Babies Galore...

After some quick calculations, I found out that on the Barnes' cousins side of my family, there are exactly eight girls and eight guys (that are relatives by blood). When you add baby Annie in to the mix, the girls take the lead (YES!). But after the news tonight, it looks like we'll be even again...

Seth called me around 5ish today. I was waiting at the drive-thru at Burger King (I've given up on the grocery store this week since I'll be gone all next week, so I've been eating out... alot!). He called and said that he was at the store buying steak for dinner because he had something to celebrate. I screamed because I knew that today was the day him and Michelle were to find out the sex of their baby. After some bullshi**ing with me for awhile, he finally announced that him and Michelle are.........having a baby boy!!!!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, another boy is added to the mix to even it all up again. We'll find out in January what Meg and Nate are having, so that will throw things off for awhile until someone else in our family decides to have a child.

And after saying that, I will not be having a child anytime soon, so please don't think that I will be the one to even out the family just yet!!! :)

Anywho, great news in our family for 2008: Two new babies and a wedding... not too shabby!

Buried in Oklahoma...

And I am one of them!
But don't worry -- they aren't going to cancel the women's basketball game tonight...

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=071210_1__Aweek30513

Wedding Planning for the Anal Retentive: Chapter 1

Now, I know that many of you dedicated bloggers believe that I have had my wedding planned for years now. For obvious reasons, I understand that way of thinking. But I must tell you, I have not had one thing planned. It is true, I have had ideas in my head of what I would love since watching Father of the Bride for the first time 15 some years ago, but I did not have one thing actually planned.

So when I started discussing what I needed to get done ASAP, the advice I was given from many was to nail down the church and the reception site and then just enjoy the Holidays and come January, hit the ground running. I think that that is great advice... for those that are not anal retentive like myself! I realized that once I booked the church, that why not book the videographer, a small string quartet, order bridesmaid dresses and my wedding gown! I know it sounds crazy... (and I don't really have all of those booked yet, but they are in the works!), but I am the type of person that likes to get everything done at once so I don't have to worry about it later!

It has been fun so far though! Matt is into it... he is all about helping me out and taking care of the signing of the contracts and dishing out deposit money since he is in Wichita and I am not. So that is a MAJOR help! His mom is also great... giving me ideas and running Wichita errands for me, but not being intrusive, which she was worried about being! :)

So far, so good...

We meet with the priest on Dec. 12 and hopefully he will just look at Matt and I and say, "Well ofcourse we will marry you here... Let's just knock off the fee of the church while we're at it!" We are planning on a Aug. 16, 2008 wedding...

Did I mention that I can't wait?! :)

PS. Thanks to Aunt Sherron, Meg, Michelle and their spouses for my wedding planner... now my mom and I can BOTH have one! :)

One of Those Days You Won't Forget...

It started off like any normal Thanksgiving Break. Up early because there is only so much kicking you can take when you sleep next to your little sister. Lots of TV watching because there isn't usually anything else to do. But that day, I felt like making a pie. Strange, since I NEVER want to bake! But today was different... So, I went to the store, bought my supplies, went back home and started in on my apple pie. Matt and Wrigley stopped by on their way out to Matt's house. And as usual, Wrigley sprinted in, searching for a cat to chase and some cat food to eat!

We decided to go out to dinner in Bartlesville earlier in the week and were trying to decide on a movie... and eventually just said we'd skip the movie and look for Christmas lights. So Matt said bye and back I went to my apple pie making. Little did I know (though EVERYONE else did know) that that would be our last visit as just boyfriend and girlfriend.

I told Matt I would meet him at his house around 5. I was hanging with the fam and realized at about 5 that I was late... but this is nothing new! I'm always late! I told the fam that I was leaving to go to Matt's and they all started booing me and couldn't believe I was leaving them. I actually felt bad, but said bye and off I went to Matt's. From what I learned later in the evening, as soon as I left, they all started cheering and jumping up and down... they knew something that I did not.

Got out to Matt's and he was looking dapper. We watched a few minutes of the OSU basketball game, which I could have cared less about, put Wrigley in his kennel and were off. All week, Matt had been telling me he wanted to show me some land that him and his brother had been thinking about buying. I said fine, knowing that most likely, he would change his mind about this land again because that is what Matt does. Changes his mind... alot!

Anyway, on to this land we drove (land that has no roads - they were trails), and drove... and drove some more. At one point, when Matt was getting out to go unlock yet another gate, I said outloud to myself, "What the hell are we doing?" I was just finding this a little pointless -- he was wanting to show me a pond that him and his brother fish at and it was getting dark and I was getting annoyed! He eventually starts driving in circles which is when I ask him what he is doing. He says, "Well, I have a surprise for you!" And being my mother's daughter, I exlcaim, "Boulevard Wheat?!" No, was his response, followed by, "Wow, you are your mother's daughter!"

He had me get out of the car and move to the back of the 4-Runner, where he had hot chocolate and a blanket. We hopped in the back and I wrapped up because it was freezing! We sat and chatted for awhile... about nothing really important -- where should we go to eat, why hadn't I brought a coat, the usual. He told me to let him know when I was done with the hot chocolate, but I was taking my time... it was really good hot chocolate!

When I was done, he told me he had one more surprise for me. It was a note slash poem he had written for me, which is when I knew what was happening. The note talked about how excited he had been for this day and how long he knew I had been waiting for it. I started to tear up while reading the letter and when I was done just sat there for a second to grasp what was about to happen. Matt hopped out of the car and got down on his knee and out came the little box and those four words that I really had been waiting to hear for so long... "Will you marry me?" Ofcourse, more tears followed by a Yes!, followed by lots of hugging and remarks of "Holy cow! This is real!" from me. I finally let him get off of his bad knee and we sat there for awhile, letting it all sink in. It was a feeling I have never felt before and I absolutely loved every second of it... as did he.

Next I asked if I could call my mom, which is when he said he thought it would nice if we could wait until Thanksgiving to tell our families. Woah... that would be hard, so he agreed to let me call my sister, but since there is no service anywhere near Matt's house, that would have to wait a bit! So, we continued on our journey to Bartlesville. Matt called the restaurant to get a reservation. They said it would be a 20-30 minute wait, so he thought it would be nice to drive around and look at Christmas lights. Oddly enough, no one had Christmas lights on! That plan didn't work so well, so we headed to the restaurant. We walk in the door and head to our table... I'm looking around at all the empty tables and wondering why there was a 20-30 minute wait and then look up and low and behold, there sat my family and Matt's family. Those dirty people had made me feel bad about leaving them when really, they had known all along what was going on!

The tears came again... I think I was just in so much shock that he had pulled all of this off without me knowing! Everyone was so excited and I was just so happy to have everyone there... and not have to wait to tell them that we were engaged!

So that is the story... I don't think it could have gone any better. I'm just so happy that in nine short months, we will be moving on to the next portion of our lives together, rather than apart! What a great feeling!

Now... we are starting a "Donate to the Wedding" fund ASAP. Let me know if you are interested! :)

On this Turkey Day, I am thankful for...

My very large family, grandparents, Matthew and his family -- the ones that like me, my wonderful friends who still consider me a friend even though I never see them, the pilgrims, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, turkey and mashed potatoes, family and friends having babies, seasons, people that laugh at anything and everything, 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' CD, long drives, snow, the annual 4th of July fireworks in Sedan and my dad throwing the punk back in the water which signals that the fireworks show is over, Wrigley, cold weather, home videos, my brother's sense of humor, hot tubs, Boulevard Wheat, Christmas lights, e-mail and facebook, K-State, coworkers that make the work day bearable, Houston, Texas, nicknames, the state of Kansas, Mr. Goodcents, cell phones, Coke, Kappa Kappa Gamma, TiVo, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Brothers and Sisters, The Bachelor, Private Practice, Law and Order, Jon and Kate Plus 8, and Say Yes to the Dress, gas cards (when I had one), my sister who is proving everyone wrong, the Doty's, Pitch, macaroni and cheese, college football, WSU Media Relations, the Muppets and 'A Muppet Family Christmas', memories, feather beds, weddings, ballet flats, Pasta Milano, washers and dryers, and most importantly, the Big Guy up above who has allowed me to have all of these wonderful things in my very blessed life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Those Important People...

In life, you have those people that are your go-to people in certain situations. For instance, if I want truthful fashion advice, I call my mother (not sure if most people do that!). For a good laugh, I call my brother or my cousin. For a dose of what college life was like, I call my sister. For a great listener, I call my dad. And for good, truthful advice, I call my best friend.

What makes this best friend of mine so amazing is that I know I can tell her something that I'm worried about or what is bothering me and she can ask me questions that make me think about the bigger picture. I like to see myself as a person that can see an issue from different viewpoints... except when the issue is myself!

As an example... Today, I told my best friend about Matt's latest idea for our lives (he has many and they change daily!). He has wanted to go back to school to get his master's for awhile - this has always been a constant! But the question had always been where to go and when to do it? When I first moved to Tulsa, the plan was for him to move down here next summer and find a job and possibly go to school at ORU. Well, now that this school is one lawsuit away from the loony bin, he has moved on from that idea! His latest thought has been to go back to school at Wichita State. It would be free (paid for by Coleman) and somehow, someway, they do have a good business school... amazing, I know! So... that means that if I could find a job in Wichita, I would move back next summer... if this is what he decides to do.

Truthfully, I don't have many issues with moving back to Wichita. I love Wichita! I actually miss it... its one of those places that you can't wait to leave, but once you do, you can't wait to get back! Not sure why...

Anyway, my main concern with this is what will people think of me packing up and going back to Wichita? Do I look like a big loser that can't stay in a job for longer than a year and can't stay away from Wichita for longer than a year AND can't live without her boyfriend?! These were the questions that I posed to my best friend and this was her question to me: Who exactly do I think all of this looks bad to? Probably (hopefully) people you care about the most only want what’s best for you/you&Matt … The other people probably don’t matter that much, right?

The basic answer to both of those questions is that it shouldn't matter what others think... I should do what is best for me and what is best for me&Matt. It's a hard thing to learn, though. Obviously, I haven't learned it yet! It's hard to do what is best for yourself when you are a people-pleaser.

But I like her way of thinking... and once again, she made me look at the bigger picture. Now what seemed like a scary idea doesn't seem so scary anymore...

What a gal! :)

Cattle Sales and Life

I know nothing about cows and I have never been one to fight that. To farmers, they are cattle... to me, they are all cows. The spotted ones -- yeah, those are chocolate milk cows.

Now, I do know that the spotted cows don't really produce chocolate milk, but it drives Matt insane that I say that to him. This weekend, he tried to teach me that they are called holsteins... can I just say that calling them chocolate milk cows is way better than what they are really called!

Anywho, all of this cow - cattle... whatever - talk is being brought up because the Clark family had their big "Cattle sale" on Monday. Hillcrest Genetics. That is the name of their company... all I know is that they had 450 cows - or head of cattle to be politically correct - to be sold and most of them were sold so it was a successful day.

I was not around for the big sale... I did go home Sunday to see Matt, which didn't happen until 7ish that night. I called at 5:30 and told his brother that it was getting dark soon and shouldn't they be done soon -- no, he says... when it gets dark, they bring out lights. Geez.

Grandma Donna had wanted me to come out on Saturday and help peel potatoes, something I have probably only done once in my life and it was probably in Sally Whited's kitchen for a 4-H cooking class I took (that obviously didn't teach me very much!). Unfortunately (or fortunately, however you want to look at it), I had to work Saturday. But I was guilted later that night when Matt says to me, "Well, you can come out tomorrow afternoon and help out if you want. I won't be around, but Chelsi (Michael's girlfriend) is coming out to help." Chelsi, I love you dear girl, but you are KILLING me... and making me look bad so we've got to try and get on the same page, friend!

It all comes down to the fact that I am a townie. I am not country. There is not one ounce of country in me. I hate dirt roads, I hate gross insects that only come into your house when you live on a farm, I don't like to hear animals howling at the moon in the middle of the night, and I like clean water (I only say that one because the one time I had to stay on the farm, they had smelly water and its freaked me out forever!). I know this is something that is troublesome to Matt since he can do both town and country - but he knows me! He knows that I don't like any of the above...

I hope he knows what the word compromise means because if I ever have to move back so he can take over the farm, he will be doing alot of it! I've already requested all roads be paved.

Feasible, right?

It's Rough Being a Red Neck... I mean RUF-NEK

What is the world (or the state of Oklahoma) coming to??? :)

NORMAN -- The University of Oklahoma is disciplining the OU spirit group the RUF-NEKS for violating the student code of conduct.

OU said in a release Wednesday that the discipline includes banning current members of the RUF-NEK group from participating in official university events.

OU’s Office of Judicial Services began investigating the group after getting information the group hazed and mistreated pledges and misused alcohol at club events during the current semester.

OU says the hazing included sleep deprivation, physical exhaustion, demeaning actions, and the potential for physical harm.

OU says RUF-NEK pledges and former pledges will be allowed to continue with the group through the end of the football season.

The group will then be reorganized during spring and placed under the direction of the athletic department.

The RUF-NEKS are known for driving the Sooner Schooner and firing shotguns during football games.

OU President David Boren says RUF-NEK alumni will help drive the Sooner Schooner for the rest of the football season and the current and former pledges will be given an opportunity to fire the shotguns.


PS. I'm still cheering for the Boomer Sooners when they play OSU this year... I hope they beat them by a million, trillion points.

PPS. Not even kidding that when I typed in 'RUF-NEKS' in google images, this picture is what popped up!

Missing My Peeps...

Last night, I got to meet up with Brittney in Owasso for a lovely dinner at Chili's. I worked with Brit at Wichita State in the media relations office and then we lived together last year. She is finishing up her fourth year in the office and will graduate with her undergrad degree in December. And she just recently got engaged to Robby Rob.

It was so great to see her... we hadn't seen each other since my last day in the office before I left for Tulsa five months ago. So it was great to get caught up! Unfortunately for us, we were mainly connected through work. But as I have said many times before, everyone in the media relations office had become my second family since we saw each other more than our real families! We talked about what all was going on in the office, Larry (the boss man and Mr. Procrastinator)and the 'new guys' who joined the office after the departure of myself and Tomarra.

After our dinner and chat, we headed our separate ways. It was great to see her... and made me miss all of my Wichita people even more than I already do. I was lucky to see Tami on Tuesday when she made the trip with the volleyball team and I did get to see everyone else a few weeks ago when I stopped in the office before we left for Vegas... but I just miss them. They were such a big part of my life... and still are.

Thanks for meeting me for dinner, Brit!

P.S. The Hills' clan is invading Stillwater, OK this weekend.... watch out Bullet!

A Day in the Life of a Sick Person...

After my four hour stay in the hospital yesterday, I'm really contemplating if having children is an option anymore. How do women actually lay in those beds, hooked up to 10 different monitors, for sometimes up to 48 hours? I could barely stand it for four!!!

Yes, I was in the hospital yesterday. I woke up at 2 a.m. with a bad case of heartburn that by 7 a.m. when I finally called my boss to take me to the hospital was hurting so bad I could barely speak (those that know me realize this is hard for me to do!).

They hooked me up to different monitors, started an IV, took a chest and stomach x-ray and did an EKG. Its so much fun that they do all of that to find out that nothing is wrong with me... though I know something is because I have this piercing pain in my chest!

While in Vegas last weekend (that was the surprise to my mom for her 50th birthday!), I got really sick one night and was never able to really recover from it. Pretty nauseous all week.. not even pasta sounds good to me, which is a food group to me and is basically all I eat! I had gotten better and was atleast able to eat sandwiches. But now, I'm back to not being able to eat anything... not because I'm not hungry and not because nothing sounds good. I'm starving, actually. But I'm afraid to eat because I just don't want to end up back at the hospital!

So... they concluded that I had Acid Reflux and a urinary tract infection. I'm taking three different medicines to cure this problem and they better work! I'm missing my sister's initiation into Kappa this weekend which pisses me off more than anything in the world. I made the decision that I have to have a daughter (which goes against my first paragraph) someday so I can atleast force her to be a Kappa and take her through initiation!

All in all, I'm still alive... and I hate hospitals!

Apologies...

OK, OK... so I must apologize to those of you that read this blog and are KU fans. I believe this to be only one person (she wasn't an outwardly open KU'ian when I first met her or our relationship probably wouldn't have lasted this long... :)

In my last post, I did refer to K-State beating KU by a certain amount of points. I did feel that it could happen, since KU played the easiest schedule in Division I football four games up to the K-State game. How could anyone truly know what kind of football team they were going to be until this weekend?

But a person must give credit where credit is due.

I'd like to give major props to coach Mangino for wearing black to allow the camera to slim him down.



OH... and nice win.

:)

Birthday Weekend....

As many know, my birthday is probably my favorite day of the year. It's in a tie with Christmas (which is probably not a good thing to say out loud or to even think!).

This year, my birthday was on a Sunday... for future reference, Sunday birthdays aren't so much fun. Saturday birthdays are the best! I guess you could say that we really celebrated my birthday on Saturday. My fam + Matt but - Jord all came down. My mom and I wreaked havoc on Woodland Hills Mall then went back to my apartment to watch the K-State/Texas football game. And what a game it was...

I felt very confident about the Cats chances in Austin, but I felt it not safe to speak out about those feelings because, as we all know, I have bad luck and I knew the second I said anything, I would jinx their chances! So instead of me saying anything, my brother felt the need to tell anyone and everyone that we were going to win by two touchdowns. I warned him... be careful who you say that to. You'll never hear the end of it if it doesn't turn out the way we hope...

Well, he called after the game to say, "I TOLD YOU SO!"

It ended up being a great day for football by 10 pm that night. Many ranked teams fell and the Cats jumped into the polls for the first time in a few years. A very nice feeling...

Now its on to KU... I will not spill my feelings on this game, but just let me say that I REALLY hope we cream them by 40 or more points because I'm SO tired of hearing about them. The announcers for the K-State game this past weekend actually said out loud that the K-State/KU game was going to be more exciting than the OU/Texas game. Gimme a break!

Anyway... good birthday. New purse. New clothes. New fan... from Matt (yes, a VERY random gift, but to be fair, it is a cool looking fan...but that's about all I'm going to say about that gift!).

This Sunday is my mom's big 5-0... we have a big surprise for her, but I'll keep that quiet until AFTER it happens. That lady is Sneaky Sneakerson and probably reads this blog religiously, but acts like she doesn't even know I have one!

Losing a Little Piece of my Past...

Most of the Barnes side of my family will be making their way to grand Sedan for the weekend, but our reasoning for gathering isn't really for the fun and loud times that we usually have together when we are all in Sedan (although I'm sure fun and loud will still be apart of the weekend -- how can it be avoided with this group of people). Their reasoning for making the voyage to Sedan is because this is the weekend we are having a sale at my grandma Dean's house to get rid of the 'extra' stuff (and she has alot of 'extra' stuff) that nobody claimed as their own!

The house has been sold to my good pal Brett Dickens and his wife Katy. It's only right that he gets the house after the many things he had to deal with when it came to my grandma!

But its so strange... this house will no longer be apart of our family. So many amazing, wonderful things filled with nothing but laughter and stories happened in that house. But in a day, it will not be our house anymore.

Ofcourse memories stay with you forever... this house was where we learned 'Settlers of Catan' and made it a Christmas tradition, we introduced 'Newt' into our family at this house, my grandpa got sick in this house and when we found out he had passed away, we were at this house, my brother and tons of neighborhood hoodlums invented a new form of baseball that involved a whiffle ball bat and a tennis ball and played numerous games in that backyard, we tried to start the 'Barnes Bowl' tradition with my uncle Kevin in the front yard (but that one fell through after the first game), Jack, Jordan and I played church in the front living room, I fell in love with Aunt Sherron's goolash in that kitchen... to name a few.

Everything has been divvied up... Seth had his name on EVERYTHING, even Uncle Woody's pictures (funny thing is that even though he was kidding, he's really getting those!).

I know that this will be hard on everyone, but probably my mom the most. She has had to deal with the pain of her parent's decline first-hand. Yes, in a way, this will be a bit of a relief, one less thing she has to deal with. But just another blow that this is all real.

So... after all of the wine that my Uncle Steve will bring up from Texas has been drunk, our family will lose a house that has been filled with so much love and laughter. But we have the memories... and I think deep down, that's really all that matters!

My Bad Luck has Followed Me...

It looks like I'm never going to get rid of it. The only thing that I am truly lucky on (other than having wonderful friends, family, blessed life, cute dog, etc.) is finding great parking spots.

Traveled with the ORU volleyball team to Little Rock, Ark., to play UALR (you must call them that - not University of Arkansas- Little Rock - they don't like that!). Last time I went with the volleyball team to Fayetteville, Ark., we lost. This time, we drove four hours... and lost in FIVE games. That's a long trip to take to come so close to winning only to lose and have to drive four hours back home. And they were so close the whole time, which is what is really frustrating!

Well... maybe I'm just bad luck in ARKANSAS! We have our first home game this weekend so I guess we'll see if I am banished from watching them play ever again after Saturday!

(Picture is from this weekend at the best tailgate ever, but most boring game ever as well! Lauren is continuing to love college. If you have facebook and have her as your friend, you'll see that that is all the child talks about!)

I've Been a Bad Blogger...

I was told yesterday by my good pal Megan that I had not posted on my blog in awhile and I realized she was quite right. Geez, it's been about two weeks... the sad thing is, not much has happened in those two weeks.
Let's see....
- Had a surprise party for Matthew... he turned 26! Yowzers! It was a great party and it's amazing that I kept it a secret for over a month. The best part of the night was when one of Matt's buddies kept buying shots and had everyone take them, including Patty Clark, but really, Matt was the only one taking the shot, while everyone else was taking water. Later he asked, "Hey (slurred words)... did you know (slurred) that everyone else was drinking (slurred) water?" It was at that point that I told Matt no more shots because I really didn't want to take care of his 26-year-old butt all night!
- Made my first road trip with the volleyball team to Arkansas. They lost, but it was quite an entertaining trip. Three-fourths of the team is from either Brazil or Croatia (we have a Nebraska girl squeezed in there). Even if they aren't trying to be funny, its still funny because of their accents. I need to grow up!
- Lauren has made it through two full weeks of college... and is LOVING it. Loves her classes, her friends, Kappa... She is really surprising the heck out of alot of people! All I have to say is that I had faith in her the whole time... :) My only complaint is that her first act as a Kappa was to show one of her new Kappa buddies my sick freshman year composite picture in which I looked like a racoon.
- And last but not least, the countdown for my birthday has begun! Three weeks and three days and I'll be 25... I'm one of the few people that enjoys getting older! This, I think, will probably only last a few more years. And usually when I'm in Manhattan, I wish I was 20 again. But other than that, I think 25 will be a great year!
Speaking of Manhattan... can't wait for the first home football game. Will be traveling up there early Saturday morning for a nice, long day of tailgating. Can life get much better than this?! :)

I Had a Bad Day...

It's weird... Monday seemed to just fly right by, which is not the norm. Monday's are usually the worst! But not this week. Tuesday was just a bad day.

First of all, it took FOREVER to get to 5 o'clock... at 3:45, I just started staring at the clock, watching the seconds tick by until it was 5! So, finally 4:55 gets here, and I'm out the door (it was close enough to 5!).

I decide to skip Curves... which ended up being a horrible idea. I drive on, get into bad traffic, which I hate because I have major road rage! Finally get past 81st and Mingo, but still stuck in traffic. I slow to stop because of the line of cars ahead of me that have done the same. The car behind me stops, but the car behind her did not do as he as supposed to and ran right into her, which in turn, led her to run right into me.

I drop a couple of unpublicizable words and get out of my car. We all decide to move over to the side of the road (if we didn't, we would probably back up traffic for miles since we were in a construction zone because they are ALWAYS working on the roads in Tulsa, but never really fixing anything!). The lady who hit me got out of her car and was crying her eyes out. She had just finished up with her chemotherapy for the week so was already having the worst day EVER! The guy that hit her was a little off -- had the shakes... but said he was OK, then dropped the line that he's leaving for Iraq soon and he was so, so sorry. What the heck do you say to that? You can't really get mad...

So... that's how I ended my day.

Should have went to Curves...

She's IN!

What a long week... It seems like forever ago when I actually went through Recruitment, so I forget how long the week is. I remember how exhausting it was on the other side since that was a little more recent... but geezmaneez! It took what seemed like forever for me to find out that Lauren... is a KAPPA!

She loved Kappa all week and felt very comfortable and at home there. There was no pressure from moi... by the time it was all over, I just wanted her in a house and happy!

This morning, as I was waiting eagerly for the telephone call, I got an instant message from my best bud Nicole, telling me her sister had just called and was a Kappa -- I then started freaking since I hadn't heard from Lauren yet! Fifteen minutes later, she calls...

Its amazing what a week does to a person. She was SO excited... Lauren Hills... excited! It's funny... I don't think many thought she would really get into all of this, but she did. She has already purchased her first Kappa stuff -- and has her first Kappa t-shirt (first of 2,648). She is definitely a tired girl because the week is stressful, long, and full of non-stop smiling. I'm not sure if I'll get many smiles out of her when I help move her up to Manhattan this weekend.

So... she's a Kappa. I can't wait to share the many, many things that there are to share about Kappa -- I know the next four years of her life are going to be filled with so much and I'm glad that we will have this special bond together.

Anyone else think that summer has went by at warp speed?

Finisimo...

It only took me a week and three days (while others finished in about 5 hours), but I finally finished the seventh and final Harry Potter book.

I will not let out any secrets of the book. But I will say that this has been my favorite book! There was SO much in it... my head literally hurt when I finally put it down after finishing the final page.

Major kudos to JK Rowling for not doing what I thought she would do. If she had done what I thought she would do, I would have to do something to her that I don't like to do! (Makes sense, right?!)

So now I will return to 'normal' books (normal = nothing revolving around the wizarding world, it also = boring)... I hope Jenna has a list for me!

Back to Kappa...

Recently, I have noticed that I have spoken alot about my sorority. I guess I have had lots of reasons to talk about it:
1) Jenna's wedding - ALL of our great sorority sisters were there. Three full tables of them!
2) Lauren is going through Rush - so exciting! I have been on the national Kappa website as well as K-State's greek affairs website way too many times! I soak in as much info as I can to pass on to my sister -- who probably could care less and has NO clue what I'm talking about!
3) I have joined the Tulsa Kappa alumni association!

I joined the alumni association in Wichita when I lived there, but never attended meetings. I blame this on the fact that I had people there to keep me entertained. In Tulsa, I literally have no one! So I thought I really needed to dig in and find some friends. I will attend my first get-to-know-you event on Tuesday, July 31 and I'm so excited! I have already adopted an active -- TU has a Kappa chapter so I've bought cute Kappa gifts to give to them for recruitment.

I'm sure it will be a little strange... since I will know NO one! But I do have one thing in common with them.

Plus I can sing songs and snap around them as much as I'd like and they won't think I'm crazy because they will completely understand!

Here's to my sisters... Here's to the blue and blue and to the owl, the key and the fleur de lis! (Name that tune...)

My Biggest Fear...

On Friday at midnight, my favorite book series of all-time will release the seventh and final book of a collection that, at one point, really made me consider dropping out of college to go in search of this mysterious school.

Yes... I am a Harry Potter nerd. I admit it... it's an undeniable obsession that comes upon me as soon as the new book or latest movie comes out. And my biggest fear is that the media is going to screw this last book up for me.

You see, the last book had me at a very high emotional state. I cried and cried and cried... it was a tear-jerker. They had killed off an important character, and obviously from the tears, I couldn't handle it.

This time, they are apparently killing off two more important people and I am afraid that as soon as the book comes out, it will be posted EVERYWHERE of which character who dies, which I don't want to know until I read the book! And unfortunately, I have a job that prohibits me from having the entire day to read the book from start to finish, like all of the other 12-year-olds will get to do. (She better not kill off Ron or I'm going to have to write a letter.)

So... I might not be watching TV until after I finish the book. OK, that's a lie... I just might be watching a lot of Law and Order because they won't spill the beans!

I'm not sure what will happen to the Harry Potter Lovers of the World after the last book is released. They will all congregate again when the final two movies are released. But... then what?

I guess I'll just have to wait for the theme park... can you imagine?!! Diagon Alley, Bertie Bott's Jelly Beans galore. I can't wait...

This could be a disorder... :)

Back to Reality...

The wedding and festivities leading up to the wedding are over. I would say it was a complete success! Everything seemed to run smoothly (except the incident with the DJ, but that was fixed!), Jenna was a beautiful bride, and Josh made it through the ceremony without even one yawn! They are now on their honeymoon, which Jenna forgot to book me a ticket to go along with them!

She is officially a married woman now...Jenna Stacey. I only had about two-three major emotional breakdowns over the weekend: first one was when she put her veil on, second came JUST before I was to walk down the aisle (thanks to Jordan Hills for calming me down!) and the third came while I was trying to give my maid of honor toast. It turned out brutal -- or not how I wanted it to! I kept messing up and couldn't stop crying that it just turned out badly! Oh well... it was all with love! :)

I tend to have moments in my life when I go back 10 years and think about what my life was like, what I was doing, yadiyadiyada. Ten years ago, marriage seemed SO far away. Life seemed so hard back then, when really, it couldn't have been easier! Ofcourse there was the drama that came with life when you are 14 years old and I guess now at 24, there is still drama - just a different kind!

I guess you never stop growing up, no matter how old you are... life is constantly changing. As Matthew told me, "true friendship that covers many life changes is rare and Jenna and I have never missed a beat", so I'm glad that I was apart of her big day... it was quite an experience!

Here's to my best friend and her husband... and to their many life-changing moments!

No More Rain/Week-o-Fun

Many know that I am not a fan of Coffeyville, Kansas...and then when you add in Neodesha, Cherryvale, Yates Center...I don't like those towns either because Sedan usually plays them in sports. I know...it's very 15-years-old of me to think that way, but that's how I am! I will also forever and ever hate Caney, but that's besides the point. My heart has hurt this week for those towns (except Caney) that had homes and businesses destroyed due to the intense flooding. These places, and many others, will have to tear down and rebuild. It's amazing how a week ago, we were just tired of the rain and now, we literally cannot have any more rain or these towns will be gone. Keep all of the people in southeast Kansas in your prayers...they will need lots of them!

And now after that sadness, comes the great joy that comes in the next few days. Jenna Marie Doty will no longer be a Doty (well, atleast not as her last name) after Saturday. Her wedding is finally here and I think that she is ready! We spent seven hours of our lives putting together programs on Saturday...all with love! :) I will be making my way to Wichita tomorrow to be her sidekick and help out with whatever needs to be done. The rest of the bridesmaids and our good friends will start to roll into town on Friday. It's going to be a great wedding and I will be sure to get some pictures up next week of the bride...can't believe that this day is finally here!

Happy Fourth of July...enjoy the fireworks and remember the true reason we are celebrating!

Sending Her Out in Style...

Got back Sunday evening from a weekend in Chicago. Six friends (plus me) took my best friend Jenna to The Windy City to celebrate her soon-to-be marriage to Mr. Joshua Stacey -- and to let her have one more weekend of debauchery with her pals... not to say that she won't continue her debauchery AFTER marriage, but...you know what I mean!

I think it is safe to say that Jenna had a great time! Heck, how can you not have a good time when the weekend is all about you, right?! We took her to a piano bar...drank alot...took her to her favorite pizza place in Chicago, went to one of her favorite spots in Chicago, Second City, and then out for a night on the town.

Now, usually, Jenna and I are pretty similar in that we are good to go, but when we're done, we're done. Well...this weekend, I was WAY more done that Jenna! The girl was a party animal and a dancing fool, might I add! I sent her a text at one point in the night to tell her we had found a table by the doors at the bar we were at. Later, when I went to close out my tab, I went to see her and she was STILL dancing! I asked her if she had got my message and she said she had, but she was having too much fun! Hysterical!

It is such a crazy thought to me of why we were even in Chicago -- Jenna is getting married. I know that this has been a well-known fact for more than a year now, but it keeps getting closer and closer and I still don't think that it has completely hit me. I know we all have to grow up someday, but I think that getting married is when you officially cross the line from a fake grown up (that's definitely what I am right now!) to a real one.

I am so lucky to have her by my side always and I am so lucky to be able to by her side on her special day...I probably still won't believe it, even when I am standing right next to her as she says "I do!".

Holy cow....what am I going to do when she has kids?!!! AHHHH!!!!

The First Day at the New Job

Day one is complete...and I am soooo tired! Not because it was a long day on the job, but because I got about two full hours of sleep last night. I could not fall asleep to save my life last night...I blame it on the "new-ness" of the apartment because it wasn't nerves. I was truly not nervous about the first day of the rest of my life...dramatic, huh?!

Got up at 7:30, left the apartment at 8:30 and was at work before 9. The first thing I saw was my very own nameplate on the door of my very own office...this makes it not surprising that it read " Allyson Hills - Assisistant Director/Media Relations." Amazing how you can get my name right, which many can't, and spell assistant wrong! Oh well -- I told Cliff and Cris, my new coworkers and they both got a good laugh out of it, as did I! How could that NOT happen to me on my first day at the new job?!

Was taken out to lunch -- italian, very nice -- and then it was back to the office. I found out earlier this morning that I will be working with volleyball rather than soccer...this is great since I have never watched a soccer game in my life! Volleyball makes life a little more crazy, but I atleast know the game and enjoy watching it, which helps when it comes to the amount of hours I'll put in working on it!

It will take a little bit of time for me to figure out the "ORU Way" -- WSU had their own way of doing things and I grew accustomed to it quickly. Now I must readjust and figure out where things are, who is who, what to and not to do...you know, the fun things that come along with the new job.

All in all, I give the first day a B+....I don't have much to compare it to, so I feel a B is a fair letter grade!

Tomorrow, I learn about benefits and decide what I need to do in that department...I know NOTHING when it comes to this kind of stuff and feel that instead of three math classes that must be taken before you graduate college, you should have to take three classes on "Growing Up: The Things you Need to Know to Live in the Real World" because I am clueless!!!

Happy Monday to all from the Land of Bad Roads and Macaroni Grill! :)

Day One of Moving...

I hate moving. It's just such a big pain in the rear for more reasons than one. Let me list them for you:

1) You forget how much "crap" you actually own.
2) But you don't want to throw any of that "crap" away because somehow everything has sentimental value.
3) When you live on the first floor of an apartment complex, moving sucks.
4) But when you move to the THIRD FLOOR of an apartment complex, the first floor was not bad at all.
5) Once you get to the new apartment, there is no storage so all of the "crap" must go into the very large walk-in closet...that is not a walk-in anymore because there is "crap" filling it up.

I must quote/unquote crap because its not really crap -- its stuff that you never want to throw away like old birthday cards, movie stubs, t-shirts from college, etc. But its the stuff that you have no room for and nowhere for it to go.

So...I have been into my new apartment in Tulsa. When I filled out the application a week ago, I was going to be in an apartment that had a very nice view of the courtyard. A few days later, I get a call that that apartment had actually already been leased, so I will get the apartment...with the view of 81st street. And my luck follows me to Oklahoma...

The moving company will move my stuff in to the apartment on Friday afternoon. So I will trek back to Tulsa for that then come back home for Jenna's bridal shower on Saturday. And then Sunday, I'm there for good. It's a very strange feeling...saying goodbye to everyone in the office was extremely hard. Saying goodbye to Matt was...geez, it hasn't hit me just yet that I won't get to see him everyday anymore.

Well...here's to the day that I won't have to move anymore. And here's to the next moving company I will be calling when I do have to move again!

I Guess I'm Done...

It is Thursday, May 31 at 11:20 a.m., and I am sitting in the WSU Media Relations office...by myself. Everyone else is at Eck Stadium, preparing for baseball regionals that start tomorrow. I guess this is the sign that I really am done.

It's kind of hard to tear myself away from something that has been my life for the past two years. I even came in to the office yesterday, with the mindset that I had one thing I came to do. Instead, I stay until 1:30ish, helping them get the odds-and-ends things done for regionals. It's hard to let the feeling that they don't need me anymore sink in.

I guess this is the point where they become my friends, rather than my coworkers. Geez, you'd think that someone was dying by how I'm reacting to this! But I'm not big on change -- and basically the past month of my life has forced me to do just that.

I am excited for the next step in my life, I think I'm prepared for it. But then again, I keep coming in to the office when I'm done working here.

I'm bad at letting go.

My Personal Hell...

As many have learned, I am not the biggest track fan in the world. I have grown accustomed to it over the past two years since my job revolves around it, but it still is not my favorite sport in the world.

So, it is inevitable that I would be the one put in charge of state track, the largest track meet in the nation.

Last year was my first year to be apart of this spectacle and I learned quickly how large this thing really is. After one year, I decided that it was my version of hell.

Eight to ten-year-old workers, oldest (and smelliest) pressbox in the world, grumpy newspaper writers...and now, to add to that fun stuff, the broken elevator. I'm not sure if any of you have seen Cessna Stadium, where the meet is held, but it is very, very large and very, very steep. So, now that the elevator is broken, everyone that wants to be in the pressbox must take the hike up the stadium stairs, and through the pressbox stairs (that has dead birds in the corridors and smells like urine) to get to the pressbox. It two words, IT BLOWS.

But this is how I will end my two years at Wichita State...state track, dead birds, urine and broken elevators.

What a way to go, eh?

The Ending of an Era: part Deux...

I know on a previous blog, I talked about the SCBL basketball tournament and me and Jordan's travels to it, being our last. This weekend, another chapter ends in our family and another one begins.

My little sister Lauren is graduating.

About 15 minutes ago, she pulled up from her last day of high school. I started clapping, she smiled, then got a little sad. I did not for I am holding in all of my tears for Saturday. I think only one box of Kleenex will be needed, atleast I hope only one box!

It's hard to believe how fast time has gone by. It seems like only weeks ago that Lauren came into this world! I was six at the time and remember the day quite well, actually. I knew something strange was going on when I walked into my parents room and my granmda was asleep in the bed rather than my mom and dad!

Since then, Lauren has went from being a baby who frequently scared the sh*t out of my mom (she had meningitis as a little, little baby), to the shy, quiet little girl who wouldn't leave my mom's side and whose best pal was Mrs. Doty, to the "I'm too cool for school" teenager who always wanted to go out to Jenna's with me when I went (and I always said no!), but still never left my mom's side, to a beautiful, 18 year old high school graduate, who is a social butterfly, still hangs out with Mrs. Doty and who is far from being by my mother's side all the time (I'm not sure if my mom could tell you the last time Lauren was around for more than five minutes at a time!).

Although she is my little sister and still at times drives me crazy, I am not sure if I could be more proud of someone. As I have said before, her and my brother are at the top of my list when it comes to favorite people. They both have genuine hearts and are just fun people to be around.

So...the days of three Hills' kids walking the halls of Sedan High School are over. My parents constant worrying is slightly over...we just need to get Lauren through her first semester of college!

Cheers to all of those who are graduating or have graduated...and to those that remember the day like it was yesterday!

Decisions, decisions...

After alot of tears (because I like to cry alot), I finally decided on my future.

Life throws you alot of curveballs...apparently, one knocked me straight south because I have decided to take the job at Oral Roberts. I am very excited, very nervous, very curious...and ofcourse very sad to be leaving what has become home to me. My coworkers were all excited for my news...and probably happy I wasn't going to their nemesis (well, atleast Jordan's) Illinois State.

Matt and I talked last night about what we want for our future and finally, it all came down to my gut feeling. After I left Tulsa last Monday, I knew that it would be tough for anyone to compete with them. They resemble what I have become so used to in Wichita and if that is the type of environment I work best in, why would I go somewhere that I don't feel comfortable at?

So now it's time to start looking for a place to live. I've done a little research on townhomes in the south Tulsa and Jenks areas. I'm very tired of apartment living and would love my own space...with a yard, so when Matt and Wrigley come visit, Wrigley will have a place to run around! I found a place in Jenks, but know that I just need to get down there and start driving around to look for places.

I can't really believe that in less than a month, I will be in Tulsa, at a new job and in a new environment. I only hope that the rest of the puzzle pieces to my life will start to fall in place.

I'm pretty confident that they will!

I hate airports...

I know that hate is a strong word and it should really never be used, but it must be used in this case.

I, Allyson Jane Hills, hate, loathe and despise airports. In the last week, I have flown twice in the last week and both times have been worst-case scenarios (exception to crashes--that really would be the worst-case scenario). Last week, on my home from San Francisco, at the mid-way point in Dallas, my flight was to take off at 9 p.m. Good thing that I went and checked the schedule because it turned to CANCELLED. Now, let's all take a look back at the past two years of my life, reflect on how much money I don't make, and think if Allyson had enough money to pay for a hotel, a shuttle or cab ride to the hotel and then a shuttle or cab ride BACK to the airport. This is a big, fat no. And since airlines don't help pay for hotels that are "weather" related (I quote unquote because there was nothing wrong with the weather.), I was screwed. Finally, after taking a $20 shuttle ride all around the Fort Worth area, I decided I would just stay at the airport. Yet, I still had to pay my $20 shuttle fee. Slept in the airport. It sucked. The end...or so I thought!

Today, I got to the Normal airport early. Go to the the United Airlines line, and it is a mile long, which I was told was unusual in that airport. I wait and wait...and wait, finally get to the ticket counter and the obnoxious worker tells me that my flight is delayed until 5:30 (it was currently 3 p.m. and I was to leave at 4:08). Fine, I say, as long as I don't miss my connecting flight from Chicago to Wichita. "Oh, you'll be fine!", the obnoxious worker says. Sure...we don't end up leaving until 6 p.m. Get to Chicago. Flight, that was to leave at 7:55, is delayed until 9:30. Here we go!

My mom told me that there is no way that I can end up sleeping in the airport twice in one week.

She doesn't remember that my string of good luck lasted for only one night.

Will Allyson get to Wichita tonight? Or will she spend yet another night in an airport....stay tuned!

10 days later...

Sorry for my lack of posting for the past week and a half. Needless to say, I have been a busy girl!

First off, I have to say.... I'm DONE WITH SCHOOL! It's so great to get to say that and truly mean it. But ofcourse there is the other side to that -- getting a job, which is what has consumed for the past week and a half. Let me give you a recap:

Last Monday, I was in Tulsa at Oral Roberts University and loved it! I felt very comfortable with the staff there and feel that I could fit in very well. The area that ORU is in is a great spot and it's not too far from home, as in only an hour and a half away. I was actually offered the job on Thursday and I am to let them know by Tuesday what I'm leaning towards.

Wednesday, I was in San Francisco. Beautiful! Gorgeous! Tons to do! EXPENSIVE! FAR AWAY! I really did love San Fran and the people in the Pac-10 office. Everyone was very friendly and had nothing but good things to say about the area, other than the priceyness (is that word?!) of it. I was offered this position on Friday and have to let them know Tuesday what I'm leaning towards.

Saturday, I graduated! It was such a great day. I was surrounded by my favorite people (other than my friends that could not attend) with my entire family being there, Jenna, her parents, and Josh, Matt and his family, my buddies Jordan and Tomarra (and T doggs flame, Mark), Kristen, her hubby and baby Zoe (who was SUCH a good baby the entire night!). We had so much fun, ate alot of food, drank alot of beer (except for Jordan, who arrived with his vanilla vodka!) and just enjoyed one another's company. I couldn't have asked for a better day, just wish I wouldn't have had to write a track story! So is my life...

And now, I'm in Bloomington/Normal, Illinois. I just wrapped up dinner with Todd Kober, the sports information director at Illinois State and his family. He has two children: Anna who is 2 and Halas who is 4 months old. I had a great time with them and really enjoyed dinner and getting to meet and hang out with the kiddos! Tomorrow I meet with a load of different people, including my uncle Woody's college buddy, Sheahon Zenger, who is the AD here at Illinois State. I'm excited to get a tour of the area and very nervous about falling in love with it. I hate making decisions and I'm scared I'm going to have to make a tough one within 24 hours.

So....this has been my life since last week. It's been a whirlwind and at 9:30 tomorrow night, when I am back in Wichita, I will be the happiest girl in the world! This week will also be crazy, but LOTS of fun with the entire fam coming in for Lauren's graduation, which is a whole 'nother post!

Happy Sunday!

PS. The picture is Reggie Redbird, Illinois State's mascot. 'Ol Reg!

Here We Go...

Today starts the beginning of what seems to be a very crazy weekend.

I have a phone interview today at 4 p.m. (yes, it's 3:08 and I'm typing a blog, way to prepare, Allyson!) with Illinois State. I wasn't too nervous until about 2 minutes ago. I have my list of questions and my resume in front of me so hopefully I will know what the hell I am talking about..when talking about myself! Then I go pick up my car that I dropped off earlier today. I will now have air conditioning, which was a must for the rest of my weekend.

Tomorrow, I drive to Kansas City to have a spectacular weekend with Jenna, my friends and family. Jenna's first bridal shower is on Saturday at 2. I can't wait! Steph has allowed all of us to come over and take over her house for the shower. There will be good food and good friends, what else can you ask for! That night, Jenna and I and our moms plan to have a girls night. I am hoping my sister will dismiss the idea of a fishing trip over Jenna's shower and if so, she will be joining us. You never know what is going through her head though, so who knows where she will end up!

Sunday will wrap up the weekend in KC. I will make the trek to Sedan for the second time in a week. Because....

Monday, I will be in Tulsa for "A Day at ORU". Basically, I am meeting lots and lots of people that work at ORU, eating lunch with some people, meeting more people and getting a tour of Tulsa. I'm excited about this trip...and nervous as well. This is the one that I have to wear a suit to and for those that I had to talk on the phone to during the process of buying the suit, understand how UNexcited I am about wearing the suit. I am not a suit person, nor will I ever be a suit person. I am JCrew. I don't know what that means, but that's what I am and I'm sticking to it!

So...that is from now until Monday what my life will be like. A little hectic, a little crazy, a lot of driving...but all worth it!

Wow...

Well... I'm at work. Me and Larry. We're the only ones at work and its 11 a.m., but for good reason. Last night, we celebrated Jordan's 21st birthday, by being the loudest, largest group to travel through Old Town on a Thursday night. We had a good time and had lots to drink, but somehow, I'm still the only one in the office (that attended the party). There is something not right with this picture! We did get a shoutout on Sports Daily - Bob and Bruce's show - this morning. What was classic about the moment was that they gave Larry mucho crap for not coming to join us out last night because he was probably in bed before we even went downtown!

I also received another phone call about a job opportunity. The Illinois State SID called and said he had heard good things about me (who the heck are these people talking to?!!) and we set up a time for a phone interview next Thursday at 4 p.m. So...things are looking up! I've applied at three places and have heard back from two -- plus the internship. So, hopefully something will work out! Wow, you all must actually be keeping your fingers crossed. What good people you are! :)

Happy Friday and enjoy the weekend!

In Addition...

It looks like I have absolutely no life at all (which is very close to the truth!) because of my constant posting today! But had to get this out there...

I got a call from the ORU SID today about a job I applied for last week. He had talked to Tami in our office about me and we had a "mini" interview over the phone. It went very well and I'm going to make a trip to Tulsa in the very near future to meet people and interview, yet again. I'm excited about this opportunity. I would be working, most likely, with volleyball and women's basketball, which would be great.

I'll keep you posted on this one as well...I'd say keep your fingers crossed for both of these!

Missing My Buddies

When going through the process of Rush, you aren't really thinking about the next four years of your life. You're just thinking and praying to God that you make it through the process and end up where you wanted to be! It is the strangest process that I have ever been through. How odd to go sit on the floor at the sorority house and watch girls make fools of themselves as they perform a skit for you and try to "Whoo!" you by them making asses of themselves! Somehow, though, this process has worked -- and what's even stranger is that I still wanted to be a Kappa after watching their awful skit!

But the four years quickly flew by and I am now two years past my undergraduate years. I was so lucky to be in that house and made some wonderful friends.

I realized that moving to Wichita would prove to be a strain on the relationships that I had formed with my friends in college. I knew this only because I was moving here, while almost everyone else moved to Kansas City. I am still happy with my decision to come here. I really do like...I love the people I work with and the job -- well, that's a love-hate relationship! But I miss my friends...

Because of my job, it makes it unbelievably difficult to make it anywhere to visit my friends. I can make it to KC for the day, but have to go back that night because I have a softball game the next morning, or something like that. In my morning routine, I check facebook and it is almost inevitable that my friends have gathered for what I'm sure was an intellectually stimulating group outing and took many, many pictures to capture their moments together! It makes me sad that I am not there and don't get to enjoy more time with them. This weekend, I got a text from Peine -- she was with Steph, Aaron and Brett and she said they heard Hootie and were thinking of me! If I wasn't around my mom, I probably would have burst into tears (because yes, I'm a friggin' crier!).

I am very lucky for all of the things I have: the biggest, bestest family, great friends and boyfriend, cute dog :), a healthy and happy life. But I miss those people that I spent those quick four years of my life with. My mom always said that the friends you make in college are the friends you'll have for life. I know that I am lucky enough to have both high school and college friends that are my friends for life.

To my friends who read this blog, I miss you! And please know that even though I am not there to take part in those intellectually-stimulating conversations and outings, you are on my mind!

Start saving those frequent flier miles...you might be needing to make some trips out to California (knock on wood!)!

Changes All Around

Sorry for the inconvenience of switching blogs. Blog.com was not allowing me to post from my work computer anymore and since I tend to come up with my splendid blog ideas while at work, it was becoming an issue! So, I have switched to Blogspot.com. I am liking it and hope you will like it, too! My next task it to try and get all of my old blogs on to this site. Not sure if that one will work, but we shall see!

So changing to this site was the first change.

Second change came today at 4 o'clock when I decided to get bangs. Yes, sort of a random thought, but it was time for a trim at the hairdresser so I went all out and got bangs. So far, I'm enjoying them! They are definitely different, but fun...if hair can be fun!

Third change...and not so much a change, but a probable (and hopeful) change...today I got a phone call from someone at the Pac-10 conference. He told me that they had looked over my resume and would like me to come out for an interview! WOW! Definitely unexpected. They are flying me out there on May 9, so keep your fingers crossed for me. Still can't believe that they are doing this and in the next two weeks, I need to find "Strong and Confident Allyson" so I can knock there socks off when I'm out there. If it all works out, I hope my devoted blog readers like northern California. The conference office is located less than 30 minutes east of San Francisco.

So...I think that is all on the changes thus far. I'm hoping that that is all for atleast another week...I'm not big on change so too much at once might freak me out!

Welcome to Life's Little Al's Dot Blogspot Dot Com! :)