Monday, November 29, 2010

day 29: my momma

she brought me into this world
and i guarantee she could take me out...
meet my momma!


she is a teacher 
not only to me and my sister
but to her special ed class

my mom, sister, grandma and me at my undergrad graduation
it was very very windy!

she now lives in wichita, kansas
where she is the mother to five more children

lily being the youngest of the five

despite the distance 
and her new role as a mother to young children
she remains active and involved in jenny and mine's is life
she is a great mom 
and i am very thankful for her.

random thought but don't they have the same noses! 
never noticed it before! :)








Sunday, November 28, 2010

day 28: jenny

meet my sister jenny
she really does love me

jenny and i are 13 months 
and 1 day 
apart

let me tell you a little bit about jenny:

jenny is a dancer


she isn't afraid to try new looks


she is very loving

lily and jenny

she's a fighter


 she can make you laugh until you cry



she knows the value of 
sleepovers,
manicures,
harmless stalking,
hehe
the hills,
gym time, 
and girl talks.

she is my sister 
and my friend.

  my very cool sister!

love you jenny!








day 27: bedlam

bedlam

it never was a huge game in our household
that is 
until 2006

meet my cousin christina

and no i didn't photoshop pistol pete next to her or the cowboy shirt on her

we always knew christina was 
unique
special
gifted
we just didn't know she would choose osu
and i am SO glad she did!!

now bedlam means something
whether it's football
basketball
sometimes even baseball

it gives me an excuse to remind her she's family
and there is nothing she can do about it
regardless of the outcome of the game

now bedlam is a chance for a little friendly banter

i love my cousin
she is like a sister to me
and
 it's only fitting 
i guess 
that she went to osu
because her dad is an ostate alum
remember this picture from my blog about edsel
read about edsel {here}

now that bedlam 2010 is over 
we can go back to being a loving caring family again
hehe

i love you christina
 i am so thankful to call you my cousin
and i am very thankful you went to OSU!



day 26: black friday

you either love it
or don't go near it with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pool
and some people might call you a grinch 

kenneth and i love it
not for the deals and steals you get
but for the people watching that occurs

this year our first stop
and kenneth's only stop
was the bx

hot items: coach purses and no sale tax

after the bx i took kenneth home to sleep
and joined mimi to go to a few stores

first stop bass pro
it is probably the only store that i saw men giddy to be there!

the hot item ticket i stocked up on!

second stop:
jc penney
read my blog about mr penny {here}

and finally big lots for canned ham
which i am told is very difficult to find now a days.


although i didn't see crowds like this


or stand in lines like this


i did have a blast
(i got to go shopping with mimi which is always fun!)
and can't wait until next year!

what was your black friday find?









Friday, November 26, 2010

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

day 24: loooooong weekends

today i am thankful for long weekends

now don't get me wrong,
i enjoy my job very much

a picture of the outside of the veteran's center

my residents and their families bring me great joy
their stories are touching and genuine
i have a resident who has been married 71 years & still kisses his wife hello every time he sees her 

because of my job i have heard stories from WWII, korea, and vietnam
that's pretty cool!

but it's during these long weekends 
i recharge,
brainstorm,
problem solve

i enjoy my long weekends
they give me time to reflect and
make me appreciate my job just a little more.



day 23: unexpected visitors

while heading down to galveston to set sail 
we made an overnight stop in
woodlands, tx

it was here that we had some unexpected visitors!

you see,
kenneth's oldest sister, melinda, lives in the houston area 

here is the gang at our house earlier this year playing kenneth's favorite game
monopoly

so kenneth decided to give her a call

thankfully 
at a moments notice
melinda, paul, and their children were able to come visit us for the evening

paul is in the background, then ethan, morgan and leeann is leaning against kenneth

here i am blending in with the gang...
they need to stop growing!

it was really nice to see everyone 
even if it was for just an evening
hopefully we will see them again soon!

i think it's kinda cool ethan wants to wear a tuxedo jacket! he looks so dashing!




Monday, November 22, 2010

day 21:Zumba

 you know i was going to be thankful for it....

why am i thankful for zumba?
this could be a very long post

zumba allows you to work out without feeling like you are working out

music plays, 
your booty shakes,
and a hour later you are drenched in sweat,
and smiling

through zumba i have met some of the most amazing, kind, selfless people

LG's ladies at the thunder game

mrs julie kelly, my zes at  instructor training 

fellow oklahoma zumba instructors at a zumbathon

zumba has become a regular girls night for old friends to reconnect

a good ol' fashion becca sandwich

 honestly who doesn't love to dance?

all smiles here!

zumba = smiles

and tongues sticking out :)


and sweat drenched hair

but we are still smiling

more smiles!

check out a zumba class in your area
 i promise
 you will leave 
smiling
sweaty
and thinking
"when can i do this again?"

for fun
check out 
even they smile about zumba





Sunday, November 21, 2010

day 22: my father

51 years ago my father was born
and i must be thankful for him
because without him i wouldn't be here
hehe 
all joking aside, he is a great father


my father is a quiet man
he is a caring man
he is a fair man
he is remembered by my classmates as the mustache man 
he has raised two girls
which is no easy task mind you
to be successful adults



he is steadfast
if i ever need anything
i know who i can call
and he will try to fix it

he even smiles when he gets socks for christmas

he takes pride in being a dad
he never missed a basketball game,
golf tournament, 
piano recital,
dance recital,
softball game, 
band concert, 
choir concert,
or whatever event his girls were participating in.

dancing with my mimi 

he disciplined with a silent hand.
just ask my husband about the phone timer my father installed on the phones when i was younger.

showing off his inner child 

i am very blessed to call him daddy


happy birthday daddy!





day 20: sooner football

 because it's a saturday in november
today i am thankful for 
sooner football

i won't go into statistics about how great 
the university of oklahoma football's program is
(because we all know it is)

there is something more to sooner football
than statistics

when it's "football time in oklahoma" 
(or where ever they may be playing)
friends and family come together
in a sea of crimson and creme
with the same goal
to cheer on the sooners

during the four quarters of football though
memories are made
laughs are shared
families come together
friends reconnect

yes,
sooner football is so much more than statistics reflecting greatness
it's become a tradition 
that has molded a community


day 19: the art of procrastination

i come from a long line of procrastinators.


my fraternal grandfather
(bubba)
was a procrastinator
just ask my mimi


my father
is a procrastinator
don't believe me look in his garage or ask his wife

then there is me 
my name is rebecca and i am a procrastinator
they say admitting is the first step to recovery

and i married a procrastinator
might a say a very cute procrastinator

don't believe me 
let the photos be evidence:
ken's deployment bag in our closet. he returned from deployment in may.

one of two of our suitcases from our vacation that we returned from last sunday.
 it's still in our living room.

the box that has yet to be unpacked from our move in 2004 to colorado springs.
yes friends, this box has been moved 5 times and we have put off unpacking it.



why would someone be thankful for possessing the trait of procrastination?

procrastination give me
the ability to put things off until tomorrow and enjoy today 
allows me to be stress free today







day 18: chips & salsa

chips & salsa
the combination invites friends
invites conversation
invites laughs
the combinations makes memories


last night a group of zumba gals gathered at 
which happens to be an amazing mexican restaurant

chips and salsa greeted us
and the conversation flowed
laughter filled the air

it was an evening that i wish there was a pause button on life
if you could pause last night
one would see a group of beautiful women 
laughing so hard tears formed
sharing stories of motherhood, pets, work, everyday life.
and enjoying chips & salsa

yes, i am thankful for chips & salsa
we should all be so inviting.  

thank you lauri g for getting everyone together!

day 17: night shift

ken went back to mids last night
(mids=night shift)

most would not be thankful their spouse worked nights
and there are times when i hate it.

but last night 
as i was getting caught up on my dvr's
getting chores done around the house
and beginning to unpack from our vacation
i realized the blessings mid shift could be
sometimes it's just easier to get stuff done without help :)

and the best part of ken working mids....



breakfast in bed every morning