Sabey Saga: March 2, 2008

Dear everyone,
First, we hope that everyone enjoys our awfully plain blog. We are new at this and we don't have very much time to do any of the fancy stuff. Perhaps in the future we'll have more "free" time and be able to do a tad more.
February was a great month. It was busy (no surprise there).

Here's the monthly rundown:
The Norwegian missionaries that I am currently teaching are providing many learning experiences. There are 9 elders and they often deliver interesting dynamics. Despite this seemingly negative view that I pessimistically provide, they are doing really well with learning Norwegian and improving in their teaching abilities. Its really fun and encouraging to see them improve...it helps me feel like I'm doing at least a few things effectively. They are really good...

School is normal. My midterms have been somewhat spread out which has allowed me to keep the stress levels down. Speaking of stress levels, my research project in psychology regarding stress & gender has been a big success. I'm grateful that we actually get to apply and use what we read in the textbook.

In the big wide world of dancing news, I got 2nd place dancing the Rumba at a mock dance competition at the beginning of February. They randomly assign partners for all the dance classes and have a mini competition. I got lucky enough to get assigned to one of the best dancers in my class...and she did so good that we got 2nd place! Okay...I guess I helped a little. And if anyone has ANY doubts, I'm living proof that white men can learn to shake their hips with Cuban action. In 2 weeks, I'll be competing in a real dance competition.

Here's the poster...

And it's actually the "the largest Amateur DanceSport event in the country. Viewed by over 10,000 spectators." I'm competing in the Samba (another Latin hip-shaking dance) with two partners. This time we get to choose our partners and I'm dancing with the one that I did so well with earlier and with another very talented dancer from my class. I'll let you know how it goes...

While the air is getting slightly warmer (sometimes 50 during the day), the snow is melting and allowing the grass to invite everyone to play sports again. I've started practicing again with the BYU ultimate frisbee club team and last week they invited me to come play in a tournament with them. So...I guess I'm officially on the BYU club team. It's not an official BYU sport, but as close as you can get I guess. I really enjoy it. I also was able to play a few times in the snow last month, and I also got in a few soccer games recently as well. Not only do I love playing soccer and ultimate, but they really help me relax.

Enough about me...sorry again for this being so one-sided. Here's what Cameo's been up to. Below is her stack of grading on President's Day. Good times teaching Junior High.
Cameo has been making some amazing dinners lately and they are worth mentioning: crock pot roast tacos, braided pizza, Hawaiian haystacks just to name a few. She also makes a wicked spinach lasagna. Obviously, she takes good care of me...not just with good dinners, but in every way.
She has also started coaching track after school at her Junior High. She is kind of the head coach along with 2 others...but it's kind of confusing and becoming almost political with the coaching situation so she is mostly just going to stick to her beloved long-distance runners. She really enjoys seeing the kiddos work hard and run just for the love of it. She says that it's nice to see them in a different atmosphere than sitting in a desk talking to their neighbor (not all of them do this by the way). She's anxious to see how they do in their first meet this month...we'll keep you posted...literally.
Cameo has also begun a new program at her school. Has anyone heard of "The Biggest Loser?" It's an adaptation of the reality show and in her version, everyone gets points for certain "healthy lifestyle habits." You get 2 points for every lb. lost, 1 point for every 64 oz of water, 1 point for eating fruits and veggies, 1 point for exercising, etc. She's gotten almost the entire faculty excited to participate. (I don't know exactly how she works her magic but it works...)

Valentines Day was pretty exciting. We went out for dinner and had a nice chat about life. We also started making a music video which is still in production (you can read about it in our previous post). We also had planned to go dancing that Saturday, but when I got sick we had to reschedule. We went last night and had a blast! (This is obvious from the picture below)We're definitely going to go another time soon...and if anyone comes to visit, we already know what we're doing with you! (This is Cameo's brief note: Even though I can't hear a beat, and I am not very coordinated, I still learned the Tango. (Counting this way T-A-N-G-O really helps) Allen was really patient to dance with me a whole night, but I told him it was an investment. Someday I will be really good and we can go dancing often like all the old people that were at the Murray Arts Center (that's where we went last night). Until then, he will have to have sore toes from me stepping on them. But, the good news is I am actually enjoying it now. :) ) I (this is Allen again) also made Cameo a little slideshow presentation that Cameo insisted we put on here.

Well...that's all from the Sabeys in Provo. We pray that all is well (and if it's not well, that you're learning from the experience).

With lots of love.