Live Strong

So I met this 77 yr. old man yesterday when I was volunteering for the Policeman/Fireman 5k run. He is an inspiration to me. This run was his 81st and he is working toward a world record. The Japanese have the Americans beat right now but he is determined to change that. He competes in running and swimming. He completed the 5k in 38 minutes. Amazing for someone his age. He was a perfect example of living strong.

My friend Bridgette and I babysat two beautiful little girls yesterday for our friends who are moving to Phoenix. It has been a while since I have been around children and I was awed all over again at what a joy children are. I can see why we are taught to become as little children.

• They are full of wonder
• They find joy in simple things
• They are open and honest

I made it!

I decided to participate in commencement despite the fact that my family wasn't going to be coming. A few of my good friends were able to come and support me. The last pic is of me and Chrissy Freeman a girl in my ward who also got her Masters.

We wore our hoods into the ceremony due to the swine flu pandemic. We also didn't shake hands with UTSA's president for the same reason.

An interesting tidbit from the ceremony is a mariachi band played as we exited the building. Only in Texas. They were wearing orange and blue sombreros (UTSA's colors).

My friend asked me if I felt any smarter now that I have my Masters. Not any smarter than I was yesterday. I don't regret getting my Masters at all and am contemplating a PhD. I am admitted to another Masters program right now. The Masters in Instructional Technology program and will be taking one class this summer.

Steve Vaus "We must take America back"

• Steve Vaus singing We must take America back was the perfect finale for the San Antonio Tea Party

San Antonio Tea Party

A week ago, on April 15th I attended the San Antonio Tea Party. It was a nonviolent protest against what the government has been doing with the money we pay in taxes. Glenn Beck did his television show for Fox news live at the Alamo. It was very exciting to be a part of the live audience at the Alamo for the show. After his show a band
played for an hour and then the tea party began. At the tea party Ted Nugent and Glenn Beck spoke as well as about 5 other people.

I
Here I am with 3 of my good friends. It was very sunny.

Stress

I have a habit of procrastinating. This can lead to a lot of unnecessary stress. I am in the middle of taking my comprehensive exams for graduate school. I have three weeks to write 3 papers. I should have pretty much finished them this week because I was on Spring Break and planned on focusing on the papers all week. But having the bad habit of procrastination didn't help me. I still have lots of work left to do on the papers. I should have learned my lesson long ago that procrastination doesn't pay. The next few weeks are going to be intense. Maybe next time I will do better.

Girl Power

It is good to be reminded sometimes that I can do anything if I put effort into it. I presented today for the first time at a writing conference as a teacher consultant. I had a packed room. It was nerve-wracking and exhilirating at the same time. I felt like the presentation was a little disorganized and random. Most of the comments I had were positive but it is amazing to me how I let the negative comments bother me so much. One participant said it was a waste of time and I was quite bothered by that. Oh well, you can't please everyone. Practice makes perfect too. The more I present the better I will get at it. Next time I am positive it will go better. I love this picture I found. I need to hang it up to remind me how amazing and superhero like all of us are.

Cowboy Breakfast

My roommates and I got up at 4:00 am on Thursday to attend the Annual Cowboy breakfast that is the opening event for the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. It is free to the public. We ate biscuits and gravy, sausage biscuits, breakfast tacos, chocolate milk, and orange juice. I heard on the radio that the event planners were trying to set a record for the most cups of coffee served at an event. We didn't help with the numbers there, but I am glad I went. They were letting people see if they could ride a mechanical bull for 8 seconds. The people we saw try didn't even last 2. It was entertaining.