Wow....it's been a very long time since I really updated.  That should tell you something!  We are so very busy around here - nothing new there.  I guess I have just been using my blog-time in other areas.  Things are good, though.  The girls are great, Matt's good....I'm good....well, most days I'm good.  It's been up and down a lot lately.  Not sure what's going on, but satan has really been hammering me hard.  Crazy how that happens when you let God in and start to see Him moving.  The enemy tries even harder.  And some days, he succeeds.  But, it's day to day. 

We have been visiting a great church since we left our position at Centerpoint, it's actually the church where I teach at, and it's been amazing.  We have really enjoyed it, and are talking about joining soon.  The girls really like it, and Emma goes into "big church" with us.  She does great, and this past week she asked some pretty good questions.  She amazes me more and more - how much she gets, how much she wants to know.  I can't believe that in just a few short months she will be starting kindergarten.  We did get her into the school we were hoping for (not sure if I've even blogged since then to mention that!  How sad!).  We are very excited, and she is, too. 

Meg's wedding is just 2 months away!  Showers are next weekend, so we are excited to get to go down for that.  It's so crazy...my baby sister is getting married!  I am so happy for her and Cory.  Cory graduated the DPS Academy and got his duty station, not near where they were hoping for...so Meg is going nuts trying to get resumes ready for schools near where they will be living.  That, on top of invitations and showers and finishing up the school year where she's been subbing is sort of wearing her down.  I know she'll be glad when it's all done! 

I found out today that my gym is going to send me through the Body Flow training next month!  I am SO excited.  I have been wanting to go through the Flow module for a while now, so this is very exciting!  I love the Les Mills classes!  I have just recently started enjoying RPM, too bad I can't make the classes more often, but I am going to go when I can. 

We had Easter egg hunts today at school, the girls had a blast...all the kids did, really.  It's always fun.  This week was pretty crazy, though.  We had an extra day yesterday to make up for a day we couldn't have school back in February, so the kids were nuts this week.  Holiday week / extra day means chaos.  But, we made it, and the week (at least the school week) is over.  Phew.  Only seven more to go.  I'm ready for summer. 

My best friend and her baby are moving back to Virginia on Sunday.  I am so very sad.  But happy for her at the same time.  Her husband has been on deployment on a HUGE ship for the past year, but he comes home next Wednesday!  She and Chloe have been living with her parents for the past year, which has been so very hard...to be away from your husband and back home w/ your parents....wow...that's gotta be rough.  But, through this, God brought me an amazing friend.  One whom I am going to miss terribly.  It makes me so very sad to even think about it.  So...moving on.

Let's see....there has to be so much more....but those are the high points.  At least what's on my mind as I type this.  Maybe I'll get back into the swing of things...although I've been pondering a move to Blogger...we shall see. 

Tonight, Matt, HK, and I were in the floor working on an ABC puzzle.  She was doing pretty darn good picking out those letters, too.  We were almost done, and I was honestly a little surprised she had lasted through almost the entire alphabet with very little distractions.  We got to the letter "U". 

Me:  "Okay, find the letter U.  Do you see the U?" 
HK:  "ME?"
Me:  "No, not YOU.  The letter U."
HK:  "ME?"
Me:  "no...the puzzle...not YOU....the LETTER U."
HK:  "Me?"
....this went on for a bit.....
Matt: laughing - "This could go on all night long...."

Thankfully, she found the letter, and we were able to move on.  It was pretty stinking funny though, and she didn't even realize what she was doing.  My silly girl....I love them both so much!

BUT...

I have to say, I am very very very very pleased with how well my first ever launch as GFM turned out.  I have been planning this puppy for over a month, and it paid off. 

For those of you who are not familiar with the awesomeness of Les Mills and their many amazing programs - here's a brief rundown.  Every 3 months they release a new CD / DVD combo with new music and new choreography for the instructors to learn.  The club (GFM) schedules a date - a weekend, a few nights, whatever works best - and then it's GO TIME!  The instructors work their butts off learning all of their choreography, making sure their cues are spot-on, working together as a team so that their moves are in sync and they are working cohesively.  Then, once the scheduled date comes, it's a party!  Generally, there are at least two instructors teaching each class; there are snacks and decorations and occassionally door prizes.  I went all out, covering all my bases - snacks, instructors, decorations, door prizes - and it was a HUGE success!  We had four classes - one special RPM class last night, and then today we had BodyPump, BodyStep, and BodyFlow.  RPM, Pump, and Step were all filled to capacity!  We had no empty bikes in RPM last night!  Two of our instructors had to give up benches in Pump, and there was even one lady who didn't have one at all!  And then Step was almost as full, but we had a few extra benches....so not packed to capacity, but still pretty packed.  By the time Flow rolled around, a few of the members had had enough and called it a day, but we still had fun!  The members seemed to have a great time, as did the instructors!  I know I had a blast!  I even got a text from one of my instructors this afternoon saying, and I quote, "...that was the BEST launch the club has ever had....!"  That made my day! 

I am really not trying to brag at all, but I am very pleased - I am very relieved that it went well, that everyone played well together, and most of all, that the members had a GREAT time!  I was pretty stressed, worrying if the turnout would be good....now I know that 3 classes on Saturday doesn't work as well, but this was my first launch to plan, so next time, we'll go at it a bit differently.  Trial and error, right?  Right!  So, all in all, it was a pretty good Valentine's Day!  A successful launch, as well as pretty daisies and carnations from my man and my girls...a bag of peanut M&Ms, and a very sweet card.  I love my hubby!  :)

Oh, and did I mention that today alone I burned 2274 calories -- 1700 in workouts, the rest in cool down / set up / tear down?  Oh yeah, it was worth it!  :) 

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's been a busy week, but then again, when is it not busy around here? 

I've been knocked down with a sinus infection for much of the week...although I never truly was able to stay "down".  Just felt like poop.  Went to the doctor yesterday and got a steroid shot and some antibiotics...always good.  Feeling better, still a dull ache in my left sinus cavity (who am I kidding?  It pretty much runs all the way down past my jaw and along my jaw line.  It was awful.  I was in tears on Wednesday, it hurt so bad.  I slept with my face buried in a heating pad all night Wednesday.  I'm so glad that pain is over!!)  So, I'll take the dull ache any day.  But I knew I couldn't just "ride this one out".  I have too much going on this weekend and next.  This weekend - my family comes in tomorrow and we are having the girls' 3rd and 5th birthday parties.  I decided to combine them, since their birthdays are so close together, and so close to Christmas.  So, tomorrow is the big day!  The girls are so super excited, although I'm a little concerned - all of Emma's friends (well, most all of them) that we invited are planning to come, and I only had ONE friend from HK's class RSVP.  She has a few others that I know are coming, and a few friends are coming for both girls, but I am just afraid that HK's going to feel a bit gipped when it comes time for presents.  Oh well.  What can you do?  Who knows...maybe they'll all show up anyway.  I've filled enough goodie bags to cover them all, and there will be enough cake, so at least that part is covered - just in case. 

And then there is next week -- whoa.  Next week.  Technically, next Friday and Saturday.  It is my first launch as GFM.  My first "BIG" thing.  I hope it turns out GREAT.  I hope it's a HUGE success.  I hope TONS of people show up.  I hope the classes are packed, I hope the choreography is nailed, and I hope people talk about for WEEKS!  I hope to set a standard here.  We got our T-shirts in today, and although they are not exactly what I had pictured, they're not bad.  They'll do.  And hey, who doesn't like a free t-shirt as a door prize, right?  So next Thursday I get to go shopping and get the last minute snacks and such that we'll need, and most of the afternoon Friday will be spent hauling spin bikes from one room to another and setting up for the RPM launch on Friday night.  Then Friday night will be the - you guessed it - RPM launch.  I've got two instructors from another club I work at coming in to teach that one, and I think it's going to be really really good.  These two work well together, they are a great team, and they are a lot of fun.  I think it will be good for our members to see other instructors.  We have only 2 RPM instructors, and they are not known for doing things "right" all the time - which irks the crap out of me...but baby steps, right?  Baby steps.... Then after class, it's time to haul the bikes BACK to the normal RPM room and set them up again...then to set up the big room for our Pump launch for Saturday morning.  I want to have all the benches and weights set up so that members just come in and add their weights.  That way we can start on time, and they'll feel a little spoiled.  I'm going to have a little table set up outside the door w/ snacks and goodies, and little slips of paper for the door-prizes.  I have in my mind what I want on the table...let's just hope it turns out as well as it is in my head!  That's not always the case! 

And then there is next week at school - it's a busy one. Tuesday is PJ and pancake day....(we're on the letter P), so we're all wearing out PJ's and having pancakes for lunch.  Then Thurs is our Valentine's day lunch.  We are planning to order heart shaped pizzas for the classes.  Fun times!  So the school week won't  be too bad, but the kids will be a little more hyper than usual since we're having special events BOTH days.  But I will have one little girl out all week, she had her tonsils and adenoids out today.  She's no trouble at all, but it's always easier with one less kid, no matter how low-maintenence they are.

Did I mention that I am super excited to see my sister tomorrow?  There is still so much to do for her wedding - and I can't believe her wedding is in just four months!!  My baby sister!!  Tomorrow after the party we are going to go find my dress, as well as my cousin's dress, for the wedding.  We will be looking at flower girl dresses for the girls, too, but they will not be joining us this trip.  Mom and Meg have to come back in 2 weeks for another fitting and we'll go look with the girls then. 

Alright - that about covers it....time to get some sleep!  Big day tomorrow, and I'm supposed to be resting my body so I can get well!  HA!  Like that ever happens!! 

I've once again been accused of being a Xanga Slacker.  Who has the time anymore?  With Facebook taking up so much of my day, where is the time for Xanga?  :) 

So, what's been going on lately - I found out this morning that I am not actually losing my Monday morning class.  The guy who teaches the Monday morning BodyPump at Cityview asked me to team with him each week - and since he just does it to do it, he's letting ME get paid for it!  How cool is that?!?  I asked him several times, as did the GFM, if he was sure he wanted to do it, and he said yes, so YAY!  I don't have to adjust my workouts!  I'll still get my Monday pumps (and the paycheck that accompanies it!), and I can stay for Combat afterward!  So I'll still get my cardio on Mondays, too!  YAY!  I'd say that worked out quite nicely!  And since my crew from the "old" club knew I was going to be there today, they were packed in there.  We had 34 in class this morning!!  Talk about joining forces!!  It was incredible!  Even feeling like crap, it was incredible!! 

Oh yeah, I feel like crap again.  Allergy/sinus/50 degree temperature change.  You choose.  It's all related.

Last night HK and I were locked in a classic battle of wills.  She didn't want to eat.  We wanted her to eat.  She took ONE BITE.  ONE NOODLE.  She kept that stinkin' noodle in her mouth for OVER AN HOUR.   Nothing we did could get her to swallow it.  She had to sit at the table until it was gone.  After about 30 minutes there, she was moved to the corner.  We tried giving her milk...then she'd have to swallow, right?  Wrong.  How a child can CHOOSE what she swallows when it's all in her mouth is beyond me.  Finally the noodle was mush.  So I give her the Zyrtec.  It's bedtime.  I'm done.  She has to swallow that, right?  Wrong.  STILL IN HER MOUTH.  It was awful.  I was done.  I was so far beyond frustrated....whatever.  The little turd never did officially swallow it, but she didn't spit it out, either.  I'm not sure exactly what happened to it.  Call it a draw, I guess.  But that is one STUBBORN kid!  Sheesh!  I've never seen anything like it! 

The girls are loving the new van!  And so am I!!! 

Everything else is pretty much the same, and I have to fold clothes...so off I go.  Farewell, who knows when I'll update again!