It is ORU mod time and that means…a blog!  I have to say for my non-Okie readers, we are having some amazing November weather. Gorgeous colors, sunshine, and 80 degrees.  Wow! It’s a shame I am stuck in doors for most of tomorrow judging at All-District band. (Just give me HS clarinets and it will be less miserable…please no MS or JH student auditions. YUCK!)  I’m going to the ECU/SEOSU game after all-district so the weather should be amazing for football.  I’m pretty sure Donnie’s team is going to come out with the win considering ECU has yet to win a game this season and they couldn’t even get the bon fire lit at the pep rally last night. 

I may be getting a roommate. I’m very excited because it is my dear, dear friend Esther.  She is trying to get admitted into ECU as an international student.  If all her paper-work goes through in the next few weeks and she can get a student visa, a little touch of Saipan/Philippines is coming to live with me.  I can make her an OSU fan; she can make me lumpia.  Talk about a deal!  So be praying things work out!  Speaking of the Philippines, the pinoy in me has really been coming out lately. I had wrapped Christmas presents before Halloween. (In all fairness, I needed to ship them off with friends traveling to Guam.)  While in Tulsa for class, I have found a Christmas music station—and it’s barely November!  I think it is awesome, but classmates, being the scrooges they are, believe it is too early. 

Less than three weekend until Thanksgiving! My favorite holiday--woohoo! I still haven't even started designing my Christmas cards yet, much less have them made, so I hope it is a very looooonnnnnngggggg three weeks. But with my Esther Bible study, revival, All-District, All-State Jazz, OSU/Tech game, giving a card workshop at the women's ministry meeting, and Little House on the Prairie the musical, I don't know when I'm going to have time to do it. 

Back to class. Oh boy.

The October Update

For four years I was a very faithful blogger, and for the last eighteen months I have been pittiful.  However, I recently discovered I had a new reader, so I resolved to become a more active blogger.  That was also two weeks ago, and I'm just getting around to an update. 

School is....going.  My band has placed in two of the three parades which is nice.  I still only have one family who hates me (as far as I know) which is extremely frustrated since I grew up knowing this family and use to worship in the same pew with them.  However, I figure God loves me and that's all that matters.  The most important thing to mention regarding my job is I GOT AN ASSISSTANT!!!  It is so wonderful to know that if I'm swamped with paper work, I have someone to rehearse the group. Or if I have someone who just can't get it [the music], he can help them.  I don't have to take class time to work on All-District music, James can do that.  I need a part written, just ask James.  Though I feel even more busy than before, more is being accomplished and perhaps in a couple of years I(rather the people with the money) will see the long term benefits.  This week I have served as band director/head cheff.  We had so much cheese left over from the hamburger fry that I told some kids if they bring bread I'll make grilled cheese sandwiches every day. Well, I think I have about a month's worth of cheese so we will eat grilled cheese until we can no longer stand the sight or smell of them.   

During the beginning of October, I made my trip to Tampa Bay, FL to the T-tapp Conference--which I won from an exercise contest. Yes, I said the words "I" and "exercise" in the same sentence.  Crazy, I know.  I figure I can't stay fat and lazy my whole life.  I was with two ladies I knew from my Stillwater church and then met a new really awesome lady that they already knew. We had a GREAT time!  It was also a much needed pre-fall-break from school.

This leads me to Fall Break.  My mother and I traveled down to Houston to see Even...oh, and my brother and his wife.  We did lots of shopping (Hobby Lobby, Mardel, Mall, IKEA) and I got a couple of pool sessions in.  The water was a little nippy, but I braved it as well as gave myself one more tan boost before the debths of winter settles upon us.  (And considering this is the coldest Oklahoma October on record, I fear the worst.)  Upon our arrival in Houston, I received a phone call from my principal in Saipan. He and his wife were doing a road trip visiting all the teachers currently living in the US, and was coming through my place on Saturday.  So, mom and I cut our trip a day short and headed back from Houston on Saturday.  I had a great time with Butch & Joyce (principal & wife) and was pleased to know that their road trip was inspired by my Spring Break Wild West Redneck Roadtrip to where I stopped in at their Washington home.  (see post last March for more details)

This week has been rather grim in the family. My grandmother became gravely ill and has spent the last week in ICU or the Critical Care Unit.  The prognosis is still extremely severe. Mom has been in T-town all week long and I came up on Friday after school. I brought dinner for the family (and we are talking---FAMILY---many people) and I believe it was a descent success.  Taco soup has yet to fail me. Heck, even Chief asked for seconds when he had it.  The highlight has been hanging with the cousins. I got to see Tabby's new baby at 7 weeks instead of the 12 I was expected, so that was awesome.  Then there were all the other cousins as well. I also realized how extremely odd my family is---but if I went into that scenerio I'm pretty sure I'd lose the few readers I might still have left. 

Today, Tabby & I rode with Debbie to her home in Southeast OK so she could get more medicine from her house and some more clothes and a coat.  We did a side trip to Runes State Park which was absolutely gorgeous. I got some GREAT tree pictures.  I had already planned to go visit my aunt and uncle and do the whole Talamina Drive/Rober's Cave State Park/Runes State Park/etc.  I was pleasently surprised I still got to do a smidge of the trip.  (This was my last free weekend until December 11th...I had to do something!) 

Well, that should have brought you up to date on anything of semi-importance in my life.  Hopefully I'll find myself with fast internet soon so I can post before a month goes by.

Another Day, Another Root Canal

2 Months!?

3 in 24!