Three Weeks and Counting...

With the Nemo unveiling approaching, there is still so much to get done.

I have decided that it was time to get the whole house under control so I have started a mission to see if I can deep clean the whole house in preparation for the party. Over the course of the past two days I have managed to get a great deal accomplished... however, I have not been able to cross too many things off my list. Due to my self-diagnosed ADD I tend to work on multiple projects at once. So although I have managed to get a good number of things started, very few things have been finished.

However, I am not giving up. I have always said that you have to make a mess before it is truly clean and I am sticking to that. Once I cross something off the list, it will not only be completed, it will be done right. For example, I have "do laundry" on my list. I have managed to do several loads of laundry and have managed to fold it all, but until all of the laundry is done, I cannot cross it off the list.

The other advantage to taking my time with this deep clean is the fact that I can go through our stuff in preparation for the potential garage sale. Our neighborhood has two big garage sales a year. Unfortunately, they decided to have it the same weekend as the Nemo unveiling. So... depending on game time (which they still haven't set yet) we might be able to participate in the garage sale and maybe make a few bucks in the process... which is always nice.

The overall goal of everything is to be able to relax and enjoy the Nemo party in a few weeks without having to worry about the house being clean or ready. I am hoping for a relaxing day before hand prepping for the garage sale and making sure the party amazing.. and I am hoping I can cross a few more things off my list before the end of the day.

This is why I make lists...

This is why I make lists.....

I know there are many of you out there that do not understand why some of us make lists... however, the picture I posted above is the best way I know how to explain it. This list of Nemo characters was made back in April. This list of 24 characters and objects (if you are counting there are multiple poles and seagulls), this list slowly but surely kept me on track as I worked through the painting needed for the Nemo Room to be complete. Every time I got to cross something off the list, I knew I was one step closer to reaching my goal.

Now, as I look at the completed list with everything crossed off I have a full sense of accomplishment. I can see the work I have achieved and I can visualize my progress. Can this be done without a list? Of course it can... but as I look at this list, its not just about the items that were crossed off. Its about the memories of the journey and remembering the feeling each time I got to find one of my pencils so I could cross it off.

Having a list sometimes reminds you of the work that's ahead, but it also can work as the pathway to the success you are looking for...

One month from yesterday, the Nemo Room will be unveiled...

So close... I can feel it...

As I have mentioned before, I have set a goal for myself in an effort to complete the Nemo room by a certain date... As that date quickly approaches (two weeks) I realize that there is still so much to be done. Now, I know what you are thinking... two weeks? I thought the unveiling was in October... It is... I have set a painting goal for myself to be complete in two weeks so that it will not overlap into the upcoming school year. We still have to build all of the furniture and that will take some time.

In terms of painting, I only have two smaller characters (Peach & Bloat) and one larger character (Nigel) left and for the most part, Peach is complete with the exception of her face. Bloat has a base coat, but he needs some attention... and then there's Nigel. Not only is he as big as Crush, for the life of me I cannot seem to get his body shape to be proportionate to his head. He is going to be a lot of work over the course of many days I am sure, but in the end it will all be worth it.

I cannot wait to unveil this room to everyone and I am hoping that its pure level of awesome is achieved. I have been working so hard on this project that I know it will be time well spent when it all comes together.

UCF vs SMU presents the Nemo Room

...Coming this October...

And the scores are in...

Although I did not receive an email letting me know that my scores were ready, I have been checking the AP Score Report website anxiously and today the report was available for viewing.

and the pass rate is... 33%.

I am content with this percentage. Now some of you may be thinking to yourself... but didn't that go down by 33% from last year? The answer is yes, BUT, you have to consider the fact that when you only have 6 students total, every score changes the percentages significantly. It would be a different story if there were 30 or 40 students with scores to average out, but with 6, the numbers can be misleading.

I am proud of the work my students accomplished this year and I am looking forward to see all of the amazing work to come from my students in this upcoming school year.

Cruisin' to 30th...

Just as I was taking the picture the wind blew...

It was rainy, it was muddy, and it was fabulous...

Punchliners Comedy Club...

Every cruise must start with a tuna fish sandwich from the deli

How adorable are we??

Well, we have returned...

This past week has been filled with so much relaxing I cannot even begin to explain how many naps I took. Normally when we go on cruises, it is our mission to obliterate all of the trivia competition and make them realize the level of pure awesome that flows through our brains. However, this time around we decided to approach our cruise from a different standpoint... no schedules. In the past each hour's location was dictated by the trivia event and we spent so much time and energy focused on a schedule that by the time the cruise was over we were still exhausted. So we made a conscious effort to do as little as possible on this cruise and I must say we were extremely successful.

One of the things we did do however was an ATV Jungle excursion in Cozumel. When we got off the ship in Cozumel we met our guide and the first thing he says is, "Its been raining for the past 3 or 4 days so is it okay that you are going to get dirty?" Ricky and I look at each with giant grins and say, "Absolutely!" It was such a blast. I was a bit hesitant at first because I had never driven an ATV before, but fortunately the guide showed me how to keep it in one gear so I didn't have to worry about shifting. Now I know some of you may say that shifting is half the fun... however... I have always driven an automatic and have no idea how to deal with shifting so it helped ease my nerves. Once I became adjusted I was good to go. The entire trail was a giant mud lake and we splashed through it like there was no tomorrow. Ricky even tried to stop in front of my in a mud lake and rev up his ATV in an attempt to splash mud on me... it didn't work... I was on to his plan. Half way through our excursion it started to pour. EVEN BETTER! Now, we not only had mud splashing everywhere, but now we were dodging rain drops and steam. I think out of every passenger on our ship, Ricky and I had the best time on our excursion. The weather was wonderful and it was worth every minute.

We truly had a relaxing vacation. Some much rest and so much time to just do nothing is truly nice to have every once and awhile.

Although we are now faced with a giant suitcase filled with dirty laundry and the realization that our beds will no longer be made ever morning, we have returned to the excitement of our 4th of July celebration and the continuation of Ricky's 30th birthday extravaganza.

Champions "Mud" Bash... ???

With few exceptions, this is where most of the mud was located

Nothing like jumping over a little fire...

Check us out! Team TLCF still fresh and clean prior to the festivities

All clean... for now...

Some of us got a little dirty I would say... I was hoping for caked mud...apparently not so much

Last Saturday was the day for the Champions Mud Bash in St. Cloud. I've been looking forward to this for awhile because I have heard so many great things about these types of events. I was so ready to be caked in mud from head to toe especially since it rained yesterday... however, the day was not exactly what I expected...

I arrived fairly early, the location was not very difficult to find. The weather was great and it rained for almost the entire evening the night before. The prospect for mud was high and I was ready to get dirty. Team TLCF (Ty Lewis Cancer Foundation) was decked out in our glorious pink tank tops in honor of the fact that the event was designed to raise money for Save the Ta Tas and the people around us were taking notice. I suppose it helps when you have several strapping lads donning their tight pink tank tops with phrases such as "Boobs, not just for breakfast". Our wave wasn't starting until 10AM so we wandered around to see the other contestants and their costumes as well as watch people cross the finish line. Based on the mud pool that we saw at the end, we were excited about the race to come.

As our time arrived, we lined up and got ready for the event. Chris was ready with 4 cameras in hand and we were revving up to go. Once the starter yelled go we were off... through a mine field of cow patties... yeah... poop... Aside from attempting to avoid all of the poop you were also running through trees that had these giant root systems sticking out of the ground. Right and left people were rolling ankles and tripping over heaven only knows what. I ran the first little stretch thinking I would be okay after making it through the trees because we were approaching an open field. Unfortunately, the open field was more treacherous than the trees were. Since it was grown over with grass you couldn't see the divots, holes, and other uneven elements in the ground so every step you took was a 50/50 shot that your foot was going to land level. It was at that point that I decided to walk. I am not the most graceful individual in the world and I was not about to roll my ankle right before we get on a cruise. Fortunately, I had wonderful company to walk with. (KP, Jake, Stacy & Sarge)

After deciding to walk, we started to reach obstacles that included, haystacks, large tires, and lines of flags that we had to step over. Anyone know where the mud is? I signed up for a mud bash, not a hay bash. There were a few obstacles that included mud along the way, but they were few and far between. People running the race were so desperate to get muddy that whenever they saw mud they would pick it up and smear it all over themselves. That's how low the mud count was for this race.

Now, there were two obstacles that were at least fairly enjoyable. They had a giant slip n slide set up that went down a hill and into a lake. It was definitely a blasting diving down that thing and into some mud and water. Especially since it was so incredibly hot by that point. The other obstacle was the trench of mud at the end. I suppose that you should actually have muddy people crossing the finish line, and to be honest that particular obstacle was a lot of fun.

I think the worst part about the lack of mud was the fact that there was just enough mud to be annoying. If you are going to an event that advertises mud obstacles, you expect to get caked in mud head to toe and just get nasty. At this particular event, you would get a little wet, and dry by the time you got to the next obstacle that actually had mud involved and all that was gross was your shoes and socks.

Overall, I was disappointed about the mud factor, but I had a good day because I got to spend time with my wonderful bootcamp family. Any event with them is a good event and although the mud was missing from the mud bash, it was still a successful day in the sun.