. The next day it was that he could kick the hardest. I just love to listen to his stories, it makes me happy that he is having so much fun. We watched Karate Kid yesterday. He was completely focused for the entire movie, and he loved it, as I knew he would. You should have seen him trying to do the famous crane move (I'm sure we all tried that move).
Monday, January 12, 2009
4 Things for Angela
So here are my answers to the "4 things" - just a warning though, I am REALLY boring!
Walking around VERY pregnant with my HAAS-of-a-son, Jarod (I think this should count as two things)
Hanging out every day with Cassadie. I wasn't working and she was two and a half.
Trying to decide what to do with the rest of my life. I had an AA degree from YVCC and had no idea what to do next.
4 things on my to-do list today:
Take my kids to Swim practice and Karate class
Correct papers
Correct papers
and ummm......oh
Correct papers (the end of the semester is next week)
4 jobs that I have had:
Customer Service at an AM PM where I used to get asked if I was old enough to work the cash register....I guess I don't get that question anymore
Payroll clerk for a trucking company (does this go along with Ang's desire to be a truck driver? I wonder....)
Front Desk Clerk at a Super 8 Motel - I started out as a maid and got promoted
I was a Substitute teacher in a 1st grade classroom one time and those little monsters almost ate me alive - that was my confirmation that I was NOT meant to be an elementary school teacher. I was exhausted when I got home.
4 movies I have watched more than once:
Top Gun
Karate Kid
Clue
Dirty Dancing
4 favorite albums:
Twilight Sound Track
Alanis Morisette - Jagged Little Pill
Natalie Grant - Awaken
Carol King - Tapestry
4 places I've lived:
A tiny two-bedroom apartment in Yakima, WA - our first place after we were married
A nice two-bedroom apartment in Bothell, WA - our first place after Cassadie was born when Alex was working in Seattle
Another nice three-bedroom apartment in Federal Way, WA - we moved for lower rent and then quickly realized why it was lower
The house we live in now in Zillah, WA
That's it, all the places we have lived in the last 13 years since we got married...I told you all I was boring!
4 places I've been:
Phoenix, Arizona - when it's 10:00 at night and you get out of your car thinking it will be a nice cool summer evening and you can't breathe because it's still 120 degrees.
Las Vegas, Nevada - went there last spring with my sister, grandmother, 6 aunts, and 4 cousins. We had sooo much fun, and then I got a tattoo on my way home; not in Vegas but in Portland on my way home.
Mebane, North Carolina - we went to visit Alex's Dad when Cassadie was a baby. It is some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen.
San Fransisco, California - we went to visit Alex's sisters about 13 years ago and we walked around downtown, but I don't really remember anything except palm trees - I had never seen them before.
4 places I'd like to visit:
Italy
Hawaii
Australia
The area of England that is portrayed in Nodding Hill
4 TV shows I watch via DVD:
Friends
Alias
Gilmore Girls now, thanks Ang
Charmed because my husband does, and I can't really avoid the TV
4 of my favorite meals:
Cheese Zombies and tomato soup like we had at school when we were kids
My grandmother's meatloaf - she can't give me the recipe because she doesn't really know what she put in there
I guess, there are meals I like but I don't really have favorites. I have favorites for a short time, but then I get tired of it and find another.
4 things you may not know about me:
I like to read...I say you may not know this about me because I didn't know it about myself until about a week ago.
When I was in High School, my friends and I would go cliff diving about once a week for a whole summer.
I once got in a fight with a girl during a Powder Puff Football game - we both got kicked out of the game - and I'm a little ashamed to say that this is one of my favorite memories from High School.
I enjoy driving. Not the short, everyday, here or there trips; but the long, take your time, set the cruise control and go trips. For some reason, it is kinda relaxing for me. It may have something to do with the fact that I am a control freak and so I can't relax when someone else is driving, I don't know.
So there you have it...if you made it this far without falling asleep or leaving, I guess you know a little more about me.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Although its been said many times, many ways, Merry Christmas
I had never been to Leavenworth. For those of you who don't know, Leavenworth is a small "Bavarian" town nestled into Central Washington. It is about a 2 hour drive from where we live. I had never really had an interest in seeing it. I could not imagine why someone would think a Bavarian town would work in the middle of Washington state. I thought it would look cheesy and misplaced. I was wrong....very wrong. It is tucked into the base of some of the largest, most ominous looking mountains I have ever seen. You follow the river in and then you are surrounded by the mountains. It is perfect. You have no idea how completely committed to their theme the town is until you see it. Gas stations, Safeway, every single storefront no matter what it might contain; they all look completely Bavarian. The people working were dressed in Bavarian fashions as well.
So why did I decide to go now? Afterall, I had lived 33 years without seeing it, and thought I was missing nothing. Well, we had to go to Wenatchee for Cassadie's swim meet (Wenatchee is 30 minutes from Leavenworth). It happened to be the same weekend as Leavenworth's Christmas Lighting event. Most of the families from the team were going, and so we thought we might as well go. Apparently, people come from all over the country and world to see them turn on Christmas lights! The main street is completely shut down to cars and packed full of people standing shoulder-to-shoulder.
The lighting event was kicked off with four men playing these strange looking horns. They sounded much like a french horn, but very loud.
There was a gazebo in the park with a lady announcing the event, a choir, and an orchestra, all dressed perfectly in their Bavarian attire. They sang and played Christmas Carols the entire time we were there.
They even did a Bavarian countdown to the lighting of the shopfronts. I couldn't repeat it even if I wanted to, it was very strange, like numbers coupled with strange shouting.
I mentioned the mountains earlier, if you look at the backgrounds of these pictures you get an idea of just how huge and close they are. They were really breathtaking.
You would think with soooo many people crammed into such a small town, there would be problems. It was actually quite the opposite, people were extremely generous and polite. I stopped a couple to ask what a roasted chestnut tastes like (yes they were roasted on an open fire) and they gave me one of theirs to taste. It was interesting, like a fresh walnut in texture, but less flavorful. I was trying to take a self-portrait of the four of us, and kept cutting off Jarod's head. I must have taken three when a couple stopped and offered to help. The man took the best picture.
So, it was a great experience, Leavenworth has won me over. The only thing our experience lacked was snow, that would have made it perfect. It was definitely cold enough for snow (Jack Frost nipping at your nose). I would go back...maybe not just for this event though. I would go if I happened to be in the area again, but I wouldn't take my family all the way up there just for this. It might be nice to see in the summer.
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