A Very Lucky Girl

I finally have a space to call my very own this semester at OU. I am living in a single dorm, but with this great privacy comes great responsibility. It would be easy to hibernate, coming out of room 35 only for class, food, and occassional dates with Tyler. My room is located at the very end of the hall, extrememly isolated from the other dorms in a dark corner.  I've decorated to make the room appealing and comforting, but hiding is not the best thing for me.  So I am making a huge effort to get heavily involved on campus during this fall semester. Come spring I'll be living in Dundee, Scotland, lightyears away from any semblance of a comfort zone. Putting myself out there this semester will lessen the eventual shock of the study abroad environment.  Even just thinking about new people is mentally draining. It's hard and it makes me want to take a nap. But A Very Lucky Girl can sleep when she's dead. For now, there are opportunities and relationships to seize. OUT...

The actual lawn kind, guys. Get your minds out of Woodstock circa 1970.  I learned a hard lesson when I went to renew my driver's license a few months ago. I had been stuck with my pre-senior year, post-cross country practice photo for four years. It was time for a date-mandated, horizontal change. I dutifully decided to go to the tag agency before the July 31st expiration date. And there I learned the grass isn't greener. The second license picture is no better than the first. In fact, it's worse. I didn't know the meaning of a poor picture until this July.  Let me backtrack. This summer has easily been the most emotional of my life. And that's saying something for a crybaby like me. I've literally been on the verge of tears daily.  So when Hudiberg called to report on the progress of my Toyota Matrix and told me it would take yet another (THIRD!) unscheduled day to install cruise control, I may or may not have lost it in anger.  As a result, my eyes w...

I love so very many things about traveling. I love every kind. The kind where you walk somewhere. The kind where you drive to a new state. And especially the kind where you get your wings and fly across state lines.  Airports seem to disintegrate social divides, even with notions of first class and coach. Everyone is on an equal playing field, dependent on the airlines for a schedule. Real life is suspended in an airport terminal. When I flew to Baton Rouge to visit Mimi and Didi, I met the nicest characters on my return flights. One rather large man had the unfortunate privilege of sitting next to me in a middle seat. He wedged himself into the space and I graciously offered him the armrest, but stubbornly held on to my window seat winnings. He made small talk, offering that he was traveling back from a Bachelor party in New Orleans with a large group and had once upon a time wanted to major in English Literature. After take off, I inserted headphones and lost myself in round af...

I am a total nerd. I love school supplies. I love organizing for a new year. I make color-coded file folders on my computer. I get excited when I enroll for the next semester. And this year is no exception. Fall 2013 is going to be legen...waitforit...DARY. I'm going to be in class 19 hours every week...but I think I'll love every second. Women&Film, Native American Literature, Sociology of Deviance, Religion&Society, my LAST semester of French, and teacher assisting for Gateway will rule my weeks. Reading and writing and thinking about people are some of my favorite activities. I wonder if I'll even feel like I'm in school.  But you know what I love even more than school? Getting mail. So, y'all get to writin' cuz I know A Very Lucky Girl is worth 46 cents for postage.  316 Cate Center Drive Box 5012 Norman, OK 73072

"Can y'all stop making all this noise? I think I'm hungover. I want y'all to be happy, but..."   I spent 4 days in Vegas in the beginning of August. They were INCREDIBLE. Megan turned 25 on August 4th and invited Tracy, Hannah, and I to Sin City to celebrate. Hannah was the only one of us who had been before so the entire trip was an adventure! We stayed in a skysuite at the Aria hotel, one of the biggest buildings I've ever seen, just completed three years ago. The highlights of our room included electric curtains, opening and closing at the push of a button, and a giant tub, perfect for soaking our tired feet in after a long day of walking the strip and dancing our dressed-up behinds off.  Vegas is not for the faint of heart, nor is it a relaxing getaway, especially not for four high-energy girls in their twenties. The film The Hangover  was all Megan, Tracy, and I knew of Vegas and so we named each member of our party after a character. Megan was Alan, ...

I undertook a 40 hour roundtrip roadtrip at the end of my summer. From Oklahoma City to Nashville to Wilmington to Carolina Beach to Raleigh and back through Nashville! It was an 8 day whirlwind of the best kind.  40 hours in a car gave me a lot of time to think. And eat lemonheads. And listen to audiobooks. And sing songs at the top of my lungs. I actually didn't think all that much. But I did take note of several things during my cross-country journey. photo by E. Bell Thank God for Google Maps. I would be at a loss without the calm and collected automated voice telling me which exits to take. She didn't even yell at me when I took a wrong exit and had to backtrack. A human navigator probably would have.  This was the first summer I visited every single state I lived in. In late May I first took to the highway to surprise Moriah Jo, and my overnights in Nashville and Raleigh fulfilled the other state requirements. What a treat to reconnect with so many friends in t...

I moved into room 35 Jordan Hall of Cate Center in Norman today. I packed up all of my belongings and stowed them in Carson, my Matrix, much to the dismay of Beignet. She pranced around the car this morning as I loaded last minute items, searching for a place to wedge herself. She wanted to come with me and I wanted her to come terribly.  Good riddance Thorn Ridge, hello Norman and Houston. My new homes.  I've never felt so at home in a dorm. For one, it's a single. No roommates, a space all to myself. And the best part of living in Jordan is the theme of the residence hall.  YES. IT'S FRIENDS. I inwardly screamed when I saw the familiar skyline and faces on the doors, the pivot sign in the stairwell, and a "how you doin'" in the lobby. I may have a third floor room in a creepy corner with a crappy view, but my Friends DVD collection and I have never felt so at home. A Very Lucky Girl belongs here.