Elizabeth Taylor, the last of Hollywood glamour

As my mom put it earlier, "She lived quite a life." And she will be missed by all (except for Debbie Reynolds). If you haven't seen any of her movies, watch Life With Father, Father of the Bride or A Date with Judy for some of her earlier works.

My non-spring break

Well, I just survived my first "spring break" post-college.  Meaning, spring break did not really exist for me. I know, it's a hard knock life.

Actually, I still managed to have a blast. The week kicked off with Will and Holly's wedding, which was wonderful. He is my first guy friend to get tie the knot and it was fun to have everyone in one place. 

Photo courtesy of Aaron. Thanks Aaron!

I think this picture is the only thing that makes me miss being in college. We all had so much fun over the past 4+ years! Every memory I have includes one of these lovely people. So thanks, y'all, for making it such a blast! 

Also, I was one of the cake cutters! They had an awesome Abby Road cake complete with bride and groom figures leading the Beatles. Will and Holly share a mutual love for the Beatles, so it fit their wedding perfectly!

And this one is from Karissa. Sorry I am such a photo stealer.

Miriam and I made an emergency food run after the wedding and went to a Non concert at War Paint Clothing in the Plaza District in OKC. It seemed like a wedding after-party because so many people ended up there. I always love Non concerts, too, because they give me the perfect opportunity to people-watch. (Trust me, indie kids can border on strange and unkempt. No judgement, just facts.) It was fun, but I was exhausted when it was over.

Kim stayed with Laura and me, so we spent Saturday being lazy. My mom and Abby got into town that afternoon and we went to Victoria's to celebrate my beautiful Mom's birthday! (Victoria's has wonderful pasta if you are ever in Norman.)

And if one wedding and one concert isn't enough for a weekend, I spent Saturday night at a Glenn Miller Orchestra concert with my mom. I am a huge 40s music fan and I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. We had third row seats, and I could see some of the sheet music they were using--some of it was probably from the original orchestra! So neat! 

The rest of the week went much more slowly. Tiffany, Megan and Abby all kicked it with us for the first half of the week. We cooked good food, played scrabble and Trivial Pursuit, and explored OU's campus. 

 For me having to work, it was a decent week of vacation! 

Remember when this happened?

Well, it is happening again. On my 23rd birthday. (wish you could come, Karissa!).

I can't wait! 

A walk down memory lane

First of all, Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!


I hope you are wearing your green instead of getting pinched all day. Because that is ANNOYING. Thankfully I remembered to don a bit of green. Actually, I set an alarm on my phone so I wouldn't forget. 


I'm feeling so productive today! I got my eyebrows waxed, my recent ticket dropped (the cop was just waiting for me to make a mistake, the stinker), things mailed and photos sorted--all before noon. Hastings is providing me with free Internet today, and I am working on uploading pictures so I can have actual prints in photo albums instead of digital prints on Facebook albums.


I love Facebook albums, but I really want to have at least some physical documentation of what the last 4.5 years of my life have looked like. So I got to Hastings, hauled out my external hard drive (which caused a WOW-playing computer nerd to hit on me, awesome), and sorted through every picture I have taken since college began in 2006. Which translates into thousands of pictures.

It was interesting to visit those places in my life, because each picture carried a specific memory. Some of those were funny, and some were painful. Some I wish had never happened. I know the pat answer to questions about regret always is, "well, I don't regret anything, because it brought me to where I am today."


And for the most part, that is a true statement for me. But I still can't help but wonder how my life would be different today if I had done things differently back then. But even if I had the power to change it, I am not sure I would. My life, the things I have experienced, and the people I know are priceless treasures in my eyes. And the most important things, like where I am with God and the wonderful friends in my life, are the aspects I wouldn't change at any cost. 

Looking back at those pictures also made me appreciate the candid moments in life a little bit more. Take the next photo, for example. If I remember correctly, Wil decided to sneak attack everyone by picking their nose while taking a photo. This was also the night that he hid wax fingers in every hiding place imaginable (including the ice maker).

I can't believe that I actually felt ugly or fat or stupid in any of these pictures. Even if I didn't look "picture perfect" in every shot, it captured a moment that was funny or silly. It was a real moment, and worth so much more to me now than any posed photo. So if this means I am moving into an era of life where I am more accepting of myself and more laid back, then I am all for it. I could use a bit more of that in my life. 

Beauty wish list

Spring always inspires me to update my wardrobe and beauty product collection. Believe me, I have more than enough as is, but after a long weekend window shopping and reading the latest edition of Lucky, I have a few new beauty crushes that I must share.

Photo from Amazon.com

If you've ever studied abroad in Germany/Austria, you probably know the wonder of Bebe lip balm. I always dream of ordering it from Amazon but I never actually do it. But this lovely rose tinge would be perfect for spring.

Photo from Smallflower.com

Getting ready in the morning would always be a glamorous occasion if I just had this atomizer filled with my favorite perfume.

Photo from allthingschic.net

My mom recently brought me this miracle-working dry shampoo and I am in love. I have used dry shampoo before, but it is so expensive that I just can't afford to buy it all the time. And last semester I attempted to use TRESemme's version, but it fell flat with me. Suave's product does exactly what it promises and it smells amazing to boot. Buy it.

Photo from Tokyo-milk.com

I was browsing through one of my favorite stores on Campus Corner yesterday and I came across this line of perfumes. I have seen it before, but I had never tried any of the scents. I really like Song in D Minor No. 13 Parfum because it features my favorite scent of all time: gardenia. And it manages to do so without being overpowering. This might be my next perfume, although I am also loving Coach's Poppy. It will be a tough decision.

Technology food for thought

Watching the devastation in Japan, especially regarding the nuclear power plants, has me thinking. Any time you become dependent on technology, you risk losing if the technology fails. This doesn't always happen, but the possibility is always there. Many people have faced losing data when a computer crashes. I lost all my music last semester when I reconfigured my hard drive, and in the age of mp3 files, I didn't have a physical copy of most of the music. A stupid mistake on my part, but it also made me realize my dependence on a piece of technology that is already outdated.

In Japan, the failure of technology is a life-and-death situation, so obviously it is much more serious. Sure, nuclear power plants provide a relatively clean source of energy, but they also come with the potential of nuclear proliferation. How scary is that?! And all it takes is an earthquake to start the problems.

The same type of situation can be seen with gas prices. As a nation we are almost completely reliant on fossil fuels for transportation, most of which is sourced from foreign shores. That can also put us in a place of compromise.

I guess my question is, is the risk associated with technology worth it? Technology provides numerous benefits to society, but do the potential outcomes of dependence on technology outweigh those positives? I don't really have an answer, but this is just my way of saying a re-prioritization might be in order. Maybe it's time to focus on long-term outcomes instead of short-term benefits.

Busiest week ever

"No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow." --Unknown

I may be heralding it a bit too early, but I think spring is here. The plants think so, too. The trees all over Norman are bursting into bloom, and I can't wait to plant my tiny container garden in a few weekends. 


The past week has been the busiest of the year so far. I mean, I danced at the half-time of the Thunder game, met the one and only Pioneer Woman, saw more friends than I can count, had an eating marathon, watched Spring Sing (my favorite night of the year, ha), saw more friends, went to church, ate some more, and then finally crashed into a coma after too much happiness in one weekend. 


Let's see. I'll start at the beginning. For some reason, I decided to sign up through Zumba to participate in the Zumba half-time performance at the OKC Thunder game. It actually turned out to be about 80% frustrating, but I love performing so that part was fun. Actually, my cousin-in-law Kayla is a Zumba instructor, so she was there. We also saw a lot more OC people than I expected. I couldn't keep my half-time performance a secret :)


On Friday, La and I went to Edmond but first decided to go meet THE P-Dub at Hastings in Norman (which is where I am writing this entry). She was charming and witty, everything I expected her to be. It was fun, and even though we waited more than 3 hours to get our books signed, it was fun. You should have seen all the cute babies and precious husbands. Those were some brave men.


Spring sing weekend was completely blissful. Normally, I am running around leading tours, working booths AND performing (Natalie did it this year, I was so proud of her!). In short, it was the most exhausting weekend. This time I just got to enjoy it all without the stress. I loved seeing all my undergrad friends! And watching spring sing was just about the best thing that ever happened!


I am happy to say that my friend Wil's show (the Chi Godzillas) took first place. It was a tough race, but looking back on my videos on Saturday night makes it evident why they won. Literally every club was entertaining and exciting, though. It was one of the best spring sings for clubs I have ever been to! I have to say, Gamma and Kappa did AMAZING. And Delta.... there are no words. Well, actually there are three: Zombie Mister Rodgers. I'll upload videos tomorrow and post them!


As Ke$ha would say, spring sing is my drug. Still. Which makes me a pathetic alumna.

Oh, Giddens clan. What would I do without you? We missed you Brad, Shelley, Megan and Erin!

From what I hear, Karissa was an AMAZING club coordinator! Good job, Karissa! 

Also, Aaron was in charge of the high school students' housing for the weekend. I know he did a great job too!

The Kappa Cops were SO GOOD. Seriously one of the best Kappa shows in so long! Good job, guys! 

And I have already said how good Chi's show is... SO GOOD! Wil and Danny did a fantastic job as directors.


Sorry this post is so long! I should definitely be more consistant in my blogging. Here is a quote from a women's ministry blog that I found uplifting today, maybe you will like it, too!

"If you are in a silent season of transition, be encouraged that the God of this universe is working deeply and gently within you to fashion you for His purposes. He has not left you and He is not distant. Rest in His presence and yield yourself to His gentle, faithful plans. It may not be until down the road that you can look back and say, 'Oh, there He was!' but absent the neon flashing signs today, you can be confident that 'He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.' (Philippians 1:6)" --http://reflectwomen.wordpress.com/

March Madness

No, I'm not talking about basketball. Sorry to disappoint, boys.

Are you looking for intrigue? How about excitement, adventure, chaos and confusion? If you want this to be a part of your life, just graduate college and have no clue what you are doing.

Seriously, I have no idea where I should be going. I am at peace about it, but it is still so crazy! There are so many decisions to be made and they feel so big! I know a lot of you are either there, or you have been there. I know I am not alone. But I just needed to put my voice out there.