Party Like a Black Belt
On Saturday night, I hosted a party to finally celebrate my black belt. My graphic designer made me incredible invitations that matched my blog design. My good friend and chef extraordinaire helped me create a menu, shopped with me, and ended up cooking throughout the first part of the party (not to mention the days before). My friend and neighbor showed up early to get the bar ready and to serve as bartender for the night. Man, he did an awesome job, as anyone who had one of his drinks can attest.
My daughter helped me create paper lanterns with the kanji for "Nintai" (Persevere) written on them (seen hanging from the catwalk above in the picture below.) They were also burning brightly outside all night.
And friends and family who played a part in helping me get my black belt were invited. Most attended. Some even took crazy pictures of all of us sticking our tongues out. Thank you Jeff.
There was chicken and beef yakitori with ginger, teriyaki and peanut sauces, shrimp wontons (made from scratch), asparagus with sesame oil and black sesame seeds, salad with ginger dressing, fried rice, teriyaki meatballs, vegetables with ponzu dipping sauce, crunchy noodle salad, fruit and vegetable trays, three different amazing salsa's, Japanese inspired snack mixes, enough Wasabi to make your eyes burn, homemade green tea ice cream and an incredible cake that said one word only in addition to the kanji that the cake lady actually wrote onto my icing belt with pretty much flawless precision.
The word? "Finally." The obi even had the seams that made it look like actual fabric and it was three-dimensional and actually looked like a belt was on top of the cake. When Big I saw it she said, "You're not going to cut that right???" It was almost too pretty to eat. Almost.
As guests arrived they were given a white ribbon to wear and throughout the night there were opportunities to get their yellow, green, brown and black ribbons. There were corresponding colored jello shots, Alton Brown's Cape Fear punch with green tea in it and enough liquor to kill an elephant, sake and more.
People got really into the rank promotions and by 10 p.m. I was asking my karate teachers to please school people on not asking for rank. I was very excited about how much everyone got into earning their black belts. I do have to admit though, that giving my 8th and 9th degree black belt teachers their "white belts" was just a bit uncomfortable. They were very good sports though.
Everyone seemed to be having a really good time. . .
As I was about to cut the cake, I asked everyone to come into the dining room and I gave a little speech.
I talked about Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture." I told them that just as he has a head fake at the end of his speech, I had one for the night too. Several neighbors thought I was going to say I was pregnant at this point. Clearly they had not seen me hitting the punch bowl on a regular basis. My "head fake" was that this party wasn't really for me; it was for them, my friends, family and teachers who helped me in ways that some of them may not have even realized. Then some people said some nice stuff about me and I got all teared up.
In attendance were my karate teachers and training friends, my physical therapist and his amazing graphic designer wife, my neighbors who volunteered to watch my girls on a regular basis so I could get out the door to train one more night a week, and friends who continually encouraged me on my journey.
We ate cake, consumed entirely too many color-coordinated jello shots, played beer pong and flip cup on the patio until I demanded we move it to the garage because I didn't want to get arrested. . .
This would be me "demanding". . .
. . . and we eventually broke out the karaoke machine too. And oh my God, the video evidence I now have to ruin people.
I also started a new fashion trend. All the cool girls are doing it. Those would be chopsticks, a required accessory for doing jello shots throughout the night. And I thought I had to work hard for my black belt! Geez!
I spent an entire week preparing for the party that finally ended around 3 a.m. and it was so worth it. For those of you who missed it, who played a role in helping me get to black belt, thank you as well. You weren't here to have the cake, but after I finish polishing it off, I'm going to need all the help I can get just to get my black belt back around my waist. I'll be relying on you once again.
Remembering Wendy L. Small: 2996 Project Tribute
I received an email a few weeks ago from the person who heads up the 2996 Project. It asked if I still cared, and I certainly do. The 2996 Project seeks to remember those who lost their lives on September 11. I participated a few years ago and remembered one of the victims. There is much said about the terrorists who invaded all our lives that day, but little is said about the victims. Maybe it's because there are so many; it's difficult to see them as individuals. As real people who lost their lives, and it's also hard to think about all those who were left behind, who grieve over their lost family members. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives.
Today, I'm remembering Wendy L. Small.
Wendy was just 26 years old and a secretary at Cantor Fitzgerald in the World Trade Center. From the research I've done on Wendy, she was a very well loved young woman. The tributes to her are many.
When I started doing my research on her, I came across an online forum where friends and family of those missing on 9/11, went to post and ask for information. There was a posting from one of Wendy's friends seeking information about her. In her message, she mentioned Wendy's son. Reading that notice was gut-wrenching and I can't even imagine how those days after the attacks must have been for her family, friends, and especially for her son.
Wendy graduated from high school in 1993, the year I graduated. Those who went to high school with her said that she was the one everyone wanted to talk to, that she was always sweet and kind. While working at Cantor Fitzgerald, she also attended school at night. Her goal in life was to make a better life for herself and for her son Ty. While she's not here to watch over him directly, I think that all parents who lose their lives too early have a special seat above to watch over their children.
Today, September 11th, please take some time to remember Wendy L. Small and the other 2995 victims of September 11th.
Adjustment
To say that going back to teaching a class at 8 a.m. is an adjustment would be a huge understatement. I am not a morning person, never have been. The good thing is that I have really great students this semester. They seem to get me, and although I have a couple slackers, we're getting along pretty well so far.
The grading is killing me though. Where are those leisurely days of summer?
Gone.
Gone.
Gone.
Because Big I is participating in both ju-jutsu and field hockey (and did I mention the girls both start swimming lessons this week?), my training time has been slashed drastically. I'm finding it extremely difficult to get to the dojo. When I was training for black belt, my family made a lot of sacrifices, and I've been doing my best to help out with coaching field hockey and giving everyone enough attention and time. It's a balancing act I'm not good at; I'm very grumpy when I'm not training regularly.
So while I suffer from writer's block or from "this is so boring no one is going to want to read this" self-editing before I even start writing business, I have some suggestions to offer you.
First, check out the reviews over at The BBM Review. I recently participated in a L'oreal make-up review and I did it in honor of Lisa.
Second, my best friend from high school runs a great non-profit called "Drug Free Pennsylvania." They're having an online auction right now and there are some fantastic deals to snag for very low bids. You can check out the auction by clicking here.
In addition, Drug Free PA is also going to do this crazy golf ball drop thing, and you can win some money in the process. It's called a Chopper Dropper and it's a fun and awesome idea. Please go check it out!
If you're into MMA, then you're going to want to check out the new MMA supply website. You can check the site out here and get 15% off anything you'd like through Saturday by using the code "elitebbm."
I guess I did have a little something to say after all. I won't make you wait so long in the future.
Ants in Your Pants Makes a Comeback
Yesterday I did my crazy listening quiz in my Speech class. Last semester I did it out of frustration. The first assignments they turn in always push the limits and not in a good way. You tell them to type it; they write it. You tell them to use Ch. 12 to get the outline format correct; they obviously don't read it. It's frustrating to say the least, especially after you spend 20 minutes in class giving instructions on how to do it.
So I passed out the quiz, which they're supposed to read entirely first, and watched the fun begin. I had a total of two students who got it from the start and did none of the nonsense. Almost everyone else did at least the first five. I had three boys make it all the way to the very end. They actually asked me to time them as they stood up and sat down 10 times as fast as they could so they could write their time on their quiz (See the above link for the actual quiz).
I finally broke my serious look and explained why I do this quiz each semester. I talked about common mistakes on their outlines and how they should at the very least, try to convince me they've done some type of proofreading (i.e. acquaintances is not spelled "aquatenses").
When all was said and done there were a lot of giggling people in the classroom and I think they got the point. Only the next assignment will tell.
***Head on over to The BBM Review for the latest reviews.
On Kissing Public Safety Officers
Today the world was conspiring against me. I woke up with a headache that made me want to pull the covers over my head and go back to sleep. But I couldn't. Eager students were waiting for me on campus.
I left my house at the same time I always leave the house; but my route to work now included every bus stop in the county right smack in front of me. The main road I needed to take? Yep, you guessed it, down to one lane only with major construction going on.
I arrived on campus at 7:58 exactly and knew I had to hustle. You can't preach about timeliness when you're not timely.
I pulled into the space right in front of the "Faculty/Staff" parking sign and got out of the car ready to sprint. The public safety officer who was parked two spaces over exited his SUV and said, "Miss, this is parking for Faculty and Staff only." I pointed at my parking pass that clearly says "Faculty/Staff" and he looked at me like I was insane.
He quizzed me further. "What do you do here?" he asked me.
"I teach in that building right there," I said. "You're welcome to come join my class if you don't believe me. What? You think I stole a faculty/staff tag or something?"
He apologized for holding me up and I was on my way, but not before telling him, "You know, if I wasn't running so late, I would probably kiss you."
I think that felt better than getting carded.
***If you missed it yesterday, check out my latest fantasy football post over at Bulls N Balls.
Also, please go vote for me in the "Love Your Body" contest. A girl in a gi needs to win!
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