Read it and weep

Yep, a for real live post (just for you Josh, wink wink). Now, what to write about...

SpRiNg FlInG! (I'm so creative, did you see how I made a pattern with my letters?)

Last year's post about Spring Fling was about a mile long. As I recall, it had pictures and everything to document the momentous occasion. Y'all aren't so lucky this year. I'm sure I had parents take pictures of my getting whipped cream up my nose and my awkward movements getting out of the lame dunk take, so I'll be sure to get those to you as soon as I get them.

It was pretty fun. I had the Plinko booth again, high fives for Plinko, yeah? I'm really going to do some serious thinking about how to jazz it up for next year. It needs to be bigger, and blink, and make noise, and shoot prizes. I think that may be the only way I can compete with "Soaring Hawks." Stupid stomping game...

I did see, and photograph, 20-something of my Spring Flingin' kiddos (which will not be posted, because honestly, do you really want to see?) who seemed to be having a rockin' time. I stole some cotton candy from said kiddos and ate way too many pieces of pizza and Krispy Kremes...oh, the Krispy Kremes... On to the best part:

The pie booth. My kids had been looking forward to smacking my face with whipped cream for weeks and on that night, they came in spades to rub it in my face. Twenty minutes later my contacts were glued to my eyes and my hair, face, and back were covered in dairy and my kids were lining up to help me get clean. On to the bestest part:

The dunk tank. If they were excited about the pies, they were borderline psycho about the dunk tank. Let me tell you though, these dunk tanks sucked! Not like last year's with the fancy ladder and step inside so that you could pull yourself onto the collapsing platform in a lady-like fashion. Oh no. The tank on these ones looked like a small prison, and by small prison I mean a metal crib which was lined with some kind of sturdy tarp. No fancy ladder or step. Let me paint you a picture: beloved Miss R hoists herself up on the platform using some sort of bar on the outside of the tarp and is dunked for the first time by the teacher who just paid her dues (this seems to be a tradition for said teacher, she gets a lot of enjoyment out of this). So Miss R has to figure out how she's going to hoist herself up for the remainder of her shift. Mind you, there is NO STEP and I am not a slight girl (though watch for July 2009 photos as I plan to be by then). I work out, I've got strong arms and shoulders, however they are stubs and not long enough to get me up high enough to sit on the platform (stupid, STUPID genes) so I have to fling my leg out on top of the cage, soaking the small children standing there, and looking like a complete freak. This was the procedure for the next 35 minutes. The line NEVER ended and after every dunk my children, the small people who hug me every day and tell me they love me, chanted as the next person grabbed the ball. I had to give the people working the tank $50 each to stop the line (not really, I think they felt bad for the chubby girl in the cage).

Fast forward to Saturday morning: my eyes were puffy from the whipped cream, my rear hurt (and still does) from hitting the pavement 298 times, and I had a bruise the size of a golf ball on my right shin (from hurling my leg atop the cage). Not to mention I was exhausted.

Only 360 days 'til I can do it again!

Another confession

So, as a partial Spring Break goals revisitation, I would like to proudly say that I've read 5 books. I am actually feeling pretty proud of myself.

Now for the confession: I'm a paperbackaholic.

I don't have a bookshelf (though, if you'd like to gift me one, I'm sure I can find somewhere to put it), but if I did have one, I could easily fill most of it with paperbacks, um, happy, love story paperbacks, most of them by one of my favorite authors- Nora Roberts (I am happy to say that I have branched out and have multiple books by other authors, she is just my favorite).

As I thought last weekend about what books to read to accomplish my 2 book goal, I remembered I had gift cards to Barnes & Noble. I grabbed "Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man" and a paperback, okay, it was a hardback unfortunately, but it was a steal. I quickly read through both of them (thank you Steve Harvey for the relationship insights, pretty interesting really) and quickly went to my book storage for more books to satisfy my reading appetite. I have now finished three additional books, all in the happy, love story paperback genre, all of which I have read at least 2-3 times before.

It's not like this is the only genre I own. I actually have a pretty fair amount of spiritually uplifting books (yes, I've read them) and some thrillers, the entire Harry Potter series, etc. but when I crack open the bin (I told you I don't have a bookshelf) my fingers go directly to the cracked spines of my worn and well-read paperbacks.

I suppose I'm living vicariously -to a point- through my literary collection.

It's a disease, an addiction. The first step for addiction is admitting it, right? I mean, that's what I hear, not that I've ever been addicted to anything before. Ever.

I'm so lame

Seriously, I know every last one of you is nodding your head in agreement. Three weeks. Three weeks since my last post and, really, nothing has happened. Okay, not completely true, I am now an aunt (you all knew that from reading my mom and sister's blogs though), Spring Break started, I decided I can't afford to date online, spent a few days in San Diego, blah, blah, blah. I've pretty much sat on my thumbs all of Spring Break so far (yes, one day of it was spent sitting on my thumbs on the blessed Pacific Beach). I've gained at least 5 pounds (not exaggerating) when I was supposed to be losing 5. I had planned to take a BodyStep training next weekend, but that's been rescheduled (I'm not sure how I feel about that), I had actually planned on living at the gym, but I'm lacking in the motivation (though the Vicki's swimsuits are doing their best to light a fire under me). Man, I suck! Help me out, what should I do for the rest of my break? I really wanted to read, but I'm not feeling the reading vibes, though maybe a trip to Barnes and Noble would cure that quickly. Thankfully, my Thursday is planned (thank you Superior Court of Arizona). I just don't want to get to March 23rd and think "Man, I got nothing done."

Okay, enough whining, here is a loosely put together plan (on the edge of your seat?):

*Read 2 books (I'm aiming small, hopefully I'll read more)
*At least one class a day, hopefully it's a step class (maybe it's a good thing I've been given 2 months to prepare)
*Grocery shop (I'm thinking no eating out for a month, sorry Aud and Lisa)
*Hang with my nephew (did you see the pictures? he's so cute!)
*A second post on Monday to see how I'm doing
*Clean/organize my room (I don't think this will happen, but I write it just in case)

Sorry for the most boring post ever, but I see this blog as a way for me to journal without dusting off my journal. You lucky ducks get to read it, I'm so kind. :) I promise to attempt to liven it up, but my most happenin' posts involved men and those are pretty scarce these days.

Advice?

Alright, I'm a little bored. When I look back at my posts from last year I had a lot of really hilarious (well, they're funny now) dating stories and I've had pretty much none. I just feel the need to spice things up just a bit so I'm asking for advice, or maybe not advice, but your opinion. Since I'm no longer in a singles ward, and I teach kindergarten, I rarely have the opportunity to socialize with people my own age, not to mention men. Here's where I'd like your opinion:

Should I go back to the online dating?

I am very happy with where I am right now, but I don't get out much and when I've done this in the past I got a couple of free meals (okay, that's not what it's all about, but as a person on a strict budget I find that a benefit). I realize I could put a fancy poll on the side of my blog, but #1. I find them irritating and #2 I don't know how. So, comment and comment often.

Valentines Day

Singles Awareness Day, S.A.D., come on, who thought of that? I almost feel bad for the people who refer to February 14th as singles awareness day. Doesn't that just make them sound pathetic?

I'm finishing this post, alright I know it's been awhile and 4 sentences isn't an amazing post but whatever, with what my AmAzInG room mom's and kinders made for me for my Valentine. I absolutely love/d it.

A creeper story for Brigitte

Alright, a few weeks ago as I was on my way to class with my good friend Audrey, I got this random text, something like: Thanks for helping me out tomorrow, I really appreciate it. I decided to have some fun and replied with a casual: No problem. Remind me what it is I am helping with. Anyways, it became painfully obvious within a few messages that this person totally had the wrong number and I told him so. He went on about being embarrassed and getting total pride check because he was fake numbered.

Ha ha, right?

Well, I'm always in for a little fun and conversation with random strangers (see 2008 internet dating posts as proof) so I text him for a while longer. He called me later that night.

Okay, this dude was all of 19 years old. He was a "motivational speaker" though, I don't know what a 19 year old could say that would be motivating. After an e-mail with pictures, and 5 minutes on the phone I was sure he was a creeper. You know the look, right? He had this total attitude on the phone like he was hot stuff and it was very evident from his photo that he was not (did I mention his last name was Pigg?).

Katie=creeper magnet

(apologies if no one but Audrey and Lisa found this story amusing. It may have been one you had to be there for.)

Happy Birthday to me!

How great are my room moms (and class)?