Boomer Sooner

happy NFL draft day!

as sad as i am that today marks the end of the sam bradford era at OU, i couldn't be more excited. i love watching the draft especially when you know there are stories like these behind some of the players.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft10/columns/story?columnist=chadiha_jeffri&id=5041680

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft10/news/story?id=5113572

"We shouldn't be talking about why is this kid so squeaky clean, why is this guy for real. We should be asking, 'Why aren't there more guys like this?'"

people like sam and gerald (and i am sure several others) deserve everything they are going to get tonight. they are achieving a dream tonight. a dream that they have been working toward all of their life - for all of the right reasons. these people make me proud to say BOOMER SOONER. thank you for setting a good example to all of those little boys who want to grow up and be exactly like you one day, heisman trophy/all-american honors and all. the game needs more people like y'all.

there is only one oklahoma - LIVE ON UNIVERSITY.

The Soundtrack

They say that smell is the strongest link to memory - i disagree.

I think it is music - music takes you back to such a specific moment, it's almost like a snapshot. when certain songs play, you can remember exactly where you were, where you were going, what was going on in your life, who you were with, exactly what you were doing.

"one good thing about music is that when it hits you, you feel no pain" - bob marley.

Music is there to remind you of where you came from and your plans of where you wanted life to take you. Life has it's own soundtrack. Everyone's does. Here is mine to this point, in chronological order:

bob carlisle - butterfly kisses
jennifer love hewitt - can i go now
smashmouth - all star
big tymers - this is how we do
bette midler - wind beneath my wings
matchbox 20 - unwell
r. kelly - remix to ignition
baby bash - suga, suga
outkast - i like the way you move
FFH - ready to fly
sister hazel - One Love
fall out boy - nobody puts baby in the corner
the fray - cable car
mae - summertime
soulja boy - superman
jack's mannequin - i'm ready
journey - don't stop believin'
israel kamakawiwo'ole - somewhere over the rainbow
sister hazel - mandolin moon
david gray - this year's love
john mayer - half of my heart
matt nathanson - car crash
graham colton - on your side


it's random and crazy and happy and sad and slow and fast and all over the place - exactly the way it should be.

Dear Nicholas Sparks,

How does one man have so many tragic love stories to tell? Seriously, Nick, you can only make me bawl like an idiot through so many books - and I think we're reaching the limit. I just finished reading Dear John. It only took me about 8 hours. SO. GOOD. While it had its share of really cheesy, cliche moments, it was one of the only Nicholas Sparks books that I actually felt like I could relate to. I don't know if it's because I lived the horror of 9/11, or because I know that people have to actually go through this every day, but, nonetheless, I got sucked in. If you haven't read it yet, go buy it and read it. Then go see the movie on Feb. 5th (Channing Tatum is John, what could be better than that...)

"I sold the collection because I finally understood what true love really meant. Tim had told me - and shown me - that love meant that you care for another person's happiness more than your own, no matter how painful the choices you face might be."

The Get Away

Christmas break was wonderful (more of an update on that later). Chuck was here for 2 weeks and is already gone. It feels like he was here for 2 days. Sad he is already back at school but now I'm looking forward to going to visit him in a few weeks!

In other news...Its official. I have the itch to travel. I don't know why, but this itch usually leads me to California - the land of everything. It houses Disneyland, oceans, mountains and muscle beach, to the most wonderful grapes, redwood trees, the golden gate bridge, the land of full house and ghirardelli. From the rich and beautiful, to the most famous of famous, to the people who are trying to rub pennies together while trying to make their dreams a reality. It really is a mystical little place (and by little, I mean gigantic).

“No city invites the heart to come to life as San Francisco does. Arrival in San Francisco is an experience in living.” - William Saroyan.

San Francisco has stolen my heart. Even though I only got to spend a day and a half there, I'm in love. And I can't wait to go back. For my birthday. Feb 26-28. Be there or be square, kids. Any maybe this time I'll get to see Alcatraz.

The Small Things

Retail at Christmas time makes me want to hit something. Had a hellacious day. Worked from 10-7:30. Then I came home, ran and saw a shooting star - and now it's better. God works in small, wonderfully mysterious ways.

Wacky Wednesday

I'm feeling very scatter-brained today, so I don't make any promised that this post will be cohesive at all...

I don't know what it is about Wednesday, but it seems as though ALL the crazies come out on Wednesday. Maybe it was the snow? I don't know, but boy work was entertaining tonight. Between the people watching and all of the crazy questions we were asked, the 9 hours really flew by! I really enjoy working retail a lot more around the holidays...all the shoppers make the time go by much faster.

I've started making my list of Christmas gifts to buy for my family and friends. I do this every year. I try to get too creative and then end up waiting until the last minute because nothing I come up with is creative enough. Maybe since I acknowledged it early this year, I'll be better about it? Probably not, but its worth a shot. So far, I've come up with 4 gifts. Only about 20 left to go!

I realized today how much I miss Norman in the winter. When I saw the snow this morning, all I wanted to be doing was sitting in Crimson Park D205 watching a movie (which would more likely be ESPN, let's be honest) and cooking all of my friends dinner. But I wasn't. I was in Texas. That is the only time in my life where "I was in Texas" was said almost negatively. Norman has so much character in the winter. It's cold and so windy that it takes your breath away. It's bare trees, basically ice skating to class, wondering when it will ice again so we can have no class. It's that odd transition from football to basketball. It's Ugg boots and North Face. It's studying and Starbucks and counting down the hours until your last final. It's pulling all nighters and eating all the finals snacks at the Deej. It's perfect. And I miss it. So to those of you who are experiencing a Norman winter: I am jealous. You should enjoy it while you can - you don't realize how much you like it until your first winter away.

I'll leave you with some pictures of OU in the winter and the watch that I would LOVE to get for Christmas...






...I told you this entry would be random.

Blessed

So it's a few days after Thanksgiving, but it's never too late to be thankful, right? I love thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday -next to my birthday, of course (but let's be real, I'm the only one that considers that a holiday). I love everything about turkey day: the food, the people, the football and most of all the reason we celebrate. I have so much to be thankful for. I try to realize it every day of the year but sometimes it seems as though life gets in the way of that. My Thanksgiving Resolution (I'm no good at New Years resolutions, so I'm trying something different this year) for this year is to try to focus on the positive things and realize how blessed I am each and every day. And maybe to go to the gym a little more this holiday season.

10 things I am thankful for today:

- my wonderful family
- my best friends
- my faith
- having a job
- spending thanksgiving with 4 generations of my family
- my mistakes that have gotten me to where I am today
- Chuck
- my favorite blanket
- umbrellas
- the holiday season

In other news, I have to work ALOT this week. I was off today and it was wonderful. I wish it would've included picking Chuck up from the airport instead of dropping him off there, but I'll take any lazy, raniy, John Mayer listening, football watching Sunday that I can get. Also, I got to see Elyse this week! So glad she and Matt came to see me at work, great surprise - Can't wait until you come back for Christmas! (P.S. Matt, you should get her the boots :) ) You're welcome, Elyse.