Tuesday, April 21, 2009

A Night at the Park


Jenna, one of my favorite bloggers, host a series of challenges every month. I've completed a few of them, like going to the doctor and baking a chocolate cake (from scratch! be proud!). I've also signed up for a few and forgotten to take pictures or do them. But this month, I've managed to do April's lifestyle challenge AND take pictures. Shocking, right?

I'll be accepting my award later in this post.

April's lifestyle challenge is do some activity for free. For cero dollars. So on Good Friday, and after spending a night spending a lot of money seeing the Hannah Montana movie and going bowling, we (me, the roomie and her beau) dropped by the roomie's beau's home, whipped up some hot chocolate and took it to the park.

The photographic evidence:

The roomie wore this hat. I'm not sure why.


There is only one swing for anyone above the age of three at the park. I took it.


That left the roomie with six baby swings to choose from. In this horrible grainy photography she is showing her awesome balance skills.

We sat on the swings for a while, talking about other random trips to the park and our Easter plans. By this time, after the movie and bowling and talking, it was quite late and come to find out the park closes at eleven--a good two hours after we had arrived. So we left after two police cars showed up and kindly informed us of the park's closing time :)
But all in all, despite freezing temperature and watching two cop cars drive up behind our car, it was quite fun...and free.

Monday, April 20, 2009

12


12 more days until graduation
11 more days until the first of May
10 more days until my last school assignment is due
9 more days until my last day of work at the library
8 more days until my second to last day of work at the library
7 more days until the beginning of finals
6 more days until my last weekend while in college
5 more days until I will no longer have to wake up at 7.30 to be at work on Saturday
4 more days until the last day of actual classes (and my last chapel)
3 more days until my last night class
2 more days until my second to last chapel (I'm running out of ideas here!)
1 more day until Tuesday (Stretching here...)

And...

TODAY I pick up my cap and gown :)


Saturday, April 18, 2009

A Busy Saturday

This is the first Saturday I've had off in months (besides my NYC trip and holidays).

Too bad I have a million things to do.

My Comparative Religions class and I visited the Congregation B'Nai Emunah this morning in Tulsa. It was very interesting, and I would really enjoy going back. We also passed a morning market, which made me a bit more open to moving to Tulsa after getting married. I'm psyched that my new job is only during the week.

Sweet Saturday, we will meet again.

In about half an hour the Senior Ladies' Tea begins. Jenn and I weren't going to go, but we both were able to take it off.

I don't really like tea, but hopefully this won't be boring.

My future sister-in-law is throwing my a bridal shower this evening, so when it's all said and done, this Saturday is pretty much just like any Saturday at work--busy.

But I still like it better.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

ah summer...lovely summer

And after May 2nd, I won't have to worry about homework, or tests, or going to classes. I will be free do as I choose.

Well, besides my new job and planning a wedding and getting married and moving in with a boy and all that jazz.

Free, I tell you, free.

And as a free woman, I choose to do this:

Traveling via books.
It's one of the reasons I read.

6 books which will take me far, far away from little ol' Oklahoma:

1. The Charlemagne Pursuit by Steve Berry
2. The Namesake by Jhumpra Lahiri
3. The Reincarnationist by M.J. Rose
4. Ophelia by Lisa Klein
5. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
6. The Monster of Templeton by Lauren Groff

why i read {part two}

I read because it's nice to now that after years have pass, not all feelings fade away.

His face searching the bus windows looked expectant, impatient, and a little anxious. It was a husband's face. Familiar, known, increasing beloved. Mary Ann, I reflected, had an awful lot to learn. And actually, I reflected, I wouldn't be in her shoes right now for all the flowers in Bermuda...having it all to learn again.
-Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones

4.16.09

Operation Teen Book Drop

Le sigh.



Stuff like this makes me want to live in a big city.
And it makes me miss Europe.
And it makes me smile :)

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Testing testing 1 2 3 4

Saturday, March 14, 2009

NYC!



my week in new york was pretty sweet.
have pictures to post later--but i left my jump drive at home :(

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Another new iPod?

Apple introduced another new iPod--this time they have redesigned the shuffle:



The design's pretty snazzy--you control the songs and volume via ear buds. But it only comes in silver and black.

Boring. Especially for Apple.

Monday, March 9, 2009

a year and half search is over

Jordan and I got engaged in December of 2007. Since I only had three semesters left of college, we decided to wait until I graduated to tie the knot. This gave me plenty of time to obsessively pour over The Knot and Weddingbee. I've been looking for invites since the beginning of our engagement, since I knew I wanted to DIY them (after designing two of my friend's invites, I fell in love with wedding stationary).

I looked at pocket folds, letterpress, buying a gocco, and not DIYing them because I was a little overwhelmed. But thanks to a post via Weddingbee I now have my invitations!

Behold:


I love them--simple, but different. Elegant, but cheap. And with a few minor color changes, they will fit in perfectly with my vintage-Victorian-black/pink/ivory wedding!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

spring has arrived!

By evidence, I walked outside this morning around 7 am to a nice warm temperature of about 68 and a very slight breeze. My joy was further continued when I found two emails in my inbox stating I had won the following two novels:


(via bookingmama)



(via devourer of books)

I will be spending the spring doing this:



Wednesday, March 4, 2009

India

For the past couple of days this diverse and beautiful country has been on my mind.



Granted, most of my knowledge of India comes from a few fiction books, a couple of Bollywood films and a little bit of studying on the country, but I would love to see it. So much history, beautiful architecture and so many interesting people...









And this...just because I like it :)

something blue

In the spirit of wedding-type post, here is a conversation I had today with my roommate (Update on her dad: He's looking better today. Still in need of prayers.).

Me: You have a package.
Jen: Go get it. It's probably Whit's birthday gift.
Me: Okay.

Me and Jen have a chat about work and her boo while I walk from our dorm to the mail room.

Me: Got it.
Jen: Open it see if it is Whitney's gift.
Me: No, it's some blue cameo hair pins.
Jen: Oh, that's yours. Yay for presents. It's the something blue I told you I would get you.


(bought from amylynnbuttchin.etsy.com)

They look so much better in person. I love them.

My best friend is awesome.

wedding update

With only 136 days until my wedding, I've been trying to work on stuff, like invites and bridesmaid dresses. I have a check-list that I really need to work on. But I wanted to share a gem I found today while perusing a new wedding blog

Meet Juliarae:


I'm totally in love with these shoes. I can't find them in pink, but black or grey satin. But oh my goodness, I want them anyway.

Le sigh. So pretty.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

missing the UK

Congrats! You're about 62% knowledgable of fantasy worlds and/or London Tube stations.

Congrats, you're either fairly well-read in your fantasy or you have a better than average knowledge of London. Either way, these skills will come in handy for you someday as a London cabbie or a panelist at GenCon.

London Underground Station or Fictional Fantasy Location?
Take More Quizzes

Please pray

Please pray for my sweet roommate and her family. Her dad recently had a heart surgery and isn't doing well. She is on her way home now.

five for five

No, it is not roast beef sandwiches. Our school bookstore was having a sale on the baragin books and I picked these five books for five dollars. Not a bad deal..

(For my scrapbook)



(These two are Christmas presents for my cousins)


(I didn't realize that this was about Disney fairies, but I love Gail Carson Levine's stories )


(Book of poetry paired with some beautiful art. I love it)

Monday, March 2, 2009

So much to say, so little time to type.



My post for The Life and Times of Victoria by Dorothy Marshall is up and running at the Victorian Challenge website. Click the button to read it!

The roomie and I are 15 days away from the Big Apple. I'm so excited! Still looking for recommendations for places to see in Hyde Park, NY and NYC!


Lakshmi, goddess of compassion

We visited a Hindu temple today in Tulsa--one of most interesting trips I've made to a religious site. I really enjoyed looking at the temple and listening to the priest. Make me want to look about at the books I've read about India and re-examine them (I went through a phase Winter 2007 when I read about six or seven fiction books about India or Indians.)

I'm coming to the end of Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, which makes me sad. Such a good book--it's broken into small chapters/stories so it is nice to have in my bag when I just have a few moments to read. Pick up a copy if you haven't read it yet. It's going straight to the top of my favorites list. Speaking of books, I won an ARC copy of Golden Girl by Micol Ostow this weekend at Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf. Be sure to check her website out! Thanks Lauren!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

VRMW Giveaway!

Amanda at Vinyl Rocks My World is having a giveway! Shannon at Musettemade is giving a beautiful cooper bracelet. Click here to visit VRMW or here to visit Shannon's shop.

I'm in love with this necklace by Shannon



Tuesday, February 24, 2009

input!

Calling all travelers!

The BFF/MOH (also affectionately called my Satan) and I are hitting the Big Apple in less then 3 weeks!

We're spending a day and a half at Hyde Park visiting my brother at the Culinary Institute of America (where he goes to school) and then off to NYC!



As neither of us have ever been we need your suggestions!
What do we visit?
Where do we eat?
Cheaply, of course.
Shopping?

Ideas people!

Monday, February 23, 2009

visiting the eighties

My best friend will turn 22 on Thursday, so to celebrate I threw her an 80s party this past Saturday.

Here are some highlights.


The whole group


Lindsay (all the way from NY!) and me


Pin the Sequin Glove on Michael Jackson! (with Holly)


Me and Jordan <3 href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HSvV4WebtYQ7X8lZVcueEw?feat=embedwebsite">
Awesome Tom Selleck birthday cake (courtesy of my mum! thanks!)


The birthday girl and her date! Check out her 'fro!


Best Hair!


Best Costume!


Happy Birthday Jen!


Wednesday, February 18, 2009

why i read {part one}

(Thus beginning a series of many reason why I love to read)


I read because I now know that upon arriving in Italy (which I will, one day) I must eat Neapolitan-style pizza at Pizzeria da Michele.


So Sofie and I have come to Pizzeria da Michele, and these pies we have ordered--one for each of us--are making us lose our minds. I love my pizza so much, in fact, that I have come to believe in my delirium that my pizza might actually love me, in return. I am having a relationship with my pizza, almost an affair. Meanwhile, Sofie is practically in tears over hers, she's having a metaphysical crisis about it, she's begging me, "Why do they even bother trying to make pizza in Stockholm? Why do we even bother eating food at all in Stockholm?
-Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Monday, February 16, 2009

i like books...and contests

This summer I discovered the Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty, which I loved!
And her new book, Perfect Fifths, is coming out on April 14th, but you can pre-order it now here.

Wanna know what the book is about? Check out these trailers:





(my fave!)

These three girls won the trailer contest on Megan's website, and by posting this, I have a chance to win an ADVANCE copy of Perfect Fifths!

Now. Go read some books.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

A Great and Terrible Beauty



I finally finished one of my Victorian Challenge books.
I posted my review here.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Thursday, February 12, 2009

ah, better.

Not quite what I wanted, but at least now I won't have to re-size every single photo to fit the itty-bitty width of the last layout.

I'm currently working on a Shutterfly album for my Europe trip and I'm spending quite a bit of time, trying to figure out when we were where. I kept a journal all through London and most of Paris, but once I got two days behind it was impossible to catch up. However, only spending three days in both Poland and Switzerland makes it easier to find what I'm looking for. I've only written two pages, but I think this is going to be a great way to remember my trip and have a nice way to display it.


I miss London


For all Mac users (you know, the best kind), if you download the latest Shutterfly application for iPhoto, you will recieive a free 8x8 photo book. You still have to pay shipping and handling, though. I recently order a (free) calender through the website and pleased with the results.

Also, they sent me two when I order one.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

I hate my blog.

As in, I hate the format.

I need the middle column to be bigger, but I love the three column format.

Ugh.

I need help.

Monday, February 2, 2009

so, in march...



This funny looking guy on the right is my little brother.
The pretty girl on the left is his girlfriend.

In March, I'm going to see both of them!

Plus....


NYC!

Even better, NYC with my best friend!
and my mum!
If only Jordan was going...

I can't wait until March!

Anyone have any good recommendations for the Big City?

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

a new obession?



because i don't have enough?

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Ice Ice Baby

Monday
-last class of the day cancelled
-no work

Tuesday
-all classes cancelled
-no work

Wednesday
-?????????

My little town might be paranoid. It seems everytime some form of storm passes through, we begin to believe we are doomed.

It's sprinking out?
Oh god, it's going to flood. Remember in 1986 when all of Bartlesville was underwater....

Windy?
Tornado. There is going to be a tornado. We better gather up the candles...

A bit of snow?
Cancel school! The buses can't make it out in these type of weather.

To be honest, Bartlesville has flooded several times, including just two years ago. And last winter a really bad ice storm hit, knocking out some people's power for a month. My own power was knocked out for three weeks. And we do get some massive snow storms occasionally.

And yes, we are smack dab in the middle of Tornado Alley.

So maybe we have a reason to freak out. Or maybe we just like to be prepared.

Just don't try and go find water at Wal-Mart today :)

Sunday, January 25, 2009

i'm wishing...


that my
"maybe-possible-could happen"
graduation present
comes through.

five days in new york?

eeek!

Friday, January 23, 2009

sending good thoughts

to this sweet family from Arkansas.

Kelly and Scott welcomed their little girl into the world last Friday. However, with complications, Harper was transfered to Tulsa's children unit.



Kelly is an amazing person, and her blog is awesome. Please pray for this little family.