Becoming a Big Girl

If there's one piece of advice I can give to people graduating high school it is this: don't be afraid to ask your parents for help after you leave home!

My summer has been hectic, overwhelming, amazing and fun all at the same time. If you can believe it. Last week I was lucky enough to have my mom come stay the night with me in my apartment. She cooked and cleaned for me and even took me shopping! : ) I love having a mom that is so receptive to how I'm feeling. She knew that I could use my momma right now to help relieve some stress and give me some TLC.

I've realized this summer just how much my family means to me. This is the first summer I've spent away from home, so it's been a transition for all of us. I do miss them and try to visit when I can, although it has been about a month since I have been home last. I'm hoping to head home around the first part of August.

In other "big girl" news, I interviewed for an internship at Saxum Public Relations, in OKC. It's for the fall semester and a paid position. It would be absolutely wonderful it I got the position! I would love to work there! I could definitely tell the two people who interviewed me LOVED their jobs, so that makes any job experience even better. I should hopefully hear back from them in about two weeks.

There is also so much wedding madness going on! I went to a shower today for my friend and old roommate, Katie. And I'm going to two weddings the first week in August! Crazy! I think I counted the other day that I know about seven people who have gotten engaged since school ended! I feel so old! But, my turn will come someday and I can enjoy all the bridal bliss. : )

Searching for God Knows What

No, I haven't read the book, but lately that's about how I feel. I feel as if I'm on the brink. Of what, I'm not sure of.
I've been asked many questions on repeat recently:


5. What's the plan for Spring Sing?
4. You're graduating next year, right?
3. Are you going to stay in Oklahoma after you graduate?
2. What do you have in mind for a job after you graduate?
1. When are you going to get married?

Dun dun dunnnn.

Folks, I believe I've become a grown up. However at this point in time I can only answer about 2 1/2 of those questions. I only know partials of most of them, which is very hard- for me anyway. I want to be certain about a lot of things, but I can't. Such is life, as my grandma would say.

Of this I am certain:


5. I am lucky enough to attend Oklahoma Christian for my college education.
4. I have a wonderful family and lifelong friends, whom I consider family.
3. My God is much bigger than I am.
2. I am loved.
1. I am happy.

I would appreciate prayers for my future, fellow readers. (I'm not certain how many of you there are, if any.) Lots of decisions are going to be made in the next year, and some extra prayers will be needed. That's really the only thing I'm certain of.

Back to Blogging

It's been a while since I've written in this thing and with my new found time freedom I've decided to bring it back!
So many things (good and bad) have happened since I've stopped writing in this thing! I want to keep track of my college memories so when I'm finally in the "real" world I can look back and have a laugh. (which is what I do with my old Xanga, currently. Seriously. I can't bear to shut down my account!)

I'm officially a college senior! So weird to be saying! My 21 birthday is quickly approaching, and I can feel adulthood moving in just around the corner. Major events of this semester include: Getting a Marketing/Communications internship at an AMAZING OKC based, non-profit organization called World Neighbors (www.wn.org - a total blessing!), taking a trip down Route 66 to the Grand Canyon with about 10 of my friends over spring break, being chosen to be the executive director for OC's annual variety show called Spring Sing (such a big honor!), writing for the school newspaper (taught me A LOT!) and finishing my spring semester with the highest GPA I've had since college started! : )

So far this summer I have completed 2, 3 hour classes- Media Law and Video for Media. They were both 3 weeks courses which made it quick, but while you are in the class your life is literally CONSUMED by the class! (both good and bad I guess)
I have 2 more classes I'm starting online in a few weeks- Public Relations Case Studies and E-Business and Online Marketing. Now you may be asking yourself: "Why in THE world is Susan taking 4 stinking classes this summer? She's got to be crazy!?"
Well here is my answer, 1. Yes I am totally crazy!, and 2. I changed my major last fall from Marketing to Public Relations/Advertising with a minor in Marketing, so I'm trying to make up for the hours I've lost. If I didn't do this then I would have had to stay an extra semester and I didn't really see the point!

Now that my classroom classes are over, I'll be starting a job at the Gap in a few weeks! While I'm in between things my plan is to go home for about 4 days this coming week. I visited my family for the weekend a few weeks ago and it was wonderful, to say the least! I didn't realize how much I missed being home.
The rest of the summer I'll be working, finishing up classes, visiting home some, going to a few more weddings and hopefully take a few short trips to Texas and up to NE Oklahoma to visit my friend, Katy!

My life has been hectic, but I love it. Taylor and I are doing wonderful. I'm so proud of him and I see great things for our future ; )

More than just mac

Once again I have stumbled upon another box in that same fateful aisle. While shopping this caught my eye because of the brand, the picture, and the easiness. Kraft is a very trusted brand, in my opinion, and is something I know I can count on to have great results.

After opening the box I saw that it contained dried pasta, a small package of sundried tomatoes, and a package of sauce mix. The steps were about the same as you would follow to make the Kraft macaroni and cheese, except no other ingredients like milk and butter were needed which makes this recipe great for a college student like myself.

After boiling the pasta for the directed amount of time, it asked me to put the sundried tomatoes into the pasta and boiling them together for about two minutes, then drain both in a colander. The only problem I saw with this process was when I went to strain the boiled mixture, the sundried tomatoes fell through the slots in the colander which created a mess in the sink.

The next step was to open the package of sauce and put it on the pasta mix in the pot. Another problem arose with this process. The package says "tear here", but I was not able to open it by tearing and used a pair of scissors. When putting the sauce of the pasta, it was incredibly hard to squeeze out and also resembled human body excrement, which was not something I wanted to see just before eating it. I stirred it all together but was having trouble dissolving the sauce to make it thinner. I placed it back on the burner and the mixing became easier and the sauce was distributing better.

The taste of the final product was merely okay. I'm not a huge fan of parmesan cheese, but if you like the flavor then I think you would have enjoyed this recipe more. This box holds three servings, but if served alone with no side dishes would probably only feed two people, which was the case when I made it.

Overall I think this is a good product, and I would possibly buy it again but in a different flavor. The cost is low and it requires no other ingredients which is sometimes hard to find in these type of dinners. I believe that college students would like this product because it is a familiar brand and takes the same amount of time as another one of their Kraft favorites.

For more information regarding this product, and other Kraft dinner products please click here.

Idaho Grown

Mashed potatoes are not an easy dish to fix, especially for a novice chef like a college student. Recently, I discovered a way to make them that only involves adding boiling water: Idahoan Potatoes. They come in a dry mix, and taste like the real thing! What drew me to this product was my undying love for mashed potatoes, and cheap and easy food. The cost for this item is under one dollar! I was skeptical at first, but the finished product proved to be outstanding! This brand also boasts the "Best Taste Award" by ChefsBest in 2007, as well as the use of 100% Idaho potatoes - so you know you are getting the real deal!

Among the different flavors of potatoes are four cheese, butter and herb, and garlic mashed potatoes. Your average grocer should provide at least five of the different flavors listed on the website, here. What I like most about this product besides the easiness of it is the flavor. Some products say their flavor resembles the homemade item, but I feel like this is one of the best representatives when it comes to mashed potatoes! They were moist and flaky, and required little seasoning other than what it came with.

I believe this is a product that college students will like because it is cheap, time efficient, easy to make, and gives students a comfort from home! I will definitely try this product again and explore the different flavors offered by this company!

Italy in your apartment

There is a certain aisle in the grocery store I have come to know well. It's the one with boxed dinners like macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, and ramen noodles. A few weeks ago I was searching for a meal to try for my blog, and found this one- Pasta Roni. I'm sure many of you are familiar with it's sister brand; Rice-a- Roni. This brand is known for having easy, family friendly, and affordable selections. These adaptations come with a few pasta choices to choose from, but butter and herb italiano caught my eye.

After opening the package I found similar contents to a mac and cheese dinner. It contains a package of dried seasonings, as well as uncooked pasta. The instructions were to boil water, milk, butter, and seasonings then add the pasta. Next you cook the pasta for around eight minutes and that's it! Definitely a do-able thing for 20 year old to do!

The seasonings you added from the packet were prevalent when tasting the food, and added a lot to the dish. It was enough for two people. Although, I would suggest adding a salad or a protein to it if you are feeling a little more hungry than we were.

My only criticism of this dish was that once completed, the sauce was a little runny. The package had warned me about this and said it would thicken upon standing. I felt like this process took a little longer than necessary, so I dumped out some of the sauce and it worked fine. When I re-heated it a few hours later, the sauce was the perfect thickness.

I felt like this dish is an affordable and easy to follow recipe for college students. It's available in all grocery stores, and the brand offers more flavors and well as rice versions to suit your taste buds. I will most likely buy it again for a night in the apartment, and recommend to my fellow students for a great dinner costing less than five dollars.

Food for the carnivore in you

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As some of you may or may not know, the town of Edmond was founded because there were many train tracks running though it and thus, people wanted to live close to transportation.  This week I tried the restaurant called Oklahoma Station BBQ. I attended this restaurant as part of my social service club's fall banquet, but was in for some great BBQ!

This was my first introduction to Oklahoma BBQ, however I am sure it will not be my last. My experience at this restaurant was fantastic, to put it lightly. 

Because this event was considered a catered we only had a choice of three meats; pork tenderloin, chopped beef and sliced beef.  My date and I chose pork tenderloin. The meat tasted smoked and had wonderful flavor, and resembled turkey in taste. 

At Oklahoma Station, there are many choices for side items (almost too many!). Overall, there were about 10 to chose from on the buffet. Out of all of them I chose fried okra, macaroni and cheese, and coleslaw. All of the sides were great tasting, home style items that tasted like family recipes. For more menu options available, please click here. 

The cost I felt was reasonable. For our meals at the banquet which included; a drink, as many sides as we wanted, a piece of Texas toast and a choice of meat, was around $10. While I was there I looked at their menu and things like beef sandwiches were around five dollars. They also offer desserts, take home menu options, as well as a few "healthy choice" selections.

My experience at Oklahoma Station was wonderful and filled with great southern BBQ! I would definitely eat there again and tell my friends about it! For any information regarding locations, catering or franchising click here.