I am now teaching the COMPLETE yoga class on Monday mornings, including the relaxation, and Sharon said I taught a lovely class the last time :) However, she told me not to do any running until I get my hips into better shape, because the movement they do running in just countering all the stretching I'm doing to get them a bit more flexible where they need to be.
As for the kids, since my flight home is booked (back stateside the 15th of September), and Fiji before that 3rd-12th, I'll be stopping work on the 1st, they are starting to say that they don't want me to go. Libby doesn't want a replacement, she just wants me to stay forever. Tessa has learned to say her own version of my name is says it ALL the time now, asks about me all weekend when I'm away and even Thur and Friday nights comes running into my room or is shouting up the stairs asking where I am, she won't let me be in my room, instead she takes my hand and leads me downstairs to play with her. It will definitely be the hardest for her when I go, she won't have a clue where I went. Since I've been their first au pair, she basically thinks I'm part of the family! Reuben, Libby and Tessa know the words to some of Michael Jackson's number ones, and any time it comes on the radio to and from school it has to be turned way up and we all have a singalong. It's good that there's at least one thing they all agree on because it doesn't happen very often! Lately even Tessa starts saying in the car "don't like that song" just to get the station changed...often she doesn't even listen to it long enough to decide, she just wants to have her way like the others do.
I'm still teaching my regular swim lessons, Wed, Thur and Sat. I even filled in for 2 Tuesday night "Mad Mums" classes at the start of this term. They are just a bunch of mums that come and swim, some just beginner swimmers and some looking for a full workout set! Though they are worse than the kids, wanting to use fins the entire time! Also, the week following Mother's Day weekend Julia went away to Melbourne with her mom (Wed-Sat) so I was on kid school duty as well as yoga and swimming for the entire week so that was busy, busy! I even took Tessa to her swim lesson on that Fri, same ones I usually teach on a Thursday, so I think the other parents were wondering how I knew all the songs. She loves her swimming, getting thrown up into the air and going underwater.
I went ice skating at this indoor place with Josie and Rachel, just so we could have a winter-like activity. It was pretty fun, but there were too many people pushing around those metal bar things to help support them, I also got run over by one! That same weekend I ran a 10k race down in Huntly. I did alright and finished in 1hr 9 min considering I hadn't trained at all, and the last time I ran was my mini triathlon March 5th. I also was not feeling well at all that day and slept the rest of the afternoon. Jacques and his Dad ran as well and both did very well! Jacques came 25th overall, out of 1000+ people and finished in under 40 minutes.
I also joined Just Workout, a gym down in Devonport, and have been attending their classes. Topride (a spin class I really enjoy, I've even made it to a few of their 6am classes and plan on continuing to do so), Ubound (a class on mini trampolines so lots of bouncing), Pilates and KiMax (a boxing-like class). I still want to make it to Zumba, but the times aren't so convenient with my schedule.
As for weekend activities, last weekend I went to dinner in Ponsonby with Jacques and a bunch of his work people, because one of the guys is getting moved down to the Christchurch office. The restaurant was called Troy and they had a belly-dancer come out and entertain everyone as well as go around and make people get up and dance with her. Jacques had gone to the bathroom, leaving a space next to me so she moved in and took me out of my seat to dance with her!
I have started playing water polo on the team Jacques was playing on before, Sunday evenings....not sure I am a fan just yet. Last week I got kicked out because I did something wrong...don't really know the rules yet but it looks like everyone just tries to drown each other...I guess I did it at the wrong time...and I got kicked really hard as well by someone scoring a goal against us...unpleasant. Plus a bunch of chlorine just gets in your eyes...not my favorite sport just yet. We are also a team kind of just thrown together, so winning is not our forte...yet.
This weekend, NZ celebrated the Queen's Birthday so the sky tower was a pretty blue and red. Jacques' mom's birthday was also on this holiday Monday so we had a couple of very nice dinners for her! I made manicotti (well cannelloni here because there are no manicotti noodles) and a sort of experimental chocolate orange cheesecake which turned out very yummy, luckily!
The weather is definitely turning a bit colder, a bit more rainy as well, it will definitely be weird to have a "winter" birthday this month, having never missed a summer in the north east of the states! It will be a change going snow skiing 2 days after my birthday and through the rest of what I consider the "summer" months!
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| Dancing with the belly-dancer at Troy |
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| Josie and I skating |
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| Sky Tower for Queen's Bday weekend from Bayswater |
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| Blue and Red Sky Tower |
