March Madness

And I'm back! I  had more to report on yesterday, but I felt as though my post was getting a little long, and I was getting a little tired. So, before we pick back up where we left off, let's start off with a workout, shall we?

Workout

I woke up just after 8:00am, quickly changed, taped up my shin, and headed out the door for a five mile run. I was limping a little bit to start off, but about 20 steps in, I hit my stride. I guess it's just waking itself up. And I could probably do a better job about stretching out before I go. But I wanted to get going before it got too hot and humid, which didn't work, as it was 99% humidity out there.

I won't lie and say that my run wasn't tough, but I made it through, and I have the mud splatters to show for it. My time was obviously a little bit slower than usual, but that tends to happen when the humidity is as high as it is. And for some reason, running in the summertime, when it's always hot and humid, is much easier for me. It's when we aren't supposed to have this humidity that it leaves me gasping for air.

Scuba

Yesterday I got one step closer to receiving my scuba certification. Cheyney and I bit the traffic bullet and headed out to Sugar Land to sign our medical release waiver as well as pick up our study materials. Oh, and put down a deposit. My bank account is feeling a bit empty these days. Perks of living at home, I guess, as I don't feel quite as bad about treating myself to some of these *unneeded* things. 

Though we are not doing the classroom and confined water dives until the week prior to Cozumel, we wanted to get our materials as soon as possible, so we could at least pretend like we're going to get started ahead of time. Plus, signing our names on the dotted line made it all very real. Like it or not, M&D, I'm going scuba diving in Mexico! We are both very excited, and in less than three months we'll be laying on the beach, swimming with dolphins, and diving with sharks. Living the dream.

We timed it pretty perfectly, because I made it back over to the Galleria area with just enough time to meet my former Clubhouse roommates Sarah, Natalie, and Emily, as well as Sarah's friend Ashley for dinner at Yia Yia Mary's. We were driving home from the rodeo when we passed by Niko Niko's and we all commented on how good that restaurant is. Then they told me that Yia Yia Mary's is the best Greek food in all of Houston, and I pass by it all the time when I'm avoiding 610 traffic, so I felt as though this week was the perfect time to try it out. I opted for the spinach salad with salmon, but I am definitely going to go back and try other items on the menu. I felt a little inauthentic by not getting a gyro (and I finally learned that it's pronounced year-oh), but the salmon was calling my name. A great night with great food in the company of great people. A win on all fronts.

March Madness

It is the happiest time of the year, in my opinion, anyway. Not only is it rodeo season, but we have the start of NCAA's March Madness. I'll admit that I'm not the best at keeping up with college basketball during the regular season. If it's on, I'll watch it, but I don't typically seek it out on my own. Unless it's Texas basketball, of course. But March Madness is a whole other story. I love March Madness and all of the excitement that comes along with it. I love creating a bracket, even though it always gets seriously busted very early in the game. I love picking an upset, because there's always an upset, though I typically pick the wrong upset and end up looking very silly. Anything can happen, which is why they play the games. But it sure is fun to try and predict what's going to happen. Last year when I was student teaching, some of the students may have been following some of the games on their phones during class. I played dumb, mainly because I wanted to know the outcomes, too. And I think I earned some serious street cred when I told them I made a bracket. It's all about connecting with the students, right?

Anyway, I of course made another bracket this year, and my final four looks like this:

• Notre Dame
• Arizona
• UVA
• Duke

Notre Dame and Duke will play one another in the finals, with Duke emerging victorious. I pick Duke almost every year, and though they have only come through once, they will forever remain my favorite basketball team. Sorry, Texas. And I've found that you can never count out Duke. Though you can never quite count on them either, as they have been known to lose in the second round and bust my entire bracket. But no hard feelings. So, you have now seen the winning bracket. Consider yourselves lucky.

Kidding, but I'm hoping Duke will come through in the clutch this year. And if not, I'll still have fun watching it. See you guys tomorrow!