My Sober (Yes, it’s possible) Adventures at Oktoberfest

This was my first time to ever go to Oktoberfest, and I must say I rather enjoyed myself. I have lived here my whole life and I have never been. I think my desire to go this year stemmed from missing out on the state fair and my fascination with the Eastland-mall style tents that reminded me of a day when it was safe to be east of 169 on 21^st street (True Tulsans will catch the now-ghetto mall reference).

I am not a big drinker and I do not drink beer whatsoever. I gag if my nose gets too close to it – gross. So, you might wonder (as I did) what in the world could I possibly enjoy at a “fest” geared almost entirely to the celebration of beer?

·         Well, for starters, I got an excellent parking spot (Reason I loved the “fest” #1). I parked on the east side of the river and enjoyed a leisurely stroll with my husband across the bridge. Bad parking situations are a huge pet peeve of mine. I have been known to become so irate with terrible parking situations (i.e. Tulsa State Fair) that I simply go home because I do not have the patience to tolerate the jumbled up mess and idiotic drivers who cause the already horrendous problem to be even more of a cluster.

·         Unbeknownst to us, Oktoberfest started at 11:00 a.m. and we inadvertently managed to arrive at 11:05, which was absolutely wonderful! There was hardly anyone there and we almost had free reign of the place (Reason I loved the “fest” #2). As much as I hate jumbled up parking messes, I hate jumbled up swarms of people much more. I detest strange people bumping into me; even if you exclaim, “Oh, I’m sorry!” I will not forgive you.

·         Most of all, I loved the food! Even if you don’t enjoy beer, you can always enjoy the huge variety of food (Reason I loved the “fest” #3). The husband consumed a bratwurst faster than I believed was humanly possible; I enjoyed my giant pretzel. Together we tried a Bavarian cheesecake strudel, which was absolutely fantastic and every flaky layer gives me more reason to return next year.

·         I didn’t know what lederhosen were prior to my visit to Oktoberfest, but after seeing everyone and their dog (not a figure of speech, in this case) wearing them, I caught on quickly (Reason I loved the “fest” #4). Definitely don’t see suspenders every day.

I believe I will be returning next year, even if it's only to try the other flavors of strudel!

My Top 8 - Fall Edition

Thought I would share something a little more light-hearted for this week’s blog post. To be entirely honest, I wanted to post something that required little to absolutely zero thought, as I have been suffering from post-wedding stress disorder – trust me, it’s a very real thing, just ask my victim…I mean, husband.

Fall is my most favorite time of the year.  There are certain things (sights, sounds, smells etc.) about it that just make me innately, inexplicably content and thankful to be alive. Here is a list of my top eight fall-errific things:

1.       Pumpkin-flavored things. It doesn’t matter what it is; if it’s pumpkin flavored, I’m going to try it. My most beloved pumpkin-flavored treat this fall is Cherry Berry’s Pumpkin Pie frozen yogurt. The 71^st & Garnett location has the treat and I highly recommend it. Like them on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/cherryberry71standgarnett?sk=wall

2.       The OMG-is-something-burning-smell?!?! when the heater is turned on for the first time for the season. It’s slightly alarming and unnerving; yet, entirely delightful at the same time.

3.       Crunchy leaves. I will wander into oncoming traffic in order to step on a ridiculously crunchy-looking leaf and hear that satisfying sound.
4.        Halloween festivities. I adore Halloween, but the kid-version. I hate scary movies. I am already paranoid enough. I have also been known to – inadvertently – physically retaliate when someone in a haunted house infiltrates my personal space. Therefore, I steer clear of adult-themed Halloween activities and opt for more demure – albeit, childish – ones. You can find me cruising through the hay bale maze at the local pumpkin patch and kicking it with the kiddos at Hallow-Zoo-een (the Tulsa Zoo’s perfectly safe and only mildly frightening trick-or-treating festival). Learn more about it at http://www.tulsazoo.org/

5.       Craft shows. Dear God, I love craft shows. I love them even more if instead of “show” they use the word “fair” or “bazaar” in the name – I mean, who doesn’t love a good bazaar?

6.       Candles that smell like desserts. Bath and Body Works has awesome food-inspired scents this year. I can fool guests (and my new husband) into thinking I baked.  You can fake-bake too! http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/family/index.jsp?page=1&cm_sp=LN-_-VIEW+MORE-_-+Candles&cp=4090262.4090363&categoryId=11323030

7.       The return of the flu and other related illnesses. Hold on, let me explain. Getting and having the flu or any other illness is no fun and I am not saying I enjoy being sick or my loved ones being sick. HOWEVER, I enjoy the presence of these infectious problems for multiple reasons. The first being that they provide an exceptionally legitimate excuse for taking sick leave, when perhaps, one is not as sick as one may indicate to one’s boss (Disclaimer: I would never in a ba-jallion years ever do this). It’s only courteous to stay home if you might be feeling something coming on. It is irrelevant if it ever actually does “come on.” The second reason to love the flu season is my most obnoxious co-worker is highly sensitive to getting sick, which equals less time in this person’s annoying presence. (This is a joke...of course, I mean I love ALL my co-workers...equally...and would never wish them harm...ever. What?! I promise!)

8.    The cheap decorations in the “$1 bins” at Target. I’m not sure of the actual name of these “bins,” but I like to refer to them as such because the majority of the items in them are only one dollar. They are located, at least at the Targets I frequent, immediately as you walk in – the perfect location for maximum enticement. This year, I bought adorable Halloween-themed kitchen towels and even cuter socks, which I may or may not be wearing right now.

May you all have the fortune to enjoy these fall things this season!

It's Facebook Official

This is my second attempt at blogging. You would think I would be more comfortable with this; yet, oddly enough, it is still slightly awkward to "put out there" whatever it is that I am thinking, which, recently, has not been much of anything.

I did make my Facebook fan page, which means that I am, officially, a fan of Owasso Volleyball Club. I contemplated making a fan page for myself, but the pessimistic side of me wouldn't allow it as there is a high probability that no one would "like" it -- including myself. Fortunately, a former assistant coach of mine suggested I make one for Owasso Volleyball Club, a non-profit volleyball club that I used to coach for. I coached with OVC for three years and loved every minute! OVC is fortunate to have a wonderful board of directors and an even better coaching staff (it's still fabulous -- even without me). OVC was created in order to provide an affordable alternative to the extremely expensive volleyball clubs in Tulsa. OVC still prides itself on its financial accessibility and has now grown to serve the greater Tulsa area.

For these reasons, I am, most definitely, a fan of OVC. There is also an added bonus to creating the OVC fan page. I am looking into doing my graduate creative project over OVC. For the project, I hope to increase awareness of OVC and create a successful marketing approach for the organization. This Facebook fan page could help out with that goal.

Even though creating a fan page and posting it to my personal account did make me feel a little strange, ultimately, I think it was a good learning experience and could help me out with my project later. I suppose I am a fan of creating Facebook fan pages.

Check out my Facebook fan-tastic page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Owasso-Volleyball-Club/159596720800623