X-mass

So I sit there not expecting much because I already got a new skin suit right? I open this huge box and inside is this sketchy briefcase. So now i'm thinking.... Is the briefcase my present?? Thats weird!! I open it and inside is *drum roll* A NEW STAYBENT SHARPENING FRAME!!!!!!!! So im there freaking out all over the place and on the sides it says "El Ojo del Tigre" under my name. Im thinking this is Martys doing, so I went to call him to tell him how awesome he is for making this. (Marty- I had to leave you a message, you didnt answer!!) Jerry is awesome too because he also made it!!!! And thanks mom n dad for dishing out to get me this, dang what a cool present! The thing is, now I have to skate some amazing races to deserve this!!!

Heres me opening it,



getting confused,



and freaking out.





I freaked out again after noticing the "El Ojo del Tigre"




Setting it up...


HOW COOL IS THIS?!?!?!?!?!



I also got some spiffy new tips!!!

You know, just in case I forget which way to go.

Snow Cyclist!!!

If your wondering, he's changing a tire. Doesn't it kinda look like Jim? You know, hes got the carrot and all...:P Unfortunately, this unsuspecting cyclists' face will be attacked by a hungry deer tonight! (The nose is a Keylime leftover from a keylime pie I made yesterday! Amazing what you can do with leftovers...)

More Baking...

I found this amazing site while looking for cookie recipes, Joy of Baking...this has to be the best baking site out there!!! I found a Hot Cocoa recipe (which I modified to make better :P)

2.5 Tbl cocoa powder
1.5 Tbl Agave nectar
1.5 c milk

What you do is in your favorite big mug/cup (its better if its thick, the thicker/heavier/stronger the drink, the thicker the cup should be!) you make a paste out of the cocoa powder, agave nectar and a little milk. You heat the 1.5c milk on the stove until its really hot, then mix it in with the paste. If you like it thick and fluffy put it in the blender. Another thing that makes it better is adding a pinch of chili pepper.

You may be wondering why the appearance of the cup matters, well, it just does. Trust me, if you have a really nice cup it just makes the cocoa taste better!

Heres a picture of mine!



Maybe it should be a little thicker, but its dark and light at the same time with cool patterns and I love it! It's so big it might also double as a bowl. I got this at Ikea, the coolest store on the FACE OF THE EARTH.

Cookies Are On

I've decided that for x-mass this year ill make a bunch of different cookies. I have no idea what kinds of cookies people like for the holidays though. I want to make some fancy ones, with weird flavors and cool decorations. Any ideas? I also might make some mini-cakes!! Maybe spice cake with maple frosting? Actually, what might be interesting is a cake with cookies on it!!! Or...a giant cookie with a cake on it!!!!

Heres one I will try, with coconut and pandan flavors!

iRack

(Press pause on the music first!)


This made me chuckle!! "There is no exit strategy!!!" lol!

For All Your Obsessions, There Is A Shirt.

I found these at the Cafe Press site, they have the most amazing shirts ever!!!!



YEAHHH!!!



Im the Team Captain.



<3



All day every day.


Especially behind Lily!



LOL all the time!



UP THE HILL!!!!



Sleep?? How does a skater fit that in between training and eatting??



I found one for you Leslie!!

Tea Party!

Were ALL VERY SERIOUS about our tea. Especially Susan.


Karen and me.


Yay tea!


Cheers!

Fun

Clarissa took this one, I like it better than mine!!


Me, Clarissa, and Meghan out for lunch.


Guess which door we used :P

Thanksgiving

We spent our thanksgiving in Troy where my dad and me ran the Troy Turkey Trot with about 5300 other runners!! We did the 5k which had about 4000 in it. Overall I got 164th with a PB of 20:20, 1st in the 19 & under. My dad ended up 2852nd. He wasnt happy with his race because he had a shin splint. It was fun though! And it didnt rain this year!! I love road races. Too bad Im missing the Jingle Jog next weekend for the SATs, BOO!

There were a ton of people at dinner, me, my parents, 3 aunts, 2 uncles, Nana and "grandpa" Dan, 8 cousins, one 2nd cousin, one 3rd cousin, 2 almost kindof cousin-in-laws, one actual cousin in law, and one dog, Caesar the Boxer. Still a bunch of people were missing, like my cousin whos a marine, hes out training somewhere, and my brother and his fiancee who decided to spend thanksgiving in Germany!!! Whats wrong with that picture.... haha. I hope they bring back pics, Ill definatly post them!!

Two of my youngest cousins, Payton and Gianni, were crazy about my cell phone. They insisted that they needed a photoshoot so they took the phone and took about 50 pictures, most of them Payton pretending to model :) They then decided it was time to make videos. They must have made about 20 of themselves (and me) singing and saying the most random nonsense ever. It was awesome.

Some of these are sideways, im too lazy to fix them, deal with it.


Payton and me.


Cousins Payton, Timmy, and Gianni.


This is what I ate, now times all this by 2 or 3 and thats how much I ate!


Caesar the dog!!

Pancake Party 3!!!

It was at my friend Meghans house (I call her Qui) She insisted they be unhealthy and fake, so we used box mix and chocolate chips! I gave her my never fail pancake recipe though just in case she feels like having healthy pancakes sometime. Heres the recipe (which I have memorized):

~e cakes~

1.5 c reg or buckwheat flour
3 tbl sugar
3.5 t baking powder
1 t salt

Mix well dry ingrediants

1 egg
1 c skim or hemp milk
1 t vanilla
3 tbl melted butter
(for apple pancakes-reccomended!!!)
add cinnemon to taste
add 2 or 3 grated apples

Mix well wet ingredients

stir together till moist, lumps are good!

DO NOT USE FAKE SYRUP!!!!!! ESPECIALLY WHEN USING BUCKWHEAT FLOUR AND/OR APPLES!!! Trust me it tastes way better with real syrup.


FAKE=DEATH!!!


Yummmyyyy


Qui prepares the ingredients


Oops...


Qui likes my recipe!


She also enjoys watching them cook.

Junior Trials in Bay City

IT ROCKED!!! I got PB's in everything, AND TOP 16!!!!!!! 15th in the TT and 16th after everything else. Eleanor got 12th!! And Ansis got 9th!!!!! Lily was too young to be a junior but I think she had fun, and some PB's!! It was SOOO much fun, it seems like it gets more fun every time I skate. Even if I dont get PBs. I was put in a heat with Lana Gehring, shes an amazing short tracker as well as a long track world team member. Her form is amazing, the way she gets down so low and her strides are so long and smooth, thats how I want to skate!!! For me it was like being on the line with Ohno or Ahn! I definatly took alot out of that meet, but when Ansis asked me what I learned I couldnt tell him because somehow this stuff doesnt get saved in my brain, its saved in my muscles :P. It definatly showed during tuesday practice!! Ive NEVER felt so low and technically sound before. (The picture is El, Lily, Me, and Ansis, who is being antisocial)

As for the trip back.....we were on our way into Canada sitting on the bridge when suddenly the clutch started to give out! We were like CRAP! WERE SURROUNDED BY CARS ON A BRIDGE AT CUSTOMS AND THE CAR ISNT MOVING! So we made our way to the truck lane and Ansis pushed us to customs (I wanted to help but OBVIOUSLY since I only eat whole foods and do 4 sports Im too weak, unsuitable, and delicate to HELP PUSH AN EFFING CAR) So after much waiting, phone calls and issues we found a tow truck to take it to Canadian Tire. (AGAIN ANSIS is asked to help him push the car while I am told to WAIT IN THE TRUCK along with a certain someone who tells me right to my face im not suitable to push the car...) Come on what the hell is this, the 20's??? I said I wanted to be treated equally and got laughed at, APPARENTLY this is a new and crazy concept...

Anyway we got back at 4am and Lily and Ansis had to go to school that morning!! I decided to sleep in untill 11 and pop in on the last two clases :).


Ansis is next to the blue guy


Eleanors start, well be seeing her in a Rochester skin soon!!!


Lily in her SYRACUSE skin because she took a slide through the water in the last race! :P


MY RACE WITH GEHRING!!!


My new senior portrait.


Ansis (eatting??) dinner after our 1st day of competition.


Demonic possessed Lily with lazer vision!!!

My new PB's:

500m- 51.309
1000m- 1:45.079
1500m- 2:43.975
1000m Time Trial- 1:47.530

Stuff

Now for a condensed update on EVERYTHING!!

1) After much debate with the coach I ended my XC season early.

2) why? because Jr. Trials are the same weekend as Feds

3) I was not allowed to compete at States as a result of not going to Feds.

4) Which Mendon qualified for this past weekend after taking 2nd at States.

5) I found an AMAZING pancake recipe that TOTALLY blows any other ive tried away.

6) I am planning on making this recipe with apples after I finish this post.

7) Which I will test on various unsuspecting skaters at practice tonight :)

8) I GOT A CELL PHONEEEE!!!!!!!! If you want the number ask me, im not posting it. I have unlimited txting!!!

9) I am EXCITED MUCH for Jr Trials!! Itll be me, Lily and Ansis with my dad driving.

10) Lily and me are having a slumber party on thursday after practice so we can leave early friday!!!!!!!

11) Alina made it clear that we need to have another underwater tea party and that she likes calamari even though she coughed it up the first time I gave it to her.

11) We time trialed yesterday, Marcia was there! I got a PB (1000m) on my retry, fell 1st attempt.

12) Its bad enough that I made myself fall, but on a STRAIGHTAWAY?? Come on....

13) Cathy is gonna teach me how to make soakers!!!

14) Leah is awesome because she made it so I can move my legs again!!

Sectionals

I had the best race of the season! I PBd by 3 seconds with a time of 20:37. Both the girls and boys teams won. We are going to States next weekend in Canton. Were leaving thursday and missing a day of school!!! Thanks Beth for comming to watch/coach me!! She was there at the toughest part of the course yelling and giving me much needed advice like RELAX THE ARMS!! Its amazing how much faster you go when you use your arms. (And a special thanks to Leslie who has brought it to my attention that he too was at counties a week before sectionals cheering me on on the hill. :P)


Me finishing. (No doubt chasing the randomly placed maple syrup from the previous post)


Annndd heres me blowing my nose on a sock.