As promised....
So - it's not really "Steppin' " - but it is step aerobics! (I think that steppin' refers to those dances where they step. Hmm - I don't feel like that clarified anything. If you don't know what I am talking about, that's fine!)
Back to my work out class. I decided that since these classes are part of my gym enrollment - I should take advantage of them. This class seemed to fit my schedule the best, so I thought I'd try it Tuesday.
Confession: I thought that step aerobics was a joke.
Truth: It's a work out. I was sore for 2 days after my first class. My heart rate was pretty high throughout all of it. And, let's just say I needed a shower afterward.
I was clearly the only first timer there. But I only knocked over my step once. :) Not bad! And I didn't fall over. There were a few things I just couldn't get. I think my years of HS marching band did me in!! We ALWAYS had to start off on the right foot - no matter what. Not so with this class - sometimes you alternate which foot you lead off with.
Today - I was able to get the "A-step-straddle" AND we used 2 steps. AND I didn't knock my step over. BUT I am pretty sure I am the reason we had a couple times of "let's keep tapping it out until we get everyone together."
I will be going back - and hopefully, I will be earlier to set up my equipment prior to the warm-up. (Although, I end up jogging from my car to class b/c I'm late, so that's like my warm-up, right?!)
......
I have shared with some people that my spring quarter goals are to "work on my fitness" (just teasing, but not really; the song popped into my head!) and to spend more time with my Creator. Some one asked about combining them - tada! The perfect way for me to kill 2 birds with one stone:
http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/pre/lowres/pren41l.jpg
(Paul - would you mind bringing this up at the next board meeting?)
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
First Day
It's my first day of a new job. 7 1/2 hours into it and no complaints! I am an administrative assistant for an office on campus. I get to sit at a desk all day - and I didn't hear one screaming/crying child all day. ahhh.... so nice.
I'm still not quite sure what I "do" while I am here. Answer the phone, sort mail, file documents. That's about it so far. I had quite a bit of down time today - which was nice. I am pretty sure that it will pick up soon - but they weren't expecting to need a new employee so suddenly and everyone isn't quite themselves.
I'm going to like it. I have an hour lunch break - and I can do whatever I want during my hour! And I'm close to up-town, so I can have lunch with friends. And I could go for a walk during my lunch break. (There are more exciting things than a lunch break - but I've never had a job with a true lunch break. I would take my 2 15 minute breaks together once everyone in my class was asleep at nap time - and then I'd be "on-call" if some one had an accident - so this lunch break is really nice!) And the job is temporary! I don't know how long it will be until they are able to hire someone permanently - but at worst, I go back to school in September. And if it's only for 4 weeks - something else will come up. I don't have lots of responsibilities. Just mindlessness. So nice... (I say that just b/c I know it's not for the rest of my life.)
AND - I could wear clothes without having to think about if we were going to be painting that day - or if it was muddy outside - or worry if someone might pee on me. I can go to the bathroom when I need to - and not have to wait until there are enough adults in the room so I can leave. That's nice.
I was about to say that I'm not making a difference - but I am. I am able to light my light shine before all men.
I am going to like it here... :)
ps. here is a teaser for you -- I've started going to a step aerobic class!! I have decided to share more of my adventures with you tomorrow. - stay tuned!
pps. I just remembered the "traffic" at 5 on this side of town. I don't think I have an alternate route home though... hmmm...
I'm still not quite sure what I "do" while I am here. Answer the phone, sort mail, file documents. That's about it so far. I had quite a bit of down time today - which was nice. I am pretty sure that it will pick up soon - but they weren't expecting to need a new employee so suddenly and everyone isn't quite themselves.
I'm going to like it. I have an hour lunch break - and I can do whatever I want during my hour! And I'm close to up-town, so I can have lunch with friends. And I could go for a walk during my lunch break. (There are more exciting things than a lunch break - but I've never had a job with a true lunch break. I would take my 2 15 minute breaks together once everyone in my class was asleep at nap time - and then I'd be "on-call" if some one had an accident - so this lunch break is really nice!) And the job is temporary! I don't know how long it will be until they are able to hire someone permanently - but at worst, I go back to school in September. And if it's only for 4 weeks - something else will come up. I don't have lots of responsibilities. Just mindlessness. So nice... (I say that just b/c I know it's not for the rest of my life.)
AND - I could wear clothes without having to think about if we were going to be painting that day - or if it was muddy outside - or worry if someone might pee on me. I can go to the bathroom when I need to - and not have to wait until there are enough adults in the room so I can leave. That's nice.
I was about to say that I'm not making a difference - but I am. I am able to light my light shine before all men.
I am going to like it here... :)
ps. here is a teaser for you -- I've started going to a step aerobic class!! I have decided to share more of my adventures with you tomorrow. - stay tuned!
pps. I just remembered the "traffic" at 5 on this side of town. I don't think I have an alternate route home though... hmmm...
Monday, March 24, 2008
More to the Story
Published in the Dayton Daily News on 3/24/2008.
Grandpa Holmes always seemed to be sitting at the kitchen table, facing toward the living room, with a newspaper in front of him. He would share with whoever was nearby interesting factoids from the paper or his opinion on the news. He also would laugh out loud at the comics, and then read it out loud including explanations of the drawings, and then laugh again. He loved Calvin and Hobbes. (Perhaps that's where my love of comics (or the "funnies" as my dad calls them) came from.)
For whatever reason when I was younger, I thought that David Letterman was like my grandpa (clearly not the other way around as my grandpa was older!). I'm not 100% sure why I thought this -- perhaps because I never quite got either of their jokes -- but I knew they were funny!! Their humor was a little too educated for me when I was little. Perhaps it was my grandpa's laugh that probably didn't sound like Letterman - but I thought it did. Or maybe it was the way that after my grandpa laughed that he would rub both of his hands under his glasses out toward the side of his face -- almost like wiping tears of laughter away. (How that would make me think of Letterman - I still don't know. Or maybe it's because most of his jokes came from behind the kitchen table - just like Letterman's jokes were told behind his desk. (I know - I'm stretching here!)
It didn't mention his love for photography or poetry or writing. He always took rolls and rolls of pictures at Christmas. And he loved cleverly written pieces and books with lots of history. And the little wood & metal puzzles that were impossible to take apart.
And it didn't talk about his love of cars -- He had recently bought a beautiful, new red car. I can't even remember what it is called - but he could have told you about all the little nuances like how much horsepower and whatever you say about engines and power and speed and all the other specs of all of the cars he's owned - while I couldn't even tell you any of that about the one car I've owned.
And what about how much he loved all of us. Even after my cousin and I performed a specially composed song to persuade him to stop smoking one Christmas many years ago - he still gave us a huge hug. (We had an out-of-tune guitar that was missing strings and a tambourine which we found in their back room. We wrote the lyrics and the melody (if there was one!) ourselves. We were probably 8.) He did eventually quit - perhaps it was our song!!!
While most of these details and memories are not obituary material, it's what makes up life and is remembered in the end.
(Thanks for letting me grieve in "public." The thought of that obit being the last word just didn't seem right. Not that this little post does justice, it hopefully has a bit more heart.)
HOLMES, Donald E. age 71, of Greenville, passed away on Saturday, March 22, 2008 at his home. He was born October 26, 1936 in Marion, IN, the son of Kermit Delmar and Helen Elizabeth (Burket) Holmes. He worked for many years in the Dayton area as an engineer. He is preceded in death by his parents. Survivors include his wife of 46 years, Lynn Holmes; children, Larry (Carol) Holmes, Paula (Dan) Schwanitz, Kay Callahan, and Holly (Dick) Baker, all of Greenville; 9 grandchildren; brother, Jim Holmes of Ft. Wayne, IN; sister, Jo Ann Corell of Angola, IN; and sister-in-law, Jackie Behm of Lake Forest, CA; and 7 nieces and nephews. Don's family wishes to cherish his memory in private. If so desired, memorial contributions may be made to State of the Heart Home Health Hospice or Greenville Area Rescue Service. Arrangements in care of Newcomer Funeral Home & Crematory, North Chapel. To send a special message to the family, please visit www.NewcomerFamily.comAs one of the nine grandchildren, I feel there is much more that could have been said. While this clearly goes against "family wishes to cherish him memory in private" - I'm ok with that.
Grandpa Holmes always seemed to be sitting at the kitchen table, facing toward the living room, with a newspaper in front of him. He would share with whoever was nearby interesting factoids from the paper or his opinion on the news. He also would laugh out loud at the comics, and then read it out loud including explanations of the drawings, and then laugh again. He loved Calvin and Hobbes. (Perhaps that's where my love of comics (or the "funnies" as my dad calls them) came from.)
For whatever reason when I was younger, I thought that David Letterman was like my grandpa (clearly not the other way around as my grandpa was older!). I'm not 100% sure why I thought this -- perhaps because I never quite got either of their jokes -- but I knew they were funny!! Their humor was a little too educated for me when I was little. Perhaps it was my grandpa's laugh that probably didn't sound like Letterman - but I thought it did. Or maybe it was the way that after my grandpa laughed that he would rub both of his hands under his glasses out toward the side of his face -- almost like wiping tears of laughter away. (How that would make me think of Letterman - I still don't know. Or maybe it's because most of his jokes came from behind the kitchen table - just like Letterman's jokes were told behind his desk. (I know - I'm stretching here!)
It didn't mention his love for photography or poetry or writing. He always took rolls and rolls of pictures at Christmas. And he loved cleverly written pieces and books with lots of history. And the little wood & metal puzzles that were impossible to take apart.
And it didn't talk about his love of cars -- He had recently bought a beautiful, new red car. I can't even remember what it is called - but he could have told you about all the little nuances like how much horsepower and whatever you say about engines and power and speed and all the other specs of all of the cars he's owned - while I couldn't even tell you any of that about the one car I've owned.
And what about how much he loved all of us. Even after my cousin and I performed a specially composed song to persuade him to stop smoking one Christmas many years ago - he still gave us a huge hug. (We had an out-of-tune guitar that was missing strings and a tambourine which we found in their back room. We wrote the lyrics and the melody (if there was one!) ourselves. We were probably 8.) He did eventually quit - perhaps it was our song!!!
While most of these details and memories are not obituary material, it's what makes up life and is remembered in the end.
(Thanks for letting me grieve in "public." The thought of that obit being the last word just didn't seem right. Not that this little post does justice, it hopefully has a bit more heart.)
Life in a Fish Bowl
::Reader Discretion Advised::This is our fish. He lives a pretty boring life. We haven't even given him a name. And the regularity of feeding and cleaning his bowl, well not too regular.
However - tonight I was paying him some attention (meaning that I happened to glance in his bowl while walking by) AND he had the biggest turd I had ever seen from little tiny fish!!!
Andrew was unable to come and look, so I decided to take a picture (so to prove how big this turd really was). Now, I'm by no means an fantastic photographer, so I knew this was going to take a couple of shots. I only got this first one in though because the flash scared the poop out of him!!! (ps - it's been a weird day and this by far brought me much joy!!!!!)
This is a closeup of our fish with the dangling turd. I have circled it in case there is any confusion. Unfortunately this shot doesn't quite give justice to the hard work this little guy put into it. This bowel movement extended past his tail!!!! I'm sure it didn't break any world record holdings - but I would venture to say it has got to be a personal best for this little guy. 
(I hope you all will still be my friends after this. I usually don't find much humor in potty humor but this was absolutely hilarious!! -- well at least to me and the weird mood I'm in. Really, how often do get to see this?!?!? Perhaps if I paid more attention to my fish, I would see this more often!!)
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Public Transportation
I hope to someday live in a city where I can take public transportation. I would enjoy walking to a bus stop or a subway station. (In my mind this is no more than a 10 minute walk.) And then while riding the bus &/or subway -- or train!!! -- I would probably read. It would be great to be able to use travel time as reading time.
I've debated what type of reading material I would bring. A novel would be nice - but that can be big and heavy - and it might make me look stand-offish. Newspapers would be great - only they can be hard to manage in small places -- but the articles are short and don't require as much focus -- and it could be a great conversation starter. AND I could read the comics. AND I could do the cross-word puzzle and sudoku puzzles (now that I am a "cross-word-puzzler").
And if I'm not in the mood to read, I could people watch. That is a past time of mine that is hard to do when you are the driver. I could also just rest and think about the meaning of life.
I would NOT do work or talk on my cell phone.
I was thinking about this today during my short commute home. I will read the newspaper while sitting at a red light. This probably isn't the safest habit of mine. When I worked out at the Community Center - it worked great because right before my light turned the green - the light for the other traffic would have a red light with a strobe light feature, so I would notice it right away. I don't read while I'm driving.
I'm sure my dream of public transportation is very idealized. But I'm ok with that. I doubt that I will live somewhere with adequate public transportation. I still like my dream.
I've debated what type of reading material I would bring. A novel would be nice - but that can be big and heavy - and it might make me look stand-offish. Newspapers would be great - only they can be hard to manage in small places -- but the articles are short and don't require as much focus -- and it could be a great conversation starter. AND I could read the comics. AND I could do the cross-word puzzle and sudoku puzzles (now that I am a "cross-word-puzzler").
And if I'm not in the mood to read, I could people watch. That is a past time of mine that is hard to do when you are the driver. I could also just rest and think about the meaning of life.
I would NOT do work or talk on my cell phone.
I was thinking about this today during my short commute home. I will read the newspaper while sitting at a red light. This probably isn't the safest habit of mine. When I worked out at the Community Center - it worked great because right before my light turned the green - the light for the other traffic would have a red light with a strobe light feature, so I would notice it right away. I don't read while I'm driving.
I'm sure my dream of public transportation is very idealized. But I'm ok with that. I doubt that I will live somewhere with adequate public transportation. I still like my dream.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Aftermath...
Does this sound like your bathroom?
Why, you probably ask, was there a lone jelly bean in my bathroom sink? I'm sure it had something to do with a high school kid coming to know Christ. I can't quite explain how they directly relate but somehow the Holy Spirit is able to move.
We are now hosting Athens HS YL Club- which is "controlled chaos" taking place in our garage with about 25 high school kids. I disappeared last night though (homework and introversion took over). I came back to a horrible odor - Andrew assured me that no one had gotten sick anywhere in or out our house, it was probably just the sardines used for one of the skits.
I love being able to find toothpaste on the side of my tub - or chocolate sauce all over my kitchen cupboards --- I just never expected this to part of the sacrifice... Welcome to the life of a YL Staff Spouse! :)
- Green jelly bean in the sink
- Brown leaf in the tub
- Toothpaste smeared across the outside of the bathtub
Why, you probably ask, was there a lone jelly bean in my bathroom sink? I'm sure it had something to do with a high school kid coming to know Christ. I can't quite explain how they directly relate but somehow the Holy Spirit is able to move.
We are now hosting Athens HS YL Club- which is "controlled chaos" taking place in our garage with about 25 high school kids. I disappeared last night though (homework and introversion took over). I came back to a horrible odor - Andrew assured me that no one had gotten sick anywhere in or out our house, it was probably just the sardines used for one of the skits.
I love being able to find toothpaste on the side of my tub - or chocolate sauce all over my kitchen cupboards --- I just never expected this to part of the sacrifice... Welcome to the life of a YL Staff Spouse! :)
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
EPEE
EPEE is a fencing sword. I learned the doing cross-word puzzles. I finished my first cross-word puzzle EVER on Tuesday!!! I did it without any assistance (much like Rachel in that one episode of Friends -- and by the way, I'm not that huge of a fan to remember things like that but I happen to have season 4 on DVD so it was new to me.) I'm quite proud of myself!
AND epee was used the next day too in Tuesday's puzzle. (Monday's puzzle took me 2 days -- well it didn't take 2 DAYS - more like 2 days of classes.
I tried the puzzle again today in class (ps. I'm officially accepted to grad school which doesn't directly correlate to me doing puzzles in class but... assume away!) - but it was much harder!! I worked on it for all 2 hours of class and didn't get too far - but my friend next to me picked up during break and finished the whole thing in just the second half of class.... sigh - someday!!
I do much better with sudoku puzzles. Numbers make much more sense. There is clearly one right answer. But crossword puzzles, the answers seem to be limitless - but they just fool you. Really - RAP is a 3 letter word for "seance sound" - I liked my "OOM" better - but that didn't work with the other ones. AND putting 2 or more words into a line!!! That still gets me. I tried to figure out what NOONE meant b/c it was clearly what the other words made for the clue "Nary a soul" -- only when I asked my crossword guru friend about it, she laughed very loudly and told me "NO ONE" (I've done that a couple times with her already)
Here's waiting for next Monday's puzzle (b/c the rest of this week is going to be too hard!)
AND epee was used the next day too in Tuesday's puzzle. (Monday's puzzle took me 2 days -- well it didn't take 2 DAYS - more like 2 days of classes.
I tried the puzzle again today in class (ps. I'm officially accepted to grad school which doesn't directly correlate to me doing puzzles in class but... assume away!) - but it was much harder!! I worked on it for all 2 hours of class and didn't get too far - but my friend next to me picked up during break and finished the whole thing in just the second half of class.... sigh - someday!!
I do much better with sudoku puzzles. Numbers make much more sense. There is clearly one right answer. But crossword puzzles, the answers seem to be limitless - but they just fool you. Really - RAP is a 3 letter word for "seance sound" - I liked my "OOM" better - but that didn't work with the other ones. AND putting 2 or more words into a line!!! That still gets me. I tried to figure out what NOONE meant b/c it was clearly what the other words made for the clue "Nary a soul" -- only when I asked my crossword guru friend about it, she laughed very loudly and told me "NO ONE" (I've done that a couple times with her already)
Here's waiting for next Monday's puzzle (b/c the rest of this week is going to be too hard!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)