"No!"

Last night was the first meeting for the self defense R.A.D. (Rape Aggression Defense) class I'm taking with Lyndsey. I LOVE this class, y'all. It is so empowering. For the first half of the night we went over all sorts of stuff from common misconceptions about rape to different personal stories about rape. I was truly amazed, and saddened, to hear so many women in my class of only 15 girls tell their tragic and traumatizing stories; some were really bad. 1 in 3 women are raped or have been raped. Someone is raped every 21 hours. That just proved to me how important it is to educate young girls (and boys) with this information on red flags to look for and how to defend yourself should you not be able to get away or prevent the situation from taking place. It was definitely eye opening and made me so glad to be there. I just wish middle schools required girls to take these classes the same way they require sex ed to be taught. If I would've known all of these signs and defense mechanisms I could have prevented a lot of things. It's never too late to learn, though. There were women ranging from 14 years old to 60 years old in my class. Of course I think Lyndsey and I were the best...tee hee. We got to learn different stances, different ways to attack with our hands, and how to strike. I loved punching the padded hand thingies...that was my favorite. Just that alone was a workout, I mean we were already sweating. That was nothing compared to what we'll be doing in class today. Today class is from 10 to 6pm so we'll be learning kicks combined with punches, we'll be on the floor, and who knows what else but I'm so ready and excited! Bobby had to take the course in order to become an instructor and even he said today's class would definitely be a workout. One of the things I really liked, and already had an idea about from watching other self defense classes, was how we say "No!" every time we punch or block. I felt like a little warrior yelling "No!" and punching as hard as I could. It got me thinking that I need to take kickboxing again because this reminds me of how much I truly enjoy it. It's rare to find a workout that you actually enjoy and helps you forget that you're "working out" in the first place. For me kicking and punching is so much fun. It's also a great way to release tension and stress. So, that's something I'll definitely be looking into. I'm pretty anxious to get started today, hence me waking up at 6:45 this morning. I'll be back to report on the last two days of RAD and what I've learned. Tomorrow I get to punch Bobby! LOL :)

Greek Salads!

I love Greek salads. Especially the ones at Red Brick Pizza. Those are some darn good salads, y'all. The second I got out of class tonight at 8:45 I called ahead knowing RBP would be closing at 9 and asked them to hold 2 slices of pizza and a medium Greek salad for me por favor. They were so nice and said it was no problem if I got there after closing. It's the little things that truly make my day. With so many people working in customer service that are rude and most definitely NOT there to serve the customer what so ever, it's such a pleasant surprise to find someone like the nice kid at RBP happy to stay after closing just to give me my beloved Greek salad. Good karma for that guy! Aside from my fabulous dinner I wanted to say that I'm over the moon with excitement because our trip to Hawaii is officially less than 2 weeks away! 13 days to be exact! Ohhh I cannot wait to hug and kiss my little niece and nephew. I can't wait to see my sister and spend as much time as possible with my whole family together in such a beautiful place. Ahhh I can't wait!!! I just had to get that out there. Aside from that, school has got me busier than ever. Right now I'm actually working on a presentation for tomorrow night's class. Once that's done, I'll have two research papers to write and one more presentation to give. The next couple of weeks shall be interesting and crazy. I'm also taking a self-defense class at St. Eds this weekend with Lyndsey and I'm stoked! Bobby is a trained instructor but his female coworker will be instructing this time around. He'll get to dress up in the padded suit and get beat up, though! LOL! That should be hilarious. Good times ahead. Thank you, Jesus, for blessing me with this wonderful life and the amazing people in it. I'll be back to tell y'all all about my experience this weekend kicking bootay!

You know how I know?

You know how I know I love him?

1. Just seeing his smile turns my day around and makes me forget what I was so upset about to begin with. Whatever was bringing me down no longer matters; he's with me.

2. I could breathe him in for days. I love his smell. He says, "It's just soap, babe" but it's a distinct smell that only belongs to him, and it's intoxicating. It smells like nothing I've ever smelled before. It's perfect.

3. His hugs bring me so much comfort and peace. I could stay in those arms forever. I feel so loved and safe. Nothing can hurt me in those arms.

4. When it's time for him to come home from work, I get butterflies in my tummy. I anxiously wait to hear his keys turning in the door. The second the door opens, my heart skips a beat.

5. Seeing him with my family warms my heart. He loves them as I love them. He is so good to my family and that in itself is so precious to me.

6. When I wake up in the morning, and see him sleeping peacefully, I just want to hold him close and take a picture of how perfect and angelic he looks. He's so beautiful to me.

7. I am not complete unless he is with me. My life is complete and whole with him by my side.

8. Seeing how hard he works to build a life for us brings tears to my eyes. He is such a blessing. He's my everything.

9. Seeing how hard he tries to make me happy, how he strives for only my happiness, brings me to my knees and has me thank God for blessing me so much with such an amazing man. He's my best friend.

10. Each day I get with him is a gift. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for giving me what makes me whole, what makes me sing. He is the reason I sing.