Goodland Boys Home

So as I mentioned before, I went to Goodland Boys Home in Hugo, OK last week. My friend, who is more like a little brother, Isaac, is a Youth Minister at Eastside Presbyterian Church in Durant, OK and I went as a sponsor with his youth group, along with his mom and sister.

I first started going to Goodland when I was a freshman in high school with my own youth group. Isaac and his sister Sarah were a part of that as well and so was their mom, as our sponsor. Sarah and I graduated together and we have been friends since her family moved here back in oh 6th grade or so. But neither of us had been back to Goodland since about 1998, so it was definitely a blast from the past for us and a good time was had by all!

***A little bit of history ***

Goodland was founded in 1848 by the Choctaw Indian Tribe. It was founded during the Trail of Tears-which if you don't know about, you need to go back to history class-as a small community in which the children could become educated in a school setting while also learning about the Christian faith.

It houses boys from all over the country who either have been in and out of foster care, orphans, or boys who get into trouble and are sent there as boarding students. All the boys particpate in Boy Scouts and are members of 4-H. Goodland has many animals for these boys to be responsible for which include llamas, horses, rabbits, sheep and more.

Some of the original buildings remain such as the chapel and the gym, as well as other older buildings that were built in the early 1900's. Lots of history there.

They have a private school for the boys, but also a small public Christian school for kids in the area.
Goodland used to be federally funded, until one day long ago the government said that the teachings of Christianity must go. Refusing to abandon the Christain faith as an integral part of the education, Goodland abandoned federal funding instead. It is now funded by private donors, churches, and companies.


Goodland sits on approx. 390 acres and in the process of expanding the campus to include sports such as football, baseball, and track, and new larger buildings to educate a much larger student body, which will include both boys and girls.

The point of these mission trips is to lend a helping hand. When there, we help in many ways which could include painting a building-inside or out-, cleaning duties, landscaping duties, etc. We also interact with the boys and have a great time getting to know them.

David is the director of Goodland and has been since 1988. He built Goodland's finaces basically from the ground up. He stepped in when Goodland was facing a huge debt. With David's help, he has wiped out any debts and now Goodland sits on a little over a million dollars in funds, thanks to the generous donations. Now, a million dollars may sound like a lot of money to you and me, but to a facility that house children, pays salaries to the staff, keeps up 390 acres, animals, and all other expenses, it doesn't last too long.

Ok, now that you know a little bit about Goodland [probably more than you ever wanted to know!], I'll let ya in on our fun trip there this past week.

We have become very good friends with David over the last 15 years and we always enjoy seeing him and spending time with him and his family. David is such a character and always makes for an interesting and fun time! When the lights are out, and the children are sleeping, we like to sneak out into the night! Of course, there are other adults watching over the children while we wonder off on our excursions. :)

You never know what we might end up doing. We usually make late night trips to the local Wal-Mart and just goof off. Play some toilet paper football in the aisle, try on masks and take pictures with people, or even have a scavenger hunt inside Wal-Mart! There was this kid named Mitch who grew up at Goodland and we all became great friends with us. Well he had this watch that could turn on and off the TV's in the electronics department. No lie! So it was always great pretending to be browsing around the electronics department while the Wal-Mart employees were trying to figure out what was going on with all their TV's! They eventually found out what was going on, and he was banned from ever coming back. Whoops! But of course, that never stopped him or us. lol

There is also an old old old Indian cemetary directly across the county road from Goodland which is owned by Goodland. We like to go out there late at night and get a good scare!

Or we like to make trips into Paris, Texas-about a 20 minute drive south- and hang out there.

David, Sarah, and I like to go out during the day with one of his many metal detectors and search for old hidden treasures buried in the ground. Just the other day we found an old toy that has to be from the early 1900's! Sarah kept it and she's checking into it. Of course, it needs a little cleaning and it's dented a tad, but she's working on fixing that. Sarah loves the old history and that sort of thing so much. I go along for the ride and yeah, it's interesting, but she LOVES it. David actually gave her a metal detector this last trip, so her and I are looking forward to getting out and about here in this area and using it! We're nerds. haha

Ahhh, the good times are never ending!

I guess I didn't really go into much detail about this exact trip, but you get the idea. It's always great fun with great people.

The kids that I went with, I had never met. There were only 7 of them that made this trip, but let me tell you something-they were the best group of kids ever! Everyone gets along so well, better than most families. They are just awesome, inspirational, and fun!

So I leave for Texas today (Tuesday) and I should be back on Monday. Pretty sure I won't be doing any blogging this week. Not sure if I will have a computer while on the road, but I'll definitely write about it once I get back! I'm going to see alot of people and I'm getting anxious!!

Hope you all have a great week! Be safe!

XOXO~T

www.goodland.org

My ♥ hurts.

So today has been a tough day for me. My best friend, Kristy, lost her Dad this morning. I really don't even know what to say, my heart is hurting so much.

When I lived in Orlando, Kristy and I would take trips down to Ft. Lauderdale to see her Dad and brother and we always had so much fun. I always appreciated him letting me stay in his home. And I will always remember the time he took us all out to dinner and on the way home we were all singing along to Lowrider and acting like idiots. But man, it was a blast!

I just wish I could physically be there for Kristy and Brian-her brother. Unfortunately, they are in Alabama, where Tom had moved a couple of years ago, and I am here in Oklahoma. I have my cousins wedding this week in Texas and frankly, I just don't have enough money to hop a flight and be there for my best friend and second family. I know that Kristy would be here for me in a heartbeat if the tables were turned, and I feel like I am letting her down by not being there.

You see, Kristy and I have a different kind of relationship than most friends. We are soul mates in a completely platonic way. It's hard to explain really. I've never had another person in my life like Kristy. She actually is the only person who has never let me down. She is always there for me, no matter what. And she gets me like no one else ever has. And vice versa. I couldn't have asked for a better blessing in my life. She is my earthly angel and I miss her every single day. But I know that no matter where life may take us, we will always remain close and constant. I honestly do not know where I would be without her or how I got along all these years without her.

So with all that being said, I wish there was someway I could be there for her. Of course I'm there in spirit and she knows that, but I wish I could wrap my arms around her and tell her that everything is going to be ok. Because it will be. In time.

That Tom was quite a character and he will be missed.


***On a lighter note***

I just got back from Hugo, Oklahoma on a mission trip to Goodland Boys Home. I started going there when I was in freshman in high school with my church youth group and I was fortunate enough to go along as a sponsor with my friend Isaac's youth group. He is the Youth Minister at his church in Durant and he asked me, his sister, and mom to go and be sponsors for his youth. It was amazing, and I had such a great time like we always do! I will write more about this later and post some pics eventually.

I'm headed out to Texas this week! My cousin is getting married in Houston and I'm going to visit a few friends that I have not seen in awhile and some family that I rarely see as well. I'm super excited and can't wait!

Well, I've got to get going. It's really late, and I'm super exhausted. Hope you're all doing well, and remember to tell the ones you care about that you love them. When our time is up, there are nothing but regrets. So go on, mend some fences if you must, and tell them that you
LOVE THEM!
I'm working on this myself.

XOXO~T

Boomer! Sooner?

So as I said in my last blog, I'm having trouble with OU right now. Well, here's the frustrating story...

I applied at OU last summer-2006-and a few weeks later I got my acceptance letter. I was so happy and excited, I couldn't stand it!! I was accepted to begin classes in Jan. 2007, only one semester away!
Well, I began thinking how hard it would be to move during Christmas and all, so I decided to defer my enrollment until the Fall of 07. OU told me no problem, just send my final transcript after that current semester-Fall of 06- and then my schedule at Cameron for the Spring of 07 to prove that I was going to be continuing my education that next semester. Easy enough, right?
So I get the things I need to send off to OU and I mail them to the admissions office, oh back in Feb. or March.
Last month, I went online to enroll at OU and the website was not recognizing my student ID that OU had issued me. I called the enrollment office and they said they needed to transfer me to the admissions office. There, a lady tells me that my admission was still pending. I was confused. She said they never received the final transcript and class schedule that I had sent off back in Feb. or March. So now, I have to get my transcript once again from Cameron which takes about a week or so and send it off to OU.
I just sent it off on Friday, and I sent it certified this time so I will have proof that they received it the second time around. I should be getting that very soon. I was tempted to drive up there myself and deliver it in person, but I figured certified would work just as well. Hopefully, I can get my admission approved once again and get enrolled in time for classes that begin in a few weeks. I still have no place to live, however, as I was waiting to make sure that I was enrolled before I went up there. I would hate to find a place and then find out I'm going to Cameron again. And I was really hoping that I could buy a place as opposed to renting. But time is short, and I want to make sure I have time to look for a place before I invest that much money into something. Looks like I'll be renting for now.
Oh, and one more thing that makes this all frustrating for me, I didn't do so well this past semester at school. I actually dropped my GPA from a 3.0 to a 2.5, mainly because I had signed up for a Saturday class that I totally forgot about and now I have a nice big fat 'F' on my transcript. So that all sucks. My GPA is still above the minimum requirement for OU, but still. It kinda blows your ego just a tad.

Anyway, that's the story. I'll let you know how it goes and if I get to go to OU this semester or not. I really hope so because I'm totally looking forward to the football games! Go Sooners!


XOXO~T

Here I am...

Welcome me to the world of blogging everyone! Yeah, I've posted a blog or two on my Myspace page, but I've never really taken it upon myself to have a serious blog. I mean, c'mon, who really thinks that their life is interesting enough to sit down and write about? Throughout my childhood, I had always tried to keep a journal of some sort, but after a short time, I would quit writing and continue about my daily life without even thinking about the journal. Hopefully, I can be somewhat better at this blogging thing. I have finally caved in, and who knows, maybe somewhere along the way I'll actually garner and audience of one or two people! lol

Well a little about me- I'm 27 years old and finally a sophomore in college! Woohoo! It's only taken me, what, almost 10 years to get there, but damn it, I'm not a freshman anymore! You don't know how ecstatic I was to see SOPHOMORE printed on my transcript! Why has it taken me not quite 10 years to finally become a college sophomore? Well, I haven't been continuously enrolled in school and I've moved around and tried and experienced new things and places along the way.

I was in a group called Up With People. That was probably the most life changing experience I will ever have. I was fortunate enough to be chosen into this program in 2000. I packed only one suitcase and I was off to Colorado! I spent the summer living in Windsor (not far from Ft. Collins and Greeley) and "working" in Denver.
That summer, over 700 students from all over the world gathered at a large high school north of Denver where we learned and rehearsed the songs, dances, and staging of our large off broadway production. The show we performed was focused on multi-cultural acceptance and appreciation. It was amazing! Every few years, the show changed but always kept the same message. The show I was a part of was called "A Common Beat." I think it is by far the best show Up With People (UWP) has produced. But I'm not biased or anything ;)
After spending the summer preparing the show, we hit the road to tour. The large group was split into 3 different road crews and I was a part of Cast C. There were already 2 other groups touring since January of that year, so in all, there were 5 groups on the road each year. With Cast C, we traveled through the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario and Quebec Canada, and New York. While traveling and performing our show for these communities, we also stayed with host families and did community service in each town we visited. It was very interesting meeting the locals of each stop and getting to know their culture. Quebec was a little hard for me at first to adjust to, I experienced a little bit of culture shock, but it turned out to be so amazing! Sometimes you have to step outside your comfort zone to appreciate and have a respect for people, places, and cultures.
Trouble did arise while on tour, however.
Midway through what was supposed to be a year long tour, UWP needed to disband due to financial problems. UWP always has been non profit, and unfortunately, someone had not managed the financial aspect of the entire organization too well and therefore, left us disembarking after only 6 months. I did not get to experience my part of the tour which would have let me experience some wonderful places and cultures over in Europe. I was devastated and heartbroken. I had nothing left to do, but return home.

So, in December of 2000, I came back to good ole Duncan, Oklahoma. But not after first traveling to NYC for New Year's and meeting many of my UWP cast mates in Orlando, FL for a little vacation and some fun.

In Jan. 2001, I learned about a program at Walt Disney World called the College Program. I was very excited about learning this, as I was anxious to get out of Duncan again and a little bitter for having to come back so soon. So I applied, was accepted, and the next month on my way to Orlando, FL!
I lived in one of the apt. complexes that Disney owned and ran specifically for this program. It felt more like a dorm though. Sharing a room with someone, checking in and out, obeying all the rules that might apply at a university, etc. I worked at WDW's All Star Sports Resort. It felt more like the Motel 6 of Disney, and that's usually what we all called it. My first choice of job was in entertainment, which I had been accepted into. I would be working in one of the parades at EPCOT! How exciting! But, as I would soon learn before my arrival, the entertainment dept. was no longer accepting new hires so I had to go with my second choice-hotel hospitality.
So, as a 'cast member' at Disney World, I was referred to as a Front Desk Hostess and wore a costume to work-not a uniform and we were always on stage. lol Kinda cheesy, but isn't that what Disney is all about? The pay wasn't that great, but most internships aren't paid anyway, so that was nice. The best perk was getting into the parks for free! If I wanted to ride the Tower of Terror at MGM Studios, I just went, rode it, and left. :) I definitely went to EPCOT at least once a week to see the Illuminations fireworks show every night. By far, one of my favorite things in this world. I even bought the damn soundtrack.
As a Disney cast member, I also received discounts on merchandise, park tickets, and Disney resorts. My family came to visit and I put them up at the brand new Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge which had only been open about a month-for half the price it cost! It was also nice getting a few free tickets every few months from Disney, and trading those out with employees at Universal Studios for their free tickets, so I didn't pay to go to Universal either. Score! There were about 30 other students that had been a part of UWP and decided to try out the College Program (CP) at WDW also.

And I met 2 of my bestest friends while there-Joey and Kelly Mac! Love you guys :)



My internship at Disney was a 6 month stint, but I loved Orlando so much that I decided to stay there after the internship had ended. So I moved in with Kelly Mac and started working at Lane Bryant in the Florida Mall. I eventually worked my way up to Assistant Manager and stayed there for a few years.

I met my very best friend, Kristy, during this time. I LOVE YOU!!



I had some of the best times of my life in Orlando, and it still feels like home to me. I get a little emotional just thinking about it because I miss it there so much. I especially miss going to the beach!!! After a few years there, I decided to come back home to Duncan for a few reasons. I missed my family, especially my grandparents and my new little niece. And I thought I was ready to go back to school. So I worked, and went to school part time.

But I wasn't quite ready to settle down just yet. I still had the itch to try something new and explore.

So Kristy talked me into moving to NY with her, her home state. I packed up once again and moved on my birthday in 2004 to Long Island, New York. What a drive! lol I had always wanted to live in NY, and hey, Long Island was pretty damn close to NYC. What an experience it was! I was always teased for having such a southern accent (which I personally don't think I have a strong one at all) and being so laid back. I stood out like a sore thumb up there, but what a great time! It was so nice just to hop the train into the city and go see a show, or eat dinner, or head to the museums, or go clubbing.
I miss NYC at Christmas time, although I will never miss the snow, ice, and cold.

But then I realized after only a year there, that I was definitely ready for school.
So I moved back and enrolled at Cameron Univ. in Jan of 2006 and I've been back here ever since. In school full time for over a year, which is a personal record. I will be a transfer student at the University of Oklahoma next month, if they can get their records straight at the offices up there and not screw it up for me. lol I'm having a few setbacks with that, which is another story I'll get into at another time. So that's my story of the last few years of my life. If you have any questions, don't hesitate. And I'm sure I left out a few parts here and there but it's my bedtime and I'm tired. I might have to come back and edit if I think of anything else.

Check out these websites for more information.

www.upwithpeople.org
www.wdwcollegeprogram.com

XOXO ~T