Weekend Fun

I have decided I have an oral fixation...or whatever it is when you have to have something in your mouth at all times. I am getting really bad about gum again. I was excited when I had the chemical burn in my mouth fiasco skiing because I had to quit gum for two months! Now I have recovered and I'm back to my pack a day habit. This weekend it was really bad and Kody even said something. We were out at the parade of homes on Friday and Saturday. I had bought a three pack set at Wal-Greens and today I am down to the last pack. Scary! I seriously need help. Luckily Kody starts his psychiatry rotation tomorrow so maybe he can put it to good use and fix my addiction.

This weekend was fantastic. I was off on Friday because of our summer hours at work. Six extra days off during the year without using vacation time. Fabulous! Anyway, Kody and I had planned on taking a mini vacation to Kansas City to see a game and hang out, but at the last minute he decided he wanted to stay in town and relax and do "Tulsa stuff" with just the two of us. We went to the Aquarium Friday morning. We loved the shark tank. I felt like I was in some sort of under water research station. Very cool. We went to the Parade of Homes for ten total hours over the course of the weekend. We loved every second of it. We navigated ourselves all over the city and looked at homes that ranged from $180,000 to $1,200,000. Kody would chat it up with the builders about the material they used and why they laid things out the way they did. They loved him. He is such a schmoozer. The best part was just being together all weekend, as cheesy as that sounds. We haven't had a weekend with just the two of us and no studying commitments since Christmas! We talked about rotations and residency and our plans for the next five, ten , and twenty years. Looking at awesome homes will make you think about the future! We got to talk about what we wanted in our home in twenty years when we can really afford that type of home. It's just fun to think about things like that and dream. We both have very realistic expectations and are too logical when it comes to money...thank goodness!

I'm excited for Kody to start rotations tomorrow, but also freaking out a little bit when I think about him starting to apply for residencies in 14 months. The time is going to fly.

My Good Doggie Deed

This morning when I was leaving my house for work I saw two puppies running around in my front yard that I have never seen before. Since I walk so much in the neighborhood with Bailey I recognize most of the dogs that are supposed to be out and the ones that aren't. There have been a few occasions when I have to take them back to their homes because I just can't stand the thought of them getting lost. Anyway, I stopped my car in my driveway so I could see if they had tags on. Immediately one of them came running to me and sniffed my feet. Then it laid on it's back and rolled around looking up at me like it wanted to play. It was adorable! It did not have a collar on though. I started to think about what I should do. Kody is in Oklahoma City taking his boards today so he couldn't help me. I didn't want to just leave them without knowing where they lived. They were very clean and obviously belonged to someone. The second dog was a little more hesitant about coming to me, but it had a collar on. I let it come to me on it's own, but after about five minutes we were pals. Luckily he had a "Home Again" tag and a tag with his name, Tigo, and phone number. I decided to call the owners even though it was 7:45 in the morning. If Bailey had escaped I would want someone waking me up immediately! A teenage girl answered the phone and I told her there were two dogs running around in my yard. She sounded so relieved! I don't think she knew they were out. It turns out they live just down the street in a house that sold a few days ago. I walked to the house and the two dogs just followed right behind me. So cute. I introduced myself to the new neighbors and showed them where our house was. Maybe Bailey will have some new friends to play with now! There was a big collie dog in their backyard as well. I was so happy that I helped reunite the family and their dogs!

Lesson: All dogs need collars and tags! If the second dog didn't have one on who knows what would have happened. Put one on your dog today!

My Cancer

No, I don't have cancer. I did, however, discover an incredible blog on the NPR website. I was reading through Television Week at work and found an article about a blog that former ABC News Anchor, Leroy Sievers, writes about his cancer experience. He has battled cancer in the past and recently found out it has come back. He posts everyday about what he is thinking/feeling/going through. It is pretty incredible to read. The posts aren't long, but knowing that they are real and that it is really happening makes you stop and take notice. You can subscribe to the blog and it will email you updates when he posts. Reading his entries serves as a good reminder not to take anything in this life forgranted, treat the ones you love with kindness and respect, and don't put anything off for one day.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/mycancer/

The Day We Have Been Waiting For...

Kody is taking his Step 1 USMLE test at this very moment. The USMLE is the MD boards. He takes the COMLEX, the DO boards, on Wednesday in Oklahoma City. I have talked to him twice through the test during some breaks and he sounds pretty positive. I think the first few sections were kind of rough, but he is feeling pretty good about the back end. He only has to use the USMLE score if he ends up applying for an MD residency. Being a DO student, he can apply for both MD and DO residencies. MD students can only apply for MD residencies because they are not trained in OMM, which DO students are. The rest of the schooling and training in MD and DO programs is identical. Anyway, please keep him and us in your prayers for the next few days! He has been working so hard. Rotations start July 1. Let the fun begin!

Kody and I are hanging out with Kasey and Ashely tonight. YAY! Ashley flew in from Texas this afternoon. I love double dates. :) I'm going to try to persuade everyone to see "Get Smart". I loved watching that on Nick at Nite growing up. So fun.

I have spent the last two hours at work in the "media closet" cleaning out magazine and reorganizing. Friday's are great days for stuff like that. I just put on my iPod and zone out. I feel so productive even though I'm not doing anything super important or difficult.

Happy weekend!

Be an Informed Voter!

I love politics and I love the presidential race. It gets more interesting every four years, mainly because I am older and I understand how much the decisions we make in November really will effect my life and the direction of our country. Yesterday, Michelle Obama was on The View. I didn't get to see it, but I did catch some snippets on some of the news stations last night (FOX and MSNBC). I began thinking that I didn't know that much about Michelle Obama or Cindy McCain. Both candidates have great websites that are easy to navigate (thank goodness!) so I took a tour of both and read up on the potential first ladies. They will play just as vital of a role as the president. Plus, I believe you can learn a lot about a person by their spouse. Both have impressive resumes and have been involved with some great causes. Things you may not know about both women:

• Michelle Obama went to Harvard Law School
• Cindy McCain founded and ran the American Voluntary Medical Team which emergency medical and surgical care to underprivileged children across the world
• Michelle Obama is the founding executive of Public Allies - Chicago which is a leadership training program
• Cindy McCain is on the board of Operation Smile which helps repair facial deformities to children around the world
• Michelle Obama served as Vice President of Community and External at the University of Chicago Medical Center
• Cindy McCain has led 55 medical missions across the world. One of them led to the adoption of her 16 year old daughter, Bridget.

I don't want to just "vote". I want my vote to really mean something and for that to happen I need to know why I like the candidate I do. So many people vote because they don't like someone else or they are a democrat or republican. I want to be able to say why I am voting for the candidate I am and what policies I do not agree with from the candidate I do not vote for. Both websites have a clear outline of the issues and the candidates stance and solution. I encourage everyone to visit both sites and educate yourself!

http://www.johnmccain.com/

http://www.barackobama.com/index.php

Over the course of the next few months I will be posting policies from both candidates and solutions to current problems facing our country. I'll still post silly pictures of Kody and me. Don't worry, I won't become too grown up too fast...

Finally...

Ok I'm finally posting some pictures from our Colorado adventure. It is about once every six months I actually transfer pictures from my camera to the computer. Enjoy!This is in front of the Air Force chapel. It is beautiful. The Saturday after graduation it is usually booked with back to back weddings.

This is from Casa Bonita in Denver. Kody saw the balloon making machine and just had to have one. The balloon survived most of the trip. I think it even came back in the car with us to Oklahoma! It was our friend.This is right before our whitewater rafting adventure. You can't really tell how awesome we looked in our wet suits in these pictures, but you can use your imagination. It was special.This is after Kasey's graduation at the Air Force Academy stadium.

In other news, Happy 26th Birthday Kinsey! Salsa class was great last night. I was exhausted afterwards. I always knew dancers had to be in great shape and I consider myself to be pretty fit, but this is a whole other type of fit. My legs were dying. I'm getting the turns down. We started using our hips a lot more last night which made it quite fun! :) Happy Wednesday.

Another Week Gone...

I can't believe how fast this year is passing. Every week passes faster than the one before. I honestly feel like I was just on Christmas break from work. Yes, I get a "winter vacation". Isn't that awesome? Anyway, It's the middle of June and I am simply in shock. Kody takes boards on Friday which I can't seem to quite wrap my mind around. He starts rotations in July and then it is off to the races. It is just a matter or time before we start on our next medical adventure...residency. I might be getting a little ahead of myself. What can I say, I like to be prepared!

I had a three day weekend this past weekend and I did something I have never done before...I went to a movie alone. It was actually quite fantastic! I could see whatever I wanted and whatever time I wanted to see it. I didn't have to wait on people after the movie or worry about saving seats. It was just me. It was Friday the 13th so I went to see "The Happening" in honor of the day. Plus, Kody would not go see it with me so it was chance to see a scary movie in the theater again. That is one of the things I gave up when I got married...seeing scary movies. Kody doesn't really share my love of being scared. Strange. :) The movie turned out to be a little disappointing. It was actually kind of silly. The cinematography was amazing. I wouldn't recommend pay $8 to see it in a theater. Luckily I get free passes to the movies so I didn't waste a dime.

My first Salsa class went well last week. There are eight people total in the class. One guy. Basically we have to dance with girls when we learn the spins, but that is just fine with me since I have some friends taking it with me. I feel like I got it down pretty well Tuesday night. Hopefully we will learn more in the next few classes, but I have a feeling it might get a little repetitious. Oh well...it's still fun and a really great inner thigh work out!

I'm so hungry...

Dance It Off

I am so excited for this evening. I am beginning my first ever dance class tonight! I am taking a Salsa dancing class with a few girls from church. I have a feeling I am going to be awesome. I will update on that tomorrow. I can't wait to get my groove on.

Kody took a practice board test on Sunday. He passed. YAY! Sure, that really doesn't mean much since it didn't count, but it is nice to help boost his confidence a little. I don't want him to get too confident though. Kody needs a little pressure to stay motivated. He knows now that he has the ability to end up doing really well, so we are both positive about it. Unfortunately, I have absolutely nothing to do with how well he does. I get him snacks and drinks as needed and tell him he is awesome. :)

I have Friday off. It could not come at a better time. I think I am going to go see "The Happening" Friday afternoon by myself. I know, me go to a movie by myself? Who would have thought?!? I'm quite capable of doing things without people and almost prefer it sometimes. Kody doesn't want to see it with me. He claims it is because he has to "study", but I know it is because he is scared out of his mind. He doesn't like movies that are intended to frighten viewers. :)

Take Cover!

Last night was an interesting evening. Kody and I went to eat dinner at Red Robin (yummmmmm) and then watched the movie 27 Dresses. It was so cute and funny. Kody was pleasantly surprised! We rarely have evenings when just the two of us can be together. I miss that. Anyway, we had heard that bad weather would be coming in that evening...we just didn't know when. I tried to get into bed around 10:30 so I could wake up and run this morning, but I'm not sure if I ever fell asleep before the tornado sirens started going off around 11:45. If you know me at all you know I get very excited about weather. I don't want to have bad weather, but I think storm chasing and meteorology is fascinating. Kody and I had watched the weather move in for about 15 minutes before Kody said "Alright, time to get in the bathroom". He puts Bailey and me in the bath tub with couch cushions around me and on top of my head. My neck is sore this morning from that dumb cushion. Kody would peek out and look at the TV screen and tell me "the rotation is right over us!" At that point I was actually a little nervous. I have never been nervous during a storm before. I'm used to bad weather since I grew up in Oklahoma, so I was surprised by my reaction. It finally passed and we got by just fine. This morning I found Bailey's water dish and a hanging plant (which was hanging before the storm) in the opposite corner of our yard! I thought that was pretty impressive. Our chairs were all over the backyard as well. A lot of people lost power because of the storm, but luckily we did not. I prefer my power on.

I'm looking forward to a weekend at home and not traveling. Kody has a lot of studying to do for boards. Three more weeks! I'm looking forward to those being over, of course then we have to wait six weeks to get his scores...that might be more stressful than anything!

Exhaustion

The exhaustion from the last two weeks is really setting this week. I have spent two glorious nights in my own bed and I cannot begin to explain how wonderful it has been. I am sleeping like a rock which means I am very tired. I normally wake up a couple times during the night for no reason at all, but not the past two evenings. During a 3PM conference call today I could hardly keep my eyes open. It was quite sad. There is a reason parent's give you a 9:30PM bedtime when you are growing...sleep is good for you!

I would write more, but I might collapse on my keyboard...

Almost Famous

This weekend was the 8th annual Mark Harmon Celebrity baseball game in Oklahoma City. For the past eight years, Mark Harmon brings a group of "celebrities" to OKC to help raise money for The Children's Center. The Children's Center is one of the most fabulous places in all of Oklahoma. They do amazing things for disabled children and their families. My dad works in pediatric orthopedic spine and has a large number of patients at The Children's Center; he helped get his group involved with Mark Harmon. Friday night there was a live and silent auction at Boulevard Bowl in Edmond. The auction had some amazing items like a suite for 12 at the Dallas Cowboys game on Thanksgiving day, a trip for two to NYC for the ESPY awards, and a trip the World Series. In addition there was a casino night where Kody and I spent most of our time at the craps table. I put a fake $500 on black at roulette twice and won both times. I'm getting a false since of confidence when it comes to gambling. :) Luckily I am far to frugal and poor to actually bet a large some of money on anything.

Saturday was the big game. I had been helping my dad "train" for the past few months. I would hit him fly balls and go to the batting cages with him. It really made me miss playing. I miss hitting for an hour straight. It made me feel powerful! Anyway, he played first base at the game. It was fun to see him chatting up Mark Harmon, Frank Marshall (Producer of Indian Jones, Back the Future, Bourne Identify), and Rick Sutcliffe (pitcher for the Cubs and Dodgers) when they got on base. Rowdy from the Dallas Cowboys was there. He has to be one of the best mascots I have ever seen, other than Albert and Alberta of course! To make a long story short, The Bombers, Mark Harmon's team, whipped up on the OSSO Outlaws. However, they did raise over $300,000 dollars for The Children's Center. Quite impressive. To date they have raised far over $1,000,000 for the Center.

Saturday night Frank Marshall hosted an "after party" for all the Bomber players and the OSSO guys. They rented out the rooftop of a new condo complex in downtown OKC. It is right next to the Bricktown Ballpark and Harkins Theater. It was AMAZING. I'm not going to lie, it made me feel pretty high class. Frank Marshall was the DJ and there was a dance floor. Storms were coming in so lightning surrounded us, but it was still far enough away to enjoy being outside. It was gorgeous. It has to be the absolute best location in Oklahoma City. Kody and I fell in love with the rooftop. It felt like something out of a movie....standing on a rooftop with the wind blowing in our hair, music playing in the background, people dancing and laughing...very cool.

In other news, I saw the Gators play in the Women's College World Series on Sunday. They beat Texas A&M 6-1, but then lost again later that night and were eliminated. I got a pretty awesome sunburn on my shins as a souvenir.