**.. 31 days of blogging ..**

One of my New Year's resolutions this year was to blog more.  I have already blogged more in this first month than I did in last year entirely.

I began the year blogging about my grandma and how much I miss her.
We bought a huge tv!
This summer we took pictures for my parents 25th anniversary.
I tried to get people's opinions on social networking and how it affects their lives, but no one responded (woe is me).
I wrote about my crazy semester and all of the studying I have to do.
I let everyone know my feelings about animals and slaughterhouses (one of my better posts (I think)).
My dad had a birthday!
My dad and Jack made a curling rink on our pond and we 'curled'.
I attended a yoga training session this past weekend and it was an interesting experience.  

Feel free to go back and catch up on any of my better blog posts of the month :)

I love blogging, I wish I could get more readers and followers.  I'm not really sure why.  I blog for myself.  Sometime's it's nice to have people's opinions though.  I've been trying to read other people's blogs more too.  If you would like for me to read your blog please let me know, I always try to leave comments :)  

**.. yoga training ..**

This weekend I attended a YogaFit instructors training course.  I had no idea what to expect and I was kind of nervous.  Our instructor, Shannon, was great.  She was very warm and inviting.  The class started at 8am on Saturday morning, definitely not my thing.  I was exhausted by 10:30 (I was up until 1 the night before studying for my college classes).  So when lunch rolled around at noon we had an hour break and I layed on my mat, on this hard floor and passed out for 30 minutes.  I really needed it.  After class got out last night at 6, we went out to parents to curl since Alex had come home from school and we didn't really get to celebrate dads birthday on friday.  I didn't get home til 1230, homework (for yoga) done by 130 and in bed by 2.  Only to back up at 715.  

In both of the mornings after our introductions and review we had a class session.  I had never actually attended one before.  I had always just followed a Yoga program on television.  Notice the little tea candles on the ground?  She had shut the lights off during relaxation and used those.  It was so neat.  

We got a nice guide and we took turns demonstrating poses.

Yoga blocks, I had never tried one, but my teacher said they are great to use and strongly encouraged.  I tried and it did help with my Half Moon pose.

There were 12 of us that attended this training and quite a few of the girls came with someone they knew.  I was alone, but I feel more comfortable then being with friends (does that make sense?).  I am very nervous to speak in front of people, but I really want to instruct yoga.  I need to get over that fear and this got me started in the right direction.    

All in all it was a great experience, exhausting, but good.  I am glad to have it out of the way.  Once I complete 8 hours of community service by instructing yoga, I will have my teaching certificate.  

**..flash forawrd (presently)..**

In 2 years quite a bit has changed.

I still go to IPFW but my major is now General Studies and I love it.  I have taken a wide variety of classes but I enjoy the nutrition classes the most!  My new goal is to go into Yoga after college and open my own studio.

I still work at the same place and I still clean one house.  I really want to quit cleaning the house though it is a mind numbing job that I just do not care to do anymore.  The money is great but I dread doing it.  I also teach gym as I have talked about before.

My sister now goes to IU and studies nursing.  Jack is in the 7th grade and he is playing football and basketball.

Jason and I have went ring shopping and have spoken about getting engaged but who knows when it will happen?  I want it to be a surprise!  I can't see myself with anyone else, we have been through a ton of stuff and I'm sure there is a ton more to come.  We can do it though!

I go back to school tomorrow.  I just want to be done!

** teaching gym **

As some of you know, this year my brother's grade school could not afford a gym teacher. I went in and volunteered to be the teacher for grades k-8. I have never taught gym before nor have I taken any classes to do so.  As a volunteer they weren't complaining.  I get a free lunch and I get to spend time with my brother and about 10 cousins.  I enjoy my time there for the most part.  I do struggle with getting the kids to pay attention to me though.  I still haven't figured it out completely, but it seems to be getting better with time.  I knew so many of these kids before I started teaching that I think they thought I was more of a friend than a teacher.  I do want them to know that I am there for them, but I can't be walked all over.

In October I kept 4 kids (3rd graders) after class to discuss there inappropriate behavior.  They didn't participate like they should in regular activities.  Two of them were singing and not participating in yoga.  Which I had chose to end gym classes with, I had a teacher ask me to do so.  Because she knows that is what I want to do with my life and it will calm the kids down to go back to class, instead of them being all riled up.  The kids that I kept were late back to class, the teacher asked them why and she sent them to the office.  The principal came down and talked to me and informed me that they would all be getting detentions.

Well my family is close to 3 of the kids' families and one of them is my boss's daughter.  I was scared of how they would all respond.  My boss's wife has barely acknowledged me at all since then.  Another parent came in and complained that yoga is a form of Hinduism and he didn't want his child participating in it.  I had NEVER taught the religous aspect of yoga and never intended to do so.  The principal informed me and said that the parent had brought in a list of other 'stretches' I could use that were not yoga.  Well she is a yogi herself and she told me over 3/4 of them were yoga poses.  She suggested I continue on and just not call it yoga.  For a while I completely cut it out of my lesson plan, I was pissed off.

I am almost positive of who it was and this person has been close to my family for years.  It does not surprise me at all, but it really hurt my feelings.  I asked the principal if I could print off the benefits of yoga for kids and send them home with the kids and she suggested I just drop it.  Which I did and I did bring 'streching' back into gym class.  It still upsets me though. What kind of person comes in to a school to complain about a volunteer?

In November I started tournaments for 2nd and 3rd grades, 4th and 5th grades, 6th grade, and 7th and 8th grades.  I wrote everyone's names down and drew them randomly.  The older kids have really enjoyed the basketball season, we will have a tournament after each team play each other once.  I mostly just let the Kindergartners and 1st graders run around and try to shoot the ball and dribble as much as possible.  They seem to enjoy it and it's pretty easy for me :)