The Girls from OSU Week #5: Loud Oklahoma Girl

And we're continuing on in our series this week...if you missed me, College Roomie or the Blonde Oklahoma Girl, check us out. :)

Today, we have the Loud Oklahoma Girl!

What is there to say about the Cashmere Mafia girls from OSU? Well we are fun loving, adventure seeking, godly, driven women who cherish our friendship with each other! It took a couple of years for all of us to come together, but once we did we all knew it would be a lifelong friendship. Now that we have all graduated college and moved onto the working world we live in different cities, however we do not let that hinder our friendship. We will always be the Cashmere Mafia!

We try our best to all meet up at least once a year for a big girls weekend. Last year we were able to cheer Tiff on while she was able to accomplish one of her goals--a half marathon. And in the process Tiff was able to get all of us started on running. I must say that my goal for 2012 is to run a half myself. I would have never dreamed of this if it were not for our San Francisco trip.
Two years ago we were all able to meet up for my birthday and a red dirt concert in our favorite place on earth Stillwater, OK. What a weekend filled with laughter and fun. That’s the thing we know how to have a blast and live up the moment.
No matter where we will end up in life we will always be connected. We are the Sex in the City girls, but living in different cities and experiencing the same issues in life. Thankfully due to technology we are all able to keep up and confide in one another. As Meredith and Christina on Grey’s Anatomy say to each other, "You are my person," well, these ladies are my people. I could not imagine life without them and wish them all the happiness in the world!

Girls From OSU Week #4: Me!

(Here are links just in case you missed Blonde Oklahoma Girl or College Roomie or an explaination of what the heck this week is about!)

And today, you get my blog on this topic. What's Our Story?

When we were on our most recent Girls’ Weekend trip in Napa Valley, California, we asked a woman on the same wine tasting tour to take our picture. She said she would love to, but only if we told her our story afterwards. Turns out, she has her own girls’ weekends with her elementary school friends every year. Apparently, she could sense that we were doing the same.

This got me thinking….what is our story? In some ways, it’s not really remarkable. 4 girls meet at college through a mutual friend. Happens every day.
But in some ways, it’s extraordinary. 4 girls who are so different in so many ways who have found something that is going to last a lifetime.

One of us cusses like a sailor. Another feels the need to fill any silence with anything, not matter how awkward it might be. While one of us would be content sitting in silence for hours. Two of us love Sports Center, one the Barefoot Contessa, and the other Real Housewives. One carries more makeup in her purse than I even own (or have ever owned if you added up all the make up for my entire life). Some of us are country, one wants a tea cup pig. You get the picture.
In my experience, it’s hard to make group friends. You have to have people who each genuinely care about everyone else. If there are personality conflicts between any two of the people in the group, things will fall apart. But somehow, we have managed to do it. Each of us not only has our group friendship, but we each also have an individual friendship with every other person in the group. And each of these friendships are a little different.

I think that what we found in each other---in the group---is ourselves. I feel like these girls are a part of me. Each of them have qualities about them that I don’t possess. College Roomie is quiet and contemplative and has an amazing sense of style. Loud Oklahoma Girl is vivacious and outgoing and just says what she needs to say, no matter what other people might think. Blonde Oklahoma Girl has the biggest heart for people and is unbelievably passionate about things that she believes in.

And each of them brings out different things in me. Things that make me a better person. Things that make me believe in myself. Things that just make my life more fun. What is our story? Our story is one of finding each other, and in doing so, finding ourselves. And drinking a little wine in Napa along the way.

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...