Adios 2008!

Another year has come and gone. I can't believe in less than twelve hours it will be 2009. What a wonderful and crazy year it has been. I can only hope that the years to follow bring more great memories! It is hard to believe that a year from now we will be awaiting the DO match results to tell us where our next adventure will begin. It seems like just yesterday we were in Fort Worth celebrating friends' weddings, our second anniversary and watching Air Force and Cal play in the Armed Force Bowl. Oh how time flies when you are getting old!

I hope that in 2009 everyone appreciates every day you are given. Look forward to the future, but don't forget today! Happy New Year!

Happy Anniversary to Me and the Boy!

Three years ago on this day I was eating Panera bagels and watching a Laguna Beach marathon with my best friends. It was the best day...it was my wedding day! It was a beautiful, sunny day in December. My insane planning obsession came in very handy during that time! It truly was a fantastic day. I want to do it all over again, but instead I will just look at pictures and remember how much fun we had. I like to be nostalgic. Enjoy!

I wore my mom's beautiful veil. I loved it.

Dancing with my King.

I surprised Kody with a "K" ice sculpture at our reception. He loved it.

Our wedding party. We love our friends!

Off to Mexico!

And it Begins...

I've lost it. Now that it is almost 2009 and Kody is almost through six rotations...yes, six...I am in full fledged "where the heck are you going to do your residency" mode. This mode completely terrifies Kody, but I feel like I'm thriving when I hit this mode.

I currently have three spreadsheets in the works. One for Orthopedics, one for OB/GYN and one for Anesthesia. The first two he has actual interest in, the later is still TBD. Might as well be prepared! So, back to my amazingness/insanity....each spreadsheet lists the program location, hospital affiliation, starting and ending salaries, number of spots, number of interviews granted and everything the program will or will not pay for (licence, paternity leave, life insurance, CME, etc.).

Here is an example of the listing, this is for St. Anthony's in OKC orthopedic program. Isn't all that information completely fantastic? I can't wait to organize it all into my beautifully easy to read spreadsheet. He may think I am nuts now, but next month when he is ready to start scheduling his electives he will be SO thankful for me. :)

I'll leave you with some pictures from Christmas. I unfortunately don't have many from Kody's parent's house. I got distracted by opening gifts and forgot to take pictures!

Kody and I by his parent's Snow Village display. So cute...the village...not me.

Lounging with Honey and Midori.

Kody and his Miter Saw. He will be missing a limb soon.

Kody and Robin helping with the Christmas Turkey. Aren't they precious?

Robin and every animal in our home on Christmas Day.

My parents and Kody talk about the great movies my mom just opened, which are really movies my dad wanted. :)

Bailey and her Christmas Reindeer from Kody's mom. She loves her Reindeer!

Twas the Day After Christmas...

...and I am as stuffed as a cow!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. We had a great time with the fam in Edmond. In a nutshell our one and a half days included Christmas Eve service, Christmas Eve pizza, making coconut balls (so good), holiday episode of Top Chef, a Christmas morning workout, pancakes, presents, Valkyrie, more food, Kung Fu Panda, more food and the drive home....I am worn out!

My mom sent us home with an entire ham. Not part of a ham, but a huge, whole twelve pound plus ham. Apparently Kody and I need to eat more?

Quote of trip:
Let me preface this by saying Robin has never been to a Christmas eve service at the church my parent's now attend. We used to always to o to one at Heritage Presbyterian which is a really cute, small church in Edmond. Anyway, as we pull up to the church here was the exchange:

Robin "Ohhhhh...this is the church where Ginny got married!"
Kody: "Robin, I got married here too."
Robin: "Oh, yeah you are right!"
Car erupts in laughter...

Twas the Night Before Christmas...

Kody and I are loading up the car early this afternoon with Bailey and heading to Edmond for Christmas! I am really looking forward to going to Christmas Eve service with my family tonight. I haven't been able to go with them since we have been married. We always roll in about midnight from Waynoka. Our work schedules are limiting our travel plans this Christmas. It will actually be kind of nice, even though I love getting to see everyone.

Robin flew in from Tucson last night. There were seven people on her flight, which went through Dallas, going from Tucson to Oklahoma City. They almost missed their connection in Dallas. The group sent Robin running from their gate to the OKC gate. When she got there the door was already closed, but the pilot was just walking to the door. She told him there were seven of them on their way and she would be happy to buy him "some adult beverages" when they landed. He told her the door wasn't really closed until he got on the plane so he would hold it for them. They all got put up in first class. I need to travel with Robin more often. She knows how to work they system in the most fantastic way.

I can't wait for all the goodies my mom makes. She is making me coconut date balls (heaven!) and the peanut butter bars I love. We are having pancakes on Christmas morning. My mom knows how to make me happy!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

My Bompa

My grandfather, Bompa, passed away on Sunday evening. I got the news while we were celebrating Christmas with Kody's family. We have known it was coming for a few weeks, although that never makes it easier. It has been five years since my grandma, Nanny, passed away as well. Nan and Bomp (sounds like Bump!), lived in Fort Myers, Florida where I was born. I lived there with them for the first three months of my life. I don't remember it, but I'm sure it was a lot of fun! Fort Myers has always been one of my favorite places to visit. It is beautiful and almost all of my dad's family is in the area. We would go there every three or four years for Christmas and during the summers other years. Every Christmas Bomp would be "Santa" every night leading up to the big day. All of the grand kids would sit in front of his chair and one by one we would sit on his lap and we would get the gift for that night. It is such a great memory.

Nan and Bomp were the biggest fans of Christmas. Their house was always the best looking house on the block during Christmas. Santa and all the reindeer were on top of the roof and there was always a six foot Santa just inside the front door that waved at us as we walked through the door. So many of my favorite memories from growing up happened in their home and with both of them. I would always ride in the golf cart with Bomp while him and my dad played a few holes of golf. He always pointed out the gators to me in the lake around the golf course. One day there was a baby gator crawling onto the fairway....so neat!

Bomp was a Navy pilot and one of the biggest Gator fans you will ever meet. Every game day my dad would be on the phone with him as both of them talked about how horrible the Gators were playing. They were never satisfied! :) I guess I get that from both of them. I am going to miss Bompa so much. He was so special to me and always will be, however, I know he is in a better place now and isn't in pain anymore. My mom said she thought the first thing Nan and Bomp would do together in Heaven was play golf, but then she changed her mind. She said she thinks Nan is out Christmas shopping and Bomp is trying to figure out how he is going to pay for everything! They'll probably head out for eighteen holes after everything is under the tree. :) I love you Bompa!

Angela took this adorable picture of Bailey when she was visiting this weekend. It makes me smile!

Finally...

...It is Friday! This week has been a long one, the longest in a long time. I'm drained and need some serious energizing. The hubby called to invite me to a movie, Yes Man. A date! I'm looking forward to smuggling in some Twizzlers and a ginormous Diet Root Beer. It should be fantastic. I might have to opt for a Diet Coke... I might need the caffeine if the sugar doesn't do the trick.

I need a good run tonight...come on legs!

Angela and Lauren are coming to visit tomorrow. I am forcing them to come to my flag football game. I might also force them to make signs for my team. They will probably do it because, well, that is just how we do things...we like to draw attention to ourselves, it is a gift. I'm sure I'll have some pictures to post Monday.

I'm getting really excite about Santa's visit. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Rock Band. (Kody, did you see that? Rock Band...yes I want it....still. Remember how much you love me?)

Good News!

Well, My dad's surgeries and tests went very well. We have to wait until early next week to get all the results, however, the doctors are very optimistic! His tumor was very thin, .70 mm. In melanoma speak that is very small. They went ahead and biopsied a few lymph nodes. It can always spread, but normally in one that small the chances are slim that it has. We still have to be patient and wait for more biopsy results, but we are feeling much better about the outlook! I'm becoming and really always have been, a huge proponent of protecting your skin. The best way to prevent Melanoma is to avoid burns and wear at least a SPF 15. Please take care of your skin and do not wait to have something checked out if you are concerned. You can get lots of great information from this website. Read it, learn it and protect yourself and your family!

In other great news, my future sister in law, Ashely, finally posted about the proposal. I've linked her blog through her name. Go check it out and congratulate her! She has been studying n France all semester and my BIL, Kasey, flew over and surprised her. What a great early Christmas present! I've known for months and it has been killing me! I hate keeping secrets. Seriously, I am the most excited girl in the world. I feel like I got engaged again, but I don't have to go ask my parents for money to plan the wedding! WAAHOO! My goal is to eat all of her food since I didn't get to eat any of mine at my wedding. I apologize in advance Ashley.

Lastly, I locked myself out of my house this morning. Not my brightest moment. I was taking the trash out and putting some mail in the mailbox. I was very responsible up to that point. As I was walking down the driveway I thought, "Wouldn't it be funny if I couldn't get back in the house?" Nope, not funny. I never leave the house without my keys. They are always in my coat pocket, which I was wearing. Today, however, I decided to leave my keys on the counter. Oops. I had just put Bailey outside to "relieve" herself before I left for the day. She stays inside. Luckily, the backdoor was unlocked and I was able to get in. The moment of panic was stressful though. I didn't have keys, my phone and my most of our neighbors were gone for the day. I have no idea what I would have done. Maybe I could have cleaned the garage...

Here is a sweet picture of my mom and I working out at CrossFit Jenks. They posted it on their website yesterday. She worked out with me the day after Thanksgiving. Look at her row!

Cold as Ice

Ice is on the ground, all the schools are closed and I'm at work. My normal twelve minute drive to work this morning took about thirty five minutes. I made it safely so that is the important thing. The wind chill is now six degrees. SIX. My feet are still numb. Somehow, the heat in our area of the building was turned off over the weekend and it didn't get above sixty degrees in the office until mid morning. BRRRRRR. I'm jetting out early to avoid traffic and the incoming snow flurries. It was in the seventies yesterday early afternoon. I love Oklahoma weather.

In other VERY exciting news....I'm going to have a new sister in law! Actually, she'll be my first sister in law. I'll let her blog about it before I write all about it (which you better ::cough cough:: new sister in law). Once she does, I'll link the page so you can read all about the story. It is so fantastic. I'll leave you in anticipation.

My dad goes in tomorrow to have all of the procedures done for the stupid melanoma. That is how I refer to it now. It isn't melanoma, it is stupid melanoma because it is in fact that...stupid. Thank you to everyone for your thoughts, prayers and well wishes. I'll know a lot more after tomorrow morning. We are still hoping for a positive outcome! I went to visit my family on Saturday just to hang out and distract them from thinking about everything. I went Christmas shopping with my dad and then we took Midori to the dog park. There was a three month old Boxer named Aspen at the park. So cute! She loved Midori. I think Midori was scared of her. Ha! I got to go to the OU Orthopedic Resident and Faculty Christmas party. It was a lot of fun to see all my parents friends who I grew up with. I had not seen so many of them in so long. It was also fun to meet all the ortho residents. They looked just like us...young. It was so weird to sit there and to think that was going to be us in two years. I've grown up around doctors so that aspect is totally normal, but I'm finally realizing that my husband is going to be one of them soon and not just a student. I'm not going to just be a doctor's daughter, but now a doctor's wife. My mom is a doctor's wife...not me! I am a medical student's wife. Such a strange feeling....

Update

Someone is playing Christmas music today in our office. I think it is one of the graphic artists. Right now Silent Night is playing. It is a beautiful version, although I'm not sure who is singing. It seems fitting right now. I've kind of been in a daze since I found out about my dad on Tuesday. We still don't know much more. My parents met with the surgeon yesterday. He is an OSU graduate. My parents really like him. My dad goes in on Monday and Tuesday for more surgery and tests that will really tell us how far along the stupid melanoma is. All prayers are appreciated. The reality of the situation is really starting to set in for all of us. It's scary and completely out of our control at this point. I'm still positive that it is going to turn out OK and he'll rebound quickly! I know God is going to take care of our family and get us through whatever it is we have to go through.

In other news, Florida's offensive coordinator, Dan Mullen, accepted the Mississippi State job yesterday. I'm happy for him to have the chance to be a head coach, but angry that he is leaving my Gators! Hopefully he'll stay on through the National Championship. Who in there right mind would give up that opportunity?? Surely not Mr. Mullen! Oklahoma's Kevin Wilson was also up for the job. Florida and OU just really want to compete this year, don't they?

On a lighter note, Heisman trophy tomorrow night! WOOHOO. Any thoughts on the winner? Sammy, Colt and Tim. What a good crowd. Honestly, all of them are deserving, but of course I want Tim to win. Should be interesting!

Happy Weekend everyone!

It's Just a Phase...

Kody is in a phase. This particular phase is not one I am a fan of...it is a dark, horrible phase. I like the phases when he wants to work out with me or help clean the house. He is currently in his NCAA Football phase. He has played every night for the past week. One would think that he would be so overjoyed to see his wife that he would turn it off, thank her for making him dinner so he doesn't starve and proceed to talk to her about her day. That isn't the case. I have to listen to stupid video game Lee and Kirk (no offense...I love you both in your non animated form) "call" the games. I know all the lines from the game. I can tell you exactly what they say when Kody tries on onside kick or has a good run. I'll spare you though. Last night as we are sitting there and I am begging him to end the game...this was our exchange:

Me: You know what, I think I want to get pregnant.
Kody pauses game, looks at me confused.
Kody: What??
Me: Yes, that way whenever we are home together you won't be able to play video games all the time...you'll have to participate with me and a baby.
Kody jumps up, turns off game....looks at Bailey.
Kody: Bailey, I am turning this game off now. You are the only baby we need.

Yes, I know it may be wrong to joke about getting pregnant and use it in a negative way, but I was desperate. Thankfully it worked and we had a fantastic evening of conversation. Ok, I'm exaggerating slightly, but he did turn the game off and we got to watch Criminal Minds. YAY!

Once Upon a Time...

...I was a good runner. It has been a good three weeks since I have a had a solid week of running. I've so busy with work and life that I just haven't found the time. I dearly miss the thrill of a good run. Yesterday, I decided it would be a perfect day to get back into the swing of things since I needed to blow off some steam. My body, however, had a different idea. Normally three miles is a piece a cake. I usually run four to five when I'm not training for anything. Apparently, my body forgot that I AM a good runner and that I can go the distance. I was huffing and puffing on the treadmill. It was so embarrassing. I even had to stop and walk.....WALK! Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with need to walk while you are running, it is actually recommended. It is just a big blow to the ego. I can run half marathons dangit, I don't need to walk after I have ran 1.23 miles at 6.6 mph. That is flippin warm up pace. Anyway, I am blaming it on the fact that I have been sick with a cold for a week and a half and I have been distracted by family news. I think tomorrow will be better. If not, my legs and I are going to have a serious conversation.

Top Chef is on tonight. Watch it and love it.

I Should Have Stayed in Bed!

Today is definitely one of those days where I think I should have stayed home. My motivation level is about negative five. Very unlike me, however, it is one of those days. It's cloudy, rainy, freezing and there is a possibility of snow soon. Good thing I bundled today. I've got my gloves, scarf and hat so I'm ready for whatever Mother Nature throws at T-town.

In other news, illness seems to be going around my family. My grandfather (dad's dad) has been in the hospital since the middle of November. He's in Florida so my parents have gone down a couple times the past few months to help out and visit. He's really sick and not doing well. They are hoping to send him home at the end of the week with 24 hour care. He hates being in the hospital. I don't blame him. I know he was very happy Saturday night when Florida won, so that makes me smile. Hopefully things will start looking up for him soon.

This morning my dad found out that he has melanoma. Yes, I am freaking out. No, I don't know anything more than that. We have to wait until the end of the week to get more tests back. My mom sounded good on the phone. She is the eternal optimist which I love. I know there is no reason to freak out until we know more. Ever since she called I have been worthless at work. I've been reading and learning about treatments and what happens at what stage of the cancer. Somehow I feel like the more I know, the more likely it will turn out to be nothing. My mom noticed it on his back last week and he immediately when and had it checked out. I questioned her for ten minutes today on if it was new, if she had noticed it before, blah blah blah. I know I can't do anything about it, so I'm just praying about it and hopeful that everything will be fine.

I could really go for a big bag of twizzlers right now....

Happy Birthday Kody!

As you may already know, Saturday was a very exciting day for me. Not only did my dream game (Florida vs OU) become a reality, but it was also Kody's 26th birthday. In celebration of his birth we basically ate a lot of food and watched a lot of football. You could say it was a dream day for both of us. Here is our lovely Florida cake. Kody made the gator. I was very impressed. It looks yummy doesn't it? Well, it was. Nothing beats a funfetti gator cake!

Lots of friends came by throughout the day. I love having friends at our home. It reminds me of the Grey's parties we had in our first apartment. I still remember watching the season 2 finale when Meredith and McDreamy ::gasp:: "reunited" during the "prom" for the Chief's niece and then Denny died. Oh my....



Ok, back to my dream game in the making. My parents came up for the Florida came and Kody's made it for the OU game. We had enough food to feed an army. It was a feast!

Gameday Menu:

Brisket and Rolls

Hot Hominy

Trail Mix

Florida Pasta Salad (the noodles were "F's"!)

Grapes

Stuffed Strawberries (Thanks Jen!)

Chips, Salsa, and my Awesome Guacamole

Puppy Chow

Gator Cake

Sooner Cookie Cake

The Stephens, Tarek and Kody braved the cold outside for the first half of the Florida game. Everyone else stayed inside because we are much smarter than third year medical students.

More to come later on the match up of my lifetime...

Welcome to Miami!

In case you missed it....GO GATORS!

Time For My Endorsement Deal...

I eat a lot of frozen and pre-made meals. I don't particularly like frozen or pre-made meals, but they are easy and I like easy...a lot. Today for the first time I tried a Health Choice Fresh Mixer. I think the commercial is funny so I gave it a wiz. I work in advertising...I am easily swayed.

It was a Ziti and Meat Sauce concoction. Aside from the sauce exploding in the microwave (oops) it was super easy to make. You just fill the pasta bowl with water, heat and drain. It even comes with a handy draining lid. How smart! You heat the sauce separately, mix together and enjoy. I had co-workers coming into my office asking what smelled so good and then I went into my thirty second infomerical explanation. I have to say this is by far the best pre-made meal I have ever had from Health Choice or any other healthier brand. I give it five stars out of four. Seriously, I was that impressed. I fully expect Healthy Choice to be calling me soon or at least send me a huge package of free Fresh Mixers. Just call me Kelly Ripa.

In other news, Bailey survived the cold yesterday. Kody said she was a "Baileycicle", but she was ok. Thank goodness! She totally forgave me for mistreating her and slept beside me last night. I left her inside today. All is right in the world.

Now for pictures!

Family photo...Bailey looks bigger than both of us.

My sister hammin' it up for the camera. Classic Robin.

Me and my mama. She's so cute!

Profile shot. It is the supermodel in her. Ferosh!

Kody and Midori wrestling. He's lucky she still likes him.

Everyone get some rest tonight. Tomorrow is a big day. My dream national championship game is on the line. Go Gators, Boomer Sooner!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr.....

I'm feeling like an absolute failure as a dog mom today. This time of year is very tricky with Bailey. It is cold in the morning, but in the afternoons it gets fairly nice. This is Oklahoma, so you can't really predict the weather. The past two days I have left her outside because we have had some fairly nice weather. She loves to play outside and sunbathe. It makes her feel like a super model. Today I left her outside again thinking it would warm up. I didn't watch the news this morning. Big mistake. On the way to work I heard it was "23 degrees with a chance of snow flurries". Oh no! Poor baby dog! As much as she loves to play outside, she loves to cuddle in her blankets on the couch even more. Luckily, we can leave her in the house all day unsupervised and she is perfectly fine. We were blessed with an angel! Short story made too long...Bailey girl is probably shivering outside wondering why I made her stay in the cold without her winter coat. Yes, she has one. She is a big girl now, but here are a few of my favorite puppy pictures of her

In other news, when I woke up this morning I thought I was starring in a movie. My alarm clock is set to one of my favorite radio stations. This morning was like a perfect opening scene to a super cheesy movie. Let me set the scene....

Dark room, girl cuddled warmly under her covers...clock radio begins playing...
"Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world. She took the midnight train going anywhere."
Girls eyes open. She smiles and stretches her arms to the ceiling....
"Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit. He took the midnight train going anywhere."
Girl lies in bed as she contemplates her day. Music continues to play....
"A singer in smokey room, a smell of wine and cheap perfume. For a smile they can share the night it goes on and on and on and on."
Girl jumps out of bed, throws on her favorite sweatshirt and begins singing and dancing to the music.
"Don't stop believing..."

Thank you Journey. I feel quite motivated now. And yes, it happened just like that. Perfect. That song is actually on my running CD so it really gets me going. Nothing like some good 80's music to get my blood flowing. I wish every morning started like that one...

Dirty Santa Anyone?

First and foremost I would like to wish a very happy birthday to my friend Lauren. Lauren does the best impressions. She can impersonate anyone! It was a big hit during softball trips in college. Those were the days....happy birthday Lauren! I'll buy you Bueno next time I am in town. :)

Friday we are having a work Christmas party. I get to leave a 3PM for the shin-dig..score! At this gathering we are supposed to bring a $25 gift for dirty Santa. The gift is supposed to be something we would want for ourselves. I guess they put this rule in place to avoid having a lot sex toys show up in the mix. Maybe they should put that rule in place for bridal showers (Angela!).... Anyway, I have no idea what to get. I'm good at buying gifts so I don't know what my hold up is. Any suggestions? I'm thinking about just going with a gift card. I love gift cards. Some people, however, are very snobby about gift cards. I don't like those people. I could always bring a combo NSYNC/Britney Christmas CD set. I would love that gift! I'm not sure I want to let everyone see that side of me yet. I need to give it some more time before I reveal the true crazy...

One of my co-workers just came in my office and threw three cough drops on my desk. He told me I sounded terrible. Poor me.

Merry SITSmas!

Merry SITSmas! SITS is a great site. If you haven't been to it before and you are blogging junky, go visit! It is a great way to make lots of cyber friends that you will never meet in person. :) I love reading all the blogs of SITS loyal visitors, of course I hardly have time to blog stalk anymore. Anyway, they are providing some fabulous giveways and right now you can get some great discounts on jewlerey. Who doesn't love that?

I currently feel like there is an elephant stuffed up my nose. As you might imagine, it isn't the most enjoyable feeling. The mister and I have been sick since Wednesday. We played it off pretty well until Saturday afternoon...that is when the goodness really set in. Today we are both over the ache, headache, fever stage and we are in the cough it up, can't breath through our noses stage. Needless to say all the NyQuil in the world didn't help me sleep last night. Breathing seems to be a necessary function and my mind wouldn't let me sleep...I think I thought I would forget to breathe and die. Scary.

I hate taking drugs (D.A.R.E. totally worked for me!) so it has been very strange to pop pills every four hours for the past five or so days. I guess I'm coming over to the dark side. My parents take drugs...lots of them, the legal kind of course. Any suggestion on some really sweet pills that will get rid of my congestion? I've done the DayQuil and Sudafed thing...so far no big change. HELP!

Happy Birthday Britney!!!

I'm Alive!

It's official, I am the worst blogger ever. Any sort of loyalty I had from readers is probably gone by now seeing that I have been MIA for quite a while! Long story short, I have been really busy. I don't have some wonderful, exciting story to explain my absence. It would be nice to say that Kody whisked me away to Europe for a secret early anniversary trip or that I was finally discovered and have been in L.A. shooting a pilot for an amazing upcoming sitcom on CBS! Maybe some day....

So first thing to update you on is VERY excited. I received my first award! I feel quite honored!

I am supposed to recite the below and then pass this fantastic award onto eight other bloggers who make me smile every time I read what they have to say. Thank you so much to Summer for thinking of me!

"This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."



My awardees are:
Simply Stork
Deanna's Corner
My Dogumentary
The Life of Emily
The Heart of Life in Oklahoma
She's Lump
Sugar N' Spice and Mostly Nice
The Doctors Wife

Thanksgiving was a huge success...mainly due to my fantastic mother and mother-in-law! Sure, I hosted and cooked the turkey, but they provided most of the sides and did most of the clean up! I always feel guilty when other people clean at my house, but not quite guilty enough to stop them and let me do it. My mom and sister stayed the night and we hung out all day Friday which was so fun. My dad was supposed to come, but he ended up going to Florida to see his dad. He isn't doing very well and it made sense for him to be there. I'll post more about that later, but thankfully for now everyone is doing ok and we are just waiting to see what the next course of action is. Back to Thanksgiving...we had a packed house, Kody's grandma, Kody's parents and sibling and my mom and sister...plus Bailey and Midoir....yikes! The dogs were very well behaved. I was quite pleased with both of them. I've had my fill on pumpkin and potatoes. Now it is time to decorate for Christmas! Bring on the yuletide cheer!

Exciting Upcoming December Topics:
Kody's Surgery Rotation
Britney's Documentry on MTV last night (score!) and new CD
SEC and Big 12 Championship games on Kody's birthday
Santa

P.S......
On Saturday we went to Bartlesville to hang out with Kody's family and watch some football. I asked Kellen (Kody's youngest brother) what he wanted to for Christmas. Here is a fake transcript of our conversation:
Me: Kellen, tell me what you want for Christmas right now.
Kellen: A nephew.
Me: Ummm, I don't think that is going to happen this Christmas. What if we gave you a niece?
Kellen: I would drop kick it and send it back. Now get to work on my nephew.

Christmas Time is Here

Apparently it is time for Christmas. That doesn't really bother me, I'm just always surprised at how early people start celebrating. I always feel bad for Thanksgiving. It is like the ugly stepchild of holidays. Once Halloween is over everyone bypasses turkey day and moves on to the north pole. I would be happy if it were Christmas every day, but I feel guilty about not appreciating Thanksgiving the way I should. I say this because I went to Kohl's during lunch today. Oh my goodness they are having the most amazing sale ever. Everything is 50% off, everything! I got two really cute tops for basically nothing. I was going to look for some fun Thanksgiving decor to have at our house since we are hosting both sides of the fam this year. Nothing. Absolutely nothing involving a turkey, Pilgrim or pumpkin pie could be found. There were lots of candy canes and snowmen, but no gobble gobble. Of course, I spent fifteen minutes looking at Christmas items and remembering how I lied to my entire first grade class and told them I actually saw Santa come down the chimney. They totally believed me. I'm quite convincing. Anyway, I can't wait to make my gingerbread house and decorate my tree, but first I'm going to enjoy every bite of my turkey! Thanksgiving is great enough to demand a paid day off from work so I should give it the respect it deserves!

Honey....Oh Sugar, Sugar

After my eating extravaganza last week, I decided that starting this Monday I would go back to my P90X diet for a few weeks. It is always nice be taken out to lunch and schmoozed over (one of the many perks of my job!). The downside, however, is that you can't say no! If they order an appetizer or dessert....you eat an appetizer and dessert. That is the nature of the beast. Needless to say, I felt a bit lousy after the continual intake of carbs, sugar and all the other good stuff I try to avoid on non weekend days. Yes, I am one of "those" people, but most of you already knew that.

Today is Wednesday, day three of project "Get In Control Before Thanksgiving". I find the third and fourth days are usually the most difficult. The first two are exciting because I can see immediate differences in my fun areas. Today, however, all I want to do is eat some holiday M&M's and have pizza for dinner. The cravings will pass, I know because they always do, that is why I am taking it to the blog. I had a glorious piece of baked chicken that I made last night with some veggies and cottage cheese for lunch. Tonight I'll probably have more of the same with my whole grain bagel. I can't wait to eat that bagel. Before you start freaking out, I'm eating plenty of food and it is very healthy. I get to eat all the wonderful food groups, just not my favorite...candy!

In other news, my house is so incredibly clean right now! When I refer to "my house" I am excluding the office (scary!) and the guest room aka Kody's closet. Kody is working on the office today. Getting organized really makes me giddy. It is amazing what I can get accomplished at home when the boy is not around.

I'm Not an Addict, It's Cool...

As Kody stumbled in this morning at 6:30AM, I told him I was probably going to have to go to rehab by the end of his rotations. Why will I have to go to rehab you ask? Simple. NyQuil. I know, I know, I shouldn't "take medicine to sleep", but in my defense I have been getting sick. I have had a bit of a fever the past two days and some nasty sinus headaches in the evening. I don't sleep well with headaches (who does?) and I especially don't sleep well when Kody is not home. I slept really well last night(ahhhh NyQuil) until Bailey jumped on me at 2:30AM, which is pretty normal. She has a secret boyfriend that she meets at the fence in the early hours of the morning. She thinks we don't know, but we do.

Living alone is going to be my big challenge over the next year. Our electric bill will probably go up quite a bit those months since I like to leave lots of lights on! My estimate is that Kody will do at least five months of rotations out of Tulsa....maybe more. Since I work, I won't be able to go with him like some spouses. Once he really knows what he wants to do we'll be able to plan that better. And yes, it is KILLING me not being able to help schedule his elective rotations right now. It is an intrinsic need of mine to schedule and plan for life. I'm a nerd.

Yesterday I forgot to post about something extremely important. I don't know what I was thinking. Saturday, the CFJ Crushers won our first pre-season co-ed flag football game with Tulsa Sports. Yes, I am a member of the CFJ Crushers. I love flag football. I think our team is going to be really strong. We are loaded with athletes! Our females can dominate all the other females in the league. We will be unstoppable. Our next game is this week at 2PM. I will keep you updated on our progress!

Two Ships Passing in the Night

Today is the big day. Today is the day I have been preparing myself for over the last four months. Today Kody works his first night shift! It is actually kind of exciting. He'll get to help out with actual births and c-sections this week and next. It is going to be very strange with him on this schedule. We won't get to watch our shows together or work out together. I won't eat a meal with my husband until Sunday. I think it is going to work out pretty well though. I have big goals while Kody is "away". I'm going to get our house organized! Yes, not just "picked up", but actually organized. I spent $45 at Wal-Mart during lunch buying storage containers. Enough is enough. I looked in my closet this morning and I was just disgusted. I need to get rid of about half the things I have and find places to put things that I have just been throwing in there since we moved in....two years ago. Bless my heart. The office is the real beast. I blame it entirely on Kody. It is the medical school book dungeon. Every note packet, book, test or folder from school is in there...not filed. It drives me bonkers...bonkers I tell you! No more though, after I am finished with that room it will be a paradise. My family is coming to stay with us for Thanksgiving so that is the real motivation. The office is going to be Robin's guest room. I don't want to see the judgement in her eyes if she sees the room in its current state. Love you sissy! :)

Hip Hip Hooray

Two things to cheer about today:

1. Tulsa officially has the cheapest gasoline in the country.

2. Florida is the SEC east champ and will dominate Alabama on December 6th and win the right to play the Big 12 champ for the BCS Championship. Ok, maybe that latter is a bit pre-mature, but I'm excited. Plus, the SEC Championship is on Kody's birthday. What a party!

Hip Hip Hooray!

PS. Erin and I kept the Graham girls overnight Saturday evening. I got to play mom to two girls under the age of three. It was a lot of fun, but I was so exhausted on Sunday. I discovered a talent that I do not have, styling hair on a two year old! I'm hopeless.

Working for the Weekend

I have the sweetest husby in the world. He brought me flowers at home last night for no reason at all. Well, maybe there was a reason...he loves me! I didn't find them until this morning because he played basketball until 11:30 last night and almost forgot to come home. That is the usual Thursday routine though. He plays basketball and I get to watch Grey's Anatomy without him asking me to record it and watch something else. I love having control over my television!

I keep singing "everybody's working for the weekend" in my head and visualising myself dancing in a barn just like in Footloose. No, that isn't the song Kevin Bacon dances to in Footloose, but in my 80's movie fantasy starring role I am dancing to that song....or maybe Maniac... Kody and I have a car dance to that song. We roll down the windows and jam. Sometimes you just need to dance it off.

Tonight we are watching Christmas movies and getting take out and I am really excited. I might as well move to a retirement home...

Like a Surgeon...Cutting For The Very First Time

Kody finally got to assist with a surgery! I'm so excited. I think he thinks I am a huge nerd because of my excitement level. Like I have said he is on his OB/GYN rotation and this is surgery week. The first three days he spent in clinic because there were no surgeries...none! How horrible to be on surgery week with no surgery! Anyway, today he had surgery all morning. That is fun to say...he had surgery all morning. In the last one, a hysterectomy, he got to "move stuff around" and do the final sutures before they closed up the patient. I never want to know if a third year medical student is doing anything to my internal organs...unless it is Kody or one of the Stephen's. :)

In other news, I might have to buy new pants soon. I have a lunch set up with a rep every single day next week. Sure, it makes me feel popular to be so loved, but my poor waistline! Luckily I like to work out about as much as I like to eat so hopefully it will even out.

I bought a fantastic candle for my office. It is a Glade Cinnamon Gingerbread Limited Edition candle infused with essential oils. It smells like Christmas, plus it has a cute gingerbread man on the label. Go get one so you can smell the Christmas spirit too!

Me and my pal...Nicholas Cage.

And Now It Is Over...

Good-bye election day! It didn't turn out exactly as I had hoped, but I am going to be positive and hopeful that everything will make a turn for the better. Kody and I were watching the results all evening. We are political nerds. Anyway, it is always interesting to watch coverage from all the different stations. I know everyone has their favorite and we definitely have ours. Maybe Obama will be able to bring the Olympics to Chicago in 2016. I have read that the other contending cities are nervous about their chances of landing the Olympics now that he has won. Interesting!

Kody started his OB/GYN rotation this week. He is on surgery this week. Unfortunately, due to a lot of junk going on with OSU Regional Medical Center, there have not been a lot of surgeries for him to be involved in. Hopefully that will change today. He has been in the clinic a lot the past few days and has seen quite a few "post birth" patients. Needless to say, he is not too excited about he idea of a "natural" birth. I won't get into the reasons why, but you can use your imagination. His descriptions are too graphic to write about.

Oh yes, one great thing that came out of the election yesterday...my uncle was re-elected to the state senate in Florida. Congratulations Uncle B! He won by over ten points. YEA! I'm encouraging him to run for senate and then president in 2016. Obama did it after he was in the State Senate and a two year senator, right? I want to run his campaign. I haven't told him that yet, but I'm sure he'll say yes! Why wouldn't he? I would be amazing. If not, I might run for office myself....I haven't decided what yet, but it will be something awesome.

Pictures

All you are getting today is pictures, but that is ok because they are all awesome. I don't have a child, so most of my pictures are centered around my dog. More pictures to come from Vegas later.

This is me in Vegas at Cesar's Palace. I know, I could double as a statue, right?

Costume party with our class from church, of course only three of us dressed up. I was the good old standby....cowgirl. Kody and I were going to be Tim Tebow and a Heisman Trophy (trophy wife!), but he couldn't come. Boo.

Pumpkin Patch with Bailey. Both our pumpkins we picked out were stolen off our front porch on Halloween. Parents really need to teach their kids some class! I was very upset. Anyway, we had fun and Bailey got to wear her winter coat because it was cold. Yes... she needed it.

Bailey's Halloween costume. If you can't tell, she was a Florida Gators cheerleader and it looked awesome! Kody is trying to show her the trick-or-treaters at the door. She was full of spirit. Go Gators.

Home Again

Wow, the past two weeks have been crazy. I'm back from Vegas and I didn't lose any money! That might be because I didn't gamble any, but I still feel proud. :) Darrica and I had a great time. We met a lot of really awesome people from across the country. It was pretty cool to learn about all the other SAA organizations and steal ideas. :) Thankfully my house was still standing when I returned. Kody did a good job of taking care of Bailey and the house. He even put away his clean clothes! I know, I know...pinch me. It is so nice to be getting into a routine again. It was so hot in Vegas. They said it was about ten degrees above normal. The second day we were there I woke up early and went running along the strip. I loved seeing it without crowds. There were actually a lot of runners. I'm always surprised at how many are out that early...my kind of people!

One thing I realized while in Vegas is that I have become a complete and total wuss. Darrica and I went to the OSU alumni reception at the top of the Stratosphere hotel one evening. There are three different rides you can ride at the observation deck. Darrica kept trying to get me to go and I kept semi freaking out. That is so unlike me! I love rides, I love scaring myself, but something about a ride that dangles 104 stories over the ground made me stop and think. Plus, the roller caster that Grissom rides on CSI is gone. I would have been on that in a second! I didn't see anyone famous, but I did get my picture taken with a wax figure of Nicholas Cage...pretty close to the real thing! I have a lot of pictures to post so hopefully I'll get to that soon!

I hope everyone has a happy Halloween. Kody dressed up as Clark Kent today. Today was his last day on his pediatric rotation and they all were in costume. He went to Wal-Mart last night and purchased a boy's size 4 superman shirt. I'm not exactly sure what the though process was there, but he made it work. I had to help him pull it on because t was so tight and it barely covered his chest! It was quite a site to see. I accidentally already opened my Halloween candy and started to eat it. I always do that. What a surprise!

Core starts on Monday. Core is the most "intense" part of the rotations for medical students at OSU. They do one month of OB/GYN, one month of surgery and two months of internal medicine. Kody starts on OB/GYN. It is going to be really exciting, but he'll be very busy. Hopefully during this time he'll get a better idea of what he wants to do. He's going to get to help deliver babies! Can you believe that? Seriously, I can't imagine doing that. Wish us luck, and by us I really mean Kody, but you can wish me luck too...I'll take whatever I can get!

Viva Las Vegas

I'm off to Vegas in about three hours. I have only been to Vegas once, but I loved it. Hopefully I will get to take Kody with me sometime. The Convention starts on Monday. Tonight we are having a SAA dinner at the Grand Luxe...sounds fancy! Hopefully I will take lots of pictures and have some good stories when I return. I'm staying at the Imperial Palace, but our convention is a The Venetian. All the SAA members are at our hotel. It should be fun to see some of the people from last year and meet some new ones. I told Kody I was going to win us a lot of money....he got scared...I have no clue how to actually gamble. I think I'll just stick to observing.

Yes, I am Complaining a Little Bit....

My last day at work was last Wednesday. I have to say that so far my "time off" has really felt like anything but time off. Thursday, Friday and Saturday I worked the Oktoberfest fundraiser for SAA. I'm the president this year, which I love, but of course that means I have to pick up the slack if we don't have enough volunteers. I had four FANTASTIC people offer to help out, but we did not have enough to cover all the shifts we needed to cover. I basically spent a good portion of all three days sitting under a tree taking money. All I could think about was how much I wanted to get done at home during this time, but I was unable to. I took at day and half and went to Edmond on Monday and Tuesday. I was planning on staying a little longer since I have so much "time off", but other things came up and plans change. I got to spend some time with my parents, which was fantastic. I also got to see some of my friends and catch up on good gossip. Yes, there is good gossip...at least in my mind there is! :) I came back early on Tuesday because Kody's grandmother and great aunt were staying with us while they attended a convention here in Tulsa. Unfortunately, Kody didn't get much cleaning done while I was gone so I was a cleaning machine all of Tuesday evening. Finally the past two days I have been able to have a little "Ginny" time. Kody and I went to Pumpkin Town with Bailey. We think she likes to see the pumpkins. We also saw Eagle Eye. Such a good movie! Tonight we will be heading to Bartlesville to see Kody's family. I'm excited to go, but I leave Sunday morning for Las Vegas so the fact that I don't have my weekend to prepare stresses me out a little. This basically means today I am in full "get ready to get out of town" mode. I have to get all my laundry done, pack, make sure Kody has food in the house so he doesn't spend money we don't have while I am gone. Oh yeah, and tonight I am working at Spook-O-Ween at the medical school and then heading the Jenks/Bartlesville game and driving to B-ville after the game. Again, I'm not complaining, I'm just so busy!

I get back from Las Vegas on Tuesday night around 11PM. I am going with another girl whose husband is a third year with Kody. We are delegates for Oklahoma for the Osteopathic Convention. YAY! Wednesday morning at 7:45AM I have to be at orientation for my new job. This lasts for two whole days...until 5PM each day. So basically, I have Friday, Saturday and Sunday to myself before I start my new job on Monday. Yes, I am complaining a little bit, but my two and half weeks of vacation has turned from me spending time with friends, leisurely Christmas shopping and Utica Square, decorating the house for the holidays and getting into the best shape of my life into me trying to cram in a bunch of stuff I didn't really plan on doing. Ugh. Maybe I'll be ready to go back to work soon.

I feel better now.

Happy Birthday Kasey

This post is dedicated to my fabulous brother-in-law, Kasey! Today is his birthday. Kody asked me to allow him to "write" my post today. Here is Kody's birthday post for Kasey!


Top Ten Reasons Why Kasey is Tied for "Best Brother Ever"

10. If you replace a nerf dart suction cup with a thumb tac and then shoot him with it accidentally, if you beg him not to tell your parents, he won't.
9. Any athletic record you set in your life he will break it.
8. SeaDoo
7. Even if he is taller than you, faster than you, more handsome than you, a better marcher/saluter than you, and more world traveled than you, he wont rub it in.
6. He can't pogo stick because mom says his legs are too long.
5. Shower games are not off limits, as long as swords don't cross.
4. He could never leave J.P., he's comin too.
3. He is the co-inventor of such games as "black snake" and "smack the winkie"
2. No matter how old he gets, or how much of a man he has become, he still lets me be his big brother.
1. Upper Deck baseball cards are exactly what we wanted. "Happy Birthday to me"

Week Three Signs

So far Kody is 2-0 in the GameDay sign contest. I'm not out of it yet. There is a lot of season left to play. I live for the competition. VOTE.

Time for Some Campaignin'

Whether you consider yourself a republican, democrat or independent...
In honor of the third and final presidential debate tonight. Enjoy!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Backyard Tailgate

Saturday was all about football. Kody worked all day and got home in time for the Florida/LSU game and the OSU/Missouri game. We had our weekly football gathering and watched the game at our "backyard tailgate". Here are a bunch of pictures for the day of fun. Don't forget to vote for your favorite GameDay sign! It is a close race this week!

Bailey, our little Gator cheerleader. She loves her Gator shirt that we made her. Isn't she adorable?

Erin and Cam (LSU fans) came over to watch the games with us. We gave them permission to be as rowdy as they wanted. We tried to be respectful. They brought Colt, Bailey's friend, and he sported a sweet LSU bandanna.

Our backyard tailgate. We had two TV's set up, but you can only see one. That TV had the OSU/Missiouri game. We had a flat screen with the Florida/LSU game on in the other corner. The chimenea was going so it kept us warm. Bailey slept under the table most of the evening.

OU/Texas brownies. They still tasted good despite the loss.

My Florida/LSU cake! I was very proud of this creation. Kody helped die the cake layers and he was responsible for the Tiger/Gator fight on top of the cake. As you can see the LSU side is yellow cake and the Florida side is orange. I'm so creative sometimes it scares me. Yes, the LSU side tasted just as good as the Florida side....it was just eaten at a slower rate!

Rock the Vote

It's that time again. Everyone get your vote on and pick your favorite! Don't foget to use the poll on the sidebar to cast your vote. Kody says, "Boo-ya Truman". I'm not what he means either...

Hallo Hallo Ween Ya'll

Ever since we got Bailey I have wanted to dress her up as a little Florida Gators cheerleader for Halloween. I just think she would be the cutest and cheeriest cheerleader ever, and yes Bailey is a dog. I came up with a brilliant family costume idea in the car on the way to CrossFit a couple days ago. Kody loved it as well. I want Kody to dress up as Tim Tebow and I will be a Heisman Trophy. How fantastic would that be? I will just stand around and pose next to "Tim" all night. Bailey will be our cheerleader. I can see the Christmas card already. I really like family themed costumes. When I was 2 1/2 I was a monkey and my sister, who was barely a year old, and my mom were bananas. My dad was a gorilla. It was so sweet. I don't have kids yet, so I have to throw Bailey in the mix. Unfortunately, her cheerleader costume is going to be homemade. The upside is that since she is a dog she won't really care. She's not much into brand names.

A big shout out to my parents wishing them a happy 37th wedding anniversary today. WOW!

Baking Time

Apparently I am in a baking mood. Yesterday during lunch I went to the neighborhood Wal-Mart near my office to shop for my "dry items". I only needed a few things, but of course I came out with a full basket. That always happens to me. I can never stick to my list. I blame the weather. Yesterday it was cloudy, cold and definitely felt like fall. It made me want to have some cider and bake! I came out of the store with a couple bags of different flavored chocolate chips, baking m&m pieces, Bisquick, flour, cake mixes and brownie mix. If Kody and I both gain ten pounds over the next few weeks I'll just simply blame the weather. Cold weather makes you do funny things! Lucky for me and everyone else I plan on baking an OU/Texas and Florida/LSU cake this weekend. It is going to be pretty fantastic so be prepared to be jealous of my skills.

A Week of Change

Obviously we didn't get our signs posted. It seems kind of irrelevant to post them now after college football weekend. No fear, there will be more signs up at the end of the week! I was so ambitious when we started this competition! Oh yes, and Kody won the first sign contest.

Kody and I had a really busy week last week. Kody started a new rotation. He was working from 6AM to 6PM everyday. He hasn't put in many twelve hour days yet so this was a new experience. He handled it really well! I think he is enjoying this new rotation. He loves being at St. Francis. They just built a new pediatric ward. There is an Xbox in every room. That was the first thing he told me when I asked how the new rotation was. Go figure.

In other news, I have accepted a new position at a new organization. I'll post more about it later, but I start on November 3rd. Last week was really a roller coaster for me. I have never left a job for a new job without moving. This is going to be a great opportunity for me with a lot more responsibility, a shorter drive, a lot more money and really great benefits. All good things when you are supporting a medical student! Our families have both been very supportive of the move. I don't know what I would have done if it wasn't for Kody. He's been great. He is really good about encouraging me when it comes to my career. He knows how ambitious I am, but I worry so much about how other people view me or what they would think. He doesn't let me get in the way of me. :) I need that!

Saturday we traveled with my parents to Fayetteville, Arkansas for the Florida/Arkansas game. We had a great time. We were on the 5th row. Our entire section was filled with Florida fans. Albert and Alberta were both there. Albert was getting down when the band played. That gator has got some moves! I ate one of the best pretzels I have ever had and did the Gator Chomp a lot! I love being at those games. We got to see my Aunt and Uncle who flew up with some friends for Orlando. My uncle is running for re-election for the Florida State House. They took the day off from campaigning just to see us! The Arkansas fans are some of the nicest around, and I truly mean that. They all congratulated us on the win (like I had something to do with it!) and wished us a safe trip home. I'm not sure I would have been so gracious if my team had lost, but that's just me. I let myself get too emotionally involved when it comes to Florida football.

It is a wet, dreary day in Tulsa today. It's the kind of day that makes me want to curl up on the couch with hot chocolate and watch Lifetime movies.

Freedom of Speech

This was the quote from last night in response to yesterday's post:

"Ginny, you can't write things like that. My mother reads your blog".

Sorry Mr. King, there is not a filter on these fingers. Once they start going you can't stop them. I suggest you filter yourself, because there is no way I can do it for you. It's to fun to write about things you say....plus, you gave me premission. Lesson learned? I think so!

In other news, the VP debate is on tonight! Aren't you so excited? I love this stuff. I could sit and listen to people talk about politics for hours. I remember when I was younger and I would always ask my parents why they liked watching news about politics so much. I didn't get it. I thought it made them old and boring. I get it now and it in no way, shape or form makes you old and boring. It makes you awesome.

Three Down, Nineteen to Go

Kody started his fourth rotation today. I cannot believe how fast it is going by. Pretty soon we'll be retired and living at our lake house in Georgia. :) This month he is on pediatrics. Last month he was on family at a clinic in the downtown Tulsa area. Last night Kody was in a very talkative mood, which I loved. He was telling me all sorts of funny and somewhat inappropriate stories about his month in family medicine and the patients he saw. Don't worry, he didn't violate HIPAA at all! It is funny how after hearing him talk about it for so long certain things he says don't phase me at all. For instance, on this past rotation he got a lot of experience in the gynecological area. I think that is pretty special since he has no interest in OB/GYN at all. Too bad he gets to devote the entire month of November to that "area". I am severely lacking in the sympathy department. Anyway, as we are talking last night he says this to me:

Updated 10-14-08 Kody was incorrectly quoted by me. I regret my grievous error.
"I appreciate a hygienic "girl area". - MSIII Kody King


Yes, my dear, sweet innocent husband. Can you guess who made which GameDay sign yet? Funny thing is, being married to a medical student that comment seems like a completely normal statement. I just giggle to myself when I think about what other people would think if they were ever able to eavesdrop on our conversations. You could write a book...

GameDay Sign Contest!

Today marks the first official day of the "GameDay Sign Contest". For the rules go here. We tried to start last week, but due to technical difficulties we were postponed until this week. Below are two signs; one made by me and one made by Kody. You will notice I have not distinguished who is responsible for each sign in order to keep this thing fair. Take your time, go with your gut and vote for your favorite! Voting will go until next Friday when I post new signs. Please vote in the poll on the side bar for your favorite! Feel free to leave your comments on the signs in the comment section. Even if I don't know you...VOTE! It is your duty as a reader of this fantastic blog. Herbie would be proud..

To vote for this sign choose: Beaver

To vote for this sign choose: Bandwagon

If you need to take a closer look just double click on the icon and view the sign in all of it's glory! Have fun and vote wisely!

Not There Yet

Last night Kody and I decided to have dinner at Red Robin. Shocking. It's like my own persaonl version of Cheers....where everyone knows my name. Seriously, they do. Anyway, we've been carpooling lately, which is really nice. He is in a clinic near my office for a family medicine rotation. We get to spend uninterrupted time together every day in the car. I don't know how often I will get that in the next few months, so I am enjoying it while I can. I say all this because on the way home he requested that we go to Red Robin for dinner because he "needed a hamburger since he had pizza for lunch". Isn't it great how men can just abandon all attempts to be healthly once they fall of the wagon for the day? I wish I had that ability in me. At dinner I had a moment of pure shock, excitement, terror and confusion all at once. Sounds fun, right?As we ate from our basket of fries (yes, I eat fries....occasionally) we started to talk about lots of random things. Of course the topic always turns to residency, where we are going to live, future little Ginny's or the Florida Gators. Here is a snippet of our future family conversation from last night:

Kody: "Are you ready?"
Me in my head: I'm sorry. What? Ready for what? I know you are not talking about children. You mean my food, right? Yes, I am ready for my food. I'm starving!
Me outloud:"Ummmm no". Kind of giggling because I am completely freaking out. "Why, are you ready?"
Kody: "I'm ready when you're ready".
Me in my head: Freaking out resumes.
Me outloud: "Aren't I supposed to be the one that begs you for years until you finally give in?"
Kody: "Exactly, I'm ready when you are."
Me in my head: Thank goodness...there is no way I can raise a child and a husband at the same time right now!

Sorry, no grandchildren for the parents anytime soon. I just realized last night that I am much further away from being "there" than I thought. This is a good example of why communication is so important in a relationship...you can talk each other out of things!

Kody asks me every night now what I am going to write about the next day. Soon he'll start staging stunts just to get a blog out of it. Husbands are lots of fun!

Grey's and The Office premier tonight. Is anyone else just chomping at the bit to see what goes down? Seriously...love my DVR.

Dr. Nerd

Kody wants me to dedicate my blog to my life with him. Well, it pretty much already is that way. He wants me to call it, "My Life with Dr. Nerd". I don't know many men that would encourage their spouse to blog about them and call them "Dr. Nerd" by request. He is a strange fellow. Now that he has given me verbal approval, I can write whatever I want about him. It kind of scares me that he gave me that kind of freedom. I tend to speak before I think. It is a habit that I just can't shake. First, if you ever stepped into our home for more than thirty minutes you would seriously start to question our sanity. You might think to your self, "Really? Both of these individuals have or will have post graduate level educations? Are they really over the age of twenty? Thank goodness they have not procreated yet!" All in due time my friends, all in due time. I don't have a specific "Dr. Nerd" story for today, but trust me, they are worth the wait!

Has everyone been enjoying premiere week? This is one of my favorite weeks of the year. All new shows, all the time. Our DVR is loaded up for evenings of fun. We still have a lot to watch so don't you dare go telling me anything about anything. I watch too much TV...DVR has ruined my life, but in such a good way! However, it is my job. I have to know TV like the back of my hand. What does that really mean anyway? Like the back of your hand? I really couldn't tell you much about the back of my hand other than it is covered with lots of epidermis. Oh well.

OC Name Change

Yes, I already posted today, but I remembered that I actually had something important to post about! My dear friend Angela informed me about a possible name change to Oklahoma Christian University when she visited on Saturday. Read this article to get all the information. A slight change is one thing, but a drastic name change like Dr. O'Neal is proposing is something entirely different. I for one will be writing a letter to the administration to voice my opposition. I have completely turned into my mother. She is the queen of writing "strongly worded" letters to politicians, school boards, etc. I love her for it! Anyway, I really don't want to have to explain that my Oklahoma Christian is now Global Christian University and my degree really did come from a good school. There is just something plain wrong with that! By the way...dont you think Global Christian University sounds somewhat cult like? Maybe it is just me. Don't worry, there are other amazing name change possibilities. GCU isn't the only one up for grabs, just my personal "least" favorite.

Just a Little Update

First, I obviously did not post our GameDay signs. We did make them, but we had some trouble with formatting and all that jazz. In any case, new signs will be posted for you to vote on this Saturday. I'll try to post last weeks just for fun so you can see them. We had fun making them.

Yesterday I went to "Get Motivated" at the new BOK Center in Tulsa. I heard Colin Powell, Rudy Giuliani, Joe Montana, Zig Ziegler and a number of other great speakers. They all had great things to say and I took something different away from each of them. I saw "Get Motivated" in OKC about three years ago. It was a nice way to spend a Monday.

In other news, I may or may not have some opportunities presenting themselves to me which makes me a little nervous. I'm being very prayerful. I want to make the right decision for my career and family. Kody is being very encouraging. My job situation in Tulsa has been a frustrating one ever since we moved here. I still don't feel like I have found my place in the job world and that I have so much more I can do than I am doing. I want to make this decision with Kody and not let outside influences detour me from what could be a great opportunity. It remains to be seen if this "opportunity" really will be good, but if it is then I am going to have to be very prayerful. I know everything will work out as it should.

Sunshine Day

I had such a wonderful lunch break today. I went to Woodward Park, which is a really pretty park near Utica Square. I spent about forty-five minutes there doing our ladies' bible study, Stepping Up by Beth Moore. Today is such a beautiful day that I figured there would be no better way to spend my lunch! It wasn't windy or hot, just a perfect, wonderful almost but not quite yet fall day. I love reading my bible outside. I honestly feel like for me there is no other place where I can focus the way I can when I am outside. I don't know if it has something to do with being "close to nature"...totally cheesy, but a valid argument. There are less distractions. No phones, no TVs, no laundry secretly yelling at me from the laundry room, "clean me!" Nope, outside it is just me and God...and the cute little squirrels running around. I just hope the weather stays this way for a long time so I can continue my outside reading.

In other news...don't forget to check my blog tomorrow to vote on the GameDay signs!