SPEECHES, VALENTINES, & FOOTBALL

I joined Toastmasters eight months ago.  What is Toastmasters?  It is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through local clubs.  I absolutely love it!  It is so much fun to meet with wonderful people every week, give and listen to great speeches, and grow as a leader and speaker.  I also have enjoyed competing in club contests, and I am currently serving as the Vice President of Membership for our Midway Toastmasters Club.  If anyone is interested in learning more, let me know!  Two weeks ago, I competed in a Table Topics competition.  Table Topics is speaking off the cuff on a question for 1-2 minutes.  It's a lot of fun.  My question was "If your life was a book, which book would it be and why?"  I talked about Little Women by Louise May Alcott.  I talked about sisters and how they work together to make life wonderful.  My sister is my rock, who is opposite of me in many ways, but we compliment each other beautifully.  Anyway, I won.  And I'll be competing at the next level in March.

Our family didn't really have a team to root for on Sunday during the Big Game.  We are Jets fans, after all.  But we still watched together.  And although there was only 5 of us, we still made a delicious spread of food to share and enjoy.  (I think that the food is my favorite part of the Super Bowl.  I used to enjoy the commercials and half time, but this year both were pretty pathetic... in my opinion.)  Skittles loved the buffalo chicken dip!

Skittles also colored a special picture for Aunt GJ... he's learned that love is sending eyeballs to GJ from his grandma!  

For Valentine's Day, Cody planned a couples game night (with us, Katia & Skylar, GJ & Ken, and the Lillywhites!)  It was soooo much fun!  We each had to choose a bird mascot.  Scott and I were the falcons!  After a couple of unique, fun activities, GJ and Ken won the most heart points at the end and won "FIRST PLACE!"  My favorite "game" was when we each wrote love letters from birds to birds.  Then we had to guess the authors.  I'll include the silly love notes (in no particular order) for your reading pleasure:

BIRD LOVE LETTERS 2022

From Skylar:
Hey gorgeous!
I know this isn’t the best way to shower you with my affection, but you left me so it’ll have to do. I don’t have much time so this will have to be short. This pigeon is a friend of mine and although he does not share the same name as me, he shares my conviction and was willing to bring this to you for only a small payment of my entire life savings.
I love you, my feather friend and from my nest to yours I wish you the best. Soon we will be reunited and make feathery love like I’ve dreamed of for far too long.
-Your admirer, me

From Sundy:
My beloved bird,
How do I love thee?
Let me count the ways:
Your deep, mumbling twitter
Makes me gleefully titter.
Your strong, capable wings
Helps me fly without strings.
Your multicolored plumage
Keeps me close to our pledge.
Love eternally,
Your Brightest Bird

From Cody:
Dearest Lovebird,
Oh how I love thee, though thou do not know me.  I have long wished to speak with you and tell you of my love. Your feathers are like brilliant rays of sunshine in my life. I would give you my heart even if I must rip it from my eternal organs, if it meant I could be with you for the rest of my life. You are a dream come true. You are a legendary icon which cannot be compared.  Come to me my  lover.

From Katia:
An honest love letter:
______ ,
I love you.
Much love, _____

From GJ:
Love Bird
The colors of your life bring me joy in ways that words cannot express.  We have come far as we have navigated life’s fast pace. With wings beating, we’ve navigated our ups, our down, our forwards and our backwards, but we have ever pushed forward toward our destination.  For you I would do anything… I would pierce my heart with the thorn of a rose to be able to gain my wish of being with you forever. 

From Scott:
My love I am a bird with few words but if I were to say anything to you it would be kack-kack-kack-kack. 
Smooch!

From Kiara:
My love, 
You mean the world to me! When we met that amazing night I felt a flutter in my wings and my four-chambered heart! You are the wind beneath my wings! Our love will never end. Thank you for all you do for our family. 
I will forever be yours! 
Your Love Bird

From Ken:
You are in a hurry to get things done.  You dart here!  You dart there!  Serving whomever might cross your path.  You are ablet o pause in mid flight to get your bearings and then as quick as  you stopped, you are off serving again!  You love food that is sweet, but you have incredible self-control, and eat only that which will keep you healthy.