The Graduate

Well I did it. After two and a half years I have a Masters degree. It really seems like yesterday that I got this crazy idea and started asking friends with MHRs what I could do with it. I won't lie, it has been stressful and exhausting, but I am so glad I did it. So glad, in fact, that I'm going back in the fall to work on my LPC and figure out a Ph.D. program. So I'm a glutton for punishment. I figure if I'm not changing my name anytime soon I should at least accessorize it, right?

And here is the story of graduation.

Friday night was commencement. This is when all the graduates hang out on the football field while they announce the doctoral candidates and there is a speaker. I skipped this detail in undergrad and since I decided I was going to do everything for my Masters I was going to go. Then I talked myself out of it. Then I heard who the speaker was and talked myself back in. Then Friday it rained all day and they moved it inside to Lloyd Noble and I almost talked myself back out, but I didn't.

So as I'm walking into commencement I had no idea how to work my Masters' hood. I figured someone inside would know. I was wrong, but I made two new friends while we all tried to figure it out. We fussed over the hoods and sat ourselves down. Then we got moved. I had decorated my cap (story to come later) and was mildly worried when I walked in that I would be the only one. That was silly, there were decorated caps everywhere.

We settled in for the ceremony. First they did the honorary degrees. I actually think this would be the best way to get a doctorate because you get all the bells and whistles and no classes or papers. However, I am way too impatient for that, so I'll just bust through school to get one. Apparently my two new friends came from the same line of thinking I did because we all noticed that the doctoral candidates had different hats. Some had the flat mortarboard and some had the nifty poofy hats.

The speaker did her thing and was truly inspiring. She talked a lot about being a community and having empathy towards others. These are things I truly agree with, so I knew I had made the right decision to go. She also talked a lot about football, being that she grew up in Texas, and I knew I'd made the right decision!

After that the doctoral candidates were recognized and I tried my darnedest to figure out the hat thing, but every time I would catch a name and find it in the program it would be the same degree with different hats. The night ended with me having no idea why they were different, but knowing that I had to figure it out because I would be VERY upset if I made it through a PhD. program only to end up with a flat hat again.

At the end of the ceremony we sang the OU chant, yes the chant is a song and the fight song is more of a chant, oh well. They gave us all glow sticks and turned the lights down. After that instead of throwing their caps people threw their glow sticks. I got pegged with at least two and they hurt! They also shot off streamers, which weren't as cool as fireworks, but I guess they were okay.

This is the only picture I got of commencement.

Then came the College of Arts and Sciences Convocation Saturday morning. This is the one where my name is read and I get to walk across the stage. The morning started off not so great as I hadn't slept the night before because my dog was sick and wouldn't calm down enough to go to sleep. After I kicked her out so I could get some sleep (yes I felt horrible) I got up to her still feeling bad. Needless to say I was pretty much ready for the ceremony to be over so that I could get home to check on her. (For those concerned she was fine when I got home and is as good as new today)

So for my graduation ensemble I chose a new black dress and pearls with hot pink peep toe high heels (shoes are very important). When I say I "chose" an LBD and pearls I mean that Brittany pretty much informed me that I would be wearing it, which she was spot on right about and it was the perfect choice. The heels (4 inches) were a bit of fun. I had to walk down the ramp at LNC, I was praying the whole time that I wouldn't fall. After that I was ushered into the A-L room for my major (Human Relations) and given the card to fill out with my information on it. I had managed to get all my flair on before walking down.

My flair included:

• Graduation gown, complete with wings - I totally freaked out when I pulled it out of the bag Tuesday, but everyone explained that's how it was supposed to be, I still think it looks dumb, but was a nice place to stash my phone while I walked across stage
• Masters hood - while there was no one to help with the hoods on Friday, Saturday morning one of the HR professors came by and checked all hoods to make sure they were right...thank goodness!
• Chickasaw honor stole - I went back and forth on wearing this, but ended up doing it, even though it had feathers, I figured they paid for my Masters they should get some credit, plus it made me stand out a bit more, though there were at least three others, including a guy getting his MHR
• Phi Kappa Phi honor cords - I worked my tail off to keep a perfect 4.0 GPA through grad school and was extremely excited to be nominated for PKP, which honors the top 10% of graduating Masters students
• PKP pin - see above
• Golden Key pin - okay I just did this one to have more stuff for the resume and more flair
• Human Relations pin - I knew other MHRs in the past had gotten pins and I was happy when they went through and handed them out before the ceremony (I like my flair)

Okay so I was decked out. Surprisingly for all the people that were graduating I really didn't know that many, so I made more friends. I am very introverted, but in certain situations (graduation apparently being one of them) I make friends very easily. I met a guy who was a Marine who had done his whole program overseas, mainly in Japan (yet another thing I love about the HR department) and a guy who was in the Air Force (he was VERY tall). Also, I must admit, when I walked in and got lined up and knew I had another hour of waiting, I took off the good ol' 4 inch heels. Hey it worked, don't judge.

A little while later my friend Kelsey came in. She was a student athlete at OU (track and field) and had gone to the student athlete reception the day before. She had the prettiest ring that was clearly OU inspired and I asked where she got it. She said it was her gift from the athletic department for graduating. I immediately decided that I have four years of eligibility left and I need to find a sport! Okay I am totally kidding, but the ring was really pretty!

We lined up and headed in (I got my shoes back on just in time!). We walked to our assigned area and sat down. I must remind you that when you are in LNC the smart phones (or mine) aren't very smart, so getting text messages were few and far between. Eventually I had three come through from Chris and Jason asking where I was. I FINALLY got one back to Chris saying to look for my hat and described it (the specifics will be in another post all to themselves :)). I learned today that Chris was being ornery to Jason (big shocker) and kept saying things like "oh there she is, she's in a black robe and has something hanging from her hat" Jason would look and then realize that EVERYONE had on black robes with stuff hanging from their hats. Then when they asked the graduates to please rise Chris said "oh she's standing up" and Jason looked and realized that everyone was standing up. Apparently everyone around them was laughing. I certainly did when I heard the story!

Okay so next Dean Bell gives a little talk. Then the chosen student (always an undergrad) gave her speech and it was time for us to walk. My favorite part about Dean Bell is something he says every year:

If you read above the closed captioning says "other demonstrations of support and affection are strongly" the whole thing is this:

Noisy outbursts and other demonstrations of support and affection are strongly encouraged.

As you will read later in my post about my cap this was not the case when I was in high school and it made me a little bit angry (as did most things at my high school).

So I watch as many friends come by who were also getting their Masters. The guy next to me was checking out everyone's shoes (I told you shoes were important!). Kelsey and I were chatting. Chris said he and Jason figured they would look for someone playing on facebook during the thing (who me?) but because of the lack of cell service I resorted to talking, so they weren't surprised when they finally located me and I was talking to the person to my left and then the person to my right and back and forth...always the social butterfly.

We finally got to get up and head for the front. They took our pictures and then the lovely gay guy had us move our tassels to the back for the photo of us shaking hands to get our diploma cover (he was quite fun). I got my cover, shook a lot of hands, said a lot of thank yous and walked back to my (new) seat. Waiting to go up and walk wasn't so bad, but waiting for the thing to be over was awful. Needless to say we were counting down the departments left and everyone cheered for the last person to walk. After that it was the fun madness of trying to get out, with feet that were killing me, so I took off the shoes and peeled the robe as soon as possible (those things are hot!).

Overall it wasn't too bad, fun stories that I will remember, just like the last two. I'm very appreciative to those that came to support me in person and those that were with me in spirit and those that liked my check in on facebook or made comments. All of you have helped me get to where I am today and for that I am extremely thankful.

PS

My friends from Friday night figured out the doctoral hats! One came over and told me that you just pay more for the poofy ones. I can so do that! Next stop: PhD!

Mastered

That letter means that those crazy people at OU are going to give me a Masters degree! This also is the reason that I've been completely absent on the good ol' blog. I finished my comprehensive exam which was a twelve page paper that incorporated facebook, church, young adults lacking permanent, consistent emotional support, existentialism, and my future plans. Sound random enough? Well apparently I put them together in a coherent manner worthy of graduate level work and they are going to let me graduate in May.

Last week I also found out that I was invited into Phi Kappa Phi, an honor society for the top ten percent of graduating graduate students and Golden Key Honour Society, which is an honor society for cool people (okay really I haven't the slightest clue and I got the invite last fall and ignored it, but then decided that I wanted more flair for my cap and gown).

After all of that excitement I got my final grade for grad school last night: A. That means that when I finish my Masters I will graduate with a final GPA of 4.0.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't completely and totally excited about all of this. When I was in high school I graduated with honors and had a GPA over 4.0 (thanks weighted grades), then I got to college. I was really good at undergrad, at least the social aspect; the school aspect I really didn't care about and my GPA reflected it.

Grad school was not in the plan. Three years ago I was planning a disaster of a wedding. I wanted to be a wife and mom, and while I see nothing wrong with either of those things that wasn't the direction my life path ended up going and I'm okay with that. Wife and mom are still on my to do list, but I really love where my life is at. That being said I did get sad today when I was ordering my announcements and saw undergrad couples that were purchasing all their stuff together and knowing that when graduation rolls around they will take pictures together and have those memories, together. I'm sad that I won't have those graduation pictures with whoever "the one" is. In the end it will all work out and I know that. I also know that had I been dating someone during the craziness that was me in grad school it would have never worked. I rather enjoyed being able to pull all nighters and then retreat to the pool or the comfort of my bedroom to watch Sex and the City or Dawson's Creek. Had I been in a relationship I would have, knowing me, sacrificed some part of this experience and I wouldn't feel about it the way that I do, and I'm really, really proud of myself.

All in all the last twenty six months have been busy, crazy, fun, and completely and totally worthwhile. In sixty four short days I will walk across a stage in a sparkly decorated cap (more on that later) at Lloyd Noble Center, hopefully with some crazy kids screaming and yelling and blowing air horns, and they will give me a Masters. Now that I have the school bug I don't think it's going away any time soon. I've already decided that I'm going to get my counseling license and a Ph.D. is completely not out of the realm of reality (I really want the poufy hat!).

Who knows where I will be in another three years because where I sit now is not at all what I could have ever imagined one thousand ninety six days ago (yes I counted Leap Year day :)), but I wouldn't change it for anything.

Pomp and Circumstance: Some Observations

Today one of my favorite people in the world graduated college. I can hardly believe that she is old enough to be a college graduate, but she is. It seems like just yesterday I was being dragged through a wedding reception to get cake. That was 14 years, four graduations, lots of hours of studying, too many tests, countless all nighters, hundreds of thousands of words written in papers, and too many tears to count, entirely too much alcohol and debauchery later.

Haley graduated with a degree in Letters today. That's a part of the College of Arts and Sciences. The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest college at OU. What exactly does that mean? It is a REALLY long ceremony. Haley was in about the second row, so after she walked I was a little bit bored and my phone wouldn't work to play on facebook or anythings, so I just jotted down some observations on the day:

• Prior to my graduation next year I need to acquire some loud friends
• Around 11:55 I started to wonder if I really wanted to sit through this for a 4th time (I REALLY love you Mary and Haley!)
• Why didn't I know about multidisciplinary studies?
• Didn't Longar Longar play basketball like 10 years ago? At least he graduated... (I looked this one up just now and he played from 2004-2008, so good for him for coming back and finishing his degree)
• There are lots of blonde zoology grads (stereotyping, but that really surprised me)
• NO ONE looks good in a cap and gown
• But it looks better if you have lots of flair
• Bring extra batteries (my camera died just before they walked out, which really sucked because I had a GREAT seat for picture taking)
• If I get a Ph.D. it must be from a smaller college
• Don't get in line by someone with a military title...your name will sound pitiful
• They put the name cards on a string...I guess so they don't lose them...I think that's smart
• Cell phones work about as well in Lloyd Noble for graduation as they do at any sporting event, which is not well
• I think people have started telling me things start 30 minutes earlier than they do so I make it on time (I thought it started at 10:00 and rushed back from Ardmore to make it on time, but thank you for that)
• I wish my last name was Aha (yes I just heard that for real)
• When (if) I walk I'm decorating my hat this time and sending a picture of it to James Meece and Shirley Morgan (long story from my high school graduation, I'll tell that story some time)
• At least the rows get shorter as you go farther back
• What degree do I have to get to get the nifty robe and the neat beret?
• My favorite hat said "hire me" not real original, but oh well
• When you put your cap on the crown of your head so you can see your bangs and it's at a weird angle it looks DUMB
• I don't like mohawks on anyone, however they are tolerable on kids; they are completely inappropriate if you have wrinkles
• Football players DO graduate...even if it's sociology...congrats Austin Box, Quentin Carter and Travis Lewis
• I hope someone loves me enough to have a congrats banner printed for me (not really)
• Traditional ethnic attire scares me (sorry if that's not PC)
• A lot of attire I saw today, period, scared me
• If you get to convocation 50 minutes early you get great parking and your choice of seats

Again, my camera didn't work, so this is the best picture I could get with my cell phone. Congratulations pretty girl! I love you!

Where Were You?

Eighth grade, English I, Mrs. Graham's class.

Clearly I am referring to where I was when the bombing at the Murrah building. It was a Wednesday.

That Friday my mom and I went to Oklahoma City for the weekend because I was performing at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. I remember being at dinner on 63rd and watching the death toll rising.

Who can forget the Pulitzer Prize winning photographer of firefighter Chris Fields carrying out poor little Baylee Almon? Can you believe that she would be driving now if this atrocity had not happened? Thinking about which colleges to go to. Planning for prom. The bombing happened the day after her first birthday. Do you think they had her party planned for the following Saturday?

Can you even begin to imagine being excited for your baby girl's first birthday party and then lose her a few days before? I think as I reflect on this, with as much desire as I have to be a mother, it is harder to get a grasp of the evil that plotted and executed this act.

As the years passed after the bombing I have as many memories.

My sophomore year Mark Medoff premiered a play at Ardmore Little Theatre: A Christmas Carousel. The story, based on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, centered around the bombing, with Scrooge played by woman, specifically played by deaf actress Phyllis Frelich. This was when my interest in American Sign Language returned (I've always loved ASL and can remember an interest since I was little). The show was amazing.

Three years later, my freshman year in college, I was part of the theatre department (albeit just by taking a Stage Crafts class with a professor that wanted to prove the point that non majors could be an asset to the department) and they were doing A Christmas Carousel, again with Phyllis starring. The show had changed some in the three years since it premiered in Ardmore, but it had only gotten better. The scenery was very simple, designed by Phyllis' husband, and the infamous fence was a part of it. I was honored to be the assistant stage manager for this amazing show. The show is written in an amazing way where the entire show is spoken and signed simultaneously. One of the most awe inspiring moments was that the ghost of Christmas past looks at Scrooge and says "9:02 that morning...boom", one night during a dress rehearsal we looked down and it was 9:02 pm. It happened like that every night.

That semester I was also taking an architecture class (yeah I was a little major challenged that semester). We were honored to have Torrey Butzer, the wife of the husband and wife team that designed the memorial. We got to see all her sketches. I still remember President Clinton dedicating the memorial on April 19, 2000.

I remember going to Mexico with friends in high school and some of the locals in the market asking where we were from. When we responded Oklahoma they said "ah yes, Oklahoma, big boom."

I am sad that my state is remembered by many only by this act of evil, as we have a lot more to offer, however I am proud of the way our state pulled together for one another following this disaster. I am proud to be an Oklahoman on this day more than any other.

Two friends posted this on facebook today, and I have to share it as well. President Clinton said this April 23, 1995:

"If anybody thinks that Americans are mostly mean and selfish, they ought to come to Oklahoma. If anybody thinks Americans have lost the capacity for love and caring and courage, they ought to come to Oklahoma."

I know my children will ask where I was when April 19 happened.

Eighth grade, English I, Mrs. Graham's class.

Those of us that remember are a part of history. Like those that can answer "where were you when Pearl Harbor happened" or "where were you when Kennedy was shot," we are a part of history. It is crazy to think of how many people I know that weren't even born when this happened and how many don't remember it because they were too young.

If you have never been to the memorial you should go, it truly is one of the most powerful places ever. If you can talk to someone who worked on the site, listen to their story.

April 19, 1995: we will never forget.



I remember where I was, where were you?

Day Ten

Ten Days: Day Ten: One Confession

Hmmm...what to confess? There could be my undying love for...













um, nope. Or I could confess that I cheated on...











don't think so!

Instead a little more about me.

For years and years I proclaimed that I wanted a "normal" life: one husband, one wife, two children (a boy, then two years later a girl) with matching initials both born before my thirtieth birthday. I wanted to be a stay at home mom; I wanted a husband who would work and make all the money that we needed to live in our perfect 2600 square foot home, complete with a formal dining room and a swimming pool (with perfect landscaping). I did not want anything that could be considered "odd" or "strange" by my children's friends or anything that they would have to explain. One job per adult (mine, of course, would allow me to work at home and just make "play" money). I wanted this for a long time.

This life was the stark contrast to the one I grew up in. My parents were 36 and 39 when I was born. My mom worked outside the home, my dad was self employed (with about 15 businesses running through the house). We went on business trips all the time and I missed a lot of "normal" kid things (Homecoming namely). Not to mention I had to explain all the "cowboy" stuff (I will not do this here, sorry!).

Needless to say, personality wise, I am about a 180 from my parents. I always have been and probably always will be. I yearned for the lives that my friends have: the "status quo."

John Lennon said: Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans. That quote completely describes my life!

For starters I did not meet my husband-to-be in college and did not get married the summer after graduation and did not start having babies in the amount of time deemed appropriate. Instead I started a job, that I didn't love, but ended up meeting wonderful people. I dated a guy: FAIL. I dated another guy and fell in love. We broke up, got back together, broke up, got back together, broke up, got back together, got a dog, broke up, got back together, bought a house, got another dog, got another dog, got ANOTHER dog, got engaged, bought another house, planned a wedding, and forty-one days before he called it off.

Um...where do I go from here?

My whole perfect house (almost the size I wanted, but no formal dining room, but with the pool!), two children, stay-at-home mom dream was dashed. Here I was 27, approaching 28, and back at square one. I was devastated to say the least. There were days that I just prayed and prayed that we would get back together and all would work out like my plan. In the end that was not the plan for me.

I found a great church a few months later, found wonderful friends, all was perfect again. I was single, but I was okay with that. I healed from the relationship. Then, all of a sudden, the sermons started to be about "taking risks" and "walking through open doors." ARG! Stupid challenges! I never met one that I didn't go for. I started, very lightly, thinking about grad school. It was a crazy idea. What would I do? What did I want to do? Where did I want my life to go? I had figured out, during this time, that I love people and I want to help people. I mentioned this to my wonderful best friend who used the lowest of the low argument for why I should go to grad school: what are you going to tell your daughter if you had the opportunity to go to grad school and didn't do it? REALLY??? Using my yet to be conceived child against me? Did it work? OF COURSE!

A short time later, there I was applying to OU, not really sure how I was going to pay for it, writing a personal statement, getting my three recommendations. My mom got the scholarship information from my tribe (the Chickasaw Nation...stop your laughing, I am 13/256 which, with a CDIB card, is the perfect amount to have grad school totally paid for!) I applied, and found out that I got in on a Thursday; the semester started the following Tuesday! I enrolled in what I could, got snowed in, slipped and slid to get books, got all my scholarship stuff turned in and was off on a new adventure!

In the meantime of all of this, all my wonderful new (and old) friends did the unthinkable: they all got pregnant. Seriously there must have been something in the water. This was HARD. I want to be a mom more than anything in the world and here was everyone around me, even those that weren't trying, getting what I wanted. Pretty much everywhere I went was hard to deal with. Watching them find out the sex, go register, have showers, prepare for labor, have the beautiful babies and get to be mommies; I'm not going to lie, I love them all, but there were moments (days, weeks) that I was not happy for them. I was angry. This was supposed to be MY time, and it wasn't.

Then I went to Austin.

I had a crush on a boy who liked indy music. (Oh yeah this was not a secret to anyone, though I'm not saying names!) My friend Lucy was going to South by Southwest (which I went to my last year in undergrad). It was the week of spring break and I had Friday off. I only had to take off one day and got to be gone for four days. I had been talking to a guy and realized that he was lonely and I enjoyed talking to him, however he just wanted to be with someone (or that was my perception of the situation). On the way to Austin this hit me. And I did not like it, one bit. I was better than being "insert girl here" into someones life.

That's when it hit me: I had concocted this amazing life and was just looking for "insert guy here." Uh oh. If I didn't want to be that person, why on earth would I want to be with someone who would settle being that person?

I also realized that I like the extraordinary! I don't want just a simple life! I want it to be fabulous and wonderful and I want people to look at my life and say "wow!" That is truly what I want. I want to make an impact. I want to change the world. I fought this for a long time. I kept pushing it out of my brain: this was NOT what was going to happen to me, I just want simple. Now, though, I have chosen to embrace it.

On that trip it was like a light went off. Here I was in Austin, which is such a fun city, part of the time I was with my friends, part of the time we went our separate ways to see different shows. I discovered some awesome bands, that I now love (check out 100 Monkeys, Carney, Lynhurst, and The Honey Brothers!). Most importantly, as I was driving around on Sunday, before I left, it just hit me: all of my friends are experiencing some awesome things right now (marriage, kids, etc.), but I get to experience all kinds of things right now too! I am getting to have amazing experiences and I get to be selfish for a little bit of my life. I put others first a lot and above myself a lot. I still have plenty of time to have all those things that my friends have.

The time will come for me to meet that special someone (or if I have already met him: when I figure out that he's who I'm supposed to marry) and get married and have babies. For awhile, post breakup, I thought that if by the time I turned 30 I was not in a committed relationship that would lead to marriage (starting to sound like If Lucy Fell? no the plan was not to jump off a bridge) I would just go it alone: pick out the perfect sperm donor and have a baby by myself. This whole blog thing actually changed that one: I read a blog that has a seemingly perfect husband and wife and an adorable daughter. Reading their blog, which I love to do, I see all the fun of having both parents and the baby and I think it is worth the wait!

In the meantime I am going to enjoy every day, for what it is, not as a stepping stone for what comes next. I will have all these amazing memories that I get to keep forever! I have amazing people that surround me and I always will. Some of the names and faces will change, but I choose to surround myself with the most extraordinary people!

This whole outlook was hammered home this summer when I met (finally) an amazing woman named Beth. I had heard about Beth for the last 20 years. My "adopted" grandparents when we were on the road were Teddie Jo and Charlie. Sadly, Charlie passed away last June. My mom and I went to Dallas for the funeral and at the lunch after we got to meet Beth. Beth dated their son, Blake, but they didn't exactly work out. Beth is now married, though she didn't get that way until later in life, has a beautiful son, and is happy as a lark as a stay-at-home mom. She lived her life and had all the experiences that I am having right now, then she got everything else she wanted (or that I assume she always wanted!). It was so encouraging hearing her tell me that I was on the right track! It was even more encouraging to see that she'd lived through all this and totally came out on top!

Okay, so that's Day Ten! The culmination of the Ten Day Challenge! It was a long one! What have I learned from this challenge?

I want to write! I mean I really do! I have already started outlining my first novel. I thank each of you that is reading this blog (and my current writing outlet) for all the encouraging words you have said about me having a talent to write. I know I don't have the best grammar in the world, but I have an amazing editor (who is having a baby girl tomorrow!) and I really, really love writing.

In the meantime of all of this I have also figured out that I DO NOT want to be a therapist! Great profession, totally think that, but I just don't feel that I would make the impact on the world that I want to. Hopefully I can take all the classes I need to prepare me to start a non profit in a year or so and can work it where I can have babies at work with me, surround myself with my friends who have the same passion that I do, and write!

Thank you to everyone who was mentioned in this blog, whether with or without names, you have truly impacted my life!

Chicken Dance=Chipotle?

Yes it does! :)

Yesterday was Homecoming at OU. I took my favorite guy: Sheldon Sechrist! Last week the poor little thing broke his elbow playing leap frog at Youth (not my youth group, I would like to mention), so he is in a soft cast for the time being. This kid LOVES his football, especially OU football. He was the natural choice to take to the Homecoming game. He was decked out in his OU finest, including sprayed red hair.

When we got to Campus Corner we were walking through and stopped at the Chipotle tent because they had a spinning wheel of prizes. He spun first and won chips and salsa. We were shooting for the "dinner for two" spot, so that we wouldn't have to pay for dinner that night. I spun and landed on "embarrassing dance". Well I thought that meant the guy on the other side of the table would dance for me...um, no. I was supposed to do an embarrassing dance: UGH! Then he told me what I would win if I did: dinner for four! This included burritos, drinks and chips and guac! Heck yeah! I did a nice (and very quick) version of the chicken dance!

We went to the parade and stood with my friend Mindy from work and her kiddos. My complaint on the parade is this: the entries are too far apart, so it got a little bit boring. The theme of Homecoming this year was Sooner Magic. The floats were great (though in no way, shape or form do I miss doing all the Homecoming stuff from undergrad). My favorite was "Sam Bradford's Journey to the Heisman" with a model of his famous touchdown somersault from Bedlam 2008. Mindy and I agreed that this pose should be his Heisman statue! Who knows if they will do that, but I know a lot of Sooner faithful that would love it.

We met up with Kara and Kris after the parade. Kara was almost on time for the parade and early for the game! Yay! We had our burrito (bowls) and headed through Campus Corner toward the stadium. The radio guys (I guess they were radio guys, they had mikes and were all set up) outside of Louie's were doing "celebrity look alikes". Sweet Sheldon got caught as Eminem. They asked how he hurt his arm and he told them the real story. They made him come up with a better one: "I got in a fight with Chuck Norris with a beebee gun!"

The game was great: 52-0, just the way I like it. It is for certain that we do not like our "coach" neighbor. He did not approve of Kris standing up for the game and proceeded to complain about how the team was playing again. Even better news of the day: Ohio State (1) and Nebraska (5?) both lost, meaning OU bumped up to number three in both polls today. Yay! BCS comes out soon, so we'll see. OSU won. Yay, I guess. I know that we need them to be ranked as high as possible when we play them in order to help our cause, but I really hate when they win!

After the game was over we went to PassionBerri on the Corner for some froyo (yes I said "froyo" I like saying "froyo" deal with it :)). We listened to the Sports Animal broadcast for a few minutes and really only heard them talking about their daughters and putting colored streaks in their hair. I ran into my elementary/middle/high school friend Drew and his dad and caught up for a bit. Drew played in The Pride (OU's band) and is now the band director at Pauls Valley High School. I went for Landon's game against PVHS last week and got to see Drew's band. They are awesome!

That's about all for the excitement that is OU Homecoming. :)