do the monster mash.

What a week!  It’s finally starting to feel like fall in Oklahoma, thank goodness.  This means a wonderful season of cardigans, pumpkin flavored goodies and all sorts of fall fun to look forward to.

Although I have had a bit of a late start indulging in all that fall has to offer, this Friday I set out with a few of my friends in search of their perfect Halloween costumes.

Only two days aways from Halloween, and only hours away from a Halloween get-together, we rushed to find the nearest costume supply store.  Fortunately, Stillwater had just what we were looking for.  After driving around for a bit, we eventually stumbled upon “Costumes, balloons and more!”  We were welcomed into the store by scarecrows and decorative pumpkins, and as we passed through the doors we became overwhelmed with wall-to-wall costumes and creepy decorations hanging from the ceiling.  

Jumping into the Halloween Heaven, we embarked on our adventure.  My friends, Ms. Erin and Ms. Sara, were determined to find something that suited their classy taste.  After rummaging through many Disney princess and Star Wars themed costumes, the pair eventually decided to just keep it simple.

Ms. Erin found an adorable pair of mouse ears and a matching tail, while Ms. Sara left the store still in search of the perfect costume.

Overall, it was a rushed but productive experience.  Even though only one purchase was made, the store was able to spark a creativity light bulb for everyone else as they continued their Halloween search.

End notes:

Happy Halloween.

Lend your ears to: 7 Social Media Tips for Creating an Effective Online Presence

Check out this pumpkin.  

Yes.  That is Jesus.  Courtesy of Mrs. Kathryn Johnson.  

don’t you love mini-ventures?

I’m not sure what all of you thought about this week, but if you live in Stillwater, this week was absolute crazy-ness due to the biggest homecoming in the nation.

Blaming lack of sleep and time, I was only able to devote myself to a quick mini-venture early this Saturday morning: The homecoming parade.

The homecoming parade drew my attention immediately—what better way to celebrate the community of small town than to be an active viewer of the annual homecoming parade. 

What I enjoyed the most about this early morning festivity was the wonderful opportunity to people watch.  It seemed that everyone was connected to each other in some way, whether it be old classmates greeting each other after a year of being apart or a school teacher saying a passing hello to one their students, people were brought together through the excitement of a fall, football homecoming.

This morning was splendid.   It was wonderful to see a community come together and enjoy each other’s company through a delightful parade filled with tractors, horses, floats and lots of smiles.

On a terribly random note, have any of you heard of JJ Heller?  If you haven’t, please Google her now.  Her music is inspiring to the weary college student—her lyrics are a lovely reminder of where we can find pure joy and peace.  If you happen to listen to one of her past casual podcasts, you can tell she has an overflowing joy in her heart that definitely comes out in her faith-based music. 

stole my heart.

 

*Song: Stole My Heart, Little & Ashley

"day-cation" bliss.

Some weeks call for a refreshing retreat.  Pack a day-bag, and get out of town.  Forget scheduling or maps; just get in your car and drive.  Drive no more than an hour to your location; you will want to stay in the general area, while being far enough away to feel like you are on a vacation.  Who knows where you will end up and what adventures will be waiting for you, the discovery is an essential part of the everyday adventure.

This concept is known as the “day-cation.”

       -Leave.  Explore.  Enjoy.  Return in the same day.

Embrace this concept.  It has the potential to break up long weeks and refresh the body and mind. 

Suggested Packing List:

Your own music creation

Create a play list that will set a carefree, sunny tone throughout the day.

A perfect example--this video never fails to make me smile : )

Sunglasses

Because staring directly into the sun is only fun for about two seconds.

Cellular Device

Just in case you already used “50/50” and “ask the audience,” phoning a friend is helpful when you seem to have lost your sense of direction.

Milk Money

Remember to bring money for lunch.  Your tummy will thank you.

An Extra Pair of Socks

You just never know when you might step in mud.  This applies to jeans and t-shirts as well.  Try to pack an extra pair of essential clothing in case of unfortunate weather mishaps*

Camera

Be a tourist.  Document everything.

Keys

They start your car, it would be wise not to forget them.

*In case of unfortunate weather mishaps, please enjoy them; don’t turn sour.  If it rains, go dance in it—you packed extra clothes, so no worries ; )

But the most important bullet on the packing list is….

A FRIEND.  

Please do not venture alone.  First, it is safer.  If you are taking a day-cation to a spontaneous location you do not want to be alone; mis-adventures happen, and it is much better to have someone to share them with.  Second, it is more fun—you need a car-singing buddy anyway.

Easy enough, right?  Now venture.  Have fun, un-wind and feel the breeze run through your hair as you roll your car windows down and play your music to where your voice seems to be in perfect harmony with the artist.

Last week I ventured out on my own day-cation with Mr. Michael Kent.  Instead of telling you how our day went, please enjoy living it along with us through the wonderful world of photographic images.  

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.