Awkward and Awesome Thursday!

So, I didn't have much happen in my world this week- but I noticed that apparently this summer I made a post and didn't actually hit "publish post." So, I leave you with an Awkward/Awesome post dated July 28, 2011:


Awkward:
-Attempting to mail packages (prepaid) from American University. They can't take them for the mailman to come pick them up(even if you schedule a pickup) because it is personal property. They can't take personal property. Yet, this is the same desk that holds our packages from the mailman for us to pick them up. Their rules are ridic.
-Buying a day pass for the Metro for my last day in DC (I always buy weekly passes on Thursdays). However, I totally wasn't thinking-- because they don't start until 9:30 am. I was with a group of 37 other WINS people, and my card wouldn't work. The station manager took forever helping me, and our train arrived. He comes to me and says, "You made a mistake. These start at 9:30." It was 7:30.... Oops. I felt so dumb and pretty much wanted to cry. He said, "I am doing you a favor because I see you are in a hurry" and handed me a one-trip pass. I ran down the escalator and made it just in time for the Metro doors to slide shut in front of my face. Needless to say, I missed the train and met up with everyone else at our transfer stop. Metro: 1   Katy: 0
-Trying to give a "speech" to say how thankful I am for everyone at work and how much I will miss it, but having to stop so I wouldn't cry.
-Doing anything while sitting at my desk. The only room for it is right in front of the door. Anytime I sit there and someone wants to leave or open the door, I have to move. Nobody's fault but my own-- I picked the lofted bed and awkward desk when I got to DC so that my roommates wouldn't have to deal with it.
-Mis-writing someone's name on a thank you card and not having white-out. Hopefully they don't notice the scribbles?

Awesome:
-Received a super legit certificate that is fixed to a wooden plaque. Nicer than what my diploma will look like! I received it from one of the 3 board members at my job, who I really liked.
-Finding my long lost chips in my work's vending machine on my last day. These chips are the best!
-Getting to tour the Pentagon
-Getting a new phone that works AND doesn't have a shattered screen!! Yippee!
-Getting a surprise cupcake going-away party at my work!

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

I'm back!!! Here is the Awkward/Awesome Thursday of (approximately) the past week or two of my life. I even put some pictures on it! I promise that I will be back to blogging like a real person soon. Hope you enjoy, because my life sure has been enjoyable lately. :)


Awkward:
-Getting 5 missed calls from a person while I was in class today. They were from the 915, and I realized they were trying to call 915, not 918. They left a voicemail that made absolutely no sense. Apparently "Hi, you've reached Katy..." didn't clarify that I am not in fact a Dentist.
-Taking 2 minutes to convince that person that the 918 is in Tulsa, Oklahoma and that there is no way I could be their dentist.
-Not blogging for 2-3 months. I still haven't looked at my Google Reader. Terrified.
-20 minute long skylink ride at the DFW airport, with no air circulation in my suit and heels. It was only running in one direction- and I was one terminal away, the wrong direction. 
-Walking in a suit with your backpack and the skirt rising up with every step.
-Accidentally confusing your black napkin with your black skirt at a recruitment dinner.
-Your taxi driver not saying a word other than "yes" and "okay."
-Your taxi driver not having change.
-Driving your mom's mini-van because your car got totaled(story on this to come).
-I think I am getting tennis-elbow.
-Sleeping on a plane with your mouth wide open.
-Being that young, somewhat small girl, who has to sit in between two large men on a plane who originally had their armrests up. Nope.
-Not sleeping for about a month and thus making lots of mistakes and losing the ability to speak properly.
-My ring finger is a 1/4 size. The class ring company only makes whole and half sizes, so I got the half size above. Cold front means that my ring doesn't stay on right now, which means I am that girl who won't stop playing with her ring.


AWESOME:
-Almost being done with job recruiting!
-Enrolling for my last semester and taking classes like Art Therapy, Guitar, and Pilates.
-Staying at the W Hotel in Dallas. Staying at the Mayo Hotel in Tulsa. One more hotel stay in Dallas this month. Hotel beds are the BEST. So much better than my twin sized college bed.
-Imagining what I can do with a big kid salary. :)
-Country dancing with the boyfriend and friends all Friday night and some of Saturday night.
-Mom's minivan has GREAT gas mileage.
-I get to eat pizza twice tomorrow.
-Finding great deals on spring break rentals. 
-Finding my honeymoon destination/future retirement home: http://www.adelto.co.uk/luxury-resort-ayada-maldives/    loans will cover that..right? ;)
-Having a PHD student as a teacher for a normally too-difficult-for-what-it-should-be class. We just crack jokes a lot and don't take it too seriously. Perfect!
-Not sleeping for about a month and thus getting lots of delusional hyper moments, in which I am a BLAST to hang out with.
-Having a class ring!!!!!!! and getting a picture taken with our President, David Boren (aka D.Bo) and our rings.

First Step....

So, I am kind of afraid of my blog right now because it has been so long. Then I keep putting it off and off, which just makes it worse. I am now biting the bullet and taking the first step back into blog-land to let everyone know that I am indeed still alive! Yay! Expect more soon! Hopefully an Awkward/Awesome Thursday to start off my comeback! Get ready!

I am still alive!

I have made it back from DC to Tulsa and moved back to Norman. I am in the midst of getting ready for sorority recruitment, so I am busy busy busy right now! I have two posts that I started before I left DC, and I might post them. Just know they are a little dated! I will give a better update later.

:)

Almost the end..

I am almost at the end of my trip here in D.C. I can't believe it! I have had an amazing summer, but it has really flown by. Working 40 hours weeks with a two hour commute each day is a lot of time already-- throw in two classes and LOTS of papers-- I am not all that surprised that my time here is almost over.

What makes me the most sad is that I won't be able to spend the last night here with my friends. I will be moving into the house Friday night so I can be up early Saturday morning to check people in. I am missing our awards ceremony and a guaranteed fun night out with everyone. I am trying to make sure that I will get to say bye to everyone, but I know it is going to be tough because I leave the dorms at 4-5 am on Friday. Yikes!

However, I am going to write my last two papers, complete my final project, pack, have one last trip to H & M, finish my project at work, and have a great time doing it!!! (well, aside from the school work, haha)

I haven't been able to steal pictures from people yet, so I will just have to post those as my entertainment through recruitment. I promise I will post them! Lots of great times to share with everyone.

:)

If I die young, bury me in satin..

I love this song. It came on my pandora this morning and it got me thinking..

There is a line that says, "A penny for my thoughts, oh no I'll sell them for a dollar. They're worth so much more after I'm a goner. And maybe then you'll hear the words that I been singin', Funny how when your dead people start listenin'"

Tis is such a true statement.. Why do we as a society do this? People have always been considered more valuable after they are gone. From Picasso now to the children who commit suicide in middle school. It is a sad thing. I think part of blogging helps solve this problem. People in this community DO listen to each other. They share what some think with others. It is a community where people can continuously learn, grow, and be heard. I love reading blogs and seeing how much other bloggers appreciate one another.

I appreciate all of you for being a part of this great blogging world. I hope that we all take what we learn from blogging and apply it to our own relationships. I hope we all try to encourage someone every day, even if you don't know the person. It brightens my day to see a new comment on my blog. Imagine what life would be like if we spread these "comments" to our non-internet lives!

Let's pay it forward.

:)

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

I hope that these Awkward/Awesome Thursday posts are enjoyable for you! I love writing them and think it is an efficient way of keeping you all updated on my life while I am so super busy. One more week left in D.C.! I can't believe it is almost over!

Awkward:
-Having one hour to get ready for an impromtu road trip to Jersey.
-Wanting to buy the most ridiculous item I could fine on the Shore-- ended up finding some sweat pants that had Hot Pink guns with Jersey's state outline on the gun. The guns were positioned on the side/back of the upper thighs. Then there were words across the top of the butt that said, "Jersey Royalty." I also could have gotten them bedazzled.
-Getting the salesman's hopes up when I decided to not go with the bedazzled ridiculous pants.
-Following Pauly and Vinny from Jersey Shore to get a picture of them for my friends. I had never even seen an episode of the show.
-Friends trying to talk to you while holding your breath through a tunnel.
-Trying to find a place to stay in Atlantic City at 1 a.m.
-Seeing very questionable things, including an armed robbery, because we turned the wrong direction when we got to the island of Atlantic City.
-Closet at the Econolodge we ended up staying at: a row of hooks nailed to the wall and a suitcase holder-- there wasn't any sort of door/closet.
-Waking up to, "Guys, we have to check out in 20 minutes."
-McDonalds that doesn't let you order off the dollar menu after 10 o'clock at night, and also charges for refills. What is that??
-My reaction to being inside of a Target again. I wanted to buy EVERYTHING and for no good reason other than that I am apparently going through Target withdrawls.
-Eating three meals in a row at Mickey Ds.
-Waking up on the beach at 6 pm to loud speakers and whistles telling us the beach was closed. We packed up. 3 hours later, people are still on the beach. Apparently "beach closed" simply means the lifeguards are leaving and it is up to you to stay alive.
-Trying to write a paper while being too tired, and crying every time you try to type a sentence.
-Getting text messages and not being able to see what they say because my screen stopped working on my phone.

AWESOME:
-Going on an Impromtu road trip with no exact plans with some awesome people.
-Not doing homework all weekend because of this trip.
-Taking a day off of work to recouperate my exhausted body.
-Seeing famous people (Vinny and Pauly) that were 5 feet away from me.
-Buying a shirt that says "Sorry for Partying" in replacement of the ridiculous sweatpants.
-Chocolate Lava Fudge cupcake from DC Cupcakes (aka Georgetown Cupcakes). Best experience my tastebuds have ever had.
-Finding a way to cope with the class I really don't like: confronting the teacher when he needs to be, as well as just going along with his games. It makes my life much more entertaining.
-Napping on the beach.
-Writing 11 full pages for a 10 page paper.
-Having the ability to nap in a car with 3 other girls singing loudly and dancing around while blaring music. Okay, well maybe my exhaustion enabled me to do that.
-Riding around DC in a car instead of below ground-- actually getting to see what these places look like!
-ATT giving me great customer service after trying for about 3 hours. It was definitely worth it! New phone for Katy!

Awesome and Awkward Thursday...Errr Monday

So, this was going to be posted on Friday evening, but around 2 pm I received a text message that said, "Hey, do you want to go to Atlantic City tonight?" So- I went! We rented a car and drove to Atlantic City for the night. Then we went to Seaside Heights AKA Jersey Shore on Saturday. We realized our time with the rental car was 23 hours longer than we thought, so we decided to stay an extra night and go to Philadelphia. So, I might fail. But it was worth it!!

Awkward:
-My internship program went to another internship program's reception. They have 12 people, ours has 55. It was a room with about 10 chairs lined against the walls of the room. Lots of open space with a podium in the front. It was also dinner time, yet we only had finger foods to eat. None of us knew the people there, and it was really strange.
-John McCain was at said reception. I met him to take a picture with him. I didn't have a name tag on, and he had no idea what to say. He said, "Hi" and I said, "Hi." Then we took the picture and the person next in line took my place. They had their name tag on, and John was able to get back on track with his routine.
-Being one of a gajillion people crammed into Chinatown station when a subway car's brakes stopped working, backing up over 7 trains.
-Making a make-shift costume for HP because my real one is at home. I was Bellatrix Lestrange, wearing a mini skirt and a lacy top. I looked like I was going out, except for the fact I had some CRAZY hair.
-Trying to go into the wrong movie theater, which only plays indie films. I even tried using their ticket-printer. I was about to freak out when my confirmation # wasn't working, but finally we figured out that we didn't even look at the theater name before entering.
-Running in a spandex mini skirt. The other one was down a block, around a corner and down the block again. This led to running from the first movie theater to the correct one, in said costume. Dedication? Yes.
-Getting locked out of my room while I was in the shower.. for the second time. This involves me walking down three flights of stairs with a towel on and not the proper undergarments, walking to the front desk, checking out a key, then walking back upstairs.
-Wearing dresses to work and realizing that you don't have anywear to put your badge (I have the kind with the money-clip-esque attachment, so I can't just clip it anywear). I should have chosen the lanyard...
-New mattresses that are slippery and loud when you move on them. I wake up with my sheets coming off most days, but now they are literally off the bed when that alarm goes off.

AWESOME:
-Harry Potter 3D Glasses
-Seeing Harry Potter 7.2 at midnight.
-Completely dominating 3 70ish OZ. slushies (literally they were about 70 ounces)with my friend becuase they had free refills. Free refills on ICEE is completely unheard of in my mind! We were definitely sugared-up for HP.
-Eating at an italian restaurant described as "the nicest McDonalds in the world."
-Being a hoss at work and completing my tasks very quickly. I am now called, "The Energizer Bunny," and my boss keeps running out of things for me to do. Look at me go!
-My impromtu Bellatrix Lestrange outfit. While it was awkward looking like I was going out, I thought I looked pretty darn attractive. :) And my crazy hair was LEGIT. I don't do hair, so this was quite the accomplishment.
-Finally finishing the second Lord of the Rings. I have tried many times since it came out, and I own all three on DVD. I am really good at falling asleep in movies and have never made it through all 179 minutes. Meaning I also haven't seen the 3rd, because I wanted to finish the 2nd. Last weekend, we watched half of it and I was way way too tired to finish the last hour. Two nights later? Watched the last hour and finished the movie. It only took about 9 years. :)

:)

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

For quite a while I have been reading Katie's blog, Love is Everywhere, and I love it! Part of my favorite things is her participation in Awkward and Awesome Thursdays. I absolutely love them, and decided I would take part! Awkward and Awesome Thursdays was actually started by The Day Book Blog, but I haven't read that blog until today. Anywho, enjoy!

Awkward:
-Ripping my skirt when I sat down at dinner. Luckily, it was the back slit. It wasn't showing anything, but it was definitely a little too risque.
-The guy who passes out free newspapers on the Metro decided he likes some Katy.
-Ironing my clothes quickly in my underwear because I was too lazy to hang them up last week and forgot to iron them the night before wanted to look like I am mature and adult-like at work.
-Learning to fly: Climbing down from my bed, over my desk (we don't have a latter) right after waking up and nearly biting it = How to Fly 101.
-Eating while people take pictures of you. This happened twice in one week!
-Being only one of 2 people posting on our required discussion boards out of a group of 5.
-Sitting in a subway car after the fireworks literally crammed (they couldn't shut the doors) with sweaty people. Oh, and there wasn't any A/C in this car either... When I mean sweaty, I mean beaded upper lips, back sweat through the shirts, and sweat left on the seats when you stand. And this was just the girls!

Awesome:
-Fireworks at the National Mall in DC
-Going to a farther metro stop to avoid a line that would have lasted for hours, and getting straight on the train.
-Landing on my feet after learning to fly.
-Finished my paper way sooner than I thought, so I got to sleep on Tuesday night. BAM.
-Free newspapers everyday on the metro.
-Dry Shampoo.
-Getting a card/letter in the mail from my friend Hannah!
-Joining the Amazon.com Student program-- Free two day shipping! :)
-Competing in an Indian Fry Bread contest, making fry bread for the first time ever, and receiving the awesome first-timer award.
-Shopping sprees at H&M and the biggest Forever 21 in the universe.

Three Thoughts About Elevators.

1. I wonder what it was like when elevators didn't have sensors to keep the doors from shutting on you. I have almost lost body parts even with the sensors. I wonder how many elevator-amputees there are in the world. Seriously.

2. The elevators at work like to mess with me. Example: Get in elevator. Press 5. Appear on 4. Realize you are on 4- step back into elevator quickly while thinking thought #1 above. Appear on 2. Realize 5 button is no longer lit up. Press 5. Appear on 1. Press 5 again. Finally, appear on 5 but cauciously walk out of the elevator, paranoid that the elevator is lying to you.

3. The elevators at work all smell like citronella. Either people are camping on the roof, or they realize that mosquitos follow me wherever I go and wanted to protect me (or the other innocent bystanders I work with).

I have been in the elevators a lot today.. Could you tell?

:)

It is hard to believe...

• How little free-time I have here.
• That I only have 3 1/2 weeks left here.
• That I have now been 21 for a month.
• That I only have on year left in college and have to start making big girl decisions.
• That I have to choose between D.C. and Tulsa.
• That last night I was in a crowd of 200,000 some odd people watching fireworks between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.
• That I am in a new office at work for the second month, working as a Project Lead to make a Spanish version of a website.
• That I don't know Spanish.
• That I have a ten page paper due tomorrow that I haven't started.
• That I will be switching from mostly narrative to picture-form to do my blogs, since I don't have time to type that much.
• That I already need a haircut.
• That I will only get to spend a couple hours at home when I get back, and that will be to pack up my car.
• That I don't have a tan for the second summer in a row.
• That I stood in line for 30 minutes to refill my water bottle for free yesterday.
• That I am sharing an office with a man not working in my area, because they don't have any more room for me.
• That the people calling me think I know what it means that the PO needs a W9.
• That SOMEHOW Washington D.C. has blessed us with mostly gorgeous weather, and Oklahoma is setting record temperatures now.
• How lucky I have been/am.

:)

After 20 pages of typing.....

I have returned! There was no way that I had the time or the energy to update this week. I had two papers due- one 15 pager and one 5 pager. Yikes!

If you know me, you know that I hate papers. I can write well, but writing papers is just so monotonous and exhausting. Plus, I end up going three days before I realize that I haven't showered. In college, that is acceptable. However, I don't think that is acceptable in a professional internship. I know that everyone else in the world thinks filth is wonderful, but for some reason professionals haven't gotten that memo yet. Haha. :) Just kidding, for the record.

I turned in my last paper at 11 last night, showered, and felt like my life could finally start. I did not want to go to bed, which made for a difficult morning. I have been extra hungry today, and I do believe that is due to my lack of sleep. Does that happen to you all when you don't get enough sleep? I feel like I could eat an entire Large Supreme pizza on my own. Nom nom nom.

Last weekend wasn't that exciting, so I won't bore you with it. But, I might just give you an update later.. In microsoft paint form. Just think about the possibilities!

:)

Weekend Numero Dos in DC

This weekend was a lot of fun, but kept me very busy! Friday I met up with some of the girls at Metro Center to do some shopping at Forever 21. Now, I know that I am from Oklahoma, but this was the biggest Forever 21 I have ever seen in my life. Too big. We walked in and I thought, "wow-- this is too much to handle." Then I found out that there were two other floors. I didn't know what to do. By default and because it didn't look overwhelming, I started at the jewelery. Unfortunately, that section is just the same size as at any store. After that section, I was forced to face the horror. Forever 21, if you don't shop there, doesn't know how to organize their clothes. They attempt having "themes" in certain areas, but really-- it is all over the place. In a normal sized store, you have to be in the right mindset to shop there. If you aren't ready for it, you won't find anything because you won't know where to start. You can have to frames of mind: 1- "I know exactly what I am looking for." Or 2- "I don't care how much I have to try on, I just want really cute clothes to make me feel like I am cute and trendy and make myself seem like an awesome person."

Well, I didn't have either of these mindsets. I wandered around aimlessly. Up the Escalator. Down the Escalator. Around the corner. Under the iron beam (really). Did you know that Forever 21 makes children's clothing? Did you know they make maternity clothing? Yeah, I didn't either. And of course, in F-21 style, there are no signs to tell you this. You just walk into a doorway and BAM. Clothing for toddlers that belongs on the front of InStyle Magazine. It was crazy. I tried on the least amount I have ever tried on at a F-21. That is just how overwhelmed I was.
When we got back, I was in a really wierd mood. My mind was in shock. Denise (one of my roommates) and I went to get dinner, and I wanted to choose the place with the least options possible. I felt bad because she had recommended Whole Foods. I just couldn't handle that many options. Forever 21 had ruined options in my brain. We went to this italian restaurant down the road, and I had Spaghetti and Meatballs. It was really tasty and comforting. Later that night, over half of us (there are 55 total) went out. It was a lot of fun to dance around and have fun with my new friends. I followed the night by a beautiful round of sleeping in on Saturday morning.

After I woke up Saturday, 3 of the guys and I went to the National Museum of Natural History. We weren't really into the museum thing, and were pretty silent the whole time. It was neat stuff, but we were all worn out from the whole week. After that we hung out in Adam's Morgan a bit, and then headed home. We ended up losing one of the guys when we all stopped for a bathroom break at McDonalds. We thought he died; he thought we left him. It all ended up fine though! While walking back to the dorms, I was plotting getting food, when we ran into two girls who were doing just that. I joined them and we went to "Steak n' Egg." It was a really small breakfast diner. The kind that only have room to sit at the bar, where you can watch them cook. It was so delicious, and I really would not mind eating there every single day. No lie. But, then again, I love breakfast. Apparently they also have really good philly cheese steaks, which I will definitely be trying! When we returned to the dorms, I joined yet another group to go see the movie "Super 8." It was pretty good, but not life-changing like I expected. Then it was bed time fo' real.

Sunday I woke up late once again, and was loving it. I found out really sad news about a family friend's murder in Tulsa last week. We used to spend a lot of time with their family, because their son's were the same age as Blake and I. I remember baseball games and randomly visiting their house, and all around really good memories of them growing up. It is a sad loss, and another reminder that we are not guaranteed every day. To lift up my spirits, I joined 3 of the guys (I guess I was all about hanging out with the guys this weekend) on a journey to a Taco Bell. It was truly a journey- about 20 minutes on the metro. It was worth it though. It was in Union Station, which had more places to eat than any mall ever (reminiscent of my F-21 visit two days prior). I knew what I wanted though, and the Taco Bell was just what my tastebuds missed. :)
The rest of the day was spent relaxing and at an emotionally draining group meeting about self-awareness. Lots of self-reflection. We were drained. I went to get pad thai to-go, ate it in our room, and pretty much laid in bed the rest of the night. It felt lovely.

:)

The Daily Grind

The rest of the week of work went much smoother. On Tuesday I received everything I needed and was able to get to work. I was completely unsure of what to do. My job for now is to work Help Desk and answer technical support calls. At first, I really didn't know what I was doing. As the week went on, though, I was able to get into the swing of things. On Friday, I answered multiple calls without getting help from anybody. I was so proud of myself! There are still lots of things I don't know, but since I have only been here a week and have never seen a lot of the systems being used, it is okay. If I knew everything at this point I would probably be smart enough to conquer the world. Luckily, I don't know everything and have no desire to be responsible for the welfare of our planet.

Class last week made life a little bit intense. Tuesday and Thursday nights, I have my Formation of Federal Indian Policy class. The teacher seems pretty cool, but he also loves the idea of 20 minute breaks in class. That I am not a big fan of, especially since on Thursday we didn't get out of class until 9:45 pm. Eek. Hopefully it will get better though. Wednesday I have my Internship/Leadership class, and I am not quite sure what we are doing in there. We talked a lot about what a good student is- between bookworm or someone who isn't as grade smart but is really involved in school. I am not quite sure the direction this class is going to go in. However, this class let out early, which made me happy. Our time is so limited that each minute is precious.

On Tuesday and Thursday night, I tried out our cafeteria. Frankly, it was wierd. The food wasn't good and the cafeteria reminded me of high school. There are other places to eat farther on campus, so I might have to start trying those out. Though, with limited time I will have to be careful planning that out. I will keep eating it, though, because we get 50 meals for the summer that you can only use at the cafeteria. Womp womp. OU's cafeteria and other food places really spoiled me. ...I feel like my posts keep talking about how OU has spoiled me. That just means life there is oh-so-great. :)

Wednesday night I got to meet my "cousin" Alice in Dupont Circle. She was here for a few days, so we went to get dinner after I got off work and before class. We went to a burger joint for the sole reason that it had milkshakes. It was SO HOT that day. I was dying. I also wasn't very hungry, so I probably shouldn't have chosen this burger place. But the milkshake was so worth it.

On Friday, work was very enjoyable. Since I was answering calls on my own and wasn't asking for help as much, it felt great. Also, the woman I met on Monday who had the cute puppy brought us pizza for lunch. It was from Whole Foods, and was actually pretty good. The slices were HUGE, so I only had one. I have been having pretty small meals all week, too. I think my stomach is shrinking. It is going to be really interesting to see what all this small meal-eating and lots of walking does to me over the summer. Now, if I can just find an outdoor swimming pool....

:)

If I Were One of the Seven Dwarves..

...then on my first day of work I would have been Sleepy.

I had a rough time getting to sleep on Sunday night, which was no surprise since anticipation was starting to creep in. I left a little after 6:30 am to get to work to ensure my timely arrival. Timely was supposed to mean a couple minutes early. Timely ended up meaning 45 minutes early. I had brought pop tarts and juice for breakfast, since I figured I would be a little early. However, since I had so much time I stopped at a store and got a muffin and a banana. I ate as slowly as possible and attempted to look to my phone to keep me busy. However, the rest of my world just isn't awake and willing to entertain at 7:30 am Eastern Time. I went to find my building, and did very quickly. That was not what I intended, once again. I sat outside the building staring at my phone for a while. The guard saw me (and recognized me later- just my luck), as well as a lot of other people going to work in my building, so I felt a little awkward. When it was close enough to the time I was to show up, I went inside and checked in. I sat for quite a while, and eventually the lady got a phone call and asked where I was interning. I never really got that information, so I wasn't much help. Someone who was overseeing another intern took me under his wing, and also was able to track down who my supervisor is. I was taught about the agency and what they do. I was right that they are just like the FDIC, but for Credit Unions. They are much smaller than the FDIC as well, but that makes sense.

The morning was spent with my supervisor showing me around and me getting acquainted with my desk. HR wasn't able to process my paperwork yet, so I wasn't able to get started on work. The worker in the next cubicle decided to teach me about what I would be doing. He was really nice and helpful. For lunch I went nearby to a mediterranean place and had a gyro. It was no comparison to Greek House in Norman, but then again it is hard to beat Greek House. After lunch I got to sit with another woman in my department to watch her do some of the things I will be doing. We talked a lot about our lives and she showed me pictures of her family and really cute puppy. I like her a lot, but unfortunately for me she works from home a couple days a week. That's okay though because everyone here seems really nice and fun. After I sat with her, I was finally able to get my ID and we could get started on getting my computer ready. I sat with another woman in my office, and she was getting all the intern computers ready at one time. After that, there wasn't much for me to do. I had a lot of downtime today, simply because it took time to get everything ready. Luckily, I had a book to read, and so it wasn't bad at all. Not bad aside from the fact I was trying to stay awake the whole day. I definitely don't know if I can take the advice of "not worrying about sleep," because it was very difficult.

I got off about 4:30, and ended up seeing Blake (OSU friend in the program) on the subway. We shared about our days and made it back to campus. We were going to eat, but my phone needed to be charged badly, so I decided to eat dinner with some of the girls who were to get in later. Unfortunately, that didn't work out. I didn't know what was going on, and I was so tired so I just laid down and slept. I set an alarm for our floor meeting at 8:30. When I woke up, the room was dark. I found my phone, and it was off. I couldn't turn it on. Plugging it in didn't help either. I turned on my computer, and it was 8:50. Now, if you know what I am like when I wake up, you can just imagine how I must have seemed trying to understand why my phone wasn't working and why I was alone in a dark room. It was surely entertaining. I crawled down and sat on top (yes, on top) of my desk and got to work on my phone. I ended up getting it to work after taking out the battery. I thought it had died, but was wrong because it had plenty of battery when it turned back on. I think I must have done something crazy to it in my sleep (when I woke up it was underneath my back). Me and sleepiness just do some crazy things. I eventually woke up enough to realize I was still hungry. I went down to Whole Foods and picked up some things that I could eat for breakfast and for snacks. I was disappointed with their selection of things that don't need to be refrigerated, so I went to CVS. I ended up buying a lean cuisine meal for dinner.

Sleepy day was just all around a strange day. I was hoping I would be able to get some blogging in that night, but obviously there just wasn't time. I had a realization that real jobs truly take most of your time. You go to work in the morning. Get home in the evening. Eat. Shower. Then you need sleep. There really isn't time for much else-- just on the weekend really. It is crazy. And tuesday/wednesday/thursday I have class at night. I know I won't be doing those classes when I get a real "big kid" job, but it is still a sad though. In high school, I was used to that kind of schedule. But now? College has spoiled me, big time. I am really happy that I still have one more year of my beautiful, flexible, schedule.

:)

It's my Birthday and I'll cry if I want to!

So, on my first day here I had a moment of sadness where I just had to cry. Coming to DC was hard because I wanted so badly to be home this summer, since I have no clue where next year will take me. I was alone in my room, but as soon as I was with people- happiness arrived!

When I got home from hanging out with boyfriend on Saturday night, I was having trouble finding people that I could go out with at Midnight, when I turned 21. People wanted to the night before, but after everyone's long day around DC, everyone was too tired. Also, everyone was out getting ice cream/watching movies/who knows what, so I was alone when the clock struck 12. Call me lame, but I kind of might have sung happy birthday to myself. I also wasn't getting any messages or calls, which confused me because there are always those few that roll in right at midnight. I was really sad, and had only bf tell me happy birthday. When I told him that nobody wanted to go out, he decided he would take me. So he came back and took me to a club that his cousin was at. They played a lot of African music, and I was able to get my birthday drink (I wasn't sure I would be able to later since we had work the next day). Also, I had forgotten that I am in a different timezone from everyone else. After we got off the subway, I had many text messages and a voicemail from my big, who had been trying to call me but I didn't have service. My night had turned around. :)

In the morning, I was able to wake up without an alarm for the first time since arriving in DC. It felt wonderful. I laid in bed for a while until I decided I should get some food and get ready for the day. Last week I volunteered to be a part of a group that is getting extra professional development training, and we met for the first time that afternoon. After that meeting, our groups presented about our Saturday adventures and how it related to Community. The word our group had chosen was "Acceptance." We were given a 3 minute limit, but most people took much longer. Our group was determined to make it, so we did. It was fast and entertaining. We made it into the top 3, but didn't get the popular vote to be the winner. That's okay though, because we accomplished what we wanted! After the presentations we all ate pizza, and some alumns of the program gave advice for this summer. Most said to not worry about sleeping. I am normally pretty good at not getting much sleep, but that is a skill that is fading. We shall see!

That day, some of the girls decided that we had to do something for my birthday. It made me happy that people cared enough even though I just met them! A group of 9 of us headed to a Cheesecake Factory nearby. Since we had already eaten, we focused on the desert menu (and me the drinks menu, of course). I ordered the Dutch Apple Streusal cheescake, which was perfect in every way. The waiters sang happy birthday to me while deliverying my plate, which had "Happy Birthday To You" written on it. I even got a candle! Based off of our waitresses suggestions, I ordered a Mai Tai and (I think) Georgia Peach. They were both delicious.

That was it for the night, as well all had big days the next day. All in all, it was a great birthday. I very much appreciate all the messages I got, and I especially appreciate everyone who helped me to spend a great birthday in DC.

Orientation, Workshops, and DC Adventures

The next few of my days in DC were filled with more orienation and workshops. Things regarding the school's services, policies, professional development, and conflict resolution. Much of it seemed repetitive and some I already knew from OU, but it wasn't too bad. One of the presenters was fun and had us watch The Office- how could I not enjoy that? Also, she and I are birthday twins! She makes the third person ever that I have met who has my birthday(I thought she was the second, but I forgot about a girl I met in college Freshman year--thanks facebook!). Over the weekend, more people arrived for our program, and we have yet another OU person! OU is taking over DC. :) And there is still just one from OSU.. victory! Friday night we ended the day of orientation with a barbecue, which was delicious. Summer would be entirely incomplete without some BBQ. Later that night, a lot of us travelled down to the National Mall to see the monuments at night. I have driven by them before at night, but this was much prettier! Surprisingly, the reflecting pool is gone. I am sure it will be back for July 4th- at least it better. I realized that I haven't ever actually seend the reflecting pool in person. I am not quite sure how I managed to do that- but it is a good little ways from the Washington Monument.

During this adventure, we all slowly broke apart. I was with mostly Oklahoma people, with one whom was made an honorary Oklahoman. After we hung out with Lincoln for a while, we decided to walk to a different metro stop and find some food on the way. THERE WAS NOTHING. We picked the wrong street, apparently. We went through GWU (which has apartment complex-style sororities/fraternities that looked legit), and asked someone where food was. They said, "7-11 behind me, TGI Fridays that way." So- TGI Fridays it was! After all, it was Friday! We got there and were immediately segregated into our own room all alone. It was fine, aside from the fact that there was an old picture (those oval kind with the rounded glass-like a tv almost) of a boy that was really creepy. It is unfortunate, because I am sure at one point that was a fabulous picture. But, it's eyes followed us, and it was just not okay. I sat facing it. At dinner, there was a sign for a free desert on your birthday if you text a number. I thought I might be able to swing that since I was just 24 hours away. So I did. Unfortunately, they sent one back saying something along the lines of, "Great! I know you are eating right now, and really want the desert right now, but you can't get it until we send you the coupon code on your birthday. That way, you can come back and eat here again for your birthday. Because I know you like to eat the same thing for dinner every night." Actually, that isn't what it said- but that is how I interpreted it. :) And you know what? I never got my text message on my birthday. Jerks. After dinner I didn't want to sleep, and neither did my friend from OSU. So he and I stayed up talking for a while about life and whatnot. Both of us are in the same boat about not wanting to make these big life decisions this next year. Womp womp.

Waking up Saturday came way too early. We had a group activity for the day. We thought it would be a scavenger hunt, but it was actually a day for us to explore the city and do the things we wanted to do in DC as a group. Our group went to Georgetown first. Boyfriend suggested a coffee shop, but unfortunately it was closed. When I told him, he was upset with DC for a quick moment, because things tend to open and close often. We walked around and found another coffee shop that also served breakfast/lunch sandwiches. They looked delicious! I had some fruit that I forced a friend to share with me because it was a very large serving. We then walked through the neighborhood to Georgetown University. The first thing we saw was a large building that we decided is a castle. We were all IN LOVE with this campus. It was gorgeous and huge. They had cemetaries even, which was kind of creepy but cool at the same time. We wondered how much money you had to donate to be buried there. ;) Really though, it was cool just how historical it was. They were having a Reunion that day, so it was fun to see the activities they had going on. We went to their gift store and I bought a t-shirt. I also asked Mom and Dad to put the house up for sale so that I could transfer schools. I love OU- but this place was truly that amazing! If only...

After that we headed down to Georgetown Cupcakes (the company of the show, DC Cupcakes, on TLC). On the way we stopped by North Face, and I found the greatest Raincoat ever. I want it, but didn't feel like spending 200 dollars on a raincoat. We shall see how much money I have left after summer ends, haha! When we arrived at the cupcake store, there was a line, but not too bad. We got there at the right time, because the line got much longer while we waited. I had a White Chocolate Raspberry, which was the special that day. It wasn't quite a Sara Sara cupcake, but it was still amazing! Definitely worth the wait! Our next stop was the White House. We tried to find a bus, but all the bus stops in Georgetown come without maps. A girl who runs track for Georgetown told us it wasn't a bad walk. After about 15 minutes and little progress, we finally found a map, a bus, and soon the White House. We took pictures outside and got to listen about a man rapping/singing about Jesus. He was actually a little creepy because after every sentence he let out a really creepy laugh. We then went to the White House gift shop. I was disappointed with the keychains, which i desperately needed for our dorm keys. Another girl found lanyards that say "White House Staff" on them, with a removable keychain part. So, I got one as well. We also got to take some great pictures at the store. I don't want to ruin them, so I will just let you see later.

After all of that, we were super tired. We headed back to campus and felt pretty dead. I laid down for a bit, but then went to hang out with boyfriend while I still could. He took me to a suburb area to a mall so I could go to an H&M. I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS STORE. I could do very dangerous things there. I was good though, and only got 3 things. Well, they actually ended up being birthday presents, so it was even better! I will definitely have to find another H&M before I leave in July. I am not even kidding- it is my new favorite store and Oklahoma needs one stat. We then went to eat at (yet another) ethiopian restaurant. Bf is obsessed, but that is okay because I love it too! The area we went to was on U Street, and it was this really jazzy district and it was fun to be in. I want to go back, but bf warned me that it is next to the really bad part of town, so probably not. Then it was time to split ways so I could go figure out plans for the very beginning of my birthday!

KT in DC

Hola from Washington D.C.!

I have almost finished my second full day here, and I must say that I am having a great time! When I got here, we went to our dorms, got our room, and then got our AU id cards. I have gotten to know the area a bit after wandering around yesterday. Some of us gathered for snacks downstairs, so I got to meet some other people in the program. There are 4/5 of us from OU!! And a lot from Oklahoma. A lot of the people in the group grew up on reservations, which I think is super legit. I am Cherokee and have only been to pow-wows and been involved in student clubs. So many of these men and women are truly passionate about their tribes and even speak the languages. I am impressed, and inspired to learn more/get more involved with my tribe. It is something I have always wanted to be more involved in, but my family isn't and so it doesn't come second nature! Hopefully through this I will get to learn more and feel more connected.

Some of us went to Whole Foods last night with Lisa, our CA(basically our RA but for our program) and I had a blast. We talked, laughed, and were just plain silly. I loved it! I can really get along with these people, and am sure I will make some great friends!

My roommates are also really great. One is from Alaska/Massachusetts, and the other is from Arizona- shout out to Erika! Our room is really awkward- three people in a size meant for two. We tried many ways of rearranging it, and ended up with one of the beds diagonal underneath my lofted bed. I am up high, which is fine, but they didn't give a latter! So, I use my desk to climb up. When moving one of the other desks, we found that the top wasn't attached to the bottom. Luckily, I think the one I have been climbing on is attached fully. We shall see! Hopefully I don't hurt myself! I tend to be pretty good at avoiding injuries though. Unless it involves coughing or sneezing (see: Bruised Rib).

Today began with bagels and the beginning of our Orientation. We learned a lot more about campus then I think I learned at OU's freshman orientation. We learned about police, the gym, counselling, and more. Some of us went to Subway for lunch, and I was really excited to try one of the new AVOCADO sandwiches, but the avocado "wasn't ready." I don't get what they mean by that! Silly Subway. It just wasn't meant to be today. We did some activities to get to know each other and went over some professional development things.

After orientation, I got to see boyfriend! He is here for a couple days, and they let us out early. I was very happy. :) He met me at my Metro stop and we went into the city to eat some Ethiopian food at Meskerem. Apparently it is Zagat Rated, so if you live in DC you should check it out in the Adams Morgan area! I got Zilzil Tibbs, which I already knew I liked from the restaurant Queen of Sheeba in OKC. I have a horrible habit of always ordering the same thing... what can I say? I like what I like! I feel no shame! :) This restaurant was really cool because it was set up with a low "table" which I discovered was actually a basket! They bring a really big plate out that goes in the basket, and they put all the food on it. It was delicious, and not very busy for dinner time which made me happy! Afterward, boyfriend had time to kill and came to see where I am living and met my roommates. Unfortunately, it was then time to go to our first class meeting. Little did I know, I actually missed the first one because I didn't realize I had two meetings today. I wasn't the only one that did so though, so that makes me feel better!

All in all, it was a great day! I think I will like it here, very much!

:)

Weekend Update

So, my family has a habit of coming in town when I am in town and don't have a lot of time. Like this weekend, for instance. I leave for D.C. Wednesday morning, and have a ton of work to do until then.

However, I love my three nieces and they are a lot of fun. One of my sisters and brother-in-law brought them in town to surprise my Pops for his birthday. They went up to his office, and I know he really enjoyed it! We had his birthday dinner that night, and I hung out with the girls in the hot tub till it was bed time. I hung around for a while and headed to the fine establishment of Whataburger with two friends when they got off work.

Saturday, I went out to the lake for a little bit to visit some friends camping. In Tulsa, it was completely overcast, but when I got to the lake it was hot and sunny. And I mean HOT. I haven't felt the sun in 90 degree weather in about two years, so it was a little bit difficult for me. I have also realized that I am more of a wimp about getting into cold water. I have always been a fish, and cold water hasn't really mattered to me. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME?? I will have to fix this! After the lake, I came back and waited for dinner. I ended up napping till 9:30, when we finally started dinner. Silly family. I love them though! I attempted hanging out with Kara afterward. This meant teaching old people the Cupid Shuffle and being the only two people knowing how to do Boot Scootin' Boogie. It was fun, but we were so tired!

Today- I really should keep packing. I would really not like to, but I am for real running out of time! At least now I have a plethora of business casual clothes. I went on a shopping spree (sort of) at New York and Company on Friday. I spent a lot, but I save around 300 dollars!! I love that place.

It is now time for me to finally crawl out of bed and go eat breakfast. I have procrastinated long enough!

:)

Picking a Direction

So, I know I am not the best blogger, but recently I feel like I have been even worse. Lately, I just haven't really known what to write. When I was 14 and started blogging, it was just random hyper trails of thoughts, that looking back upon don't make the most sense (but I love them!). Lately, I basically just give details on what is going on in my life. I really enjoy to re-tell stories that have happened to me in the past-- this is probably my favorite, and surely the most enjoyable to read.

When I moved over to blogspot, I did it just for friends and family to read about my life adventures (beginning the blog with my study abroad visit to China). Over time, sparked by my roommate's blogging, I have picked up many blogs that I read- people that I have never met. I have grown to look forward to hearing more from them and learning more about their lives. I have seen a community in this blogosphere that I haven't really been a part of before.

It seems that people dedicate so much time to their blogs, never to disappoint their readers. I want to be a part of this world, but I am not quite sure that I am at a point in my life that it can really mean something. Well, this is what I have been thinking the past month or so.

I decided today though, that this does not have to be true. If I don't make it true. My blog can mean a lot to my friends, but can still mean something to others. I take a lot in from the blogs I read, but most of them are from women late in their twenties or early thirties. They are married, happy, and know what they are doing with their lives. I, however, am at a crossroads. I am still in college, with one year left. I have no idea what I want to do with my life. I can't write about the same things, and that is okay!

I am going to start focusing on how my life is at this crossroads and I am completely undecided about life. I hope that as I continue to tell the tales of my life, I will be able to relate them not just to the person I am, but to the person I wish to become. I hope that those who read my blog will be able to take away lessons from another perspective of life- one that we have all been through, but have been separated from for just a little while. Hopefully I will be able to learn from you all as well, as I have already been for almost a year now.

I hope that this direction will leave me blogging more frequently, and help you all get a better picture of who I am as a person. I like to think that I am pretty great! So, to sum, here I am with a new direction/focus for my blog: "A Journey through a Crossroads."

:)

The Favorite Man in my Life..

"Pops" or "Dr. Dad"...
Who is a giant goofball...

is 64 years old today!!!

Happy Birthday Pops!!

:)

Fun times in T-Town

So, this week at home has been GREAT. At first it was really hard being here, because I kept thinking about how my best friend/roommate/big would not be coming back with me to Norman next year. I nearly cried at very inopportune times and have really gotten to practice my skills at holding back tears. However, my friends have been good at keeping me distracted and alive! I have gotten to see lots of them, watching movies, visiting, dancing, and singing in my high school's reunion choir. It was great amazing to get to perform again. I did theater throughout high school and have been in choir since I was in 4th grade. College has been fun, but has lacked the performing part of life that I love so much.

I have gotten to spend time lately with some friends that I haven't really gotten to see much since college started, and it has been a blast. I wish the weather would warm up though, so I can get some swimming and sun-time in! I suppose I should be using this time to unpack and repack, instead of sleeping till at least noon, but then I wouldn't feel so relaxed!

Basically, I am very happy right now and feel great. It has been nice to catch up on sleep (the other night I slept 12 hours straight through). I look forward to the rest of this week!

Let's Play Pretend!

Who doesn't just love to do it?

Every dead week, our sorority has mandatory study hall called "Campusing." Each member does 4 hours sometime during the monday-thursday nights that week. I always choose to get my hours done immediately, meaning Monday. If I don't, those lingering hours eat away at my life the rest of the week, because other fun things ALWAYS come up that I would rather do. So, that is what I did Monday night. Sat in our dining room next to one of my best friends, Michelle, and attempted studying.

I say attempted, because it is pretty much impossible for me to ever do productive studying in campusing. I can't focus because there are so many people in one room and I just want to people watch and wonder what they are doing. I did pretty well though, for the first 3 hours. I kept to myself, and attempted answering questions for roommate's Tell the World Tuesday. Hour 4 struck. And the capsule inside of me that holds all of my craziness back from the world exploded. Michelle and I began skype chatting with roommate, who was proctoring study hall. Michelle is studying speech pathology, and I decide to start typing as if I have a speech impediment (sbeeech imperirmens). Now, I actually did have a speech impediment when I was little, so no disrespect to anyone with one!

Typing with a speech impediment turned into also have a Chinese/Swedish accent. I was absolutely ridiculous. We all started typing in all caps at one point, and were having a lot of trouble holding in our laughter.

It was great, though. I remember playing pretend when I was little. I was so unafraid of going outside of the box and trying something completely different than what I was. I miss those days! I love the creativity of children, and it is one of the reasons I am excited for the years (much far away from today!) that I will raise children. Children are so much happier because they let their mind explore. It is fun to pretend and use that creativity. It keeps happiness alive!

What are some ways that you use your creativity?

And I leave you with one of my new favorite commercials. Wal-mart has a new series of them out, but I could only find one on youtube. My favorite is the spatula one! Here is the one I could find:

:)

It isn't official unless it is on Facebook

This is pretty much all you ever need to know about me:

Home

There is just nothing like being home...

Lately I have been more of a homebody than ever. There has been a lot of hurt this year, and home is my healing place. It is the only place I ever lived before college. It is the only place I know how to fix my emotions. It is the only place I know how to truly be myself. It is the place where all my questions are answered.

I have one week of finals. I have two weeks of time at home before I head out to D.C. for the summer. At this point, I am really sad about not being here this summer. I know D.C. will be amazing, but I want to be home. I want my friends, my late nights, my days spent by the pool/at the lake/ at the river. I want to go camping. I want to spend time with the people who embrace me for who I am and encourage me to be everything I can be. I want to spend my birthday with my brothers, who have been waiting for my 21st birthday for 7 years. I want to celebrate my best friend's birthday. I want to meet Ke$ha with my Big.

Most of all, I want to feel the way that this weekend has made me feel.

I can't wait for those two weeks!

:)

Beginning of the End

So, all morning I was trying to think about how to write what I want to today. Everyone is so excited, yet I am not. I don't know how to express that. My roommate and I talked about this last night, and we are both on the same level. She expressed her reaction in a way that is exactly how I feel, so I am posting hers below:

"First of all, as a Christian, I know there will be no mercy for the things he [Osama bin Laden] has done. It hurts me to feel okay about this because of my beliefs. But it's a struggle because he caused so many more lives to be lost than his one that was probably deserved.

Second, I can't help but be worried about what is to come. Yes, killing bin Laden was something our country needed to hear about, needed to see, needed that sense of ease, but I honestly feel like it's more of a symbolic thing for the US rather than something that is going to mean anything to the entire Al-Qaeda community. There WILL be retaliations, I can feel it. .......
My prayer for all of America is to remember that it wasn't Obama, it wasn't Bush. It was the men and women in ALL branches of the military that unselfishly sacrificed time away from their families, and the men and women who are still doing that today. It took 10 years to find him. I hope that all of the military could breathe a little easier after the news last night. This doesn't mean it's over. Killing the leader does not mean the revolution itself is over, it just means that their public figure is no more."

I cannot feel happy about death. It makes me sad to think how happy our country and the world is over one man dying. Over killing him. I think, "if I had seen Osama walking down the street, would I be able to kill him?" No. Simple as that. Maybe if he were trying to kill me, now that is a different story.

I watched Obama's speech, and was a little disappointed how often he talked about himself. However, I did like how he stated that this is not a war against Islam. It is a war against terrorism. It is important to remember who it is we are fighting.

I know the inevitable will happen: the end. While I am confident in my religion and what the long-term future holds, I still fear the pain and destruction our world will one day see. I fear that this day is looming. I fear that this will be the beginning of that end.

I hope this event brings together our nation, as well as others throughout the world. There is plenty of evil in the world, and I hope we stand strong against it, together.

Because I can't focus at work..

So, although I love my internship, I just cannot focus today. I would like to blame my a.d.d., but I am going to instead blame it on the fact that it is Friday. I have never been the type to really celebrate Fridays. I like them and all, but I know that weekends are short-lived and I don't want to get my hopes up.

But today- I could scream how happy I am that it is Friday. And it should be a really fun weekend. This week has been our Sorority's Senior Week, and so we spend time making fun of each other in skit form and saying our loving goodbyes. I am really sad to see this year's Seniors go, especially roommate/big, as I have known them the best. We will be topping this week off with our Senior Date Party, in which the theme is, "The best things were made in the 80s." Boyfriend and I will be showing everyone our nerdy selves by dressing up in Tron* attire.

Also this weekend is my major's club's annual softball game. It is Alumns/Teachers vs Students. I love softball and played it my whole life, and was sad I couldn't play in it for intramurals this year. Needless to say- I am very excited for this!! Last year the Teachers won, and my old programming teachers keeps emailing us to say he is bringing us tissues for when we weep. I think hope we can give them a run for their money!

Last thing: I officially have an internship in Washington D.C. this summer! I am sad that I will (once again) be missing my birthday with my friends, especially since it will be the big 2-1! I am also sad that I will not get to spend the summer in Tulsa, because I love Tulsa summers: camping, concerts, Drillers Baseball games, swimming, going to the lake, tanning, floating the river, etc. I do know that I will still have an amazing summer though, and really look forward to living in such a great city for two months!

Okay. Back to work. Womp womp.

:)

*I didn't like Tron until I saw the new one. My brother used to make me watch the old one all the time, thus- I hated it. However, give me a movie that involves worlds inside of computers, add in a little action, and BAM! I am sure to love it. I plan on re-watching the original Tron movie, hopefully to find that I don't actually hate it at all.

Hungry for more games

*I actually wrote this a week ago, and didn't post it because I fail.

So, this past week and a half, I have had freedom from tests- and it has been WONDERFUL. But, what has kept me away?

After Spring Break, I read The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. I started during Spring Break, but was much too distracted by the beach, endless sun, and beautiful turquoise water to read. I read one chapter. MAYBE two. After I read it, I had to ground myself from borrowing the next two books from roommate, because I had school to worry about.

You should know, I have a problem. I love to read. Yes, everyone and their mom loves to read. But I get consumed by it. That is why you really won't see me reading too often, because if I do I won't get anything else done. And I mean it. I cut meals short. I don't hang out with friends. I forget to bathe (meaning I have to cut into the little bit of sleep time I allotted myself so that I won't drive people away from me with a forcefield of odor and grime). People come to talk to me in my room- and I don't know what to say.

I don't know what to say because all I can think about is the book. Which has been my life for the past week and a half. I ungrounded myself, and started reading Catching Fire (the second book in the hunger games). It was fabulous. I don't even know how I read it so fast (5 days), because I worked a full 20 hour week, went to all my classes, and it was initiation week for the Sorority. I read it really fast, to say the least.

It was great- but once it was over I knew I needed to make human contact and be a real citizen for a while. So, I didn't start the next book. Not until the next day, that is. I felt like I read this one slower, however- I finished it faster (last night). I even forced myself to take longer breaks to eat and talk with friends. I would like to note though, that when I was not in break time I reverted back to the mute confused girl who had nothing to say to her friends who hadn't seen her in a while. Because my life turns in to the book.

I am in a slight postpartum depression now, only instead of birthing a child I finished a book. Now that I don't have anything left of the story to read, I just don't know what to do. I can't wait till the movie comes out (in roughly a year-ish), but until then- I must become a normal person again until I find time and a new book to immerse myself in.

I have been a fail blogger

So, a couple weeks ago I had another round of tests. If you haven't picked up on this already, my tests are ALWAYS grouped together. And now I am very lucky, because since all of them are grouped together, I have no more until finals. This makes Katy very happy! Though, that probably means I need to start studying for them.

Generally when I have breaks in tests, I catch up on my blogging. But last week I just wasn't feeling it for some reason. Probably because I felt like I didn't have anything worthwhile to talk about.

But- I do have something. I have started an internship with our campus IT department, and I LOVE it. If you didn't already know, I am a huge nerd and love computers. My major is Management Information Systems-- aka. Computers for the Business World as I like to call it. I study programming, systems, databases- all that fun stuff. Sure, to many most people this sounds awful. However, I am excited about it. My internship so far is all about the stuff I have been learning in class. Now I am working on creating a system for my Sorority to track our study hall hours (which is currently pen and paper for approximately 150 girls--for each week of the semester). I would just like to say, I AM SO FREAKING EXCITED ABOUT THIS. This just goes to show my love for technology. Last week, I visited with some computer science majors for a couple hours, and I was jealous of their knowledge. I wish I could get a masters in computer science, but that requires taking an undergrad computer science program. Sad day.

So, my life is at least 50% computers now- 25% friends/extracurricular activities, 25% sleep. And I love it.

:)

Tuesday Morning Lesson

I learned a lesson today:

Never, ever attempt to flat iron your hair right after you wake up in the morning. Your finger will not appreciate it.

:)

Everyone has their weaknesses...

Although I love winter weather, I am really not liking this (hopefully) last cold front that has swept Oklahoma. This always tends to happen when I do things like stimulate the economy. I was really looking forward to wearing my cute new spring clothes, but I am being forced to practice my patience. Normally overcast days are some of my happiest days, but not today.

This is mainly because I am being reminded of one of my biggest weaknesses: I beat myself up. No, I don't literally punch myself in the face, though I kind of feel like I should. But I like my face, so I won't. Today are the interviews for my major's scholarships. I am not really sure when the applications for it were- but I am pretty sure that they were part of my college's scholarship application. We had pretty much the last half of Fall semester to apply for them- due a week or two after finals. So, of course I was going to wait till then to fill it out. I wasn't even trying to procrastinate. I just figured I would have a better, clearer mind to fill out the application and make myself sound awesome.

During break, I work at the movie theater at home I have worked at for almost 5 years (yikes). At work one day, I made a to-do list: Laundry, Buy soap, Scholarship Application. The next day I got to work. I bought soap, and started my laundry. I was done, and I was happy. Oh, but wait-- isn't that missing something? Yep. I realized two days later when I found my list. The application was due midnight the night before. It is all online, and the application had closed. I was upset, but oh well- I will have other opportunities.

Unfortunately, I am pretty sure that I was wrong, and that was my opportunity. For the past few days, I keep hearing just how much the MIS dept is able to give away this year (a ton). Everyone in class has their suits on and are coming in late/leaving early, while I am sitting here in my t-shirt and just enough make up on to look like I am not a zombie. I say this humbly, but I am a shoe-in for these scholarships. They are pretty much the one non-need based scholarship I could ever apply for. Entirely merit. And here I am- a girl with a ton of merits.

A ton of merits and a bad case of Attention Deficit Disorder.

Stimulating the Economy

So this weekend is OU's Mom's Day weekend. I am the photographer for our Campus Activities Council, so I have been running about getting pictures of all the shenanigans and happenings on campus. Well, I was waiting on the camera last night and so I stayed in all night reading. I finished the Hunger Games and CRASHED. The book was so so good. I want to start on the second, but have two tests coming up and won't let myself.

Today we had a brunch at the house, in which I was an "orphan" with my friends Kaitlin and Colleen. We always tend to be orphans together on these weekends- it is fun. We wanted to get away, so we decided to go shopping. And boy did we shop. Well, at least me. I have been in a funky mood the past two days, but by the end of our shopping I was much happier. I even got a jacket for 97 cents! All in all, I didn't spend too much. It was leftover money from Spring Break though, and I found some really good things (including a 27 cent fake arm sleeve tattoo). After that, Kaitlin and I headed to Whataburger and then to the Talent Show so that I could take more pictures. I won a 25 gift certificate to a Campus Corner store, so that was really great! There was an asian "glowstick-er" (think rave) and two boys who played Disney songs on violin and piano. It was fabulous, and Kaitlin is in love with one of the boys. One girl sung a song about Starbucks and the latte boy, so then I wanted a Chai Latte more than anything. I think this was also thanks to the cold front we got in last night.

After Starbucks, we went to dinner at a small amazing Italian Restaurant with some friends. Followed up by Gelato. Now I am finishing off the night watching The Ugly Truth. I truly love this movie!

So, I think I helped the economy was have a good day today. It really should thank me.

:)

The Most Memorable Christmas Present

Setting: My hometown, Christmas.

Age: 7

It was Christmastime again- a time of happiness, glory, and my trademark red, velvet velour Holiday Dress. I wore that dress for years, thinking it was the fanciest thing around. When it was time to break out that dress again, I knew I would soon be eating delicious food, leaving out cookies for Santa (and carrots for the reindeer, of course), and opening presents.

When I was little, the exact presents I got weren't that important. Does anyone remember those old Sears catalogs they sent out around September? The ones with about 5 million pages of toys inside? That catalog was likely the most favorite magazine of my years, until I discovered the humor of my friend's Cosmos. Each year, I would go through each and every page of that catalog and make my Christmas list. It took me many years to realize that if I gave my mom Santa a 7 page long Christmas list, I probably wouldn't be opening any of the items on there come December 25th (even the Easy Bake Oven that made my number 1 slot for 4 years running).

As you can see, I didn't really care what present I would get- I just wanted presents. Presents in any shape or form were good, but I always knew that bigger meant better. Right? At 7 years old with only a few years experience under my belt, that was the rule I lived by.

Christmas morning rolled around, and the living room had been visited during the night- I was sure of it. There was a giant mound of presents, the stockings were stuffed, and some of the cookies/carrots eaten. We weren't really allowed into the room yet, but I noticed a very large box sitting center stage in front of the tree. This box was almost the size of my body. I walked towards it, and lo and behold my name was on it. Not only that- but the tag read:

To: Katy

From: Evan, Clark, and Blake

Was this real? Were my 3 older, horrible, mean brothers giving me a giant gift? This couldn't be! Maybe they did what everyone always told me they would do- they would grow up and come around, and be amazing older brothers. It was finally my chance. I was finally being appreciated. I was in the Heaven of all Christmas mornings.

Each year we traded off where we did Christmas first. Unfortunately, this year we were spending the morning at my Grandma's house down the street. I loved my Grandma and spent just about every day over there, but I could not stop thinking about that giant beacon of a present sitting underneath our Christmas Tree. Through lots of presents and a fantastic meal, I couldn't stop thinking about that giant present with my name on it. I was ecstatic when it was time to head back down the street to our house so that we could open our presents.

I remember it so perfectly. The sky had already turned dark, since we were in those short winter days. We had opened some smaller presents, and then it was finally my turn to open what I had been thinking about all day. The whole day I had fantasized about the possibilities, but never came up with a prediction on what it actually was. When I got to the box, I tried to move it a little when I noticed that it was really heavy. The best just got better, I thought. As I unwrapped the box, I could hardly contain my 7-year-old self. I opened the box, and I first saw wadded up newspaper, a common present-box stuffer in my family. I start taking out the newspaper, and realize that the newspaper goes much deeper than I expected. But there has to be a present- why else would the box be so heavy?

And then I saw it. Them. There were 3 bricks placed in the bottom of the box. It took me one second to realize that I had been scammed, yet again. Think of a giant hot air balloon that has a cannon shot through it- that was how I felt. Upon my discovery, I was told/received a note that said, "These are so that you can start building your house now- maybe you will have a shack to live in by the time you are old." They always had a running joke that I would be living in a box- a box they were so kind to give me and let me live in outside their mansions.

Fortunately, it looks like the tables have turned and I will be the one living in a "mansion." I found out from my father recently that he had seen the box and saw them acting sneakily. Apparently he threatened them because he knew they were plotting against me yet again.

We actually still have those bricks, laying in the closet of my old room. I think their may be a re-gifting occurring next Christmas.

;)

Why I love Oklahoma...

There is one thing that will never change about me- I am a true Okie at heart. I might travel the world and do some crazy activities (I watched Step-Brothers recently if you couldn't tell), but there is nothing that can ever compete with Oklahoma in my mind. While there are a million and one reasons that I love it, here is why I was inspired to write this post:

One day recently I had to go Kinko's (now Fed Ex but I refuse to call it so) to send something through Fed Ex. I haven't ever done this before and there are all sorts of envelopes and packing slips and what not. I picked the envelope out that fit my items, and then I narrowed down my options of sending forms to the one that looked like I might be able to use. I filled out what I knew, and the rest of the form was jibberish to me and I wasn't sure if it was one of those "official use only" areas. So, I attempt sealing the envelope and succeeded, then took my uncompleted things to the counter. The woman looked like she hated her job, and I had better know what I am doing. Oops. I told her, "I haven't used Fed Ex before so I don't know if I did it right." She then proceeds to half me a bunch of questions to finish filling out my form-- apparently it wasn't "official use only" and I fail. Half of her questions I didn't really know the answer to and just guessed. I probably grabbed the wrong form. Oops again.

I finally have everything completed and I want to pay. Then she walks away with my envelope to do secret official Fed Ex things, I suppose. Maybe she just had to answer a phone call. Who knows. To her, I could wait. I was just the stupid college kid in front of her who doesn't know how to use Fed Ex. As I am waiting, an old man enters the store. We exchange smiles, and then my woman is back and I pay. As I am leaving, the old man says, "It's unbelievable isn't it?" I say, "Huh?" thinking he is talking about the prices of mailing things or something. Then he says, "The weather." Now, this was in February when it should be 2 degrees outside. However, it was a gorgeous 65 degrees. Thanks Oklahoma! I say, "yeah- it is really great outside though! I love it!" He follows up in that cute old man silly humor voice, "This morning my wife made me put on this sweater, and now there is no need for it." He was wearing the stereotypical old-man sweater with the diamonds all across. We continued talking and he asked me all about what I am doing in school, and apparently his granddaughter goes to OU too. We chatted like we knew each other for a good 5 minutes before I left. He could have easily been one of the old men at my church who pass out the fliers as you walk in. However, we had never met before.

In Oklahoma, this kind of things happens all the time. Everyone here is very friendly for the most part. We hold doors behind us, we wave when cars let us pass, and we smile at complete strangers and ask them how they are. It is just our culture. Other places just aren't as friendly and kind. Sure, we have some jerks out there. But they definitely do not ruin it for the whole bunch.

And that is one of the many reasons I will always be an Okie.

:)