Sticky Apple Kisses

There was another benefit to the weekend outside of getting a chance to get in some fantastic riding. We finally set a date for leaving on our big trip. Either way we will leave the first week of June next year. We plan on celebrating the German’s mum´s birthday in Italy with her, and then we take off either on a 4 month trip to Mongolia and back (if Patrick’s work wont let him get away), and we leave for the world trip (that we plan to take a year out to travel) if he can get the time off. Either way the first 3 months would stay the same. Which reminds me, I need to check into shipping motorcycles from Vladivostok to South America. That was my assigned task this weekend. But instead I get on line and I start checking out best supplements
reviews. (I’m 30 and plagued by sugar cravings people!)

We did not have any plans for the past week, but we decided spontaneously to take off for the long weekend. My hand had gone down and was usable once more. Yup, Despite the fact that I was not the one breaking boards with my hand, my hand swelled up like a balloon the morning after my Tae Kwon Do yellow belt test. Apparently kicking into your hand can hurt a tendon in your hand, which then causes the back of your hand to swell up like a mad thing. Go figure. I was getting ready to check into allergy bedding because I really could not see what could have been the problem and was thinking maybe I had had an allergic reaction. (My foot swelling, yes, but my hand????)

The good: I have my yellow belt

The bad: I have this hand:

SO despite the rain we had an awesome time in Bavaria, although in truth I did not ride THAT much. Saturday I decided to stay in and read because it looked rather rainy outside, and after 2 days of rainy riding, and knowing that this week would be madness, I just thought how much better it would be to stay in bed and read. But my premptive measures may not have worked, I am still sniffy and snuffly and generally snotty today! But we did get to play with dinosaurs! The German and his sister and her partner took the boys to a site where you can dig up old fossils. Giving the other sister (7 and a half months pregnant, and so very soon now there will be more birth announcements) a little downtime! Mother how you did 3 of us all in a row I have no idea. Thank you for not murdering us along the way!

Do they make pet beds for bunnies? Because I think the little guy needs one. He has his hutch outside, but he prefers to be inside with us, or even when he is on the balcony he would rather curl up on the hard stone out there then jump in his hutch. (It is plenty big for him, I just think rabbits hate to be enclosed, but since he has to be at night, he elects to spend time on the cold stone then warm soft hay). Time to get a bed, because he goes through blankets like I do not know what!

So I have been reasonably well behaved today, I put in about 2 hours of study for my exam on Wednesday, of which I wasted only about 30 mins of it. Considering that I am studying at home, that is equivalent to 5 hours on a normal day. But today is not normal as now I need to get ready to go meet the Germans family in the Black Forest for motorcycle training. Higher levels of safety, added bonus of cheap insurance, and today is just riding and tomorrow is the actual training, so it should be a fun time. The sunny weather we woke up to is gone, but it looks like it is trying to come out again, so wish us luck and a fun weekend! Then Thursday we have the annual family motorcycle trip! Wheee fun!

It is making its rounds, but it still makes me laugh out loud! Thanks mooma.

Dear Diary,
For my birthday this year, I purchased a week of personal training at the local health club.
Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.
I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Christo, who identified himself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear.
Friends seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.
________________________________
MONDAY:
Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Christo waiting for me. He is something of a Greek god– with blond hair, dancing eyes, and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!!
Christo gave me a tour and showed me the machines.. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which he conducted his aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring!
Christo was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time he was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!!
________________________________
TUESDAY:
I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Christo made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then he put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. His rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT! It’s a whole new life for me.
_______________________________
WEDNESDAY:
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn’t try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.
Christo was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members.. His voice is a little too perky for that early in the morning and when he scolds, he gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying.
My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Christo put me on the stair monster. Why the hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Christo told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. He said some other crap too.
_______________________________
THURSDAY:
Butthole was waiting for me with his vampire-like teeth exposed as his thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn’t help being a half an hour late– it took me that long to tie my shoes.
He took me to work out with dumbbells. When he was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. He sent some skinny witch to find me.
Then, as punishment, he put me on the rowing machine– which I sank.
_________________________________
FRIDAY:
I hate that demon Christo more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic, little aerobic instructor. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat him with it.
Christo wanted me to work on my triceps. I don’t have any triceps! And if you don’t want dents in the floor, don’t hand me the darn barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich.
The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn’t it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?
________________________________
SATURDAY:
Satan left a message on my answering machine in his grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing his voice made me want to smash the machine with my planner; however, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel..
________________________________
SUNDAY:
I’m having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my husband will choose a gift for me that is fun– like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!!

This weekend we are going to the Black Forest for motorcycle training (curve training to be exact, rather a good idea Id say) and because I am feeling rather ill (you know, really tired, the flu is not there yet but it is thinking about it, and you want to spend 2 days on a motorcycle and therefore the last thing you want is to actually be sick before it, because you will be after it for sure if you do) we are staying in to watch movies. And we have rented Germans one as well. So although I wont be getting much studying done this weekend, I will at least be working towards my other two 365 goals. Having said that I have splurged and bought a membership to the gym as well. So I do not know how that works into budgeting. Albeit it is a much cheaper membership than the one I had prior to now, and it is a small all girls gym. But I want to jump on the Zumba bandwagon, I want to do Yoga, and if nothing else, on those days when I am working to the point where I can not make it during the hours my Taekwondo trainer has open hours, I can at least jump on an elliptical before trying to lift some weights to get my arms ready for digging Betty out of the dirt and picking her up next year!

Betty:

Move for tonight: