What a great day! Finals are finally over. (You can probably tell how much fun those were by my last few posts.) This break should be very relaxing…and hopefully I will get a lot accomplished. I’m a bit broke now, so I will be working quite a lot…I don’t mind though, I really like working at Supreme and Madtown.

I don’t know if I have put this link in, but Click here to see more fitness pictures from last summer. I’m warning you, some of them are a bit scary. Especially this one.

Tomorrow I am going to my friend Erica’s wedding. I can’t believe she is getting married. She is more than ready, and I’m happy for her…but she’s MY AGE! Yikes, I’m getting old.

On Sunday I will be leaving for Indiana to hang with my dad’s nutty (kidding…sort of) side of the family for the week. I would go to Florida to see my mom’s relatives, but they are Jewish…so Christmas isn’t really that much fun there. :)

By the way…this is a picture of my new Kitty! At the time she was trying to get away and squirming...I guess I thought that was pretty funny. Sorry it took so long to get these taken. She’s a crazy little thing, but one of the cutest I have seen. In fact, she’s clawing up my jacket right now….REAL cute.

I’ve already gotten two Christmas presents! (That’s how many I got last year!) Megan gave me a musical Backstreet Boys pin…it’s SO COOL! Mike got me The Princess Bride on DVD (my ALL TIME favorite movie) and the new Britney Spears CD! Yippie!

I’m off to bed, gots to work in the morning. But I don’t have to study!!!

K, a few people want to know what I want for Christmas. No, I'm not asking for gifts, this is mainly for my Dad, Aunt, and cousins.

Sony's CCD-TRV68 Handycam
-Anything Backstreet Boys :)
-Anything for Kitty
-If anybody would be willing to pay my fee to start back up into Master's team for Karate...that would be nice. :)
-That moondust sparkle lotion from bath and body works is pretty cool
-Elvis could use some stuff for his cage.
-I can ALWAYS use workout clothes.

Oh My God.

I’ve had no sleep…all I’ve been doing is studying. I had two finals today, and one more on Wednesday. I can’t take any more of this. Not only am I not used to studying, I’m also not used to losing sleep. I’ve been loopy all day. Seriously, I had an intimate conversation with my cat this morning. I giggle for no reason. Anyway, I took two finals today. I honestly have no idea how I did on either one. I could be a good student and go look in the book to see if I got some questions right, but if I see one of those books one more time I may hurl.

What really confuses me is how people say college will be the best years of my life. If that is true, then the rest of my life is really going to suck ass. I am SO sick of having to take classes that have no relevance to what I will be doing for the rest of my life. Like one of my exams for today was in research methods. This is a class designed for kinesiology students who plan to go on to grad school. I will not be doing that (thank god). So why didn’t I get to opt out of it? Because COLLEGE IS STUPID. Seriously, if I had spent the past for years getting many different personal trainer and exercise specialist certifications, and keeping up with all of the research journals I would be much more knowledgeable in my field that I am now. Thanks to college I know more about African stories and philosophy than I care to know. So with this bitter attitude, I must continue to study….biomolecular chemistry. In case one of my clients is interested in how their DNA is replicated.

Well, so much for that pull-up contest. I did 17 and he did 22…but I must say, his last five were PRETTY weak. The other people in the weight room said I should have won. I wagered a 7-mile run, so guess what I will be doing on Saturday? Fun fun!

So finals start in a few days. I should be studying, but for some reason I feel like I am already in break. That is BAD. I have spent this entire morning downloading Christmas music. But I probably shouldn’t be getting into the spirit quite yet…since I have to STUDY ALL STINKIN WEEKEND!

So yesterday Elvis (my gecko) almost lost his life again. Some of you may remember the incident last summer where Ezra (the cat I was taking care of for a friend) bit off his tail. Well, I’m pleased to announce his tail is almost completely grown back. Yesterday I needed to clean out his cage and change the sand. I set him on my bed not thinking much of it…when all of a sudden I hear kitty running. Kitty was chasing Elvis in circles on the bed…the Elvis took a flying leap off of the bed (a HUGE jump for him). She chased him under the bed for a while, and I couldn’t reach them. Finally I threw Moo Cow at Kitty and that gave Elvis a chance to hide. Whew, that was close.

I finally figured out what I am getting Mike for Christmas. I won’t be able to afford food for a few weeks, but at least he has a cool present!!! (kidding) Well, I probably should get something done before practice. Bye Bye!

I'm sick...again. Why do I always get sick? When I was younger, I was the one who NEVER got sick. Even through high school. People tell me it's because I'm exposed to so many people...but I was around even more people in high school. I think it's the stress. Ever since college, my life has been a big ball of stress. It's been fun at times, but mostly stressful. I know that is my fault by putting so much on my plate and trying to eat it all at once...but still, why do I have to keep getting sick!!!

Another problem, I'm getting fat. whoa whoa, slow down. I'm not FAT, just a lot bigger than I have been. Here's a number...from last summer when I did my fitness competition, I have gained 25 pounds. Now, there is no way I want to be as skinny and anorexic as I was in August, I would like to be a bit leaner so I can get this big but of mine over 13 feet pole vaulting. I think it's pretty funny that, for the most part, my job and my major revolve on helping people lose weight...yet I am the biggest yoyo dieter around!

School will be completely over in 7 days. I don't know if I can make it a whole week; especially since this week is so important. I'm really glad I only have 3 finals...none of which should be super hard.

Today is my last adapted fitness class. I will be the TA for it next semester! Anyway, Tim (the professor) and I always have a challenge at the end of the semester. This year it's pull ups. Everybody in the class (even the helpers) have to guess who can do more. If their person loses, then they have to do something (like run a mile, or 200 sit-ups). Since I'm a bit under the weather, I'm a little worried on how this might turn out...

Well, I've gotta finish a BioMolecular Chem assignment before I go to class. Bye!

My car was covered in frost this morning...way not cool.

Nothing too major has happened in the land of Shana over the past few days. I worked quite a bit at Madtown last weekend, then on Sunday Mike built Cleo a cat post. It's pretty cool! We just have to put a little more carpet on it, then it's done! Kitty's post will be next.

Finals are coming up next week then...freedom! At least for a little while. I think I'm going to go up to Minnesota for the first few days of break, then on the 22nd, my friend Erica is getting married. Yikes! I'm really looking forward to her wedding. One of the best distance females in the nation is marrying one of the best distance males in the nation. I'll put money on those kids. :)
Then I plan to spend a week in Indiana. Hopefully they won't fill me with so much food!!! After Indiana I will go up to Hudson for a day or two (if that's okay with you Mike) and do the New Year's eve thing up there. Then I will be working more than full time for the rest of break. Yippie!
Okay, all of this break talk is getting me antsy. I have tons of work to get done this week.

Oh hey, has anybody else been getting an unusual number of viruses recently? I'm getting at least 5 a day now. I'm so glad Mike installed Norton Anti-Virus. Anyway...if you are one of the culprits...quit sending them to me!!! Oh man, I get my flu shot today. I have to be the oldest person still afraid of shots. What is really funny is how I willingly got the nook of my ear pierced, and now the trainer will have to drag me kicking and screaming to get my flu shot. Young people...go figure. :)
K, off to class!

Day 1:
Mike and I get up at the butt crack of dawn to get to the airport…I refuse to get up, so Mike throws his 300-pound (although she is darn cute) cat on me. We were not quite prepared for the increased security at the airport. I had to take this computer out of my bag, and put it through separately. They checked my ID THREE times. Once I got through the metal detector a lady pulled me aside and felt me ALL OVER. We’re talking between the legs and everywhere. Then they needed to look through Mike’s bag. After a bit of searching, they found…a leatherman! What a dork! After everything that’s been going on, Mike forgets to take his knife out of his carry on. Then we finally made it to the gate in time for last call. The guy decided he was going to search my bag again. They opened EVERY pocket, my wallet, everything. They even pulled out my personal items and inspected those!!! Then there was Moo Cow. Some of you know that this is my favorite stuffed animal who travels with me anywhere. I don’t like to put him in a bag where he can’t breathe. Anyway, he used to moo, thus the name Moo Cow. So he has a broken mooer inside of him. I had to explain and insist there was not a bomb in my cow to keep the guy from cutting him open. Then the airplane; woah what a ride. We sat in front of three strippers. These girls were LOUD and open. I mean, they talked about everything from lap dances to sex to hair dye. It was a bit amusing to listen to at first, but Mike and I were really tired. When they started talking about how cool it was to be bulimic and do drugs, we were fairly upset. So there wasn’t much sleep on that flight. Once we got to Dallas we got a ride to our rent-a-wreck car. It was actually a brand new car that drove really well. The drive to Dallas was quite interesting. It snows in Texas once in a blue moon, and the night before, they had just gotten a foot of snow. Practically the whole state had shut down. People in Texas also aren’t that great at driving in the snow. By the time we had gotten on the road, the snow was almost gone, but every mile we saw at least one truck that had either flipped or jackknifed. There were also many totaled cars. It scares me to think how many of died on that highway the night before. Anyway, three hours later we were finally in Abilene. We figured we would get a chance to nap and get a bite to eat…but nope; coach Hood had us going right away. We moved the mats from his garage into a warehouse a few miles away. After setting up for a few hours, we did some vaulting with the kids he coaches at Abilene Christian University. We got a bit of a break for dinner, then it was off to vaulting again at 9pm! That night Mike and I learned a lot, and figured out some specifics on what to work on. We both left with a really good feeling. Falling asleep was not a problem this night.

Day 2:
Up bright and early for a yummy breakfast. Then we went back to the warehouse to do some more vaulting. I got on a much bigger pole, and Mike managed to get himself stuck between the mat and the garage. Later that afternoon (after a nice nap and lunch at Subway) we went to the ACU track to vault. It was about 30 degrees the day before, but this day, it was almost 70! More vaulting, videotaping, vaulting, and watching. I finally got the problem in my vault pinpointed. It’s so great to know exactly what to work on. I also know that I want a Sony camcorder with a video screen and slow motion, frame-by-frame playback for Christmas. Hint, hint. :) After that we were pretty beat. Mike and I showered up, grabbed some pizza and saw Shallow Hal at a local theatre. It was SO good and funny! It really made you think though…what would you do if you were dating a 300 pound person? I mean, in the movie, he saw her as a beautiful girl, until he was unhypnotized. I honestly think that if somebody unhypnotized me and Mike was really 3 or 4 bills, I don’t think I would stay with him. Am I shallow? It sure does sound like it, doesn’t it? Oh boy. Then Mike drove us out in the middle of nowhere, so we could watch the big Texas Sky. Wow it was pretty! (Or perty as they say down there.) Then we went back to Coach’s house and crashed.

Day 3:
We got up fairly early and headed for Texas Tech to watch his ACU kids vault. After the meet, when everybody left the building, Mike, Coach, and I stayed in and vaulted. I got on a bigger pole, but also got quite frustrated because I knew that what I needed to fix wasn’t going to be easy. But it was slowly getting better. Now we’re driving back from the meet. It’s late and I’m tired, but we still have to watch and analyze videos of us vaulting tonight. Tomorrow is another day of several vault sessions. Oy my achin’ body.

Day 4:
We actually got to sleep in this morning! After a quick breakfast and some video watching we went outside to vault. This time we vaulted in Coach’s yard. Let me paint a quick picture. How many people get to vault in a Texas field, with cows on one side, bird dogs barking in the background, turkeys running around, and cats running across the runway. It was SO COOL! By this day Mike and I were pretty beat, but we still got some good vaulting in. I was jumping on a super stiff pole! I couldn’t believe I got into the mats! After the first round of practice we got all showered up and went to church with Coach and his wife. Now, I’m not much of a religious person, but this country church was so pretty! And everybody there was so nice! They even gave us food to take home! After church we ate at this meat place and had some incredible ribs. Then one last vaulting session where we both pretty much sucked because we were so sore and tired. We did some cool drills to poop out the rest of our bodies. Then we went in and analyzed our vaults on video, piece by piece. After showering AGAIN, Mike and I went to this incredible steakhouse. I have never had a steak that good in my life. We figured the cows must have been kept in the back. Mike’s was so rare I think I heard it moo at him a few times. Oh, funny story. Our waiter’s name was Mikah Beck. And Mike’s name is Michael Betz. Funny, eh? Okay, never mind…. After that we went to Toys R Us and played in there for a good hour. I got SO sad. I remember being a little girl and there were only a few kinds of Barbies…Hawaiian and regular Barbie. Now they have everything! They had this one Barbie with a pet kitty…the cat had clumping scoop able litter! How cool is that? I would have flipped for that when I was little! They also had an NSYNC fan Barbie! Now if it were a Backstreet Boy’s Barbie, I so would have bought that! After we bounced around all of the aisles on pogo sticks, we headed back to Coach’s place. I barley made it through the door before I fell asleep.

Day 5:
It’s Monday; time to go! The past few days went by so quickly! Coach got us up bright and early; we had some breakfast then got all packed up. Betty Ann (one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met) showed us out, and we drove to Dallas. Okay, I take that back. Mike drove to Dallas while I slept in the back seat. Oh! Another funny story…Mike loaded my bags into the car, and I guess there was a garbage bag next to my stuff. Mike BROUGHT the bag of trash and put it in the back seat thinking it was some of my stuff! (I’m not that smelly, am I?) So we hauled some garbage with us to Dallas. In Dallas we ate at this Rib place (can’t get enough meat in Texas) with some crazy people working there. But it was a good meal…not exactly low in fat…but a good meal. Then we returned our rental car, went to the airport, and went through security. Here we go again. They had to search Mike’s bag. What was wrong with Mike’s bag? It had another knife in it! This one wasn’t totally his fault though. He had been missing that knife for a long time, and it turns out it was in a little pocket on his laptop case. The funny thing is they didn’t even catch it on the way down. Kinda scary to see how easy it is to get on a plane with that stuff even now, with all of the hassle you have to go through. Mike wasn’t able to check this one, so if anybody wants to give him a mini leatherman for Christmas, I’m sure he’s appreciate it. Then we flew back, nothing too exciting about that. No strippers this time. When we got to Minneapolis, Mike’s mom gave us the yummiest dinner! Then off for the long tired drive back to Madison.

That’s it! That’s the trip. I learned a ton and had a good time. We’re hoping to go back and work with Coach Hood again before season is over.