My Pink Belt

My pink belt when it arrived in the mail.

Getting my pink belt before jiujitsu.

 My biggest martial arts accomplishment so far!  I loved learning all the techniques.  I worked so, so hard and went over everything by myself so unbelievably many times.  I watched so much video.  I practiced on so many others, willing and less so, like the night when I brought weapons into regular jiujitsu class.  
I learned for the first time the difficulty of making a perfect video.  The tragedy of getting hundreds of things right and one tiny hand or foot placement wrong and having to throw the whole thing out.  The agony of waiting for my score, obsessing with California time.  The unbelievable excitement of scoring a 97!  The fun of helping to teach the first couple seminars at the Wellness Center.  The surprising and amazing fun of leading my Saturday ladies' group.  Private lesson excitement.  Anxiety over messing up.  What will the future bring?

Afternoon with My Asian Friends

Sarah and Angel took me out for an afternoon in Pittsburgh.  We went to Sushi Kim in the strip district.  They like to take pictures of their food, so I did too.  

This vegetable pancake was my favorite!!!

Then we went to the Asian grocery store.  I brought some Chinese candy sticks home for the kids.

Joy's Promotion to Orange Belt

"Horse" Basketball Game for Family Time

Paul Snowboarding

Joy Tests for Orange Belt

Joy stepped up her work in karate so we let her test for orange belt at the make up test in January.  She did great!

Making Cupcakes

The kids begged and begged to make cupcakes, so we made them.  Then, of course, they ate the icing off the first ones and didn't eat any more and the cupcakes got fed to the pigs.  Which is why I don't make cupcakes!!!