spoon. yes, like the utensil.

Oh, what a week- a week filled with tests and toe tragedies.

This week I had little time to spend venturing in Stillwater, but during the middle of the week I had an epiphany.

Why not give back to the town that is allowing me to spend four years of my life enjoying its small-town quaint-ness?

As I sat in my car on Wednesday night beside the local Braum’s Creamery, indulging myself in a small chocolate Butterfinger mix (with extra Butterfinger), I was relaxing to sweet, Jesus-music on the House FM.   Mesmerized by the gorgeous setting autumn sun, I overheard a radio announcement that inspired my weekend.

Celebration Stillwater.  A free event sponsored by businesses and churches in the Stillwater area.

Intrigued, I found myself searching the social media outlets for the House FM—Facebook, Twitter—all that fun stuff.  It was terribly helpful; I was able to find out all of the information I needed in order to create a weekend adventure.

Now, it was time to find somewhere to offer myself as a servant. 

Thursday rolled around and I found myself at FCA where the members were looking for volunteers for Celebration Stillwater—perfect timing.

Before I knew it, I was on my way to Couch Park on a fabulous fall Saturday.

I was greeted with smiles and was put to work immediately. 

This is Spoon.  

He’s pretty sexy and he knows it.

Spoon was my buddy for the day, and I must say we got pretty close—close enough that the silly horse left a hickey on my hip!  It was a loving relationship.

With the early afternoon sun beaming through the trees, I led little ones on their very own adventure—a horseback ride!  This was a blast.  I had many wonderful conversations with adorable, enthusiastic kids—such as, “Does the horsey eat the fluffy grass??? I’ve eaten grass before, I’ve also eaten dirt!”

After awhile, Spoon got tired of me leading him around in the same circle over and over and over again—so I switched jobs.  The next task: loading duty.

He should be the next Gatorade model.

This job was not necessarily the best on the back, but it was worth it.  I would get to toss the little kids up onto the horses, get them settled into the saddle and tell them to hold on as tight as they could.  Reactions from the kids were priceless.  

There were excited smiles, nervous smiles, enthusiast laughs and screams of terror—the screams of terror were, of course, followed by lots of hugs and kind convincing that the “horsey” was really sweet and that they would have a wonderful time horseback riding. This job lasted until the last little blue-eyed girl rode the final trail of the day.

This adventure was time well spent.  It was a complete joy. 

Here are some adventurer tips and take-aways from the day:

-Volunteer.  It's easy to get caught up in our own lives and forget there is a town outside of Oklahoma State University.  It's nice to meet the people in the town where you live.

-Venture solo.  I ventured into volunteering alone, and I discovered a new confidence outside of my comfort zone.  I met a variety of people and had some wonderful conversations.

-Serve with a smile.  Enjoy your time helping others!  Don't go into the day with a sour attitude.  If you are having a fun time, others around you will pick up on your positive vibe.  Happiness- it's contagious : )

-Having a hard time finding a place to serve?  Just ask!  Ask anyone; if you are willing to serve, someone will gratefully accept your offer.

Have you had a positive volunteering experience?  Please, share!  Comment or tweet (@elkcrossing)-- I would love to hear about your adventures.  

This little piggy did not find her way home.

It's mini-venture time.  

(If you have not yet been introduced with the tragic saga of my big toe, I encourage you to look back and catch up on past events.)

Tonight, my big toe lost the battle.  The battle of being somewhat acceptable looking, that is.

The battleground: the BCM.

Happily conversing with my dear friend Shannon, ironically, discussing how wonderful my toe has been healing, disaster struck.

Suddenly, a large mass of a handsome-young-male-college student was being hurled in my direction. Without a moment to move, his tennis shoe made the unfortunate contact with my big toe, and his entire weight was isolated on my foot.

Pushing the young man off my toe, I could only imagine what tragedy I would be met with.

To spare you all of the horrific details, the little piggy did not find her way home.  Instead, her toenail was somewhere lost within the basement of the BCM-- disgusting, I know.

After returning home, I had to deal with the situation at hand.

Please enjoy this video of me smiling through my suffering.

a button from 1786.

You know those days that seem to last forever?  The days where you glance at the clock every once in a while and realize that time has not moved.  You know, those long days. 

Long days are sometimes good; sometimes, they may even be wonderful—like when you spend the whole day in the company of love, and as every second passes you are holding on and wishing for more.  Those are good, long days.

Well, Thursday wasn’t that kind of a long day.

From the minute I woke up I realized that “one of those days” was waiting impatiently for me. 

After this realization, I began to search my mind for remedies to the day.  Using a handy search engine I was able to come across a unique establishment not far from where I live. 

Welcome to the The Sheerar Museum of Stillwater History.

Tucked away on Duncan Street, you can stumble upon The Sheerar Cultural Center, which is located across from the First Baptist Church.  The center itself was built way back in 1928 as the First Church of Christ, Scientist—the first of its kind this side of the Mississippi. 

For this adventure, I was able to persuade a couple of floor mates to accompany me.  Meet Emily and Evan.

They were entertained by the “tornado” for quite some time; just one of the many thrills The Sheerar Museum of Stillwater holds.

Walking into the historic building, we were immediately greeted and introduced to the first exhibit.  Buttons. 

Buttons of every color, shape and size.  There were hundreds.  Mrs. Sheerar collected them after the love of her life had to leave her side.  To pass the time she would take excursions to venture out and find rare and unique buttons.  The buttons displayed each have a distinct history, with the oldest dating back to 1786.

Once you have fully taken in the buttons, the tour continues down a ramp into the basement of the building where you are prompted to sign a guest book.

Then the tour begins.  Beginning in pre-European times, the Sheerar Museum guides you through Stillwater’s history with documents, artifacts and photographs. 

Passing through each decade, tourists are able to see the progression of Stillwater.  Included in most every exhibit is Oklahoma State University. 

Did you know that Old Central was built with $14,000ish?  Well, now you do.

As you walk past the exhibits you get a taste of life in Stillwater—the people, the culture and the way the outside world has had an effect on this small, rural town.

The museum ends time in 2000 and empties its tourists into a quaint gift shop.

This adventure was pleasant.  Who knew Stillwater had a museum of its history?  I didn’t.  Stumbling upon this time capsule was delightful.  I mean, if I am going to live in Stillwater I might as well know where it came from. 

History is fascinating.  People are wonderful.  And if you combine the two, you make for a splendid afternoon that breaks up “one of those days.”

In one week they will be opening up a new exhibit as a tribute to first responders in Stillwater.  We saw them working on the exhibit and it is sure to be lovely.  Also, it’s free.  So don’t try to pull the “I’m a poor college student” excuse. 

If you are intrigued, stop by for yourself.  Bring your camera, take pictures and enjoy viewing time seemingly stand pleasantly still.  

this little piggy.

Disclaimers:

If you are one with a faint heart and a slightly weak stomach, this blog post may not be suitable for you.

For your safety and overall comfort, I do not suggest re-enacting this adventure.

This adventure began with a large black box.  No, this is not a philosophical, abstract metaphor; I mean this in the most literal sense.  After a blustery drive back to Oklahoma State University I was eager to move back into my room.  Over the weekend I had purchased some decorative pieces to lighten up my room and give it a unique quirky style.  Among my purchases was a large black storage box that I was eager and determined to move by myself.

I bent with my knees and lifted the massive piece of furniture into my feeble arms and proceeded to carry it up to the entrance of my building.

As I opened the door, I began to lose my grip on the black box.  Flustered, I lost track of the door that was soon to become my worst enemy.  Just as I had regained composure with the black box the wind caught hold of the door and flung the six bajillion pound door into direct contact with my right big toe.

The door loved my toe a little too much, and did not want to let go.  In that moment, I knew there was no hope for my injured toe.  Bravely, I ignored the fact that there was a possibility that the “little piggy that went to the marketplace” would not be coming back home. 

After calmly walking back into the lounge, I was greeted with exclamations of horror.  I was followed to my room with a group of deeply concerned floor mates that were worried about the fountain of blood pouring from my large toe.

Once I made my way to my room, I promptly fell on my rear end and examined the damage.  Shock soon took over my body and I wasn’t able to take care of myself.  Thankfully, I have been blessed with floor mates with strong stomachs.  Without hesitation I had help from a considerate floor mate who helped clean the icky-ness off my foot and bandage the wounded toe.

This event in itself is an adventure.  Yes, I know, this doesn’t necessarily have to happen in a small town.  But, I thought this adventure was just so dramatic I felt obligated to share the events with you.

I promise, in the future, I will try my best to hold true to the original intent of the blog and provide you adventures that you can re-create and enjoy.

I understand that ripping your toenail off just doesn’t really fit into that category.

But!  A trip to your local University Health Services does!

So. 

After traumatically injuring my foot, the next day I ventured to UHS.  Limping into the waiting room, I was greeted with a pool of poor college students seeking relief from colds, stomachaches and various other unfortunate happenings. 

The waiting room is a fantastic place to network with other students.  There are always opportunities for conversation starters, and you never know, you might just leave with a new b.f.f.—unlikely, but it’s still a possibility.

After the waiting room, I was escorted to the back of UHS where my vitals were taken and I was thoroughly assessed by a kind clinical assistant. 

During the final steps of my adventure, I met with a doctor.

Here were my two options:

1) Remove the entire toenail now.

Thoughts: Uh, no thank you.

2) Let the toe do its thing, and remove it later.

Thoughts: Well, it’s better than the first.

Needless to say, I chose option two.  So, if you happen to catch me on campus, do not be alarmed as I hobble up to greet you.  If you do not like the sight of an oddly discolored toe, do not look at my feet.  You have been warned.

Overall, my adventure with UHS was a pleasant experience.  I would definitely suggest it to any ailing person.  If you are not ill or feeling under the weather, I do not suggest running to UHS for an afternoon of fun.

For the most part, this adventure can be categorized as a mis-adventure.

However, even though this was a mis-adventure, it was still filled with memorable moments that will forever be humored.  

expectations.

Temporarily living in the quaint town of Stillwater, Oklahoma, I find myself searching for places that will evoke awe and adventure, places that you will want to re-visit and places that will become novel to your time spent in this lovely orange town.

If you have ever found yourself at a loss for ideas for what to do on a sunny Saturday afternoon, then you may have found a home away from home.  Each week, I will venture out into the Stillwater area and discover places that will provide you with a unique experience that will leave you feeling fully satisfied with your weekend. These adventures are meant to be shared, so, take a few of your friends, or your special someone, and spend a day exploring something completely new. 

I will be posting pictures, videos and documenting my adventures, and potential mis-adventures (note the picture below), for you to steal away some adventuresome inspiration.