Memory Lane

The reunion weekend was fantastic. I don't think I went to bed before 2 a.m. all weekend, which is monumental considering that I have been ready for bed by 9 p.m. since I've been pregnant! But when you've got so many of your favorite people chatting the night away in one room, you just can't go to bed. Before the reunion, the Alumni Association asked me to share a few memories during our class reunion luncheon. I thought that some of you OBU alum readers might get a kick out of this little walk down memory lane, so here is the gist of my speech, along with a few pictures from the weekend:

In the five years since leaving Bison Hill, I have been working in college student affairs. Basically, that means that I wanted to be Monica Mullins when I grew up. Working with college students has many benefits. You are always up on the latest trends in music and fashion, you always know which celebrities are dating, and you get enough drama from college student love affairs to never need a television set again. Contrary to popular belief, we student affairs professionals don’t go into this field just so we can stay in college forever, but I think my favorite perk of the job is the way it leads me to recall my own college experience quite frequently. This was never more prominent as it was last year when I was able to return to OBU as a staff member. In the nine short years since we first donned our beanies, so much has changed. Here are just a few observations that might bring back some memories of our days on Bison Hill…

Remember the Audix system? We arrived on campus with our wallets full of plastic AT&T phone cards with which we could call our friends back home. I had a cell phone, but it resembled Zach Morris' "timeout" phone more than the modern day Blackberry, and I had to leave it in my car and use it only for emergencies. Not that I could get any service in WMU anyway! When I came back to work at OBU, those old beige plastic phones were long gone. Ask any student you see on campus today about Audix and you will get a blank stare. Most of them don’t even pick up the phone any more…just send a text message and your next trip to the City is planned!

DTRs, or Define the Relationship conversations, are no longer held in the stone gazebo outside of the GC. Nope, now if you’ve had dinner in the ARA together for more than a few days in a row, your relationship is determined by the relationship status function on your Facebook page. But don’t worry, just as many of those say “engaged” and “married” as they did when we were students. Some things don’t change that quickly!

The Stubblefield gazebo is still wired for electricity and perfect for hauling your miniature tv/vcr combo out for a movie under the stars. But it also gets wireless internet access, so you might as well save yourself the trouble and watch a few Hulu shows on your laptop. Instead of waiting two hours to download one free song off of Audiogalaxy for burning on to a CD, you can now buy a song on Itunes and join the throng of students walking across campus with white cords dangling out of your ears.

Now I know that Dr. Brister is no longer serving as this University’s president, but I don’t think there is a person in this room who doesn’t let out a giggle at the mention of Luke 2:52. Imagine my shock when I returned to OBU and heard him give a brand new speech…the “Nickel Decision” speech…with not one mention of Luke 2:52! I guess he had his fill of “Luke 2-5-2” intramural football plays and decided it was time to shift gears. If you would like a nutshell version of the Nickel Decision speech, feel free to see me after the luncheon.

On Wednesday mornings at 10 a.m., Raley Chapel now reverberates with the sounds of a pretty “emo” worship band, a far cry from the days of hymns led by Dean Paul Hammond.

No one holds functions anymore! Gone are the days of heading to the old Armory for a night of moving rhythmically to music. But don’t worry, the ole Tumbleweed—or, “The Weed,” as some of you regulars might affectionately refer to it—is still open up in Stillwater, and students are still trekking up there for a night of fun.

As time has moved on, however, some things on Bison Hill have stayed the same. Tonight, they will celebrate Harvest Court and put that ridiculous cape and huge crown on a new queen and king. Owens Hall is still filled with that musty smell and the open doors of faculty members ready to put their plans on hold for a long conversation with a student. You will still get a phone call from Bobby Canty if you don’t meet your required chapel attendance. Stir fry day still creates a long line in the ARA each Wednesday. Upperclassmen still scare the beanies off of the freshmen by running in at the beginning of Welcome Week, and cheer them on proudly during The Walk. Dan Reeder keeps the jokes and carols coming at Christmas Chapel and students still cram the floor of the Kerr Lobby to hear now retired Dr. Mac Roark read the Christmas story at Kerr Christmas. The GC is still a black hole for wasting time, but also prime space making lifelong friendships. And Brotherhood, which everyone now calls Agee, still smells like boy.

While living in Waco, Texas, a few years ago, I was able to attend an OBU Alumni dinner. At the end of the meal, a couple who were both in their 80s asked to say a few words. They proceeded to tell of the lifelong friendships they have enjoyed with their classmates from OBU; their world travels together, class reunions together, raising families together. They said that no matter where they have lived, who they have met, or what life has thrown their way, their OBU friendships have been one of the longest-lasting influences in their lives. Five years after graduation, I already agree with those older, wiser alums, and I sure hope that I can stand here when I am 80 and say that of all the things that changed over time, these friendships never did.

For those of you who made it to the reunion, it did my heart so much good to see your faces and savor your company. For those of you who didn't, we better see you in five years! Ka-rip, ka-rap, and God Bless OBU!

OBU, All Hail Thy Name!

Well, folks...I am hitting the ole' I-40 this weekend and treking to the land of bison, sunsets, and Ted's Cafe Escondito. It is Homecoming weekend at my Alma Mater, and this year marks the five-year reunion of my graduating class. Cliche as it may be, time really does fly!

I have not been back to Oklahoma since July and I am antsy for some time with dear old friends, a walk across Bison Hill, and a cupcake (or two...or five) at Cuppies & Joe. The Diefs have promised me that their new Boom Boom Pow cupcake, a salted caramel dream of a sweet, will be waiting for me along with a frozen Pumpkin Spice hot chocolate. Baby needs it; doctor's orders.

This weekend will also involve picking up my brand new Canon Rebel XS! Now this sorry little blog will come alive with color again, and you just might get a sneak peek at this weekend's festivities (and my expanding waistline). Patience is a virtue, my friends, so hang in there!

And now, off I go to pack (one must be discerning when packing for a reunion; can't have people thinking you've let yourself go after a measly five years!), kiss the hubby goodbye (darn optometry school is cramping his style this weekend and keeping him from his trophy husband duties), and hit the road to Fort Smith where I will spend the night with my parents before heading to OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOklahoma.

Where the wind really does go sweeping down the plain.

Bustin' Out

I know this is my second post of the day, but this was too funny to keep to myself:

We had an Interfraternity Council (IFC) meeting this afternoon. If you recall, these are the guys who have been overly interested in my fertility over the past year (see "Preggers" post!), so therefore they are always checking in for the latest pregnancy update. And today they certainly got one.

At the meetings, the executive board sits in a row at the front of the room and the members sit in the audience. I sat up front with the board, right in between two of the guys. As the president conducted the meeting, I whispered some details of a recent campus even to the guys I was sitting near.

And then I took a deep breath.

POP.

Suddenly the button of my jeans popped loose from the buttonhole. The shock instantly registered on my face, so Brett and Cal asked me what was wrong.

"I just took a breath and my jeans button popped!" I whispered, mortified.

That was it. Those sweet boys just couldn't hold it in. They were bent over laughing, and then of course, I had to join them. I mean, my pants just popped open, people! That's funny stuff.

Then, to make matters worse the President of the board turned to us and said, "Hey, zip it up!"

The uncanny reference to anything related to holding pants up just put us over the edge with laughter. Any hope of professionalism at this meeting was suddenly lost. It's a good thing we have already established such openness about this unique period in my life, and something tells me these young men will be much more understanding husbands someday when their wives are expecting. You're welcome, ladies!

Burned

Last night I had the unfortunate experience of learning yet another new slang word.

Each year, a student organization on campus holds an event called "Real Talk" during which students perform skits portraying hot button issues. Those skits are followed by a time of open discussion from the floor, and then comments from a panel of "experts." I sat on the panel last year and thoroughly enjoyed it, so when they asked me back this year I readily accepted.

The first skit of the evening was related to relationships and depicted a male student who was verbally abusive to his girlfriend. As you can imagine, the discussion that followed was dominated by female students who were pretty feisty in their descriptions of being an "independent woman" who "doesn't need a man" and so on. All very true, of course, but there was a hardness to their comments that left me slightly concerned.

When it came time for the panelists to comment, my colleague and I were very much on the same page. She began by sharing that independence is different than what the radio might tell us. I followed up by agreeing that, yes, while those independent power woman anthems are awesome for post-breakup catharsis, it is important to remember that Beyonce does have a ring on it and that relationships are a necessary and beneficial aspect of our lives. (The crowd of R&B loving college students loved that one and I enjoyed a brief moment of pride for being relevant to my audience...still got it!).

As I wrapped up my point, I told the group that we must resist the defensive tendency to become so tough and independent that we neglect the fact that there is room in the life of every independent woman for healthy, affirming relationships. "So," I concluded, "no matter how many times you get burned..."

And that's when the giggled began. I kept going, but it didn't matter. The giggles turned to laughter, and soon the laughter turned to a roar.

I stopped, "Did I say something funny?"

Another coworker on the panel whispered, "Just keep going." And so I wrapped up quickly and we moved on to the next panelist.

"What did I say!?!" I whispered urgently to my friend, feeling totally clueless but already embarassed.

"Well, burned is slang for catching a sexually transmitted disease," he explained.

Oh. My. Word.

I had just told a crowd of college students not to get hard toward relationships, no matter how many STDs you catch! Awesome.

So much for still being relevant.

Oh, and I learned one other new slang word last night. If you say that someone is "goin'" it means that he or she is sleeping around or down for hooking up. For example, "That girl is dressed like a hootchie mama...she's goin'!" Who even knew!?! Where I come from if you are "goin' together" you are boyfriend and girlfriend, not sleeping together!

Apparently I was a little too innocent for this crowd. And for the record, I am completely fine with that!

14 Weeks

We just wrapped up our latest visit to the doctor. A few highlights:

• I was anxiously anticipating the "weigh-in" portion of this doctor's visit. Pregnancy is such a strange balance between becoming ok with putting on weight for such an amazing and worthwhile reason, and yet also not going hog wild and overindulging just because I am eating for two (hmm...maybe I shouldn't use the word "hog" when discussing weight gain in pregnant women). I was relieved to see that I have only gained 6 pounds in the first trimester...right on track with the recommended 20-30 pounds overall. We'll see how long I can keep this up, but it was a relief to know that I'm not already behind!

• We got to listen to the heartbeat via Doppler, and all I can say about that is WOW. The heartrate was 168 and going strong! The nurse found it right away but it was repeatedly muddled by strange swishing noises. She then explained that those noises were the sounds of the baby moving. Unreal. And if the frequency of those swishing sounds are any indication of the movements that I am going to feel eventually, then I am in for quite the ride!

• As soon as the nurse shut the door, Jonathan and I were alone in the exam room waiting for the doctor. He immediately began to beat-box the sound of the baby's heartbeat while dancing around and rapping, immitating our little baby just rockin' and rollin' in there to the beat. "It's Wednesday mornin'....just chillin' in mama's tummy....what should I do today?....think I'll just hang out here a little longer...." It was probably one of those moments that you just had to be there to witness, but I was dying with laughter. I'm surprised the nurse didn't come back to check on us because we were so rowdy!

• I was able to chat with the doctor a bit more about some of my labor and delivery questions and was very relieved to find out that the hospital we have chosen is her favorite, that they allow women to be up and moving around during labor (not strapped down and hooked up to a monitor the entire time unless you have an epidural), and that in general they are very accomodating so long as the mother just knows what she wants and speaks up about it. I am not making any assumptions or set birth plan about this experience because I know that ultimately my body is going to do what it wants to do and there is not much I can do to control that. I would like to try for a natural birth experience but I am not going to be upset or disappointed with myself if I decide that I need an epidural. I guess it was reassuring to know that I am going to have the flexibility to make those choices without them thinking I'm some crazy hippie lady.

• Our next appointment is on December 9th, and we all know what that means...the big SEX reveal! I had really hoped that we could get in on December 2nd, but our doctor wanted me to come in after 5 weeks instead of 4, just so they could see the organ development more clearly. "I know you are concerned about a particular part of the anatomy," she said, "but I'm concerned about the whole anatomy and we will be able to see all of that much better if we wait just a bit longer." Boo. But I definitely want them to be able to check out that little heart and all those other little parts so I guess I can supress my anticipation for one more week!

• When we hopped in the car after our visit I realized that I forgot to ask my doctor for a swine flu vaccine. I ran back into the office and was thrilled to see Ellen, a friend of mine who also volunteers at the Farmers Market and who happens to be a nurse in my doctor's practice (small world!). I mentioned that I had forgotten to ask for a shot and she just grabbed my file from the front desk, scooted me right back to an exam room, and hooked me up! It pays to have connections, and you can bet that I'll be putting Ellen's number in my phone to call when we head to the hospital someday. She does hospital rounds as well and I'm thinking it could pay off to have a friend on the labor and delivery nursing staff! Need a reason to start volunteering? You might make friends who can step in and give you some perks when it really counts!

• Not related to this visit, but you should all know that we have ordered our new camera and will pick it up next weekend. This means that belly picks are just around the corner!

Italian Tortelli Soup

Since I am now actually able to stomach cooking again, I have been able to whip up dinner on the few nights that I don't have to work (although those nights are increasing now that the semester is winding down, woohoo!). While I typically try to plan out a menu for the week, lately I have been in the mood to just cook what I feel like eating at the end of the day. Luckily I love inventing new dishes and get a thrill out of making a meal out of the contents of my pantry or fridge, so I am able to put dinner on the table, get rid of leftovers, and have a creative outlet all at once! Last night's dinner was particularly yummy, so I thought I'd share. It isn't exactly a recipe...more of a "method" if you will!

Italian Tortellini Soup

In a big stock pot, combine:

• Chicken or vegetable stock (I make stock after roasting a chicken, so I always have baggies of frozen stock in the freezer. Just zap the baggie for a minute, break the icy stock into chunks, dump them in the pot and let 'er melt!)
• Canned tomatoes: I actually used leftover marinara sauce from making spaghetti squash a few days ago...it worked perfectly because it was already seasoned with onions, garlic, red wine, and oregano. You could use a jar of your favorite pasta sauce, canned diced tomatoes, canned crushed tomatoes, or canned whole tomatoes that you chop up yourself (just stick your kitchen shears in the can and go to town to save the mess of cutting them on a board!)
• Veggies and Greens: I had carrots and a lone zucchini on hand, as well as some kale from the farmer's market (I heart kale. Buy some today.). If I had not used the pasta sauce for my "tomato" component I would have added onion and garlic. You could substitue fresh spinach leaves for the kale, but just be sure that you leave the greens out and add them at the end of cooking, with the pasta.
• Canned Beans: I used a can of canellini beans, but garbanzos (chick peas) would also be a good choice.
• Frozen Tortellini or Mini Ravioli: Once the broth/tomato/veggie/bean mixture has come to a boil, toss in a bag of frozen tortellini and simmer until tortellini is tender.
• Cheese: We made homemade pizza on Sunday and I had a chunk of fresh mozzerella leftover. Spoon the soup into bowls, top with some cheese, and pop those suckers under the broiler until the cheese is all bubbly and melted, a la French Onion Soup.

While the soup was coming to a boil I mixed up some biscuit dough and added some finely chopped fresh rosemary and black pepper to make them a bit more savory. By the time they were out of the oven the soup was finished and we were ready to roll!

Soup is one of my favorite ways to use what I already have in the kitchen. It saves money and leaves you feeling like a culinary rockstar / pioneer woman!

Don't Get Cocky

Once you hit your second trimester it is tempting to get cocky. The nausea recedes. Your energy returns. You start to think that you are really out of the woods.

Then suddenly, you are running through your house at the speed of light and knee-sliding to a stop in front of the toilet.

Pregnancy sure has a way of keeping you humble.

P.S. Tums mixed berry antacids are surprisingly tasty. If they would make a sour version they might come close to Sweet Tarts. I think I'll write a letter and make that suggestion. But then I guess sour Tums is kind of an oxymoron.