Jumping Jake

Megan asked me to photoshop her... but none of her pictures were quite right for the task I wanted to complete. So I'll do her husband Jake instead.

Jake and the cow jumping over the moon.

Jake caught in a spider web.

Jake hurdling at the olympics.

Jake in the High School Musical cast.

Jake in the Oscar award winning movie Gravity.

Photoshop Addiction

I have a bad habit of poorly "photo shopping" pictures into really silly new pictures. I have begun to bother some friends of mine, Justin and Marissa, with this bad habit.

Let me explain a few.
They often have themed dress nights and go eat tacos. This night was "CATS" night...

Someone recently said "Marissa, Simba should have made it to CATS night at tacos!"
I said to myself... "no problem."

Then I found their skydiving pictures. I thought it would have been nice if they had invited Simba along...

Now they are painting the upstairs of Junstin's house and Marissa posted this photo with the caption: "I swear this isn't photoshopped."

To which I commented, "...not yet."

And now, unrelated to Simba, Justin is Bobby Strong in Ashland's production of Urinetown. We had all previously decided his spirit animal was a grizzly bear... so this photo had to happen, too...

I can't help it. I have a problem. 

Worst part? I don't even have photo shop. I do these on Miscrosoft Word!

We-no-nah

Sometimes, if I don't blog quickly enough, I get overwhelmed by all the things that have happened and then procrastinate farther. A similar thing happens with schoolwork on occasion; a project is too big to wrap my head around so I just don't start it. Obviously, it's a really good quality to have.

That being said, how has your life been the past month? I haven't seen you in weeks!

Me? Oh, well, since you asked...

Dan and I did almost nothing on New Years : )

Papa turned 82!

I have returned to Winona for a spirit-crushingly cold experience. Seriously. I know you know, but it's freezing outside. (And the jewel fell out of my only nose stud so now I have to wear a hoop. And let me tell you right now, those suckers are painful in the cold. They freeze/burn my nose.) What else... I'm in 6 classes, a total on 18 credits. The classes are all pretty nice except for this silly science class I'm in three times a week for 2 hours. It's a 100 level course and I shouldn't have taken it this late because the professor is totally bogus, throwing worksheets our way and not actually teaching or facilitating real learning at all. It's all high school-esque hoop jumping with unauthentic assessment. Maybe it's my fault I'm experiencing so much frustration since I'm taking a general level course at the end of my education focused journey here. And perhaps I just need to cool my jets... after all, it's only the second week.

But my NICE classes are nice. Math, language arts, and social studies methods courses. These all have a field experience. Also science (above) which has a mandatory after school science club volunteering thingy. Then music, Hooray! No field experience with this! And a 6th class that has to do with my reading minor that's all about data based curriculum and assessment. I haven't figured that one out yet.

That's it! That's all I've been up to! It's only the second week now. Last week was the first and I did all my homework, watched the entire first season of House of Cards on Netflix AND read an entire book! LOOK AT ME GO, PEOPLE!

So, dearest readers, you have a nice week.

ketchup

Here's a Christmas catch-up:

Dec 24. Anderson's celebration and Dad got me kick-butt winter boots.

Dec 25. Hengel celebration and Mom got me bags on bags on bags. (Backpack, purse, luggage, duffel.)

Dec 26. Phantom of the Opera and dinner at Crave. 

Dec 27. Snow tubing tradition with good friends.

Snow tubing sunset.

 It's really been a great week for me. And when I say great week I kinda mean not really a very good week for me at all. I had wonderful times, but it's truly a bad luck week for me. On Christmas eve I lost my phone. On Christmas night my car didn't start. The following day we got an expensive tow and repair. I left my student ID at home when Dan and I went to student rush Phantom. I left my hat and scarf at the restaurant before we went snow tubing. WHERE HAS MY BRAIN GONE? It's like school and classes run my entire life and the moment they're gone (and I'm no longer relying on my planner to remind me of literally everything) I could lose my head if it wasn't attached to my body.

Ugh. Maybe I'm programmed to function only while in school. I guess it's a good thing I'll be spending the rest of my working life in education settings. It might be the only place I think straight.

Chance

I am bad at blogging. I know you knew that already. But seriously though, I can't even blog because it's Christmas break and I have no thoughts. I actually have zero interesting things to share and I'm sorry.

On a slightly related note, this little guy displays my new mantra:

Nice.

Actually, tonight Dan and I kinda might have had too much to drink while playing yahtzee with his mom. Well, Dan didn't drink too much but his mom and I did. Doesn't get much lamer than that. Is that sort of a party? No, Bohemian Rhapsody or no Bohemian Rhapsody, that was not even sort of a party. On the bright side, I tasted a white Russian for the first time and was pleasantly surprised.

(Assuming the only people who read this are mom, Jill, and Megan... See you all on Christmas.)

YYYYYEAH

 

Ed

WINTER BREAK IS THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR. Christmas or no Christmas, I'm out of classes and that's cool. I've been home since last Wednesday night and I've done almost nothing. I can't decide if it's boring or great. Okay, it is pretty boring... but I'm still not in classes so it's also great.

Actually, I did do one thing. Ashland's theater held a different art company's children's dance recital. They needed a kid wrangler to monitor backstage and since I was home I went to help out. They gave me $15 after an hour of work and I left. It was adorable. Baby tutus. I died.

Cutest Ever

I offered to work it because I know the dance instructor. Her child was Gretl when I was Liesl in The Sound of Music a few years ago. The woman is really nice and a spectacular dancer. Hilariously, she is also a kick ass MN Roller Derby girl. She also went to WSU just like me! I guess other than her being amazing, modeling for bridal magazines, being a good dancer and a bad ass roller derby girl, you could say we have a lot in common. (also, her kids are named Lucy and Eddie, which I believe are the most adorable names, especially in combination, that I've ever heard. I wouldn't mind naming my kids her kids' names. Don't tell her though because that's weird. I probably won't name my kids those names anyway because my worst nightmare would be that Eddie would grow up to be called "Ed" and that name is disgusting.)

Ps, this is her profile picture. Are you kidding me? I guess I should work out more. Or at least leave the couch more. Or stop eating so many cheetos all the time...

Mother of 2, WSU alumni, roller derby/dance teacher. Is this real life?