Team Okonkwo

Tonight we hit the gym and ran the dogs. Working out with Osi hasn’t always been enjoyable. In college we’d occasionally run into each other in the gym and say hello but we did not interfere with one another’s workouts. These brief run-ins with the buff and sweaty Osi were enjoyable, however when we attempted to work out together there was a lot of tension. My workouts have long been a time for me to forget about the day’s worries and push myself, preferably while jamming to something like “Paradise City”. I like to be in the “zone” and stick to my routine. Working out with Osi meant fitness advice, corrections, input, and a change in my routine. I felt like he was impinging on my “me” time and trying to fix a workout that wasn’t broken in the first place.

Years have passed since those early days. In January we decided to give joint workouts a shot again. Our latest efforts have been more pleasant. Osi still has plenty of workout suggestions but because I understand his personality better and appreciate him more, it isn’t such an annoyance. Plus, we’ve been doing circuit training which happens to be my favorite type of workout.
There is a growing part of me that is grateful for his workout quirks. For example, earlier this week we were doing squat thrusts in the busy gym and Osi managed to clap between each one. That made me laugh on the inside. You rarely see a grown man clap in the gym. What warrior spirit he has. (Sorry babe, it was too cute).

Today rather than listening to Rihanna or guns and roses, I was forced to listen to Osi’s rendition of the Lion King sound track. That boy is constantly singing. Being married to him is like living in an Indian movie, you never know when he’s going to burst out in song or dance. It sounded horrific but I considered myself lucky to be surrounded by someone so joyful. (Note the picture of him preparing to leave for the workout. He is singing.)
Today’s workout went exceptionally well. We even high fived a couple of times and created a signature Okonkwo high-five that we will most certainly use to embarrass our kids when the time comes. I can see myself now, “No one is getting in this van unless you can do the secret high-five move,” and Osi will force our teenage children and their friends to comply. Today, for the first time, I think it officially became Our Workout.

I am not sure I would have considered tonight a date in the past. I now loosely define a date as any occasion which involves hanging out with the hubby for longer than the duration of 1 meal. Several years ago when I was studying exercise science in college I came across a study that found people who work out together actually report stronger friendships. I am not sure of the validity of that study (and I am not going to spend the time to track it down) but I think there may be some truth in that. Give the joint workouts a try! Osi rated this date: 8.5.

Home is where the Mom is

Date night cancelled. I hate the way that sounds. Unfortunately Osi had to be out of town. I find that I value my time with him much more now that I am in school and tend to miss him exponentially more when he’s gone. The last few weeks have been a struggle for me. Maintaining balance has been unusually difficult. (If you want to catch a glimpse into my typical schedule check out my to do list at the end).

I find myself somewhere between a state of excitement/gratefulness and extreme fatigue/verge of tears. Rather than completely breaking my routine, I decided to call up my parents and go out to dinner. Not exactly a date, but I did get my meal paid for and lots of hugs.
In honor of Osi and date night, my mom ordered what Osi would have ordered if he were with us. Osi’s predictable- If ribs are on the menu, they will be on his plate. Seeing my parents helped restore a little piece of balance back into my life. I feel at home with them. Even as a grown woman I find incredible comfort in their love and support. I have grown to love them not just as my parents but as interesting, admirable people. I enjoy them and am fond of their idiosyncrasies.

I love the fact that they listen to every detail of my life and seem to be interested. Regardless of the fact that I managed to whip out an EKG, talk about aspirin, describe the forced expiratory rate of COPD, talk about my experience as a tutor (as I jotted down an algebra problem and forced them to try it), they listen. Who really gives a crap about any of that??? Great parents, that’s who.

A few notes that I want to share from last night: I complimented my mother on her vest. It has a distinctly sweet old lady look to it (note the picture). Her response: Oh, I’ve had this for 20 years. Mom, what was that doing in your wardrobe 20 years ago? That’s just one more reason why I enjoy my mom as a person. Secondly, I requested a close up shot of the vest. As I snapped the shot, my step dad Lawrence couldn’t resist the urge to throw up a peace sign. Why is this relevant? Well, it symbolizes his light-hearted, rock and roll, easy going demeanor. All of which I appreciate. I am thankful for small moments like these!

Actual date: 2/14/2011
6:30 am Workout (I missed because I had less than five hours sleep the previous night)
7:30 shower
8:00 Go to school prepare for presentation for 9am class
9-11: Class
11-12: micro lecture
12-1: Lunch, fill out FAFSA (didn’t finish yet. Has been rescheduled)
1-3 Physio TBL
3-4 do homework for clinical problem solving class
4-5 Find caffeine (look over to do list, apply for summer job)
5-6:30 Finish 2nd physio lecture
6:30-7:30 Study
7:30-8:30 Jessica coming to visit (short study break)
8:30-eat dinner that Osi made (He called it Mexican Delight…not good) & shower
9:30-11:00 Study for quiz
While every day isn’t always like this, most are.

I love you, man....

Last night we went with our friends Leno and Ashley out to the cheesecake factory. Valentine’s Day falls on a Monday this year so this is technically, Valentine’s weekend. I can only recall one previous Valentine’s Day that we actually celebrated. It was the first year we were dating. Osi took me to a Thai restaurant where he had previously worked for the period of one summer. He told me about the good times he had in the kitchen with his coworkers and how the owner had a secret Thai sauce that was never revealed. I sort of got the vibe we were there on an undercover mission to try to demystify the secret sauce but we were not successful.

Osi thinks Valentine’s day is a pointless Hallmark holiday designed for consumerism. At first I agreed but as the years have gone by I have found that any holiday designed to remind someone you love them is worth celebrating. More so, I want my husband to know that HE is worth celebrating. So, we’ve tried to make a point to celebrate such occasions again. Like I said last week, eating a big fancy dinner is not my idea of a great date. However, eating a big fancy dessert…that’s something I am game for so the Cheesecake Factory seemed appropriate.

Our last few dates have been double dates and after a few drinks last night, I found myself thinking about that. I was feeling emotional and very blessed to be surrounded by so many close friends, all of which we consider part of giant extended family. My emotions can sort of be summed up by a magnet my mom has on her refrigerator that says something like: a good friend will bail you out of jail, a best friend will be sitting next you saying, “Dang we screwed up.” Anyways, it was one of those nights that left me feeling more in love with my husband and more thankful for the great friends we have. Osi rated this date a 9. As for Valentine’s Day, I urge you to celebrate!

I usually cringe at the idea of an expensive dinner but last night was an exception. My dinner was at least half price thanks to “Devour Downtown.” (Devour downtown occurs in Indianapolis twice a year. It lasts a couple of weeks and most high-end restaurants participate by offering huge discounts). I needed date night this week. It was a test week for me and Osi managed to get trapped in Las Vegas in what was meant to be a two day work conference but transformed into an ice-storm prisoner situation.

I picked Osi up from the airport and later we met our friends Angie and Kerwyn at Eagle’s Nest restaurant. If you’re going to spend money for food, it should be accompanied by ambiance and it certainly is at Eagle’s Nest. The restaurant is located at the top of the Hyatt hotel. It has panoramic windows and rotates slowly at about 1 revolution every 1.5 hours resulting in a view of downtown that is unbeatable.

Our meal started with lobster bisque. Osi wasn’t aware that bisque was “soup” until it arrived. Osi is a carnivore; soup doesn’t exist in his diet so he looked disappointed when no lobster arrived. Our main dish included prime rib, asparagus, and mash potatoes, followed with banana bread pudding. Delicious! After dinner we visited another hotel to celebrate the grand opening of the JW Marriot.

We didn’t actually stay at the JW (I have too much studying to tend to this weekend) but we did manage to have a few drinks at the bar and get a sneak peak of the ballroom. Ang and I decided it would be a great idea to crash the contractors’ party that was conveniently going on in the ballroom. The party was a flop though and no good stories came of this. Be assured that security is good at the JW. We never managed to make it past the third floor without a room key despite multiple efforts to ride up the elevator as real guests got in the elevator. This date was fantastic and I got flowers today! Osi rated this date “almost a 9”.

Food for the Soul

Date 4: Food for the Soul

There are things that I associate with my husband and breakfast happens to be one of those. Osi likes to eat breakfast at all times of the day and insists that bacon is delicious with everything. Tonight we visited one of his favorite restaurants, Maxine’s Chicken and Waffles.

Before Maxine’s was Maxine’s, it was a burrito joint, and prior to that it was a gas station. Its roots are humble but you’d never guess that now. It went from a treasured whole in the wall restaurant to a barely can get a seat on a Sunday type of place. The menu is filled with soul food (aka food for the soul but definitely not the heart). It’s a place to indulge in peach butter and fried cornbread. As we dined, I noticed that Maxine’s is looking for a customer to become the face of Maxine’s. If you win the contest, you get to ride in the chicken limo and get $200.

Look at Osi’s picture and tell me that is not the face of Maxine’s.

Also, while you’re at it, take a look at my glistening $5 biscuits and gravy.
After dinner we rushed home to finish season 4 of Dexter. In the past, we assumed TV watchers were just people that lacked real lives. We are sorry for judging you. We now join you in your shame of TV addiction. We began watching Dexter together over Christmas vacation this year. I’ve made him hold my hand during the scary parts, we’ve shared anticipation and stayed up all night watching tv marathons and somehow we bonded during the process. Last night we finished the netflix DVD and then succumbed to ordering the final episode thru amazon streaming because we couldn’t wait another week to finish! Pathetic, we know, but it made for a great date night. Osi’s rating for this date: 8.

Relax

Date 3: Relaxing with Tim and Em. Location: their house in the middle of nowhere.

I am a scheduling freak. I like to stick to the plan. It’s a survival tactic I picked up somewhere along the way and I doubt I will change anytime soon. (I prefer the term disciplined to scheduling freak). Prior to “date night” I spent my entire Friday sitting at a McDonald’s for 10+ hours studying about the heart. Osi dropped me off at the McDonalds and he had our car and my cell phone which I accidently left in the car (typical).

Around the SCHEDULED pick up time, I got an email which stated, “I think we need to cancel. I am stuck at work.” I responded thru a series of very blunt emails about how date night was not optional and we WOULD be going to Tim and Em’s house as PLANNED. Osi knows it’s not a good idea to argue with my plan so he finally picked me up about an hour and a half behind schedule. I moped out to the car ready to rightfully earn the title of nagging wife. Luckily for Osi, he had agreed to give his coworker a ride home so I had to maintain some sense of politeness in the car and it dissipated my frustration.

Since we were behind schedule there was no time to spruce up for the date. I was destined to smell like fries and look like a distressed medical student. We eventually arrived at Tim and Em’s where we spent the evening relaxing on the couch, snuggling with their adorable dog, eating all their delicious food, and watching the tv show, American Pickers. Osi and I enjoy the show Antique Road Show so American Pickers was right up our alley. I highly recommend it if you’re into that sort of thing. It was a quiet, enjoyable evening spent with good friends. Osi rated this date as an 8 and wanted everyone to know I failed to mention his favorite part of the night: seeing Tim’s guns.

I realize I am a little bit uptight when it comes to my schedule. Ok, A LOT bit uptight. This is not going to change overnight. I am just thankful that I have a husband and friends who know me well enough and love me enough to put up with my uptight, penciled in nature.

Date 2: Fell short in the steamy romance category but there was no shortage of friends or fun

How many husbands do you know that are willing to go on a date not only with their wife, but the wife’s mother, grandmother, and three of her girlfriends? We sacrificed a little romance for a chance to reconnect with friends and family. I warned Osi that Bingo is a female dominated sport but I really wanted him to go. I enjoy hanging out with my husband. He laughs with me, understands my constant state of hyperbole, and is guaranteed to amplify the fun level.

If you’ve never played bingo, let me describe it for you. It’s a smoke filled room with a couple hundred women and a handful of men all with one goal – to take home some cash. The game itself requires more skill than one might expect. This isn’t bingo for 5th graders; it has an unexpected level of complexity that makes the game both interesting and challenging for beginners. During the day I deal with memorizing metabolic pathways, understanding how ion channels function in the heart and nerves, knowing which viruses require reverse transcriptase and which ones live on door knobs…but when the night comes and it’s time for Bingo, I look to the professionals for guidance.

It turns out that both my mom and grandma happen to be professionals. In fact, if we had a family trade bingo would be it. My mom and grandma have worked in bingo halls for as long as I can remember. Though I didn’t follow the bingo career path, it’s in my blood and if it’s in my blood it must also be in Osi’s. I knew we were going have fun when Osi looked across the table and said, “I came to win,” and we did manage to win. After splitting it 5 ways with our friends we ended up with a net gain of $5.

Osi rated this date a 7 out of 10. If you decide to go play bingo it would be a good idea to do the following: 1) locate an insider who knows the tricks of the trade. 2) Acclimate yourself to phrases such as, “run it thru the garden,” “hog wild,” and “dauber”. 3)make sure you have no qualms with cigarette smoke. Osi and I would like to thank Mom, Grandma Sandy, my girlfriends and the New Castle VFW for making this night a memorable one!