Thursday, January 19, 2006

A Trip With Oprah

This past weekend I was leaving Oklahoma, heading back to Dallas with Kim and Holly, when we began talking about a subject that has been in my head ever since. It wasn’t a topic of controversy, or a conversation of deep thought. We were talking about friends. Kim mentioned something that Oprah recently said about having true friends. Everyone needs one great friend. Someone who is honest to the core. Someone you trust, someone you can laugh with, cry with, travel with, etc. Just an all-round true friend.

Kim asked Holly and me if we had any REALLY true friends. Ones we could count on at all times. Ones who would tell us the truth, even if they knew it would hurt us. As I sat there and thought about it for a few seconds, three friends instantly came to mind. Two of those friends are my mom and sister. I asked if they counted and Kim just shrugged.

If they count, then my mom and sister are definitely two of my best friends. I know they’ll be brutally honest in any situation. They love me for who I am and for who I want to be. Hands-down, I laugh the hardest when I’m with my mom and sister. If I had to pick one person in the world to travel with, it would be my sister. She and I have the best times on our trips. She and I are complete opposites, but we’re completely the same! I know it sounds crazy, but that’s us! My mom and I are much more alike. I know that I can talk to her about anything. She always has the right answer. It might not be the answer I want to hear, but she knows exactly what to say. She’s who I want to talk to after a bad day and who I want to celebrate with on a great day.

If my mom and sister don’t count, then I can really only think of one friend that I would call my constant, true, die-hard, honest friend. She’ll tell me like it is, no matter what, I’ll get an honest answer. She’s seen me laugh, cry and a combination of both. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been mad at her. We’ve argued, laughed, shopped, traveled, cried…the list goes on.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I have a lot of friends that I count as great friends. I’d even call some of them best friends, but those three stand out as my constants. So, what about the people who don’t have those kinds of friends? I don’t know what Oprah said about it, but I’ll agree with her when she says it’s important for a girl to have a friend like that. I’m not sure what I would do without my friends. It’s tough to imagine. Anyway, that’s been on my mind this week. I hope you are all blessed with friends.

Friday, January 13, 2006

Friday's "Paint a Picture"

My friend Kim has a series on her blog called "Monday's Paint a Picture." Basically, every Monday Kim posts an entry about an individual, who happens to be a friend of hers, with the intent of giving her readers the opportunity to "get to know" this individual better. To give you an idea of what this looks like, here is a link to one of her "Paint a Picture" entries. This entry was pretty special to me.

So, over the past few months, I've been reading Kim's blog and I've realized that a very important person has been left out of the "Monday's Paint a Picture" series...Kim. Now, I completely understand that she's not going to dedicate an entire post to herself, nor is she going to ask her friends to comment on what a great person she is, so I've decided to take matters into my own hands and dedicate this "Paint a Picture" entry to my pal, Kim Smith.

I first got to know Kim through our social club, GATA, at our grand ole' alma mater. I knew who she was during our sophomore year, pledged with her, but didn't really get to know her until our junior year of college. Now, I don't remember the instant we became friends or the event that took place that brought us together, but I do know that my college experience would not have been as fun without her in my life. I can't even begin to tell you about all of my memories with Kim. Some of them I can't write down, some are just too long to even tell, and others no one else would find funny except the two of us. I have memories from intramurals, pranking, officer meetings, road trips, making costumes, Sing Song and the list goes on. Kim's a little bitty thing, but she's got a lot of heart and more determination than most of the people I know.

I'm honored to call Kim one of my best friends. I'm thankful that she and I have been able to stay close after we graduated from college and I'm blessed to have her in my life. She's honest, trustworthy, dependable, funny, strong, positive and much, much more. Below are a few comments from other friends of Kim's. If you know Kim and appreciate who she is and what she does, please leave a comment and let her know what she means to you.

Kim is a great friend for so many reasons. She's always willing to help someone else out, go out of her way to make you smile or send an e-mail that makes your day. I love her laugh, sense of humor and thoughtfulness.
-Misty Willcox

Well, I hate to encourage the growth of Kim’s head, but I do have to admit that she is an amazing gal! She has a wonderful and unique sense of humor that everyone seems to enjoy. I almost always end up laughing every time I see her or talk to her.
-Cheryl Leland

Kimberly is someone I take pride in knowing and in being able to call one of my closest friends. I have known her for over four years now. Those who don’t know her personally, or who have never had the chance to meet her, are truly missing out on something great. She offers up so many amazing things to this world that one cannot even begin to count them all on their fingers. Just a few of the things I love about her are: her constant pursuit of honesty, her awesome sense of humor, her outgoingness, her love of people and of friends, and her leadership capabilities. Besides that, she is also a great writer! People like Kimberly stand out from the crowd and are loved by many. Indeed, one can only hope to learn many great things from this unique, loving, intellectual, human being! -Holly Herr


My favorite memories of her are from my sophomore year when we lived across the "street" from each other - in Morris and UP, and also all the fun times we've had since moving back to the Metroplex. I'm also excited that she is working with me to accoplish one of my 100 life goals - to see every movie that's ever been named Best Picture! In short, if you're with Kim, you're probably having a great time! Love ya, pal!!!
-Misty Willcox

Some of my best memories were when we lived across the hall from each other in the dorms sophomore year. I remember on several occasions looking out my door and seeing Kim with her door open, "microphone" in hand, dancing and singing in front of her mirror (one of the things she does best). While she is so light-hearted and playful, she also has a serious side that she lets her close friends see. Kim and I have had many “deep” conversations over the years and she doesn’t hesitate to challenge my thinking. She is very intelligent and she loves to learn new things! Kim also seems to be able to find the good in almost any situation.
She almost always seems to be thinking positively, which can be very hard in some situations. I have to say, if there’s one thing that Kim can do well, it’s love life. -Cheryl Leland

I have many great memories of Kimberly. For one, she is a great pal to have as a partner in crime. I’ll never forget all the times we spent pranking together in college. She always came up with such clever ideas. If anyone ever needs pranking advice, she’s the one to consult! Also, I’ll never forget all the times Kim has cracked me up. If I had a penny for all those times I’d be a millionaire today! She’s good at taking ones mind off the troubles life can sometimes bring us all as well as helping us to work through them and helping us to improve. Some specific funny memories I have of and with Kim are of the times she and I would go grocery shopping at H-E-B or Walmart. We’d come up with the FUNNIEST stories while in the checkout line! We’d talk to each other as if we were serious about the story and the cashiers and customers in line would look at us so strangely. That’s Kim for you – always up for a good laugh and very good at improv comedy! Ha Ha. Gotta love it!
-Holly Herr




Thursday, January 12, 2006

A Weekend in Lubbock

So, I'm just now getting around to writing about my weekend in Lubbock, but better late than never, right?

My pal Mel celebrated her birthday this past weekend...actually, her birthday was Saturday, so we (Julie, Walker and I) were in Lubbock to help her celebrate. Walker flew to Lubbock from Dallas and I drove in from Abilene. We all arrived Friday evening for what promised to be a fabulous weekend! And, it actually was a great weekend, except for the fact that two very important people, Kendall and Rachel, were absent. If you don't know who Kendall and Rachel are, I apologize...they don't have blogs. But, the six of us were best friends in college and have tried our best to stay close since graduation. Anyway, I'm getting off the subject.

So, Friday evening we all arrive in the fair city of Lubbock and head to Mel's house where she had prepared a delightful dinner. The funny thing about Mel's dinner is that she cooked the main entree in her crock pot. How old are we? We're excited about a crock pot?! Good times! After dinner, we borrowed a game of trivial pursuit, drove around Lubbock for a little while, went to Julie's house, played trivial pursuit, and then headed in our different directions for an evening of uninterupted sleep. It was wonderful being able to sleep in Saturday morning!

Saturday afternoon we met up at Julie's and headed to Rudy's, a barbeque joint that was quite tasty. After lunch, we drove around for a little bit, discussed what we wanted to do for the afternoon and decided to see a movie. This is where I will combine my movie reviews with my weekend re-cap. We saw the movie Ringer starring Johnnie Knoxville. This movie is freakin' hilarious! I'd totally see it again...and will probably buy it when it comes out on DVD. Go see it, it's cute. After the movie we decided to go back to our respective "homes," change clothes and head to the Texas Tech Lady Raiders basketball game. Sidenote: United Spirit Arena is very impressive. The Lady Raiders took on the Aggies for a close game, and ultimately won the game by one point. I can confidently say that I now know the Texas Tech fight song! After the game, we stopped off at a quaint, yet jazzy little bar & grill, had a few laughs and then headed out to Fridays for late night snacks. We then decided to have an old fashioned slumber party and spent the night at Mel's house. Mel and Julie fell asleep fairly early in the night, but Walker and I stayed up until 3am watching 40 Year Old Virgin...not my favorite new movie.

Sunday we missed church, so decided to take advantage of the situation and enjoyed a nice, yet odd, brunch at Denny's. After Denny's, my pal Walker showed us her new business venture, which actually seems very interesting. I have the feeling that she'll be very wealthy within the next year. Then, it was time for me to say good-bye. I bid my friends adios, and headed back to good ole' A-town. All in all, it was great to see my girls. I often miss them, but I love the times, though they are few, when we get together. Never a dull moment!

This upcoming weekend, I'm hitting the casinos baby! I'm going to Dallas to see a few friends (more friends from college) and we're going to Oklahoma on Saturday for an alcohol-free, smoke filled run at the casinos! Nickel slots, here I come! Could I sound more trashy?! I love it! Until next time...

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

About Me

I stole this from Janaye. Gosh...that girl just always has great surveys!

[x] I've consumed alcohol.
[x] I have lied to my parents about where I am.
[ ] I listen to political music.
[ ] I own over 5 rap CDs.
[ ] I own an iPod or MP3.
[x] I bake well.
[ ] I would wear pajamas to school.
[x] I have a job.
[x] I am sometimes self conscious.
[x] I like to laugh.
[ ] I can swallow about 5 pills at a time no problem.
[x] I eat fast food weekly.
[x] I've been out of this country.
[ ] I am really ticklish.
[ ] I've seen a therapist.
[x] I love chocolate.
[ ] I sometimes bite my nails.
[ ] I play video games
[ ] Gotten lost in my city.
[x] Saw a shooting star
[ ] I had a serious surgery
[x] Gone out in public in your pajamas
[x] I have kissed a Stranger
[x] Pushed all the buttons on an elevator
[ ] Made out in an elevator
[x] Kicked a guy where it hurts.
[x] Broken a bone
[x] Skipped school
[x] Played spin the bottle
[x] Gotten stitches
[ ] Drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour
[x] Bitten somebody
[x] Been to Niagara Falls
[x] Gotten the chicken pox
[ ] Crashed into a friend's car
[x] Ridden in a taxi
[ ] Ever had a crush on someone of the same sex
[x] Had feelings for someone who didnt have them back
[x] Lied to a friend
[x] Driven over 400 miles in one day
[x] Been to Canada
[ ] Been to Mexico
[x] Been on a plane
[x] Eaten Sushi
[x] Been Skiing
[ ] Been to a motor cross show
[ ] Lost a child
[x] Gone to college
[x] Graduated college
[ ] Done hard drugs
[ ] Had someone cheat on you
[x] Miss someone right now
[x] Made a snow angel
[x] Had a tea party
[ ] Flown a kite
[x] Built a sand castle
[x] Gone puddle jumping
[x] Jumped into a pile of leaves
[x] Gone sledding
[x] Watched the sun set
[x] Felt an earthquake
[x] Slept beneath the stars
[x] Been tickled
[x] Been Misunderstood
[x] Won a contest
[x] Ran a red light
[x] Been in a car accident
[ ] kissed someone in the pouring rain
[x] Hated the way you look
[x] Pole danced
[x] Questioned your heart
[x] Been obsessed with post-it notes
[x] Squished barefoot through the mud
[x] Been lost
[x] Been to the opposite side of the country
[x] Swam in the ocean
[ ] Felt like dying
[x] Cried yourself to sleep
[x] Played cops and robbers
[x] Recently colored with crayons/colored pencils/markers
[x] Sang karaoke
[x] Paid for a meal with only coins
[x] Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
[x] Made prank phone
[x] Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
[x] Caught a snowflake on your tongue
[x] Danced in the rain
[x] Written a letter to Santa Claus
[x] Blown bubbles
[ ]Made a bonfire on the beach
[x] Crashed a party
[x] Gone rollerskating
[x] Had a wish come true
[x] Worn pearls
[ ] Jumped off a bridge
[ ] Told a complete stranger you loved them
[x] Kissed a mirror
[x] Sang in the shower
[x] Had a dream that you married someone
[ ] Glued your hand to something
[ ] Got your tongue stuck to a flag pole
[ ] Kissed a fish
[x] Worn the opposite sexes clothes
[x] Sat on a roof top
[x] Screamed at the top of your lungs
[ ] Done a one-handed cartwheel
[ ] Talked on the phone for more then 6 hours
[x] Stayed up all night
[x] Didn't take a shower for a week
[x] Are scared to watch scary movies
[x] (been)Pushed into a pool/lake with all your clothes on
[ ] Been told you're beautiful by a complete stranger
[x] Been easily amused
[x] Caught a fish then ate it
[x] Caught a butterfly
[x] Laughed so hard you cried
[x] Had someone moon/flash you
[x] Cheated on a test
[ ] Had a Britney Spears CD
[x] Forgotten someone's name
[ ] French braided someone's hair