A Day of Play...for the Dog

The ice/sleet/snow came in Monday afternoon. Tuesday, Kody and I both stayed home because both our employers value our lives and wanted us to stay safe. I spent the day in front of our laptop working from home, which really meant I responded to email for four straight hours. Kody spent the day watching TV and playing in the back yard with Bailey. Here are some pictures to recap the fun she had outside with her daddy.

All ready to go in her winter coat and boots!

At this point Kody is about to start running after her which turns into ten minute "chasing" sessions throughout the day. It was hilarious.

This is what happens after a "chasing" session. Bailey is as snug as a bug in a rug...and yes, she sleeps like a person often.

Tired little girl. She loves her snow days!

Someday I will have pictures of atual little humans running around in the snow and sleeping, but for now I am content with my dog and husband. They are too much fun!

I've Got Tickets!

Yes, it is official, I am going to see New Kids on the Block on March 9th in Tulsa. I will be accompanied by three gals who share the same enthusiasm for boy bands as I do. I don't care how old you get, you never forget how fun it is to be a silly, obsessed ten year old!

Kody and I were catching up on some TV Friday evening (thank you DVR) and as we were watching Top Chef Restaurant Wars (my favorite episode every season) there were some promo spots for the concert. Of course I get all excited and start singing because tomorrow is ticket day! I had been asking Kody for a while if he wanted to go with me, but he always laughed and said no. As the promo goes on, they announced that The Jabowakeez (winners of America's Best Dance Crew Season 1...another favorite show of ours) would be opening for NKOTB. The minute Kody saw that he said he wanted to go with me. I thought for a moment and kindly told him he could not attend with me. He had made fun of me and I was already going with the girls. I told him he had to find a friend to go with. I don't think he was actually heartbroken. He'll survive. Of course, he does love the new song "Single". He told me he sang it for one of the internal med interns. She also is going to the show, except she got some VIP package. If a twenty eight year old doctor is going to see NKOTB then no one is allowed to make fun of me. Boy Bands 4 Eva.

The ice storm is coming in....

Rambling...

I can definitely tell it is Friday. I had about zero motivation to get out of bed and get moving this morning. I'm ready to get home and put on my "home uniform" which includes my Air Force sweatpants and Florida sweatshirt. I don't discriminate. I have to spread my support to all my family universities.

I'm craving some sushi and edamame. Yum yum. Maybe I am just craving salt. I love the soy and wasabi combo and then big pieces of beautiful salt on the edamame. I'm sure my blood pressure feels the same way.

New Kids tickets go on sale tomorrow morning! I was happy to find out that I am not the only person I work with that was obsessed (in third grade) and owned the beach towel. I also had a New Kids slap bracelet. Those were the days...

Click here to read about the biggest waste of time ever. I'm a huge football fan and sure, a playoff would be fun, but seriously, doesn't the government have bigger things to worry about? Texas, California and Utah better whip their whiny representatives into shape and get them focused on important, relevant issues. Maybe if I wasn't a Florida fan I would feel differently, but probably not.

It's Time to Get LOST

Tonight is the night....LOST is back. I need some more Sawyer in my life. I have missed him.

My Arm Hurts

Happy inauguration day! No matter what your political affiliation or opinions, today is a historic day. I didn't get to watch any of the actual inauguration because I am at work...blogging...

Last night I injured my arm, or as Kody and my dad would say my wrist extensor muscles. I was trying to learn how to do a muscle up (awesome) and I tweaked something in a not good kind of way. I can't put any kind of pressure on my right arm when my wrist is extended. Basically, if my hand is in a push-up position and I am putting pressure on it I get shooting pains around my elbow. Not fun. Kody and my dad tag teamed diagnosed me. That is pretty much how it works these days. Driving home from the gym I was on the phone with my dad repeating the words Kody told me to say...

"Dad, it hurts when I put pressure on my hand on the lateral side of my triceps"...look at Kody and continue to repeat his words..."proximal to the radial head". (Not sure if that is exactly what he told me to say, but close enough.) I'm confident that is not how I would have worded it, but my dad knew exactly what he meant. I need to go to medical school so I can actually explain my injuries to my husband and father. No worries, with some rest, ice and ibuprofen I should be good as new in no time.

In other news, LOST returns to television tomorrow night. WOOHOO! I just pray that something actually happens during this episode and I am not left thinking, "What the heck just happened?!?!". I need answers people! Where did the island go? TELL ME!

Big News!

I don't just have one, but TWO big announcements. My original news is getting a bit overshadowed by my new news. I can hardly keep the excitement inside. I've already annoyed my co-workers to no end and I have only known about my new news for one hour! OK so my original big announcement....

It's my half birthday! Yes, I am twenty six and a half today. Yes, it is a big deal. Yes, I celebrate it every year. Growing up my mom would always get me a cupcake and a small gift on my half birthday. I think she started doing this because my sister and I were so close in age and my half birthday was around her birthday, this way we never felt left out. We also got "birthday sister" gifts. I love birthdays. Anyway, happy half birthday to me! Kody made me breakfast for my half birthday. He made me my shake that I make myself every morning and left it in the fridge for me. So sweet!

OK, now for the really, big, exciting new news that I found out one hour ago. ...


Are you ready....


Are you sure....


This is really huge....


Guess who is coming to Tulsa on March 9th....

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK! Cue the music....Oh-O-O-Ohhhhhhhh, Oh-O-O-O, Oh-O-O-Ohhhhh, the right stuff.

If you were in elementary or middle school circa 1989-1992 you know exactly where I am coming from. I saw NKOTB in third grade with my sister and both my parents. My poor parents sat through the whole show while Robin and I sang and danced our little hearts out at the Myriad in OKC. I'm ready to do it again, except this time without parental supervision. Score!

Do You Ever...

I have a super, huge, amazing, fantastic announcement to make tomorrow. Make sure you come back to hear about the excitement! Any guesses?

Do you ever start saying words over and over and over again in your head until they sound so strange you wonder how a "hand" became a "hand"? I do things like that quite frequently. My mind is a very strange place. I have also decided I am going to start using the word eureka! more in everyday conversation. I think it will make people smile.

Congratulations to one of my dearest friends in the whole entire world, Angela, for being the January Employee of the Month at her respective place of employment. WOOHOO! You are such a hard worker Angela. Your diligence truly inspires me. :)

Whose excited American Idol is back on? WOOHOO! My DVR is going to be busy over the next few months. Poor lil guy.

Florida

I have lots to post about and it is all about Florida.

Friday morning after four hours of sleep because of the fantastic WIN by the Florida Gators, I hopped on a plane to Fort Myers, Florida. I wore my Florida sweatshirt to the Tulsa airport. I was the most popular person in the airport that morning, but not for a good reason. I guess it didn't go over well with the Oklahoma fans. Security told me I had to take it off to get through. Oops.

As you all know, my grandfather (Bompa) passed away on December 21st. His funeral was this Saturday. The service was beautiful. My sister arranged to have veterans at the funeral to perform the 21 Gun Salute, play Taps and present my uncle Reed with the flag. It was amazing. Honestly, I can't really put it into words. It was so special to be there with family to honor not only the most amazing grandfather anyone could ask for, but also an amazing man who served his country for thirty years. Robin is a 1st Lieutenant in the Air Force and she actually presented my uncle with the flag. Pretty cool.

It was bitter sweet being there. It was so wonderful to be with everyone, but so sad for the reason we were all there this time. Our entire family had so much fun together. We spent the evenings eating, laughing, playing games and watching basketball and football. I know Bompa was happy to look down upon us and see us all together having so much fun. I came in second during our mad, furious game of spoons. My cousin Billy cheated...he had outside help. All of the cousins went out to sing karaoke one night. Robin, our cousin Julie, and myself totally impressed the crowd with an amazing rendition of "Shoop" by Salt-n-Pepa. We know how to rock it.

After all the family gathering, Robin and I headed over to Sanibel Island on Sunday with our aunt and uncle. My family used to own 160 acres on Sanibel Island until the 1950's. If we still had that today we would probably be trillionaires...not kidding. For some reason, someone thought it would be a good idea to sell the land for pretty much nothing. At that time there was no mosquito control and no ferry to get to the island. Today is it connected to main land via a highway and it is an very busy, beautiful tourist destination. I guess we are all better people since we aren't rich and snobby, right? We visited the Sanibel Historical Village. We were able to see the first Sanibel Post Office where my great, great grandfather William Reed (my dad and uncle are both named after him) was the postmaster for over twenty years. We also have a family graveyard on the island. I didn't take pictures of it because I thought it would be creepy, but now I wish I had because it is so cool. Here are some of the pictures from our island adventure. Lots of stories to tell, but I don't want to bombard the blog at once.

The Sanibel Lighthouse.

The First Sanibel Post Office. My grandfather made the dedication speech when they moved it to a historical site in the 90's. It was built from scraps from my great, great grandfather's home after the 1926 hurricane which destroyed much of what was on the island.

PS. Tim is coming back. Boo-ya.

Gator Bait!

Today is the day. This is the day I have been dreaming about since I fully started to understand the game of football in middle school. Today, Oklahoma and Florida will play for the first time in the history of football. It is a momentous occasion. The day has finally arrived. It is my dream game. Are you ready?

Of course I love Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin. Who doesn't? Here is a short list of players you may hear quite a bit about tonight, but haven't really paid attention to before unless you are a Gator fan.

Ahmad Black - Safety - Watch out, he'll take you down.

Riley Cooper - Wide Receiver - One of my personal favorites. I tell Kody he is my secret half brother. He's not. He was born in OKC though. He pretty much rocks.

Aaron Hernandez - Tight End - Kody loves this guy, as do I, but I think Kody has a bit of a man crush on him. He's big and awesome.

Will Hill - Safety - Seriously, how do you not love a guy named Will Hill? Enough said.

Brandon James - Punt Return - Yeah, he'll be the one running all the punts and kicks in for touchdowns. Dangerous, but in a good way.

Louis Murphy - Wide Receiver - He's got swagger.

The Pouncey Brothers - Offensive Line - Twins. Every time they talk about them I sing "I'm Pouncey" like "I'm Bossy". I think it's funny...not sure if anyone else does.

Chris Rainey - Running Back - See...Chris...Run.

Janoris Jenkins - Corner - This guy was all over the place in the SEC Championship. I expect more of the same tonight. He gets fired up.

Brandon Spikes - Linebacker - Sam, I love you too, but be careful...Brandon is coming to get you.

And last but certainly not least....Kody's all time favorite player....
James Smith - Long Snapper - That's right, he's one of the best. Just go watch the South Carolina game and you'll know why.

Happy Game Day. Go Gators!

So Blue...

There is no air circulation in my office. That can't be a good thing. I may just pass out. Luckily, I have a big, comfy chair that should keep me from falling on the ground and getting another rug burn on my face. Yeah, that was a fun one. I've recovered, the Oklahoma Blood Institute however, has not. They keep calling to get my blood. Vampires. They can't have it; I value my face too much.

I'm in a bit of a funk this afternoon. Some of it is due to the lack of chocolate in my life. The main reason for my current blueness, however, is that I SHOULD BE IN MIAMI. Yeah, that's right, South Beach is bringin the heat to everyone but me. I am going to feel sorry for myself and no one can talk me out of it until after tomorrow night. Deal with it.

I talked a big game after the 2006 whooping Florida put on Ohio State. My exact words I believe were, "Kody, next time Florida plays in a national championship game I am going with or without you. I am not missing another." We had tickets in 2006 via my fantastic aunt and uncle, however we ended up watching the game in our living room in O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A. Thanks med school...you owe me one...a big one. I'm over it...I promise....can't you tell? Here we are, two years later. Same song. I might throw up some palm trees and play a little Jay-Z "Big Pimpin" before the game to make it feel a tad more Miami-esque.

Bailey is currently outside getting a tan. Lucky dog.

CrossFit Qualifier

Last night I registered for the CrossFit Games Southwest Regional Qualifier. I'm kind of freaking out because I can't believe I actually signed up to compete. For those of you who know me or read this blog regularly, you know that Kody and I have been CrossFitting since July. You also know that we are completely obsessed and could not imagine our lives without CrossFit. One of the main things we love about it are all the people that we have been able to develop friendships with...that and the way the workouts completely destroy us in a fantastic way.

Anyway, this summer will mark the third annual CrossFit Games. They are held in California. The past two years anyone has been able to sign up and compete, but this year they are having regional qualifiers. Only the top five men and women from our qualifier will get to compete at the games. YIKES! Our regional includes Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri. It is going to be held in Fort Worth, Texas in May. I hope I can represent CrossFit Jenks well!

I will post occasionally about my training and preparation. Kody kept telling me last night I need to "bulk up". I wanted to kick him in the knee...in a very loving way of course! Don't worry, I'm not going to become some monsterous manly woman. I fully intend on staying the same size I am now...just getting leaner and perfecting my technique which does need a good bit of work. WOOHOO. Now all I need is a really great mix tape to keep me pumped. Any suggestions?

In other news, I cooked three pounds of chicken last night. I think Kody and I are good on lean meats for dinner this week. Also, today is my dad's half birthday. Happy half birthday dad! Mine is in ten days and yes you will be hearing more about it next week. Half birthdays ARE a big deal.

The Secret Life

I DVR'ed the entire first season of "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" yesterday. I had never seen it before, but I hardly pass up a chance to watch a marathon of any show on TV. The new season starts tonight. It is on ABC Family. Nerd. Don't let the channel fool you, parental discretion is advised for this show. It is about a fifteen year old girl who gets pregnant at band camp before her freshman year of high school. Yikes! Sure, I'm past the point of needing to be scared about teenage pregnancy (for myself) and the multitudes of problems that can be brought on by having sex at such a young age. For some reason, Kody and I both just became mesmerized by this show. Probably me more than Kody, but he was more interested in it than you may think...or not. Maybe part of the reason I found it so interesting was because of my own miraculous journey into my family. The girl struggles with thoughts of abortion, adoption, should she involve the father (she wants nothing to do with him), should she marry her boyfriend (not the father, but loves her anyway) and how to tell her parents and friends. It makes me wonder what that must have been like for my birth mother and how thankful I am for the decision she made! I believe she was eighteen when I was born. Just imagine, if she had made a different decision you would not be enjoying this post today.

I still don't know what Amy (pregnant fifteen year old french horn player) is going to do with her baby, but I'm quite interested to find out.

Four days until the big game. You still have time to vote in my poll...of course I think it is a little biased because of where I live. I need to recruit more readers from Florida. Go Gators!

Blah, Blah, Blah

It feels very strange being at work today. It feels like a Monday, but it actually Friday. For that I am very thankful. Kody worked yesterday while I CrossFitted and watched bowl games. It was a fantastic day. It took every ounce of energy to get out of bed and come into work today. I love my job, I just would have liked to lay around all day again and watch football! I am going to watch the Texas Tech/Ole Miss score via espn.com unless the higher powers tell me I have to leave work immediately so I can watch it from the comfort of my living room. We'll see.

Kody and I are heading to Coffeyville, Kansas this weekend for another family holiday gathering. This year we will have only attended three Christmases. Last year was four plus a wedding. Poor Kody hasn't been off at all this week. He started a new rotation yesterday...internal medicine. He is going to miss surgery and I am going to miss the stories. He's been working like a dog, but it is paying off. He sounds smarter every day.

Since I have nothing too exciting to talk about I'll just post some pictures.

Rookie cat. No, he's not dead. He just sleeps like that on my parent's counter tops. Ha!

Midori on my bed at my parent's house. She is awesome.

Bailey posing with her favorite toys. She pulled them all out of her toy basket. Silly girl.

Me, Jen, Jessie and Nicole on New Year's.