Friday, November 3, 2023

October 2023

 

  • "My beloved October has returned—with its brilliant colors, cool temperatures and sunny, cloudless, azure skies, and I must enjoy it before it escapes for another year." — Peggy Toney Horton, Somewhere in Heaven My Mother Is Smiling
  • Whew! October was ... something! 31 long days.  The middle of the semester trudge were there are more test and quizzes and less free time.  They time where one day you are wearing a tank top and the next a winter coat and gloves.  And for us, a time of unrest.  The events of the month were most turbulent for me, but as the mom is trickledown to everyone else as well.  We weathered the storm and are looing forward to the end of the year with its' holidays, celebrations, and promises of a new year.

  • Edmond North started basketball practice

    Jasper turned 3

    Mom got a flu shot at work

    AND FINN TURNED TWELVE!

I won a fun award at work


Homecoming for Edmond North Football - the Basketball Boys made a float for the parade! And Jake found the camera in the stands at Volleyball!


 


Shortly after we left the football game just before half time on Friday night (the 6th), I started not felling well, and it all went downhill fast from there.  Went to the closest ER about 11, was transferred to a larger hospital by ambulance abut 1am, and was in surgery around noon on Saturday.  My appendix was not loving life and decided to revolt!  I was released Sunday evening to go home and heal.  The next several days are all a blur of pain and sleep and feeling useless.

 


Slowing feeling better, but then I made a bad choice...

Thursday night, the 12th, my mom was being honored at a community dinner for her 33 years of service to the Oklahoma Community Credit Union.  I had said for MONTHS I was going to this event.  I am glad I went - but going to Stillwater, going to the event, and going back to Edmond were TOO MUCH!  Glad I got some pics and made some memories, even more glad to be home and back in bed for a few days!


Proud of you, Mom!


Finn was honored at his Middle School with a Cougar CafĂ© (the Cafeteria) Honor award for respect.  We are SO PROUD of him!




Britt and I went to Oklahoma Christian University to hear the Author of "Killer of the Flower Moon" speak - we still haven't seen the movie!


I got to be a model for my cousin's t-shirt shop in Texas



And the move to our new office got real when we went to measure for desks and the way finding signs were already there!  Time to pack!

On Fall Break, Jake and some of his buddies went to a weekend Church Camp at Canyon Creek in Hinton, OK called Celebration.
Pre-Camp

Post Camp!

During Homecoming week I packed my office...

---and got to spend time on Library Lawn looking at the sign competition entries with my Lara Bug!

Central Oklahoma was treated to a gorgeous and bright double rainbow!

My desk was assembled in my new space

And the GMC ran out of gas on a hill and had to be towed home. :(


BUT WE MADE IT TO OSU HOMECOMING WALKAROUND!








Next up - Halloween...

Jake went to a party as a zombie basketball player


Finn made some Fortnite gun out of Mountain Dew Code Red cans and hot glue

And we got Jake's basketball pictures back!
JUNIOR YEAR LOADING!


Britt and his work crew were Willy Wonka and the Oompa Loompas




Finn wore Jake's old chicken costume and went TorT'ing with his neighborhood friends!
(They all meet at 6:30am for the bus everyday to take them to the middle school!)

WHEW!  It was a long month, but it went fast.  I still don't think I have full recovered... We are looking forward to November and basketball season starting, and thinking about how dark and cold it will be at 6:30am for the next few months!

Reading was very much on the back burner in October.  I spent a week in bed and another week seeping every minute  wasn't as work.  But, I got in one audio book, the Book Club read, and a short seminal piece of feminist literature.  Weird grouping, but I am always learning!






"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman 

"The Things We Leave Unfinished" by Rebecca Yarros 

"Nightbitch" by Rachel Yoder (Book Club Choice)

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Sunday, October 1, 2023

September 2023

 

  • "By all these lovely tokens, September days are here. With summer's best of weather and autumn's best of cheer." - Helen Hunt Jackson
  • September snuck up on me, wore me out, and left me in a daze!  I wasn't ready, but I guess it didn't matter because it was over so quickly.  Unfortunately, here in Oklahoma, it was HOT HOT HOT - hot as it has ever been this summer.  The allergies were driving us all insane, and Covid seemed to rear its ugly head - especially for my Stillwater contingent. Several coworkers and one Weaver child suffered.  About the time we really got into the rhythm of back to school, our schedules had settled in and things were getting a "normal" feel, we added all kinds of events to our calendar, and the busy was back with a vengeance!  For me, work was insane.  Our tiny little, brand-new department of 2 years ago has now surpassed the work capacity of the 3.5 of us, and we are desperately needing more space, more staff, and WAY more sleep!  Everyone is burnt out, taking vacation and sick days just to stay above water, and looking forward to the rest of the fall as we plan for big changes.  And oh boy!   October and November are RIPE with change and anticipation for all of us.  But let's look back on September.  A month of change, promise, and activity.
  • We started off the month with a few activities here and there - with it being so early in the school year we were definitely just getting started!

  • The first thing we did was celebrate Austin's birthday!

    Britt and I had a little day date and explored downtown Guthrie

     
    Then we met up with the kids and had dinner at Mexico Joe's!  Who would've ever thought Stillwater would be our "meeting point!?!"
  • Another gorgeous Oklahoma sunset between Stillwater and Gurhtire
  • Jake dressed up for a "red white & blue" day

    Mom's home office got a little update

    Emma - living her prairie princess dreams and learned how to "dump on the go" while helping Austin with the harvest work

    We got to dog-sit Evie while Lara and her friends went to Dallas for a concern (where she caught covid and missed a week of work upon her return!)

    Jake and his buds got some love from the camera at the first home football game for the Edmond North Huskies - the night before he took the ACT...

    I presented at a conference on the OSU Campus

     

    And Britt and I had a little date night to see Scotty McCreery at the McKnight Center in Stillwater!

    Finn missed TWO days of school because we were worried he was sick -luckily, just allergies!

    Finn did a thing - PART 1 - bottom braces!


     
    He made me hold his hand the whole time!
  • GREAT job, Finn!


  • Official 2023-24 School pictures!  Jake (16), 11th grade, North; Finn (11) 6th grade, Sequoyah

    Jake and his team having team dinner the week before official practice starts
    Corn Hole WINNER
    And playing volleyball with his buddies in the STUCO Sand Volleyball tournament
      


  • Jake received a pretty remarkable "write-up" from NXTPRO Hoops after a Wednesday practice in late September...  Only up from here!

    Emma and Lara sent this pic from the funeral of a friend.  So sad when a young person dies well before their time, but the circumstances of this event were even more devastating. So glad they have each other to lean on.


    Jake - out the door for his FIRST JOB EVER!  Working the ball fields for EYSA - gate, concessions, trash, chalking assistant - all the fun things!

  • And now it is ON TO OCTOBER!  The real fun begins!!!!
  • Reading was again hard to find time for in September.  But, I got 4 read this month and was glad I did!  Our book club book was a fun one, with mixed reviews, and we all had a different "epilogue" to share!  That's always fun.


  • "The Last Thing He Told Me" by Laura Dune

    "Small Town Girl" by LaVyrle Spencer 

    "The Christie Affair" by Nine de Gramont (Book Club Choice)

    "Counting the Cost: A Memoir" by Jill Duggar

    Find me on GoodReads:


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