My Bestfriends' Wedding

Two very good friends of mine got married to each other yesterday, and I was privileged enough to be a part of the bridal party. The ceremony and reception both went smoothly and both the bride and groom were calm all evening. They were ready to get married.

It amazes me how much time, effort, and money is put into weddings. Sometimes I think it's excessive, but after seeing all the planning be brought together last night it's worth it. I know I had fun, and I'm sure the bride and groom and their families did too. Marriage is a huge commitment and a big celebration fits the occasion very well.

...and no, I did NOT catch the bouquet. I strategically stood in the back corner.

Surprise Party

Two incredible, intelligent, fun, (and the list goes on and on) friends threw me a surprise graduation party tonight, and I was definately surprised. I saw friends from freshman year to friends that I made only these past few semesters. I am so so so so fortunate to have the friends that I do. I am a lucky gal. I appreciate Benheart's and trinity_garcia's careful planning, time, and effort in making tonight so memorable. You two are irreplaceable. I mean it so much, I'll say it again! You two are irreplaceable. I love you both!

The Celebration

A shot of Jager for Latino,
A shot of Jager for Yarlagadda,
A shot of Jager for Krasinski,
A shot of Kahlua for Allison...

So this is how EE graduates celebrate.

'Twas the night before graduation.

'Twas the night before graduation, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even Andy chasing his toy mouse;

The photos sat on the dresser with care,
In hopes that my college friends will always be there;

I think back to the times of freshman year,
The dorm life, the roomie, and with a bestfriend so near;
I experienced many things that were new,
The meteor showers, the sunrises, and Krispy Kremes too!

Sophomore year came and things began to change,
I learned about culture and what it means to me,
I understood things in myself and others that I did not before see,
How lucky am I to meet so many great friends at this time,
My memories from roadtrips are absolutely sublime;

Junior year snuck up and I turned 21,
I went to Joe's on Thursday nights,
And fell asleep in my 7:30 class without much of a fight,
Schoolwork got rough and I felt I wanted to quit,
With encouragement from others and my desire to succeed I had to commit;

Senior year came and I battled my design classes,
I had many days of ditching my contacts and wearing my glasses,
My last semester is over but will live on forever,
With days of Wicked, orange chicken, and bag lady jokes that were so clever;

This is only a miniscule glimpse of what it means to be at osu,
Cowboys forever and that will always be true.

Almost Done!

I'm studying for my last finals... ever.

What Would You Wear?

What would you wear if everyone at your school was blind? Would you still get dolled up every morning or would there be no point since no one would know the difference? I'll admit I'd let myself go a bit, especially on exam days or all nighter days. I don't think my jeans and tshirt daily attire would change much, though. I might be more daring and willing to mix and match. Overall, I think people dress up because they like how their clothing looks on them, not so much to try to impress others. This is probably more of a college mindset than in any other stage in life, such as high school or at the workplace.

Clothing reveals a lot about a person. Not all the time, but if you're observant enough you can gather where a stranger is going and their interests and personality by what they are wearing. For people you already know, you can probably guess their favorite color or what their mood is that day according to their clothing.

Dress is also an important aspect in differentiating cultures. Each culture has clothing that has a history to it or clothing that is only reserved for special occasions. Well, enough about clothes. All this talk makes me want to shop.

The Warehouse Wine Tasting

I experienced my first public wine tasting today. My sister and I drove down to OKC to Woodward's Wines UNcommon, where the wine tasting was held. I knew I stood among wine experts as I focused my best to characterize what I was tasting.

I had 14 out of the 20 wines on display, in addition to eating elk pizza for the first time (which tastes like sausage). I had to stop drinking when I had the Trentadue Chocolate Amore from Sonoma, CA, a red dessert wine made from Merlot grapes with chocolate added. It was delicious and drinking anything after that would just be a disappointment. It was like drinking chocolate liqueur candy. Another favorite of mine today was the Amorosa Sparkling White Wine from Lodi, CA. It tasted like a sparkling Gerwurstraminer crossed with a Riesling, in other words, sweet. It wasn't quite the Balatore, but I would certainly get it.

My Mini High School Reunion

Ten old friends met up at Brookside this Thanksgiving break. Some I haven’t seen in 2 years and others since the Union High School days (and that’s nearly five years ago). I sat down at the table and…

Friend 1: How are you?
Me: To sum up the past 4 to 5 years, good.
Friend 2: You’re not dead or pregnant…
Me: … so I’m good.

Everyone looked great and almost exactly how I remembered them, except one. I didn’t even recognize him for awhile, but the memories rushed back quickly enough. Everyone’s personalities and demeanors were the same to me too, perhaps slightly more refined and mature. As we all sat outside, we kept spotting Union grads that we haven't seen since high school too. It was a great idea to get together and to see everyone doing so well. It was a night of laughing at old memories, catching up on eachother’s lives, and strengthening lost friendships.

Eat it, CompUSA.

This was my life when I had a Compaq laptop about a year and a half ago...

In case you couldn't read it, here's the link to it: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2000/09/20

Baby It's Cold Outside

I mentioned to a friend after class how I wanted Christmas music today. It was as an afterthought really, but he insisted on helping me find this perfect Christmas cd. I wanted some classic Christmas songs sung by modern singing artists, just something upbeat with a new twist. We ended up looking at Hastings and WalMart and had no luck. So after exhausting our resources in Stillwater, I looked online and found the perfect cds! There's been 3 cds made. You can listen to the whole cd online!

http://www.maybethisxmas.com/home.html
http://maybethisxmas.com/vol2/home.html
(the link to the first cd isn't working)

There's Maybe This Christmas, Maybe This Christmas Too?, and Maybe This Christmas Tree.

So, mission accomplished. Enjoy!

Asian Cravings

I'm talking about food, by the way. I haven't eaten as much asian food since I lived at home, and it feels great! It all started with orange chicken. My good friend (which I still haven't thought of a clever blog nickname to call her yet) and I have eaten whatever we crave this semester, and it has been a wonderful time. We started going to the Golden Dragon Cafe, and this triggered the orange chicken kick and has spread to my rice and pho cravings like crazy. I think this is a good change for me. It's about time I balance my pizza and burgers eating habits with something more like home.

Party Like the Pandas

While I was catching up on some news on cnn.com, I stumbled across an article I had to read (http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/11/09/panda.wedding.ap/index.html). With a title like "Two Pandas Tie the Knot," you would too. Yes, two pandas "got married." They did it with style too. Their wedding was complete with a Chinese tea ceremony and a huge cake. My parents would be proud of them.

Take a Moment

Everyone's busy, but with friends like mine I always get a chance to take a moment and enjoy the simple things. The best things are simple. Eating with someone on the whim and enjoying good conversation or sitting in the grass watching the colorful, fall trees rustle in the Oklahoma wind. These are the types of moments that I'll remember from Stillwater. Well, that and how much I don't like programming.

Senioritis

I've caught it today. I might have caught it yesterday, but I can really feel it today. I have senioritis!!! And it's about time! Ohh... I know why I caught it. I finally got and sent out my graduation announcements, and the graduation fair is coming up. It finally hit me that I'll be leaving Stillwater and will no longer be a student here. I've been trying to hang out with all my buddies that I've been putting off due to school. I just have to make time to have fun. That won't be too difficult. December 17, 2005 and I'm outta here!

I am a Donut

Hot and fresh. What more can I say? Luckily, I didn't bump into any cops last night. That would've been the end of me. I hung out with my buddy at a party yesterday, you know, the chocolate-covered one. I was really surprised, though. She nearly took a bite out of me!!! I know I'm cherry-covered, but I'm still her own kind. Maybe I'm looking into it too much. Bygones.

I Love The Midwest

Friendly people. Friendly service. Strangers who smile and say hi. This is why I love living in The Midwest.

Bus Etiquette

Etiquette is behavior that is socially accepted in a given situation. I can imagine how some may question why it is necessary to restrict our behavior because of others' opinions of what is acceptable and what is not. Besides, why should we care what other people think, right? Well, I'll tell you why. The etiquette basics show that you respect others. How you act towards others reflects your manners and a part of who you are.

During my bus rides to campus, I've noticed a need for people to touch up on their bus etiquette. I realize some people don't realize the things they do is quite annoying, but here they are:

- Taking up too much space, particularly guys.
I found myself sitting in between two guys on the bus one day. It was the last seat, and I had to squeeze myself in. Both of the guys moved their legs for me to sit, but once I was sitting they went back to where they were. I accept the fact that females are generally more compact in posture and males are more spread out, but in a cramped bus both of the guys could have moved their legs together a little bit. They looked like they were sitting watching a football game in their living room. Why do they get more space than I do? Should I have sat the same way and nudge them over? I don't really like touching strangers, though. Ew. Be a little more considerate, guys. Give people some space!

- No Sex in the City talk on the bus, please.
This applies to males and females. Strangers don't want to hear about your personal, intimate life on their way to school or work. Only your best friend should listen to that.

- Why are you yelling? I'm sitting right next to you.
Carry all the conversations you want with your friend, but please keep your voice down. Talking loudly distracts others, whether they're reading the paper, studying, or resting on the bus.

I am, however, guilty of bad manners too. I realized this when I was watching a dating show on tv. A guy was interviewing two girls to date his brother. Throughout the whole interview, he had a music headphone in one of his ears! That was SO rude. Then, I realized that I do that too. There have been times when I have headphones on and turn down the music to listen to someone talk. I can hear them fine, but they see me with headphones on while "listening" to them. I'm sure they think differently than I did. Although my ipod have got me through many bus rides, I tear out both headphone ear pieces when I'm talking with someone now. Be comfortable on your way to campus, but don't forget to be considerate of others while on the bus.

The Beginning

I have resisted creating a blog for years. The issue of Wilbert has prompted me to turn the tides on my strong resistance to publish myself so openly. First, let me introduce you to Wilbert. He lives very closely to a friend of mine, and his appetite is incomparable to any in his species. I'll spare the details about Wilbert as to honor my friend's privacy. Trust me and follow my lead into the efforts of freeing Wilbert.

On another note, my siblings, a few close friends (including Wilbert, of course) returned from an amazing weekend in Dallas. Seeing the musical, Wicked, was the main attraction to this weekend. I have been listening to the soundtrack non-stop for about a month before seeing the musical. When the orchestra played the first notes of the introduction song, I immediately got goosebumps. Wicked was everything I would expect a great musical to be. The characters were endearing, the actors/actresses were phenomonal from their vocals to their choreography, the plot was imaginative and complete, and the audience was as I excited as I was to see it creating an environment of excitement. After seeing the musical, listening to the soundtracck has stemmed a completely different experience. I am anxious to read the book now.

Crate and Barrel and Ikea has helped me furnish my kitchen. I got the perfect plates, bowls, and wine glasses in Dallas. I used the plates and bowls today, and they were everything I dreamed they'd be! Also, no trip would be complete without a visit to the club. We went to Purgatory, where the first level is hell, the second is purgatory, and the third is heaven. Each floor played different music. We spent most of the time in heaven, naturally. It was the most posh floor decorned all in white. So, is that what heaven is like? Hip-hop music and people droppin' like it's hot left and right? My inner groove thang found its way to the first floor where techno bounced off the walls (and the empty dance floor, unfortunately). I still had a blast down there. I found it creative of the owners to have the temperature rise as I descended from heaven to hell. Purgatory is a clubbing must in Dallas.

I ate lots of food too. From the fair food to La Madeleine's, it made my tummy happy. I think I heard Wilbert giggling with joy too. I was able to see roomie and her husband for Sunday lunch. I adore them. Roomie is such a genuine person and she and her husband seem so happy.

Overall, this was one of the top memories I'll have at my stay in Stillwater, though it took place in Dallas. I couldn't ask for a better group to go with, my lovely sis, my goofy bro, and the two truest friends. Thanks for a great weekend!