Meet the Cast Monday #18: Cousin Whitney

Cousin Whitney has been a regular on the blog, particularly in the travel-related posts. She and I have been all over together.....Europe, Mexico, New York City, Washington, D.C., San Francisco....and hopefully we still have lots more trips to come! She teaches special education to kindergarten through third graders (which sounds like torture to me, so bless her for doing it!) She's one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet!

So......everyone say hello to Cousin Whitney!

What was the coolest trip that you've ever taken?

A trip to Switzerland about a year and a half ago. I really liked going to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. I also liked paddle boating on Lake Geneva and the fact that when the waves got rough, Tiffany and I both grabbed for Cousin Swiss Mister's camera to be sure it was safe. I also really liked everything we saw in Rome except when I almost fainted after climbing so many steps and there being so many people at the top of St. Peter's Bascilica. {Yes, thinking I was going to have to lug her DOWN all those stairs was a little concerning to me as well!}

What kind of guy are you looking for?

A guy who works hard, knows how to treat a girl, and goes to church. {Aren't we all, sister!}

What is the best part about your job?

Helping students learn and seeing the light bulb go off in their head when they understand a concept.

What is the scariest thing that you've ever done?

Ride a city bus to down town Baltimore. Tiffany, College Roomie, and I were the only two white girls on the bus that was headed into downtown Baltimore. Tiffany and I were sitting together on the bus and College Roomie got separated from us. So I remeber Tiffany calling out her name every once in a while to make sure that she was still alive. I really wanted to get off of the bus, but Tiffany said,"Whitney look around, we are not getting off the bus here!" because it looked even more dangerous outside. Finally, some nice lady told us how to stop the bus so we could get off and when we saw the tourist area, we ran for it. So, needless to say, we took a taxi back to the hotel. {Yea, for real, this was probably one of the top 2 or 3 scariest moments of my life as well.....I thought for sure we'd end up on the news that night! You read the whole story here.}
If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?

Give some to St. Jude, send mom and dad on an Alaskan cruise, and invest the rest.

What is one (or more) item(s) on your bucket list?

Don't really have a bucket list. {This is not acceptable...I'll start working on her getting one ASAP!}

Photos of the Week: Week 18

Sorry this blog is a little bit late....but hopefully you guys will forgive me since I have some pretty fun pictures to share!

Theme: Royal

They say that horse racing is the sport of kings. I had a lot of great pictures come out of the Steeplechase I attended this weekend, but I thought this was one of the best race shots. There will be lots more (both of the horses and the crazy people) later this week.

I am also linking this up for the "Green" theme at Allie Photography for Happy Monday!

Theme: Dress Up

I’m not much of a girly girl, but I have to tell you that it was a lot of fun spending the day at the races all dolled up and getting to see everyone else’s fancy dresses and big hats. I got this shot standing along the rail before the marquee race of the day and thought it was great for this theme!

Theme: It’s the Music

This one is sort of a stretch---but at the beginning of each race, the trumpet plays the call to mount up. He’s not playing here, but I think it still works.

Theme: Green

I pulled this one from shots I took a couple of weeks ago. Not that I didn’t have plenty of green shots from my trip back east---but I had to enter to Live Every Moment challenge before I got home and had a chance to get them all posted. But it worked out okay, because I do love this shot and the light I was able to capture.

Theme: Mothers

Well since I didn't get to see my own mom on Mother's Day, I was hanging out with my friend Mrs. Top Gun, who happens to have two dog children and is is pregnant with twin people children. I loved this shot of her!

Theme: Quotography – Mothers

Two "mother" related quotes in the same week sort of posed an interesting challenge, but then I remembered this candle shot I got at the Our Lady of Guadalupe grotto a couple of weeks back and knew that if I could find the right quote, it would definately work!

Theme: 1 Corinthians 3:16

While in DC for the weekend, I knocked a bucket list item off and attended mass at the Washington National Cathedral. This cathedral is massive, breathtakingly beautiful, and so peaceful. The idea was to have a national house of prayer for all to come and worship. I love everything about it. Anyway, I thought this was the perfect place to photograph for this week’s verse—as beautiful as the Cathedral is, isn't it amazing to think that God didn't choose to dwell there, but intstead to dwell within each of us instead?

Project 64: Week 18 - Tumbleweed

Okay guys.....I went back to the archive from my trip home a couple of months ago because I'm currently busy rocking my new dress, snapping photos and drinking mint julips at the Virginia Gold Cup Steeplechase! I'll be back next week with plenty of posts (and photos!) to fill you all in on that little event.

Anyway, this week's color is Tumbleweed. When I saw the color, I immediately thought of my favorite cow--this bald face sort of yellow cow we have. (Those farm colored glasses strike again!)

Here she is right in the front:

Only problem? I didn't take the picture, since I'm the one on the bay horse in the background!

And apparently I didn't get any shots of my girl while I was home last time.

Fortunately, we have another cow who did manage to get photographed who fits right in with this color scheme.

Here she is.....my take on Tumbleweed.

As always, go over and check out the other extremely talented entries!

Family Farm Friday #52: I'm Warped

"You can take the girl out of the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the girl."

When I told my dad about the event that lead up to this blog, he said, "You're really warped." When I told him that I was going to blog about it, he said, "That might not be the best idea." But, since I've already shared things that make you guys think I'm crazy, I'm going to just roll right on.

Remember a while back when someone asked me how growing up on a farm impacted my law practice, and I responded with this blog that said growing up on a farm impacted everything I did, including how I shopped at he grocery store? Here's an example.

Last weekend I was in the grocery store when something caught my eye. It was a plastic container of some sort of trail mix. It was called sweet and salty mixed nuts, and it contained all different sorts of nuts, maybe some soybeans, and whole kernal corn.

I knew right away I had to buy this. Many of you are thinking, "Yea, that sounds pretty good." Or, "Way to pick a healthy snack." Yea.....I didn't think those things.

My thought process went something like this:

Wow, that looks just like High Noon lamb feed.

Hm...I've tasted that lamb feed before. It's good. In fact, it's my favorite.

If that's good, I bet this is good.

Yea, I'll buy some. Hey, $2.99? Shoot, this is way cheaper than High Noon!

Sigh. See why my dad deemed me warped?

Mind you, this is coming from the man who has tasted EVERYTHING that we've ever fed to an animal. No lie--when we were showing he was always tasting something.....jawl burner for pigs (tastes like graham crackers), soybean meal, drench, electrolytes, tub feed for the cows.....you named it, he tasted it. And, because for some reason I think my dad knows best, I tasted it too. Warped-ness is apparently genetic.

(This picture above also reminded me that in addition to tasting the feed, he also wore the same "lucky shirt" every show day for like 10 years--holes and all! Yea....I'm the warped one.)

Anyway, there really is something to be said for this feed tasting. It is really easy to compare different feeds for quality based on how fresh they are in the sacks (and it can actually be done without tasting, but my family subscribes to the "If you're doing to do it, do it right" theory). Obviously, we want our livestock eating the highest quality feed that we can afford to buy. And I will tell you, High Noon always seems to be the freshest, most moist, and best tasting.

(Sidenote: This blog totally should get me one of the High Noon jackets that I happen to know Wade hands out....Mrs. Franklin, if you are reading this, can we work on that??)

I give you this background for you to understand that this trailmix stuff didn't just look like feed, it looked like really good feed. Logically, I bought it.

Okay, I don't know where I'm going with this. But, just to show you how much this stuff does look like the lamb feed, here is a little side-by-side view.

See? You would have bought it too! It is really, really good. I've already eaten like half the little carton.

And there you have it. Growing up on the family farm has clearly warped this girl.....and I'm proud of it!

Throwback Thursday #52: Graduation

"It is indeed ironic that we spend our school days yearning to graduate and our remaining days waxing nostalgic about our school days." ~Isabel Waxman

I do not understand how 5 years can go by and feel like yesterday. I realized recently that I graduated from Oklahoma State 5 years ago this Saturday. FIVE YEARS? I still remember moving into the dorms the first day of school. I remember apartment hunting with College Roomie. I remember countless dinners at Animal House and nights at the Penny with those boys. I remember golf lessons with BFF. I remember bible study where I met SoulMate Friend. I remember bonding over business law with the Loud Oklahoma Girl and limees with the Blonde Oklahoma Girl. How 5 years has gone by is beyond me.

I thought I'd look back at graduation, which was a complete bittersweet experience for me.

For the first time, my family came to Stillwater to see the place where I had spent the last 3 years. Of course, we hit up Eskimo Joe's and toured the campus. My poor little brother, who was then 18, may have been woken up at 2:00 am to serve as a dd that evening.....he's a good kid! (Stay tuned next week for a recap of the last couple weeks of college....sheer chaos is probably the appropriate title!)

Then on Saturday graduation was upon us. The Animal House Boys, Captain and I met up at my house and headed over for the big event.

Missouri Lawyer came by for a little photo op as well!

Graduation was broken into two parts. The first was on the football field and we had our commencement address. We met at Library Lawn and marched, bagpipes and all to the stadium. This is me walking into the stadium....pretty exciting moment for this football fan to set foot on that field!

Did I mention that our commencement address was from then-President George Bush? Regardless of your political beliefs, I will tell you that it was pretty awesome to have the President speak at graduation. You can catch his speech here and here. This meant lots of added security and getting to see Marine One land at the practice football field next to the stadium. My dad and brother assure me that watching the snipers and secret service was their favorite part of graduation. About halfway through the ceremony, it started to rain. So what did we do? Be busted out panchos. What color? Orange, of course! This is one of my favorite pictures with the Governor and the Trailerpark Animal House Boys.
Then that afternoon was the actual graduation ceremony, held inside Gallagher-Iba Arena, where the individual colleges walked and we got our diplomas.

When the weekend wrapped up and we loaded my life up into my car and my mom's suburban, I didn't know what to do. I have never liked change, and this change required leaving my best friends and the happiest place on earth.

I stopped by to say goodbye to SoulMate Friend and the Animal House Boys. College Roomie went with me. I will never forget how hard it was to get into that car and pull out of the Animal House driveway headed west. It took everything in me not to turn back.

Graduation was the end of three of the very best years of my life. During those years I found out who I was and made the best friends that a girl could ever ask for. And I joined a family who bleeds orange. You just can't beat that!

I Get Enough of Real Life

"If you can see the magic in a fairytale, you can face the future." ~Danielle Steele

Sorry for another current events post. I promised yesterday to be back to my usual self....I at least succeeded in the last paragraph of this baby. There is just a lot going on in the world that makes me feel the need to blog lately!

Last week, the world witnessed a fairytale. A "commoner" married a Prince. And it was classy and beautiful and perfect.
And a lot of people complained. They said that we should be focused not on this event, but instead on real life. On the the tragedy that continues to unfold in Japan, and on the horrific aftermath of the tornadoes in the south. On wars and hunger and hate and disease.

I don't know about you guys, but I get enough of real life every day. Don't get me wrong here. I am praying for the victims of the recent natural disasters and for those who are hungry and forgotten and who fight for our freedom and for those suffering from disease. Do I think these things are more important than the royal wedding? Of course.

But you know what else I think? I think that days like today are just what we need sometimes. The world came together to watch this wedding. It didn't matter if you were republican or democrat, or Christian or Athiest, or rich or poor. Everyone watched. And we saw hope. And love. And happiness.
Again, I don't know about you guys, but I get enough of real life every day. Anytime I can be reminded of what is good and watch it with everyone else in the world, I'm going to do it with a smile on my face.
Oh, and as an aside.....Kate deserved her freaking day. She is 29 years old. She's waited to marry the man she loves for years. The world has called her "Waitie Katie" for crying out loud. As a girl who knows what it's like to wait for her wedding day while everyone else around me seems to get theirs, I say more power to Kate. She deserved every minute of her day...just as I'll deserve every minute of my billboard one day!

Don't hate....word on the street is that he tends to date 27 year old blonde lawyers......cough cough forget Chelsea and date me......cough cough.

Not The Way It's Supposed To Be

“I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

I debated for a while about whether to post it. In general, I try and stay away from politics, not just on my blog, but in life. I'm not a political person and I feel like a lot of times, the political discussion that goes on only further alienates people and makes it harder to accomplish important things.

But then I decided that sometimes when you really feel something, it needs to be said...whether people agree or not. So if you disagree, that's fine. Please do not think I am trying to lecture, or to come off as somehow being "holier than thou" with this. I respect different opinions, and I understand that this kind of event causes people to react in different ways. But this is my opinion, and because this is my blog, I'm sharing it. (Never fear, tomorrow I will be back to my usual light-hearted ridiculousness!)

It bothers me, somewhere deep inside, to watch people celebrate the death of another. I was reminded of this feeling last Sunday night, when it was announced that the United States military had killed Osama bin Laden and there were videos of people dancing in the streets. I have felt it before. That twinge. I remember seeing photographs of Sadam Hussein's dead sons being shown around on tv and seeing people celebrate in the streets like their favorite team had just won the Super Bowl. I've seen celebrations outside of prisions after someone has been put to death and people chant and cheer. Every time, I get the same feeling. A feeling that the world is not the way it's supposed to be.
It makes me sad. Sad that someone did such terrible things when he was alive, that people feel the need to cheer when he is dead. I get that feeling that this was not how things were meant to go. A twinge that tells me there never should have been a 9/11 in the first place, and had there not been, then this death would not have been necessary. A reminder of how badly we have screwed up what God created.

It makes me sad that nothing we do, not even killing the "mastermind" (I put that in quotes because I hate hearing it phrased that way, but that's what I keep hearing it called on the news and I couldn't think of anything else) behind the worst act of terrorism on U.S. soil, will bring back the people who were lost. Nothing will give the fatherless children another day with their dad. Nothing will give the widower another night with his wife. Nothing will give the friend a chance to say a proper goodbye. Ironically, the news reports that the family members who lost loved ones on 9/11 are far more reflective, and less celebratory today than those people who are dancing in the streets. Maybe they feel the twinge as well.

And, it makes me sad to think that people may not feel at least a little twinge of aching about the fact that they are cheering and chanting over the end of someone's life.

Do not get me wrong, I understand that a decision was made by people with FAR more knowedge, understanding and capabilities than I have that this was the approach that should be taken. I am not questioning that. In fact, I am grateful that they make the kinds of decisions that I don't have to.

And, more importantly, I have the utomst respect for our military. I've blogged here and here about that, wherein I've asked for prayers for our service men and women and their families. I certainly pray for them frequently. It is because of them that I am able to write a blog like this expressing my opinion.

And, finally, I have the utmost sympathy for those who lost loved ones on 9/11. Please do not think that my feelings regarding celebrating death does anything to take away from my feelings regarding these people. I do hope that this news can bring them some sense of justice or of peace or of closing, if that is possible.

But I also hope that when you hear of someone, anyone really, dying that you feel that twinge deep in the pit of your stomach. The twinge that tells you that this is not the way it is supposed to be.

Meet the Cast Monday #17: College Roomie

You read about her all the time on the blog, so I know you are excited to meet College Roomie! She and I actually went to the same high school for a couple of years, but we weren't that close. She thought I was stuck up.....clearly she was crazy. Anyway, we moved in together my first year at OSU and she quickly became my best friend. We're those annoying people who know everything about the other one, will kick your butt at Taboo because of it, can finish each other's sentences and have a million inside jokes. Be jealous.

So now....here she is.....meet College Roomie!

What is your favorite college memory?
College = awesome, so it is difficult to narrow it down to one solitary faaaavorite memory. But here’s the first one that comes to mind on this particular day….

One time we (meaning Tiff and I) accidentally left the gas stove on and the pilot light was out. Left the apartment for a bit and when we returned, the gas stench was overwhelming. So we lit a few candles and…kidding. Luckily, no sparks were involved in this episode. Nauseous and a teeny bit scared, we gathered up clothes, opened a few windows, and headed straight over to the guys’ house. {This is one of my favorite memories too...you've read the full story about it before!}What's the worst date you have ever been on?
Picture it. Stillwater. 2005ish. Blind date. I’m 20 and he’s…older. A lot older. I order a steak. He orders lettuce wraps. As an entrée. Lettuce wraps are delish, don’t get me wrong. Maybe he was watching his figure. But it was never gonna work out. I don’t want to be the one who orders the manly food in the relationship. {She called me from the bathroom on this date to report on the situation.....classic!}

Tell us the best and worst parts of living in China for a year.
Worst = being so far away from my family and friends, some of the food (chicken feet…pork intestines…cow esophagus…bugs in the canteen food…need I say more?), the smell of 10 million people living in the same city, pollution, and communication barrier frustrations.

Best = friendships that are maintained to this day, most of the food (fried rice, mmmmmm – no wonder I gained 15 lbs while I lived there), the exposure to a culture that is so radically different from the one I grew up in, a passport full of stamps, an appreciation for the Chinese people and the history of the country, and the opportunity to embrace complete independence and develop a strong sense of self sufficiency. All in all, an experience that I would not trade for anything.

Do you believe that opposites attract?
I believe they can. Personal experience has demonstrated to me, however, that it has to be the right two opposites to make it a long term attraction. And I’ve discovered that I’m not the sort of person who can make it work with someone who is my opposite. While some people thrive on the differences, I find comfort in similarities. {I asked this question because her best friend...ME...is pretty much her exact opposite, but her boyfriend is pretty much her carbon copy.....he even organizes his closet, see below, and I find that difference interesting.}

What has been your favorite Cashmere Mafia experience?
Oh boy. This is tough. This is very very tough. Well, let’s see. Our girls’ weekend in San Francisco was awesome. (And can I get a holllllllla for Cashmere Mafia reunion in SF summer 2011?) My favorite moment that weekend was jamming to Notorious in the park. Loud OK Girl’s birthday weekend in 2010 was fun as well. But I’m getting too old for that kind of fun.
Tell us about organizing the dishes. And your closet.
There is a correct way to wash dishes. And it begins with proper organizing. First you take the big plates and stack them up. Then you stack the smaller plates on top of the big plates. All of the similar size cups and glasses are stacked together, and all of the silverware, etc. is put in top cup. Pots and pans are stacked in order of size, and all of the above is lined up neatly on the kitchen counter. Now you may begin loading the dishwasher or hand washing. {When we lived together, she would have to leave the room when I was washing the dishes. She referred to it as "chaos."}There is also a correct way to organize the closet. Long sleeve shirts (by color – darkest on the left and going lighter toward the right), ¾ length sleeve shirts (again, by color), short sleeve shirts (naturally, by color), tank tops (you get the idea). Jeans organized by type and wear category (work or play, so to speak). I am available for closet consultations if needed.

You're somewhat of a movie buff---what is your favorite movie?
Hmm. I love Casablanca. And anything with Grace Kelly. Also, Love Actually.

Tell us about doing mock trial at OSU.
Well, Tiff was involved with the pre-law organization at Oklahoma State. They decided to form a mock trial team and Tiff recruited me to be a mock trial witness. It was a kidnapping case, and if our team was to present the case as the prosecution, I was to play the victim, a 13-year-old who was kidnapped. It was like the part was designed just for me, and I took it very seriously. I am famous, however, for my role when our team was on the defense side of the case. Then, I was Mickey Skogan, the hotel desk clerk who found the victim stashed in a guest room bathroom. In a stroke of genius, Tiff came up with the idea that perhaps Mickey was the perpetrator. It was an angle that no opposing counsel was prepared for. Tiff and I had a script and, by golly, we executed it quite well. Sarcasm, humor, accusatory statements - it was a gem. The “judge” (read: hungover {yet very attractive as I recall!} law school student from Baylor) even sat up a little straighter when we were performing. And his comment at the end: “Some of you really have the sarcasm down.” I was nominated for Best Actress with the Academy that year…oh, um, I mean, I was one of the top 5 witnesses at the competition.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In 10 years I’ll be 36, and I see myself as married with a kid or two. I’ll probably remain in the city I currently live in and will most likely be with the company I work for now. I want to cultivate the friendships I have now and make new friends over the next 10 years. There will be lots of photos from travel adventures, and financial security and stability developed and maintained. Wow – how boring and practical am I? {College Roomie, you organize your closet and the dishes......we expect practical....but you're not boring! :)}
What's one (or more) thing(s) on your bucket list?

1. Visit Monaco.

2. Parasail. {Ooo this is on my list too! Let's go together!}

3. Become fluent in Mandarin.

Project 64: Week 17 - Red Violet (and Quotography and a Winner!)

Okay, I'm having to do some housekeeping and catching up on posts....sorry for throwing a lot at you in one random set here.

Project 64

I'm here to tell you guys.....I thought this was going to be the week I failed at this little project! I had fits finding something to photograph. This color was pretty similar to magenta, which I just recently took, so I was fresh out of ideas.

Then, today, I was taking out the trash and I saw this little weed/flower that had the perfect shade in it. Who knew trash would save my Project 64 goals!

With that background, I give you my version of red violet.

As always, go over and check out the awesome photographs taken by the other challenge participants.

Quotography: FUN

As you read about yesterday, I was chosen as top three photo last week! This week the theme for the quote is "fun." I went back in the archives to Little Linebacker's first birthday party to find the picture, but I thought this was perfect for the quote! Be sure to check out the other photos and quotes at My Perspective!

Giveaway Winner!

And finally...the moment you've all been waiting for.....the winner of my April giveaway of a Red Dirt music cd is....Annie (who you know as Coach A from prior blogs!) Even though I select the winners through a random drawing, I have to tell you that she commented with a Red Dirt song I'd never heard....didn't think that was possible, so nice work Coach A! :)