Bye Bye Bye

Yes, this is my obligatory end of the year post. I'm sure pretty much everyone else feels the same way, but hasn't this year just flown by? For us, 2009 was filled of lots of change and adjustment. Kody spent six months away from home on away rotations. The year was filled with excitement, happiness, disappointment and struggle. We saw family members get married and friends start families. We were introduced to Glee and Adam Lambert. Twilight ignited my love of reading again. I competed in my first CrossFit competition and completely changed the way I look at food and nutrition. Kody and I both become certified Level 1 CrossFit trainers this year as well. Too cool!

Kody worked his tail off and has become smarter than I ever thought was possible as a medical student. We have watched as family members and friends of our families are serving our country at home and overseas. 2010 will surely bring deployment for more of them. They are always in our prayers. We watched the Florida Gators defeat the might Sooners in a hard fought National Title game and then lose a heart breaker to Alabama in this year's SEC Championship.

Every year has it's on flavor. Overall, 2009 was a great year. I surely can't complain. I have a wonderful husband, a great job, my health, wonderful friends and a dog that a simply adore. What else do I need? Maybe an all wheel drive vehicle....

Do you remember what you did for New Years Eve ten years ago? I was a senior in high school. I spent the evening with a bunch of wonderful girls. We spent the evening doing made up dances to NSYNC and Britney, watching movies and eating a lot. Not much has changed in ten years. I imagine I might do much of the same this evening...if only I can get Kody to get up and do some Bye Bye Bye with me...time will tell.

Happy New Year!

Oh Happy Day

Today is our four year wedding anniversary. Four years doesn't sound like an incredibly long time, but it is still hard to believe that it has been four years since I walked down the aisle. We celebrated last night at Melting Pot with a couple friends who were also celebrating a birthday! We had a great time. It is hard to believe that in four more years Kody with be half way through his fourth year of residency, there may be children and Bailey will be 7 1/2 years old! Time sure flies.

Our wedding day was one of the best days of our lives. Lots of wonderful memories of friends, family and really great cake. Thanks Kody for keeping me entertained the last four years. I love you!

Did You Hear?

It snowed! I know, right? a total shock, I doubt anyone even noticed...

Blizzard 2009 came with it's own name and snazzy logo in Oklahoma City where I was with my family. Kody was stranded in Tulsa until Saturday due to our "brilliant" plan of splitting up so everyone could see everyone. Lesson learned, stick together. It actually worked out great. I got to spend a lot of good quality time with my sister and her two brand new guns. Yup, I said guns and no I'm not referring to her biceps. I'm referring to actual shot em up action guns. She is the military and well, Robin, so it all makes perfect sense to me. Robin and my dad had a good time at the gun range. I missed out on that adventure.

Kody finally made it to my family's home on Saturday afternoon. He spent three days playing Dynasty Warriors 5 in Tulsa. No, he was not sad to be stuck at our house. He had his own little wonderful Christmas with Bailey, Cao Pi and the other warrior families. I would like to think he was heartbroken to be away from me, but if you know Kody you know he probably didn't even notice the absence. Silly boy.

In non holiday related news, Tulsa got a new radio station. GenX radio. Oh. My. Goodness. It is what my iPod would sound like if I had an iPod in 8th grade. I'm in musical heaven. Late 80's, 90's and super early 2000's. Someone had me in mind when they programmed this station. Any station that plays Warrent, NSYNC, Weezer C&C Music Factory and Salt N Pepa back to back to back is OK in my book. Everybody dance now...

Christmas Time is Here....

It is officially Christmas in my book. Tonight I am heading to Edmond to spend the holiday with my family. Kody is coming too, but after a quick trip to Waynoka. Since we have been married the holidays have always been difficult. We would love to get to see everyone, but it can't be done every year. This year we compromised and Kody is going to Waynoka with his family on Christmas Eve (and then driving to Edmond to be with me that evening and Christmas). I am going to Edmond so I can be with my sister. I hardly ever see Robin anymore, so when she is home I try to spend as much time with her as possible. We always have a good time together and if you know my sister then you know that it is almost impossible to not be entertained by her.

Kody's brother and wife (Kasey and Ashley) are leaving for their honeymoon tomorrow (lucky) so they will not be in Waynoka either. It was really important to both of us that Kody gets to be there this year because who knows where we will be next Christmas!! (Fingers crossed...Tulsa). The most important thing is that both of us get to spend time with those we don't see very often and each other. This year we made a great plan with no arguments. Seriously, that has never happened. I can't begin to explain how nice it is to not be stressed out trying to be everywhere. This is good practice because I can only imagine what schedules will be like during residency...unpredictable!

I hope everyone has safe travels. Enjoy the snow if you get any. Tell your family you love them and give Santa a big hug!

Trip Rundown

I was all excited to post some pictures of trip today since I have been blogging idle for awhile. Unfortunately, I left my camera cord at home. So, in lieu of pictures I will give you a brief rundown of my fabulous trip to Mexico! Pictures to come later.

Day 1:

• Wake up a 4:30 AM
• Leave Tulsa at 6:15AM for Houston
• Kody buys a Rubik Cube in Houston and it becomes his best friend.
• Sat on a runway in Houston for one hour because a HEADREST was broken. Yes, a head rest. Awesome. To make up for it we all received free headphones which normally cost $3.
• Arrive in Cancun and instead of the six passenger transportation I purchased for it we got a PERSONAL CAR to our resort. Super score.
• Passed lots of check points with the "Policia" checking for drugs and gangstas. Luckily our personal car didn't get pulled over.
  

Day 2 through Day 5:

• Runs on the beach every morning.
• Late breakfast with lots of french toast, nutella, fresh fruit and other yummy things.
• Lounging on beach beds all afternoon reading my Jane Green books.
• Kody plays his Rubik cube all afternoon while I read my Jane Green books.
• Snorkeling and almost swimming into a barracuda. Scary.
• Kayaking in the ocean.
• Room service and lazy river swim up room fun
• Wearing fun dresses to dinner every night!
• Meeting lots of British people on "holiday'. I felt like I was in my Jane Green books!
  
• Getting a tan.
• Meeting lots of Iguanas.
• Ping pong and checkers by the pool.
• Water volleyball with some not very talented water volleyball players (like myself).
• Lots of quality time with my hubby!

We had a great time. I can't wait to go back. Swim up rooms are awesome. Now we are back in the Oklahoma cold and my tan is fading. So sad.

In 48 Hours...

I will be here.

Happy Birthday Kody

Yesterday was Kody's 27th birthday. I would have posted this yesterday, but I refuse to look a computer unless I have to during the weekend. So here it goes...my birthday ode to my husband.

Reasons I Like my Husband:
1. He is silly.
2. He watches Glee with me and loves it.
3. He is the only person in the world that might love my baby dog more than I do.
4. He encourages my desire to save stranded/lost puppies.
5. He wrote a rap song for his brother's wedding that was really funny/awesome.
6. He has worked extremely hard the last three and a half years during medical school.
7. He lets me be in charge of the remote.
8. He never argues when I say, "Let's go out to eat! I don't want to cook!"
9. He loves the "Go Gators" just like I do...despite their sad showing on Saturday.
10. He is a really good friend.
11. He encourages my belief in Santa Clause. Plus, he watches Home Alone and Elf with me all year long...best movies ever.
12. He loves guacamole.
13. He is going to be a wonderful doctor.
14. He makes himself cry when he laughs too hard...which makes him laugh harder.
15. He is taking me to Mexico!
Happy birthday a day late Kody. You are getting so OLD!

Now that Kody is 27, I become 28....at least to him. So I guess I should go ahead and wish myself a happy 28th birthday seven months early. :)

My Friend Lauren

Today is my dear friend Lauren's birthday! I am dedicating my post today to her. Lauren and I became friends my sophomore year of college when she was a freshman. We played softball together at OC and after a few months of getting to know each other we became great pals!

Here are a few things I love about my friend Lauren:
1. She can impersonate anyone and it is dead on.
2. She got married on my birthday. Great day!
3. She once ate a Taco Bell Quesadilla after it had fallen out of the package onto the "very clean" Taco Bell floor.
4. She is a great big sister.
5. She has the strongest throwing arm of almost any teammate I ever had. It hurt.
6. She makes road trips to visit me in Tulsa with Angela. YAY!
7. She loves Twilight.
8. She gets along wonderfully with Kody. I think they were secret best friends in college.
9. We were co-workers post graduation at a fine Edmond establishment and had lots-0-fun.
10. She is one of the most understanding, loyal and trustworthy friends in the world!

Happy Birthday Lauren! I hope Eric goes a little crazy, breaks the budget and gets you something amazing! :) Maybe for your birthday I will pay you back for Bueno from six years ago...MAYBE.

December!

Yup, it is officially month number twelve of the year 2009. Can you believe it? I am absolutely loving the December visual on my calendar. It is of a jogger in a hat and gloves running on a beautiful snow covered wooded trail. A dream come true. I want to be that runner right now...

A few wonderful things are happening this month that I have been looking forward to since this summer:

• Kody is home all month
• SEC Championship game
  
• I'm going to Mexico
• Santa

A girl is never too old for Santa. Whatever your parents told you when you were young don't believe them, he does exist. In my heart he is very, very real.

Happy December. I hope it is filled with warmth and lots of hot cocoa.

I'm Thankful For...

My God
My family
My marriage
My baby Bailey dog
The Twilight Saga
New Balance running shoes
Avocados
The end of rotations and interviews
Super Target
My job
My upcoming trip to Mexico
Friends that make me smile
Orange Tree
Glee
College football
Ski trips
My health and the health of my loved ones
My super quick wit and charm (kidding)
80's music
CrossFit
Johnny Depp
94% Fat Free Kettle Corn
Shutterfly
Thunderstorms
Sweatpants
Glade Cinnamon Gingerbread candles
Home Alone - THE movie
Dawn Direct Foam (so wonderful)
The Smashing Pumpkins
Hot showers
Twizzlers and Mambas

Happy Thanksgiving! We are traveling to Fort Worth tomorrow for the big wedding. I can't wait to see Kasey and Ashley finally get hitched.

Dear John

I saw New Moon last night...FINALLY. It was fantastic, except for the two bratty thirteen year old boys in the very back of the theater who only purchased tickets to distract the rest of us. Oh yeah, and the two elderly ladies sitting behind us who sounded giddier than a pre-teen when shirtless Jacob graced the screen. I hope I'm like that when I am old. Trust me, I will be.

Anyway, I love previews. They get me all excited about upcoming movies. I saw a preview for Sherlock Holmes which I have anxiously been awaiting. I will be in the theater on Christmas day either with my family or alone...it will happen. Anyway, the reason for this post is that I saw a preview for a new movie based on the Nicholas Sparks book, "Dear John". I have not read this book yet, but I definitely will be after I finish my current undertaking. The preview made my cry...enough said.

Has anyone read this book? I'm pretty sure it is going to break my heart.

Movies Make Me Read

I'm a total bandwagon book reader. "The Notebook" - Bandwagon, "Twilight" - Bandwagon, "My Sister's Keeper" - Bandwagon, "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" - Bandwagon. Do you notice a trend here? Yes, I read mostly books that have been or are being turned into movies because they were obviously good enough to be turned into a movie. Simple. I did read Nicholas Sparks' "Nights in Rodanthe" before I knew that was being turned into a movie so I can give myself a little credit there. I Growing up I read all the time. I loved Sweet Valley High and R.L. Stine's Fear Street books. Oh my goodness I would know the exact day the next one was coming out. I was such a nerd! Then I hit about sixteen and I quit reading. OK, I didn't quit reading, but I didn't have as much time to read. I was a busy, social high school girl.

Ten years later I have become a bandwagon book reader. I guess that is better than not reading at all. Actually, I know that is better than not reading at all. I love to read, but I just have a hard time finding books that keep my interest. There is only author I have ever discovered on my own that I really love. Her name is Jane Green. She is a fabulous British author who makes me laugh hysterically. Every woman should read "Jemima J". It is probably one of my favorite books. Seriously, go pick it up right now. If you have ever struggled with weight or been in like or love then you should read it. I'm pretty sure that covers ever woman on the planet so you have no excuse.

Yesterday I became a bandwagon reader again. I have seen previews for the new movie Lovely Bones. My friend Shawna read the book when we were in college and she always had it with her so she could sneak in reading during her free time. I thought the title was hilarious and always envisioned a skeleton dancing around. Don't worry, that is not what the book is about. Yesterday I purchased "Lovely Bones" and I have to say so far it is a very intriguing read. So thank you Hollywood for another movie based off a book so I have something to read.

P.S. Congratulations to my friend Tyler who had her baby boy Drew this morning! He is adorable and healthy and I am so excited for my friend! YAY!

Scenes from the Party

The party was a hit. We had Twilight showing, the soundtrack running and a New Moon trivia quiz complete with prizes. Here are a few scenes from the party of the century....

Vegetarian blood (aka Twizzlers). I made these, I saw them on a Twilight party site (nerd) and just had to recreate them!


Werewolf Kibble. Yes, we even let Team Jacob fans participate. One of my fabulous co-workers made these. So cute and yummy.


The full spread complete with martini glasses for the mountain lion blood bunch, apples with dip, dark chocolate chex mix, vampire bitten cupcakes and lots of red candy.


We had some floating balloons appear. Quite fitting to have floating objects while celebrating vampires and werewolves, don't you think?


My Team Edward shirt...which I wore all day.


And a grand view of the serving table. We covered the office with New Moon posters. It was fabulous.

What Team Are You On?

I'm team Edward.



Kody is team Jacob.



Although, let me clarify, Kody has not read the books or seen Twilight. He just wants to look like Taylor Lautner, but whatever gets him into Twilight is fine by me.

12:01 AM. November 20th, 2009. New Moon.

In celebration of the second installment of the Twilight Saga a few of us at work are throwing a New Moon release party. I'm well versed in throwing release parties. Some of you were lucky enough to attend the 'N SYNC Celebrity CD release party thrown by myself and Angela in July 2001. It was awesome. Complete with red carpet, posters and a midnight run to Wal-Mart with video camera in hand to purchase the CD. Yes, I have many of you on film. You cannot deny your participation. Brooke...Crislyn...Michelle...Amanda...

Our party today will not play second fiddle to any other New Moon party. It is complete with Werewolf Kibble, Vegetarian blood, mountain lion blood punch, cupcakes that have be "bitten", red and black food and decorations galore and posters...lots and lots of posters. Oh yeah, I'm even sporting my Team Edward shirt today. I look pretty awesome. Red and Black is the dress code, no exceptions. Pictures to come tomorrow.

Yes, I do have a real job and yes I work very hard. However, today is a day of celebration and team spirit. So I ask you, what team are you on and why? Please post in comments. Ready...go!

The Girl I am Not

I have lots of crafty friends. I have friends that can make a piece of trash look like a piece of art. I have friends with pretty handwriting and loads artistic talent. I have friends who love to scrapbook. I have friends who can decorate a room in their mind in fifteen seconds. I have friends who have more style in their thumb nail than I do in my entire body.

I want to be that girl, but I am not.

I went to Hobby Lobby today during my lunch break to pick up a few items for an upcoming wedding next weekend. Hooray for Ashley and Kasey! Hobby Lobby was having a huge 50% off sale. It was fantastic. I wouldn't have a clue where to hang or put half the things that were on sale, but I still like to look and dream. As I roamed about Hobby Lobby becoming more and more saddened by my lack of artistic ability, I began to think about how grateful my husband must be that I am that I lack those abilities.

I hate shopping. Hate. I only like to go shopping for clothes if I am looking for something specific. I do not wander around the mall jumping from store to store trying on clothes that I know I will never wear. Pointless and too exhausting! The lady in front of me at Hobby Lobby today had a basket full of fall decor. She tells the check out lady, "All I came in for was this picture lamp. My husband has been waiting in the car for me this whole time!" Yup, not me. I'm just a plain old "get what you came for" kind of gal. I don't know what it is, but I do not possess the internal traits to be a crafty or shopping kind of lady.

I love my friends who are like this. They make me smile and I admire their talent and style everyday. I just don't have the ability to do what they do. It is not in me.

I can however do thirty five (as of last Wednesday) consecutive pull ups so I guess I have that going for me.

Surprise!

During Kody's time in Michigan he really wanted to go on vacation. We had talked about planning a vacation in March during his last off month before graduation. Yes, I just said graduation. My husband is almost an official doctor. HAHAHAHA Crazy. Anyway, I got a call in August saying, "Book a vacation for December now. Everyone has pictures of vacation and they look happy." So I followed my dear husband's request and booked us a fabulous Mexican all inclusive getaway for December. We thought interviews would be over (ortho interviews are typically over by the beginning of November) and didn't think a thing about it. Kody has since had multiple interviews in October, all of which we were very excited about. We thought we were done and had our programs mapped out. Now we could go on vacation and just wait to find out about match in February! Right? Wrong.

I regularly check Kody's email because he well, he thinks he is eighty years old and doesn't really know what the internet is. No offense to any eighty year old that is on the internet reading this blog. Sorry. Don't ever email him....ever. It will get lost in oblivion. Anyway, I do my daily check of his email and I see this:

"Congratulations candidate. BLAH BLAH BLAH Orthopedic Residency would like to invite you to interview on Sunday, December 6th".

First reaction, "Awesome! Another interview at a really great program we really like! YAY!"
Second reaction, "December 6th...that's Kody's birthday...in MEXICO!"

Call to Kody in Enid:
Kody: "Hello"
Me: "You have an interview at BLAH BLAH BLAH's Program"
Kody: "What? You're Kidding!" (totally unexpected by both of us so he was shocked
Me: "Yeah, congratulations, whatever, it is while we are in Mexico" (I really was exited, but all I could think about was how I was supposed to be eating at La Carreta that evening for his birthday!)
Kody: "Change it. You have to change it. ::panic in his voice:: Change it now."

Later that evening I spent hours on line in"live chat" with the hotel trying to get our hotel arrangements and flights pushed back a week. I was a pathetic case claiming a family emergency had come up (sure, it is kind of a family emergency, right?). I just prayed they would not take my swim up jacuzzi room away from me. I have been dreaming about that lazy river outside my balcony for months. $300 later we are still set to go on vacation a week later than originally planned and Kody will have another great interview and great program to consider. WOOHOO!

That was fun...

The People's Choice

So, you probably all already know that the People's Choice Award nominees came out. I know, you have already voted because it is a HUGE deal. I don't think I have ever voted for the People's Choice awards, but today I did. I'm not sure I will ever do it again because they made me make some really tough decisions and I was simply not prepared.

Here are a few of the heartbreaking decisions they forced me to make:

Favorite Movie Actor: Johnny Depp or Ryan Reynolds
Action Star: Christian Bale or Hugh Jackman
Comedic Star: Ryan Reynolds or Vince Vaughn

There were five nominees in each category. My struggle settled at two. To most of you these might be simple or silly choices. To me, this is serious. I have a deep, deep love for Johnny, Ryan, Christian, Hugh and Vince. How does a girl choose? They can all do no wrong in my eyes. And seriously, have you seen Ryan Reynolds without a shirt lately? Oh. My. Even Kody gets a bit giddy....in a "Wow, I want to look like him" sort of way...I think. Christian and I go way back to 1992 when Newsies came out. Best. Movie. Ever. Johnny is well....Johnny. Not much more to say about him other than he is utterly fantastic in that dark way that I just adore. Hugh can sing, dance and melt my heart with his smile. Vince, well, there is just something about him that makes me incredibly happy. He's like a big, funny teddy bear.

Christian Bale and the rest of the newsboys ::sigh::

I will not divulge how I ended up voting to help preserve the anticipation that comes with The People's Choice Awards. I don't think I will ever know if I made the right choice, but sometimes we have to make tough choices in life. Today was one of those days.

P.S. Happy birthday Ashley!!!

Certified Awesome

That's right folks, I am now an official Level 1 CrossFit trainer. WOOHOO!

This means I can technically kick your butt and I am officially allowed to do so by the CrossFit community. I spent the weekend in Dallas at CrossFit Strong learning about proper technique, how to teach and how to program CrossFit workouts. So fun! I met a lot of amazing people and great athletes. It was a fantastic experience. I'm so glad I finally did it. I'm looking forward to putting my trainer skills into practice. If you would like to be my trainee guinea pig (Angela) let me know! I would love to make your legs burn with CrossFit goodness.

A big birthday shout out to my sister and father-in-law. They share the same day of birth. Happy Birthday!

As Promised...

Bailey...Kung Fu Dogress!



I know, awesome right? She helped my mom pass out Halloween candy while we were at the game. She was a huge hit with the kiddos. Luckily, she didn't have to bust out any of her sweet kung fu moves.

I'm pretty sure this might be my Christmas card picture this year. Kody says he has to "approve" it because I typically don't let him have an opinion about the card. Oh well.



On a quick serious note, please keep us in your prayers. Lots of things are still up in the air about residency.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

OSU/Texas

Saturday, Kody and I ventured to Stillwater for the OSU/Texas game. I know, I'm actually a Florida girl, but I can still cheer for my husband's post graduate institution....especially when they are playing the dreaded Texas Longhorns. (sorry Katie) Anyway, it was on our way to this game when I hit the squirrel. Luckily my night got a lot better after that.

I got to hang out with my future sister in law Ashley, which was great fun! Isn't she cute?


We got to see all the DuBose boys (plus Beth!). That is Kasey's best friend Ben throwing up the horns in the background. Silly boy. He's apparently related to some Texas player named Jordan Shipley. Whatever. He probably isn't any good. (Yes, that was total sarcasm about him not being good. Jordan Shipley is awesome. I saw his muscles up close!)


I saw Jordan's muscles up close because we sat with all the Texas parents and had this AWESOME view of the game!


Being a true Florida fan I had to sport my Gator socks to the game. Obviously I confused people. I had on an OSU sweatshirt, Florida socks and sat in the Texas section. I like to keep everyone guessing!


OSU lost. We all know that, but it was still fun. I love college football with every inch of my being. Halloween pictures of sweet baby Bailey are coming tomorrow. She looked AWESOME!

The Squirrel

Saturday I did something I have never done before in my entire life.

I hit a squirrel.

With my car.

It died.

I typically get really sad when I see dead animals. It doesn't matter if it is a opossum, skunk, squirrel, bird, dog, cat or deer. If it was once alive and now is dead then I am sad.

I had never hit an animal before. I probably should have about one hundred time, but I always tried to avoid it. This usually ends up with Kody giving me a stern lecture about how trying to not hit an animal can put me in more danger of being in a wreck, blah blah blah. Whatever.

We were on our way to the OSU/Texas game (more to come on that later). We were leaving my parents neighborhood and I looked at Kody for one second to say something and all I hear is Kody yell, "NOOOOOOOOOO!" I turned my head and tried to miss....my front wheels did....the back ones did not. Kody's face looked horrified, not because I actually hit a squirrel, but because he knew what was about to happen.

Tears. Wailing. Lot and lots of tears. Plus slight moments of hyperventilating. I picked up the phone to call my mom and confess my sins. Kody tried to get me to pull over and let him drive, but I refused.

"Poor ::sniff:; squirrel. He was probably ::sniff sniff:: trying ::sob:: to get some good nuts! I KILLED him! I'm a murderer!"

I can never take that one second back. I can never undo what I did to that squirrel. I took his life. I took him from his family. He was probably the provider out collecting nuts for winter for his lady squirrel and their babies. I don't know if I will ever forgive myself. I'm kind of not exaggerating at all.

The next morning I drove to church and was elated to not see the squirrel in the road. I had a moment of hope. Did I not kill this squirrel? Did he survive? Was the lump I saw in my rear view mirror just a terrified little squirrel waiting for me to be gone before he ran to safety? No. My mom crushed that dream pretty fast. As I told her about my hopeful thoughts she said, "Oh no! I saw him last night. He was definitely dead."

Thanks Mom.

Later I found out that my dear, sweet husband moved the squirrel on his way to the hospital at 6AM on Sunday morning just so I wouldn't have to see him on my way to church. What a sweet boy. He put him under a tree where he probably liked to climb. Now whenever I drive by that tree I will remember that moment and how I took the life of another living creature.

Rest in peace Mr. Squirrel. I'm sorry.

A Big Thank You!

I have the best friends. Yes, I consider my parents and Kody my friends also. They are great. The past six or seven months have just been insane. Kody has been roaming the country, I have been traveling like a mad woman to visit him on weekends or to visit friends and family from home while he was out of state. It has just been exhausting and now FINALLY it is about to slow down. Less traveling, Kody will be home more and we are going on vacation in four weeks. Hallelujah!

Kody lived with my family during the month of June and October while on rotations in OKC. While I know my family and his would do anything for us in a heartbeat, I also know it takes a lot to open your home to anyone for that long of a time. I honestly don't know if I could do it. I pray that I could, but I am such a "need my space and privacy" kind of person sometimes. Yikes. We all have our routines and we all do things different ways. I cannot begin to tell you how thankful Kody and I are for our wonderful, generous families who love us and care for us even though we are "adults". Kody's mom always calls to take me to dinner whenever she is in town so I we can catch up. It is always fun. My mom always calls to get Kody's list of "must haves" food and drink wise before he arrives for the month. Neither of them have to do these things, but they do because they love us. It is fun to see Kody's mom taking care of me and my mom taking care of Kody.

To top off the family kindness, Kody's brother Kasey is playing host to Kody in Enid for the month of November....the same month he is getting married! Poor Ashley. I can just picture her trying to have conversations with Kasey on the phone about wedding details and Kody yelling in the background, "Kasey! Come play with ME! I just invented this really awesome new game...call her back later!" and then Kasey having to hang up the phone because Kody has decided his bones won't work and has fallen underneath the coffee table and needs help getting up. If you know my husband or anything about our very interesting relationship prior to marriage and beyond then you will be laughing your socks off in agreement. Ashley, I'm so sorry. Truly sorry.

And now to all my wonderful friends who are like family to me, but not related by paper or name. I love you all. What would I do without all of you? No matter where I live now or in the future, I have a great core group of friends that will always support and love me.

Here are some special girls from Natalie's baby shower last week.

Cassie, Natalie, Kinsey, Me, Cari and her darling Cali.

War of the Worlds

OK, so obviously I wasn't around in 1938 when Orson Wells broadcast the very famous reading of "War of the Worlds" live on air. Not everyone knew this was a reading from H.G. Well's novel. Some actually thought the nation was under martian attack! Can you imagine? Anyway, tomorrow night a website is broadcasting the full broadcast from 1938. Pretty cool!

War of the Worlds Tribute

Praying For...

• Peace of mind about residency
• Patience and trust in God's timing
  
• Baby Addison
• Military overseas
• Those close to us who are going through cancer treatments
  
• All pregnant friends and new moms
• My shoulder to heal...quickly

Acquaint now thyself with the Lord, and be at peace; thereby good shall come unto thee. Job 22:21

In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You Lord, alone make me dwell in safety and confident trust. Psalm 4:8

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee; the LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; the LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. Numbers 6:24-26

We are starting to get more apprehensive about residency. Are they going to tell us something early? (sometimes programs give you a heads up about what will happen on match day.) Will we have to wait until February? Every day Kody and I remind ourselves that we cannot make things happen on our own. God knows what we want, but He also knows what we need. We are doing our best to have faith in that and let Him take care of us. What is the worst that can happen? We have asked for what we want and what we feel like will be best for our family. Maybe he will say "Yes! This is what I want for you. Take this and be happy!" Or maybe He will say, "No. I am not going to give you that, but I am going to give you this. This is much better. This is MY plan for you." Of course we are making it very clear that Bailey would prefer to stay in Oklahoma rather than move to Michigan or Ohio!

What a blessing it is to have a husband who in times of uncertainty like this turns to prayer. I love visiting him on the weekends and seeing his bible on the bedside stand with pages marked. We know our hearts are in the right place.

I Love My Dog

There is only one week until Halloween. I'm kind of depressed. I haven't been able to take Bailey to the pumpkin patch yet.

Since we don't have kids and we all know Bailey is my dog child, Kody and I take her to the pumpkin patch every year. We get a kick out of it. She likes to smell the pumpkins and she loves seeing all the people. This October has just been too chaotic. The three of us haven't lived in the same house long enough to plan a fun family outing. Since we won't be going this year, here is a picture from Bailey's second pumpkin patch visit. It is followed by a bunch of random dog pictures that I love. Bailey is in Edmond this week so I am missing her.

Bailey and Kody at the Pumpkin Patch in 2007.



Midori and her super cute bandana.



Bailey at her puppy kindergarten class. Look, no long crazy hair yet!



Bailey's First Snow. I L.O.V.E. this picture!



She will never sleep like this with me anymore. So sad.

Interview Update!

The Mr. just completed his interview in OKC about an hour ago. It was an ALL DAY process. He sounded so upbeat and positive oh the phone. It made my heart so happy! I love hearing him like that. No matter what happens, we both know he worked his tail off and did everything he could do.

I told him how I was praying for him to be calm and confident. He said he felt that way the entire day. Surprisingly, I stayed much more calm than I thought I would too!

Now we wait...

Three interviews down and possibly a fourth to come.

What an amazing, crazy journey all this has been. What do I do with myself now? No more researching programs? No more scheduling hotels and flights out of state? No more interview question prep like, "Tell us why your wife rocks your world"? I don't know if I will even be able to recognize this lady in the mirror anymore. Kidding.

Thanks to all of our wonderful friends and family who have been so supportive and have kept both of us in your prayers. You. Are. The. Best.

My Life in the Last Twelve Hours.

A few highlight from the last twelve hours....

• My dear friend Brittany got engaged to her boyfriend Mike yesterday! WOOHOO! He is a great guy and I am insanely happy for her. I love seeing my friends happy.
  
• Kody is currently going through his interview in OKC. I have heard nothing yet...of course...I'm starring at my phone constantly...of course.
  
• I didn't fall asleep until about 1 AM because I was thinking about Kody's interview. What in the world is wrong with me?
• Bailey woke up at 12AM (while I was trying to sleep) and wanted to play outside for half an hour with her secret backyard boyfriend.
  
• Kody called me at 4:15 AM to tell me he was awake and that I didn't need to call him at 4:30AM to make sure he was up. Hmmmmm....thanks darling!
  
• My sister texted me around midnight to tell me she "Saw paranormal activity. U would crap ur pants". What? You saw ghosts? Moving objects? Huh?
  
• Bailey has a twin at doggy day care. Yes, an identical doggy twin. So cool!
  
• I just got another text from my sister about the paranormal activity. It reads, "DEMONS! U haven't heard about it??" Ummm no! What the heck are you talking about you crazy child in Arizona!
  
• Another text from Robin..."It's awesomely terrifying. Scariest movie I've ever seen". OK who is the idiot now? She was talking about a movie and I thought she was talking about actual paranormal activity. I'm going to consider today a wash.
  

The Roof Is On Fire...

OK, not really, but I am getting a new one.

Not because of fire.

Because of hail....which occurred on my birthday of all days.

Yes, we three Kings are getting a nice new roof over our heads on Monday courtesy of the fabulous crew at Roofscapes. Our dear friend Clayton aka Pip is working for them now in OKC. They have offices in Tulsa also. If you need a new roof and you use them, tell them I referred you! I get a kick back. :) They have been AWESOME! Thanks Clayton!

Anyway, our insurance is covering the whole gig, except for our deductible of course. We have fantastic insurance through USAA. They rock. They got me a check for the roof in less than a week after the inspection. Not kidding. Now for the annoying part. The check is made out to myself, Kody AND our mortgage company. Ugh. Now I have to send a copy of my adjusters report AND the check to our mortgage company to endorse. I'm overnighting it since the roofing project starts Monday. Do you know how much it costs to overnight one measly FedEx envelope with five very thin pieces of paper?

$24!

Seriously, maybe I am silly, but that kind of blew my mind. I don't ship things overnight....ever. I was thinking maybe $8, but not $24. OK sure, $24 isn't going to break us. It really isn't that big of a deal, but wow, I was not mentally prepared for that when I printed off my shipping label!

Oh well. At least I'm getting a nice, new, beautiful roof.

Just Be Awesome

Today is Wednesday. Today Kody had his last fracture conference before his interview on Friday. Today was his last day to be seriously awesome in front of all the residents. Today he was good. Last week he was good. I hope all the residents think he is good. No....I hope they think he is great. I know he is great.

Most ortho programs have some sort of fracture conference during the week. The residents throw up xrays of patients and ask younger residents and med students to read the fracture. They have to give the classification of the fracture and talk about a treatment plan. I think it would be very intimidating to be there as a student with ten plus residents staring at you, asking you questions and judging you the whole time. I guess that is one of many reasons I will never be an orthopedic surgeon.

Friday is interview day in OKC. He'll have an oral interview, a written test and a fracture conference. Yikes. No pressure. Just be awesome. Right? I'm ready for interviews to be over. Then we just wait. And wait. And wait....until February. Three and a half months.

In Non Kody/Rotation Related News....

• I took Bailey on a walk last night. We passed a couple kids. They asked me if she was a pooper. What? A pooper? "No." I said, "this is my dog. Her name is Bailey". Then they started yelling "Bailey pooper! Bailey pooper". Ok ridiculous children...quit calling my sweet baby girl a pooper. She didn't even do that on her walk! Although, if she did I had my bio degradable poop bags ready to clean it up. I hate it when people don't clean up after their dogs. So rude!
• My hip is feeling better, but my shoulder has been bothering me. I just need new body parts. I rode the stationary bike this morning, which I hate by the way, for 35 minutes. Oh how I miss my CrossFit.
• We are getting a new roof on Monday. YAY hail damage!
• GLEE is on tonight.
• I am possibly going to have to have two root canals.
  

The end.

A Beautiful Day

Kody and I saw U2 in Norman last night. Please excuse how beautiful we both look in this picture.



We were in a box. You are jealous, right?



It was awesome.



I will be the first to admit I am not a crazy U2 fan. I like their music, but I don't own any of their music. However, a few of their songs are some of my all time favorites. Sunday Bloody Sunday, With or Without You, Mysterious Ways and Walk On.

I did not get to hear With or Without you because we left right before the encore. It broke my heart to leave before it was played, but I knew it was going to be in the encore and we just couldn't stay any later. Kody had to be at the hospital super early(5:30 AM), I had to drive back to T Town super early this morning (6:45 AM) and we wanted to beat traffic. It was horrible on the way there. Stupid road construction.

The show was fantastic. The set up was amazing. We were in a box (fancy, right?) so we were warm and fed the entire show. It was a great evening. Other than the fact that we walked the ramp to the suites instead of taking the elevators, I have no complaints. We were idiots. It was my idea. We definitely got our workout in for the day. My feet can feet it today. We walked it faster than anyone else there though, so I was pretty proud of our performance.

I've seen a lot of great bands and performers in my short life so far. I'm really happy I can add U2 to the list!

Now I want an Irish accent.

Interview Number Two

The Mr. leaves bright and early tomorrow for his second residency interview. This one is in Michigan. He is really excited and yet very calm. Everyday I ask him if he is freaking out yet. He keeps saying no, but I think it is about to hit in a few hours. I can sense it. He'll be great. He is irritatingly charming when he needs to be. I say irritatingly because it comes so naturally to him when he needs to be "on". I'm praying for him to stay calm and for the right words to come out of his mouth. That boy can talk his way into or out of almost anything.

As long as he keeps the "ums", "ers" and "likes" to a minimum I think he'll be OK.

Eleven students are interviewing. There are two spots. He has an 18.18% chance of getting one of those two spots. Six of the students are from Michigan State. I hope they don't get a home field advantage.

The actual interview is Saturday morning from 8AM to 10AM. Friday night is a dinner with all the other interviewees (aka the competition) and residents. They are all playing Halo (XBox 360) after dinner. He is horrible at Halo. Hopefully that won't count against him.

If they played Mario Party or NBA Jam he would be a shoe in for a spot.

And The New Bachelor Is...

Jake is such a nice boy.

He looks much dreamier than I remember from last season. Score for the single ladies!

Dressing the Part

This is a really exciting week. Kody has interview number two in Michigan. He leaves Friday morning and returns Saturday evening. I tried to ask him some mock interview questions, but he doesn't think questions like, "Why is your wife the best ever?" are relevant to orthopedic residency positions. Whatever. If programs interviewed spouses, my interview would surely get him a spot.

In style preparation for interviews we went suit shopping this weekend. A big shout out to the folks at Men's Warehouse in OKC on Memorial. They are awesome. Ladies, if your man needs a suit take him there. Yes, it is not the cheapest, but they do it up right. We ended up getting two suits. If you bought one you got a second for only $100. In the suit world that is awesome. Two suits turned into two suits plus two shirts, two ties, two cedar hangers and new socks. My mom donated money for new socks. She was bound and determined Kody was going to have nice, new socks. Ha! They are quite fabulous. Thanks mom. He also got some snazzy new shoes. I picked those out. That was my only style contribution to the whole ensemble.

He got a black suit with some muted pen stripes and a gorgeous charcoal colored suit. Love it. I'm not kidding, he looked high class. Kody cleans up very nice. I'll have to get some pictures. They measured him and tailored the suit to fit him just right. Classic and professional. He is totally going to look the part of a future orthopedic surgeon.

A few other weekend highlights:

• I'm injured
• Florida won
• Midori ate one of my black dress shoes
• Bailey loves her "Karate Dog" Halloween costume (she is a black belt!)
• Adventureland is not really a comedy...we were tricked

Coke at the Fair and I Don't Mean Cola

I'm working at the fair tomorrow. The casino has a trade show booth and a couple of co-workers and myself will be there from 10AM to 2PM. It should be pretty exciting. Not because I think the fair is awesome, but because the people at the fair are amazing.

On Monday, another co-worker of mine worked at our booth. She came back and reported that she saw two women get arrested for snorting cocaine behind the Expo Center where the trade show area is. Seriously? Who goes to the fair to snort coke? Ok, who do that anyway...but really? The fair? Does it make the chocolate covered bacon taste better? Maybe the Zipper gets a new, exotic spin. I'm not sure. I just find the fair an odd place to be doing illegal drugs in public.

I wonder what the people of the Tulsa State Fair have in store for me tomorrow. I can't wait.

It Is Only Monday?

I'm seriously out of it today. I drove to Tulsa from Edmond this morning. Strike one. I got up early to get in twenty minutes on the elliptical before I left. Dumb. Strike two. I'm on a mission to add three short sessions of low impact cardio into my weekly CrossFit routine. To top the day off, I still have to go grocery shopping because I have no food. I don't do well without food. I have semi fallen asleep at my desk about three times today. No worries. My hair looks amazing and not in a good way. I'm also wearing a black button down shirt that is two sizes too large that has been in my closet at my parents home for the past six years without use. Strike three to infinity. No, I'm not kidding. I'm just going to consider today a wash. :)

Oh yeah, plane tickets to Michigan for an interview jumped $100 since Friday. Seriously? Ugh.

I'm looking forward to my evening at home with my precious baby dog. She'll probably just sleep all night and ignore me, but at least she will be there.

4th Year Expenses

The fourth (and last!) year of medical school is going by fast. It is already October. Graduation is only seven months and two weeks away. WOAH. Kody and I are currently experiencing our fifth month since May to not live together on a daily basis. It is strange, yet oddly normal at this point. We have adapted to the insanity quite easily. As I have said before, I now have a part time job as Kody's assistant. I check his email daily, send him daily updates on who he needs to call, fill out paper work, update his schedule, schedule tests, make plane arrangements and research programs. Don't worry, I do all of this because I want to. Some spouses aren't as sweet and fabulous as me. I remind him of that everyday. Kidding. Out of state rotations have made it nearly impossible for him to do these things on his own. Internet access is always limited and so is spare time when you are busy trying to show programs that you are awesome.

As much as I have educated myself about the process of rotations, interviews and match there is one area that I was a little unaware of during fourth year. Expenses. Oh. My. Goodness. I knew we would have extra expenses with boards and what not, but I wasn't prepared for what the last few months have been like. Here is a brief rundown for you future fourth year families on expenses you might have to incur:

• Step 2 Boards - $600
  
• Step 2 Board Practical - $1,096
  
• Travel and hotel to Step 2 Board Practical (in Pennsylvania) - $500
  
• Out of state rotations (gas, food, etc) - Whatever it costs to drive over 3,000 miles
  
• Hotel stays during out of state rotations if housing is not provided - $800
  
• Air fare to visit spouse during out of state rotations - $400
  
• Air fare for interviews at out of state programs - $400
• Registering for the match - $60
  
• Mongolian BBQ for student during out of state rotations - Priceless
  

OK, so the Mongolian BBQ is not a normal expense unless it is next door to your extended stay hotel and you visit it DAILY. Ugh. If you do the math, that is a lot of extra money to spend over a small length of time.

Things I am Thankful For:

• A good job that allows us to be able to handle the extra expenses without too much added stress
  
• Programs that interview students during rotations so they don't have to spend money to travel back later (thank you Ohio!)
  
• Kody being able to stay with my family during rotations in Oklahoma City
• Weekends off
  
• Hospitals that have unlimited free cafeteria access for students
  
• A car that can handle the wear and tear of lots of highway travel without problems

Needless to say, so far fourth year has been interesting. It is still going amazingly well. We are very blessed by how everything is working out and optimistic about the future. If any of you fellow OSU spouses have money questions or questions in general about rotations let me know.

I know too much now. I should write a book...

Just Call Me Professor

Tonight I am becoming a college professor. That is right folks, yours truly is co-teaching an advertising class tonight. Please stop laughing. The class tonight is focused around media so I am going in to talk about what a media buyer really does. No text book, just the cold, hard truth.

Here is rundown of what I will be talking about tonight:

• Budgeting
• Planning
• Negotiating
• Print and Outdoor placement
  
• Daypart strategy
• Nielsen and Arbitron ratings
• Cost per point, reach and frequency
• Sweeps
  
• Premier week results (what network and shows won the week!)

That is very brief, but it will probably take me about one hour. I'm so excited to show them all the numbers I get to play with and the math that goes along with my job. WOOHOO! Seriously, I love that part of my job. I'm a math nerd.

This should be pretty painless unlike the flu shot I just got....ouch.

I'm Just So Proud!

Today is Kody's last day on his two month adventure to Big 10 country. I know, I can't believe it either. These last two months have flown by and have gone better than I ever could have imagined. Kody loved all of his rotations and learned a lot. He had his first residency interview in Ohio this week and just got another invitation today for an interview at a program in Michigan! We know just because he gets interviews does not mean he gets a spot, but we are so excited because these are programs he really liked. We are still waiting to hear from others, but so far so good. I can't wait to see him. We'll have a few days together before he takes off for Oklahoma City in October.

And the most exciting part....

We get to watch our first Florida game of the year together tomorrow! It just doesn't feel like football season without Kody around. Finally, we can yell at the TV together and not just over the phone. Feels like old times...

Shout Out

My Florida family is having a big shin dig tonight at my parent's new pad in gator land and well, I'm not there. Neither is Kody. I really hope my mom, dad, Robin, Aunt Linda, Jennifer, Bill, Aly, Uncle Reed, Aunt Laura, Kylie and Bo have a GREAT time together. At least Julie missed out too. That makes me feel a smidge better.

Seriously guys, have fun, don't worry about me. I plan on spending the evening watch Grey's Anatomy and The Office with Bailey and eating spoonfuls of almond butter. It is going to be awesome!

If you aren't sure how Kody and I feel about being left out then I will let the following picture do the talking. Love you guys!

Fight Gone Bad!

Saturday is the big day! The Fight Gone Bad Fundraiser will take place this Saturday, September 26th at CrossFit gyms across the WORLD! I have raised $150 so far. My goal is $500. You can still help me reach my goal! All donations go towards Athletes for a Cure (prostate cancer research) and The Wounded Warrior Project (helps disabled vets transition back into everyday life).

Click here to go to my donation page. Any little bit helps! CrossFit has raised over $755,000 so far!!!! Simply amazing. People are so generous. Thanks to everyone that has already donated. You guys rock.

Premier Week!

It is my one of my favorite weeks of the year, second only to Christmas. It is premier week! That's right, all the new shows are rolling out. New seasons of old favorites are starting back up. It is just a glorious time of year. Since I buy media for a living, which includes TV, I have to pay extra special attention to what is going on in TV land. Here is a run down of some of my favorite new shows so far and a few that I am very excited about, but are still on my DVR waiting patiently to be viewed.

Seen It and Love It:

CBS - The Good Wife (Tuesday, 9PM central)
Julianna Margulies (ER) and Josh Charles (Sports Night, Dead Poets Society) star in this new drama. Alicia (Margulies) is the wife of a very public figure who has embarrassed his entire family with adventures with "working women". Think Elliot Spitzer and the call girl. Alicia goes back to work as a lawyer for friend Will (Charles...love him!). She struggles with building back her career, marriage and being a mother.
Why I Like It: Josh Charles. OK, besides him, Alica's character is rockin. She is intelligent. It gives good inside to public marriages behind the scenes. She has to deal with her husband's mistakes while maintaining a positive public image herself. I love courtroom drama, so there is lots of that too since she is , well, a lawyer. I have high hopes for this one!

FOX - Glee (Wednesday, 8PM central)
OK, we already know I love this one, but let me talk about it a little bit more. Glee is so smart. Smart, smart, smart. It is a show that will appeal to the masses. There is something for everyone. High school drama, musical numbers, quirky kids, weird adult relationships and most importantly Jane Lynch as the high school's cheerleader/protein shake drinking coach. She is fantastic. Last night she talked about how caning should be allowed in schools. Seriously? Her character is just too much and I love every bit of it.
Why I Like It: It makes me laugh and makes me sing. Seriously, that is all I need.

NBC - Community (Thursday, 8:30PM)
Oh Joel McHale. Jeff Winger (McHale) has enrolled in community college. His degree from Columbia (the country, not ivy league) is not exactly smiled upon by the law firm he works for as a lawyer. Oops. He heads back to school to get his credits. He begins to fancy a young lady named Britta and lies about being a certified Spanish tutor. She needs help in Spanish. He wants to be her knight in shining armor. He actually knows nothing about Spanish. The cast is great. Chevy Chase joins the cast as Pierce, a man who has experienced everything life has to offer and loves to share his wisdom. Danny Pudi, who plays Abed, is my favorite character. He loves pop culture and will befriend anyone. He is hysterical. I'm hoping this one picks up speed. All the sitcoms I start to love get tossed to the side mid season. (Notes From the Underbelly....I miss you)
Why I Like It: Lots of different personalities on screen.

On My DVR...Patiently Waiting:

CBS - NCIS LA (Tuesday, 8PM central)
Welcome back Chris O'Donnell. I love this guy. LL Cool J stars in this one as well. I am so eager to see these two on screen as a duo! We love NCIS in my house so I am hopeful this one is a keeper. I haven't heard much about it yet, so we will see.

ABC - Cougar Town (Wednesday, 8:30PM central)
Courtney Cox is back! Enough said. I'm there. I am a huge Courtney Cox fan. She will always be Monica in my heart, but I love her no matter what she does. The fact that this show is called Cougar Town alone makes me laugh. High hopes here. I need another good sitcom in my life. This one is airing again this Friday at 8:30PM if you missed it.

Coming Soon:

ABC - Flash Forward (Thursday, 7PM central)
This one is getting lots of buzz in media circles. I'm intrigued.

So Glad You Are Back:
CBS - Criminal Minds (Wednesday, 8PM)
ABC - Grey's Anatomy (Thursday, 8PM)
CBS - Numbers (Friday, 9PM)
ABC - Brother's and Sister's (Sunday, 9PM)

*Please note, I do not watch all these show as the regularly air. That is what my DVR is for. I do not spend every spare moment in front of the television. It just sounds like I do. Don't judge me. I just like my entertainment.

Oh Acura...

Today I took my Lil Acura Legend into the shop. The check engine light has been going on and off for about a month now. I know, a month is a long time to wait to take it in. In my defense, it would come on and then go off for two days and then come back on. I thought it was just confused. It wasn't. Plus, I'm a one car family right now. Kody isn't around to help me out. I needed to wait until they had a loaner for me to drive.

Mr. Acura just called to give me the prognosis on Lil Legend. Looks like I have a EGR valve malfunction, which is causing the check engine light confusion. I also lost the backing around my back windshield the other day on the highway. It just flew right off. Crazy! They told my my battery failed the juice test and my muffler is totally rusted out. Normally I would scream LIAR! and run the other way. However, Lil Legend if fifteen years old. I have had her since I turned sixteen. How many people have their first car eleven plus years later? We have done well together. She has never had any major mechanical problems so I guess it is about time for a tune up.

Sadly, this makeover would cost me $2,000 +. I'm not paying that. Our plan has always been to get through medical school without taking on a car payment. So far so good! We plan on replacing Lil Legend before residency. I'm having a bit of a hard time coming to grips with that, but I know it will be for the best. She will make someone (who really likes cars and wants to play with one) very happy. For now I'm just replacing the EGR valve. It is the most necessary of repairs and won't cost us an arm and a leg. Thank goodness. I can get a battery anymore and for much less.

No, I did not consult Kody. He believes all car repairs are totally unnecessary even when they are totally necessary and throws a huge fit. Besides, I'm the one that takes care of everything when it comes to the lawn, cars, repairs and finance. Since he's not here with car number two, I need a reliable car at all times. Now Lil Legend will be in tip top shape. He'll be happy.

On the upside, I'm driving a loaner car until Lil Legend is ready to go. It is a 2009 silver Acura TL. GORGEOUS! I feel so fancy. It has the start and stop engine button...no key. I'm kind of a big deal now.

A Few Thoughts...

Thought Number 1:
Saturday was a BIG day. BIG. Florida opened up SEC play against the evil Tennessee Volunteers. OK, they aren't evil. I just said that for dramatic effect. I'm sure they are all very nice, respectable people except for one (cough cough Lane Kiffin cough cough). Alright, even Lane Kiffen is OK. His wife is a Florida graduate. Anyway, my big plan was to make it to Edmond in time for kick off. I'm making great time on I-44 from Tulsa. All the sudden I hit mile marker 148...just eleven miles from my exit. Traffic stops. Ugh. I proceed at a crawl for the next thirty minutes and pass five count them FIVE separate wrecks in an eight mile stretch. I'm not exaggerating, I promise. Here is the best part. They aren't just fender benders. These cars are smashed, turned 180 degrees and have flat tires. Hopefully no one was injured of course. How in the world did this happen? Then I realize the OU/Tulsa game was starting at 2:30. It just so happens that three of the five wrecks slowing me on my way to the Florida game via television are all wearing OU or Tulsa shirts. OH MY GOODNESS. Are Sooner and Golden Hurricane fans that bad of drivers? The answer is simple. Yes. Luckily I had on my Florida shirt so every knew I was not responsible for any of the ridiculousness on the turnpike. And yes, it was complete ridiculousness. Maybe OU and Tulsa should both implement some driving hours into their degree programs. Dont' worry...I only missed the first three minutes of my game. We won.

Thought Number 2:
Sunday morning I took the train to Fort Worth so I could attend my future sister in law's (Ashley) bridal shower. I love taking the train to Fort Worth. It is relaxing and sort of an adventure. The conductor came over the intercom just as we pulled out of the station. He proceeded to say how the Heartland Flyer is a family train and parents should keep their kids from running up and down the aisle. You know, the usual stuff that a good parent wouldn't need to hear from a train conductor because most parents do their best to not let their children annoy the heck out of everyone around them. The minute he quit talking a boy about six went flying down the aisle with his giant, blue, plastic gun. This went on for about oh....four hours. It was OK though, I slept through two hours of it. When I woke up though he was still at it. His mother most have slept through it too. Goodness.

Thought Number 3:
At lunch today I met with a rep at a great Mexican restaurant. My new meal of choice is fajitas minus the beans, rice and tortillas. Before you judge me, it is totally yummy and totally paleo. I love it. I tell him that I want the lunch fajitas without all the extra stuff...I just want the skillet. My mouth waters just thinking about. The next ten minutes I am full of anticipation waiting for my yummy meal. He brings are food out and what did he bring me? A plate with a chicken breast on it and a side of guacamole. Ummmm, where is my skillet? Where are my onions and peppers? Where is the sizzle? He proceeds to tell me that he tried to save me some money by just bringing the chicken, but the kitchen forgot about the skillet. Well sir, I appreciate the thought, but I didn't' ask you to save me money...I asked for a fajita skillet! He felt bad, but it was OK. I ate it and it was still yummy. Words of advice to servers at Mexican restaurants: If I ask for a skillet bring me one...with everything...like I ordered the first time. Is it that difficult? I think not.

The end. I feel better now. Happy last day of summer!

Seriously?

My parents are currently flying to Florida so they can go here tomorrow....



To tailgate and go to this game....



While I remain here.....



And will be watching the game of the year on one of these....



Can someone explain to me to me how this happened? My dad is already talking about how the Gators are "gonna choke". The eternal optimist.

Acafellas

Did you catch Glee last night? Oh. My. Seriously. I was laughing the entire episode. Bell Biv Devo and Color Me Badd covers? Amazing. Right up my ally. I picture Kody in an Acafellas type group in ten or so years. I think that would be awesome. It will be a good way to let off steam away from the hospital, right? I'm starting to think of songs I want his group to sing...I'm sure there will be some *N SYNC and possibly Britney? Yes, Britney.



If you did not see Glee last night you must go watch it immediately. Go here now.

I am officially an Acafellas fan. Where do I get my CD?

Shameless Plug

It is about a week and a half until the fantastic Fight Gone Bad Fundraiser! So far I have raised $120! $120! I know, I'm super pumped. Thanks to everyone who has donated. If you are interested in helping me reach my goal of $500 go here to donate. It is tax deductible too. :)

It is for a great cause. We are raising money for prostate cancer research and the Wounded Warrior Project. My CrossFit team is traveling to OKC to compete on Saturday, September 26th against other CrossFitters. It is happening all over the country. CrossFit junkies like myself have raised over $409,00 so far. How awesome is that! What to go CrossFit!

In other news, Biggest Loser premiers tonight! I've never actually watched a full season in its entirety. I'm jumping on the bandwagon.

I'm On a Mission...

...to clean out my closet. I'm going to donate all my clothes that need someone to wear them.

I have raided one side of the closet and pulled out items that I haven't worn in ages. I am in an awkward phase. I still have everything that I wore in college. It all still fits. It is all stuff I would still probably wear, but I don't because I have an office job. A lot of it is stuff I know I should give up. I gave myself a pep talk and told myself someone else needs this much more than I do. I've never been good about getting rid of clothes. I have some weird emotional attachment to certain items. I'm going to do my best to suck it up and do it. If I haven't worn it in the past year then chances are I probably won't next year. Right?

I went through all my drawers last week and surprisingly only pulled out a few pairs of pants to donate. Everything else is t-shirts. I love my t-shirts. I only wear about 5% of them, but I love the other 95%. They are all my old softball/soccer/swimming shirts and college (theta) shirts. I want to make a quilt of them, but heaven knows I will not be doing that myself. Anyone know someone that does that for like...ummm....free??

I told myself when Kody left that I would have this done by the time he got back. That was almost seven weeks ago. I just started. I have two weeks to go. We decided to start cleaning out the house in case we end up finding out in February that we will be moving. Hopefully if we do this now it will make moving a lot less painful. If we end up staying then I will simply have a clutter free home. Fantastic!

Anticipation

Whenever I have had a long week and just need a break I like to keep these imagines in my head.

My dinner reservation on the beach in twelve weeks.




My accommodations for five glorious evenings in Mexico. Swim up room...cha-ching!



We leave twelve weeks from today. 84 days....but whose counting?

Glee!

Tonight, my new favorite show is premiering on Fox. GLEE! The pilot aired after the season finale of American Idol in May. Kody and I are already head over heels in love with this show. I fully expect all of you to check it out tonight or at least set your DVR to record it. If you ever dreamed about your high school cafeteria busting out into song and choreographed dance (my ultimate fantasy) then this show is for you! Go ahead...Glee it up!

Check out the Tulsa World article on this show here.

I'm serious....watch it.

Goodness

Last night I finished reading My Sister's Keeper. I'm not sure who out there has actually read this book, but oh my goodness...could it have had more of a tearjerker ending? Seriously, I did not expect it at all (which I appreciate), but it still broke my heart. I felt like such a nerd....sitting in bed reading with my dog...tears in my eyes. It is a book Ginny...a book! Now I have to go watch the movie...

Gotta Stop...

The residency match application (ERAS) has a pretty sweet system. You fill out one application, approve the release of your board scores, and determine what letters of recommendation you want to have available for different specialties to see. It is a nice streamlined process. At least, it seems a lot better than the agony of filling out multiple medical school applications! Since we have submitted the application to the ten different programs, ERAS allows us to track the progress of each application. We can see what day and time each program downloaded the application, transcript, COMLEX scores (board scores), letters of recommendation, etc.

OK, obviously, this is bad new for me. I have been obsessively checking the status of all programs since it was submitted yesterday. I keep texting Kody saying "OKC has your stuff", "OSU just download your application", "Pontiac hasn't looked yet", "COMLEX just released your scores and now everyone can see them".

OH MY GOODNESS. Why in the world would they allow me to be able to torture myself this way?

No, I can't just not look. Not. Possible.

Can't Believe It...

We submitted Kody's application today. I don't know if I feel relief or anxiety. Maybe a bit of both. It is such a strange feeling. 3 1/2 years of medical school almost complete. Now all we can do is pray and wait. Hopefully in the next few weeks we will start hearing about interviews. Most programs are interviewing during October. Most programs only interview you if you have rotated with them. He applied to ten programs and has rotated at five of them. Sometimes students apply to every program in their desired specialty. There are thirty one orthopedic programs across the country. However, knowing that he would more than likely only get interviews where he had rotated, we stuck to the five he went to and five that he was interested in, but didn't make it to in person.

Please keep us in your prayers. Kody has worked so hard. He has put everything he has into this and now it is completely out of our hands. I'm so thankful that I have a husband who is so determined to be as good as he can be and has goals he wants to accomplish. I'm also lucky that he considers my well being (and Bailey's!) while trying to obtain those goals. We are a good team!