4 years!

Yesterday, Chris and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary. As a little girl, I always wanted to marry my high school sweetheart. We started dating when I was 16 and dated for 7 years before we got married. I remember daydreaming about when I would be Kelli Starke. I would always practice my future signature on my assignments in high school. In fact, I recently saw a girl I went to high school with. One of the first things she asked me was, "Did you ever marry Chris?" She had never even met Chris, but she remembered me writing over and over "I love Chris" on everything. Sappy, I know. I have loved every second of our journey together. The ups and downs of life only make you stronger. I truly feel like God hand picked us to be together. He's my puzzle piece. Two years ago, I made Chris a book title, "101 Things I love About You..." Here are just a few of the many reasons why I love Chris. (In no particular order, some are deeper than others!)

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#1 You asked to kiss me for our first kiss.

#4 Your "auburn" hair.

#17 You're friends with my dad.

#20 You kiss my forehead.

#26 You can fall asleep any time, any place.

#28 You know every word to every song from every decade.

#40 The way you hold a baby.

#51 You love the weather channel.

#59 You're humble.

#75 You love and serve God.

#88 You take me to get a drink at Sonic even though you hate Sonic.

#93 We laugh at the same things.

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I'm so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man. I love our love story. I love you babe! Happy Anniversary!

Happy Birthday Andie!

Yesterday, we celebrated my sister's birthday. We ate at Iguana Grill and then stopped by Sara Sara Cupcakes for dessert. I'm so blessed to have Andrea for a sister. She is one of the best human beings I know. Some of my favorite memories with my sister are playing school (she always got to be the teacher!), pool gymnastics and mermaids, pretending our bedposts were our imaginary boyfriends (did I really just admit that?), sending "I'm sorry" notes under each other's doors, playing Barbie's with our beloved Barbie Dream House, spending the night with Granny and Papa, listening to Amy Grant and Jeremiah was a Bull Frog.... I could go on and on. We've had our ups and downs just like any sisters, but we've ended up even closer as adults. She's always set a wonderful example for me to follow in life. She's an excellent wife and mother. Happy Birthday Andra! I'm so thankful to have you as a sister and friend.

Flatout Bread

One day at Wal-mart, I came across Flatout flat bread, a cross between a pita and tortilla, but bigger. I thought I would give them a try and now I'm hooked. The have different varieties, but my favorite is the light whole wheat original or italian. I've used them for chicken burritos and breakfast wraps. Tonight, I tried pizza with turkey pepperoni, a bit of cheese and sauce, and red and green bell peppers...so yummy. The pizza came out to only 5 points on Weight Watcher's. Not a substitute for Old Chicago's, but it will do.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Saturday morning I ran in the Frigid 5, a 5 mile race at Mitch Park in Edmond. It was SUPER cold. After running just a few minutes, I couldn't feel my nose. Despite temperatures in the 30's, I had a great time with a bunch of my running buddies. Here are a couple pictures from the starting and finishing line.

Saturday evening, Chris and I ate at Iguana Grill. It's in the Automobile Alley district downtown that is slowly being revived. The food was yummy. The best fajitas we've had and trust me we've had our fair share of fajitas. Afterwards, we headed next door to Sara Sara Cupcakes for dessert. The cupcakes were HEAVENLY. We shared banana with snickers, red velvet, and chocolate and peanut butter. I loved the all-white interior of the house. It's definitely not your typical Oklahoma bakery. It was nice to branch out and eat somewhere different than the norm. We came home and Chris had everything set up to watch our wedding and honeymoon DVD's. It was really sweet. It's crazy to think it's almost been 4 years since we said our vows. I know I'm only 27, but I feel a hundred years older than that girl in the white dress! Chris also made me a homemade card. It was really creative and thoughtful, way better than my store bought card I got him! Thanks babe for a great day! I love you! I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day!

CAUTION: THIS IS NOT A RECIPE

I often find myself looking at these amazing blogs of random people who are superwifes. (Chris always asks me if I know these people....He just doesn't get it.) These women could be Martha Stewart, Julia Childs, and Paula Dean all rolled into one. Sadly, they put me to shame, but I tell myself, "I bet I could run faster than them", to try to make myself feel better. You're right, that's childish, but I spend most of my day with third graders so they tend to rub off on you. So, don't expect this to be anything glamorous. I try to get my veggies in every day and am always on the look out for new ideas. I love to bake eggplant. It's so yummy with a little cheese and marinara sauce. My new kick is acorn squash. My Dad used to bake these when we were growing up. They're kind of tough to slice in half, but that's what husbands are for. After the seeds are cleaned out from the middle, I cover each half with press and seal and stick in the microwave for 8 minutes until the sides are soft. After cooling, I spoon the insides out and mix with a little Splenda and top with cinnamon. It's delicious. I usually cook several at a time and keep the extras in a large ziploc baggie in the fridge. One cup is a serving and equals one point on Weight Watchers. If you have a sweet tooth, you could try my Dad's version. He mixes in lots of butter and brown sugar.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

I love being a teacher for many reasons. Kids are my passion. Sometimes I think I'd rather hang out with kids than adults. No offense, but kids are just so pure and raw. There is no hidden agenda. I love the way they see the world through those little eyes. It can be a niece or nephew or a cute kid in the mall, I love the chance to get to interact with anyone under 4 feet tall. Here are a few of my latest encounters with kids.

This is a note one of my kids in my class gave me after Christmas break. I love this kid. At home, I reference him as my little OCD boy. He wants to complete every task perfectly and can get very stressed out if it doesn't fall into place that way. He's a big helper and always insists "there has to be something in your whole room that I can help you with." He says this after already asking me 5 times in the past 30 minutes.

"Dear Mrs. starke

I missed you so much that I Like you so much so much so much so much thet I was adout to cry."


This is a note I got from a 3rd grader in another class.
The paper was folded and on the front was the word "today".

"M.rs Starke you are invitid to my Birth day ther well be games in my back yard ther will be dogs but they don't bit."


One day one of my students in my class was having a hard time paying attention. This is very much a regular thing for him. I told him he needed to do his best and pay attention. He looked up at me and, as if to explain himself, said,

"My heart isn't working."

I wanted to laugh out loud, but instead I simply said, "Yes, your heart is working or you wouldn't be alive."

That seemed to do the trick and he was ready to get back to work.

Last but not least, I was on a mat at the Y stretching today. I was facing the windows that face the hallway. A little guy about 3 years old comes up to the window and stares at me. I wave at him expecting him to run away. Instead, his face opened in a huge grin and he waved. He starts to talk to me, but of course, I can't hear him through the glass. I mouthed "What?" and pointed to my ear. He said it bigger and louder. I so wish I could have known what he was saying because it seemed important. Then, all of a sudden, he puts both hands up like bear claws and opens his mouth and screams. I still can't hear him which makes the whole scene even cuter. I pretend to jump and be scared which he loved. Then, in a flash, he ran down the hallway and was gone.
Who knows....maybe I'll see my little workout buddy tomorrow.

Hot Date

Chris and I had a very exciting Friday night last weekend. Chris came home from work and I had broken out my Rodney Yee yoga DVD's I purchased when I was training for my marathon. Sadly, that was over 2 months ago and this was the first time I had used them. At first, he seemed rather amused, but after some razing from me, I talked him into giving it a try. I know he was thinking it was fluffy and would be a piece of cake, but it's actually a lot harder than it looks. After yoga class and a quick cat nap by Chris, we headed out to pick me up some soup from Panera. On our way back home, Chris asked me, "Want to go to the car wash?" I laughed and said, "Sure." A side note: Chris has found this car wash that him and a couple of his buddies love. I've never even thought twice about car washes. I guess it's a big deal to guys. So, I jokingly told Chris maybe we could make out during our hot date at the car wash. We didn't, but I did give him one peck. I know I've made all of you jealous, so if you want the location of the car wash for your next night out, let me know.