Apps Summary Sheet Spring 2011

Apps Summary Sheet Spring 2011

Reflections of An Okie

Things are going well here in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Currently I've a few things on my mind including the beginning of school, class preparation, and finances. Finances are a little tight due to a delay on payment for work done in July, so we've been living a little more frugally than usual. It just seems simpler to just cut back expenses than it does to go into debt with a credit card or some other means.

That makes me wonder if the government has ever thought about that. I mean, if the government officials began to notice they were going over budget instead of raising their revenue by hurting the people, wouldn't it be easier to evaluate where to make cuts and just make them? Maybe I'm just crazy that way.

Harley

First timer :)

--This is Rachel writing :). This is my first time blogging-Yikes! So anyhow, in February Daniel and I celebrated our 7th Anniversary. I am not sure if many people know the story of "us" and I also think many have a misconception of how we met because Daniel served his mission in Utah. So, here it is...We met in the Fall of 2001 in our singles ward (not while Daniel was on his mission!). I was sitting next to our friend (Jason Lewis) during sacrament meeting and Daniel thought I looked like a fun-loving girl, so he asked Jason for my phone number. About a month later Daniel finally called and then we decided to go out on a date. Neither of us were really looking for anything serious at the time. On our first date, we went for a scenic drive (it was a Sunday-so not much to do) then we went to his apartment and played 20 questions. The last question I pulled out of my cup said "would you go on a date with me next week." I said sure. We said our goodbyes and planned on talking on the phone later and going out the next weekend. Well, that didn't work out as planned. Daniel called on Monday night to see if I wanted to go get hot chocolate. So we went out for hot chocolate and talked all night. To make a long story short, we met up every night after that to hang out. So, about a week later (on our next "official" date) we decided we were going to be "exclusive". We started hanging out in the day time before work and in the night time after work. About a week after that (two weeks total since we went on our first date) we were in Taco Bell. I had just taken a bite of my Seven Layer Burrito and Daniel said "Do you see yourself Marrying me?" I said with my mouth full "Mmm Hmm." He said "should we just get married?" and I said "yeah." The rest is history. I used to be a little ashamed of that story, but I think now I am proud of it. You see-that is the epitomy of us. We are easy going and don't have to make a big hooplah out of everything. So, we got married two months later in the Ogden Temple (pre-makeover). It was the BEST! We have been BFF ever since. So...To sum it up...We didn't meet while Daniel was on his mission! We met when he moved back to Utah long after he came home from his mission. I am not a hussy who thinks a Missionary Tag is attractive. Daniel was not a slacker who didn't "lock his heart." you can kind of tell that I have been accused of this stuff before :). It's okay though. We get a kick out of it. 

We knew each other 2 weeks when we got engaged and then got married 2 months later. He is the most amazing person in the world. I feel extremely lucky to be his wife!

Thesis Time

Today was fun. We held a meeting with special guests giving valuable advice on how to enter the workforce upon graduation. I suppose one part that stood out to me was the fact that I may have to start out in a lower tiered position as I climb up the ladder. A little humbling, but I think it'll be ok. Another thing I learned today, was that I really enjoy running statistics. I'm such a nerd, but I found out about PSPP (Statistical software that is free) and started using it to run statistics relative to my Thesis topic. I'm excited to start writing even more this summer. My Thesis topic has taught me so much about the research process. 

Tomorrow's Proposal

Today I review my 30 page preparation for a Thesis Proposal. I pray that it goes well, and I feel very good about the topic. In a nutshell we are exploring how external factors contribute to marital quality. I enjoy this research topic, and I actually think I may have a direction for my dissertation which is a few years off. I hope to hit the ground running on it though.

Okie Letters

In an effort to describe my feelings about my home state I've decided to assemble some fictitious letters to a lifelong Okie from an Okie who has moved away and come back. Sound familiar?

Dear Lifelong Okie,

It's good to be back in my home state. There were things I missed such as Braum's burgers, Family, and Horseback riding, but there are some other idiosyncrasies I apparently missed. 

First of all, why in the world do most Okie men find it amenable to back their cars/trucks/wagons into parking spaces rather than pull them in? Is there some sort of state law passed in the recent decade that I missed? I was honestly under the impression that we were all attending church when we parked up at the chapel and not participating in a bank heist.  Your life-long wisdom would be much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Displaced-Replaced Okie

Dear Displaced-Replaced Okie,

We're glad to have you back in the home state. You couldn't have picked a finer time as we will soon have some need of your help in putting in the garden. Something you may need a refresher on as you came from such a big city with a short growing season. If you need help with your garden please let us know, for we'll bring some family and friends along as well.

Idiosyncrasies eh?   Be careful who you use that word around, for it may cause you some pain in the form of a tight fist to the jaw. Not from me of course, but not everyone will appreciate the connotation, and will, instead, take it for it's denotation, but I digress.

I'm not sure you remember, but as kids, us boys always had our toys. Mom and Dad bought us Tonka Trucks, Loaders, Back Hoes, etc, and we demolished them into flat pieces of metal within a matter of hours. Soon they were replaced with plastic, which soon demolished into multiple peices of plastic within seconds. The bottom line was that we had toys.

I married young, and, with that, came responsibilities including bills, a job, and a family. Soon all my toys disappeared with one exception, The Automobile. In our efforts to make it fun, we Okie men developed new games such as mailbox baseball, passing on the shoulder, and installing a lift kit. Unfortunately, most of those games were eliminated as safety and family became a priority. So we have been reduced to minor car games which include not letting the teenager pass us on the right, hand gestures, and backing into parking spots.

Sure, backing a Corolla is not the same as backing a sextuple axle tractor trailer, but a guy can pretend right? 

Anyways, I hope this clarifies some of the reasons pertaining to why we do what we do. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

Your cousin,

Lifelong Okie.

Day Two of writing no one reads but me...

...and that's just because I don't prefer to look like a grammatical nincompoop [I just Googled nincompoop , and yes, it really is a word] on the internet. My mother-in-law just put pictures of us up on facebook from our trip to Disneyland. I loved that trip for a number of reasons:

1) We spent time with Pat and Bill.

2) We had a great time visiting President and Sister Jones.

3) We enjoyed visiting Holly, Jim, and their two adorable kids.

I want children of our own. I see Rachel with other folks' children, and I think of how wonderful and loving she would be as a mother. I know its just a matter of time and patience, but sometimes my impatience gets the best of me.

We took Hank and Harley for a run today, for 40 minutes. Harley almost gave up, but he kept at it with a little motivation. He's a good dog. Hank was dragging us along waiting for us to actually turn it up a notch. He'll be waiting for a while. The ironic thing is that he can run circles around us, yet he (and I as well) is overweight.

We had a great visit with Mom and Dad this weekend. We went out to eat, but the real fun was taking Dad around the library looking for some fun information about archeaological sites near Gore Oklahoma. I swear he'd be a great archeaologist, and I think he needs to join a local chapter of the Archeaological Society. Our land there in Eastern Oklahoma is loaded with some Prehistoric artifacts. There was a neighbor who had an enormous collection of arrowheads. I always enjoyed camping out in those woods as we would hear different sounds of wildlife there year round. Maybe there are some courses he can take for fun there at the local college.

Random Thoughts:

• I feel blessed today. 
  
• There needs to be a G-Rated version of the Comic Mitch Hedburg. 
  
• Couscous is the best side dish, next to Cheezy Potatoes.
• I'm proud to have a dad like my Dad (Same goes for Mom I suppose.)
• Last but never least: I love my wife so much. She is honestly my best friend in the whole wide world. The fun we have and the memories we make are priceless.