::grins::

IT'S RAINING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I Know Your Tired of Hearing About It...

But I will never get tired of talking/posting about it. Four more days until I am at Ashram, and Joy is at Ashram too :-) It has been a long time since I have had a sibling that is actually related to me there, and I say it's about time. Someone whom I won't mention names ::cough:: Laralyn ::cough:: was making fun of me on Monday about really like little old ladies... but it's not just liking little old ladies, it's being with people who know what it is to struggle, who know what it is to be there for you, who understand that you don't always know why things happen, or even what is happening. People who are full of wisdom, especially when that wisdom is knowing that a good long hug can sometimes just lift the burdens off of your shoulders, at least for a time.

I don't understand when people tell me that they can't relate to adults. Yes you can probably have a conversation with them, but they "don't understand". I just don't get that. I would say that probably when it really comes down to it, and I've been thinking about this a lot being as I am so incredibly excited about Ashram: Some of my closest friends, the people that I trust, the people that I know are there for me, are pushing 60 or even 70. So if you don't understand how someone could relate to a person 50 years older than you, just know, it can happen, and if you come to Ashram you could see it, and I am 99% sure that you would come away with another friend at least 40 years older than you are.

Anyone Play CCG?

Well, now that it is summer, I was wondering if there is anyone out there who plays: Magic, Star Wars (I have 3 different kinds I think) or any other TCG/CCG that they would lend me some cards. And if so, do you want to play?

(If none of that made any sense to you, count yourself blessed :-P)

Another Post on Ashram

I am ready to go. This Ashram is going to be a lot different from many Ashrams before, mostly because there will be a lot of people who will not be there... and I will miss them a lot. But I am ready. I need rest. I need family.

A Weak Off

I am ready for Ashram, not just because it is Ashram (which I am ready for that too) But my body wants a weak off. I have so many plans for how differently I would run my own gymnastics studio, one of which would be less conditioning. I know that it makes you stronger and its good for you, but spending a full hour of a three hour class on warm-ups and conditioning is a bit excessive I think. So, my body is ready for a break to just relax and heal. And I am ready for a break from my computer. A full weak with absolutely no email, or blogs, or flickr... I'm ready, in fact, I may start sooner than Ashram, but we will see.

The Votes Are In!

I read my ballots last night, something that I have been putting off... yeah, me thinks I should have put it off a bit longer. Just a tad frustrating, ok, so a lot frustrating.

Ashram is Soon Ariving!

I have totally lost track of time, I can't believe that Ashram is coming so quickly. I will be going back to my family. The Ashramites truly are my family, and they truly are a blessing. 17 Days.

Backwards Emotions

It seems as though the farther we are getting from Nationals, the more that our record bugs me. When I found out that we were 2-4 it didn't really matter, I was a little disappointed, but it wasn't all that important to me. But now, it's starting to bother me. I knew that I wasn't debating my best, and I just couldn't seem to get going soon enough in my rounds. I wasn't debating my best, but I still think we should have done better. I haven't read the ballots yet (maybe I should do that) but my mom said that there were some interesting reasons why they voted against us, so I guess I should go see what those were. I guess its just another tournament... but it was just another tournament I expected to do well at.

For the Love of the Sport

I had a great conversation with Miss Melanie Ellsworth on Sunday about gymnastics, and she said something that really got me thinking: "really they just don't get it" This was said in reference to her parents, and I completely agree. Maybe they do, but it doesn't seem that they understand what its like to be in the gym. To work your butt off because you love it and there isn't anything you would want to be doing more right then, even if it does mean sacrificing ripped hands and bruised legs to make your kip on the bar (or even not doing your kip, but still trying), or getting a beam bite because you tried just a little bit harder to stay on.

It's different.

It's different then practicing at home. Doing a handstand in the hallway isn't anything like doing a handstand out on the mat. It's the same handstand, but yet it is so much different. It's family, I can spend just as much time talking to my coach about the results of the National Homeschool Debate tournament as I can just about anyone, and more so than I can most of the people that are in my family. There is a connection that is far different and in some ways far deeper. If I could I would spend my life at the gym... oh wait, I already do :-P

I want to spend the rest of my life doing gymnastics, and inspiring other people to do it as well. I want to own my own studio. I want to change the face of competition gymnastics. I want to take a bunch of 15 year old kids to the level 5 competition and kick butt! I want people to realize that motivation has two forms: fear, and love, and that the former should never be used. I want gymnastics to be a sport where you continue on for as long as your love of it continues. I want to compete level 8 when I am 40 years old, just to show them that it can be done. But for now its all just a dream. Maybe one day, it will become a reality.

A Season Ended

Well... Debate is over for the year. I learned a lot during Nationals, most of which had absolutely nothing to do with debate. It was fun, disappointing, but fun. We had the worst record I believe that we have had all year (2-4) and most of the club was in the same boat. Kirby and Stephanie on the other hand were 6-0 which was hecka sweet. Lots of IEs did well too. But, rain, dancing, sitting at the airport, having a life crisis ;-), and the go-zebo all made it a great tournament. Those are the things that I will remember. And the one thing that made the whole trip worth it: I got some hecka sweet shoes.

Almost there!!! ... rip

What a beautiful day. The judges may be a little weirded out by my handshake at Nationals if my hands don't heal soon... yeah, long hang kips. I almost have it, but not quite. I got these instead.

Finishing up

Well, I am going to try to get just about everything finished today (formatting, etc,) so that I can print everything tomorrow (which will probably take a lot of paper) and then spend Saturday, the part of Sunday that I am home, and some time on the plane on Monday reading everything... all a gazillion pages worth. Only 7 more briefs to go...

Prayer Request: sleep. I need it, and am not getting much of it.

Another Random Quotation

I love how this book is written, yeah, so it's not an intalectual book, but I needed something to do while I spend hours on debate this week (it's a book on CD)

"You know how Hemingway writes? He couldn't write about this girls face, because he would say something like 'it was a pretty face' and that wouldn't be enough. This face needs someone like Dickens or maybe Tolstoy. Someone who would take a whole page and spend some time on her eyebrows and her cheeks, or maybe notice the shape of her mouth when she's concentrating on walking with her cane."

"Their machines are big and shiny, and they whir and hum. But do they really know more than some stone-age which doctor with a rattle and a guard full of ground up frog bones?"
Things Not Seen - Andrew Clements