Tupps Family: 2009

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Upgrade!

So, I travel alot. And fly alot. I've been racking up the American Airlines AAdvantage points all year long, and i just hit Gold status! I'm really pumped because we now get upgrades, free bag check, early boarding, and all those things sound great to me! Hooray!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

The most deliciousest ever!

Once upon a time, I was obsessed with the Starbucks Toffee Nut latte.

Then I switched to the Caramel Macchiato - we were in a relationship for a very long time - all summer, in fact.

But we just broke up in favor of a new flavor...Pumpkin Spice.

I'm glad my rotating Starbucks loves understand that my love for them changes with the seasons. Can't wait for Christmas time to be reunited with my long-lost love, Gingerbread Latte! :)

Monday, September 14, 2009

My first 5K

So, on September 5, 2009, I officially ran my first 5K! My goal was just to complete the trek, but I finished in a respectable 37:03, which puts my pace at a blistering 11:57 per mile! But hey, at least I finished, right?!

My pal Mikaela, who is the bootcamp lead instructor, ran the race with me! In the end, she was way faster than me, but we did run together at the beginning of the race.

I had tons of fun, and after a few more weeks on the C25K plan, I hope to try again and beat my time by a minute or two. Eventually, my goal is to be under 30 minutes!

Starting Line:

Finish Line:

Mikaela

Thursday, September 10, 2009

GOOD TV IS BACK!!

Thank GOD good TV has returned to the airwaves. I was going a bit nuts with only Big Brother and the Real World! Here's what I'm watching this fall...(and I do have a VERY full TV schedule - don't judge me!)

Monday:

Rachel Zoe Project

The new Real World/Road Rules Challenge

Castle

Tuesday:

The Hills

The City

Biggest Loser

Wednesday:

America's Next Top Model

Top Chef

Glee

So You Think You Can Dance

Private Practice

Thursday:

Grey's

Community

Survivor

Friday:

Numb3rs

And of course the Soup!

Saturday:

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders - Making the Team (LOVE IT!)

Sunday:

Amazing Race

Brothers & Sisters

Bootcamp!

In April, my friend Maghen convinced me to enroll in a bootcamp class she was taking in OKC. I wanted to attend the Norman class, but alas, there wasn't one, so I agreed to drive to OKC each morning at 4:30 am.

It turned out to be the most addictive thing ever! I ADORE bootcamp! After 2 months of classes (which finally opened in Norman), I was asked to be an instructor. It took lots of studying, a practical exam, a written exam, and CPR training, and then I became an official instructor.

These pics were taken in May, the month before I became an instructor. :)

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Kitten Love

On August 18, 2009, my husband and I went to Petsmart to grab some dog food for our pup Kuro. I always casually (on purpose) stroll by the kitten adoption center in any Petsmart we go into, and this time, I saw the cutest baby kitten EVER.

A tiny 3 pound Siamese kitten named Marco. Brother Polo had just been adopted.

So I begged Ryan to let me have him, and when he said yes, I ran back to Petsmart to adopt my new baby, whom we renamed Maew. One of the things Ryan and I have done is to name our pets in the language of their ancestry. So Kuro is a Japanese name, since he is an Akita, a Japanese breed. Since the new kitten is Siamese, we went with a Thai name, since Thailand used to be Siam. Maew means cat in Thai, so we found it quite fitting! And in just talking to people about him in these past two weeks, I have encountered two people who also have cats named Maew (although they both spell the name Mau - it does sound like it - I call him Maui as a nickname - or Meezer, as in he's a Sia-meezer!)

So we took him home and got him settled in, tasking him with getting to know our dog, who at 100 pounds, can be quite intimidating.

Well, Meezer was, and still is, insanely scared of Kuro, and they are still getting used to one another. Generally it goes something like this: Kuro comes into the room and "hunts" for Maew. If Maew is not taking cover, and Kuro finds him out in the open, then Kuro goes in to "investigate" the kitten. Bedlam ensues. And so on, and so on, and so on. Really, it's getting to be quite annoying!

But look how CUTE Maew is...

He's just a tiny baby, and it turns out, he had lots of health problems too...at the first vet appointment 2 weeks ago, we learned that he had 2 types of worms, fleas, and ringworm! This little guy was covered in bite scabs and just in poor health from his life as a street kitten.

Today was his second vet appointment, and we learned that he has grown a half pound, lost the intestinal worms, fleas are gone, and the ringworm is still being treated. His fur is thick and shiny now, and he's really putting some meat on his bones. (He was pretty scrawny when we got him).

Here is a picture I took of him today at the vet's office...usually he doesn't sit still long enough to get a good picture, but at the vet, he wouldn't leave my side.

His fur is starting to turn the classic darker cream color of adult Siamese, and he is getting more and more darling every day!

At today's appointment he got vaccinated against rabies and leukemia, which means that after the ringworm is completely gone, I can take him on a road trip to Tulsa to hang out with Jan's 3 precious cats - I hope they will accept this new guy for a few days!

This is Ivan, the Russian Blue, (my FAVORITE! This guy is one of Jan's house cats in Tulsa!)

This is George, AKA Papa Georgio...

And I don't have any photos of the third cat, as he's quite elusive...his name is Scooter, and he's autistic. However, there is a cat up at the Vespa store in Tulsa, and I DO have pictures of him. His name is T.C. - his initials stand for Tuxedo Cat BUT he was named for T.C. from Magnum, P.I. He was waiting for Jan and Michael when they got home from our wedding in Hawaii in 2007, so it was a very fitting name!

So...even if Kuro doesn't love the new kitten right away, maybe these grown men cats can give little Meezer some kitty confidence to stand up to bully Kiki.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Labor Day fun!

One of my oldest friends had twins 18 months ago, and she brought them to Norman for a visit this weekend! They are walking and running around and even talking a little! We had lots of fun hanging out at the park and going to Target and dinner. Here are some pics of the sweet little boys.

We had so much fun with the three of them! Thank you Danita, for letting us have an afternoon with your lovely family!

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Nostalgia...

So I've never really been all that interested in football. However, the moment I stepped foot on OU's campus in Norman, I knew I'd have to change that pretty quickly! I found that while the game itself wasn't very interesting, the pre-game festivities were amazing!!

The Pride of Oklahoma marches on the field...

being led by my FAVORITE - the strutting Drum Major!

They carry the Oklahoma state flag on to the field...

And they spell out OU!!!

Man, I LOVE the Pride!!

I am also in love with the beauty of the campus...the flower beds are always changing and exciting...

This next one is my favorite - it was to celebrate the Centennial of our great state!

And of course, the Seed Sower...an OU campus must-see!

And although I still don't watch football religiously, I'm always interested in this beautiful school which I call my Alma Mater (twice!)! BOOMER!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Welcome!

Hi and welcome to our little blog! I've been toying with the idea of creating one for awhile, and have decided this will be a great place to keep those we love updated on our goings-on.

So, for a quick recap, here is what has been going on up until now:

First, we met many moons ago...