Update and a Little Competitve Check

Well I'm working through my last week and a half of school before the holidays and I am sooooo excited and just ready to be out of the school for a while... oh and being on a beach in Australia will be ok too :)
So I found out this week that I am losing another one of my elementary students. It's crazy how fast they come and go at times. So this time is was Jasmine from one of my favorite elementary classes. She asked me to please remember my camera and take some pics because she was really going to miss us and wanted some pictures to remember our class. So that's exactly what we did. Here's the class... Molly, Jasmine, Nina, lil Daniel and myself. And yes, Daniel is quite the character... he wanted to stand out in this pic.

On Thursday, we took our preschool kids to a play called 'Strange Soup'. The kids loved it and it was a lot of fun to get out and do something different. We've kind of been locked in the school with all this swine flu stuff going on, so this is the first field trip we've gone on in the last few months. Here's a pic of some of my kiddies munching on some lunch before we headed back to the school.

And of course I had to get a photo with my bus partner, Shaina. Sh'es a doll. She's one of my newer students, but I have sure grown to love her quickly!!

So as some of you may know, I haven't picked a basketball up in 9 months and it's been really hard at times. I usually get my competitive drive out on the court, but it's been a little different this year. I've had to rely on my competitive kids to challenge me. I thought maybe I was losing a lil drive and becoming a little more chillax when it came to sports or really any competition. Nice try Kristen...

One of our newer teachers, Jacquie, has started coming to the same gym as me. I've been trying to recruit any teacher I can just because I enjoy having a gym friend that I can actually speak English with. The first time we went together, she said she was going to run on a treadmill a few down from me because she was intimidated and wasn't in as good of shape. I thought it was silly, but let it go.

So tonight we went to the gym together after a long week at work. She got in the gym before me and jumped on a treadmill and when I got in, I took the treadmill right next to her. She asked me about what interval program to do. I told her to start with the 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off one and if it was too easy than she could move to the 45 seconds on, 15 seconds off (the one I do). So we both started on our runs. She started at the same pace as me, but on the program below me. We did our first 20 minute interval run, but I usually do 2 or 3 before I'm done. I slipped away to get a drink before I started my second session and when I came back she had started a new program, which I thought was awesome. So I got back on my treadmill and, of course, glanced over to see what she was doing. Turns out she had moved up to the same interval program as me AND had also increased her speed a little faster than mine. I started my program as I normally would, but quickly had my competitive side kick in. The thought 'if she thinks she can run faster than me and me be ok with that, than she doesn't know me very well' and I moved my speed 3 notches more than her and finished my workout. Did I prove anything? No. Did it feel good? Heck yah it did!!! I know it's silly, but I had a lil smile realizing that my stellar and perhaps silly competitive drive was still kicking around half way across the world :)

This weekend should be fun. I'm planning on spending Saturday with Amanda Sawatka and her son Alexander. We're going to go to a movie on base and then I'm gonna spend the night with them. Amanda's husband is out of town, so we're gonna have a lil girls night with Alexander... lucky boy :) Sunday I'll prob be at the Roger's house AND Lori texted me today to let me know that a package from the Tolman's has arrived, so I will be opening that on Sunday (note: Lynz you need to be around your Saturday night ok ok). The Rogers were lucky enough to get some of the special Lynn Hill's chocolates and PJ immediately had the idea that he wanted to learn how to make them and do so during Christmas break. So I'm assuming that I will be spending some time over there trying to help in any way I can. I'm sure I will be wishing that I had paid a little more attention while mom was busy preparing for chocolate season. I must say though, I think I've got the rolling and dipping part down. My many days sitting on the freezers eating oranges gave me more than enough experience in those departments :) After this week, I have 3 more days of work and then it's holiday time!!!! I can't wait!!