Living In Someone Else's House

Otherwise known as "house-sitting," living in someone else's house might seem very strange to some of you at first. If I think about it too much, it is fairly strange, but living in someone else's house has its benefits, too.

I somehow got into house sitting when I moved to OK several years ago. It is fairly crazy to think about the amount of time I've spent in the homes of people who aren't family members, but I'm not complaining.
If I think of each house sitting job as a vacation, I'm on vacation 10 weeks of the summer.


I know I'm not supposed to have favorites, but Nick the dog is one of the best puppies ever. Granted, one time he opened the door and came into the house in the middle of the night and stood next to the bed and I thought he was a murderer who had broken into the house, but other than that, he's the best.


What's that? You want to see pictures of Nick and my house sitting job? OK.

Isn't he the cutest? He watches Downton Abbey with me, and everything.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to start re-packing for my next house sitting job.

A Few Weeks In Review

We've lucked out with some glorious rainy weather. It looks like we'll be heading back to the typical 100+ weather soon. Oh, joy!

Since the Thunder made it to the Finals (still can't get over that), the University I work for had Thunder Days where the employees could dress up in Thunder gear. My co-worker and I gabbed some Westbrook/Durant frames and some official (not really) NBA microphones, and had some fun at our office press conference. We're ridiculous.

My mom and visited my grandparents in MO over this past weekend. It's always a fun time that consists of thrift store shopping, homemade ice cream eating, farm exploring, and Christmas music listening (no matter what month it is). They live next to some Amish communities, so we got to see some oats stacked the old fashioned way.
We also got to pick blackberries from my Grandpa's farm. They were delicious.

Happy Monday, everyone!

My Internal War Between The States

I am a very conflicted person.

I never know whether I should grow my hair out or keep it short.

I never know what to eat for lunch.

I never know if I should eat Ben and Jerry’s while watching a dumb movie.

OK, scratch that last one. The answer is alwaysalways yes.

Obvious ice cream questions aside, one of my major conflictions has always been trying to decide in what part of the country I would rather live.

It’s quite the inner struggle.

I grew up in northern states.

I love snow, crisp weather, and all the wonderful items that accompany those things. The excitement that comes from dashing from your car to a building while trying not to take a breath for fear that your lungs will freeze over. That cozy shiver that follows a warm sip of coffee after you’ve been out in the cold. Summer evenings where you still need a sweater after the sun goes down.

I also didn’t realize how much I took gentle breezes for granted until I moved to the land of “impossible-to-not-look-ridiculous-while-wearing-a-dress-outside.”

That’s on the Oklahoma state seal somewhere.

I’m sure of it.

But then there’s the south.

Front porches. Kudzu covered trees. Iconic food traditions. Windless days and nights. Classic colloquialisms spoken with that regional drawl.

I’m not a tea drinker, but I’m sure sipping iced coffee on a front porch would be just as delightful.

It is almost certain that I have an overly romanticized view of the south. I blame it on my overactive imagination mixed with the fact that I’ve been obsessed with Flannery O’Connor since age 14. My subscription to Southern Living doesn’t help things, either. Not to mention that I recreated Gone With the Wind with my Barbies at age 7. (Side note: pipe cleaners are an excellent substitute for whale bones when fashioning Barbie hoop skirts)

For now I’ll keep on longing for the best of both worlds here in the wind-stripped plains.

We do have the Thunder.

At least there’s that.

NYC Dreaming

I’ve been daydreaming about New York City recently.

Specifically, visiting NYC at Christmas.

I’ve always wanted to spend Christmas in New York. And let’s face it, Home Alone 2 probably had a lot to do with it.
I have been lucky enough to visit New York City on two occasions.

The first time I went, I was in college, and I went with Jo. The main thing I remember about that trip was Jo getting yelled at by some subway performers for videotaping their breakdance performance.

Normal.

I think we were only in the city for one whole day, but we fit in the obvious NYC attractions: Central Park, Times Square, Carnegie Hall, Battery Park at night (safe, right?), and the Seinfeld deli. It was January, and it was cold, but I remember thinking having a blas.

It was fun, right Jo?

The only downfall to the timing of this trip was that it was about 6 months before I got a digital camera.

Remember those times?

They were dark times.

I went back 4 years later with Julie, who is the best German friend ever! My friend Jenny from DC even hopped on a train to join us for a day.

(Side note, when in NYC, it is important to be very specific when telling a friend to meet you at the “Starbucks on the corner,” because there will most likely be 8 Starbucks on any given corner)

(let it be noted that Julie looks way better after spending a day in the scorching heat than I do. She is also not afraid of heights)

The temperature may have been 98 F with 95% humidity, but that did not stop us from taking in a Broadway show, trying to blend in at a Yankees game, nearly dying of fright at the top of the Empire State Building , taking the ferry to the Statue of Liberty, dreaming at Café Lalo, exploring Chinatown, devouring cannoli in Little Italy, night-walking in SoHo, strolling through Central Park while sipping a gigantic lemonade, and going to H&M as many times as we could.

(let it also be noted that this is my cheesey/talking through my teeth grin. I try not to look this ridiculous on a daily basis)Ummm, yeah. I want to go back.
Who has been to NYC? What areas/locations are a must-see?

Highs/Lows

High: The Thunder finished off the Lakers in game 5 of the semi-finals last night.

Western Conference Finals, here we come.

Low: Since the state of Oklahoma has not yet declared the NBA playoffs a state holiday, I'm extremely tired from staying up too late watching the games and the post-game reports.

Worth it?

Yes.

High: Sandal weather is upon us.

Low: I don't have any cute sandals.

High: Matt and Jo drove down from Lincoln last weekend to hang out and be awesome.

Low: They had to go back to Lincoln.

No visit from Jo is complete without a trip to Hideaway Pizza. We also made a stop at Irma's.

It's never let me down.

I usually visit the OKC bombing memorial when people come to visit. If you have not been, I recommend it. They've done a beautiful job.

And now for the photos:

(No, I was not at the Thunder game. Yes, that is a photo I pulled off the internet. Sorry that I'm lame like that)

My Boys

OK, I realize these boys aren't actually mine, but sometimes I like to pretend that they are. Basically, I just think they're the best. I mean, aren't they the cutest?

Look at their little faces.

But they also mean business.

One of the lines on my bucket list reads:

"Go to a party, and play Mario Kart with Durant, Harden, and Collison."

And if I happen to hang out with them more after that,

then so be it.

In fact, we'd all probably become super awesome friends and throw theme parties all the time.

I became an NBA fan very randomly when I was about 15 years old (more on that later).
I'm so glad that I finally live in a town with an NBA team.
And they're good!

So, in closing. Keep up the good work, boys.

We're rooting for you.

And we'll party after the finals. OK? OK.

It Was The Colonel Mustard in The Backyard With Friends

My friends are the coolest.

I know, I know. Everyone thinks that their friends are the coolest. 

But, what they don't realize is that my friends really are the coolest. 

It's been proven time and time again. 

In case you would like to know why I have recently been reminded of their coolness, take a quick jump over to Kickstarter.com. 

Their new project, Gods of The Prairie, is the project of the day! Hooray! You should click on the link to find out what The Colonel Mustard Amateur Attic Theater is all about. 

Here are some links to some of the Col. Mustard's

previous projects. 

Have you not clicked on the links? Because you should. 

Just do it. 

Also, I realize that most of you are already friends with me on FaceTwitterGram (you know, that thing), but on the off chance you haven't seen me post this information, I hope you've at least enjoyed the links. 

We sure have all had fun being a part of these crazy things. 

Anyhow, if you have questions about the Colonel Mustard, you can visit their home page.