Yup they sure have. I know I haven't updated this for about a month or so but that is because life has just been that hectic for us!
Mark and I have settled into our new home and have been enjoying the extra room we have that was absent in the apartment that we were in before. The only thing that I think would disrupt that would be when we get my stuff from Idaho down here. Then we might have to re-settle back into normality but that is just a slight dent in out lives.
So since the move things have been going full steam ahead for me. School started up in the first part of October and it seems I have been going non stop since then! I am enjoying it although I have found myself struggling with the "stance" to get really into deep tissue massage. Your body mechanics are different in terms of bending more in the legs and leaning vs. pushing all while trying to adjust to a lower table height. Although it is because of school that I am the proud owner of a new espresso brown colored massage table. It has been nice to be able to practice the techniques I have learned and Mark certainly has been great at volunteering himself for practice (I bet it has nothing to do with getting a free full body massage *wink*).
There is just SO much information to learn but I am really excited and interested in learning it. UCMT has three 10 week terms and we are already half over with the first. Two classes a day for four days and each class is 3.5 hours long and then come the first of December I start working in the student clinic for my internship to get the hours needed for certification/licensing. We shall see how that goes but already I have passed my first 3 classes with A's and can now give a 50 minute full body Swedish Massage and a full 50 minute Reflexology session. I am also now CPR/First Aid certified as well! Then by the middle of December I will be able to give a 50 minute full body deep tissue massage along with a full 50 minute acupressure session. EXCITING!!! However, I haven't quite sold Mark on the acupressure part (since it deals a lot with a persons Chi or energy) as he seems sort of skeptic about the whole thing.
If life couldn't get any crazier for me, I was just called to be a primary teacher over the 4/5 year olds and last week was my first week teaching. It was funny because the primary president had me coming in two weeks ago so I could get to know the kids and let the kids become familiar with me and I was pretty much thrown under the bus my first day! I guess it is a tradition that if you are new, you get to stand up and introduce yourself to everyone and tell them a little bit about you and then it is "open season." The kids get to ask you anything they want (within in reason of course). Talk about being put on the spot! I got the usual questions about my favorite colors and foods but a few of the questions threw me for a loop such as if I liked sports..specifically if I was blue or red (I guess its a HUGE deal on whether you like BYU (blue) or Univeristy of Utah (red) down here) needless to say I was rescued by the bishop that said I was a Bengal. LOL it was a lot of fun but I was sort of sweating it, just a little. LOL.
Mark just keeps reminding me that I wanted a calling and that I will be great at it. I have to laugh because the primary president told him he was more than welcome to come help me teach and we were kinda sure they would release him from ward mission leader and have him recalled as a team teacher with me but that didn't happen. Mark said he was a little relieved for that because he isn't sure he could handle the kids since he really hadn't had much experience being in primary let alone with younger kids to which I replied it would be good practice for you. Yeah, he didn't find the humor in that.
Life just keeps us going and with the holidays fast approaching (seems like Christmas comes earlier each year) I am sure our lives will get just a little bit more hectic but we are grateful to have each other and the support and love from family and friends to help us survive. We Love and Miss you all!
