Pit Stop in Switzerland

I made it to Switzerland in time for my next flight to Mumbai, India!  I took German classes in high school and was able to use a little here in Zurich, Switzerland. We only had a short but of time to grab a "pan au chocolate" (delicious chocolate croissant) and a tea. I'm heading to the runway now. Stay tuned for news from my trip...

Freddy Friday #10 - While Mom's Gone...

Well, I am sitting on the plane waiting for take off.  We have been waiting on the plane for an hour and a half because they need to fix something before we leave.  I am going on a trip halfway around the world, but it seems it isn't happening as soon as I'd like.  As I sit here and wait I am receiving messages from friends on my phone.  One just popped up from the dog sitter, Ms. Kirsten.  Here is Freddy keeping watch out the window with his buddies.  Think he is looking for ME??  

Circus Chroma 2

Time for one, last, short performance!  Tonight I performed on the silks. I find the silks harder to conquer than any of the other circus disciplines I've tried so far.  There are so many things to remember and practice in order to stay safe in the air while dangling from two, slippery pieces of fabric.  All I know to do at this point is to try my best and to make sure I follow all of the safety rules my teachers have taught me.  You can see the video of my friends, Miss Mariah and Miss Melissa, performing with me on silks below.  My classmates are great!  We support each other and cheer each other on.  They inspire me to keep practicing so I can be as good as them soon!

All of the performances are done for this semester!  Miss Mariah, Miss Melissa and I celebrate...woohoo! Jumping for joy for a job well done! 

See? Being silly is fun for grown-ups too sometimes!

Circus Chroma 1

We had our first student showcase of the semester tonight.  The theme is Circus Chroma.  "Chroma" is a word to represent a colorful theme.  Each class performed a little of what they learned this past session to a song about colors.  Tonight's show had 4 year olds through grown-ups performing!  That just goes to show that ANYONE can join in circus fun!

I performed on the lyra and on the unicycle tonight.  A Lyra is a metal hoop that hangs from the ceiling. People use their strength to perform tricks in the air on the lyra. I am working to get stronger but could certainly use more time to develop the muscles I need to do my best in the hoop.

The unicycle has been proven to be a very tricky skill to learn for me, especially since I feel it is harder to balance on it as a tall person.  Here are wise words of advice for my students..."learn how to unicycle NOW, before you grow super tall!"  Nevertheless, I did learn how to ride and how to do a few tricks in a group during these past few weeks. 

High five on a job well done! 

YES! It Really IS Spring!

I took this photo from the Blackwells Mills Causeway of the D&R Canal in Franklin Township, New Jersey.  ~ 3/21/15 ~

Well, it is officially spring as of yesterday, March 21st.  It was really kind of hard to believe it as my reading group and I sat and looked out the windows to view the snow falling softly at 9:15am from my table in the back corner of the classroom.  I know we usually have the occasional snowfall in March and April but it was still a little strange to get as much as we did this year on the first day of spring since we were really looking forward warmer weather!

Spring is often a time to start spending more time outside doing fun activities like visiting the park, riding bikes and hiking.  So, in the spirit of spring Freddy and I headed out this morning to spend time outside, even though the ground and trees were covered with snow.  Our first stop was the dog park.  What a fun time my best buddy had while playing with his furry friends.  Afterwards, we decided we would take a friend up on their offer to paddle on the canal under the snow-dusted branches.  It was beautiful!  I had been wanting to canoe all winter, but the canal has been frozen most of this year.  As we paddled, the snow began to melt.  By the time we returned with the canoe, most of the snow was gone which made me realize that the beginning of spring was truly here after all.

Apollo and Freddy at the dog park

Walker, Apollo and Freddy playing at the dog park

The canoe is all ready to be pushed off into the canal.

Freddy is such an adventurous dog!!  He is always up for anything.

Would you like to read more about spring?  Take a trip to the library to check out these books!

Freddy Friday #9 - Sleepy Dog

I have written about all of the adventures Freddy loves to go on and how much he loves zipping around the dog park with his friends, but have I ever told you about the thing he does most?  He just absolutely LOVES to sleep.  Yup.  He can be found most of his days curled up in a ball only taking up the slightest bit of his dog bed.  Other times he stretches out on his side, falls asleep on his paws, and sometimes even sleeps with all four paws in the air.  He has actually fallen asleep standing up a few times; no joke!  He just looks so sweet when he is sleeping, doesn't he?

ZZZZzzzzzzzzzz......

He can often be found curled up in a little ball.

Freddy LOVES sleeping in the sunshine on the balcony.

Sometimes he likes a lot of room to spread out.

Cuddling with Cousin Big Boy

Snuggled up

Enjoying sun in Virginia

What a sweet fella!

I woke this guy up when I found him in a comfy spot where he did not belong....MY BED!  Crazy pup!

Turning Things Upside Down

So, it is now March but I realized I have not spoken about my New Year's Resolution for 2015.  I think this post will be the perfect opportunity to tell you about it!  First, let's talk about what a resolution is.  A resolution is when someone decides to make a goal to do something.  Many people set resolutions on New Year's Day in order to promise to make an improvement in an area of their lives.  I chose to set a goal to improve my strength.  Since I had never been able to do a handstand, I thought my resolution would be to work on holding a handstand for 30 seconds on my own.

I did not really know how to get started on becoming strong enough to do a handstand, so I found help from a hand balancing teacher named Lin Junming.  Mr. Lin is a teacher at Circus Place.  I do not take his class, but I am able to see him teach for a little bit each week while I am stretching to get ready for my aerial arts class.  His students are amazing and  I found out that he is super strong and multitalented.  He gave me some great tips and exercises to get my body stronger for handstands.

You can check out Mr. Lin's website HERE.  He teaches in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland! He is quite a busy guy!!  He teaches acrobatics, tumbling, chair stacking, juggling and unicycle in addition to teaching about handstands.  Wow!  I think I have a lot to learn from him if he will let me keep picking his brain...

Another opportunity came up a few weeks ago while Circus Place offered a handstand workshop for kids and adults.  The children in the class were so strong and talented.  They certainly inspired me! Our teacher for this class was Daniel Tsinis.  Mr. Daniel is ridiculously strong too!  Check out his video below.  You'll be amazed at how long he can stand on his hands.

I am going to keep on practicing.  Hopefully by the end of the year I will be able to hold a handstand for at least 30 seconds on my own!

Students practiced their handstands against the wall at the workshop.

Here is Mr. Daniel showing off where his hard work 

has gotten him in the world of handstands...AMAZING!!!

Written by Pat Miller & Illustrated by Kathi Ember

Freddy Friday #8 - Toys, Toys and More Toys!

Freddy is a spoiled dog.  There, I said it!  He gets toys for almost every holiday.  He gets gifts from my mom, my sister, my friends...even my students!  Whenever I take him to PetSmart to get more dog food I let him pick out a toy or a special treat from the sale aisle.  Lately, I have been trying to clean up his overflowing toy box.  I threw his toys into the washing machine last week to get them nice and clean for him.  Some of the toys are really falling apart because they are so loved by him. Do you have a stuffed animal or a toy that is a little worn out?  Freddy has quite a few.  We have names for them too.

This is Jackie Jack-o-Lantern.  My sister gave him to Freddy as a Halloween gift two years ago.
I think he could use a little mending.  

This is Ginger Baby.  Ginger Baby used to be much fatter until Freddy took all of the squeakers and stuffing out of him.  Nonetheless, Ginger Baby is carried around with love.  My mom gave this to Freddy three Christmases ago.

This is Ellie Elephant.  Freddy picked Ellie out from the sale bin near the cash register at Pet Smart last year.
I have wanted to throw Ellie out a few times.  Freddy gets very upset when I try to take her away.

This is Allie Alligator.  Freddy actually got another alligator just like this for Christmas this year from my sister, but I have not given it to him yet.  Maybe we will name the new alligator Albert...or Alvin....or Alfredo...what do you think?

Here is Frankie.  Frankie is Freddy's absolute favorite at the moment.  Every day when I come home Freddy I take Freddy out for a walk.  After his walk, he goes to his toy bin and gets out Frankie almost every time.

Here is Frogger.  Freddy likes to toss Frogger into the air while then immediately pouncing on him.

Enjoy the Snow Day!!

The snow looks absolutely beautiful today!  I had a tricky time jumping through the snow on my walks with my best buddy.  It was piled high over my snow boots!!  As for Freddy, well, he had no trouble leaping over the mounds of snow. He is so athletic!  I hope you are enjoying your snow day!