As shown from the post 'odd kitty behavior,' occasionally when the cat becomes incredibly restless we find a roll of our toilet paper unraveled. This afternoon she decided to do something different.
I really wish I could have seen how she did this, but some how she managed to roll the paper back up after she unrolled it. Usually there is a pile of toilet paper on the floor, but not this time.
I don't know if this is just another game she came up with or if she's trying to hide any evidence of her mischief. Either way, she definitely left her mark.
It's been a busy semester in pharmacy school and in my fifth grade classroom. We (the Kennedy's) have been going non-stop since October. In the middle of all the business, we had a fun surprise. The College of Pharmacy has put out a new magazine for recruitment and look who's on the cover!
Yup, that's my hubby! I am so proud of him. My low-key sweetie on the cover, ha ha! He is just so "thrilled".
Last Friday our cat, Miss Swarley, had been alone most of the day. I did not get home and stay there until around 10 pm. We were waiting for "daddy" to come home and she starts being all cute with her tongue hanging out.
The next morning she had been not so cute.
Let's just say I had pre-unrolled toilet paper for the next 3 days.
A few days later she decides that a freshly laundered pair of khaki pants would make for a good place to sit. She seriously, will not budge.
Then yesterday she plays "fraidy cat" during the rain and hides under our wine table the whole time. Here she has finally emerged from hiding.
Swarley is a pretty good cat and she is never really a huge problem. I guess you just accept cats as they are with all their little quirks and moods.
This weekend was the Race for the Cure in Bricktown. It is quite an amazing social event and supports a wonderful cause. I was on a team with several people from my gym, Fit for Her and Bob was with a team from the College of Pharmacy. It was a great experience.
I had a hard time concentrating on running because I kept reading the backs of people's shirts and seeing their loved ones they were honoring. So emotional!
If you want to ignore your emotions (like I tried to) check this out...
Hope that makes your day! Such unflattering pictures, just proving to everyone my non-athleticism. I foresee a dramatic decline in my readers after putting you through that.
This weekend we were in Texas, but it wasn't because of a football game... and luckily we flew and didn't have to drive through Dallas traffic.
Actually, we got to go to Houston to visit Bob's parents. A weekend is never enough time to spend with them, there's always so much to do. This time we went over to the Kemah boardwalk and ate sea food at Landry's right by the water. The weather was very atypical for Houston, it was not humid and around 75 degrees.
Saturday evening we were able to enjoy the evening sitting around a fire in the backyard.
It was nice seeing the Sooners win while in the great state of Texas. My condolences go out to the Longhorns. It's okay Texas, you still win... for having big malls...
It's been a fun fall so far. This year we decided to go ahead and take advantage of OU student/spouse football tickets during Bob's last year of pharmacy school before he does rotations for a year. So, we have been busy each weekend going to the games.
Two weeks ago we went to the Air Force game. It was a special game for us since currently the Air Force is paying his tuition and has a job ready for him when he graduates. What is a person to do? I think my hubby handled his loyalties very well. Check it out:
This week is the Red River Shoot Out. We will be watching the game on television. Boomer Sooner!
This year for my mom's birthday I got the idea in my head that I was going to make a flip flop birthday cake for her. Sounds thoughtful doesn't it? Well, I guess I should have thought a bit more and considered that being creative and artistic is not my forte.
She found a picture of it in a magazine and mentioned she thought it was cute. I found a video online that gave step by step instructions on how to put it together. Without the video I'm not sure I would have attempted making it. This is not a strong talent for me at all. Here's how it turned out. (I'm not going to bother posting the Betty Crocker one, it's miles ahead of mine!)
It seemed to be a hit with the grandchildren, so that counts for something.
While our little kitten was busy getting into trouble on Saturday (see previous post) we were headed to a vineyard in Norman.
Our good friend mentioned a wine making class to us and we decided to try it out.
First we got to pick grapes from the vine.
Once the buckets were filled
The grapes were ran through a machine
And then put through the wine press
We added yeast and other stuff to our juice and it will ferment for a while and after several months we will have our own wine that we picked the grapes for ourselves.
There won't be very more opportunities like this to pick the grapes to make our own wine, but I think we are now interested in using wine kits in the future. This was such a fun experience. Thank you Shyla for sparking our interest in this class.
I've done a horrible job keeping this updated. It is so hot I don't even feel like updating the blog, much less my Facebook status.
A full blown update is over due, however, this is too funny. I want to post it now.
Today we left the house for a while and on the way out the door I quickly unloaded some stuff I did not need from my purse and laid it on the kitchen counter.
When we got home this was laying there:
The culprit:
I was thoroughly amused by this since 1. I've never had a pet before so I probably think this is funnier than it actually is 2. Swarley usually does not get into stuff and 3. When we got home the tampon was nowhere in sight.
We came home to just an empty packet laying on the counter. We figured the tampon ended up with some of Swarley's other toys that have "disappeared". Eventually, I found it under the arm chair in the living room and proceeded to let the cat play.
So now I know there is a cheaper option out there for cat toys.
Maybe I should not have gotten out of bed this morning...
I was enjoying my first day of getting up without the alarm. I finally got out of bed and began checking my e-mail on my i-phone and immediately I saw an e-mail from the National Board for Professional teaching standards. The first thought that went through my head is, "oh, maybe they are confirming my appointment tomorrow for my test." Nope. They are contacting me to inform me about HB3029 in our state that is putting the scholarship on the chopping block. This means that between 2011-2013 they are proposing to drop the funds for the scholarship for future applicants. For years our state has made money available to help teachers pay the $2000 dollar fee for applying for national certification. This is the same scholarship that I received, this only impacts future applicants.
So, the next priority on my day off: check facebook. Usually facebook is mindless and entertaining. However, I ran across a post from a teacher friend from my school. She has posted a newslink about our school district's budget woes. Here is the headline: More than 300 teachers in their first year with the district are getting letters that their continued employment prospects are uncertain in the face of proposed cuts of $16.8 million.
Now I wonder if I should have just stayed in bed. What does this mean for me?
Thankfully I do not fall in the category where my position is directly impacted by these budget cuts. This does mean we may have to deal with larger class sizes and I am sure there are other factors I haven't even thought about yet.
My husband and I are always discussing how God has put us in the right places at the right times. With my job right now, I am definitely feeling that God has taken care of us. Now is probably one of the worst times to get your foot in the door into education in our state. Amazingly enough, I got in right before things hit the fan.I recieved the scholarship for national board already and I am a year two teacher in my district (I have previously worked in two other districts). It looks like I have barely squeaked by...but I know it is my heavenly Father who is placing me in the right places at the right times. In the midst of these hard times in my profession I am feeling blessed.
Today I didn't mind having to clean things up. As soon as my classroom was clean and "in order" I was able to leave work for the summer! I celebrated the beginning of summer vacation by going home and taking a well deserved nap.
Of course, if you know me...I'm still going to be busy. I have no intentions of sitting around much. Tomorrow I will be doing some last minute cramming for my National Board test. I go Wednesday to take the test. Then on Thursday I will be attending a technology workshop. So hopefully by Friday things will calm down and I can get a hair cut or something.
I already knew, but I was officially notified in the mail today about this:
My student loan is officially paid off! Luckily we don't have any credit card debt either, however I am not a stranger to that trap. This student loan was a result of some credit card debt I had in college. I sure have learned a lot about saving money and finances in general since then. I also have become more disciplined in that arena after getting married. It helps having a spouse who is highly responsible with finances. We do a good job of splitting up the responsibilities. I make sure all the bills are paid each month and he takes on the grueling task of doing our income taxes.
In other news I got to play with my Cricut this weekend. Swarley wanted to join in on the fun as well.
Surprisingly (to some people) I have a slight interest in watching sports, specifically basketball and football. The only sport I enjoy playing is probably volleyball, but that's a different story.
I lived in Houston during five years of my childhood and that is where I picked up following major league sports. So when Oklahoma City was deemed big league enough to get a NBA basketball team I was stoked. However, I was not expecting any playoff games during the first 3-4 years because they of course need to build up the team.
Now they're in the playoffs of their second season against the Lakers. I'm so excited for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even if they don't win again in this playoff series, I think they have worked really hard and have proved themselves.
It's nice having a home team to cheer for and follow. Last night we went to Bricktown for our date night and everywhere we went we saw local businesses with Thunder logos painted on the windows. This team is well supported, hopefully enough so that they won't return to Seattle.
I've seen NBA finals where the other team gets swept 0-4. At least the Thunder have one win over L.A. Here's hoping they can pull it off again tonight. Good luck Thunder!
It's two weeks before state testing for public schools in our state. In my classroom we have been doing test practice in the morning and doubling up on our math lessons each day.
Today there was a small interruption in my lesson plans when they took more than a quarter of my class out of the room for ESL testing. Keeping in mind that we only have so much time until testing, but I don't want to start something completely new with people gone from the room, I decide to pull a lesson up on my Smart Board on Haiku poetry (which is a component of Figurative Language/Poetry that is on a portion of the reading test).
The students learned about the format of a Haiku (3 lines with these syllables in each 5, 7, then 5 in the last line). I was surprised by their collaborative efforts. The class helped write this poem:
Beautiful water Trees around the waterfall Waterfalls are cool.
I just think the poem is pretty and simple.
Poetry is actually a strength for some of my students. Here is another example. Earlier this week a student came up to me and said she wrote me a poem:
Mrs. Kennedy Always giving someone praise Quietly in her gentle ways
I'm hoping she actually came up with this herself, but it wouldn't surprise me if this poem was inspired from another piece of work.
Last Friday I finally mailed off my portfolio entries for National Board certification. They were received today in San Antonio and signed for by Jessie.
Now I just need to take a test for it sometime in May or early June. Then I get to find out if I passed in December. If I don't pass no need to panic. All of the points I earn count toward the 2nd attempt and I only redo the parts I don't score so well on.
Since Friday I've been able to finally get around to getting the house back into order.
For example we did not eat at our dining room table for a while due to this:
We have been back to sitting and eating at it since Saturday night. Yea! (Not sure if hubby shares my excitement on that one)
Now for a random story. So, I bought a new celebratory pair of jeans Saturday. Celebratory because 1 I met my deadline for turning in my entries and 2 I am back to my smaller sized pants (I went up a size while working on my project). They seemed a little snug in the back, but I was able to zip them and I just thought well, new jeans are tight they'll stretch.
I go to wear them for the first time and remove all the tags and almost forgot the sticker they put down the back of the leg (I forget that one a lot!) All the tags are off and they just seem weird still. I touch the back pocket and it has something in it. The pocket has a button and I open it up and I find these:
They were not attached to the pants they were just sitting inside the pocket. Very weird! It's amazing I did not get poked by one of those while trying them on and also amazing that I did not set off any security alarms. Very bizarre.
Today I am jealous of Snow White and not just because she is a Disney Princess. I wish I could be cleaning today, but instead I should be writing my last entry for national certification.
So why am I on here? Well, I have to do something FUN on my computer to help keep my sanity.
This afternoon was my second outing from the house since Sunday. I went to Target to purchase Princess and the Frog on blu-ray with my birthday money that I haven't had time to spend yet.
Then I wandered over to the cleaning supply aisle. It smelled so wonderful, so fresh, so clean. It's sad, but being around those wonderful smells excited me. So I stocked up on everything!
Look out! Once my entries are post marked and in the mail I am going to attack the dust that has been all over the house. Can't wait.
Good news! I now have a job lined up for after I graduate!
And the not exactly great news, we may be moving away from Oklahoma someday.
This means it is official now, I’ve signed my contract with the US Air Force and I’m now 2nd lieutenant Kennedy. They’re going to pay for the rest of my tuition and I have a minimum commitment of three years, although I will likely serve longer.
We’re not going anywhere just yet. I’m still going to finish all of my classes at OU and graduate from the pharmacy program in 2012. After I graduate and get licensed I’ll go to Commissioned Officer Training at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama then begin my career as an Air Force Pharmacist. We’ll be able to ‘preference’ our bases, but ultimately where I work is dependant on where I’m needed.
Why go to work for the Air Force? Why not a local chain pharmacy? Ultimately it came down to a lengthy series of interesting coincidences that has led me to believe that this is where God wants me to be and I believe this is where I can best provide for our future.
This was one of the more interesting coincidences. Over the summer I was volunteering with my current Retail Chain Pharmacy employer (now referred to as RCP) at an event at the Bricktown ballpark. At that time I was still weighing the pros and cons of staying with my RCP after graduation or going to work for the Air Force. I went for a walk around the ball park to clear my head, the volunteering wasn’t going very smoothly, and just as I was asking myself “what am I doing here tonight?” I felt something weird on my back, (this is a little gross) I looked back and saw that a bird had pooped on me and the ‘stuff,’ was now covering the RCP’s logo that was on the back of my company t-shirt. I couldn’t help but laugh, the last time a bird ‘expressed,’ themselves on me, I was in my first semester of college, unhappy, at an engineering major picnic, debating if I should stay and stick it out, or transfer to OU and pursue the science/medical field. Those birds didn’t make my decisions for me, but I feel like they may have summed up how I was feeling, but had trouble admitting to myself.
Last Friday I was sworn in and took the officer oath.
No, the Air Force hasn’t decided to change its colors to purple. I was sworn in by Lieutenant York, a 3rd year student at the college who also happens to be a proud Kansas State alum (KSU is doing pretty well this year in basketball).
Thank you all for your encouragement and support throughout my application process. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to and we’re very excited about our future.
A small break from the usual blogger, Bob will now be filling in for Becky until April. I apologize for the break in Disney themed blog entry titles, Becky is awfully busy with her National Board Certification work and I’m afraid I’m just not that well versed in Disney Literature.
This entry was inspired by a recent visit to the website:
If you don’t feel like clicking on the link, I’ll just tell you that Tarahumara’s of Norman is the number 1 ranked restaurant in the OKC metro. While I was happy to see a Norman restaurant in the number 1 ranking, I was a little un-eased seeing that it was Tarahumara’s.
I should start by saying most of my pre-college memories where I was first introduced to Mexican cuisine come from a medium for Oklahoma sized town of Bartlesville. We really only had two Tex-Mex restaurants. One called Monterey’s and the other called Alfredo’s. Two years after I graduated the owners of Alfredo’s were arrested by the FBI on money laundering charges (no joke). People at church joked, “Oh that must have been why their food tasted so good,” I never got the joke, because I thought their food sucked. Monterey’s on the other hand was pretty good for a medium sized town Tex-Mex. The rice wasn’t dry and they had just enough spice to satisfy my taste. I mention Monterey’s (I think there’s three locations in Tulsa now) to say “I’ve had some decent Tex-Mex to compare to.”
So back to Tarahumara’s, to be fair, the last time I ate there was maybe 5-6 years ago, so maybe their recipes have changed, maybe my taste buds have matured, I don’t know, I just remember the last time I ate there thinking, “well, I guess this is ‘okay,’ Tex-Mex for Norman, man, I wish Monterey’s would opened up here.” Are they getting more hype than deserved because where else are you going to go in Norman for Mexican food? Or is my judgment too quick and too harsh for someone who hasn’t been back to Norman recently?
To be constructive, here’s a small list of some of our favorite places to eat for South OKC:
-Belle IsleBrewery*
-Lemongrass Asian Bistro
-Alvarado’s Mexican grill
-Bricktown Brewery*
-Sodapop’s (Not Pop’s, although Pop’s is good)
-Papa Murphy’s Pizza
-Dan McGuiness Irish Pub
-Louie’s
*I know, these are north of I-40 but I think they’re still worth the drive
I do think the great majority of the restaurants listed in the top 100 belong on that list, and if we haven’t been to one of them, it’s on our ‘to-visit,’ list.
Sometimes I like to talk big. All school year I've been saying how whenever we have our ice storm I will use that time to sit down and do some serious writing for national board. Sounds like a grand plan, however, when there's laundry to do and the husband is home too, it's harder to put your nose to the grindstone. Well, tomorrow I'll be home alone for about eight hours and all of the laundry is done, so we'll see how much writing I get finished. Also here are some pictures I took while I was NOT working on my portfolio.
Although it is a bit delayed. Happy 2010! We are very excited about the coming year and I will mention all of what that will entail at the end of the post. First things first.
I thought I would take this moment to catch everybody up on our Christmas festivities.
The grand total count of Christmas gatherings with family was supposed to be 4.
Christmas #1 Should have been on Christmas Eve at my grandmother's house, however as most people know there was a massive blizzard in the OKC metro that day, so that party was canceled. Luckily, my sister and I visited my grandmother the day before and brought her these lovely flowers.
Christmas #2 We went out on Christmas day and drove through roads that for the most part have not seen a snow plow. We had Christmas day at my parent's house. We had a fun time and got to play with my nieces and we ate yummy food. Christmas #3 We met up with my husband's family at the Great Cedar Lodge near Branson, MO. We left the day after Christmas. We got to see Silver Dollar City, the new shopping area called the Landing, and we just relaxed and ate wonderful food.
Eating some s'mores
Mother and Son
The fun ones!
Christmas #4 We went to my brother's house on the 2nd day of the new year. This is usually when my dad gets to have Christmas with all four of his children plus grandchildren. We had drawn names to exchange gifts, and of course enjoyed some more wonderful food. So now that the new year is here we still have a lot to do!
Did you hear up above that we enjoyed lots of wonderful food? Well, now we think we should probably cut back a bit and get our bodies into better shape. We'll see how that goes. Getting into smaller clothes is always a good motivator for me, we'll see what motivates the hubby! Here is something we purchased to help motivate us. Also, I am now into the more intense part of applying for national certification. All of my portfolio/videos must be post marked by March 31st. As a result, I will continue to neglect our blog for a while. Hopefully I can get back into it come April. Until next time...
