I Don't Think I'm a Grown-up Yet

A Change!

2011-02-18T11:49:00.002-06:00

I alluded to this in my last post so I wanted to give the full scoop!

Beginning February 28th I will be self employed! I'm so excited about this. It is something I have wanted for a long time and the timing is just perfect. I am starting my own media buying business. I have been working in media buying and marketing for the last seven years.

I just got my incorporation finalized last week so I am 100% legit. My company name is King Media. I will work with businesses to help them create advertising plans. I will take their budget and help them decide how to advertise whether it be TV, radio, print, social media, outdoor, etc. My job after that is to work with the stations and print vendors to get my clients the best rates and the best placement. It is a lot of fun!

Most businesses don't really know what they get when the advertise. They may buy radio, but they don't really understand that the time their spots are running aren't the best or they are being over charged. I help them get the most for their money! Plus, I'm able to negotiate lots of bonus stuff because of my relationships with the stations and papers.

I can't wait to get started. If you want to know more or if you know someone who might be interested in my help they can contact me at kingmediaok@gmail.com. I hope to handle clients all over Oklahoma, mainly Tulsa and OKC.

I will also be doing personal training out our garage (which is awesome). My good friend Angela experienced it last week. You can read about it here. Kody has been bringing friends over as well. If you are interested in training with me let me know. I promise I will kick your butt...in a good way!

Day 12

2011-02-15T11:45:00.003-06:00

Day 12: What Do You Believe?

OK I'm playing catch up...

I think it is funny how some beliefs change so much as you get older and others just become stronger.

I believe we were all put here for a reason and that we all have a purpose. I believe God designed us with a specific idea in mind. I believe in honoring that purpose and living my life to the fullest. I'm not exactly sure what my purpose is yet. Sometimes I think it is to make sure Kody makes it through the day without forgetting everything and sometimes I think it is to make the world a better place. Most of the time, I think my purpose is to honor the One that made me and just do the right thing and treat people well.

Some of my beliefs have changed. I used to want to take over the world. I've always been very ambitious. I'm still ambitious, but it different ways. I no longer care about titles that come along with jobs. I don't care about making a certain amount of money. I don't care about having the nicest things. I care about being able to spend time with the people I love. I believe my day should be spent doing things that make me happy and bring my joy rather than things that bring me stress and worry. I believe in seizing the day, not procrastinating.

This is where I am right now in my life. I am actually leaving my current job at the end of the month and I am starting my own media business. More on that later, but there is no time like the present. We never know how long we have and I don't want to look back in twenty years and say, "I wish...."

I believe in cultivating friendships. I have been blessed to have many wonderful friends, but friendship takes work. Whether it be a text, a voice message, a poke on facebook or lunch once a month...I believe friendship takes effort and should not be neglected. I'm not always the best, but I try. I love my friends. They mean the world to me.

Lastly, I believe in taking care of myself. Along with my faith, this is probably the strongest of my beliefs. It breaks my heart to see people who have let life get the best of them and have neglected themselves. Whether it be physically or mentally, both are equally important. Health is a big deal in our house. A day in our home kind of revolves around it, which is great. We stock our fridge with healthy food and snacks. We turned part of our garage into a great gym so we never have an excuse to let more than a few days go by without being active. We aren't fanatical in a scary way, but we are dedicated. We have seen friends and family suffer with health problems. We are both determined to do whatever we can do to help prevent that for ourselves. Even though we are both very busy, we make it a priority. I believe food is fuel, but can still be fun and I believe that everyone has ten minutes a day to do something active, even if you feel like you don't.

I do not believe in excuses....for anything.

The reason I love CrossFit and being a CrossFit coach so much is because It. Changes. Lives. I love being part of that change for others. I love encouraging people to be better. I love being around people that encourage and challenge me to be better.

Those are the things I believe in.

Oh yeah, and still believe Justin Timberlake will fall in love with me someday. Kody is cool with it.

Day 11

2011-02-15T11:35:00.002-06:00

Day 11: Favorite TV Shows

I have completely failed at this 30 day blogging thing. Oh well!

I love TV. It is my home girl. Here are a few of my favorites!

Criminal Minds
Glee
Make It Or Break It
The Biggest Loser
Top Chef
Community
The Office
Modern Family

I could go on and on, but I decided to keep it short and sweet.

Happy viewing!

Day 10

2011-01-31T09:18:00.006-06:00

Day 10: Something You Are Afraid Of

This is going to be really strange....

I have this horrible fear of walking into a public restroom stall and finding a dead body. I know. It is crazy. It is never going to happen. I know this. At least I hope I know this. Anytime I walk into a public restroom I have to slowly tap the door open so "if" something is there I can prepare myself. It must be from watching shows like CSI, Criminal Minds and NCIS. This doesn't happen in places I am comfortable like church, Target and Chick Fila...just the more unknown and not as busy restrooms.

You may begin laughing, but it really is something I think is going to happen someday. I'm weird.

I'm also afraid I will never finish this 30 day blog challenge.

Day 9

2011-01-31T09:05:00.006-06:00

Day 9: Picture of Your Friends

I have some really great friends. The best actually. My friends are all different and all very dear to me. They are funny, loyal, silly, sweet, spunky, fierce, laid back, caring and above all else... a friend. I love you guys!

P.S. I'm really bad about taking pictures and uploading them from my camera. There are some people who are not represented who I love to death. I'm sorry. :)

Day 8

2011-01-25T16:05:00.002-06:00

Day 8: A place you have traveled

I absolutely love to travel. I love to see new places and experience new things. I have been lucky that I have been able to see a lot of different parts of our country. I haven't traveled outside of the United States that much, but I have a few times. My absolute favorite place I have ever been is Costa Rica!

My family took a trip there right after I graduated from college. We spent about eight days traveling all over the western part of Costa Rica. We went white water rafting and ate the freshest fruit I have ever had. We had a big twelve passenger van and a driver that stayed with us and helped us navigate. There were nine of us on the trip. We spent a few days at a volcano and hot springs resort. I remember sitting in the hot springs and looking up in the trees to see a family of monkeys above me. It was amazing. I love monkeys! The last few days we spent at the coast enjoying the beach and all that jazz.

We hiked over and active volcano, saw an amazing crater lake, took zip lines through the jungle, repelled down waterfalls, ate amazing local food and met a lot of amazing people. I hope to go back some day. If you ever have the chance to get to Costa Rica....do it. There is so much to experience and it is such a beautiful country. It is definitely a once in a lifetime kind of trip!

Day 7

2011-01-24T10:10:00.002-06:00

Day 7: Favorite Movies

I love movies. They make me happy. I love it when they make me laugh, cry, cringe, scream or feel any kind of emotion at all. I absolutely love scary movies, but I have a hard time finding others to partake in my joy with me. That means I end up watching a lot of them alone on my couch.

Enough about scary movies. Here is a brief list of some of my favorite movies of all time from all genres!

Elf
Home Alone
My Best Friend's Wedding (I always think the ending is going to change)
The Burbs
Love Actually
Newsies
LA Confidential
Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion
Legally Blonde
Primal Fear
Dead Poets Society

Day 6

2011-01-21T16:52:00.002-06:00

Day 6: A Picture That Makes You Happy

Day 5

2011-01-20T20:42:00.002-06:00

Day 5: Favorite Recipe

I try to eat as healthy as possible, although I have a really big sweet tooth. I'm always contradicting myself. Sorry. So, because I try to be healthy and I love sweets I am sharing a great healthy dessert recipe. It is for baked walnut cinnamon apples. It is a perfect cold weather dessert. Enjoy!

Baked Walnut-Cinnamon Apples
4 apples1 c raisins
1/4 c walnuts
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp natural vanilla extract
1/2 c water

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Core and pierce apples with a fork in several places around the center, to prevent them from bursting. Mix raisins, nuts, cinnamon and vanilla in a small bowl. Fill center of each apple with mixture. Place in a glass baking dish and pour water into pan. Cover with foil and bake for about thirty minutes or until tender. Serves four.

Day 4

2011-01-18T14:32:00.009-06:00

Day 4: Parents

Hands down I have the best parents in the entire world. You can try to argue otherwise with me, but you will lose. First, I have to say that I am the luckiest girl in the world. I am adopted as you probably know. God knew exactly what he was doing when he placed me with my parents. We are a perfect fit. I believe I am there to create the perfect balance within our family.

My parents have always been wonderful examples for me and my sister. They taught us to be kind, generous, thoughtful, hard working and determined. I believe my parents are the most generous people on the planet, both with money and their time. A lot of people look at generosity in financial terms, but my parents are equally generous with time.

My mom is very smart, friendly and caring. She is a physical therapist by trade, but stayed at home after my sister and I came around. Lucky her! My mom is always volunteering at her church, the Blue Star Mothers or the Republican Women. If there is ever a box packing for troops she is there no matter how early it is in the morning. She helps prepare dinner for her congregation every Wednesday evening. She is one of the first to sign up to help register voters at the State Fair every year. She is always willing to let our sweet Bailey stay over if we are out of town. I'm just in awe of her kind spirit. She will do anything for the people she loves.

My dad is brilliant, focused and goofy. My dad if a very funny man, but don't tell him I said that. If you don't know him well he may seem quiet, but if you are in his circle or a small child he is the silliest person in the world. He is a pediatric surgeon and has devoted his life to making their lives better. I always loved going to the hospital with him on the weekend when I was young. He would go in to round on patients and my sister and I would play in his office with the office skeleton. It was awesome! He spends a lot of time working with children who are severely disabled. He is very involved with The Children's Center in Oklahoma City which is a fantastic place. He cares so much for those kids and I have been lucky to grow up with that example. He is also a rock star on the golf course. He has always taken a lot of interest in our activities growing up. Every weekend he would take me to the batting cage in high school and college. Despite his extremely busy schedule he always has made time for his family. Both my parents gave up their weekends for years to drive us to Tulsa, Dallas and other various places to swim, play soccer and softball...and they still like us even though I'm sure a lot of those weekend were awful.

They made sure we experienced everything we could growing up in school, family trips, sports, knowledge, entertainment...I could go on and on. They didn't let us quit when we started something. I know I got my determination and drive because of that and that is something I want to teach my kids. They taught us that good things will not be given to you, you must work for them. They let us make mistakes, but made sure we realized the consequences. They let us be individuals, but guided us through our crazy teenage years.

One of the best things about my parents is how much the love and accept our friends and loved ones. They were always willing to open their home to a big group for a watch party, slumber party or team party. So many times I would call and say "all these people are coming over" and they would just say, "great!". I love that. They have always treated Kody with respect and would do anything for him just like they would for me.

The long and short of it...my parents rock.

Day 3

2011-01-17T10:37:00.002-06:00

Day 3: First Love

I told Kody about my 30 day blog topics. He asked me what the next one was about so I told him. I asked him who he would pick as his "first love". I wanted to know what direction he would go....more the first crush/elementary school route for first "real" love.

Here was his response:
"I'm not sure, I would have to call my mom and ask". Ummmm...is that disturbing to anyone else but me? Regardless, I'm going the first crush route since that is obviously why he would need his mom's help.

I lived in Oklahoma city until the end of second grade. I went to a private school and loved every minute of it. I had the coolest friends. Well, I have the coolest friends no matter where I am, but I really loved my early elementary school friends. I remember my first love very well. His name was Matt. We were the best of friends. We were in the same kindergarten class and first grade class. I would go over to his house to play. We played at recess and just had a lot of fun. I was so excited to invite him to my birthday party. Since my birthday was in the summer it was always a great time. I remember I invited boys and girls to my party. I had addressed all the invitations myself. I was so proud. I even kissed his envelope before it was sent. Young love.

If I were to tell you about my first "real" love, I would tell you about Kody, but I'm not going to do that. Sorry.

Day 2

2011-01-14T11:16:00.002-06:00

Day 2 - The Meaning Behind My Blog Name

I started this blog on March 13, 2007. I was twenty four years old. I had been married just over a year, moved to a new city and bought a house, had a big girl job, etc...however, I still felt like I was sixteen. I love to have fun and not take life too seriously. I always feel like I'm too young to be reponsible for the things I am responsible for even though I am a very responsible person. The idea of growing up is just strange....

Not much has changed over the last four years. I'm getting closer to thrity and I still feel like I should be heading to swim practice after sixth hour. The older I get the more and more I realize that I want to enjoy my life. I'm not going to let work, money and other circumstances change who I am. I have always had a very fun spirit, or at least I like to think so. Kody helps keep that going as well. We are just a silly, weird couple and I like it that way. Sometimes we look at each other and say, "are we really old enough to be doing all of this?"

I'm not afraid to admit that I love to read books like Twilight. I love fun candy like twizzlers. I still watch Saved by the Bell reruns. I don't care if I look like an idiot in front of my family, friends or complete strangers. I love going to my parent's house and feeling like I live there and I don't have to worry about a thing. All in all...I just don't feel like I'm a grown up yet and I like it that way. I hope I always feel as young and free as I do now.

Day 1

2011-01-13T12:03:00.004-06:00

I'm a copy cat. My dear friend Brooke has been doing a 30 day blog challenge and it has been a lot of fun to read it. I don't think I'll be as great at it as she has been, but I'm giving it a whirl. Hopefully I don't fall off after day three!

Day 1: Introduction, recent picture & 15 interesting facts

Hi, I'm Ginny. I love to be with my friends and family. I just celebrated five years of marriage with my husband, Kody. We love our precious pup, Bailey. She is our child until nature dictates otherwise. I work in marketing and advertising. I'm ultra competitive, but I try to be nice about it for the most part.

1. I'm a CrossFitter. I makes me so incredibly happy to push my body and mind further than I think it can go. I compete in CrossFit events and coach at a local CrossFit gym. It is awesome. You should try it...now.

2. I write a blog about the Paleo diet. I have a read quite a few books on the topic and find nutrition and the way it effects our bodies very interesting.

3. I'm love Twizzlers. Yes, I understand that is kind of a contradiction to number 3. :)

4. My favorite Christmas present I got this year was my Lululemon hat which I am wearing in the above picture. It makes me feel gangsta. I like it.

5. I was born in Florida. Florida is one of my favorite places in the world.

6. I over plan everything. I like schedules and to know how things are going to go. As much as I like to try to be spontaneous, it kind of freaks me out.

7. Kody and I watched the first five seasons of How I Met Your Mother in less than a month. It was legen....wait for it....dary.

8. I think my sister is one of the coolest people on the planet. Although we have always been somewhat competitive with each other, she is one of my best friends.

9. I would live in sweatpants and a hooded sweatshirt if it was socially acceptable...thank goodness it my house it is!

10. I love to dance. I dance in the shower, in my house, in the car, with my friends. I don't need music...it just comes naturally.

11. I'm doing my first sprint triathlon in February. Super pumped.

12. I made Matt Damon laugh once.

13. I'm absolutely terrified of flying. The smallest bump or weird noise sends me into an internal panic. However, I love to travel so I just deal with it.

14. I can talk people into almost anything. I'm very persuasive in my arguments. For a long time I was planning to go to law school because of this, but I talked myself out of it.

15. Kody and I quote the movies Elf and Home Alone at least once a day.

The end....until tomorrow!

A New Year

2011-01-11T09:48:00.003-06:00

I feel like 2011 is shaping up to be a good year. I feel less stress and anxiety about the future than I did this time last year. This time last year we were about one month away from match. We had no idea where we were going and what Kody would be doing. Now, we are settled and happy.

I also see that God is bringing some amazing opportunities to us. I'm not sure what all of it means yet, but we are optimistic and willing to take a chance! There is no time like the present! More on all of that later.

One thing I am so excited about is getting involved at church. The class we have been going to is great. There are so many couples from college there, but we are five years removed from that so I feel like we are starting fresh and new. I know we are going to make great new friends and we also get to be surrounded by wonderful long time friends. The best of both worlds!

Here We Go...

2010-12-29T11:54:00.004-06:00

Alright, I'm giving blogging another whirl. I needed a break...a long one. I didn't feel like I had much to say and I have been pretty consumed with life. We sure have been busy! To bring you up to speed on our wonderful world here is a quick recap of 2010:

Kody accepted a residency position in Michigan in February.
Got our home ready for sale.
I competed in the CrossFit sectional and regional. Fun.
Kody graduated from medical school. HOORAY!
Kody left for Michigan in June.
I stayed behind until our house sold.
House sold.
I went to Michigan the end of August.
Lived in a one bedroom apartment for a month and slept on an air mattress. Good times.
Started coaching at our Michigan CrossFit gym, CrossFit Transformation. Loved it.
Searched for a permanent Michigan residence.
Started making great Michigan friends.
Kody in the meantime loving his hospital and fellow interns!
Found a fabulous condo in Michigan. Put a one year lease on it. YAY!
Nine days after lease is final got a call from a residency program in Oklahoma that was Kody's top choice and was offered a spot mid year.
Accepted Oklahoma spot.
Went to Disney World for a week.
Packed again.
House hunted in Edmond.
Found house in Edmond.
Closed on house in Edmond.
Moved again.
Kody started at new program.
Unpacked (and still unpacking) at new home.
Finally starting to feel like a real human being again....

I'm probably leaving some fun things out, but honestly, since March I don't really remember much. 2010 will go down as the year of pure crazy. In other news, I'm thinking of changing my blog name. I actually feel very grown up now, so I'm open to suggestions.

A few exciting things coming up in 2011:

My sister comes home from deployment.
My sister is moving to Germany.
I am going to visit my sister in Germany (eventually).
Garage gym will be completed. Oh my goodness it is so awesome. Pictures will come soon.
Do a sprint triathlon. I miss swimming.
House will be totally unpacked.
Not. Moving.
I might sneak to Dallas to see New Kids on the Block.

Once Upon A Time...

2010-11-10T13:23:00.002-06:00

...I moved to Michigan.

The beginning of a five year adventure called residency was to take place just north of Detroit. New home, new friends, new weather, new everything. Little did we know that our adventure to Michigan would be cut short...very short.

Yes everyone, we are coming back to Oklahoma.

You may begin laughing now. I could not make up my life.

Why should you laugh? Maybe because we found out we were coming back twelve days after all of our stuff arrived from Oklahoma, thirteen days after we put a year long lease on a really amazing condo and ten days after I finished unpacking the entire kitchen and dining room.

I get to pack again. I'm really looking forward to that.

However, I am thrilled beyond measure to come "home". Kody was offered an orthopedic residency spot a great program in Oklahoma City. This program was his number one choice during match. A spot opened and they called him. We spent a week going back on forth whether we were going to stay or go. Most of you might think coming home would be a no brainer, but in this was a big decision. The program in Michigan is amazing. We had both made some great friends and Kody proved himself to be a great resident. We were feeling settled. I was coaching a local CrossFit and loving every minute of it. Ultimately, we had always felt that this was God's plan for us and we were accepting and excited about it. We knew no matter what decision we made we would win. After about five different pros and cons lists, lots of talks and tears and questioning we decided to make the move. We changed our minds about ten times.

We are still starting over. We won't be in Tulsa where we moved from so it will still be new. We have a contract on a house and we close on November 30th! Kody started on Monday and I am still in Michigan packing. That sounds familiar, doesn't it? We are so excited to be near friends we haven't lived near in years.

By the way, this hardly ever happens. Spots rarely open up for interns in October. God's timing is a really funny thing!

Things I will miss about Michigan:
*The beautiful fall
*The incredible markets for produce (Kody made fun of me when I said I would miss this)
*My new CrossFit friends
*My new non CrossFit friends
*Our condo
*The ability to go ski anytime I want or visit Canada! I really wanted to do that...
*California Pizza Kitchen and Partridge Creek Mall
*Exploring a new palce

Things I'm excited about coming back to in Oklahoma:
*Somewhat milde winters
*Diet Dr Pepper in ALL stores
*Chik-Fil-A
*OKC Thunder (I'm going to force us to go to games and become fans)
*My new house
*Not being told I have a funny accent
*Left hand turns (you cannot turn left in Michigan)
*Friends and Family

In other news, we did go to Disney! It was awesome and wonderful and I can't wait to go back. More on that later!

Don't Worry...

2010-09-06T17:33:00.002-05:00

I'm still alive. I made it to Michigan in one piece. Kody has been busy, but we are settling into a semi routine....I think. ER nights are always strange. I can't make myself go to bed a decent time when Kody isn't home. I have already watched 1 1/2 seasons of Friday Night Lights online via NetFlix in the evening. Good times.

I'm making friends, which is fabulous. I am really enjoying the CrossFit gym. Being there everyday makes things feel kind of normal. CrossFitters are the same wherever you go...awesome.

We have already been to California Pizza Kitchen three times. I know, it might be the new Red Robin. Someone stop us! Actually, last night we just went and had pre movie appetizers. They have the most fantastic avocado egg rolls! Kind of addicting and unfortunately not very healthy.

Bailey has made quite a few dog friends. She played with a collie named Alice today at our apartment. We have also been to the dog park twice. She is the cute new girl!

We are waiting to hear about a great townhouse that we want to rent in Sterling Heights. It is about ten minutes from the hospital. It is so cute and I want it! Rentals here a very expensive here. It is kind of blowing my mind. We also visited a nice church on Sunday, Utica Church of Christ. It was much smaller than I am used to, but the preacher was really good. We are going to go try out bible class this week and see how that goes.

So far so good. The weather is unbeatable right now. It feels like November in Oklahoma. I just hopes that sticks around longer than people are telling us it will! We miss everyone back home, but are really optimistic about our future here in Michigan.

"The Time Has Come" the Walrus Said...

2010-08-27T11:05:00.004-05:00

To talk of many things....of dogs and boxes and packing tape...of Michigan and the Kings!

I'm a nerd.

It is time to make the move. I can't believe it. I'm actually going to Michigan. I don't really think it is real yet. My office is cleaned out and I have my list of stuff to make sure I get in the car. After so much anticipation and waiting Kody and I will finally be together again! Our little family reunited! Two months is a very long time to be away from anyone you love, but especially a spouse and a baby dog! I think Bailey might have a little doggy heart attack when she sees Kody this weekend.

Next time I check in it will be from up north. I'm excited to blog about all of our adventures. I see cross country skiing and ice fishing in my future!

Signing out from Oklahoma for now....next stop Big Ten country.

I got a little choked up typing that...

It Finally Happened...

2010-08-23T13:09:00.005-05:00

Our house is SOLD! Last Wednesday we had a showing about 6:45 in the evening. Bailey and I just decided to go for a walk during that time so we could spy on the visitors. They were there for over thirty minutes. Good sign. They had a little boy probably about a year and a half old. Precious. Thursday night they made an offer. Friday morning after countering twice we accepted. Saturday all the paper work was signed. We hope to close around September 22nd.

What does this mean for me? I'm finally making it up to Michigan! I'm so excited to be reunited with Kody. Honestly, the time table could not have worked out better, which I knew would be the case. Kody had a very busy first two months and while I don't think it is ever "better" for us to not be together, I am very glad he did not have to worry about me being alone in a new place while he was working. Now he feels more established, he has made friends, I will have friends, I have a job and I have miss Bailey. We have a lease on a one bedroom apartment until the end of September. We hope to find a rental home near the hospital we can be in by the end of the month! That is top priority when I get there.

Thank you to everyone for all the prayers, sweet emails and phone calls during the last few months. It has been crazy, demanding, frustrating and rewarding all at the same time. God continues to take care of us like He always does. We never doubted for a minute that He would not pave the path for us, we were just little anxious about the time line. :)

In other news, Kody and I are going here in October for a little R&R and celebration! We will be going to my cousin's wedding in Fort Myers after. A whole nine days in Florida. I will be in heaven!

Bye Bye Baby

2010-08-03T12:14:00.003-05:00

She sold today.

After twelve glorious years together, the little red Acura has found a new home. I know she will be loved and cared for. I can't believe this day has come. I never thought I would have a car so long, but I'm glad I did. We had a lot of good times:

Car dances
Drive-thru scavenger hunts
Car chases
Driving to the practices and games and swim meets...
Dates
Fights
Sing-a-longs

I know a car is just a car, but this car was with me during some pretty big times in my life. I wouldn't have wanted to do any of it with any other car. Good luck little red Acura! May you live long and prosper.

If you have a favorite memory of the little red Acura please share in the comments.

A Favorite

2010-07-27T10:35:00.004-05:00

I love this picture. It was taken of Kody and Bailey right before we headed out the door for graduation. Kody finishes his first month long rotation as an intern this Friday. It has gone really well. He is very happy and working very hard. I know he is exhausted, but that will just become the norm as a resident!

.

In other news, we had another showing last night. I think we have had about thirty showings yet no offers. The market here is really competitive right now. We get tons of great feedback, but no offers. I know it is coming soon. I feel it! My house is far too cute for someone not to buy! I'm going to miss it so much.

So Last Night...

2010-07-26T13:49:00.003-05:00

...I was watching Kate and Leopold.

Great movie.

I hadn't seen it in ages. I found it at Best Buy yesterday in a great three movie pack along with two other favorites Serendipity and Raising Helen for $12.99. Oh the romantic comedy... how I adore you. I have really been missing my other half so of course I've been in sappy movie moods lately. Kind of fun!

Anyway, I had momentarily forgotten how much I love Hugh Jackman. There is no getting around it. The man can do it all. He can sing and dance and also kick some serious butt. He also plays royalty very well. I have a secret wish that when I arrive in Michigan Kody will have magically turned into a Duke from the 19th century with a fabulous accent. He will say things to me like, "Perhaps one day when you've awoken from a pleasant slumber to the scent of a warm brioche smothered in marmalade and fresh creamery butter, you'll understand that life is not solely composed of tasks, but tastes." No one says things like that anymore. Such a shame. You have to imagine the accent when you read it. It makes all the difference in the world. You should probably watch it immediately. I think we could all learn a thing or two from Leopold.

And lastly....

Here is my sweet Bailey. She misses her daddy, but still loves to smile!

The Games

2010-07-19T09:35:00.002-05:00

For those of you who still haven't discovered the gloriousness of CrossFit, this past weekend was the 2010 CrossFit Games. Yes, the Games I competed to qualify for at the end of May. The Games I came so close to making it to, but just missed that I wanted to cry (oh wait, I did...shocking). Anyway, CrossFit streamed the entire weekend live over the web with commentators. It was amazing. Most CrossFitters were glued to their iPhone or computer screen all weekend watching each second of The Games.

If you are curious about what the CrossFit Games look like, the Saturday and Sunday events are archived and can be watched back by the hour. Pretty cool! Go Here. In the bottom left hand corner you will see "Missed Something? View the archives below, organized by he hour" Pull the drop down menu and select your time!

It might be hard to grasp just how incredible these athletes are and how taxing what they are doing is on their bodies. The top competitors went through nine events in less than 48 hours. Our affiliate owner, Breck Berry, placed 21st overall for the men. Quite a showing! If nothing else, watching The Games is truly inspirational. Seeing competitors cheer on their peers after they have completed an event is something you don't see often in the athletic world, but it is something you see everyday in CrossFit whether you are an elite athlete or a beginner. The CrossFit community continues to grow and The Games will continue to get bigger and bigger. I'm excited to see where it all goes! Pick an hour and check it out. There are individual events, team events and masters events (50+).

Now we wait another year to do it all again...

A Few Wonderful Things About Today...

2010-07-16T13:52:00.002-05:00

It's my birthday!
Baby WOW will more than likely be making his grand entrance into the world today.
My dear friend Lauren is celebrating five blissful years of marriage. She picked a good day!
The 2010 CrossFit Games are kicking off! Woo! Woo!
My sister is arriving in town.
I'm going to see Inception and I will probably eat some Twizzlers.

What a great day! Happy birthday to me! These came from Kody all the way from Michigan. Ok, well not directly from Michigan, but you know how it works.

Just Kidding...

2010-07-14T11:15:00.002-05:00

I was in the middle of sending this text to Kody:

"Heading to Wal Mart. Do you need anything?"

Then I remembered we don't live in the same state right now. HA! Oh well, at least I was trying to be thoughtful. He will apprecaite that even though we have different zip codes.

Update on The Oklahoma AND Michigan Kings!

2010-07-08T11:28:00.002-05:00

What a crazy life we lead....

Michigan King Update:

Kody is now in the full swing of his intern year. His first month is general surgery and he is on orthopedics next month. He has a really great schedule, at least I think so. Maybe that is because he is on general surgery while I'm not there so if he is busy it doesn't really matter! He is making friends. Thank goodness! He is already spreading his love of the Rubix Cube. Kim, I'm sorry. He has met a third year general surgery resident who is also a Florida alum. Yes, we have befriended Gator fans in Michigan! If only you could see my radiant smile as I say that. I can't wait to wear my Florida gear around Big 10 country. Kody is happy and working hard, like he always does. I think he is adjusting to life very well. Other than getting used to doing his own laundry, I would say life is good up north.

Oklahoma King Update:

The house has still not sold. I'm getting a bit frustrated at this point. We dropped the price and that has increased traffic a lot. Unfortunately, our neighbors seem to be hindering the sale of our home. The four couples who have really liked that house said their only concern was our neighbors. They don't mow their yard very often and the siding is in serious need of a paint job. It just looks unkempt. I get it. If I was buying a home I would want to know the surrounding homes were going to be kept up well. I'm not sure what to do. We have mowed their yard before, but how do you have that conversation with someone you don't know well? Prayers on the situation are very appreciated. We need to sell. It has been two months now.

My mom is coming up on Saturday to help me pack up more stuff. I'm looking forward to spending time with her and getting a lot accomplished. She is a great helper. I'm very lucky to have her! I was also able to spend the last two weekend with my family and Robin! I haven't spent that much time with my sister in ages. We had a great time. We saw Eclipse, spent time with friends, worked out together, ran with Midori, watched a lot of TV.

Speaking of my sister, Kody and I are buying her car. We need an all wheel drive vehicle for the wonderful Michigan winters. My Acura, yes the one I have had since I was 16, isn't really a winter weather kind of car. It still runs great, but we just need something that will get Kody to the hospital no matter what the weather is like. Robin is leaving for her deployment in a week. She was planning to store her car and buying something new when she returned in February. When she realized we were going to buy something she offered to let us use her car during her deployment and then buy it. We don't have a lot of extra funds right now and we aren't going to take out a loan for a car. We are giving her the proceeds from the Acura as a down payment and then paying her over the course of her deployment in no interest payments. She is so incredibly generous. Her car would trade in for $13,000 and she is selling it for less than 50% of that! It is a 2005 Audi A4. Beautiful. I absolutely love her car. Kody and I are thrilled. The best part is she is driving from Tucson to Tulsa to drop it off. I get to take her to the airport because she is now leaving from Tulsa for her deployment. I think it will be special that I get to be the one to send her off. My parents will be cruising the Alaskan sea with my aunt and uncle at that time. We weren't invited. Whatever.

I haven't been much in the blogging mood lately. It is pretty hit or miss at this point. My updates may be infrequent until we get settled in Michigan. I promise to update as soon as something incredibly exciting happens...like our house sells!

First Day

2010-06-23T14:37:00.002-05:00

Today was Kody's first day of his internship. That is weird to say, type and think. Everything he has worked so hard for started today. This week is orientation. He will be going through certifications, HR paperwork, schedules, benefits, hospital tours, etc. The real fun begins on July 1st. He finds out tomorrow about his schedule. Intern years are pretty similar no matter the hospital or specialty. Most of them go through a month or so of some sort of internal medicine, ER, general surgery, family and a few others scattered here or there. Interns don't do much in their specialty until their 2nd year.

He texted me today and said, "My badge says Dr. King". I laughed a little bit. How amazing and strange all at the same time!

I'm praying hard that we will get an offer on our home soon. As sad as I am to leave our home, I am so excited to be with him in Michigan and start our new life. Bailey is ready too. She already misses her daddy.

In other news, I'm gearing up for my ten year high school reunion this weekend. I'm looking forward to spending time with friends before the big move. I know this will be the last time I will see a lot of these people for a very long time. I'm so blessed that I am still so close with so many of my wonderful friends from high school. I know I will stay close with them for years to come as well. Thanks world wide web and Al Gore.

Home Away from Home

2010-06-15T08:47:00.003-05:00

I officially found us an apartment in Michigan until we buy a home. We totally lucked out. I know it is a God thing because I have been praying that all of this would work out and slowly, but surely it is. We didn't really look for a temporary home in Michigan while we were there last weekend. Partly because we didn't want to mess with it and partly because we were both in denial. However, Kody actually does need somewhere to live when he leaves next week. Imagine that. I spent a good portion of Sunday and yesterday calling apartment complexes. Most only have twelve month leases and most "pet" friendly apartments are occupied until August. Well, that simply would not work.

I found a place that I thought would work. It was a bit more money than I wanted to spend and they would only take a twelve month lease. We don't plan on staying in an apartment for twelve months (once our house sells we are buying). However, it was the best I could find. The downside is if we broke our lease we would have to pay a two months rent penalty. Ouch. It was a little further from the hospital than we wanted, but it was manageable. Oh yeah, and they did not have a microwave. Boo.

Kody was OK with it. It was the best we could find. However, I decided to try one more place and it was like magic! The lady was insanely nice. Turns out they had one unit in their "pet building" left and it was a one bed one bath...just like we wanted. Plus, they have a three month lease option! I know, this might sound silly to be excited about, but the timing on it is just perfect. Also, since Kody is a hospital employee now he gets all the upfront fees waved. Awesome. We are paying a little more per month for the short term lease, but we won't have to break the lease and mess with all that junk so in the long run it saves us quite a bit of money. Plus, this place is less than three miles from the hospital.

I'm so grateful Kody will have an actual place to live next week that will be his. No sharing with other residents or extended stay hotels. He'll have his own bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. Plus, Bailey will have lots of friends in the "pet building" when we get there in August! YAY!

The Time is Near....

2010-06-09T09:17:00.004-05:00

Two weeks. Kody has two weeks left in Tulsa until he heads up to Michigan for orientation. It is a very weird feeling. Last night we were getting into bed and he said, "I only have one more Tuesday night at the house before I leave." Strange! We were in Michigan this last week house hunting and getting to know the are better.

A few things I am really excited about:
* Cheeseburger in Paradise
* Partridge Creek Mall - yeah that's right, Ann Taylor Loft, Bebe, Banana Republic, Coach, Forever 21, H&M, J Crew....yes, be jealous of me. We strolled around one night and it was so much fun. They also have a really great cupcake place and a dog bakery. Heaven! They have a stage in the middle of the mall with live music during the summer too. We were rocking out.
* Lake St. Claire - it feels like the east coast. Ahhhh North Carolina. There is a beach, cute little restaurants on the water and lots and lots of boats.
* The lack of summer heat. OK, I know it is going to be "hot", but it will not be Oklahoma hot. It was in the high 70's and low 80's the entire time we were there. YAY!

So, in short, I have some things to look forward to and I have a really good attitude. We found a couple houses we like, but we still need to sell ours. We keep telling Bailey she is about to become a "Michigan dog" and she seems to be OK with that. What a trooper.

This weekend our CrossFit gym is having a going away party for us. I love them all so dearly. They have become our family. We did try out a CrossFit in Michigan and really liked it. The great thing about CrossFit is that no matter where you are the people are always friendly and welcoming. We really felt at home and I know that will be a wonderful place for us to build new friendships.

Next weekend my sister is driving from Tucson to Oklahoma. She is getting deployed in July to Kuwait. My parents are keeping her two cats for her during those six months. That should be very interesting. The timing is perfect because Kody and I will get to see her before he leaves and before she deploys. She is supposed to be back in January. I can't even begin to imagine what that is going to be like for her, but she is very excited. I'm so proud of my sister. She just became a Captain in the Air Force and I know she is amazing at what she does. I'm so thankful for her and all the others, like my brother in law Kasey, who decide to devote their lives to serving our great country. I don't believe they will ever get enough praise.

Oh yes, and in case you were curious, I finished seventh at the CrossFit South Central Regional over Memorial Day weekend. I wrote a recap of the event on my nutrition blog. You can go here to read all about it. I still don't feel like I have fully recovered, but it was a wonderfully horrible weekend. :)

Regionals

2010-05-26T16:36:00.003-05:00

Friday I will be heading to Fort Worth, Texas to compete in the South Central CrossFit Regional. Last year I placed 10th. I was third at our sectional in March and qualified for Regionals again. The top four women will qualify to compete in Los Angels in July at the 2010 CrossFit Games.

I've been training hard. It has consumed my thought for the last four months, which is nice because it has helped distract me from my inevitable move to Michigan! I have been through a lot during these last few months and I feel prepared. It is going to be a tough weekend, but I'm up for the challenge. If you want to learn a little bit more about what I will be doing this weekend you can go read this! It lists all four events I will be competing with a lot of other amazing female athletes. I'm looking forward to it!

Even though a lot of people don't know much about CrossFit, for those who do this is a really big deal. It is a real joy to compete again. It puts a smile on my face. There is something so rewarding about getting through a difficult workout and knowing you gave it 100% no matter the outcome. If you haven't tried CrossFit before I highly suggest you look into it. It is for EVERYONE, not just those who grew up playing sports or like to run. If you want to feel good about yourself and get into the best shape of your life try it out. You'll make some amazing friends in the process. Some of the people I consider my closest friends here in Tulsa I have met through CrossFit. I also know they will be my friends for life not matter where I go.

Let the games begin!

Craziness

2010-05-13T14:52:00.004-05:00

I've been absent for quite a long time! How horrible of me! These last few weeks have been insane as I am sure the next few will be as well. It is GRADUATION WEEK which means, yes, my darling husband will officially get his doctor title tomorrow evening! Tonight is the graduation banquet. I'm pretty excited. I'm busting out a dress from college that I have only worn once that I kindly refer to as my "Tinkerbell Dress". I love Tinkerbell. I haven't actually tried in on in a few years, but I'm sure it will fit, right? Yes, it is at least four years old, but I spent far too much money on it to not wear it again. I'm very excited!

Tomorrow friends and family will come watch Kody complete his medical school journey. Although he will never be finished with his education, this chapter in the story is coming to a close. It went by so fast yet felt like it took forever. I'll have lots of pictures and stories from graduation in the next few days. In the mean time, here is the announcement I made for our family. You can click on the picture to enlarge it so you can actually see it better!

What a crazy four years it has been. To think that Kody will start his residency in Michigan in five weeks. Wow. What a life change for us, but we are so excited and so confident in the plan God has for us. We have no doubt that this is where we should be and we are so grateful for what He has given to us!

I Am Iron Man

2010-04-29T13:52:00.005-05:00

Today is a big day. A big, BIG day! Today is Kody's very last shift as a medical student! I honestly cannot believe it. Graduation is two weeks from tomorrow. After tonight (he is currently working nights in the ICU) he will be a free man until orientation starts up in Michigan on June 23rd.

What do you get for the boy who needs nothing but fun?

How about this?

Yes, I bought us tickets to the Iron Man 2 double feature! I should win the award for wife of the year (for many, many reasons), but honestly I'm just as excited as he is. We will see Iron Man at 9:30PM on May 6th followed by Iron Man 2 at 11:55PM. SCORE!

Yes, I will 100% worthless at work next Friday, but it will be worth it. It is the least I can do for the doctor. Check your local AMC theater to find out if they are running a double feature too! Most AMC's across the country are doing the same thing. Now I have to start planning my movie snacks...

What If...

2010-04-21T14:39:00.001-05:00

Will Smith starred in the Matrix....

Tom Cruise starred in Footloose....

Take a look at this website to see the other "what could have been" movie posters featuring the stars originally tapped to play the main roles. Very interesting!

Happy Birthday to....

2010-04-13T13:41:00.005-05:00

MIDORI!

This little princess is turning four years old today. Midori is my dad's pride and joy. She started off as Robin's college graduation gift. Unfortunately, Boxers aren't big fans of living in upstairs apartments in Arizona. She came to live with my parents when she was about five months old. When Robin comes home to visit she doesn't leave her side. It is precious.

If you are ever having a bad day, just knock on my parent's door and ask to see Midori. She will make you feel like the most important person in the world. Happy birthday Dori girl!

Also....

You can still donate to my efforts with the American Lung Association. YAY! Go here!

Fight For Air Climb

2010-04-12T10:58:00.003-05:00

On Saturday I will be climbing 50 flights of stairs at the BOK Tower in downtown Tulsa. I have to raise $100 to be able to do the climb. So far I have raised $10!!! Any amount helps. I hate asking for money, but this is for a great cause with the American Lung Association.

Here is a little ditty about the event:
The Tulsa Climb will raise funds and awareness to support education, research and advocacy programs so every Tulsan can breathe easier. Participants attend the Climb to support issues critical to family health - improving air quality, eliminating lung disease, and keeping kids tobacco free.

Here is more information about the climb

Here is my personal fund-raising page if you would like to make a donation!

Think about it, you give me money and then I have to go suffer by racing up 50 flights of stairs? That should put a smile on your face, right? I'm on a team with eight other people from my gym. It should be horribly wonderful! I don't get to climb if I don't raise the money so help me out! $1 or $20...it doesn't matter.

Working Weekend

2010-03-29T16:04:00.002-05:00

This weekend was a blur. Work. Work. Work.

The goal is to have the house on the market the first week of April. At this rate, I think it might happen. Kodys' parents came up Saturday and we dominate our house. Dominated it! Kody and his dad cleaned out our entire garage and loaded up the street with trash and a dead tree. We got a notice from the city on how to dispose of large amounts of trash today. Apparently they don't like to haul off dead trees (cut nicely into movable pieces), twenty plus bags of trash, old fence posts with cement blocks, etc. Who knew?

Kody's mom and I tackled the hall bathroom. The day before Kody tore down the wallpaper, we textured it and then got it painted. It is beautiful! It looks ten times bigger and so much brighter...in a good way. Love it! Why did we not do this four years ago? It makes me feel like I am at the beach. Very relaxing.

My mom came up yesterday and we started packing up the kitchen. We got five boxes of serving and baking dishes that I do not currently *have* to have in my house all packed. Glass is so annoying to pack. So much bubble wrap! Now I actually have cabinet space. My buffet in the breakfast nook looks cute and not cluttered. AMAZING. Kody started packing up electronics and books from the office. We were like a well oiled machine this weekend. Unstoppable.

Our garage now has boxes labeled, taped and placed in an orderly fashion against the wall. You could eat of my garage floor right now. It is spotless.

Oh yeah, and don't let me leave out the yard! My mom is the expert when it comes to making a yard look fantastic. I'm not just saying that because she is my mom. She is a pro! We raked, weeded, trimmed and worked miracles. All I need now is about three bags of mulch and some potted plants. Victory!

I'm feeling like the move thing may be manageable. A little bit at a time. One more week and this house will look like a show home. I have always loved our house. I'm really sad to leave it, but I know another family will love it like we have....however....it may not ever experience awesome Florida game day parties like it has in the past. Watch out Michigan.

My Fantasy...

2010-03-23T16:07:00.003-05:00

Last night Kody and I were watching something on TV...not sure what...and a commercial for Atlantis in the Bahamas came on on the screen. They have water slides, dolphin coves, sunshine and more. I look at Kody and declare, "I want to go there!" Thank you advertising agency of Atlantis. Kody remarks, "Before residency starts??" with a huge grin on his face. Well, no silly. Of course not. That requires money and planning and you can't just decide to go on vacation and go one month later...right?

WRONG!

OK, so I'm not planning a spur of the moment trip to Atlantis because it is uber expensive and I have to buy a new house, move and find a new job in the next three months. However, I started thinking that a spur of the moment trip to NYC, Washington D.C. or Chicago might be in order for me and the Mr.! All I need to do is find a flight and hotel and then we can just tour the city for a couple days! I would love to go to any three of those places, just the two of us! Take in a few shows on Broadway or stroll through the Smithsonian in D.C. or even go to a Cubs game in Chi town!

I don't know know if this will happen, but when I put my mind to something it gets done. I'm pretty sure I can talk Kody into doing anything as long as it has the word "vacation" in it. If you had to pick, where would you go? NYC, Chicago, or D.C.?

Sectionals!

2010-03-11T14:07:00.002-06:00

The big weekend is finally here. This Saturday and Sunday I will be competing in the CrossFit South Central Sectional held here in Tulsa, OK. I will be competing in three grueling events against thirty nine other fit and fierce females from CrossFit affiliates in New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. You may recall that last May I competed in the South Central CrossFit Regional in Fort Worth, Texas. I placed 10th.

This year, CrossFit has switched up the format a bit. Now you have to go to a sectional to qualify for the regional. The top thirty men and women from our sectional will compete in the South Central Regional May 29th-30th against the top thirty from a different sectional. The top four men and women from that regional go to the CrossFit Games held in Aromas, California in July. It is a dream of mine to make it to the games. I was so close last year. This year will not be any easier. There are more great competitors and the events will be tougher.

My shoulder injury in late October kept me out of training for about three months. I was devastated because I was making some huge strides in my strength and skills. Thankfully, I have bounced back fairly well and I have high hopes for myself this weekend.

My affiliate, CrossFit Jenks, is going to represent well. We have four females and fourteen males competing! We are ready to rock! The first event starts at 8AM this Saturday. There should be updates on the sectional site or the games site.

You can go here to see what I'll be doing in a couple of the events!

So excited....

I Have a Love/Hate Relationship With...

2010-03-08T13:50:00.002-06:00

...Cleaning.

I completely despise cleaning. I put it off and put it off until I just can't take it anymore and then you can't stop me from cleaning. Kody and I had a really busy weekend as usual, but we managed to get a lot done that needed to be done.

Here is a brief list of our successes:

All rose bushes trimmed and pretty.
Removed massive tree/weed that has been growing along the fence since we moved in.
Removed our fun outdoor gazebo that fell down and broke in the last snow/ice storm.
Five+ loads of laundry. Apparently there are not washers and dryers in Lawton. That was saved for me. :)
Put five+ loads of laundry away.
Vacuumed for the first time in...ohhhh....I'm not going to admit it, but it is pretty bad...
Cleared kitchen counter and table of piles of mail/junk. How does this stuff accumulate so fast? I swear it grows over night.
Removed two bags of clothing and shoes from Kody's closet to give to Good Will. Yay!
Mopped kitchen floor. Hallelujah!
Load of dishes cleaned and put away.
Six big bags of yard and house trash at the curb for Monday morning trash pick up. Watch out for the bags with the thorny rose bush trimmings...sorry!

A couple wonderful things about all the above. First, it was a total team effort. Kody was ready to knock it out and we got so much more done than I thought we would. Second, the house is almost in good enough shape to get on the market! We just need to do some touch up painting in a few areas and start pre-packing so the closets look extremely spacious. Oh yeah, and haul off a dead tree that fell over in the front yard. It was very sad. I love that tree.

We rewarded ourselves by watching Funny People. It isn't as "funny" as I thought it would be, but it was definitely a good flick. The back of my arms and shins look like the rose bushes attacked me....OK they actually did attack me. Who knew those things could be so vicious?? Bailey had a great time hanging outside with us in the awesome weather and chatting with the neighbor dogs. She also did some sunbathing.

I feel like a new woman. I can't wait to enjoy another evening with my husband in a nice, clean home. I'm going to miss this house when we leave.

Good News

2010-03-01T14:30:00.002-06:00

After ten long months of not living together, I officially live with my husband again... FULL TIME! He is not just back for a weekend, a week or a month, but forever and ever.

Kody has been gone since May 1, 2009. Since then he was at home during July, but studying for boards and in December on a vacation month. Even though he "was home" in December, he wasn't really home. We were on vacation and traveling visiting family for the holidays. I'm looking forward to actually having him home, eating dinner together and just doing the things we love to do...together!

I have to be honest...it hasn't been as easy as I made it out to be. I put up a good front, but I really missed him. Yes, I survived and I survived quite well, but being away from each other for eight months out of ten is not particularly the best thing for any marriage. Thankfully we came out of it strong. I will also admit that I became very protective of the time we did get to spend together. I know everyone missed Kody, but I hated to share my weekends with others. It sounds SO selfish...I know. I'm embarrassed to even write that! I just wanted quality time with my husband. I didn't want to share all of our time with family and friends, but I also know that family and friends are very important to both of us and someday very, very soon we will not be as close to the people we love. I'm a work in progress people! I'm very blessed that Kody understands and listens to me, but can also help me see the big picture. I get wrapped up in our little world sometimes...of course, sometimes that can be a good thing! If any of you ever felt snubbed by either of us....I apologize.

Sunday we took Bailey to the dog park which was so much fun. We also went on A DATE! I know, deep breaths...I went on a date with my husband. We got invited to a premier night for a new Italian restaurant called Piatto. It was wonderfully delicious and we had a great time. Thanks goodness graduation is almost here. I know residency will be busy and we may not have as much time together as we are used to having...but at least we'll be in the same city! WOO HOO

I Know Where I Stand

2010-02-26T11:16:00.005-06:00

Kody's best friend had a birthday on Wednesday. Clayton and Kody have been best friends forever. They grew up together, they were roommates in college together and they have been able to keep the friendship alive after college. Way to go boys. Tonight Kody is driving to Edmond from Lawton to celebrate Clayton's day of birth with dinner, ping pong and a possible movie.

Now I'm going to take a bit of a detour in this story....

I LOVE scary movies. I really love all movies. I get really excited about them when I see the first preview and I wait in great anticipation for their release date. I have been really excited about Shutter Island. It looks fantastic. Kody has simply refused to see it with me. I have yet for him to truly sacrifice and see a scary movie with me. I beg. I plead. I cry (in my heart). I end up having to rent them and watch them alone. It is a very sad life I lead. Let me also say, when I get what he would consider a "scary" movie (think of thrillers like Fracture) he ends up loving them.

Today I get a phone call from Kody. Here is how the conversation when down:

Kody: "I wanted to let you know that I think we might go see Shutter Island tonight for Clayton's birthday."
Me: "That's funny, I asked you to see it with me and you said no because it was a scary movie!"
Kody: "I know, but this is for his birthday."
Me: "Alright, well for my birthday this year I am going to ask you to see something insanely terrifying...since it will be my birthday."
Kody: "That is mean."
Me: "But it will be for my birthday."
Kody: silent pause
Me: "If I asked you to go see Shutter Island with me tonight would you say yes?"
Kody: "No."
Me: "If Clayton asked you to see it with him immediately after I asked you would you say yes?"
Kody: "Yes."

I am totally feeling the love.

Smell Like a Man, Man

2010-02-24T11:08:00.004-06:00

Have you seen the new Old Spics commercials for their "Smell Like a Man, Man" campaign? I love this guy. I love these spots. This is the first ad campaign that has really caught my attention and made me laugh in a very long time. Keep 'em coming Old Spice!

Look at Your Man, Now Look at Me

Did You Know?

I want to learn the dialogue for the first one.

Go to the Old Spice website to check out his smoking jacket spot. So funny...

And We're Going To...

2010-02-10T16:28:00.002-06:00

MICHIGAN!

I know, brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr is the first thing that comes to mind, right? Seriously, five years of lake effects weather....I can totally handle it!

Match day turned out exactly as we expected and planned for. Luckily, Kody's preceptor in Lawton let him have the day off so we could figure things out if they didn't go perfectly...as in...we match in Tulsa. We didn't match in Tulsa. Yes, we were sad. We would love to stay. However, we were mentally prepared. We knew this meant we would be heading to Mount Clemens, Michigan.

MC was one of Kody's favorite rotations. He loved the hospital, loved the residents and it had his favorite cafeteria of all the hospitals he has been to. Very important! The area is really nice. Yes, it is a Detroit suburb, but don't worry, it is a perfectly safe little area. Lots of Super Targets around! If I can have a Super Target and a CrossFit gym I will be a happy girl. I've already started researching the CrossFit gyms in the area and it looks like there is a good one close by. Whew!

We'll be there for five years. After our five years in Michigan, Kody has committed to practice in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. They will help pay back medical school loans and it will give us a very good lifestyle/family life. We really couldn't ask for much more. We think we'll be able to live in Broken Arrow and Kody will be able to commute back and forth. I know the next five years will fly by. It will be an adventure. We are sad to leave our family and friends, but we know no matter where we are that our family and friends will always love us! We are so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives. Five years and we'll be home!

A Few Things I Need to Accept Before I Move:

I have to live in Big Ten country.
There is only one Chick-Fil-A in all of Michigan...in a student union far, far away. OH how I will miss your chicken-y goodness.
Cold. I'm going to be cold...a lot.
Red Acura will have to be replaced. All wheel drive vehicle here we come!
Bailey will never come inside again. She will just want to stay in the snow and play. My dog will abandon me.
Kody is going to be a doctor. Seriously? This one might be the biggest shock.
I finally move somewhere with a NFL team and it is the Detroit Lions...who are 2-30 over the last two years. At least they are in the NFC North with the Vikings. I can go cheer on the purple.
Bailey won't get to visit Midori and Honey as much. I think Midori might go into a depression.
The homes in Michigan just look weird. I'm sorry, they do.
I have to find a new job. I really like my job.
I might have to see Eclipse by myself. It comes out June 30th and Kody starts July 1. AHHHH!

We are really excited. I can't believe how well we both reacted. I kept praying for peace before match day and that is exactly what God gave us. We were and are at total peace with everything.

I'll leave you with parting words from the great Rolling Stones:
"No, you can't always get what you want, You can't always get what you want, You can't always get what you want, And if you try sometime you find, You get what you need."

My Mind is Elsewhere

2010-02-02T16:21:00.002-06:00

I may be kind of absent from blogging for the next week or so...not that I have been incredible about keep it up lately anyway! Monday is match day, the BIG day. This is the day you start hearing about from your first day of medical school. It is kind of a big mystery at first and then you hear the horror stories about not matching, matching somewhere you didn't really want to match or think you would match, scrambling, changing specialties, etc. Of course, it always works out. I know that. I have heard the bad turn into good.

Match day kind of determines the rest of your life. We find out where we will be for residency and basically what Kody will do with the rest of his life. It is a really big deal.

Kody is calm. I am calm. However, I think it is a freaking out calm. I think we are both just not sure it is actually happening so soon. The worst part is we won't be together on Monday. I always thought I would take that day off from work. I would have "command central" set up in case he didn't match. I would have all the phone numbers laid out ready to go so we can start calling open programs. He would man the phones and I would be in charge of email. If a program called I could look it up immediately so we didn't have to call back and possibly lose a spot. I have heard stories of programs calling to offer unmatched students a spot. The student takes some time to check out the program site, calls back and the spot is filled. YIKES! I don't get to set up command central now. Kody will be in Lawton. He'll be all alone. I can't help him. The thought of that alone is terrifying.

I would be so awesome in command central.

I know this is all worst case scenario talk. Hopefully he'll match and all will be dandy. He'll call me Monday morning and say, "I matched .....!" We are also realistic. Over 50% of students who want orthopedics don't match. It is very competitive. A lot of crazy stuff can happen. We have had a lot of things not work out the way we wanted them to work out. We have also had a few good surprises. I'm not sure what God has in store for us Monday morning. I know what I am hoping for. I know what Kody is hoping for. I am praying that God will give us this one thing. Give us the easy road one time. Just once! We have clawed our way through school, rotations, boards, into programs that we didn't think would give him a shot and now I just want God to say, "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

I have great friends who listen to me yap about this and will love me wherever I live. I was telling Angela this morning how I think match day is probably a lot like finding out you are pregnant. You know it is going to happen sometime. One day it does and you go from knowing your life as one thing to moments later knowing it will never be the same. Crazy.

Oddly enough, I don't really like talking about it all that much. I'm kind of sick of talking about the whole thing in general. I do, however, like to blog about it. Uninterrupted venting! It is what it is. We either match or we don't. We make the most of it and be happy. That is the simple truth. Tulsa, Michigan, Ohio or some unknown. At least we'll be together...and with Bailey.

I need one more weekend with Kody before our fate is sealed. I need time with him to make sure we are good, calm, ready....kind of a like a pregame pep talk. I know he wants us to be together when he finds out. I know that can't happen. Angela...you might have to make an emergency road trip to Tulsa...mambas in hand if have a nervous breakdown....

Dear "Ice Storm"

2010-01-28T11:39:00.002-06:00

I don't believe in you. You can take all your power outage hoopla and well, yes, shove it.

Love,
Ginny

Happy Birthday...

2010-01-26T15:56:00.001-06:00

Bubble Wrap! Today bubble wrap turns 50. Can you believe it? Today has been dubbed Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day. Grab some bubbles and start popping. If you don't have any on hand, then go here for a virtual, but equally satisfying experience.

PAR-TAY

2010-01-22T15:53:00.002-06:00

I know I just posted about graduation last week, but I'm just so flippin excited. I'm planning a post graduation party for Kody. Right now I am trying to nail down a venue. I'm looking for something close to the venue and I have a few places in mind. I'm also trying to figure out how much family is coming so I can block off rooms at a nearby hotel. It just all seems so crazy. I get to plan a medical school graduation party! I already know exactly what kind of cake I am getting and it is going to be a complete surprise to everyone...except maybe my mom who I just can't keep a secret from. Plus, I want to get her input because she is a super smart lady.

I'm hoping and praying Robin will be able to make it. She already told me she is not coming unless she gets an official graduation announcement. What a nerd. I think she would enjoy seeing Kody become an official doctor! I plan on forcing her to refer to him as Dr. King the remainder of the evening just for fun.

I also need to go dress shopping....

You might think graduating from medical school is all about the graduate, but you are wrong. It is really all about the spouse. Sure, he's the one that is smart and is going to fix people for a living and "worked really hard for four years"....

However....

Let's remember I am the one who had to endure four years of conversations where every other word was some medical term I did not understand, live alone and maintain a household while he was on away rotations for nine months, spend the first two years quizzing him for tests and again not being able to pronounce a single word (ego crushed), organized his rotations while he was on the road...

OK, I'm totally kidding about graduation being about me, I did all those things because I wanted to and I have always been completely supportive of Kody's dream. Graduation is such a wonderful accomplishment for both of us. I simply cannot wait to celebrate all the hard work Kody has put in and what a wonderful physician he is going to be. We have done a great job together!

Now we await match day....seventeen days.

Maleficent!

2010-01-20T13:11:00.003-06:00

As I am sure you all recall, I am very excited about the upcoming release Tim Burton's of Alice In Wonderland starring the fabulously wonderful Mr. Depp. Now blogs all over the blogosphere are reporting some pretty amazing news. Burton is talking about bringing another Disney classic to life...Sleeping Beauty. First of all, I love sleeping beauty. Maleficent is just the evilest of the evil and I always love the villains. I know, I'm sick. Last time I was at Disney I discovered this amazing Disney villains poster. I wanted it...bad. Kody and I sat there forever naming all the glorious Disney villains.

Anyway....

Here is the best news about this possible project, it is going to revolve around...Maleficent! I know, too cool right? I'm almost too excited to even type. So who should play Maleficent? Obviously Helena Bonham Carter came to mind...even before I read this article. What about the fairy godmothers? I could see Jeremy Irons as King Stefan. He's very regal. Lots to ponder. I can't wait to hear more on this. I wonder how Johnny would fit in....

Best Weekend Ever

2010-01-18T11:10:00.002-06:00

Why you ask? Because my house got CLEAN! I don't just mean laundry, vacuumed, swiffer wet jet clean...I mean four trash bags out of the office, paper put in files and drawers, I can walk in and out of the office without tripping clean. WOOHOO. We spent five hours organizing it Sunday evening. The rest of the house did get clean via vacuum, swiffer wet jet and laundry. It also smells like an ocean breeze. I'm just so happy. I want to stare at it and soak it all in because I'm not sure how long it will last.

Kody came home for the weekend from Lawton. We had a great time. We did a lot of relaxing, a lot of playing and a lot of work. Saturday night we went to Dave and Busters with our newly engaged friends Stephen and Abbie. (yay!) I would like everyone to know that I owned the quick shot basketball game. I scored 61 points. Yes, 61. It is a new PR. I'm no basketball player, but I had some mad skills showing up that night. I pretty much rocked it.

Sunday I cheered on the Vikings as they fought the Cowboys. I never watch the NFL. I just don't like it as much as college. Earlier this year I decided I would kind of keep up with Minnesota since Percy Harvin and Adrian Peterson play with them. This was only the second full game I have watched all season so I can hardly call myself a true fan, but I was very happy to see "the purple" become victorious. Kody's family are big Dallas Cowboys fans. Kody doesn't really care that much, although, he couldn't cheer against the Cowboys. He laughed at me dancing around the house singing, "Go purple, go purple, go purple". We had fun. And in all seriousness, Brett Farve was amazing. I mean, the guy is forty years old and is still a stud. It was fun to watch.

We took Bailey to the playground Sunday afternoon. Some people take their children to the playground, but I take my dog. No one was there so she had all the big toys to herself. She runs up the steps, across the bridge and goes down the slide on her own. She is one brave girl. She also loves the sand. Sand makes Bailey crazy. She starts spinning and digging and jumping up and down. We had a blast. That little dog was so worn out when we got home. It was precious.

Oh yes, and the most important part of the weekend....Saturday was my half birthday! My mom got me a super cute, very mini crock pot which I used to make some little smokies on Sunday for football viewing. I love half birthdays...

Graduation

2010-01-14T15:35:00.002-06:00

Yup, four months from today folks Kody will officially be a doctor. HAHAHAHA It is just so strange. I cant' get over it. I'm not laughing to myself because I actually think it is funny, it is just....strange. I have known Kody since he was a freshman in college. I have seen him obsess over intramurals and Spring Sing. I have watched him study for the MCAT. He used to have to drop me off at my apartment in the parking lot because boys weren't allowed near the doors. Now this boy who I grew to love, marry and support 1,000% is going to be doctor in four months. Amazing. Time is such a weird thing.

I'm ordering actual OSU announcements for family so everyone can have the official one as a keepsake. I'm so sweet aren't I? However, I plan on doing a super fun announcement for friends myself via Shutterfly. Do you remember how expensive graduation stuff is? Sheesh. It never occurred to me we would ever purchase a cap and gown again.

I wonder if they are going to pull a graduation prank? I recommend lots of pink chalk and balloons.

I Can't Resist the Drama

2010-01-13T13:16:00.002-06:00

I'm Really Sad For...

2010-01-12T16:36:00.002-06:00

Conan.

NBC Hates Conan

I love Conan. I know he doesn't want sympathy, but I would like to give it to him anyway. He is on my list of "Celebrities I Am Strangely Attracted To". Maybe it is the hair...

On a positive note, American Idol premiers tonight. This is Simon's last season premier on the show. So sad. He will be missed. I'm sure he'll go out in a blaze of glory. I hope they bring Adam back during a results show. I don't care what anyone thinks about him either. I think he makes the list too...regardless of his sexual orientation. He can sing, enough said.

Kody knows. It is OK.

Because It Feels Like It Should be a Random Post Day...

2010-01-11T15:31:00.003-06:00

I don't feel like being too witty, or trying to be witty and failing, so here is a list of random things I would write more in length about if I had the energy!

Pete Carroll is leaving USC. Take that Mark May. Who are you going to worship on Saturday's now?
My super awesome winter boots came in the mail Thursday evening. They might be my favorite online purchase EVER. Yes, I do look adorable in them.
Kody's rank list for match has been finalized and submitted. No, it wasn't dramatic picking the order, but the fact that it has been submitted and now we just wait is kind of crazy.
Bailey came to work with me on Friday. More to come on that later. I have pictures to prove it. Office mascot.
Kody is in Lawton for the next two months.
My shoulder is about 93% healed!!!! This is AMAZING news. Now I can get back into training for sectionals! They are in Tulsa...you should all come cheer for me!
My sister got a surprise visitor at midnight last night! Matt knocked on her door at 12AM She thought he was still overseas. So flippin cool...like a movie. He had to jump a fence and everything. ::sigh::
I started taking Fish Oil.
My cousin Jennifer is awesome. I failed to mention how she got me hooked on Sweet Valley High. We used to play the board game together whenever I would visit. I liked to be Lila. It was fun to be a snob.
I really want to go skiing and take my new boots and Jennifer. I need some mountain air.
I am halfway through The Lovely Bones. Pretty good.

Lastly....

I discovered a new TV show. I'm in love. Make It or Break It. Don't judge me. It is awesome. I heart gymnastics. Thanks ABC Family.

Who Do I Need to Bribe?

2010-01-07T14:57:00.005-06:00

Forgive me if I sound like I don't care what is going on in the world, but seriously Mr. President? I'm sure your State of the Union Address will be riveting...err...something like that. However, I do not believe that February 2, 2010 is the proper date. You guys have known about the LOST premier for months. We all have! OK, I'm sure the president himself is not going to make this decision, so to the white house staffers I beg of you....pick January 26th.

The White House Hates LOST and LOST fans

Sawyer and Jack will not be happy about this. I don't care what Kate thinks, but I'm sure she would be upset too.

Say Hello To Your Friends...

2010-01-06T11:05:00.003-06:00

...Babysitters Club! Say hello to the people who care...

I hope I'm not the only one who 1. Knows that song. 2. Read the books AND watched the TV show and 3. Was super excited to read about this yesterday.

Along with Sweet Valley High, The Babysitters Club book series was a favorite of mine growing up. I always wanted to live in the fictional Stoneybrook, Connecticut. It always sounded so cute and the girls were such great friends. Very touching. Dawn and Claudia were always my favorites. I can't remember why, but I always liked their stories the best.

There is another little blast from the past for you. I wonder if I would still like those books today...

Highlights

2010-01-04T11:20:00.003-06:00

So far in 2010 we have had a broken garage door that cost $215 to fix and a stomach virus for Kody. He was supposed to start a two month rotation in Lawton this morning, but is still at home sick. Thankfully, Bailey is at home taking care of him. I hope he shakes this thing soon because he is miserable.

Match is five weeks from today. Five weeks. Thirty five days. Five weeks ago it was Thanksgiving. That feels like yesterday. Match is sure sneaking up on us. I like to say I'm not nervous about it, but I would be lying. I am at peace about it, but still nervous. You can be at peace and nervous at the same time, right? I think you can, so my answer is yes.

We spent our New Year's Eve in sweats watching movies together. I wouldn't have had it any other way. We watched Up, which made us both tearful wrecks, and TWILIGHT. Now Kody wants to see New Moon. Welcome to the dark side my love.

Bye Bye Bye

2009-12-31T09:38:00.002-06:00

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

2009-12-30T14:40:00.002-06:00

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?

2009-12-29T15:57:00.003-06:00

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....

2009-12-23T12:47:00.002-06:00

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

2009-12-21T15:08:00.003-06:00

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...

2009-12-09T11:49:00.001-06:00

I will be here.

Happy Birthday Kody

2009-12-07T11:49:00.005-06:00

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

2009-12-03T09:26:00.002-06:00

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!

2009-12-01T09:42:00.002-06:00

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...

2009-11-25T15:39:00.004-06:00

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

2009-11-24T16:17:00.002-06:00

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

2009-11-23T14:55:00.003-06:00

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

2009-11-20T10:12:00.004-06:00

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?

2009-11-19T09:58:00.004-06:00

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

2009-11-17T14:37:00.003-06:00

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!

2009-11-13T15:25:00.003-06:00

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

2009-11-11T13:21:00.003-06:00

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

2009-11-09T11:03:00.004-06:00

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...

2009-11-04T13:00:00.005-06:00

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

2009-11-03T11:50:00.003-06:00

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

2009-11-02T14:30:00.004-06:00

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!

2009-11-02T13:54:00.004-06:00

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

2009-10-29T14:11:00.003-05:00

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...

2009-10-27T15:14:00.002-05:00

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

2009-10-26T16:41:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-10-23T16:49:00.002-05:00

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.

2009-10-23T09:42:00.004-05:00

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...

2009-10-22T15:21:00.002-05:00

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

2009-10-21T11:16:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-19T10:35:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-15T16:52:00.003-05:00

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...

2009-10-14T15:54:00.003-05:00

Jake is such a nice boy.

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

Dressing the Part

2009-10-12T12:37:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-08T14:10:00.003-05:00

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?

2009-10-05T16:18:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-02T13:12:00.003-05:00

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

2009-09-30T15:47:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-09-25T10:21:00.004-05:00

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

2009-09-24T18:51:00.006-05:00

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!

2009-09-24T16:31:00.002-05:00

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!

2009-09-24T14:19:00.004-05:00

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...

2009-09-22T09:14:00.002-05:00

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...

2009-09-21T13:43:00.004-05:00

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?

2009-09-18T10:48:00.006-05:00

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.