(This was written a week ago and is finally posted. YAY!)

Nic steals Debra's Intro Bit

Bit late, but Happy New Year!

Hi all, we were going to post a video of the apt, but it won't load easily. Instead, check out these pictures I took!

(our couch is on the wall)

It was really cool moving into a new place. We actually took these last week for last weeks Shiny Bits, but it had to be postponed until now. We've since moved in a bit (we have our own furniture, etc.) but it's still mostly the same.

It's winter vacation for the kids, so you know what that means, more classes at after school-school with Nic and Debra! Deb and I now teach morning classes (which we had just STOPPED teaching less than a month ago) and whats worse is that we teach on alternating days. We don't ever see each other in the mornings =(

While we're teaching the morning classes we're still staying in our old apt for the most part as well. It save us an hour of travel time that, while fine in the afternoon, we don't wish to make at 7:00 am. Debra's class is a pretty boring listening/grammar class, and I've got a strange reading/ self esteem class. I'm reading Anne of Green Gables with two girls and five boys. Then we talk about things like who to talk to if you are having trouble at home. I'm getting my life counselor degree on the side. Anyway, it's pretty awkward.

Things are moving along here at a pretty fast rate. We're well into winter now and soon it will almost be too late to go snowboarding again. Years just seem so small these days. Well, I'm looking forward to the cherry blossoms already I guess. Guess I'm gonna have to take myself to the gym some more to get ready for swimsuit season at this rate.

Best wishes to everyone bothering to read this, and hope to hear from you in the comments below (even things as inane as "Good Job!" are appreciated.") Happy New Year!

Debra's bits:
Hahaha, Nic has to get ready for his bikini. Although we haven't actually lived in our apartment for more than a weekend, it won't be too hard staying fit. We didn't take a picture of it, but there is a HUGE hill that we must hike in order to get to our place. It's a bit terrifying going up the hill in a car because the area is so narrow and steep. It's troublesome to climb, but since Nic and I live next to some amazing food places, it's probably good that it's there. The walk too and from the train station will give us an extra 30 minutes of walking per day!

I've been going a little star crazy (I think I've made about a thousand stars in the past week and a half or so) and haven't had much time to do other things. Star post coming soon!

For those of you that thought Christmas was over, it is. But not really. Please click the link and sing along with Nic's masterful drawings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TktAaCplscI&feature=related

Since the 12 days of Christmas start on Christmas day, Nic came to my classroom everyday to draw out "The Twelve Days of Christmas" song on my whiteboard. Since he wrote, "Do not erase" next to it, my board was getting pretty filled up by day 7-8, haha. Of course, all the kids asked about the song. "Teacher! Sing it to me! Show us videos of it!" One class even sang the Starcraft version of it. An hour into class, the students of that class ask, "So teacher... uh... what are those drawings on the board?"

I think my favorite is either the Colly/calling birds or the 6 geese a-laying. Gotta love those Angry Birds. According to the December 2011 issue of Times Magazine, to actually buy the 12 days of Christmas now costs over $100,000. This is definitely the most expensive gift I've ever received! ;)