Well Hello Again Texas....I've missed you.

It's time for the next chapter in my life. I don't know if I'm ready or not, but I'm turning the page anyways. Now that I have graduated I must complete my clinical fellowship year (CFY). All this means is I will have a supervisor looking after me for 9 months. When I was trying to decide where to complete my CFY I had to really think about what was most important to me. I had it narrowed down to 2 things: mental well-being & experience. I also realized that I could not seem to fit both of those things into the same job. Shucks.

My original plan was going to look something like this:

Awww...Chicago. Clearly my original plan was to make sure I had an exciting life outside of work. At first I really didn't care which setting I would work in as long as I could be here. I mean is loving where you work so important? As soon as you left work there would be something new and exciting to do every night, so many people from different backgrounds to meet, plays and concerts every weekend to go to, world renowned restaurants to eat in, public transportation (seriously I love the L), etc.

Well I realized I had to grow up a little bit and make the wise decision. The quality of the experience I will be getting from my CFY should and does outweigh the amazing social life I could have had in Chicago. Goodbye social life...I'll miss you too.

And now my plan looks a little something like this:

Dear Amarillo,

Hmmm....where do I start? I feel like we have gotten off on the wrong foot. Okay okay I might have made fun of you for the past 6 years - my sincerest apologies. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be living within your city limits. God sure does have a sense of humor. I decided working in a hospital would be much more important than my social well-being. In these next 9 months I am going to honestly try to enjoy what you have to offer. Not sure what that is yet, but I will figure that out. Luckily my best friend in the whole world is a native Amarillo-an...Amarillo-ian...Amarill-an? Okay whatever you get my point. So clearly you must have something to offer, right? Well I'm trying to jump in with both cowboy boots (yes that will be my first purchase) and enjoy whatever comes my way. Here is to being a grown up and making grown up decisions. So far being a grown up kinda blows. Cheers!

Sincerely,

The Okie Wanderlust

P.S.

If you could tone down the wind just a wee bit I would greatly appreciate it. I'm pretty sure you're just trying to blow Ruby back to Oklahoma.

SLP Class of 2010!

Whoever said "time flies" didn't go to graduate school. On June 15th, 2010, I officially graduated with my masters in speech-language pathology. That morning I woke up and seriously contemplated not going to graduation. I didn't think the rents would mind because they have been to a total of 5 of my graduations already. What's one more really gonna do? Well clearly once I spoke with them that was not an option. So I threw on a dress, put on some sassy shoes, and added a few false lashes for sparkle (o yes....false lashes are God's little gift to us). I made my way to Norman (and somehow managed to get lost) and finally arrived at the correct place. I drug my heels all the way to the ceremony. Seriously why did I even go?!?

I made my way to my seat and above all the noise in that place I could clearly hear my family. No they were not yelling for me....they were yelling at me. I couldn't make out what they were saying and I didn't wear my glasses so I could not figure out what they were pointing at. So I tried shaking my head like I knew what they were talking about....that didn't work. I then tried to ignore them....that didn't work. I even gave them the "sit down and shut up" gesture....nope that didn't work either. So finally I strained really hard to hear my mom/see what the heck she was pointing to. I could have swore I heard her say "Emily", but why the heck would she be saying that? She was pointing to a row of girls, but since I didn't have my glasses trying to make out their faces was pointless. Luckily a gangly looking girl (sorry Em) stood up. I looked at her and then looked at my mom and said "My Emily?!?" And then the water works started. Not only was "my Emily" there, but my other two girls Jaclyn and Megan!!! Somehow these incredible besties of mine were able to keep a huge secret from me for 2 whole months and they drove all the way from Houston & Temple to surprise me! I was absolutely shocked and then I was so SO happy I was graduating! Honestly it was the best graduation I have ever had all because of these three. Love, love, LOVE them so much!

I am so blessed to know these three!

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When I was driving to graduation with my family we drove past this fantastic statue of a sphinx/angel/cat/sumo wrestler thingy and I told my brother that I had to have a picture with this amazing piece of art. Then after graduation when I was reuniting with my lovelies what is their first request?!? Taking a picture with this amazing sphinx type statue!!! Seriously is our friendship meant to be or what?

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And my wonderful parents who made me go to my graduation! Love you both so SO much!

And now.... NO MORE SCHOOL EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello Real World - please be nice to me :)

Gotta Haves!

Okay I am often asked what my favorite make up is so I thought I would mention a few of my must haves! My mom sparked my love for makeup. If you combined my makeup, my mom's makeup, and my sister's makeup we could probably open up our own store. Seriously it's a sick obsession. But come on really....what girl doesn't love make up?!?

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Okay primer is KEY ladies! My make up literally stays on all day long with this stuff. It's called "that gal" from Benefit and I love, love, LOVE it! It goes on really smoothly and just helps the make up set and last.

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This might be favorite thing of all. It's eyeshadow primer from MAC. MAC is by far my favorite cosmetic brand of all time (thank you mom for starting me out on the good stuff). I always put this on before my eye shadow and the eye shadow literally won't come off until I wash it off. It's wonderful ladies...a little gift from God.

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So of course it only seems appropriate that my favorite eye shadow would be MAC as well. I really love the variety of their colors and how vibrant they are once you put them on. A little bit goes a long way with this shadow!

My Favs: Jest & Satin Taupe

If you really wanna have a little fun go to the MAC counter sometime and have them do your makeup. You might end up looking like a drag queen (and there is a VERY good chance a drag queen might be doing your makeup at MAC), but they can really give some great tips! Man those boys know how to do makeup.

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Sugarbomb blush by Benefit is just lovely! It is very soft and because it has the four color plates it really seems to go with every skin tone. I also love it because it would take some serious work to make it look too harsh! I hate when I do my makeup in my bathroom and it looks fabu and then I get in the car and look in the mirror and I look like a clown. Can't do that with this stuff!

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Love this mascara! Bad Gal Lash by Benefit. Okay obviously I love Benefit cosmetics almost as much as MAC....and I love all the names they put on their cosmetics. Anywho....this mascara is great if you like big dramatic lashes. The brush is a little thick so that takes some getting used to.

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And to finish off your look I would GREATLY advise Smashbox lip gloss. It lasts and lasts and lasts. And it doesn't leave that gunky white film around your lips like some gloss can. It tastes good too!

Okay now go shopping (don't tell the hubbies) and have a splendidly beautiful day!

I'm alive...I promise!

So I haven't been around in a while. All I've done for the past few weeks is eat, sleep and live comps. Our comprehensive exams basically tested us over the past 6 years of schooling. To say it was nerve racking would be the understatement of the century. Luckily our entire class passed! Hooray! The weekend before comps Christie & I decided to take a little study break. What's better for a study break than the Norman Medieval Fair?!? You're right....NOTHING! So I had to document the amazing characters we saw there. So many to choose from, so little time.

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Christie was an amazing sport and stood in for all of my amazing photo opps!

This lady had some freakish...ummm...."eyes" if you know what I mean. I couldn't fully capture her "eyes" without looking super obvious. So this is the best I could do. They were pretty terrifying.

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Christie's Boyfriend. What a hunk.

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My boyfriend. Don't be jealous.

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I actually chased this girl around the fair. She escaped into this tent, but I still got a shot. Lets just say not everyone should show off their midriff. It's just not for everyone.

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Why am I a speech-pathology student when I could be doing this for a living?!?!?

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Oops...I think she caught me. I'm pretty sure she could take me.

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Yep thats a dude and he is totally wearing tights. Rad.

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A little glimpse of Christie and I in the future.

SB 2010!

So this year I had my final spring break and I decided to take my one and only spring break trip. It was a good decision indeed! We had a blast and relived being college kids. Everyone should take a Spring Break whether they have one or not. It's like a nice gift to the soul. I'm pretty sure your soul will thank you in the end.

We drove (yes, we drove) for 13.5 hours to Pensacola, FL on Monday. Surprisingly the trip wasn't too bad. We saw a lot of states I have never been to and sang some pretty amazing songs on the way. A little NSYNC (No Strings Attached of course!) and Boys II Men can really help pass the time. O and don't forget your Disney songs. Little Mermaid anyone? I also love how you can put a really old song on and you can't really remember what the song is, yet you know every single word to it. And possibly you're a little embarassed that you know all the words so you try to hide the fact that you're singing, but you look over to your passenger and realize they know all the words as well. Those are nice moments! Or those songs that immediately take you back to a certain time of your life. My favorites are the songs that take me back to when I was 16 and first started driving....kinda gives me the warm fuzzies all over.

A little view out the back of the house.

So what do girls do immediately when they get to the beach?!? Go lay out of course! It was a wee bit chilly so we really should have just admired the beauty from indoors, but we didn't. Hey, it's not like we have a beach in Oklahoma! Give me a break.

What you should do when it's too cold to go outside and you happen to be three girls is put on silly make-up for St. Patty's day! AND pose like Charlie's Angels!!! O yes...it took us way too long to get this down, but in the end it was accomplished. Good thing the boys weren't here yet.

The boys joined us on Thursday and we were so glad they did! They were a nice spice added to the mix. My highlight (sadly enough) was Steven allowing Laci and myself to build him into a sand Steven. I was hysterically laughing throughout the whole thing. It took a whole lot of effort that I wasn't planning on exerting throughout any part of spring break, but I'm glad we did. He even has a built in cup holder! P.S. Is it sad that I was unbelievably sore after building my masterpiece?!?

This is one of the nights we went out with everyone. Sadly enough we never got a group photo - BIG regret. Another BIG regret...not wearing sunscreen. Ouch. Obviously the sun came out in full force the rest of the days we were there, which was lovely. Leaving was rough and knowing I was coming home to a snowy Oklahoma made it even more difficult. I mean really...I was laying out one day and then trekking through the snow the next. Not cool mother nature, not cool.

The Hammer and I: A Story of Love & Hate

So what better way to turn around your mood than to redecorate? I know that always does the trick with me. Well that and frozen yogurt...its a cure all. I've never had a headboard for my bed so I decided to put up a few do-dads from my apt to give it a new look. My mom always arranges and hangs everything on my walls (the hammer and I have never had a stable relationship). It would probably be a bit unreasonable to ask her to drive to OKC from Tulsa to hang a few things, but not gonna lie I did consider it. I gave in and decided to do it myself and was quite skeptical about my skills, but I don't think it turned out too shabby (and I still have all my fingers)! The hammer and I are currently working out our issues in home therapy and are learning to trust each other...but these things take time of course.

The Curse has been BROKEN!!!

This weekend I ventured down to Waco for one of my very favorite Baylor events of the year - SING!!! For those of you that don't know what it is, SING is one of the biggest off-broadway productions in the nation. It's kind of a big deal. It is 4 hours, yes you read that right, of jam packed performances by 18 - 20 groups. All of the groups are fraternities or sororities with the exception of one group. Believe it or not the fraternities get into it more than anyone! Sing is very, VERY serious in the BU bubble and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears are poured into the performances. The practices start the week the students return from Christmas Break and each night they spend about 2 hours practicing and continue until the last 2 weekends in February. SING is the reason I even joined a sorority in the first place. Every group performs in hopes that they will make Pigskin, which is a performance in the Fall of the top 10 performances from SING the previous year. It's a very big deal! One of my dearest friends was a Sing Chair this year so I wanted them to make Pigskin even more than usual.

This year Theta's theme was "Ring by Spring" which is taken all too seriously by most BU girls! Every girl seems to come to Baylor in hopes that she will receive that big ole' fat engagement ring by spring of her senior year. The performance was full of giddy girls and even included Tiffany's ring boxes dancing around the stage. Absolutely hilarious! To bring you up to speed on the curse - Theta has not made it to Pigskin since my sophomore year (2006) so it was definitely time. This year the curse was broken and Theta made it! I know you all are jumping up and down. Try to compose yourselves geez.

Aren't they adorable?!?

Here's a little flashback to give you a real good laugh!

Senior Year (2008) - Blues Theme

Junior Year (2007) - Baking Theme




And the greatest of them all Sophomore year (2006) - Mad About You!

Feel free to make fun....it's okay.