Picture of the Day - The Dog Ate My....

....bed.

There used to be a big purple beanbag on this spot pictured above that Bella loved to lay down on and take a nap.  Today while I was folding clothes upstairs and suddenly realizing "hmmm Bella is being awfully quiet", I looked downstairs to realize Bella had eaten a hole in the beanbag, and the stuffing was all over her face and on the floor.  Needless to say, Bella no longer has a beanbag bed.

Picture of the Day - Scrabble

My mom visited us from Georgia a couple weekends ago, and while she was here she introduced me to Words With Friends on Facebook (which is essentially scrabble).  It has a lot of potential to be a major time suck, but so far I haven't given up the rest of my life completely so I can play it.

I really didn't have much else to say about this other than...this was my 110 point word I played in a game today (sorry mom).  Anyone else want to play???

Help with Homework

While Aaron was doing his homework this afternoon, he had a little feline help.  Of course, Ninja's answer to every math question was "meow", but at least he tried to be helpful.

Oh, and we just found out today that Aaron made the honor roll at his school.  Apparently he got some of his mamma's brain genes.  We're proud of you, Aaron!

Picture of the Day - Girl Scout Cookies

It is girl scout cookie season again.  I suppose as a fitness instructor, this is good news for me, because I'd imagine the calorie intake of the cookie eating public increases substantially during this time, which means many people will feel guilty about consuming these extra calories, which means some people will decide they need to start working out (maybe working out again), which means a couple people will actually go through the trouble of trying to find somewhere to workout, which means a new person may come walking into my class, throw her hands up in the air and say "I can't stop eating these cookies!!!  Please...PLEASE help me atone for my sweet toothed sins by making me sweat for an hour until I can't feel my arms anymore!!"

I will, of course, be happy to help.  You see the picture above?  Both of those containers are empty.  I opened one of them about 10 minutes before I took this picture.  My blood alcohol level is 0.00.  To say I can sympathize with the person who wants to sweat away her tag-a-long flavored gluttony is like saying water is wet, as I myself cannot stop eating those things.  Combine that with my desire to support a good cause, and it means there is going to be a lot more working out in my immediate future.

By the way, did anyone notice that those heavy bags we use look just like sleeves of thin mints?  Ummm, me either..... 

Oh, Nicole.

This is Nicole.  By day, she owns and works at a local salon, but by night (and many mornings), she is in the studio making punching bags regret the day they were assembled.  Nicole has been kickboxing with me for a couple of years now, and today she passed her test for her high brown kickboxing belt (which is one step below the "black belt" for our program).  To see how far Nicole has come since she started is truly amazing.  She is doing things now that amaze everyone who knows her, including running races and climbing mountains.  And her dedication to kickboxing has been more than any of her instructors could ask for, and that dedication has been contagious.  Many students who don't usually come to evening class came tonight just because they knew Nicole was testing, and they wanted to see that and support her in that challenge.  Nicole didn't disappoint.

Congratulations to you, Nicole.  You are a big reason for the success this program has had, and we can't thank you enough for your help publicizing our business and getting the word out.  Proud isn't a strong enough word to describe how we feel about you.  Can't wait to see your black belt test. :)

Picture of the Day - Bloody Fast

Anyone who knows us knows that my wife is an avid runner.  She is training for her first marathon in May, and today she did a 12 mile run.  Apparently while running, the nail of the second toe on her right foot started rubbing against her middle toe and cut it open.  You can kind of see the blood on her right foot middle toe, and that one sock is going to need a good bleaching I'd imagine.  Still, she managed to run 12 miles in this condition.  Oh, and her average pace was 8:35.  Apparently a bloody toe was not enough of a handicap to keep her back at my pace.

I am in perpetual awe of her running ability.  Can't wait to see her marathon.

Picture of the Day - Lazy Cat

Sometimes in the afternoon, I feel like this too.