::last weekend, according to my iPhone::

I know it's officially "this weekend," but I wanted to share a few iPhone photos from last weekend. One of my college roommates, "Tate," came to visit from Texas. We had so much fun catching up, enjoying a girls night painting at Spirited Art, and reminiscing our college days at Tiger Tunes. My brother, and his cute girlfriend, (bottom right) were both in Tiger Tunes (hence the exterminator costume) making homecoming a little more special this year.

To top off our fun weekend, we got to take Elliott to his first birthday party for his BFF, Paisley.  Brooke did such a good job decorating for her "Very Hungry Caterpillar" themed party. (I wish I had taken more pictures.) It's hard to believe it has been a year since we were anxiously awaiting Paisley's arrival in the hospital waiting room. It has been fun to watch her grow from a tiny baby into a beautiful little girl this year.

I'm looking forward to another fun filled weekend starting in a few hours. We're headed out of town for the Razorback game in NWA, and leaving Elliott behind (for the first time!) with his Pia and Poppy. Hope your weekend is grand!

Stepping Up for Ouachita 2011.

Thursday was the 2nd annual Stepping Up for Ouachita women's luncheon and style show to raise money for women's scholarships at OBU.  I was honored to get to serve on the planning committee both last year and this year.  Also our salon has volunteered to style the girl's hair for the style show both years.

This year the event was held on campus in Arkdelphia to celebrate OBU's 125th anniversary.  Laura and I got an early start Thursday morning, arriving at 8am to style hair and apply make-up to the 9 models.  After we had all the girls ready, we enjoyed the luncheon at our table with Amy, Gary's grandmother, Betty Jo Grant, her friend, Mary McBeth, Gary's aunt, Shirley Hardin, my mom, and her friend, Suzanne Sims.  The food was wonderful and there was a packed house.  I'm looking forward to hearing how much money was raised for young women to come to school at OBU.

After the lunch, we got to visit with my brother who is a sophomore at OBU this year.  Ouachita holds such a special place in my family's hearts.  I was thankful to be a part of giving back so that other girls can have the opportunity to experience what I did at OBU.

My favorite Ouachita Faculty Member.

My Alma Mater is Ouachita Baptist University, and if you know me very well, you know that OBU holds a very special place in my heart. This year marks OBU's 125th anniversary.  In honor of this milestone, they asked students and alumni to blog about OBU each Tuesday during the month of September.  I missed last Tuesday, but this Tuesday's topic is to share your "favorite Ouachita faculty/staff member" with the OBU blogging community.

Gary and I both agree that Dr. Bill Downs was our favorite OBU professor.  We both had Dr. Downs for multiple Mass Communications classes.  Not only is Dr. Downs an exceptional teacher, full of wisdom, he also has a wonderfully sarcastic sense of humor.  We always looked forward to any Dr. Downs class, because you would never be bored in his class.  I often recorded the funny things he would say to students in class, and I wish I could find them and share them with you all on here.  He treated each student as his equal, and talked to them honestly, like he would a friend.

When Gary and I got married in January of 2007, the weather was icy, so many people traveling from Arkadelphia to Little Rock weren't able to attend the celebration.  Dr. Downs made a point to track down my Dad's cell number the day of our wedding, and call to apologize that he and his wife wouldn't be able to make it to the wedding.  The next week when we returned from our honeymoon, we had a gift waiting from the Downs'.  His wife had made us a set of monogramed towels.  How many people can say that one of their college professors sent monogramed towels hand made by his wife to them as a wedding gift?

When I think back on my time at OBU, I think of all the days I spent in Dr. Downs' classroom, and smile.  He has since retired, and I hate that my younger brother, who is a student at OBU, won't get the pleasure of having Dr. Downs as a professor.

So, thank you Dr. downs for being a wonderful teacher, and friend.  OBU isn't the same without you.

I'm so thankful for my time at Ouachita, the friends I made, and the education I received.  Here's to another 125 years!

Stepping Up For Ouachita.

Thursday was a fun day for us at Katherine Grant Salon.  We arrived at work early to style 8 ladies' hair for the Dillards fashion show during the 1st annual "Stepping Up For Ouachita" women's luncheon. 

I was honored to be asked to serve on the "Stepping Up" planning committee this year.  When the idea for a fashion show came up at one of our meetings, I saw an opportunity to help by providing our hairstyling experience at KGS to polish off each model's look.  Both Laura and Kate also have OBU connections, and were gracious enough to also volunteer their talents to help.

Kelsey's hair styled by Kate for the style show.


Katherine Grant Salon and Jenkins Enterprises went in together to purchase a table at the luncheon.  Our table held: My mom, Gary's grandmother (Betty Jo Grant), and his Aunt (Shirley Hardin), Brooke Hayes, Laura Shaefer, Molly Banks, Karen Watts, Kate, Laura and myself.



Brooke and Mrs. Laura.



Molly, Mrs. Watts, and Mom.

Me with Gary's Aunt and Grandmother (both OBU Alumni).

The luncheon was held at the Chenal Vallley Country Club, and the money raised will go toward providing scholarships for the women of OBU.  During the luncheon, the Dillards' style show featured fall trends modeled by Ouachita women.  Miss Arkansas (OBU Alum) closed the style show, modeling a purple formal gown.  Rebecca Jones, the style show emcee, was kind enough to give our salon a shout out at the beginning of the show.  All of the women looked beautiful, and we were all proud to be a part of this new OBU tradition.

After the luncheon, Kate, Laura and I enjoyed a glass of wine and appetizers at YaYa's, followed by some down time shopping at the Promenade at Chenal, before going back to work at 5. 

Friday night Mom and I had a mother/daughter date with Brooke and Mrs. Laura.  We had dinner at the Capital Bar and Grill, followed by shopping at the Jr. League's annual Holiday House.  I didn't buy much, but I enjoyed spending time with them looking at all the neat stuff. 

Yesterday after work, I watched the Hogs whoop up on South Carolina with the fam at Mom and Dad's house.  John Allen came  home with two friends from OBU and Jessica brought her new boyfriend, Richard. 

Today is a lazy Sunday for me and the animals.  Gary has been in Gatlinberg, TN at the Smokey Mountain Gift Show since Wednesday.  I'm looking forward to having him home Tuesday night!

Our Whirlwind Weekend.

What a weekend!  Saturday morning Gary drove Bekah and I to Conway for the Soaring Wings Half Marathon.  I ran the race just under my goal of 2:20, so I am pleased.  The course had lots of hills, and my legs are a reminder to me of the race's level of difficulty this evening.  I stayed with the 2:15:00 pace group until about mile 6, where I began to loose steam and contemplated walking a few miles.  I kept pushing, but swallowed my pride, and admitted to myself that running the hills was wearing me out too early in the race.  So, for the second half of the course, I power walked the hills and ran in between.  When I came to mile 11 and saw Gary on the sidelines cheering for me, I kicked it up a notch and  finished strong.  What a feeling to push your body to it's limits and accomplish something you thought seemed impossible! 




mile 11



At the finish line!



My biggest fan :)

After the race we headed home, I replenished the 1300 calories I burned, watched the Hogs take down Ole Miss, took a short nap, showered, then headed to Arkadelphia for Tiger Tunes.

My mom rented a cabin at Iron Mountain for the weekend and she, John Allen, and Jessica were there waiting on us when we arrived in Arkadelphia.  The town was packed with family and alumni in town for the homecoming festivities.  After checking out three local restaurants and finding a long wait at each one, we settled for dinner at Chicken Express.  Following dinner, John Allen took us to see his dorm room.  (It still blows my mind that he is old enough to be in college!)

Tiger Tunes was wonderful, as always, even though I no longer recognized any of the students on stage.  My Tri Chis and Kappa's placed, and the ETAs took home 1st for the first time in Tiger Tunes history!  After the show we ran into lots of old friends, but the storm outside cut the usual fellowship time short. 



Mom and Jessica at the show.



Gary and I with Justin and Kirt after the show ( my hair was ruined by the rain).

Gary and I stayed the night with mom and John Allen at the cabin Saturday night.  I enjoyed soaking my sore joints in the the hot tub on the back porch, hearing John Allen tell us familiar stories about OBU college life, and staying up till 2am eating gas station snacks while watching Rosanne reruns on the couch.

This morning we checked out of the cabin and had a quick breakfast with mom and John Allen at the Arkadelphia Waffle House before heading home.

When we arrived back to the home front, we collapsed with exhaustion and slept for 2 hours. 

This evening I have been hard at work on our Halloween costumes for next weekend's "Halloween Spooktacular" at the Harrison's.  Can't wait to show you pictures!

That was our whirlwind of a weekend, looking forward to getting our house back in order tomorrow before a busy week at work.  Hope your weekend was as fun packed as ours!

My OBU Story!

So today is Ouachita's birthday, and to celebrate they decided to create a "blogabout" and have students blog about their Ouachita story.  That's kind of overwhelming, because if you know much about me, you know I loved my time at Ouachita and I could talk about my OBU experience all day.  But, I'll try to narrow it down for you...

Freshman year I moved in to Frances Crawford not knowing what to expect.  I was leaving behind close friends and family, and I went in skeptical, thinking OBU had some big shoes to fill.  I felt like everyone had "the Ouachita bug."  They were all in love with the place!  But, I wasn't so sure that would ever be me. 

Much to my surprise, it didn't take long before I had caught "the bug."  Ouachita became my home, and looking back I see how it has molded me in to the woman I am today.  Ouachita taught me to think for myself.  Being away from home challenged me to question the things I believed in; political beliefs, as well as religious beliefs.  I guess you could say I learned who I was at Ouachita.

Freshman year:  The first friend I made at Ouachita was a girl named "Tate"  (her real name was Stephanie, but I wouldn't learn that until Sophomore year).  Then, midway through my freshman year, I moved in with Laura. These two girls remain to this day two of my very best friends.  We had an instant connection and stayed attached at the hips all 4 years, even though we all pledged a different social club. 

Me with my rommate, Laura.

Our entire hall had a unique bond.  Some of my fondest Ouachita memories are just spending time in the rooms of the girls on FCE2.  We played flag football together, studied together, and even got in trouble together... (but the fun we had at that hall slip and slide was totally worth the punishment!)

 

I participated in Tiger Tunes with Campus Ministries, was elected to serve on Student Senate, joined the campus activities board, had a work study in the photo lab, pledged Tri Chi with the TC pledge class of 04, and was elected to compete as our pledge class representative in the Miss OBU pageant.

Sophomore year: I lived with Laura, Tate, and Rachel (who also lived on FCE2 with us) in Mattox, started dating Gary (that is a story in and of itself! It's also posted on this blog for your reading enjoyment), and added a second major, Christian Studies, to my first major, of Mass Communication. 

Gary, Tate and I attended church at Fellowship, Arkadelphia.  My advisor and professor in the Christian Studies department, Dr. Duvall and Dr. Jackson (another one of my professors in Christian Studies) were the co-pastors.  We were in Dr. Jackson and his wife, Mona's Kgroup that met at their house every Sunday night.  We developed a close relationship with their family during our time at OBU.

I continued to serve on Student Senate, CAB and as an active member of Tri Chi.  I participated in the Tri Chi Flight Attendants show, where we won 3rd place!  And in the fall, I was honored to be chosen as a Kappa Chi little sis.

With Gary at KX rush.

The roomies in Mattox!

Junior Year:  This was probably my favorite year at OBU! I moved back in to Frances Crawford East and worked as an RA.  I still remained active in the same activities, serving as Secretary of the Student Senate and Pledge Mistress for Tri Chi.  Gary and I continued to get more serious.  In the fall he gave me his Kappa drop and in the spring he asked me to marry him!  I was in both the Tri Chi and Kappa Chi Tiger Tunes shows.  The Kappas placed as Chimney Sweeps and the Tri Chis won 1st place as Girl Scouts!!  Gary graduated in the spring of 06 and I was sad to see him leave OBU.

KX Chimney Sweeps.

Laura and Tate were also asked to be KX lil sises, making us all members of the same club for the first time ever. Even though we were no longer roommates our bond was stronger than ever. 

Homecoming 2005

My Closet OBU friends!

Laura, me and Tate: KX lil sises.

Tri Chi PC 04 Tiger Tunes 05

KX/TC Toga Mixer.

Tri Chi Rush.

Tri Chi 80s night TWIRP 2005.

Senior Year:  I finished my time at OBU in 3.5 years, so my senior year was only 1 semester, but I made the most of it.  I served as the president of Tri Chi and participated in my final Tiger Tunes shows with Tri Chi (hairstylists) and Kappa Chi (Outlaws).  Kappa took home first place!  I was on the homecoming court for Tri Chi, and Tate was crowned homecoming queen. 

In 3.5  years: I had received a 1st class education, learned life lessons, and developed lasting relationships. I read the scripture at the December commencement and tried not to cry as my Ouachita story came to an end.

My best Tri Chi friends.

Homecoming 2006.

But my story didn't end there.  I see it continue every day.  We meet people all the time who have a connection to OBU, and we have even developed close friendships with OBU alumni we didn't even hag out with during our time at OBU. 

I met my husband at Ouachita (Dr. Jackson married us in Jan. 07), my closest friends at Ouachita, and I leaned who I was at Ouachita.  I work with Laura at my salon in North Little Rock, and I was in Tate's wedding this past May.  I'm looking forward to attending Tiger Tunes next month, and my younger brother started his Ouachita journey this year.  Ouachita will be a part of who I am for the rest of my life, and for that I am very grateful.

I'm leaving out so much, from rush parties, to mixers, to club outings, but I did the best I could.  You can read about other Ouachita stories here.

6 Years Ago Today...

Six years ago today was the first day of my life. (Well, I guess it started a few months prior, but it was official August 27th of 2004.)  I was only 19.  That seems so young to me now. 

Gary picked me up at Maddox (my dorm at OBU) in his teal Ford Ranger.  I was nervous.  We had been out a few times before, but this time was different.  We had talked every night that summer after he got off work.  Most nights 2 or 3 hours.  We talked about everything, and I felt like I knew him well.  But he was living in Arkadelphia that summer, and I was in Little Rock.  I worked all day at a summer day camp, and right about the time I got off, he went in to work at Walmart until midnight.  There wasn't a lot of time for us to see each other face to face, so we made the best of our phone time, asking all kinds of questions to get to know one another.

The most time we had in person was on a road trip to St. Louis with 3 of my high school friends (that's where the picture above was taken, our first picture together). We were broke and we all wanted to do something fun together before we went our separate ways.  But, one of our friends backed out at the last minute.  We couldn't afford the hotel unless we split it 5 ways, plus now that Brian wasn't going that left our friend Jeremy as the only guy.  We couldn't think of anyone, and one of the girls (who knew I had been talking to Gary every night and was convinced he was a "perfect guy" for me) mentioned Gary.  After trying all of our other friends and being turned down, I called Gary to see if he wanted to come.  He had to work, but he wanted to come so badly he called Walmart and told them his great grandmother had died and he needed go to the funeral.  (That's bad, I know, but I gotta be honest I thought it was really cute.)  We had a lot of fun together, and it was good to have some time to hang out in person. 

A few nights before I moved back to school he asked me if I wanted to be his "girlfriend".  Me, being the overanalizer I am,  worried that if I said yes, I might find I didn't view him the same once we were face to face every day.  It was one thing to talk on the phone every night, but it was another to be stuck in a small town together.  What if he drove me crazy when we were around each other every day? What if I didn't like his friends, or even worse, my friends didn't like him? I just wasn't ready to commit to this thing just yet.  So, I tried to explain that to him as best I could.  Gary, being the understanding person he is, agreed to give me some more time. 

When we got to school, it didn't take long for me to grow more attached to his sense of humor and cute smile.  The more time we spent sitting in the bed of his truck talking, the more I knew he would at least be one of my very best friends from college.  He would ask me almost every day after we got back if I was "ready yet?" But, I still wanted more time to figure out if the love I had  for him was just "that appreciation you have for someone who understands you completely", or that feeling you get when you meet the person you cannot live without.  I was about to get the opportunity to find out...

After a few nights of deep conversation, face to face, it became apparent he had made up his mind he wanted nothing to do with being merely "one of my very best college friends".  He wanted something deeper than that, and that anything less would be too hard to accept.  He began detaching himself from me.  Calling me less and avoiding me on campus.  I could feel myself loosing him.  Not getting to see him or talk to him made me feel like part of me was missing.  What had I done? The first person at OBU I felt like truly understood me, (I had a difficult time adjusting to life at OBU, finding my niche, ect.) and I ran him off. 

I had to do something.  So I sent him a text telling him I wanted to start over, go out on a real date and see what happened.   So that's why I knew the pressure was on when he picked me up.  Either the date would go well, and I would give him what he wanted: a commitment.  Or, I would watch him walk away and try to forget about me. 

When he picked me up we drove to Benton.  We had dinner at Dixie Cafe, and then went to see Collateral at the movie theater next door.  We got all caught up after having not spoken for a few days, and he held my hand during the movie.  I knew by the butterflies I had, that he would be more than just my friend. 

When he pulled back up to my dorm to drop me off, things got quiet.  I stared nervously out the window, not knowing what to say. 

He broke the silence and asked if he could kiss me.

I said yes, closed my eyes and waited.

When his lips touched mine, I knew he had been right all along.  We were best friends, but there was also so much more.

Later that night, I lay in my bed telling my roommate, Laura, about our first kiss.  About that time my phone rang.  It was him.  He wanted to know if I was ready now?  I told him I was.

That day began a journey.  In April of 2006 he asked me to marry him, and in January of 2007 we said our vows.  We have done and seen so much together, but I know we still have so much more to experience.  I am so thankful that God gave me a best friend, someone who "gets me", but also a lover to live life with and grow old beside.