spring break is coming but it doesn't feel like spring...

I think the water freezing out of the rain gutter looks really cool. Mikel informed me that it is just like an icicle but, being from California, I still find these things exciting!!


Things have been pretty busy the past couple weeks around here so here is a quick update.
I have been just trying to keep up with school. Six weeks are already done with this semester and there are only two more weeks until spring break!
I am taking three classes this semester: growth and motor development; growth, maturation, and physical activity; and social-emotional development across a lifespan. Two of my teachers are into all of the newest research on how students learn best and, although I appreciate their intentions, I'm not a big fan of group work! I'm sure this doesn't completely shock very many people. A little group work is OK but we waste the first 30 minutes of a 3 hour class talking about our feelings and updating our groups on our lives. I guess I should call it a waste; I'm trying to keep a positive outlook! =) We even have a group portion of our test! If we got to choose our groups that would be one thing but they are "randomly" assigned. I do like the content of all of my classes and they are all a lot of work!
I am also teaching four classes this semester: 2 volleyball I classes, swim conditioning, and healthy lifestyles. The lifestyles class is half lecture and half physical activity and I really like it. Of course I enjoying teaching beginning volleyball and swim conditioning is a pretty easy class as well. All of those classes cause me to spend a lot of time on campus!!
Just recently, my friend Brett (from Idaho) and I went down to the Midwest AASP (Association for Applied Sport Psychology) conference at Bowling Green University. We attended for just one of the two days but it is always interesting to meet students and professors from other sport psych programs and see how many of the people have ties to MSU!
Mikel is still enjoying teaching basketball I at MSU; It gives him a chance to play a little bit as well! He is also still working at Sears and actively looking for jobs in athletic administration. We're so thankful he found the job at Sears and it is working out so well but we're hoping he finds another job sometime. Right now, any job is a good job!

Other than that, we're looking forward to spring break! I talked to my cousin Brian who is attending Notre Dame and we have the same spring break so Mikel and I might make a short trip that way and have him and Katy give us a tour of their campus. We definitely want to see as much of the surrounding areas while we are out here in Michigan! Also, our friend Josh is coming to visit for his spring break and the end of March and it will be fun to show him around MSU and East Lansing! Friendly faces from home are always appreciated!!

I wore sandals!!

Nothing too exciting going on here but it was warm enough to wear sandals today and Mikel went to teach his basketball class in shorts (no sweat pants)! It got up to 61 degrees! Unfortunately, it is supposed to get back down into the 30s for the next couple days but 30 is much more bearable than 5!! The warm weather also means most of the snow has melted and turned into a muddy mess which makes me happy!

Sears party

Mikel was invited to an employee party for Sears tonight; we weren't quite sure what to expect but, if nothing else, it was a free meal from Boston Market so we went. It ended up being pretty fun! We talked to a couple of the guys he worked with in the tools department, at some good food, and cake.
I also took advantage of knowing other people and got a picture taken of us that wasn't from arms distance!
Another bonus- I got to wear my new jacket I got for my birthday!!

MSU v. MINN

At the last minute yesterday, Mikel and I got tickets from Marty (my advisor) to go to another basketball game. Marty had offered them to Ramona (another one of her PhD students) before our meeting but she didn't have anyone to go with and she had to drive back to Detroit that night so she offered them to me. I was so tired I almost said no but figured we wouldn't have many opportunities for free $30 tickets to Big Ten basketball so I took the tickets! Michigan State is currently #13 and Minnesota was #19 so it should have been a close game but MSU played absolutely amazing! Minnesota wasn't playing to well either; it was 54-19 early in the 2nd half!! This is a video of the Breslin Center at the beginning of the game. All the students in white shirts are "The Izzone". Those are the ones who were camping out in tents during the volleyball season. At the very end of the video you can catch a glimpse of Marty too...

During the player introductions before the game, the Izzone would all hold up these newspapers that said "Go State" while Minnesota's team was being introduced. Then after each name was announced and the guy ran out, the all yelled "WHO CARES" in unison. It has to be an intimidating place to play!!
Besides the fact that it was -10 when we got out of the game to go home, it was awesome!!

cute ducks

Doesn't it look cooooold????

We've been pretty busy with school and work but I finally remembered to take my camera to school with me to take some pictures. Most of the river on campus is frozen and covered in snow but there is a little section that still isn't frozen that I walk by every Wednesday on my way to class. There are a bunch of ducks that I always think how cold they must be! I do realize they are obviously able to handle the cold but it makes me even colder just looking at them!

January Cold

Thank goodness January is over! That means that the coldest month of winter is now gone and now it should start warming up around here.
Looking at our weather, we had the 20th coldest winter on record with an average temperature of 15.7 degrees. Although this may not sound that cold to people in Idaho, the California connection understands my pain. To go along with that 15 degrees we got 18.7 inches of snow in January. Burrrr!!

The first day of February was encouraging though. We had a high of about 43 degrees today. That means the icicles were melting. These icicles were getting so big; they were turning into daggers which could kills some of the small yip-yip dogs that live around here! It is supposed to get colder again and be around 13 on Wednesday but as long as it's getting warmer, I'm getting happier!!