Last Li'l Dragon Testing

Katie, or I should spell it "Katy" as it is her current preference, had a tae kwon do belting testing yesterday and she did phenomenal. She was loud, strong and in control. One thing Rick noticed and I have been noticing is the look on her face is matching her strength. She looks tough, almost scary. Anyway, at the testing she was required to break two boards. One she had to break with the heal of her hand and did so in one smack. The look on her face after she broke that board was precious. She had not previously broke a board with a hand motion and by her look she was obviously surprised and pleased with her accomplishment. I was too busy with the video camera, so I don't have a still shot. For the other board, she was required to do a reverse side kick. BAM! one kick and the board snapped in half. So with the board breaking exercises completed, she completed her tenure as a Li'l Dragon. She is now a 3rd Degree Red belt which means she has to move up to the big kids' class. You cannot, regardless of your age, be a 3rd Degree Red belt and be a Li'l Dragon. It was a little sad to attend her last Li'l Dragon belt testing. She was just an itty-bitty 3 year old when she started tae kwon do. It is one of those situations where I am reminded that the days are long but the years are short. Looking to the future, her next belt testing will be for her recommend black belt. I cannot express how incredibly proud I am of her. She has the physical skills, but also the mental skills that are taught in tae kwon do. A few weeks back she was kicked on the playground and when we questioned why she didn't kick back she replied, "Because kicking is wrong in school and I didn't want to hurt them." She knows to use tae kwon do for good; to use your voice first and then kick. However, she has been told for years how powerful her kicks are and she had the presence of mind to think, "If I kick them I'll break their ribs or their nose and send them flying." She knew she could do serious damage and chose not to. I am very proud of her for that too. Anyway, here is one of the only pictures that I took during the testing.

She looks a little disheveled, but this is at the end of testing. The two boards that she broke are stacked up in front of her. The badges up her leg are academic badges that she received for report cards with all A's. Six are for 1st grade where she was an all-A student the whole year and the 7th she just got this week for her first report card in 2nd grade, all A's.

Ciao to my Li'l Dragon.  

Katie Update

I have been blogging so infrequently that I have to read the previous posts to see what I have already shared.  Bad blogger, bad blogger.

Katie tested for her 2nd degree red belt June 8 and passed. The belt presentation ceremony was June 15, so the next belt to achieve is 3rd degree red then black! But like Master Chip says, black is not the end, it is a new beginning. When you first receive your black belt you are a recommend black belt. Then you start working on your degrees of black belt. With each degree you get a gold stripe on your belt. For example, Master Chip has seven stripes, so he is a 7th degree black belt. It is a life long commitment and process. During the belt ceremonies Master Chip usually speaks for a bit and during this last one he brought up a few facts with one being that in the college application process, Harvard's for example, if you have the achievement of a Black Belt in tae kwon do or karate or another martial art listed on your application your application  automatically gets booted up to the next review board. Being a Black Belt in a martial art also works in your favor in the job market. Two people can have the exact same education and work history, but the black belt will get the job. The reason for this is that achieving a black belt is not just an indication of your physical capabilities, but also attests to your dedication, loyalty, determination,  high moral standards among other inner strengths. Martial arts strengthen the mind, the soul and the body and truly make you a better person.

It's not easy to get your black belt and it gets harder with each belt, but I have faith Katie can do it as long as we support her, encourage her and don't let her slack. She will thank us one day, maybe not tomorrow or even 10 or 15 years from now, but one day.

 The 1st and 2nd degree red belts showing their from during testing.

Belt ceremony. Removing her old belt.

Last Thursday Katie joined a very elite club in tae kwon do. It is called the "I Kick So High, I Hit Myself in the Face" Club. She was doing a front stretch kick and she smashed her knee right into her mouth. At first she looked stunned and then the tears came. She doesn't like crying in public, especially tae kwon do. A couple of instructors came over and checked her out. When she went to get a drink of water I checked her mouth out. Her two front, baby teeth have been loose forever, but the knee knocker didn't dislodge them. It only made them bleed. After that quick break, she got back on the mat and carried on. Another parent commented how Katie managed to pull it together so quickly and how she didn't lower her subsequent kicks. However, I did notice that she was tilting her head back. She's a tough cookie, that Doodlebug.

Katie loves gymnastics and is rather good at it. During the first class it was apparent that her training in tae kwon do serves her well in gymnastics. One aspect of tae kwon do that she applies to gymnastics is controlling her body. Sometimes when kids do cartwheels they look all gangly and defenseless against gravity. Katie has learned to work with gravity and doesn't have that out-of-control look. She is also fearless and willing to try anything. Today she was on the beam and she walked on it gracefully and without wobbling.

That's about it on the Katie front. Of course the weather is hot, hot, hot. And I have been busy, busy, busy, but I have not done anything earth shattering, just the day-to-day activities. Til later.

Belt Ceremony

This past Saturday was the belt ceremony for tae kwon do. I had to share the picture that is below. I took it right after the Black Belt had tied Katie's new 1st degree red belt around her waist and Katie turned to where Rick was standing. I was fortunate enough to click the shutter just at that moment and got a great picture.

Testing and Puking

This past Saturday Katie tested to advance to 1st degree red belt in tae kwon do. She did pretty good on her form and one steps, but her kicks seemed a little off. After testing, we went to McDonald's for a celebratory lunch, which has become a tradition. You may be thinking, big whoop, McDonald's but we make a concerted effort to make dining at McDonald's an exception and not a rule. I did not grow up with fast food restaurants and have never gotten the hang of it, fortunately. Anyway, Katie considers it a treat especially when she gets to romp in the germ area . . . er . . . play area. Later that afternoon while Katie and I were straightening up Katie's room, Katie complained about not feeling well. A ploy to get out of cleaning? Perhaps, but she had been keeping her room pretty clean for the last seven months or so. I kept on going and Katie laid down on her floor and fell asleep. Then out of the blue, she stood up went into the hallway and puked. After I got her to the guest bathroom to finish, got her snuggled in bed and cleaned the carpet,  Katie informed me, "I am never eating McDonald's again." Well, guess we'll have to find a new after-tae-kwon-do-belt-testing tradition.

 Katie this past Saturday before testing. Not the best pose or picture. Her leg is bent and I gave her a toe-ectomy with my camera.

Back in the beginning when she was a white belt, the first belt, with one itty-bitty strip. Katie is in the middle of the picture.

Katie, three years old, and a white belt with Mr. Ben. Katie appears to be saying, "Huh?"

Happy Birthday Baby Girl. . . . .

. . . but she's not a baby girl anymore. Last Tuesday Katie turned six. It was a tough birthday for me because the weekend prior while organizing in the shop I found a toter of keepsakes from when she was a baby. Seeing those items unearthed a flood of memories. Earlier that week I found a bag containing all of the keepsakes from the hospital, such as the gown Rick was wearing, the caps we were wearing. It all has gone by so fast and gosh, when I look at Katie now, I cannot even remember how small she was that August 14 six years years ago.

We like to change what we do for Katie's birthday. Last year we did the big princess blow out and went to Disney. We were planning on flying over to Disney for a quick four day vacation, but because of tae kwon do belt testing and my doctor appointments, it just won't work out. We also looked at going to the Gaylord in Grapevine, but there really isn't anything going on for kids during the week days. So we settled for a "Just The Three of Us" party. Rick and I decorated the dining room, ordered the cake, got flowers and managed to wrap all of the presents without her every catching on. When she woke up from a nap on her birthday, we had a sash for her to wear that said "Birthday Girl" and we escorted her to the dining room and her throne. It was a bit of a surprise for her because we never let up that we were going to do a family shindig at our house. She thought we were going out to eat. Anyway, we sang "Happy Birthday"; she blew out her candles which had colored flames; we ate cake and she opened a mountain of presents. Katie said it was her best birthday ever. So like Rick said, "Mission accomplished."

As for presents, her main present from us is a redone bedroom with the piece de resistance being a new loft bed. We also got her quite a few Lego items to build. From her Aunties she got a leather kit where she can make a wallet, key chain, coin purse; a jewelry organizer and nail polish. From her cousins, Aunt and Uncle, she got money. From one set of grandparents she got money and the other set got her books one of which is recorded in her grandparents voices; and a rock painting kit. After each gift she said, "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

She still loves Scooby Doo

 We went with the jewel tones of purple, green, pink and turquoise. Those are also the colors of her new, big girl bedroom.

 Waiting to be escorted to her party

 The traditional "blowing out the candles" shot

 Let the ripping begin!

As noted in the beginning of this post, I was running into a lot of stored keepsakes and that is because we are doing major reorganization/reducing. We emptied Kate's walk-in closet and put a closet organizer in there and it looks so nice now and you can even walk in it! I have finished the kitchen cabinets and drawers and pantry. The dining room cabinets are next, as well as our walk-in closet. It is freeing to rid the house of junk and to simplify and downsize. Nine years ago a fire destroyed everything I owned. While struggling to find a positive from the devastation, I found relief in no longer having a junk drawer and that stays with me to this day. If I haven't used it in six months, out it goes. I try to do this every six months. Rick does not follow the plan because we have the gigantor Quonset Hut, but I feel mentally happier without crowded drawers and closets.

A week ago Saturday, Kate tested for her red belt in tae kwon do. There are four levels of red belts and this is her first one, so she has three more red belts to test for before she tests for her black belt. She's nearing the end! She loves tae kwon do and we are so proud of what she has accomplished.

Acting as the attacker in a one-step

 Taking down her black belt partner in a one-step.

 Doing her high-blue belt form during testing

Now, as for doctor appointments. I am back on bone loss medication because I am showing bone loss. No big shock there because of my lactose intolerance and low calcium intake. I also broke down and saw my doctor about my migraines. I am on a daily medicine that I take whether I have a migraine or not and another prescription that I take if I do get a migraine. The second medication stops the migraine rather quickly, but the daily medicine did not decrease the amount of migraines so the dosage was increased. Another issue I have is a numb patch on the outer side of my left thigh. It started as soreness, progressed to intense itching then numbness and intermittent red hot tingling. I was referred to a neurologist and have another test to go through. The initial thought is that it is Guillain-Barré syndrome, albeit a mild case and not deadly as some cases can be. I am already on the upswing. As a side note, I was in the exam room waiting for the neurologist and in walks the mother of one of Katie's tae kwon do friends. We were both a little taken back especially since we have chit chatted at tae kwon do. I typically don't know the last names of the kids in tae kwon do, so I never made the connection.

Yesterday Kate received her red tae kwon do belt at the Team Chip tae kwon do Belt Ceremony.

 Kate sliding her high-blue belt behind her signifying putting her past behind her.

 Her black belt presenter tying on her red belt belt. She looks pleased as punch with her new belt.

 I have absolutely no clue what this pose is all about. I stopped taking pictures after this because I could tell more weird faces were going to come.

I know I am forgetting some major event of the past few weeks, so if the forgotten included you I am sorry for the oversight. Kate starts school next Monday and I hope to have a little more time, but not to spend on myself, just to clean this darn house! We have just been running, running, running and I have been struggling just to get dinner on the table. It's a good night if we are eating before 7:30 pm. Time to get Katers out of the bathtub before she's a prune. Ciao.

Update--Composite TKD Picture

I emailed KickPics last night and had three email responses this morning. Katie had two photo shoots. The first did not have any shots that I liked. The photographer did a second shoot. I picked photos 3, 6 and 7 from the photo shoot. KickPics used 3 from the first shoot,  and 6 and 7 from the second shoot. I erred in not stating which photo shoot and they erred in randomly picking between two photo shoots. (Don't fret, we have a happy ending.) KickPics immediately recognized the error and offered to reprint the composite with the correct pose and mail them to me. Great customer service! Which brings me to a sad thought on the current state of customer service. When I have to contact a company regarding an error that they made, I EXPECT to be in for a long battle with the company. It is a shocker when they pony up and make it right immediately.

The Red Ninja

About a month and a half ago Team Chip TKD had professional photographers come in to take pics of the students. We opted to have Katie's done and today I was able to pick them up. We bought the CD with all of the shots taken and a printed composite photo. Here is the composite.

(Forgive the quality of the pic. I scanned it.)

I like the concept of the composite photo; however, I do not like the image in the upper left corner. I am quite sure that I picked a different picture. I had to write down the numbers of the pictures that I wanted for the composite and I must have messed up on the numbers or the photographers erred with numbering. The picture below is the one that I thought I picked.

The little ninja can kick higher than her head! It is astonishing how much progress she has made over these last two years.

The Board Breaker, The Star and Super Girl

This past Saturday Katie tested for her high-blue belt in tae kwon do. She did pretty good especially when it came to breaking the board with an axe kick. They have the kids practice on a kicking bag first and once the kids are spot on and hyped up, the kid is instructed to move to the person holding the board. Katie made such a fast transition from the bag to the board that instructor holding the board barely had time to get it in position. You can kind of see it in this video.

This week Katie is attending basketball camp at Anson Middle School. She has never touched a basketball before and it showed on her first day. Monday, I watched the last few minutes of the session and all I could think was "she ain't like Mike." When I asked her if she had fun, she didn't seem that enthusiastic. Turns out that she was dead tired from running around for three hours. Anyhoodle, after camp we journeyed to Wal-Mart to purchase a basketball and after dinner we practiced outside on the missile silo. We were practicing on the sidewalk by the house, but Katie said she needed more room and said, "Let's go to the missile silo." (I don't know why hearing her say "missile silo" or "missile base" cracks me up. I guess because she is the only 5-year old that can say that.) While playing on top of the silo, I realized that she is actually a lot better than I previously viewed. 

Anyone who knows Katie knows that she adores being the center of attention, which explains why she wants to dance on stage in front of a full audience all by herself. One of her often spoken phrases is "Watch me." A few days ago I walked into the living room and found this.

Since Rick and I were busy, Katie created for herself an adoring audience that got to watch her dance and sing. Her song of choice was Total Eclipse of the Heart which is her current favorite.

The next two pictures show Katie's purchase from Wal-Mart. Katie received some money from my parents and sister for "graduating" from kindergarten. (Thanks Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Maryel!) One item she choose was a cap and mask set. Here she is modeling her Super Girl outfit which she has actually worn out in public. I got to tell you that the sight of her running through the house with the cape flowing behind her makes me laugh.

Last item of interest is from the same shopping trip to Wal-Mart. Katie wanted to get two items with her graduation money. The first item she picked out was the cape and mask set and the second was a little Barbie mermaid doll. When we passed the book aisle, Katie found a book that she wanted. She only had money for two of the items so I told her that she had to make a choice. She thought long and hard then finally said, "Reading is more important than playing with toys." and put the mermaid back. That made me happy. Ciao.

An Update to a Neglected Blog

I know that I am going to forget something, but here is the rundown of what we have been doing and what has been happening.

Hobo (the dog in the Quonset Hut):  He is slowly starting to trust Rick. He has taken a Milk Bone from Rick's hand and allowed Rick to pet him. I still wonder what was done to him to have him so fearful of humans. He sleeps in the Quonset Hut and Rick made a bed for him out of blankets. The wound on his back seems to be healing. Rick feeds him every day in an old Gandy's, red, ice cream pail. However, the other night Hobo took off with the pail and we still haven't located it. Hobo wasn't in the shop last night at feeding time which is odd. I hope he is okay.

My birthday:  It was yesterday and it was a low key day. I spent most of it cleaning. Rick is washing all of the windows in the house, which is a big project. You have to remove the inside window frame to wash one side of the glass. When I say remove, I mean he has to unscrew the entire window from the wall. I wish we had tilt out windows. Anyway, I clean the mini blinds and drapes as Rick cleans the glass. Rick also got this awesome glass cleaner which is made by/for GM for car windows. It cleans the glass in one pass with no streaks. I don't know what is in the stuff, but Cody doesn't like the smell so chances are that in a few years we will find out that the spray contains some toxic chemical that causes cancer. My big project today is to clean Katie's room. She has so many toys and too many clothes. Last night at supper she informed us that she was giving toys away because she needed to make room for the Christmas toys. I hope she won't be disappointed come Christmas morning. (See paragraph 3 in "Kate" section for further explanation.)

Back to my birthday, I received a Kindle Fire, a box of chocolates, a Farmer's Almanac for 2012 and some of Katie's old toys--the ones she is getting rid of to make room for more--and a soft, warm gorgeous merino wool sweater. I am fascinate by the fact that it is soft and not bulky yet it is very warm and comfortable. Wool sweaters that I have had before were itchy. I guess they were not merino wool.

Kate:  And of course, what would a blog post be without a mention of Katie. She is a tiny angel--if that is not poor casting, I don't know what is (see paragraph 3 in "Kate" section for explanation)--in The Nutcracker for Saturday's evening performance and Sunday's matinee. We had a dress rehearsal Tuesday night. When the little angels would walk back on stage to practice their part again and before they got in their designated spots, Katie would walk to the front of the stage and bow and blow kisses. The parents in the audience loved it. Then she decided to jazz up her exit dance by modifying her hand position and blowing kisses. The parents laughed again; however, I slid down in my seat. This is a ballet put on by a real ballet company and Katie is modifying her part. Yeah, what does the choreographer know.

A situation with a first grader on Katie's bus reached a head. Right when school started, Katie and this girl made fast friends; however, this 1st grader has morphed into a thief and a liar. We have had to go the 1st grader's house to retrieve Katie's items i.e. her wallet. Not too long ago, the 1st grader started lying about Katie's missing items and saying that "the other girls", who live down the street from us, took whatever Katie was missing. Monday, the situation escalated. The 1st grader took Katie's backpack, refused to return it to Katie and rummaged through it. The 1st grader's brother managed to get Katie's backpack from his sister and he returned it to Katie, which upset the 1st grader. She hauled off and hit her brother. When it was time for the 1st grader to exit the bus, she walked to the front, took a piece of paper out of her pocket, turned around and said to Katie, "You will never see this again." and got off of the bus. The 1st grade thief had a book that Katie made in school and which Katie can read. Rick called 1st grader's mom and her take on it was that her daughter was being a typical 6 year old. That set Rick off. What the 1st grader did was done just to be mean and per the definition and rules of the school, an incident of bullying. We have tried to work with the mother regarding this situation and the mother wasn't taking it seriously. Matter of fact when her daughter took Katie's wallet, the mother had the audacity to reprimand Katie and say that Katie shouldn't let people take her stuff. Huh? Oh I get it, it was Katie's fault that her daughter has sticky fingers. Back to the day at hand, after Rick's heated exchange with the mother, I opted to drive down to their house to retrieve Katie's book. When I arrived, mom and dad were outside and I advised them that I was there to get Katie's book. The mother informed me that when she questioned her daughter, the child said "the other girls" took it. When I repeated what the girl said before she exited the bus, which we only knew about because the bus driver told us, the mom turned on her heel and went into the house. Not a minute later, she came out with her daughter and the child handed me Katie's book. At home, Rick wrote a letter to the school and we planned to deliver it the next day to the principal. However, the principal was out on Tuesday, so Rick and I met with the superintendent of the school district. It was a very well written letter in which we demanded action in regards to the progressive bullying. Wednesday, was the first day of my tutoring gig at school. The principal, who we know outside of school, pulled me aside and wanted to talk to me, so we met in his office. The 1st grader is known by the principal and teachers because of her past issues. This incident with Katie was not the first but I understood it to be similar to what the 1st grader has done before. The principal informed me that she "was quite the liar." The solution that the school has put into practice is that the 1st grader has to sit in a designated seat at the front of the bus and wear a seat belt. The next step is a ban from the bus, which I would have preferred as the first step. The 1st grader's dad called Rick and asked that we go to him if there are any problems in the future. During the amiable conversation, he told Rick that she "was a little shit." If he admitted that to us, I can imagine that is what she is called at home. He also informed Rick that it was war at their home. So that is where the situation stands.


Speaking of war, I am having an extremely difficult time with Katie. She has decided that she is a big girl, knows all and does not need to listen to me when I tell her to do something or to stop doing something. She is pushing pretty hard and several days I have been reduced to going into the bathroom to cry. I don't know if the situation on the bus is caused this acting out or if she is just testing the boundaries. To combat her attitude, we have clamped down on her, so it has been a week of unrest in our home. Katie doesn't want to leave school because she knows that at home she will have to sit in her room. (There have been no after school activities i.e. tae kwon do.) I am relieved when she goes to school so I can have a break from the constant struggle. The situation is best summed up as, I love that little girl, but right now I do not like her; I do not want to be around her. This morning she would not get dressed for school. After a threat from Rick--why waste my breath--she got dressed then had the nerve to demand that I fix her hair. Needless to say she went to school with a Katie-made hair do and crying because it looked so bad. Pray for me. I don't know how much longer I can take this.


Sorry for the long post. As you can see, I have been busy disliking my daughter and this blog has been neglected. Which is typical for me. When I am in the middle of a bad situation, I typically will not talk or write about it when it is occurring. So when you see this blog lying on the side of the road, neglected it is a pretty safe bet that trying situations have my attention.

Don't Mess With The Doodles

Check this out. Katie is the one with the white head gear and long hair.

Don't Lose Your Cubes!

Friday evening, we went to the Anson Elementary Kick Off Bash. They had free sno cones, hot dogs, pony rides, dunk tank with the principal sitting up top, wet sponges to throw at your teacher's face, and so on. It was a good time until Rick spoke with Katie's teacher, Mrs. Jobe. Our sweet daughter go into trouble twice during the first five days of school. Really? Twice? In the first week? That means she was good only 60% of the time. Her first crime was talking in class. The second was messing around rather than going to her place in the line. For the younger grades, the discipline program is based on these little connecting cubes. They start out with 5 various colored cubes, strung together on the corner of their desks. When you are naughty, you have to remove a cube and put it on the teacher's desk. That is better than having your name on a board, which can be extremely humiliating for a youngster. I believe that they get back their cubes at the end of each day. Also, if I remember correctly, the teachers give a verbal warning first and if you do it a second time, off comes a cube. Let's hope that was a learning experience for her and she understands what the teacher's expectations are. I reminded Katie that she needs to conduct herself in school as she does in tae kwon do, such as "Yes ma'am.", "No ma'am."; eyes on the teacher, being at attention and being a strong leader.

Speaking of tae kwon do, Katie was strong in tae kwon do this week. However, Friday she was super duper strong. Twice the instructor stopped the class to show the class how strong Katie was, how she was paying attention and the fact that she stayed in her fighting stance while waiting her turn. Compliments are jet fuel for that child. You get pretty darn far with compliments as opposed to reprimands.

Katie enjoyed her first weekend during the school year. I didn't want her to stay up late just because she didn't have school the next day. I want to try to keep her on her schedule and it will be a lot easier come Monday morning. I figure her rewards for the weekend days is that she gets to sleep in, which means instead of 6 am she gets up at 7 am.

Rick is traveling this week so you have his daily picture to which to look forward. In the meantime I have included some photos from the Bash.

 Stylish ensemble for the Bash

Mmmmm, sno-cones

 Mr. London, Katie's principal. Katie's aim was off so she didn't give him a swim in the water.

 Throwing darts. She popped one balloon.

 The mascot for Anson, a tiger.

 Pony ride

Mrs. Jobe, Katie's teacher

Climbing Back on The Blogger World

Once again I fell off of the blogger world. It has not been a relaxing summer, so to speak, but one with something or another scheduled each day.

First and foremost is the weather. We have not had a drop of rain in weeks and weeks. The cotton crop will most likely be a failure, but thankfully we purchased insurance to cover crop failure. The average temperature during the day has been 104 degrees. This has been going on for weeks. Typically we don't have 100 degree temperatures until July or August and even then it lasts for a few days here or there. Last week we went to a friend's house for a swim party. They live on top of a hill by Mulberry Canyon so they had strong winds whipping that cooled the air. The temperature was about 85 degrees and I was cold! It is interesting how quickly we become acclimated to the weather.

In Taekwondo Katie tested for her High Green Belt and passed. It is now her sixth belt. She has seven more belts to go through and countless hours before she has the potential to be a Recommend Black Belt. Below is the post ceremony picture of Kate with her new belt. As a side note, next week is her one year anniversary at Team Chip Taekwondo. She has come a long way. (Wasn't that an old Virginia Slims commercial/ad? "You've come a long way, baby." When you take into consideration that the cigarettes were for women and "baby" was referring to the woman in the ad, it seems rather sexist. I don't take kindly to strangers calling me babe, baby, sugar, sweetie, honey, etc. They are condescending when used by someone who you do not know. Climbing off of the soap box now.)

The Rabbit Show Down has finally ceased and no, I didn't shoot them. I bought metal rabbit fencing for the flower bed around the tree. Now they can just gaze lovingly at the bright colored flower meals. However, each night I have to pick up three flower pots that are too closed to the edge of the patio.

Lately I have seen a Girly-Girly attitude emerge from Katie. She is starting to care more about her appearance. She now combs her hair on a regular basis so she no longer sports a rat's nest hair-do. She prefers to wear dresses or skirts and she likes wearing lipstick. There is a tween clothing store in the mall called Justice, which has become Katie's store. In the picture below she is modeling one of the outfits that we purchased from there. Check out her new purse. We have been trying to find one that was the right size. The sparkly, silver one in the picture met the size requirement, as well as Katie's sparkle requirement. I would have preferred a less brilliant purse, but Katie knows what she likes.

All in all, Katie is maturing and it seems to happen over night. I am having a difficult time remembering her as a newborn. That time went by in a blink of the eye. Today I weighed and measured her. She is 45# and 3'9" tall. The average height and weight for a girl her age is 39.6# and 3' 4". Katie will have her Daddy's height and long legs.

This year we bought a box of eight seats for the Texas Cowboy Reunion Rodeo. It will be great to sit right down at the ring--not sure if that it what it is called--and feel the horses rushing by. The rodeo starts Wednesday and I am looking forward to attending each night.

There seems like there was so much to share, but I have no clue what it all was. That is problem with not blogging on a more consistent basis and because of that, I say, "Ciao."

Rick's Wednesday Pictures

It is only 9:00 am, so there is really nothing of interest about which for me to post. However, that is a good thing. The last thing I need right now is drama before 9 am.

As for my black eye, my cheek bone bruise hurts worse today. I can't smile without a dull ache. Oh well, this too shall pass.

Yesterday Katie had taekwondo and ballet. I put her leotard on her after TKD. We had a little time to spare so she played with some TKD friends.

Even with the little play time, we were early for ballet so we sat in the car. (If I take Katie into the ballet lobby, she quickly gets bored and starts pirouetting and dancing in the lobby is a no-no.) I took a few pictures of Katie in the car. The one I have posted below is one of those pictures that I don't recognize Katie. She looks so very different in the picture. She needs her bangs trimmed again even though I just did them last week. Either I cut them long or her hair is on a growth spurt like she is.

Speaking of growth spurts, about two months ago we were putting Katie to bed when she complained about her legs from her knee down as hurting. She was rocking back and forth and in a prone position. I was at a loss for what it was. Rick immediately identified it as growing pains. Rick suffered through them as a child and adolescent and I have never experienced them. (Perhaps that explains why I am short.) I thought growing pains were a myth, but looking online I found interesting information about them. For example they tend to appear around the age of four and then disappear. They come back at about the age of 13.  Rick knew exactly what to do to bring relief which was to massage Katie's lower legs.

We ordered a walk through doggie gate. It is a metal gate with a 20" swing door for us to pass through. I am so looking forward to the gate because right now I have to go over the wood board. Also Cody will be able to see through the new gate and that should help control his barking when he is quarantined to the kitchen.  The gate was supposed to arrive yesterday via UPS which I paid extra for one day shipping, but according to UPS' tracking page there was bad weather in Dallas so it threw everything off schedule. Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully it will come today.

So until something happens around here, ciao.

March 4 Update

The weather has been gorgeous. For the most part, I like spring in Texas. However, the part that I don't like is the part where the rattlesnakes come out and tornadoes come down.

Katie is still trucking along at Taekwondo. The form for her orange belt is more difficult that any previous form. She is also learning once step sparing with which she is struggling. In Beginning Dragons, they had cute names for the one steps ( mosquito, boom). In Advanced Dragons, gone are the names and they are referred to by numbers. A lot more is expected of the kids in Adv. Dragons and I think Katie might be a bit too young for it. On a happy note, a few of her friends from Beg. Dragons moved up to her class this week. One little boy, whom I think is younger than Katie, ran out of the gym in tears today. This is a kid that smiles all of the time, so my heart broke for him when I saw him run into his mom's arms. I am sure he is overwhelmed and not liking the stricter treatment from the instructors and the higher expectations. In Beg. Dragons, there is more flexibility, so it is difficult to transition from a happy environment to a intense environment. I think Adv. Dragons is where the weak kids get weeded out. There is a girl who moved up to Katie's class and I don't know how she made it through Beg. Dragons. She is less than enthusiastic and has a crappy attitude. To top it off, she is always messing around before class when they are supposed to be sitting. Who do you think follows her lead? That's right, my Katie. Today I had a conversation with Katie about not copying what that girl does. She heeded my word, for once.

I am still waiting on news of puppies. The breeder does not know if the female White German Shepherd is pregnant. Here I am excited about puppies that might not exist. This may end up being a long wait.

Yesterday I cleaned the inside of my car and both Katie and I got stung by wasps. My sting was on the leg and Katie's was on top of her ear. The wasp that got me must have had a lot of venom because it hurt, hurt, hurt. Worse than any other wasp sting I have had. Katie recovered relatively quickly, so I assume she swooshed the wasp away before he got his stinger all of the way in. Both of us got stung by wasps that were sitting. Katie leaned her head back on the car seat and that is where her wasp was. Unbeknownst to me, my wasp was walking around on my leg looking for the prime spot to deposit his venom. Oooo, ooo (Mr. Carter, Mr, Carter) another reason that I don't like spring.

This evening after Taekwondo Katie and I went to Michael's (a craft store for those not in the know.)  I bought the supplies to make stepping stone grave markers for Eric's and Max's graves. I have a lot of planning to do and will design the mosaic long before I mix up the cement. Yeah, you see how quickly I got on the ball to get those done. Max died five years ago and Eric, three years ago. Now that I have to create a design, they might not ever get to the dogs' graves. So if my tombstone seems a little odd, you'll know from where they came from. Or maybe I'll surprise myself and get them done in a year or two..

I have a lot of items on my to-do list. There is no end in sight. Sometimes life seems like a list of errands and chores. When do we get to stop and smell the roses? I have noticed that as I get older, it gets more difficult for me to finish a project. I am not sure it is age thing or if too much is on my plate. I really don't like this new quirk of mine. It makes me feel non-productive, scattered and unaccomplished.

That's it for a quick update. As you can see, I am busy with the mundane. Talk at you later.

Week Wrap Up

Me: I'm baaaack!
You: Sooooo whaaaaat!

Back in black, yes I am. Of course I have been busy, not that I have to answer to you. Rick and I took on a major project: reorganizing and cleaning the office. We have been here five years and haven't touched it. Matter of fact, the office hasn't been touched since Rick moved here in 1998. Our office is large so unfortunately we had space to put a large amount of stuff. It had become our "don't know what to do with it, so I will stick it in the office" room. The office has two workstations that are set up in a "T" with the vertical part being a work counter between the two. The oodles and oodles of shelves and file cabinets were full as were several spots on the floor. Rick used to own his own company when he lived in California and he brought all of those files here when he moved. To top it off, Rick does not like to throw any paperwork out. There is no two year rule here nor even a 10 year rule. It's the always-keep rule. Anyway, Rick hung some more shelves, built a new bookcase and hung our certificates of accomplishments. I went through ALL of the files and back-stocked the old ones. I don't recall exactly how many, but I think I ended up with 15+ file toters put in deep storage. I still have a small stack of papers to sort and then I am done with that part. We have purchased some organizers that will help with the office supplies. You know how Rick has to have a back up of everything. Let's just say I will not have to buy a box of staples for the rest of my life. Anyway, my goal is to have the office done by next Monday. Rick is traveling out tomorrow and will not be home until Friday, so Project Reorganize The Office will be on hold for a few days.

Another item on my to-do list was to find a breeder of White German Shepherd Dogs.  After tossing the idea around for a while, I started researching breeders online. I found one with whom I was comfortable and as an added bonus they are located here in Texas. We want two brothers like we previously had. When I first contacted the breeder, she had one boy, but we dilly dallied over one or two and the boy puppy went to another home. Two of her females just came out of heat and it is too early to determine pregnancy.  If her WGSD is pregnant, then the litter will be all white and we hope it will contain two males.  If not, we will wait. Rick waited two years for Eric and Max so it could be a long wait. In any case, I am so looking forward to two puppies becoming members of our family. Rick is a little more reluctant because the loss of Eric and Max cuts deeper for him. Anyway, I'll keep you updated.

Katie is getting back into the swing of taekwondo. The instructor that she is convinced does not like her has not taught a class that Katie has attended. I hope that instructor does teach Katie's class again. It is important to have Katie attend a class with that teacher so she can face her fear and to understand that she will not always like her teachers but to not let it affect her love of the subject. I did have a conversation with one of the owners of the studio regarding Katie's reluctance to attend class. I didn't intend to, put I had called the studio to see who was teaching a particular day and the owner questioned why I wanted to know. She also said that she cannot remedy the situation if she doesn't know what it is. Of course I was assured that Katie must have misunderstood the teacher. However, I believe Katie because it would not have been the first time the instructor said something condescending and threatening to Katie. It was a learning experience for me because I got to see first hand what some of my friends have experienced. In a educational setting or medical setting, you need to "fight" for your child because no one else will. I have a friend who has had to fight with doctors and insurance companies to get the best medical care for her child. Why does it need to be a fight? Somewhere along the way, the medical industry and educational industry lost sight of their purpose. (Stepping off of my soapbox now.)

Katie is still absorbing the world around her. Some words that she says I am clueless from where she got them. A current favorite saying is "For Pete's sake." Not something we use here. She has also tried "For Jesus' sake." but I nipped that in the bud. We do not say that in our home and I am pretty sure it is not said in MOPPETS, so it is either taekwondo or ballet. She is also doing better with the watered down versions of adult words. Oh, I guess I didn't tell you. A few months ago, Katie started saying "Damn it" and "Shit". We had to drum into her head "Darn it" and "Shoot". Our friend had an interesting approach to "naughty" words. He allowed his daughter to use such words, but only in their home. I rather agree with that. It teaches the child and the future adult not to swear in public. However, there are some words that I do not want to hear come out of her mouth, such as the n-word. Speaking of race, Katie is oblivious to white and black. She has never questioned why some people are darker than other people. Matter of fact when we were in the grocery store last week she was chatting with her friend. (Her friend is a stock person that works in the store and since Kate was an itty-bitty he would always talk to her. They also make sounds back and forth. Now when I walk in the store, the first thing Katie does is screech to let her friend know that she is there. Usually an identical screech will come from the depths of the store.) Back to the topic at hand. Katie was talking to her friend when another shopper came by to ask him a question. The shopper was an older white lady with stark white, cotton ball hair. Katie immediately inquired, "Is that your mother?" I sincerely believe that if we were in a room full of white mothers and their children and one black mother and her child, Katie would not know who was the black child's mother. I know it is possible it could be one of the white mothers; however, most people's first guess would be the black woman. Not Katie. Color of skin doesn't register with her. Now how do I keep her that way? Undoubtedly she will be introduced to prejudices in school.

Rick and I are contemplating the idea of taking a Disney vacation. We want to go to Disney World in Orlando around Katie's birthday and before she starts school. Once again I have done a ton of research and we have a portion of our adventure mapped out. Katie will be so excited especially when we take her to the Bippity Boppity Boutique for a princess make over and then have dinner with Cinderella in her castle. It is hard to get a grip on the fact that I will be going to Magic Kingdom, a park that I avoided like the plague in my single years. In general Disney is more fun when you have a little sprout holding your hand. Which brings up one of my fears: losing Katie in a Disney park. Let's not think about that.

Valentine's Day was memorable.  Rick got me a vase of long-stem red roses and he got Katie a vase of short-stem pink roses. Katie was so proud of her flowers. She carried them in her room when it was bedtime and brought them out the next day when she woke up. We each also got mounds of chocolates. I think Rick bought me six boxes of candy. I still have three left, chocolates not boxes.

On a sad note, my sister had to put down her cat. The Little Man, as she would call him, had cancer. With cats it always seems like one day they are great and then the next you find out they have a major illness and you have to put them down. Anyway, Seriozha's passing is extremely difficult for her. He had been her companion for 11 years and she has those split second moments that she forgets that he is gone like I did with Eric and Max. I mailed to her a book that I borrowed from a friend about coping with the loss of an animal when Eric died. When I was done with it, I tried to return it to the owner but she said to pass it on. My sister said that she would do the same thing. The same sister is contemplating moving to Texas and relatively close to us. I so want Katie to have a relative close to her. I recall sleeping over at my Aunt Eva's. It was always such an exciting adventure. Right now Katie sleeps over at "Auntie" Geri and "Uncle" Don's who are neighbors and friends of ours. I am thankful for that, but she is truly at a disadvantage not being surrounded by family like I was. So we try to create a "family" for her with our friends.

Here is a true fact that I learned from an old high school friend who is on Facebook. It is incorrect to use two spaces after the period of the sentence. It is proper to use only one. The reason two spaces were the norm is because of typesetting and not all letters taking up the same space. Two spaces made it easier to read. However, now with electronic typing and modern fonts, one space is correct. That fact just flummoxes me. I think of my high school teacher who taught typing and shorthand. She lied to me. I have been trying to type that way and let me tell you it is so difficult to not double click between sentences.

So that is the short version of the past week. I leave you with a picture of Katie. She is signing her name on her Valentine's cards that she brought to MOPS. Other than her name, Katie can also write mommy, daddy, to and from. She still doesn't show any burning desire to read. Her version of reading is looking at the pictures and making up her own story. And from past experience I have learned that Katie works on her own timetable. If you try to push her to learn something new, she sometimes becomes stubborn (where does she get that from?!) and refuses to play along. To use that trait to my advantage, I have to make it seem like the new activity was her idea. Potty training is a good example. We tried every recommended trick in the toddler book and she refused to use the potty. I recall one time we had her sitting on the potty for almost an hour and she just held her pee. So, after no success, we stopped trying to train her. Then one day a few months later, she up and used the potty by herself and has been doing so ever since with only two accidents. Anyhoodles, "speak" at you later. (Have you noticed how I like quotes and the word "anyway"? Yes? Good job for paying attention.)

Wednesday Morning Ramblings

"Be quiet.  Be wery, wery quiet.  We are hunting bunny rabbits." said Elmer Fudd.  Why the Saturday morning cartoon quote?  Well, Rick is giving a presentation on a conference call to India and even with the office door closed, we have to be wery, wery quiet.  "Ssssh" is my much repeated word this morning.  I have to say that important calls are the hardest part of a having husband who works from home.  No loud activities allowed, such as vacuuming, singing or making smoothies--GASP!! (Even though I have a new blender, it is rather loud.)  When Katie was younger and didn't understand, "Daddy is on the phone."it was challenging to keep her content.  Now, she is so much better, but I am still working on her to not to talk to me when I am on the phone, which is a pet peeve of mine.  Not just Katie talking to me, but anyone talking to me when I am on the phone.  Slip me a note, but don't try to engage me in a conversation.  Despite being very multi-task-able, I cannot carry on two conversations at once.  But you know what is my number one pet peeve?  It grates on me worse than nails on a chalkboard?  It is people eating while you talk to them on the phone.  While gainfully employed, I used to have to put the person on hold because I feared I'd scream out in utter disgust.

On to more pertinent things.  Last night Katie had a rather freak accident.  We have a bookcase for the office that we need to build.  The dissembled boards were in the hallway and Katie hit one with her toes, which caused a cut at the base of her second toe.  Katie freaks out when she hurts herself, especially when she sees blood.  By freaking out I mean she cries uncontrollably and I worry that she is going to hyperventilate.  I try to get her to do the mind over matter bit by herself, but she is not very successful.  Last night I started reading Tangled and that did the trick.  This morning she is limping around, so no taekwondo.  She has missed so much of her class due to illness and weather that she is forgetting what she has learned.  I believe our best option is to get her private lessons so nobody threatens to take a stripe away from her for regression.  I have asked her if she wants to quit taekwondo, and she definitely does not want to.  It appears that she just doesn't want to go everyday, which I can understand; however, it is necessary for her do so to retain the difficult new information.  What to do, what to do.

Yesterday we were under a winter storm warning.  The temperature quickly dropped from a warm 58 degrees F to below freezing.  We did get a dusting of snow overnight and the wind chill is -9, but no school cancellations.  I am tired of winter already.  Snow is more miserable for me here than in Michigan.  One factor, as I previously discussed, is that the area shuts down for days when it snows; however, I think it also has to do with the fact that it is not supposed to snow here.  I am in Texas for Pete's sake.  In Michigan you defeatedly resign yourself to winter storms and snow because it is a feature of the area; it's a fact of life.  Here it seems like such a punishment.

Anyhoodles, that is about it for Wednesday morning.  I have so much to do and little motivation to do it.

Wordy Post

I should stop promising to post on this blog because as soon as I do I get busy again.  It's like I jinx myself.  Anyway, I'll give you the round up of the last few weeks.

My in-laws visited us for about one week.  They were on their way to San Diego for a miniature show where my mother-in-law was selling her art.  On the way back from California, they stopped in Albuquerque to visited relatives and they didn't plan on stopping at our house.  They took US 380 from New Mexico and as they were cruising through Texas, they realized that they were not the far from us, so they stopped by for two nights.  That was a good surprise and to say Katie was ecstatic would be an understatment. Thankfully the house wasn't too much of a disaster area since we only had about 45 minute warning.  They are back in Florida now, but will be heading out next week for Atlanta.  I don't know how they do it.  All that traveling and driving.

I have been tossing around whether to get a puppy or not.  Without a doubt I want a White German Shepherd.  After Eric and Max, I cannot imagine getting any other type of breed.  Years ago I had two Dobermans.  All though they were intelligent, they didn't have the beauty and regality that Shepherds do.  I have been browsing the internet for breeders.  There is one here in West Texas, Odessa. I actually had looked all over the country, but I would hate to have the dogs shipped on an airline.  Having worked for an airline, I remember the dogs being brought to baggage claim with the other luggage.  So many stood in their uncomfortable metal cages and just shook. Furthermore, if it is over 85 degrees, the airlines won't fly your pet.  Anyhoodle, I was focusing on one male.  Then along comes Rick, Mr. Even Number Lover, and he states he would prefer two.  Seriously though, he thinks two dogs are easier to train than one.  Some people question our wanting two males, but with Eric and Max it worked out.  Eric was the dominant one and Max was a go-with-the-flow kind of dog.  So here I sit, hoping that the breeders next litter will have two male White German Shepherds.  The bitch is suppose to be bred this week so we will know shortly if it takes.  I also have to write a blurb about my family, our home, etc. since the breeder interviews each prospect buyer, which I wish more breeders would do.  If we are given the thumbs up, I need to send a deposit in to ensure we get first and second born males.  If there are no males or only one male, we get our deposit returned.  Am I excited?  Yes! But I also realize that it will be a full time job getting them trained.  Eric was alive when Katie was born (Max succumbed to hermagiosarcoma one month before she was born) so to Katie, it is odd not having a dog.  Yesterday Katie and I were playing pretend birthday party.  What that entails is making a birthday cake out of Play-Doh; one of us singing "Happy Birthday" to the other and the birthday girl making a wish while blowing out the Play-Doh candle.  Katie's wish was a puppy to run with her.  Perhaps she will get her wish.  I am trying to not talk too much about the puppies because there are a lot of factors that could derail our pursuit of dog ownership.  Especially when I recall that it took Rick about two years before his previous breeder had two brothers.

On the Katie front, after Rick's parents left the first time, she came down with a head cold.  We kept her out of taekwondo for a few days and when we brought her back, she had a difficult time remembering.  She has two stripes on her orange belt and one instructor threatened to take a stripe away.  Not crazy about threaten to motivate style of teaching.  Anyway, the trouble started a few days earlier when Katie was told to do five push-ups as a punishment for waving to someone while in class, which is okay with me.  However, Katie did not know what a push-up was.  Katie just stood there not saying a word.  The instructor proceeded to get louder in her push-up request ("Get on the floor girl!") and I could see Katie starting to break.  Thankfully, the instructor finally asked Katie if she knew what a push-up was.  Katie was scared at this point, so the instructor looked over at me and I shook my head.  The instructor then showed Katie and Katie did her push-ups.  During this exchange Katie was too intimidated to say she didn't know what a push-up was.  She thought she was supposed to know and feared if she said she didn't, the instructor would take a stripe.  I thought the issue was over; however, when she returned from her sick days she couldn't remember her form.  Per Katie the instructor told her, "I am not going to work your form with you.  You don't know it." and then walked away to help other kids.  This is also when she threatened to take a stripe away.  After the instructor moved on Katie just stood there while the other kids practiced their form and waited for an instructor critique.  I could tell something had thrown her.  Finally another instructor came to her and helped her with her form.  The push-up incident; the instructor's words and then walking away and the threat of a stripe removal resulted in Katie not wanting to do taekwondo.  When I questioned her on it, she told me what the instructor had said to her.  I had heard the part about taking a stripe away, but not the "I'm not going to work with you."  There is a chance that Katie misinterpreted what the instructor said, but Katie is adamant about what she heard.  I was upset because both Rick and I have noticed that Katie's large self confidence and ego were deflating.  In the car on the way home after the form episode, Katie informed me that she was mad at herself because she remembered nothing.  She even smacked herself in the head.  From then on Katie didn't want to go to taekwondo.  We finally convinced her to go Friday when we assured her that her favorite instructor would be teaching and not the one she "never wanted to see again."  The purpose of this long rambling recap is for me to remember it and not necessarily for you to read it.  Oops!  I should have said that at the start of the paragraph!  Anyway, I called the taekwondo center Friday to see who was teaching and the co-owner answered the phone and wanted to know why I was asking for the instructor schedule.  She correctly guessed that Katie was having a problem with one instructor and advised me that she could not fix it if I did not give her details.  So I did and hope, hope, hope I did not come off as one of THOSE parents.  I managed to keep emotion out of it and give the instructor the benefit of the doubt, but Katie is not.

Fast forward to last night, Katie woke up at about 11:30 pm after she threw up all over her bed.  The readers who are parents know that I was then washing laundry at midnight and Rick was cleaning Kate's bed and floor.  She threw up a few more times to the point that she had nothing left to deposit in the trash can.  This morning she seems better, but taekwondo is probably out of the question today.

So that's the low down on our lives.  I haven't taken any new pictures, but have to get it fixed before Katie's ballet recital.  Yesterday was in the 70's and today is supposed to be in the 60's, but tonight they predict snow/rain mix and a whopping 17 degrees.  The rest of the week will continue that trend.  Brrrr.  Thank goodness for electric blankets and fireplaces.

Week Round-Up

My mom ended up going into a rehab facility.  While in the hospital her shoulder popped out again and they feared she would try to use that arm if she went home.  She is supposed to be at the rehab facility for a couple of weeks.  The exact length depends on how well she does in physical therapy.  She is bored out of her mind  since she has no one with whom to talk.  The rehab facility also is an old folks home, so it has long term residents that can no longer live by themselves.  Most of them are off in the la-la land of old age.  Mom cannot wait to go home.  She would rather talk with my father who cannot speak than converse with fellow patients that are out of touch.

As for my dad, my sister Linda did an amazing job getting him situated.  She set up home health care for him, as well as meals on wheels.  Dad has been fairing pretty well.  My mother always said she had to do certain things for him, such as helping him put on his shirt.  So far, Dad has been putting a new shirt on everyday.  What can you say.  My father is a stubborn Finlander and is displaying what we call sisu.  The other day he asked his home health care person if he could get a Life Alert, so they are ordering one for him.

Katie and I went to The Nutcracker at the Paramount Theater in Abilene.  It is a gorgeous theater, but surprisingly small.  The Calumet Theater in the town in which I grew up is similar to the Paramount but bigger and slightly more classy.  (Again click the name to be taken to their website.  Back to the ballet, Katie and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  We were five rows back, so Katie got to see all of their fancy foot work close up.  Also, Katie's two ballet teachers performed and Katie was so excited when she spotted them.  The Nutcracker performed by Abilene Ballet Theater is no rinky-dink, small town show.  The costumes were gorgeous and the back drops massive and rich.  I was impressed.  As for the dancing, the part that I liked the most and that I consider the most beautiful is the Peacock's Dance.  Katie's teacher Mary Elizabeth Walker danced that part, as well as several others.  She was graceful and flowing as the Peacock.  From my limited knowledge of ballet, I thought she was the best dancer of the evening.

Now for a few pictures.

We bought Katie a zebra print office chair for her desk in her room.  She is quite proud of her chair for now she is like mommy and daddy, she has a desk, chair and computer.  In the above picture, she is wearing my reading glasses.  According to Katie, she had work to do at her desk and it was extremely important.  Since Rick wears readers when he works, Katie figured that is was a requirement for working.  I was surprised that she did not get a headache from wearing the glasses.  Rick is worried that they could actually harm her eyesight so I have hidden all of my readers.

This picture above is Katie and I ready to go to the ballet.  Actually, we stopped at the mall first to watch a Team Chip Tae Kwon Do demonstration and to do a little shopping.  I had Katie wear pants with her dress because I knew she would want to go to the mall's play area and that girl is not bashful about showing her underwear to the world.  I had Katie take her pants off in the car before we began our short walk to the theater.  Speaking of a short walk, we arrived about 50 minutes before the ballet started.  Parking in downtown Abilene is scarce.  I wasn't looking forward to hunting for a spot, but by getting there early, we only had to park one short block from the theater.  Since we had time to burn, we went into the Texas Star Trading Company (Click the name to be taken to their website.)  They have various items that celebrate Texas.  I picked up some pecan popcorn.  Oh man, was it good.  The fact that I had not eaten yet that day had something to do with the fact that I basically inhaled the popcorn.

The next few pictures are of Katie at a Tae Kwon Do class. The first two pictures crack me up.  In the first picture Katie and her fellow classmates are patiently waiting for class to begin.  In the second picture, I don't know what the boy next to her said or did, but the look on her face is as if he farted.  And no, you are not seeing double.  Katie is sitting between two twin brothers, a bad place for her because the twins have a hard time concentrating, standing still and obeying.  Katie actually gets irritated with them.

Below Katie is doing an cross arm/punch exercise and each time she throws her fist out, she did her Tae Kwon Do yell.  You can see her open mouth in this picture.

Below is Katie working on kicks with Mr. Kyle.

Here is Katie listening so intently to Mr. Kyle critique her kicks.

In other news, I am cooking a 21# turkey tomorrow.  We have some neighbors coming over and I am so looking forward for the Holidays to begin.  This really is a warm, nostalgic time of the year.  Any hoodle, Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you enjoy your turkey, as well as the turkey sandwiches, turkey soup and turkey casserole that you will be eating for the next week and a half.  Gooble, gooble!

Bronze and Gold

Today Katie took part in her first ever Tae Kwon Do competition.  She competed in the One Steps and her Form.  One Steps are assorted defensive moves where you disable your opponent.  Form is used to describe a series of moves unique to that belt color.  The forms can go up to 20+ and is rather like a TKD dance.

In the Form competition, Katie was required to do her form with another little yellow belt girl.  She started off great, but lost her place when she saw the other girl doing the form incorrectly.  She did manage to get to move 11, but she actually knows up to move 18.  Katie has only done her form once before with another yellow belt, but normally she does her form alone and I knew she would lose her focus because of the other girl.  Anyway, she got a bronze medal in that competition and she was as happy as a clam.  She kissed her medal. The little girl that she competed with got the gold, which I am not sure what they judge on because that girl did not do the proper moves.

In the One Step competition, Katie was once again up against two other kids.  She did three One Steps, Mosquito, Boom and  Elbow.  She did outstanding.  She elbowed the black belt that was acting as the attacker so hard in the chest that he lost his balance and wobbled.  (Katie was standing up and the black belt was kneeling.)  When the places were announced, Katie got first place and won a gold!

Rick and I will work more with her on her Form, as well as do the Form with her.  She has to get used to someone else beside her and still stay focused.  She could have taken the gold in that competition because her stances are strong in her Form.  That being said, the competition was valuable as we know what may trip Katie up in the next competition.  Also, we tried to emphasize the competition as a fun thing to do.  Rick believes that the younger she is when she starts competing, the less stressful competitions will be for her once she is older.  I agree with him.

Of course we took photos and shot video of Katie at the competition, and of course I will share them with you.

 Katie with Rick before the competition started.

 Katie comparing belts with another student who is from the Sweetwater Team Chip Tae Kwon Do Center.

Katie waiting for her gold medal in One Steps

Doing a superman pose and showing off her two medals.

After the competition, we headed to our little slice of property on North Lake Anson.  We own a pump house on the lake that was built when the missile site was constructed.  Our missile site is unique in that it got water from a lake as opposed to a well.  Anyway, we needed to do some cleaning in and around the pump house, so Katie got to enjoy the afternoon at the lake.

 Katie and Rick discussing what they need to do next.

Like I said, "little slice of property".  You cannot see the lake because the pump house is actually on a little hill.

We have had a busy weekend thus far and it will continue tomorrow for Katie and I as we are going to the Sugar Plum Fairy Tea at the Abilene Women's Club.  The dancers from Abilene Ballet Theater--where Katie takes her ballet lessons--will be performing a few dances from The Nutcracker.  If Katie really enjoys it I will  take her to the full ballet next week.  I am rather looking forward to our tea because we get to get all gussied up.  Til I have another update for this blog, ciao.