43

Yesterday, I kicked off my 43rd year.

It always seemed like my birthday signaled the beginning of the end of summer. 

However, this year, summer just started so I feel I've been in a bit of time warp.

Bottom line summer is cruising by way too fast for my liking.

That being said, it has been a pretty busy summer so maybe that has something to do with it.

For my birthday my little brother and his wife got me a ticket to the Loverboy, Pat Benatar and Journey show next week. 

Loverboy was my first concert at the very mature age of 13 (it was also a birthday present)

This show will be at the Gorge in George. 

The last time I was there was in was in '94 for Lollapalooza. 

Can't wait

:0)

Then and Now

~ Then ~

~ Now ~

Today is our 14th anniversary.

We've known each other since 9th grade.

29 years is a long time.

I think there is a lot to be said about knowing someone for so long. 

Here's hoping for 29 more.

:0)

Education is Expensive

I just realized that my teaching certificate will expire Aug '13.  I started to panic.  I need to take 15 credits or 150 clock hours in order to renew.  I started checking into it and I'm a little dishearted.  Education is expensive.  When I was actually teaching in a real job, I would take classes, spend a bunch of money to take them and then get a little raise to help off set the costs.  Now that I'm subbing my pay stays the same no matter how many classes I take.  Despite the fact that I've almost maxed out the pay scale when it comes to education credits, I make the same subbing as a first year teacher.  I have to say there is little motivation to renew especially with the fact I have a "can sub for life" certificate. 
While part of me wants to let my cert expire the other half keeps playing the "what if your dream job comes along" card.  I haven't taught my own class since 2001 and I haven't taught full time since 1998, but the thought of NEVER going back seems weird to me.  Some days I really miss teaching and other days I'm sooo glad to be going to lunch and getting pedis with my girlfriends. 
I'm very lucky to be in a situation where I can choose to work.  I sub because my friends are teachers and need me.  I don't go on random sub jobs and I don't work all the time.  I like that.  I don't need to re-up my cert to continue to do that.  It will cost around $1000 plus "seat time" to renew and with no raise in pay to offset, I'm just not sure what to do. 
All I do know is education is expensive.

Who Loves Ya Baby

So today is Valentines Day.We keep things pretty low key here at Chez Yoko.

This year Joj really pulled out the stops and surprised me with a pretty neat-o surprise.

I've always regretted not seeing the 1984 tour when Van Halen, and not to mention Diamond David Lee Roth, was in their prime. Well now they are back and I've got tickets!! 

Of course, the best part is that Joj knows me so well. 

I'm a lucky girl

Happy Valentines Day!!

:0)

Hearding Cats

I am spending this week subbing in my friend's Kindergarten class.

I can not think of a more perfect phrase to sum up the experience of working with Kindergarteners in September.
It can be a whole lot of crazy, but it sure is a lot of fun.
:0)

Thirteen years and counting

Today's is our 13th anniversary.

This picuture was taking the day before we graduated from high school back in '87.

Good thing one of us has matured since then.

:0)

18 days

In 18 days and a handful of hours I will be running another 5K.

I can't decide if I'm excited or not.

I haven't run since my last 5K in December.


Well, I did today and my body is a little less than happy.

I've been pretty good with my working out, but elliptical work is sadly much different than road work.

My goal is to run 8 more times before the race.

Ambitious? yes. Doable? totally

:0)

The eyes are the first to go...

Well, it looks like despite my best efforts/denial I'm getting glasses. I finally had to cave when driving at night became a little more scary than it should be. I guess I have an astigmatism, which means I see halos around things, especial lights. Those blue headlights are the worst and LED signs are practically unreadable. I got to the point where it was so bad, I was okay with getting glasses. However, when he told me I might need bifocals, I started to freak out.

Seriously, I'm too young for bifocals, right?? After putting up my best pout, the dr. gave me a stay of execution, but said "next year won't be the case". Bummer. I guess it isn't so much the actual glasses as it is the potential of dependency on them. I just keep seeing Velma loosing her glasses and being blind a bat. When I asked if there was anything I could do help strengthen my eyes the dr. said "nope" and that was the end of it.

So now I'm just waiting for my new "eyes" to come in. I got the okay to just wear them at night when I drive, but he said, "you never know, you might actually enjoy being able to see".
I guess we will just have to wait and see about that.
:0)

Aquagirl

I LOVE the water.
I truly believe this is the real me.

However, if I want to look like this

I need to do more of this

I taught swimming for 10 years. I swam competitively for 7, but I HATE swimming laps. So boring. I guess if I'm going to make swimming part of my regime, I should look into one of these.

Today Holly and I met at the pool at 5:30 am only to find the pool opened at 5:45. It took everything we had to stay awake. When we finally got in the pool we discovered they keep it at 86 degrees so swimming laps felt like we were swimming in this.

:0)

Make it Work

I mentioned before that one of my goals was to rid my life of clutter. The place I'd most like to see this happen is my body. Ugh. Always a battle. A while back, I posted that my friend Holly inspired me to sign up for my first 5K. I did it and survived. We then signed up for a triathlon. I survived that too. However, this year I've decided I want to do more than just survive.

For the past year and half I've been dragging myself out of bed at the ungodly hour of 5:30 a few times a week to "workout". That has looked very different at times, but usually it meant a 3 mile walk with some friends. Our neighborhood is hilly so we would huff and puff, but mostly get caught up on all the latest goings ons ~ quality girlfriend time. While it fed the soul, the body needed more.

I decided that if I'm going to go through the effort of getting up that early, I needed to see some results, real results. That meant putting the "work" in working out. Go figure??
One of my favorite Seinfeld quotes is from his dad talking about his heath regime ~ "I eat a plum everyday, that is my regime". Unfortunately, it takes more than that. So I've come up with a regime that will hopefully keep me from getting bored and help strengthen my body.

Sunday~ Step class
Monday ~ rest
Tuesday ~ elliptical/treadmill
Wednesday ~ swim
Thursday ~ elliptical/treadmill
Friday ~ rest
Saturday ~ run


Of course, I couldn't do it without my girlfriends. A support system is crucial to keep you honest and hold you to task when you would rather veg on the couch. I know moving more is on every one's mind this time of year, but if I can do it, ANYONE can do it. The first time I ran I made it two blocks and thought I was going to die. Now I can run three miles and no medics need to be called. That feels pretty good.

Finding the Balance...

When I started this blog I had the tagline "Finding the balance while fitting the clutter".
As I think about my New Year's resolutions I'm finding "clutter" seems to be a constant theme.
So for 2011 I've decided to declutter the following:
my mind, my body and of course my home
I've spent the past two days starting to clean out the closest that are used to "hide" stuff when we "clean". I'm so over the stuff. I've already got bags for Goodwill and even my Christmas stuff is going to be pared down as I pack it away. If I don't love it, its gone.

As for the old body, well, that is as always a work in progress. The plan is to step up the workouts. I'm doing another Tri this summer and my goal is to finish in enough time to do the kid tri with Sammie (she doesn't know this yet) I'm also going to be more mindful of what we eat ~ that means more veggies (Ben and Sam are thrilled with this one).

Last up, the mind. Basically, I'm going to try and be more "half full" and not awfullize.

I know those seem kind of vague, but that is my starting point. I have more specific ways I want to achieve these and I will share those in later posts. Hopefully, as I work on these aspects the balance I seek will come.

Wishing you all the best for 2011

:0)

What a whirlwind

Summer Salutations
Is it just me but this summer has been speeding by? Ours certainly is but not without some very festive moments. Probably the biggest event of my summer was turning the big 4-0. Yikes, am I really that old? (I guess it is better than alternative)



Last week I said goodbye to my thirties with a good group of friends. We did dinner at one of my favorite restaurants Stanley and Seaforts. If you live in the south sound region you really should try this place. It is a bit chichi, but go for happy hour and get the appetizer tower. Super yummy. Not to mention the view of Tacoma and Commencement Bay is gorgeous.


Last year, my buddy Holly took part in a local triathlon (the Federal Escape) as member of the Olympic distance relay. She, her sister and her sister-in-law each did one of the three legs. Holly did the 1.2 mile swim. It was so inspirational to watch her as she came out of the water. I thought maybe I could do that too. So last August I began to train. Now it certainly wasn't anything intense or scary, it basically meant getting up off the couch (or away from the computer) and start moving. The first time we ran I was able to run about 2 blocks and the thought of an actual triathlon was just no where on the radar. However, I stuck with it and on July 25th I completed my triathlon. It was so hot and I wasn't able to run as much as I had hoped but I finished and it felt really good. It also helped that a group of us did it together and we were there to cheer each other on along with friends and family.

That night I celebrated competing the tri and turning 40 with a good old "back in the day" spodie. The combination of good food, friends, drink and the exhaustion of earlier in the day kind of put me out of commission for a few days, but it was worth it. I never felt so loved by my friends. You know you have good friends when they will stand over hot stoves and cook for you when the temps are in the 90's. Joj did a great job of pulling it off and I was so grateful to everyone who helped him do it.
Other than that our summer has been pretty lazy. We have been a semi-permanent feature at the pool. However the last few days have been HOT. Now us W. WA folks don't do HOT. It is supposed to hit 103 today. We have A/C but is broken. I'm sitting her waiting for the repair guy to come out and hopefully fix it. (I'm hoping we won't have to sell both kids to pay for the repairs, but it is in the 90's and we need our A/C) At least with the heat I haven't been baking as much. I bought a cherry pitter to make some cherry pies, but my kids ate the prepped cherries and now it is just too hot. I did make a Lemon Chiffon Pie today and that was good, nice and cool and very refreshing.
Speaking of baking, I was featured on Jesus Loves a Casserole over at Timi's blog. She is such a hoot and I was so jazzed she picked my little Rhubarb Bars. If you like Rhubarb, or have a bunch of it and don't really want to make a pie, give this a try. Super easy and pretty. It is a great change of pace from lemon bars. They are sweet, but somewhat addictive.
Well, that is about it for now. I'm hoping that my blogging mojo will return with the cooler weather. Hope you all are having as much fun this summer as we are.
Happy Wednesday Everyone!!

I survivied!!

Yesterday I completed my first 5k.
I didn't die and the fact that actually ran about half of it makes me pretty happy. My goal was to do it in 45 minutes (if you are a runner and are laughing at my goal time, I don't care) and that is what I did it in. The plan was to run the flat and downhills and walk as fast as I could on the uphills. Now I have long legs and I have a pretty long walking stride. My running stride is pretty short, so I figured it would all even up in the end and it did. I have to say though, the last mile was all up hill. It was not fun, but I did it. Of course, I had to make the last couple hundred yards look good so I ran nice and hard (the fact it was downhill helped) Although, I did not realize that right before the finish there was a slight incline and I thought "oh crap, my legs are going to give out with 15 feet to go."
I sucked it up and crossed the finish. Now considering my training was pretty much non existent, I'm very happy with my performance. In two weeks there is another 5k up in Kent and rumor has it the rout is FLAT. I think Holly and I are going to do that one as well. Hopefully, my sore little legs will have recovered by then.

Since Holly and the others I was "running" with actually could run, I was pretty much by myself. I did have Bon Scott to keep me company. We started the race to "Highway to Hell" and finished strong to "If You Want Blood, You've Got It". Both songs seemed so fitting.

Tonight Holly and I are heading up to Seattle for a little Girls' Night Out. We are going to the Triple Door to see the Paperboys. I haven't seem them before, Holly has. She says they put on a good show, but even if they don't we will still have fun :0)

Personality

I saw this over at WSU Laura and I thought I would see what it had to say about me. I think it is pretty accurate and very interesting considering some things that are going on right now.

Your personality type:

Quiet, reflective and idealistic. Interested in serving humanity. Well-developed value system, which they strive to live in accordance with. Extremely loyal. Adaptable and laid-back unless a strongly-held value is threatened. Usually talented writers. Mentally quick and able to see possibilities. Interested in understanding and helping people.

Careers that could fit you include:

Writers, artists, counselors, social workers, English teachers, fine arts teachers, child care workers, clergy, missionaries, psychologists, psychiatrists, scientists, political activists, editors, education consultants, journalists, religious educators, social scientists.

Artwork by Mary Lou Reed

Yay, Me!!

So I survived my birthday. I'm 39, no big whoop. Thanks to everyone who stopped by and reassured me things would be okay. Of course, they are. PMS and birthdays probably aren't the best combination. Even though I was kind of dreading this birthday, I have to say I'm actually looking forward to my 40th. I'm going to have a good old 80's spodie. I figure if I start telling Joji now, it will sink in and might actually happen.
Something else I have decided to do for my 40th is a triathlon. My friend Holly has totally inspired me to try it. This Saturday she is doing a triathlon rely. She is doing the swimming leg. Tonight she called to see if I wanted to swim. Sure, why not. I haven't really swam, swam in a lake in a while. Sure we puttered around Lake Washington a couple of weeks ago, but this distance swimming (a half of mile or so). Holly has been training for a while now and I wasn't sure I would be able to keep up. But I did and it feel really great. This was definitely a boost to the old ego and a jump start to get back into the "healthier me" thing (again)
Yes, I watched Oprah the other day about aging. I figured this was a good time to kick it into gear. My goal is to move the big "cachunk" on the dr.'s scale two clicks to the left (I hope that makes sense) by next summer. I will never be a skinny minnie. I just want to look better. So that is my "yay, me" for today.
Thanks for letting me share :0)

30's Farewell Tour

Today kicks off the final year of my thirties.
I'm not sure how I feel about it.
Joji turns 40 in 3 months.(That makes me feel better)
:0)

Twentysomething v. Thirtysomething

I was barely twentysomething when thirtysomething was on the air. I LOVED this show. I totally wanted to be Hope Steadman. A stay at home mom with great hair and an amazing house. Every Tuesday, I was glued to my tv. In college we had to watch in on a 12" black and white that didn't get the best picture, but we didn't care. I found this world fascinating. I figured in just a few short years this would be me and it was very exciting.
One of the things that I remember vividly is that I didn't get the Elliot and Nancy thing. I was irritated when episodes would focus on them. They seemed so messed up and it was draining to watch them. Fast forward 10 years...
As many TS fans know, finding this show on TV is nearly impossible. Every now and then it will have a brief run on a network and just as you get re-hooked, they yank it off the air. When Sammie was born we were trying to survive without cable. Unfortunately, one can only watch so many infomercials for Girls Gone Wild: Barely Legal during those 2am feedings. Joji being the peach that he is, somehow, someway, scored me most of the thirtysomething episodes on VHS. I was THRILLED!!!!
So now here I am, actually a thritysomething stay at home mom (trying to have good hair and still dreaming of the house with the big porch) watching my favorite show, but with a totally new set of eyes.
This time around I totally get Nancy and Elliot. They are the "real" ones. Their journey is the one that is real and honest. I LOVE Elliot. Hope and Michael now seems so hollow as people and really irritating (okay, Michael was always whinny and irritating, but he seemed even worse this time around).
For years there has been speculation as to when this show will come to DVD. Hopefully soon. I'm not a big "must own it on DVD" kind of gal, but you can bet I will be making room in the bookshelf for this.

38 things about Me

Since today is my 38th birthday (yikes) I thought I would share 38 fun facts about myself.
38 things about me
1. When my mom was in labor with me, my dad left the hospital to watch the moon landing. I was born the next day.
2. I was named after Dr. Laura Horton on Days of Our Lives
3. I have 2 “little” brothers who are taller than me
4. My dad can’t figure out why I’m freakishly tall (5’9.5”) and my brothers are only kinda tall (6’ & 6’2”)
5. I traveled from Kentucky to Washington State in a box on the back seat.
6. I met my best friend in Kindergarten and still call her Jenny P.
7. My favorite memory of elementary schools was the Friday sing alongs. I recently ran into the teacher who lead them and thanked her.
8. My Jr. High math teacher, Mr. Jensen, inspired me to be a math teacher (despite a 19% in his class), but when I realized I would have to major in math I knew it was not meant to be. I still run into Mr. Jensen and we laugh about this.
9. I held a record at my Jr. High that lasted 20 years and was finally retired when they switched to a middle school.
10. I managed and kept score for my Jr., Sr., and college wrestling teams. I love wrestling.
11. I spent my summers working as a lifeguard/ professional tanner and swim instructor.
12. I chose swimming over volleyball (even though I loved volleyball) because I thought I had a better chance to letter. I missed lettering by 2 points.
13. The summer before our Sr. year, Jenny P. and I went to southern California and 2nd degree sunburns did not keep us from hitting the beach.
14. I was a Sr. class officer so that I could choose the date of Prom so it would not conflict with the state meet.
15. Joji took me to Prom.
16. I couldn’t go to the community college I wanted to because they didn’t have a woman’s track team. I was made an honorary member of the Highline Men’s Track team.
17. I lived in the “Castle” when I attended Central Washington.
18. My friends and I survived on Pizza Hut salads and Supermother hamburgers from “the Tav”
19. I double majored in Elementary Ed and Special Ed.
20. I student taught at my old Jr. High and could not call my old teachers by their first names.
21. Before my first real interview, the woman I would be working with said, “we are going to have so much fun working together”. I got the job
22. I have taught Basic Skills (Title 1/LAP), ½ multi-age, second grade and Kindergarten . I have also been a librarian and teacher trainer. I like Kindergarten the best.
23. In 1995, Joji looked me up in the phonebook and called to wish me a happy birthday. We have been together ever since
24. Joji proposed to me at school and some students thought he was Governor Gary Lock.
25. I picked our wedding date based on getting an extended spring break from school.
26. We honeymooned in Spain (just like Elliot and Nancy Weston)
27. I quit working when Ben was 2 and began my adventures in “stay at home” land
28. I miss teaching and still buy things for my future classrooms although I don’t see going back until Sammie is much older (15 or so)
29. Being the control freak that I am, I’m on a million committees at Ben’s school and the president of Sammie’s preschool. Joji can’t understand why I left a paying school job for non paying school jobs.
30. I really enjoy the Seattle Mariners and one of my most treasured items is a note from retired M’s catcher Dan Wilson. My new crush is Richie “The Big Sexy” Sexson.
31. I love to cook and bake. However the day to day stuff is really boring and can be a challenge. I just can’t cook something if it doesn’t sound good.
32. I enjoy the “idea” of gardening, but I am finding auto sprinklers are a MUST especially with a western exposure.
33. I have embraced technology, but miss the “more hands on” ways of doing things.
34. The other day Sammie told me to “hit pause” while I was talking so she could ask me a question.
35. I love the fact that Ben still wants me to tuck him in at night and I know that will be ending soon as he becomes a “tween”.
36. I tend to live in C.H.A.O.S, but I am working on it. This is the summer of decluttering and organization.
37. Sometimes I forget what I was talking about mid sentence, but I never forget a face and my mind is a steel trap for any useless trivia I can find.
38. It has NEVER rained on my birthday. Today will be the test since we have had a week of straight rain, but I woke up to sun breaks so I'm optimistic.