The Girls from OSU #3: College Roomie

For Day #3 of the fun, we have College Roomie! (In case you missed it..check out Day 1 and Day 2!)

Hi! I’m Amy (aka: College Roomie), and I’m here today to talk to you about a book and a friendship. I pinky swear (and that’s like blood) that the book report will be as painless as possible. And I hope that the friendship will be one that you relate to – because everyone should be blessed with their very own “Girls from OSU”.

A Book Report: The Girls From Ames

At first, I didn’t like it. There are eleven names. Eleven stories and backgrounds to keep straight. Countless connections. It was too much. I’m a detail person. I was stressed out trying to remember how Shirley was connected to Karla and failed to grasp the fundamental concept of the book. Eventually I checked my OCD tendencies, settled down, and was able to appreciate the story of the friendship that these girls have cultivated.

A few takeaways:

1. Just like I needed to chillax rather than trying to diagram the book, friendships should be enjoyed as they are and not analyzed to the point that they lose their meaning.

2. Friendships are only as strong as the people who formed them. And sometimes, they can be really, really strong. Strong enough to survive distance, difference of opinion, heartbreak, and the loss of a loved one. Friendship is proof that if it doesn’t die, it really can become stronger.
3. Cherish your girlfriends. Make time for them. Celebrate them. Don’t let life get the best of your friendships. It’s not always easy – but it’s always worth it.

4. The book was very relatable. I could see a little bit of myself in each of the girls from Ames AND I could see a little bit of Tiff, Lyndse, and Sara in each of the girls from Ames. I loved that – we’re all so different, yet these girls in the books somehow epitomized each of us.
The Girls From Ames reminded me how lucky I am to have the girlfriends that I have. I live two states away from Sara and Lyndse, and don’t even see Tiff on a regular basis – even though we live in the same town. Days will pass with no communication between me and them. But we always manage to pick up right where we left off. We all know that the others will be there in a flashity-flash-flash if needed. And that, my friends, is a friendship worth hanging on to forever.

Girls from OSU Week #2: Blonde Oklahoma Girl

To kick off our little series today, we have our Blonde Oklahoma Girl!!


Hey y'all...Lyndse over here at I was born a red dirt girl...also known on this little blog as Blonde Oklahoma Girl. My in REAL life best friend...who made me get a blog....wanted us girls to do a little post about this book that she so generously bought for us to read and then write about: The Girls from Ames.

I have to admit, I read about half of it and then started reading the Hunger Games...and everything was lost after that, because I can't get enough of that book. Sorry, Tiff.

The Girls from Ames is a great book from what little I did read. So instead of comparing our friendship to the ladies in the book and their friendship...I thought I would just talk about what our group...Cashmere Mafia or our recent dubbed named...Gossip Girls...means to me.
First off, we wouldn't even be a group of four if it wasn't for our angel in heaven who lead us all together. You know how everyone talks about how the people in your life are there for a reason? Well, I 100% believe it to be true. DonEtta, or Pink Boots, as she is referred to on this blog...is the sole reason us girls even know each other. See...Pink Boots was the glue that bined us...through one boy or another, the best college ever, a sorority, a cooking class, and a couple limies later..the four of us developed relationships and became the best of friends. Soul sisters. Not one of us is the same. We each bring something different to the relationship. If you ask me, that's what makes us awesome.

Honey, or College Roomie as she is called on this blog, and I didn't become real close until our last semester of college. We bonded with a shared love of the limies/soco and lime shots and over a certain TA in our cooking class. Remember?? Honey is the most kind-hearted, whitty...she always has great come back for anything, organized(seriously y'all...I am talking girl needs her own show to organize people's lives...starting with me), smart, sofisticated beyond her years, fashion-savvy person I know. She's the only person I know that chooses to live a whole year in China and loved every single second of it.
I, on the other hand, hated China that year she lived there. Honey and I went to Vegas literally a few days before we graduated college, to say it was the best time EVER would be a huge understatement. Honey is one of my dearest friends and I could not imagine a life without her.
Bestie...or Loud Oklahoma Girl...this girl is the peanut butter to my jelly, the peas to my carrots. Seriously...we really can't go anywhere, without someone asking the other person where so and so is. We first met back in the day as little ol' pledges in the Tri-delta sorority house. Pink Boots and LOKG were already friends and I met both of them through joining the sorority. Pink Boots became our "big" and LOKG and I became "twins" and 10 years or so later...here we are. Sisters in every form of the word. If you ever thought you were just destined to be friends with someone...this is the girl. It's funny because we led such parallel lives when we were younger. It's probably a good thing that God didn't introuce us until we were a little bit older...a little bit more mature, because trust me had we been friends when we were younger we would have drove our mothers insane. Speaking of which, because of us...our mom's are pretty good friends too...it's a circle of friendship...aww. My momma on the left and bestie's momma on the right...see don't we look like our beautiful momma's?
And last but not least my soul sister...Miss Football...or you know...that one who writes this blog, Tiff. If you were to put our likes and dislikes and our hobbies and etc. on a piece of paper, you would laugh and think there is no way these two girls have anything in common. I like Miss America, make-up, big hair and reality tv shows. Tiff likes football, sports related stuff, farm/ag, and she chooses do not have cable.

Despite all of that...somehow we manage to have a lot in common, because boy do we talk. A Lot. As in the majority of my emails through out the day are from her and text messages etc. It's not un-common for one of us to email the other when we haven't heard from them during the day to ask if they are alive...that's how much we communicate. About what exactly? Oh nothing...just your average every day world problems, like why are we still single and how can we solve the current economic state of our country...well, maybe not that last sentence but if someone was to ask us I am sure we could solve it.

In fact, after all these years of knowing each other...our likes have rubbed off on one another...my love for big hair and achieving the perfect "poof" has now taken over Tiff... And Tiff's knowledge of football and our equally love and adoration for our cowboys has crossed over and I now understand that the dang yellow line is NOT on the field. But it's more than just poof's and football and limies and cooking classes...us four girls have a friendship that I hope other girls can find. There is a sense of joy and comfort in knowing that no matter the circumstance...and believe me us girls have seen our fair share of circumstances...you will have always, always have someone or three somone's who will be there for you. We might not all live in the same city or country, for that matter, but we make a great effort to stay in touch.

Whether it be just a trip to our Alma Mater for a football game....

someone's birthday Girls weekend in California

to cheer on your friend achieving a goal she worked so hard for
a card in the mail just to say, "Hello"

or to join in on a family ski trip and feel so welcomed that you too feel like part of the family

I have had friends my whole life, good friends, friends that I thought I would stay in contact with forever...but that's not the case. I don't have to worry about that with these girls...because these girls have seen me at my worst, happiest, saddest and best days of my life...these are the girls I chose to have as my friends...or I shouldn't say I chose, because I know that to have friends like these...is a God thing...these ladies are special women who I can't wait to celebrate all of our weddings, big birthdays, babies, anniversaries and all those moments that come with growing up.

If I was to pick out three people to be by my side at all times...have no doubt...that they would be my lifeline.

Loves these girls to the moon and back.
XOXO

Girls From OSU Week #1: The Intro

“Female friends show us a mirror of ourselves.” ~The Girls from Ames

Last summer, I read a great book called “The Girls From Ames” by Jeffrey Zaslow. The book is essentially about female friendships, and tells the story of them by looking at the 30 year friendship between a group of 10 girls who met while children in Ames, Iowa.

As you might have guessed if you’ve read this blog for a while, this made me think about my group of college girlfriends—College Roomie, Blonde Oklahoma Girl, Loud Oklahoma Girl, and myself.

I have several really great girl friends who I love to death and are each such an important part of my life, but there is only one “girl group” friendship in my life. It’s something special for a group of girls to have a friendship with each other in the way that we do. The Girls From Ames only confirmed this, and made me even more grateful for my own group of girls.

A couple of quotes in the book really struck me.

“When women are between the ages of twenty-five and forty, their friendships are most at risk, because those are the years women are often consumed with marrying, raising children, and establishing careers.”

“Being in each other’s company they feel like they are every age they ever were, because they see themselves through thousands of shared memories.”

“Only in adulthood have the girls come to recognize and appreciate the thousands of different destinies and decisions, going back generations in their families, that brought them together.”

“In saying ‘me,’ she meant, by extension, ‘them.’”

So…this week will be “Girls From Oklahoma State Week” on my blog. In anticipation of this, we all four read “The Girls From Ames” an have written a blog about our thoughts on our friendship, each other, the book, and female friendships in general. Stay tuned...

I'm a Godmother!

"There is hope. There is a moment in all of our lives when this appreciation of the singular human is restored — the moment of holding a newborn baby. Here the full value of the human person floods us. Our natural inclination is not simply to give the baby his necessities, but to gaze in silent worship at the tiny fingernails, the nose barely more than a lump, the searching, seeking eyes." ~ Pathaos




You'll have to excuse my failure to blog yesterday and today. As you can see above, I've been a little busy. You'll get a full report on this event next week. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

What I'm Loving Wednesday #15

"I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances." ~ Martha Washington

Happy Wednesday! Today I'm linking up with Jamie to share some things I'm loving!

1. This article by Archbishop Timothy Dolan. About Stan Musial. A professional baseball player whose life was described as boring--meaning that he was a superb athlete, a family man, a good Christian, and a good person. That he did not take steriods, have affairs, get in fights, or cause endless drama. As Archbishop Dolan puts it, "if that's boring, bottle it and sell it!"

2. Ryan Gosling's abs. Have y'all seen Crazy, Stupid Love? I always thought that RG was okay....I mean I'm more of a Ryan Reynolds fan, but whatever....and then I saw this movie and he DOES look photo shopped! And seeing a movie about how the good girl can be a "game changer" and the bad boy turns his life around and is the perfect boyfriend is so not something I need to get in my head! Dang Hollywood!

3. Work Attire. I'm also linking up with What I Wore Wednesday. If y'all knew me when I was a kid, you'd be shocked at this. I spent the majority of my teenage years in jeans and a t-shirt. Here are some examples.

But I really do sort of enjoy dressing up for work. Don't get me wrong--I would totally work in yoga pants in a hoodie if they'd let me, but since my boss frowns on that I've learned to adjust. I got a few cute things over Christmas....here are a few examples. (Excuse the picture in the mirror but it's the best I can do.)

4. Spin class. I know, I know. I'm like 5 years behind on this, but I just started last week and I LOVE it. It's a great workout. One of the teachers (the hardest one who literally made me feel like I might throw up right there on the bike) used a phrase in a class over the weekend that I totally loved. It was almost the end of class, we were all dying, and he said, "Don't feel tired. Feel strong. You're strong, not tired." Hello new exercise mantra!

5. My new reading nook. I hate moving furniture. I blame my mom, who does this like twice a month. When she starts, my whole family clears out of the house like it was on fire. But I did a little rearranging last week and created a little happy space for me--big chair, comfy blanket, cute footstool, and a little bookshelf for my reading. I've been pretty much living here lately!

6. If You Have To Cry, Go Outside. I just finished up this book by Kelly Cutrone--you know the mean boss on The Hills? Now, let me be clear I completely disagree with her religious views and I hate the use of the f-word all the time. But, beyond that, I loved the book. She's very much about listening to your inner voice and figuring out what your calling is and what you want for your life. Something I always need to hear! By the way, I'm trying to read at least a book a month this year, to keep track, check out my Goodreads page!

The Perfect Apartment

"Life is messy. That's how we're made. So, you can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them." ~Grey's Anatomy

Last week as I was browsing blogs, I thought wanted to be the girl who lives in this apartment. Clean lines. White everywhere. No clutter. It's amazing.

But I'll never be that girl. The one who lives in that perfect apartment. I've got to have my shelves full of books and journals and notepads. Walls plastered with pictures of my friends and family and my favorite memories. An old, frayed hand made quilt from my friend's Grandma Leona. A fridge covered in wedding invitations, Christmas cards and baby announcments. Gifts from people who love me hanging on the walls. A sock monkey that reminds me of my Gran and a little bear given to me by Mr. Franklin.

My life is chaotic and messy. And FULL. And I wouldn't trade it for all the perfect apartments in all the big cities in the world.

*All photos via Breakfast at Toast and Rue Stoffer Photography

Meet the Cast Monday #40: Emily From Friends

What? You thought that I'd seriously let Meet the Cast Monday end when 2011 finished up? No way! Today we're going to hear from one of my friends from across the pond...Emily From Friends.

Stick with me here--Emily From Friends dates my friend Nomad. Her name is not actually Emily, but when I met her I could not stop thinking about how much she reminded me of...you guessed it...Emily From Friends. After a couple of drinks, I told her as much, and a blog name was born. :) We've only gotten to hang out in person once---the weekend of the huge OSU Bedlam victory---but we had the best time! She is super funny and nice and has the kind of personality I wish I had--someone who is totally fun and up for anything, but quiet and understated about it. (I think I have the first half of that covered...the quiet and understated part is another story!)

Without further adieu...meet Emily From Friends!

Tell us how you met Nomad.
I first met Nomad in Canada, July 2011. I had quit my job the previous day and flown out to do a trek around some of Western Canada and the National Parks. There were two trek groups doing the same trip at the same time and Nomad was leading the other group. The groups hung out together a lot because we were staying in the same places and doing the same activities. One day my whole group wanted to go white water rafting but it wasn't really my cup of tea and I was keen to get hiking {doesn't a phrase like "keen to go hiking" make you wish you were British??} so I joined some of the people in Nomad's group who were going hiking in Yoho. Nomad dropped us off at one point and we were to hike to Emerald Lake, across the other side of the mountain where he would meet us and take us back to camp. We set off, four girls together and after a few hours one girl started to feel ill. She was struggling with the steep elevation and said she couldn't go on. We decided to all stick together and if she couldn't carry on with the hike we would have to go back to the beginning and contact Nomad to come and collect us from there.
We made our way back to the beginning of the trail to realize that we had no mobile phone service and therefore no way of contacting him. We walked to the nearest youth hostel, where the owner explained that he had no phone or internet, but offered to give us a ride to Emerald Lake, for a small fee. We all piled into the car, which then wouldn't start. We had to get out and walk back to the beginning of the trail. Dark was closing in and we were starting to wonder whether we would be spending the night by the side of the road in bear country. While two of the girls set off in search of a park ranger who might be able to get word to Emerald Lake, I flagged down a car and asked them to call the police in the next town and tell them our situation. A few hours later, word got back to Nomad and he came to pick us up. He said he had run around the lake twice trying to find us. It's funny in hindsight but at the time we were scared we would be stranded and soon be bear food!

It was the beginning of a great relationship and we have travelled a lot together since then. We always have a great time and I love his scruffy beard! It's hard being in a long-distance relationship and dating someone from the US has made me realize just how many differences there are between US and British culture. But for as many differences we have, we have many more things in common - the most obvious being travel - we are hoping to go to South America in autumn, which will be another great adventure!
What's the best advice you have ever been given?

I'm not sure it's the 'best', but the most practical advice I have ever been given - always walk to the cubicle furthest away when using a public bathroom!

What is the perception that Brits have of Americans?

Loud, annoying and a bit ignorant - not knowing much about the world outside of the US. Since travelling in the US i haven't met anyone who fits this stereotype! Americans are certainly more confident and outgoing, probably a few decibels louder(!) {Surely she's not referring to me and Loud Oklahoma Girl??} but also a lot more open, welcoming and friendly than the British. I've met some wonderful people in the USA.

Have you ever had an in person sighting of Prince William or Prince Harry?
I haven't seen Prince William or Harry but I have seen the Queen and her husband, Prince Phillip. Prince Philip used to be the Chancellor of the University where I worked, so I caught a glimpse of him and the Queen on one of their visits. My brother has seen Harry. {This is probably the type of deep, serious question that gets us Americans the rap for being somewhat ignorant...but whatev. I love me some royalty and a girl has to check for connections to the single Prince you know!}

Best part of the Bedlam Game? All of it! It was just awesome! {Great answer...see why I like this girl??} From my first experience of Tailgating with an awesome bunch of people, waving my orange foam finger, joining in the chants, to being lifted over the wall onto the field {Please note that apparently when a girl has a boyfriend, she gets lifted down and only jumps like three feet....us single girls bail off the entire wall and twist our ankles on the 10 feet down!} and watching the posts being torn down. And when one guy tore up the turf and ran around with it! It was all amazing! We have nothing like it in the UK, everyone in the stadium was united and there was so much dedication, anticipation and then celebration. The scale was also overwhelming - it was probably larger than most of our professional sporting events.

Where all have you traveled in Europe, and what was your favorite? Places travelled in Europe France, Germany, Spain, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Bulgaria, The Netherlands, Ireland, Malta, Scotland, Wales, Slovenia, Lithuania, Croatia, Portugal, Italy, Czech Republic, Turkey, Greece, Switzerland, Austria. {If you ask me, this is one thing we do wrong in the US--we don't travel abroad nearly enough!}

I don't know if I can pick just one! Everywhere in Europe is so different! Lisbon in Portugal was great with it's winding streets and custard tarts! I had some great fun (and great beer!) in the Netherlands; Llubljana, the capital of Slovenia is relaxing with some great gorges and caves in the surrounding area. The Swiss Alps and the Norwegian fjords are just beautiful. {I can't agree more on the Swiss Alps--I loved it there!}

What is something we should know about the UK? We drink (hot) tea by the gallon and cake will win you friends everywhere you go. {I don't like tea, but a country that loves cake? I'm in!}

What is one (or more) item(s) on your bucket list? All travel related! Eat sushi in Japan, steak in Argentina and drink red wine in Chile, trek the Inca trail and meet some llamas in Peru. I'd like to visit South Africa again and also Namibia, Botswana and Zambia. A few non-travel related: Make jam! Learn spanish. Become a nutritionist. Live and work overseas. Learn to bake really well.

Family Farm Friday #67: Listen Here, Yahoo

"God said I need somebody to get up before dawn and milk cows and work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper and then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board. So, God made a farmer!" ~ Paul Harvey, So God Made a Farmer

Okay, Yahoo news. You and I have a little bone to pick. Anyone read this article yesterday? It would be the one that deems a degree in Agriculture to be the #1 most useless degree in America. Um....really? I'll beg to differ.

Because this Agricultural Economics-Farm and Ranch Management major has a pretty kick ass job in a pretty kick ass law firm. And you know what else? This Agriculture major apparently learned enough while getting her "most useless" degree to wind up graduating first in her law school class. You know, ahead of all of those business, English, government, math, engineering---whatever else majors. And she had a job offer with one of the top 20 law firms in the country, which she turned down for a better offer (and closer proximity to her cows). Looks like the opposite of useless to me. And beyond that, Yahoo, do you realize that American Agriculture puts food on the tables of all of the other majors in the country? And we grow the products that put the suits on the backs of the finance majors and the costumes on the backs of the theater majors? So without our "useless" degrees, none of the other majors would even be able to exist.

I'm here to tell you, farmers and ranchers are some of the smartest, hardest working, most dedicated people I know. Period. How do I know? Because my family has been involved in agriculture for generations. We recently celebrated the 100 year anniversary of my great-grandparents' homestead. Looks like involvement in agriculture has been working for us for a century...

You learn these things growing up on a farm when you're out doing chores at 6:00 am before school and you spend your summer vacations working with show animals. Along with that hard work ethic, we learn to manage our money, to budget, and to balance a checkbook. I can think of a few non-agriculture majors in Washington, DC who might should have taken a lesson from a little FFA recordkeeping. We learn to care for animals and to put the needs of someone (or something) ahead of ourselves. We learn to be neighbors and to set an irrigation tube and to pick out bull semen. We learn to speak in public, the rules of pariliamentary procedure, to stand up for our opinion, and to dance a mean two step.

We take these lessons that we learned as kids and add to them when we go to college. The education I got in the Ag College at Oklahoma State was second to none in my opinion. Great professors, great courses, great experiences.

And so many of the concepts that we were taught are ones that can be applied in any field--like law for example--even if we don't end up working on a farm. My classmates have gone on to be lobbyists, lawyers, and doctors. To have careers in advertising, marketing, and public relations. They own their own businesses, they run banks and they are school administrators. They have become photographers, writers and broadcasters. And let's not forget the most important ones: farmers and ranchers.
For the life of me, I do not understand the media's need to bash on agriculture. Remember the last time I had to go off on this issue? I've said it before and I'll say it again--some people will never get it. We see the world differently.
As if feeding and clothing America is not enough, we now have to spend our time fighting the media? We'll get on that after the cows are fed, the ice is broke and the hay is hauled....meaning before most non-ag majors are out of bed.