OSU

This class for Stillwater is a directed reading so there is no definite time frame for it. I wanted to get 6 more credits in Social foundations because when I get my degree, then I will be able to teach it in college. One of the guys in class is moving to Chicago on Saturday so the prof wanted to have as much class time with him before he goes. So I am going back to Stillwater on Friday morning from 10-noon. Hey, I'll pick up a Hideaway pizza on the way home.

We still haven't heard from Amber, but I think that is probably a good sign.

Hope you are all well,
mommy

Updates

Rick is quite thrilled because he called someone in San Antonio and it seems that Amber made the "Band Flight" in boot camp. That means she tried out and was accepted to join the band that will perform at the graduation. It also gives her a leg up on being permanently assigned to the AF band. I am glad to hear this because I think it will give Amber extra motivation that she needs to stick this through.

-Mike is what???? Beth said that Mike wants a motorcycle! Of course I get worried about safety because no one looks out for 'cycles. Just be careful!!!

- Everything else is going well.

Geocaching

Rick and I were going out on out hunting adventure and I went upstairs to tell Katie we were going geocaching. When I got downstairs my cellphone rang and it was Katie (yes...we call each other when we are in the house) asking "What is that geocaching thing?" It occurred to me that Rick and I have been doing this but haven't told you kids about it. Like Rick said, it's like high tech "hide and go seek" for nerds. I have attached a link.

http://www.geocaching.com/

He got into this when he bought his GPS for hiking. Basically, people hide a little container with a log in it, and then record the satellite coordinates. Then they are posted on the web. We download the coordinates and then go hunting. There are over 400 hides in Shawnee and most of them are within bicycling distance of the Airport. So that's mostly what we do. Go to the Airport, and then ride the bikes through town finding these caches. They are mostly little tubes with a signature log and sometimes a trinket or so: Take one...leave one.

It's kind of Rick's thing, but I love getting outside, riding the bikes and getting some sun.

Happy Friday the 13th!

I am not sure if Beth has your addresses for updates to her blog, but she posted about the wildfires in North Carolina. I found this link to it:

http://www.dfr.state.nc.us/fire_control/current_fires.htm

-Also, she love her new Siamese kitty! She is discovering what AJ knew a long time ago...that 'Meses love attention!

-Update on this weekend...Rick has a Flag Day celebration at the Elks and I am going to go and play Jackie O for a little bit.

-Beth ...have you updated your Barbie wish list?

-I have gotten through the majority of my Review of Lit. (Chapter Two of the dissertation) and am pleased with the work so far. My IRB for permission to interview is still in holding, but I should have it by the end of June. I think I am going to shoot for a May '09 graduation date.

-Love you all...mommy

New Things

Hey all,

-Katie had her first big battle with heavy OKC traffic yesterday and made it through. I think there is a badge or something she gets now. I guess she really is all grown up.

-We haven't heard any more from Amber, but Rick has been sending letters. Hopefully, we will get one in return soon.

-Where are pictures of Kokopelli??? I want lots of pics!

-Flogging Molly will be performing in Charlotte, N.C. on Sept 21. Anytime they can be seen live in concert GO!!! They have a fantastic performance. Of course, it helps if you are besodden with a few car bombs first :p

Black Horse

I guess Mike and Beth don't have internet as of yet, but they signed all the papers and should be comfy, cozy in their new house in the Black Horse Estates! It's a nice little cottage type thing, barely room for the two of them and three and a half million Barbies!

The Popular kids

In case you all missed the memo, Beth has a new blog! A list of blogs is located at the very bottom of my page you can access them there.

-Kate has been in communicato for a few days, but it is not her fault. It's AJ's fault! He re-subscribed to World of Warcraft. She can resist anything but temptation. But she is going to Red Lobster for the test for employment.

-North Carolina has a heat advisory today and we have so much rain that the main building at Tinker is flooding! The world is a crazy place.

The tide is high

-Just in the middle of my hot, luxurious shower when Rick comes in and informs me that the shower has a major leak that is dumping the water directly under the house. So that may be the whole problem. Until it dries enough to crawl under there, the shower in the master bath is "closed for construction". Thanks for scrubbing out the other shower, Katie!

-"That Mr. Darby Payne person", as Mrs. Zimmerman from OSSM so fondly identifies him, is off to Colorado this week to visit relatives. Hopefully, it is cooler there than it is here. Although, it seems to be akin to a Third World Nation as they do not have Internet access!!! Can you imagine? What the heck is one supposed to do? Talk to your family? Hope you are having a good time Darby.

To the moon

I just noticed the mileage on my running log for the year: 416 miles I have covered since January 1st. I had set my year's goal for 900 miles, but I think I am going to try and shoot for 1,000. You guys didn't know your fat, old mom had it in her, did ya? My lifetime miles of running, walking, swimming, and bicycling are at 6,523. It's 24,000 around the world and 248,000 to the moon. Maybe I can make it around the world before the end.

-Yesterday, Rick bought a sub-pump to start getting the lake out from under the master bathroom. We have had a leak there for quite some time and I was afraid it was going to damage the foundation. The first step is to get all the standing water out. The second step is to get the snake colony dispersed (Good luck, honey). Then find the leak and fix it! Pretty straight forward, just icky stuff.

-Katie was called back for the pre-test at Red Lobster 15 minutes after she gave her application. She will go in tomorrow for that.

Hope you are all at peace.

mommy

Kokopelli

Here is the new addition to Beth and Mike's home...when they move into the new home, that is. Isn't she adorable! I told Beth that now she has a Koko and I have the Keiko.

Boredom

Katie told me she was bored and I guess I am too. I have a "to-do" list and the hightlight includes scooping the kitty litter. The good thing is that I am finally able to relax and let go of a lot of stress from school. After such pressure and frustration, it's hard to adjust to getting my life back to normal. This year has to better than last. I am still working on my review of literature for the dissertation.

Amber posted a comment on a previous post of mine and I went to her site. You might want to read it. Especially you Katie.

http://www.blogger.com/profile/14318340302117082133

I think you can find it here. I am still learning this website. Go all the way down to the blog that says "Sayman says"

-Beth...what about the cat????

-I found a really cool stress reducing excercise that was written on the back of an Ambien CR advertisement. I wrote it from some conference or other, but I can't remember. I think it's a good thing to remember.

It's called the 3 minute warning:

When you feel stressed or frustrated, take 3 minutes;
Sit down, breathe slowly, and ask yourself, "What is really going on? What do I need right now, and whom do I need it from? What is the kindest thing I could do for myself right now?"

Unfortunately, I suspect that the answer to the last question will always be a hot fudge sundae, but nonetheless, it seems like a good exercise.

Katie's E-mail

Kate can not check her OSSM email at the house. They are going to cut it off anyhow. So if you want to send her anything it needs to go through her hotmail address.

Also...Beth wants to adopt a cat. Yes... CAT! It's a cute little thing from a kill shelter. I guess LeeLoo won her heart!

Doctors

Hey guys,

Beth just sent me an e-mail obituary for Beto Jacinto. He was Lizzie's older brother. We had been to his house a few times when we lived there.

For those of you who want to know - I LOVE my new gyno. She is a woman and actually listens to me. She did not suggest that I "just get over it" when I told her that I was depressed and moody, but said that these symptoms are very common for peri-menopausal women. It's actually like going through puberty all over again. (Isn't getting old fun???)

She thought it would be better to try a birth control pills as a first options, for these emotional symptoms. It's called Yaz. Beth - if you know anything horrible about them, let me know. She said surgery should be the last option and wants to see me in 2-3 months to see how I am doing.

Anaheim

I brought up the trip to Anaheim, CA yesterday and Katie was astonished. I guess I hadn't told her about it. Hence the importance of the blog! I thought I told her, but it must have been Keiko. The Elks National Convention is in Anaheim, CA this year and since Rick is the Grand Pooba of the lodge, he needs to attend. So the Shawnee Elks got our hotel, air tickets, and money for food to get out there and watch middle age white men drink themselves stupid. Hey, beats sitting around the house scooping kitty litter.

Rick planned a day trip to two different lighthouses! Let's see how they compare to Hatteras. The dates are: We fly out Saturday morning on AA, July 5th and will return Thursday evening July 10th.

Remember, I start back to school on Beth's birthday, August 7th. (Why do they start school so stinking early).

Kate- You have a dentist appointment Monday June 16th at 11:00 A.M.

Hope you are all well and happy. Good luck in school today AJ!

Pics - I am still figuring out how to do pics

June Already?

I have a feeling the rest of this summer is going to fly right by us, so we are going to have a great one before Katie leaves for the Windy City!

Here's an update on reality - Amber is scheduled to take her drivers' test at 1:30 today and then Rick will take her to Midwest City to the recruiting station at 5:00 P.M. She will spend the night in a hotel in OKC and then go to MEPS tomorrow for the intake stuff for the AF. She will then be flown to San Antonio to begin boot camp tomorrow afternoon. BTW - she has never been in an airplane before. As of now, she is scheduled to graduate from boot camp on Friday, July 18th. We will be going to San Antonio, so if any one wants to go with us, let me know so I can get the hotel rooms.

Beth and Mike made it home at about 8:00 P.M. our time and they didn't have to get off the plane because it was on fire or anything! See...American Airlines isn't so bad!

I have my drs. appointment tomorrow morning at 10:00 A.M. in north OKC. Hopefully, I can get some direction on what is needed.

I have my first summer class in Stillwater on Friday (I think), but then it meets every Tuesday after that. It is supposed to be an afternoon class.

I think that's it for now.
love you all

Money

Oh yes Beth...one more thing. I will have the $20.00 AJ borrowed from Mike in the Care Package. I'm sorry I forgot while you were here.

Leaving

I was a little heartsick after leaving Beth and Mike off at the airport, but AJ was in the car with me and I didn't want him to have to witness his mommy falling apart. But then I went into my bathroom at home at found the can of Gillette shaving cream tat Mike borrowed from AJ and I started crying. I really miss you guys. I am sorry that we are so far away from each other, but that is what children do. I went away from my mother too. At least we are such an advanced technological age that we can have instant communication with little to no cost. We are very blessed for that.

Beth- I know that AJ is going to send you a care package (Well, I'll go to the PO to mail it) and I forgot that Janettee Oke book. It's called "The Measure of a Heart" It's listed as the last book in the Women of the West series. I don't know if I have any more of them or not. I will look if you don't have them. Some of the titles are "The Calling of Emily Evans" and "Julia's Last Hope".

Mike- Thanks for helping me set up this blog so my kids know EVERY detail of my life. (Keiko doesn't really care...she pretends to, but I know she doesn't) And thank you for taking such terrific pictures. You have a great camera.

Rick is out taking Amber driving for her license tomorrow. It would be god for her to have it.

Okay...I am going to get busy and clean things. It always makes me feel better.

I love you all.