Cat Lady Reunion - Washington DC

A few weeks ago, I headed to Washington D.C. to visit one of my best friends.  Beth and I have been friends since preschool and I loved getting to spend some time with her!  She is currently in graduate school at Georgetown which called for a reunion in one of my favorite cities in the US. It was such gorgeous weather the entire weekend!

One thing that we did was go to a Nike workout in a park one morning.  It was so fun and it was quite difficult actually!  Ha ha We mainly completed the workout to get the free Jrink's at the end - which were completely worth it all!  Jrink Juicery is a cold-pressed juicery that offers raw juices that are made by angels in heaven! I wish they would mail me some every single day! 

One Direction

This past weekend, I went to Texas to see Sara, my roommate from OBU, for a little reunion and to go to the One Direction concert at Cowboy Stadium.  I know you're all judging us but just realize that their music is extremely catchy and fun to dance to okay?

 I had never been to AT&T Stadium before and let me tell you....IT'S MASSIVE!!! I was completely shocked! By the time the concert began, it was completely packed - only a handful of empty seats in the entire stadium, which seats 80,000 people, I believe.

Obviously, we had to ask for a picture with the posters, which were quite small because I am sure they are more for 12 and 13 year olds but we didn't care! (:

We were so far up at the top that the guys all looked like little ants down on the stage - we couldn't even tell who was who!  So we watched the entire concert on the screens, which was just as much fun!!

This is one of my favorite pictures that I took Sunday night! It shows how high up we were, the entire stage and you can see all of the camera flash lights! (:

Surprisingly, we weren't the oldest fans there! There were a few other girls our age on our row and some fans even older! (:  It was such a fun concert! Every one was having a blast the entire time...except for all of the dads who were camped out in the concessions drinking beer! (:

Xx

Sarah and Cy's Engagement Party

My best friend, Sara, is getting married this upcoming March and I am SO honored to say that I get to stand beside her as her Maid of Honor.  This past weekend, I headed to Tulsa for a reunion and some celebrating of her and Cy.  This is Sarah and me at her engagement party!

If you know Sarah and/or me, you know that we are a little bit crazy!  We decided to bring out a ton of sparklers and end the night really celebrating her engagement!  This is one of my favorite pictures that we took! (:

New Adjustments

On April 29, I got a new man in my life, and he sure is something!  Sweet Turner graced us all with his presence after teasing us with his arrival for about 2-3 weeks!  I am so glad that he is finally here!  He is so sweet and Mackenzie is so proud of her baby brother!  It's so adorable!

The first weekend in May was a big one for my parents and me.  We moved all of my stuff out of my apartment in Tulsa and into my new home in Russellville.  I am so excited about my new place!  I love everything about it!  I even have my own office! (:  Penelope has been with my parents for the past few weeks while I have been in the moving process (it has been a long one) and she gets here tomorrow.  I can't wait for her to check out our new home!  There will be so many windows for her to look out of and birds to chatter at.  I love visitors so anyone and everyone are ALWAYS welcome to pop in to say hello!!

Last night we had a party with all of the girls in my program to celebrate the end of our graduate school experience.  It was so much fun!  One of the girls is from Tulsa so her parents graciously welcomed all 19 crazies in to their home to eat, drink, play croquet and badminton, and talk about all of the fun times we have had over the past two years.

One person that I am beyond blessed to have met in graduate school is my best friend, Sarah.  I honestly don't know how I would have survived graduate school without this amazing friend.  We spent so many hours studying, preparing, planning, and it is all over with!  I can't wait to see the next chapter!

Brittany was the first friend that I made in my program and I am so thankful for her!  We both would not have made it through our first semester without each other!

I can't believe that graduate school is already over!  The past two years have been a busy, stressful, and crazy two years but I wouldn't change any of it.  Well, other than maybe studying a little bit more and procrastinating a little bit less! (:

Xx

Oktoberfest

The weekend before last, my friend Natasha and I went to Oktoberfest here in Tulsa.  I was REALLY excited about this.  I have been really missing German food and drinks and such lately.  So, when I found out that Tulsa had a big Oktoberfest celebration and that it is also considered one of the top 10 Oktoberfest's in the nation, I could not pass it up!  Ha ha!

One of my favorite things about Oktoberfest was the beer that was served! (:  Ha ha My favorite beer, Steigl, is a brand of beer that is made in Salzburg, Austria (which is where I lived when I studied abroad).  You can find Steigl here in the United States but not very frequently.  So, this first photo shows just how excited I was to finally have some! (:

 Here's Natasha and I in front of the Bier Garten tent

 We rode the ferris wheel, of course, and it was so much fun!  It's really the only ride I will ride! (:

You can't really tell from my pictures, but Tulsa Oktoberfest is HUGE!!!!  We walked around for 3 hours and still didn't get to see everything.  So, if you are ever in Tulsa next October, you should try to go to Oktoberfest! (:

Purple Glaze

The weekend before last, three of my friends and I went to this place called Purple Glaze, which is in Brookeside.  Anne's birthday was at the beginning of October and we never got to celebrate it, so we decided we'd have a little belated "party."  Purple Glaze is this little art studio where you can paint things like plates, cups, figurines, etc. and it's a lot of fun!!

This is me, Angela, Anne and Christi.  This one was our candid photo which is perfect because it pretty much describes us to a T.

 This is our smiling photo with the things that we made.  Angela, Anne and I made coffee mugs and Christi made a little dish.

 Another perfect representation of us (:

WWE Smackdown

These past few weeks have been a little bit out of control!  I have been sick, going on two weeks now, I have had tests and projects every time I turn around and I have been going nonstop.  As a matter of fact, I had a test last night and a project due tomorrow!! Ha ha As a little "get away" from school, me and two of my friends actually decided to go to a WWE wrestling match last night after my exam.  It was umm....well, it was interesting, that's for sure!  Ha ha None of us watch WWE (obviously), but we just decided to go for some strange reason.

This is Anne, me and Christi outside of the BOK Center and then some of the wrestlers haha

 I know you wish you had gone...

 And I REALLY know that you're all jealous that you don't have this shirt either!!

So, last night was quite the experience!  I can't say that I will ever go to another wrestling match but it was a good one-time thing!! haha (: 

Hurricane Football

Not only was yesterday an exciting day at the zoo, but I also attended my second TU football game.  My friend, Natasha, and I went to the first TU game halfway through the first quarter and we left before halftime started.  Yesterday, however, we got there before the 2nd quarter started and we stayed through halftime as well as until the end of the 3rd quarter.  Our goal is to actually stay for an entire game before the season is over, but we will have to see how well that goes!

Yesterday's game was actually fairly exciting while we were there.  The score was extremely close so that kept us intrigued.  Also, the weather was absolutely MARVELOUS which was my favorite part!

This is Natasha and I last night

 This is the HUGE bag of Kettle Korn that I bought last night.  I think that the fact that it took us 35 minutes to actually buy this is what made it taste absolutely heavenly!

 Go Hurricanes!! (:

If anyone is ever in town on a Saturday night, you should let me know!! TU football games are a lot of fun and I can easily get you a ticket to come watch!! (:

Giraffe and Camel Encounter!

This morning was probably the highlight of my entire life.  My friend, Anne, and I headed out to the Tulsa zoo bright and early this morning.  We were actually one of the first ones to enter the gate.  Yesterday we had found out online that the zoo had started something called the Mary K. Chapman Giraffe Experience.  Well, in case you don't know this already, I am ridiculously obsessed with giraffes.  I think that I feel I have a special connection with them considering I am tall and awkward just like they are.  And plus, they are just amazing creatures.  Well, needless to say, today was one of the best days I have ever experienced.  I got to pet and feed a giraffe as well as ride a camel!  If you are ever in the Tulsa area during the fall, let me know and I will give you all of the details.  It is definitely worth a trip!

First off, these are the two gorgeous gals that we got to hang out with today.  On the left is Pili, she is three years old.  And on the right, is Lexie, who is five years old.  Now, I love every giraffe that I set my eyes on, but Lexie completely stole my heart today!

 Now this handsome fella is Samburu.  He is the tallest giraffe at the Tulsa zoo, standing at roughly 17 feet tall and he is also the only male.  Because of breeding restrictions, however, we weren't allowed to feed him :(  But, him and I seemed to have a certain connection.  Whenever I was around he would always walk up to say hello and he was CONSTANTLY posing for pictures for me.  I guess he could sense how good looking I thought he was and was schmoozing.

 This gorgeous girl is Lexie.  She was all up in my business the whole time.  She was too funny!!

 This is probably my new favorite picture of all time.  Lexie, like I said, was all up in my business and she didn't like that I was holding some leaves and not giving them too her.  So, she proceeded to try and lick me in to giving them to her.  She had just got done licking the whole length of my arm.  She was full of character, that's for sure!!

 Anne and I's adventurous day didn't end with the giraffes, although they were plenty exciting for me to have ended there!  After the giraffe experience, we headed over to the camel rides.  This is a picture of us with our gorgeous new friend Angie, who looks like she is puckering her lips for the camera!

After an extremely busy and stressful week, this is exactly what I needed.  Like I said earlier though, if anyone is ever in the area, this is something that I strongly encourage you all to do!!  The giraffe feeding was only $20 and the camel rides are only $5 and they do them both until October 31 and then start them back up in the spring!! (:

Roommate Reunion

Yesterday, my best friend, and former roommate, and I went on a little labor day weekend adventure!  We headed out yesterday morning to Okolona to Rowdy Adventures for a little zip lining fun!  This is Sara and I before we went!

 After we paid our money and such, we got a little practice session with our tour guides or whatever they're called!  Sara had never zip lined before and I had only done it at Camp Winnamocka and there was no steering yourself or braking so we were both clueless about what to expect.  Needless to say, our guides had their hands full!  Ha ha Anyway, after 2 hours or so of zip lining, we finished and we had so much fun!!!

I woke up pretty sore this morning but other than that, I absolutely loved it!  I highly encourage everyone to go if they are ever in the area!!  It is a little expensive but it is totally worth it! (:

Summer Nights in Utica Square

The Thursday before last, two of my friends and I went to a concert in Utica Square and it was so much fun!  During the summer, they set up chairs all throughout the square and they have local bands perform on a stage that they set up.  We had so much fun!! (:

My Best Friends Wedding

Three weekends ago, on May 19, my best friend since kindergarten got married.  It was the most beautiful thing ever and I am so thankful that she asked me to be a part of it!

This first photo is of my hair for the wedding.  Jessie Weims did it for me and she did such a wonderful job.  If you can't tell, my hair has gotten sooooo long.

 This picture is of me and Whitley.  Wasn't she a beautiful bride?

 My best friend.  I can't believe she left me and went all the way to New Orleans :(

 Here a few pictures of the wedding.  It was at Berry Chapel on OBU's campus and it was just perfect!

 Mr. and Mrs. Waylon Slabach

I am so unbelievably happy for Whitley and Waylon.  They are two of the best people that I know and I know that they are going to be so happy together!! (:

Graduation

On Saturday,  May 12, at 9:30 a.m. OBU's 125th graduation ceremony and my first graduation ceremony!  This was such an exciting weekend!! Unfortunately, I am going to miss all of my friends so much!!

These first pictures are ones of my friends and I.  The top left is me and my friend Zac.  Zac and I have been friends since freshman year.  The top right one is my friend Brock and I.  I am seriously going to miss him.  The bottom left is Whitley and I.  We have been friends since kindergarten.  We also dropped out of high school together and we both graduated college together! (: We overcame the drop out statistics and we got higher education!  Woo Hoo!!  The bottom right is my cousin Clinton and I. 

 This group of pictures is of my family.  I am so blessed to have the family that I do and I am so thankful for all that they do for me and it meant so much to me that they were there for my graduation.  The top left picture is of my parents and I.  My parents have done more for me than I could ever tell you.  They are amazing.  That's really all there is to say about it!  The top right picture is of my sweet precious niece.  This was my favorite part of my day.  As I walked off of the stage, she ran to congratulate me!  It was so cute! (:  The bottom picture is of me with all of my family that were able to attend my graduation!  If you can't tell, I had a lot of family present and it meant so much to me! (:

 Here are some more pictures from graduation.  The top left photo is of my immediate family and I.  My dad, brother, mom and brother-in-law are on the back row.  Then it's my brother-in-law, sister, me, my niece, sister and my nephew.  I love them all so much!  The top right photo is of my niece and I.  If you can't tell, Mackenzie loved holding my diploma!  Ha ha  The bottom left photo is of my cousin Molly Anne, me, my grandmother and my cousin Laura Leigh.  I love all three of them and I am so happy that they were ab;e to be there.  The bottom right photo is my friend Kurt and I.  I am going to miss him a lot!

 These photo's are my graduation gifts that I received from my family!  From my grandmother, I got a Michael Kors watch.  It's Rose Gold and absolutely gorgeous.  I have to get it fixed (it's too big), but I can't wait to wear it!! (:  The top right photo is the necklace that my sisters and brother-in-laws got me.  I have actually been wanting a necklace like this since last summer.  They got the lady who made it to put the heart over where Arkadelphia is in the state.  I absolutely love it.  The bottom right photo is a picture of one of the gifts that my mother got me.  If you know me at all, you know that I am in love with Taylor Swift.  So, she got me her new perfume, Wonderstruck.

I have such a wonderful family and I am so blessed that so many of them were able to be a part of my special weekend!  I love each and every one of them!

Painting With Pizazz

This past Friday, my mom, Sara, and I walked downtown to get some crawfish and listen to some live music at the first downtown block party.  It was a lot of fun.  They blocked off part of Main Street and they set up tables and had a stage and all of the shops were open downtown.  

This is the amazing meal that Sara and I got! (:

 After we ate, we decided to go into this shop downtown called the Smithzonian.  This is one of my new favorite activities!  For $25, you get a blank canvas, unlimited paint, and the owner, Mrs. Stephanie, helps you paint anything you want.  She has these stencils that you can traces so that you can make a painting that looks just like hers or you can do your own painting and she'll help you if you want it.  It really is a lot of fun!

This is my mom and I before we got started!

 This is me during my painting process! (:

 Since summer is going to be here in one week, I decided that I wanted to start things off with a fun, summery painting.  So, I chose to do a painting of the beach with a car on it that has surfboards in it.  I took pictures throughout the whole process so that you can see what all we did.  If you can't tell, I only got to the car before we had to stop.  It was about 10:30pm and it was time for me to go to bed!

This is my moms really neat painting that she did.  She's not finished with hers either but we're getting pretty close to being done! (:

Painting with Pizazz was so much fun!  I can't wait to go back tomorrow so that I can finish my picture!!  If you're ever in town on a Friday night, you should definitely stop by the Smithzonian!  It is only $25 and it starts at 6:30pm.  It is a lot of fun and you definitely get your moneys worth!!