The Story of Us

On this day, three years ago, I married my best friend, my soul mate. The one I tell all my secrets to, cuddle with, laugh with, and live to see each morning. Even though we have been together for six years and eight months (yes, I still keep track!) I still find him as amazing as I did as a lowly first year RA at Oregon State.

(Taken a week after we got together! I was 19! And much skinnier. We hadn't even kissed! I think I surprised him by kissing his cheek!)

I had the BIGGEST crush on Jason since that fall. I had met him the year before through one of his best friends (whom I was dating, shhh!) and thought he was hot then. He had olive skin, bright green eyes and was the best dancer I had EVER seen :) He was confident (maybe overly!), smart and kind. We became friends during RA training because our staffs were close and worked together.

I would call my mom to tell her about my crush. I wrote journal entry after journal entry about him, praying to PLEEEASE not like him, praying for contentedness, praying about whether he was the one, my future husband. I liked him so much, but didn't think he liked me in "that way" by any means. Jason Furgison could have any girl he wanted! Why would he want me? I was a total dork! I prayed that God would help me get over him, or somehow open that window for us to become more than just friends.

Thankfully, I had some very good buddies (Chelsea and Tony!) who knew my heart's desire and tried to make it abundantly clear to Jason that I had a thing for him. They asked him what he thought about me, and he said, "Katie? She is gorgeous!" My friend Tony hinted that he should ask me out to coffee and J (always dense) replied "Why?" I think my friend Chelsea was about to hit him over the head with a textbook (that is what we carried around back in the day). Finally he got the message. Later he would tell me that HE didn't think he had a chance with ME!

Our other good friends, Brandon and Tarek, were planning a group get-away to Sunriver the next weekend. Brandon and Tarek made a plan to MAKE SURE Jason was going, so that we could spend time together. To make a long story short, Jason took care of me the whole weekend (I was super sick, including car sick), we watched movies, talked all night and in general got to know each other on a much deeper level. I remember sitting next to him in the hot tub and his leg brushed mine. In my head I was screaming, "OMG, JasonFurgison's leg TOUCHED mine!" My girlfriends and I threw intense knowing looks at each other. It was love.

(By the way, we did always refer to him as JasonFurgison. Because we had another Jayson in our crowd, it was always, "JasonFurgison did this, JasonFurgison is so hot, JasonFurgison, JasonFurgison." One name. No fingerspace).

We had a rough couple of first months. Jason took an internship in Medford spring term and I missed him terribly. My last boyfriend had left my heart in bad shape and I don't think I was anywhere enough healed or completely over him. It was a bad situation. In all honesty, I probably should not have been in any sort of relationship until I worked out my issues, but God has His own timing and purposes, and I truly believe that He sent me Jason to help pull me out from a hole I just didn't have the strength to get out of on my own. I don't know if I ever would have healed had he not sent me such a patient, understanding, non-judgmental man, who is the best communicator and listener. Jason encouraged me, he loved me, he accepted me right where I was. More than anything, he prayed for me fervently and fiercely. He fought the battle for my heart, and he won.

Through the years, it is Jason who has always supported me and pushed me to discover who I am. He encouraged me to go back to school, to follow my dreams, to pursue higher education just for the education, for the learning and stimulation. He has held me through the deaths of dogs and family members, laughed with me at my family and my students, indulged my craziness, and protected me from anyone who hurt my heart. There is nothing about me that he does not know .... and he loves me anyway. He makes me a better person just by being around him. All that is wrong with me is right with him, and someday, I hope to be half of the person of character and integrity that he is.

Now, as my husband sits in the next room, dutifully studying o-chem after working all day to keep me fat and happy, I am excited for the rest of our lives together. Not excited for medical school necessarily, but happy that for once, I am going to be able to give him at least some of the support and encouragement that he has given me. For once, in these coming years, it will be my turn to push him, pray for him, help him achieve his dreams. I want to be the wife he deserves. I want to give him the children he desires and needs and should have the chance to raise. I want to make him proud that this is his life.

God, thank you for my husband. He is more, waaay more, than I have ever asked, prayed for or deserved.

If these walls could talk...

In my family, we have three thousand dogs. Well, not really that many, but it feels like it sometimes! When I am at my parents, it is usually Woody, Duke, Maddie, Diesel and my sister's cat Poppa-C who acts like a dog and all the dogs are obsessed with. Anyway.

Duke doesn't like Diesel.

Cannot stress this enough.

Duke is HIGHLY IRRITATED by Diesel.

Probably because precious Diesel snorts like a pig and Duke always thinks he is growling. Diesel cannot help it, he has squished respiratory turbinates in his nose and can't breathe. Duke does not like the noises he makes. And instead of feeling bad for Diesel because he has this disability, Duke is a punk and will regularly attack Diesel for no reason.

Last night I was at my parents (Jason had a guys' weekend in Crooked River, but that's another story!) We were talking about nothing (well, FOOTBALL) and I decided to sneakily record the convo on my dad's iPod because my mom most of the time is hilarious and says really blunt and funny things. I was hoping to catch one of these inappropriate comments when Laura let Diesel in from outside (I guess my dad trapped him out there accidentally). When Diesel came in, Duke attacked him. It was a fiasco - all recorded on my dad's iPod. LOL. Here it is. I put it to pictures of the perpetrators :)

Enjoy.

P.S. My mom is NOT hitting Duke-Jason when you hear those smacks in the background. She is clapping at him, as if he cares. Also, Duke didn't actually do any harm to Diesel (he never does...)

Welcome to ME

I was depressed after that Brooke Wilberger post, so here is funny photo my dad sent me. It was taken last Thanksgiving at my parents', almost a year ago. It always cheers me up to see pictures of my dogs, and this photo basically sums up my family. A thousand dogs, my dad sleeping, Woody draped all over him, and me in my pajamas and boots. It also captures the personality of each dog perfectly. Diesel is alert and curious, such a good boy. Madison NEVER stops searching for birds to contribute to our supper - there is no relaxing for her. Woody is a beached manatee. Duke just looks irritated and slightly depressed (he hates being the "biggest brother!")


I know, I dress like a kinder.

Peace

They finally found the remains of Brooke Wilberger today. For those of you who live outside of Oregon, Brooke was the woman abducted May 24th, 2004 in Corvallis, Oregon right outside of the Oregon State University campus. I lived about two blocks from where it happened, and my husband was literally walking right by there when she was taken.

Today, over five years later, they have finally found her body. Some psycho took her at knife point and raped and killed her. While they have had him in custody for a while now (he tried to abduct and rape another girl in New Mexico but she got away and was able to identify him - they found Brooke's DNA in his van) the bastard has refused to disclose the whereabouts of the body until now. He made a deal to tell what happened and where he left her to get out of the death penalty.

I have mixed emotions. I have thought about Brooke often since she was abducted. She was beautiful, young, a college student, she had a family and a boyfriend. I knew Brooke was dead, but the whole situation was so close to home. I thought often "That could have been ME..." It could have been one of my friends. It happened on my campus, next to where I live. The next year, I moved into the apartment building next to where she was abducted. Since that day, I have always been more cautious, more aware, and also more afraid. I have run images over and over in my mind - how would I react, how would I fight back, if it HAD been me, if it ever IS me. My parents' best friend is a homicide detective, and he schooled me well on how to react if someone tries to abduct me, so I have imagined repeatedly what I would do.

I am glad she is finally found. Now her family truly knows what happened to her and can experience closure.

Brooke, if you can read up in Heaven, if you listen to prayers sent up for you, I hope you finally find peace. I pray that God is holding you in His arms, comforting you, and that you are experiencing joy beyond what you ever knew in your earthly life. Know that hundreds of people have cared about your story, and will continue to remember you. Rest in Peace.

Fatigued

I am so exhausted.

Like EXHAUSTED.

This is how I feel...


I get fatigued going up the stairs, walking the dogs, doing simple tasks such as chopping veggies.

I am even too tired to blog, and that is just not right.

I think Jason is getting very irritated with me but I am really, really tired and I am really trying to get over it. Some days are worse than others.

I wonder if I am just unmotivated or depressed or what. I seem to have more energy when I get up to go teach, but I really have been struggling the other days to do much. I do drink coffee on school days, maybe that is the solution. This Saturday I seriously thought I was going to pass out, I could hardly keep my eyes open.

And no, I don't think I am pregnant.

Teaching Tidbit

So, one of my kids licked another one of my kids today. At circle time. Who does that?

You've got a HOT BOD

So, as some of you know, McSexy started P90X this week. He is doing the full meal deal, meaning he is following the nutrition plan as well as doing each workout diligently (so far) as laid out in the program.

What do I think about it? P90X is the real thing. J has already shown improvement in muscle gain and fat loss after ONE WEEK. The workouts are challenging and diverse enough to stress all muscle groups. There is a cardio and flexibility element as well (several cardio and yoga dvds) so this really is a workout system for people who want to increase their overall fitness. It is definitely not a bodybuilder's workout, but that is not what he wanted. From a triathlete standpoint, I think that the P90X workout would benefit me (and other racers) immensely by promoting all around fitness, but you would still have to supplement with traditional swims, bikes and runs (obviously). So far, there is nothing I can see about P90X that is negative. The trainer, Tony Horton, really knows his stuff - he is motivating, gives adaptations for all fitness levels, and stresses proper form and knowing your own body. This system is about as close to having a personal trainer as you can get outside of the gym.

The nutrition plan is basically just clean eating and is right on as well. This is the part McSexy struggles with. He has always been athletic, but I don't think he was given the best nutrition habits early on, and he has a massive sweet tooth (and pizza tooth!). He is doing very well, but it definitely takes a long time for tastebuds to adjust to no sugar or fatty foods. But, as I always tell everyone, the way your body looks is 75% what you eat and 25% what you do in the gym, and the P90X system makes no exceptions - if you don't eat clean, you won't see extreme results. God, why did you have to make Chevy's?

I want to start doing it with Jason, I just need to get motivated. I had to buy a new pair of jeans today, because my old ones are getting too tight to feel comfortable. This isn't so much the problem, I am not obsessed with my weight, but I really do not like feeling out of shape. I don't mind carrying around extra poundage as long as I am toned, strong and have muscle definition. Grad school ruined my fitness-nazi mindset, but I really need to get back into a regular schedule. I have so much more energy, my clothes fit better, and I feel better about myself when I am able to hit the gym four or five times a week. I don't plan on doing any triathlons next year, because I'll hopefully be pregnant or have a newborn, but I would like to be moderately fit going into this pregnancy, and I don't feel like I am. We will see. Working out at home is hard for me because I there is always things that need to be done (cleaning, organizing, cooking, etc) and it is hard for me to shut off my brain when I can see stuff piling up around me. That is why the gym works so well for me.

Anyway, "before" pictures of Jason to follow once I get them. Then I will post "after" pictures at the 90-day mark and let y'all know how we feel about it then!

Note: I forgot to mention that the P90X program is not really for people who are not used to working out or who are very out of shape. It is for people in moderate to excellent shape with some knowledge of weightlifting and appropriate form. It is HARD and it will kick your fanny! If this is you, if you are in average shape and have been working out moderately for a while, then I would definitely give it a go!

I'll leave you with this quote:

"The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials."

-Chinese Proverb

A new beginning!

School starts tomorrow! I am so excited to get into the swing of things but also nervous because it will be my first year with my own classroom! At least I have a few months to get into the swing of things! I co-teach until November, when another teacher goes on maternity leave until after Spring Break! My school is what I call high-demand. They expect ALOT of their teachers, and I hope I meet those expectations! I met alot of the parents tonight, both in my Kinder and Preschool rooms, and they are all so sweet and supportive. I knew some of them from last year, but not all. I love the ELC because they have such a strong community. If you would like to follow along with what we are up to in our classroom, you can check out the school website here. You can go on the blog page, and the first few months I'll be in Kinder. Click on Aja's blog. The second half of the year I will be taking over Laurel's class, so you can click on that link to see my preschoolers!

Being with the kiddos tonight really made me want a baby so bad. Those ovulation strips ran out with no indicator of ovulating! What does that mean? Does it mean that I didn't ovulate? Or that I ovulated late or am ovulating now? I am not someone who can handle delayed gratification very well. When I decide to do something, I want it to happen right away. So, the sooner I get pregnant, the better. Knowing God, though, He'll use this pregnancy thing as a way to make me grow in patience... Not my strong point!

I'll leave you with this cartoon, clearly and accurately illustrating the difference between me (the newbie) and old fogies who need to retire so the rest of my friends can get jobs! Enjoy!

P.S. Tomorrow will mark the return of Teaching Tidbits - the insightful, hilarious or just plain STRANGE things kids say!

Fall for your nails

I am into nail polish. I am not what you would call a super girly-girl, and certainly not high-maintenance, but I do enjoy getting dressed up and cute now and again. I strive to never become a frumpy wife (even when I have eight kids, five dogs and Jason is in residency). If you see me tending in that direction, feel free to hit me over the head with a pickle or something of that nature.

Anyway, I like to keep my nails painted, even though I chew them. Yum, yum, yum. I have just a few absolutely favorite fall polishes, one of which I haven't tried but it is going to come out soon. Watch for them on my stubby nails.

This is called Linkin Park After Dark by OPI. It is dark purple, almost black, but not black enough to scream Halloween. I tried a different version at first, because I couldn't find LPAD anywhere, and it just didn't look right. There is no substitute. This polish looks good on toes or fingers and is very sophisticated. When my sister first saw me wearing it, she screamed, "OMG, Katie, that is SOOO goth!" To lesser developed fashion minds, perhaps, but it looks fabulous with a suit.

The new "it" color this season is grey. This is called Opulent Cloud by Sally Hansen HD. It is has very subtle flecks of gold in it, so it looks good with all skin colors. This is the color I have been looking all over for, I even wrote the Sally Hansen people a harassing email. To no avail. When it comes out, please notice it on my nails and say something nice.

Here is another pretty purple that looks nothing like LPAD but is sophisticated none-the-less. Orly Close Your Eyes is something my sister could handle. I personally think of it as more of a pedicure color and that's what I have on my toesies right now. BTW, did you know that McSexy has a bit of a foot-fetish thing going on? The first thing he notices about a girl is her shoes, and he said he probably never would have dated me if I had had nasty looking feet. Some guys go for the boobelies, some for the bums - not my husband, he goes for toes. Is that weird? He'll probably end up in orthopedics or podiatry.

This is the best fall color of all time (besides LPAD, which is the very best color ever of all time). The picture doesn't do Orly Shimmering Mauve justice. It is a brownish, orange-ish color flecked with gold. It totally reminds me of Fall term at Oregon State, with all the gorgeous leaves on the trees lining the Quad. It is like someone scooped up all those leaves, crunched them up, squeezed out the color, and made this polish. Beautiful dark color for nails and fingers. I will be wearing this to the ELC's pumpkin patch field trip.

Hope these polishes get you as excited for fall as I am!

Teaching Tolerance

Whether McSexy and I are able to conceive naturally or not, we eventually hope to adopt internationally. I have always felt strongly called to adoption (since 4th grade, God has put adoption STRONGLY on my heart), as has my husband. We would love to adopt through my cousin Julie's adoption agency All God's Children International. Julie coordinates adoption with Ethiopia, and we would hope to adopt from there. As it is so important for self-esteem for children to see themselves or those that look like them reflected in art, I have been looking off and on for Black children's art. I also would like nursery decor for ALL of our children to reflect diversity. I found this website (Keisha's Kids) in Oprah's magazine, and fell in love. Here are some of the must haves for our nursery:

Keisha's Kids has cute wall art in retro style. Perfect to go along with Dick and Jane bedding if we go with that!

Tick tick tick! All girls love ballerinas and pink!

LOVE this rug! My daddy was a fireman, so I always have a soft spot for big, red engines in kid's rooms! Plus, the Dalmation driving the truck is TOO cute.

The site also has adorable growth charts. I am hoping that their selection grows even further with bedding, pillows (you know me and fabric!) and other accessories. Integrating multi-cultural images into your home, as well as talking openly and candidly with you child about race, is even more important when you consider this article from Newsweek. I found it through Teaching Tolerance, a group that discusses ways to promote and support diversity in the classroom. This article is worth a read for parents, teachers, grandparents or anyone who has a relationship with young children.

If anyone finds other retailers with multicultural, kid-friendly art, please let me know!

Icky Sicky Poo

Don't ask me how I got sick my last weekend before school starts. Oh wait! Duh. That's right. Nolan got sick HIS first week of school so in turn got ME sick this week. Awesome. I haven't been sick all summer thankfully, and now I am being reminded of the hazardous nature of being a schoolteacher. Strong immune system and ability to work while woozy should be in every teacher's job description.


I made Jason look up acupuncturists on our insurance and I will be making a call to one next week to try to nip this in the bud. I really can't do another year like last year where I was chronically sick with colds, the flu, and a host of other nasty bugs. I am hoping that a naturopathic doc can give me holistic ways to boost my health and maybe some herbal remedies and/or acupuncture to strengthen my immune system, which has never been that strong anyway. You would think after all these years of working with kids my immune system would figure out a way to get it together on it's own, but I don't think it is the quickest greyhound on the track and needs some nudging.

It was funny because I was at school today helping my friend and co-teacher Aja get the classroom ready for the kiddos. As I was leaving and moaning about my illness, I said, "I'm going to go home and make Jason wait on me hand and foot this weekend." Aja goes, "Um... How is that different from any other weekend?" Touche, Friend. You know me all too well :)

Santa Fe Chicken

This recipe is from my friend Shanda, who is the ultimate stay-at-home mom. She soars with Fly Lady (I sort of flop with Fly Lady) and is an expert meal planner. When I got married, one of the best gifts she gave me was a girl-to-girl talk on how to meal plan cheaply and easily. One recipe she gave me I still go to regularly (at least once or twice a month). There are two versions, vegetarian and non-vegetarian. I'll give you the vegetarian one that I made up and then mention how to change it for meat eaters....

Ingredients:
2 cans of black beans
1 can corn
1 cup salsa
1 bag of Morningstar chic'n strips (fake chicken, really yummy)
1 block of cream cheese

Directions:
Put all of ingredients except creme cheese in a crock pot. Cook for 1-2 hours on low (or since it is fake chicken, just until everything is heated through). Add a block of cream cheese and heat on low for an hour more.

Serve over brown rice, in tortillas or as a nacho topper. Delicious. I usually serve with a green salad or raw pepper strips to round out the Mexican theme. Jason loves this and it will feed the two of us at least two dinners and two lunches for the week, usually even more. It is cheap and goes a LONG way!

Carnivore Version:
Omit ONE can of beans and add four chicken breasts (better thawed but I have done it frozen and it works great! Anything that requires as little forethought as possible is my kind of meal!)

Put beans, corn, and 1/2 cup of the salsa in crock pot. Mix together. Arrange chicken on top and cover with other 1/2 cup salsa (sometimes I add more salsa to either version because I love salsa). Cook on low for FOUR hours. Add cream cheese and cook for another hour. Ta da! You are now a cook!

What is nice about this is that it is done in a crock pot. Set your timer and take off for work. The real chicken will shred into tiny pieces (you can help it along with a fork if needed).

Enjoy and let me know if you make it and how you like it!

Goodbye day, I hope to never see you again.

Today has been a wretched day. It started off well. I had training all day at my school - the first training being on how to meet the needs of children with autism, which was very applicable in that I will have a child with autism (two actually) in my class this year. We also had a creative movement training, which was a good workout for the body and the brain. My co-teacher and I did some awesome planning and took a trip to JoAnn's fabrics to gather classroom decorations (OMG - did I mention that I LOVE sparkly, shiny, luscious fabric?). I found out some weird, disconcerting news about work, but I also found out that my hours were going to be waaay better than I thought, so I was also happy about that. In general, a good Tuesday. The day was supposed to get better, as Jason and I are semi-remodeling our master bath and I was excited to do some painting.

Then, I check Facebook. A friend of my parents and I had gotten into it over the video I posted on MY page (the really gross one). She freaked out because she thought her business associates were going to see the video and be offended, even though this obviously was not the case, because her friends cannot see anything on my profile as it is set to private. However, she did comment on my video, which did link the video to her page. To make a very long story short, we got into it. I basically told her that SORRY, I can post what I want, when I want, and she didn't have to watch OR comment on the video. She somehow got the idiotic idea in her head that the guy in the video had some sort of blood born disease and was moaning about how it was inappropriate to post a video of someone with a blood born disease. WHAT? You have GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. It was a zit. At the WORST, a boil. My brother-in-law had the same thing, and pretty sure he ain't dead from no blood born disease. WTH? She went on and on about how employers could see my fb page, which they can't, because I blocked it from google and they have to be approved to see my account, blah blah blah. She basically went on and on rambling nonsense. End of story: I unfriended her. I don't want no crazies perusing my precious page. By the way: this is the same woman that got wasted at my wedding, and she is OFFENDED by a zit video that she never had to view in the FIRST PLACE? Please. I hate dumb people.

So TODAY the drama continued. I don't really want to discuss what happened on this blog, but it had to do with the aforementioned incident and my feelings were extremely hurt. So the day went downhill. I painted the bathroom, trying not to cry the entire freaking time, but fell onto the sharp metal part of the shower, got nagged at by Jason for missing spots, and clogged the bathtub trying to clean the brushes.

In addition, I am pretty sure I am ovulating, but the ovulation strips say NOTHING so I am very confused.



Whatever. Tomorrow will be a better day.

P.S. Sorry for the rant. I had to write it somewhere before I explode. Also, sorry for the abbreviated cuss words. The situation warrants every single one of them.