Monumental Changes

I'm back from Costa Rica. My trip was awesome. I learned so much. I am such a geeked out fan of Rachel Brice, but she is really so cool. She said some really interesting things in our personal conversations that lead me to believe we could be kindred spirits. I'm not ready to share much on that front, yet, but one day I will. If you're curious, it concerns teaching others and the energy transference that occurs. I also met some other wonderful ladies that I think could be lasting friendships. Here's a couple of pictures.

In our room:

We are, from left, Noelle, Jennie, me, Janet, and Renee.

And here we are on the last day of classes. We are, from left to right, Jennie, me, Renee, Karen, Noelle, and Janet. Janet is from my troupe here and was my roommate. She went with me last year as well.

I learned some great new ways of doing things, so I'll be making some monumental changes in my teaching methods. I am starting an advanced class this Wednesday night. I'm quite excited about all this new stuff to teach. One interesting side note, Rachel Brice has added quite a lot of Pilates in her teaching, particularly her dance prep section. I'm delighted by this, since this means at least one other person in the world sees the connection between Pilates, Yoga, and Belly Dance (and it's none other than the Goddess of Tribal Fusion Belly Dance herself).

More monumental changes around here. Zachary's new furniture and 'Big Boy Bed' arrived while I was gone. I set up his room all day Sunday. It's so cute.

Can you tell it's a boat? It's a boat bed! There's a matching dresser on the far right (out of the picture). So Zachary was all excited about his big boy bed. For his nap he wanted to sleep in it. I told him the responsibilities that come with having a big boy bed, particularly the fact that he must remain in the bed during naptime and nightime. So I did our usual routine, kissed him night-night, and tucked him in. Then I quietly walked to the door. As I closed the door to his room, I could see him open one eye to watch me. So I didn't close the door all the way, I heard him get up and start jumping on the bed. So I opened the door quickly and said "Zachary!" and he plopped down on his bed and closed his eyes - like I didn't see him!! I told him he had to stay in bed, and that if he didn't now he would have to sleep in his crib. I knew he wouldn't stay, and once again I could hear him jumping on the bed after I left the room. So I went in and grabbed him up and put him in his crib. He protested a little, but then went happily to sleep. I figured we would try again Sunday night. Interestingly, he asked to sleep in his crib Sunday night, and today at naptime, and tonight. Hmm. What does this mean? I will not push him, there is plenty of space in his room for both the crib and bed. He seemed a bit distraught when we moved his old dresser out and the new one in, so maybe these big changes are happening too fast for him. So we'll slow it down and when he's ready the big boy bed will be there. Besides, I rather like having him in a crib, I know he can't get up in the middle of the night

And today was a monumental day in my boy's life. He caught his first fish today. Apparently that is a big thing in a boy's life, especially one who lives by the water. Here is the photo:

He got this fishing pole from his Grandpa Cox for his birthday. We had a good time fishing, then we went over to the island (Shell Island) to frolic in the sand and surf. We worked on Zachary's swimming skills, looked for hermit crabs, and generally splashed around in the water dancing to a neighboring boat's music. We made it back in time for lunch and a nice nap. It's been a monumental Labor Day!