Where Have I Been?

What a great question! My mind has been flooding with potential blog posts and adventures I'd love to go on! A quick recap may help clear up why my site has been inactive lately.

-Finals week: It's over now, thank goodness, but it had me up a wall with stress. By the way, I finished the semester with 2 As and three Bs.
-Closing Week: Funny thing, this actually happens the same week as Finals.... Its where RAs from across the campus check out all of their residents for the holiday break and then we do a series of closing tasks that ready the building for the month of quiet un-occupied-ness.
-Going Home: That's right, I went home for the holidays. I'm spending the month in beautiful Bartlesville, OK and working at Bartlesville Radio through the month of December. Not much goes on here but I've been enjoying holiday time with my family.

Hopefully, that cleared things up. Like I said, I have plenty of posts coming your way. Here's a sneak peek to tide you over until I can get them up.

Weigh-In Wednesday

I've been keeping diligent on this long and trying adventure (Well, mostly. Finals week lead me to stress eat a few times.) I've been trying out new phone apps to help me along and it's going well. I weighed myself a week ago and it read 183 lbs. Woo! Already making progress! The challenge now will be getting through the holidays without over doing it. I can't wait to get back to my scale (I left it at school) and see how my progress is going!

#TBT Washington D.C. part 2

I haven't forgotten, part 2 is coming with photos galore! I have also been thinking that this adventure may take more than two parts. The trip was two weeks long and I'd hate to leave too much out.

Vaughn Family Portraits

My first attempt at capturing a family, and what a great family this is!

Homecoming

No, not like in football. My real-life homecoming here. I haven't lived with my parents in 3 years and it has changed so much. Stay tuned for the Wayward College Student's long awaited return and everything that comes with it.

Hopefully I can get a few of these out soon. Happy Holidays!

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A Whole New World: Trying Out Pageants

A little over a month ago I made a post titled "Diving into Slam Poetry" and I mentioned that I had a surprise reason for trying out the art of slamming. Well the reason I decided to pick it up was because I wanted to try something new for the talent portion of the Miss University of Central Oklahoma Pageant.

Me and My Little After the Pageant

I was never really a pageant girl. I was more climb-a-tree-and-scrape-my-knee kind of girl, but it's my senior year and I wanted to make sure I didn't miss out on any experiences before my time in college was over. So I applied to be a contestant in the pageant back in October.
My application was accepted and before I knew it I was practicing walking across stage in heels with 19 other beautiful young women. It was nerve wracking because they were all so pretty and talented, and in the time leading up to the pageant everyone kept warning me that the girls might be stuck up or mean.
I'd never done a pageant before so I was legitimately concerned. Turns out, the other contestants were some of the kindest, open-minded, most inspiring and encouraging women I'd ever met. I'm a little shy and they managed to get me out of my shell in just a few days!
Our pageant was broken up into 5 sections. For times sake I'll tell you what they were and a short blurb about how I felt about each one.

1.) Interview: I feel like I did alright in this category, because I got to be myself and talk honestly with my judges. Obviously some things could have been better but all-in-all it wasn't too bad.
2.) On-Stage Interview: I was very nervous about this part. We didn't know anything about our questions, except that they would be centered around current events, until we approached the mic. I was honestly hoping for a question about the presidential elections or the Syrian refugees. Unfortunately I was saddled with a oddly worded question about social media.
3.) Swimsuit: The favorite of men all across the audience. I was so uncomfortable during this portion. I had glue on my butt, a pound and half of make-up on my face, and I didn't feel confident with how my swimsuit looked on my body. Much room for improvement.
4.) Talent: I was oddly calm during this part. I had my poem and I rocked it. I do feel like I could have been more prepared. It may have been more powerful if I had memorized it beforehand.
5.) Formal wear: According to the coaches thesis the "easiest part". While I agree that it was easy to walk across the stage and feel beautiful, at this point all of us were hating our shoes and we were ready to be finished.

After the contest portions we all stood in our formal gowns for crowning. I didn't win and that's OK with me. It was my first pageant and I am so happy to have been able to participate the way I did.
Our Miss UCO was Chelsea Smith. I met her my freshman year in a class. We weren't best friends but  knew of her and she seemed nice enough. During the pageant we got to know each other better and I can say that she is truly kind and talented and an amazing woman who deserves to wear the crown for our University.

Participating in the pageant was such an honor. I learned that the pageant community isn't all like Toddlers and Tiaras. It can be a welcoming and nurturing environment. I'm so happy I had the opportunity to do this, and I am going to continue competing in pageants for a while. I think it's fun.
Thank you to all of our directors, judges, coaches, and to my fellow contestants. You all made this an amazing experience for me. And Chelsea, Good luck at Miss Oklahoma! You'll do great!
-Allie

My Biggest Adventure Yet.......

So I'm starting a new adventure. It's one I have started before and not seen all the way to its finish. It is my never-ending journey towards a healthier lifestyle.
Fun-fact: in the Summer of 2014 I weighed in at 204 pounds. I got freaked out by the fact that I had reached that 200 pound threshold and decided I wanted to make a change. I started eating healthier and going to the gym nearly everyday. It was nice because I had put together a great schedule where I went to the gym at 5AM, work at 8AM, my second job at 1PM, and then back home by 8PM and in bed by 9PM. It was busy but actually really nice. That summer I got down to 183 pounds.
When classes started I fell of the wagon for a few months and gained back 10 pounds. I started back up in November, using MyFitnessPal and running with my boss. It was a lot of fun and we really got to know each other better during that time. I got down to 175 pounds and I felt amazing with my healthy lifestyle.
I wanted to continue but I fell off the wagon again when I moved back home and didn't have a gym to my disposal. Combine that with not eating very well and I was back up to 185 pounds.
Fast-forward to today. I've started working out again. For the past few months I kept telling myself I would but I had no motivation. It's hard to remind yourself of how amazing you felt when you were healthy. I was inspired after doing the Miss UCO pageant this past month. Some of the girls there had been to points in their lives where they weren't always healthy and some were even overweight like myself. It was inspiring to hear their stories and reminded me of what I used to strive for.
So here I am again. Ready to start back on the long journey to looking and feeling healthy and amazing. I want this to be an experience I share with my readers so I've decided to start doing Wednesday Weigh Ins. I'll update you on my status and how I'm progressing every week in addition to sharing my normal adventures.
I know it's the holidays and it's the time of year when people struggle to stay healthy, but I'm determined to succeed. My current goal is down to 165 by February 20th. Wish me luck!

A few Health Blogs I'll be following along the way!
Healthy-Ish
blogilates
Fit Bottomed Girls

#TBTAdventure: NSLC in D.C. part 1

First off: Happy Thanksgiving!


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When I was in High School I received a letter in the mail inviting me to attend the National Student Leadership Conference in Washington D.C.

My first reaction was "Oh my Gosh! I'm a leader and they want me to go!"
Then I thought "This is probably a scam...."
Then I did some research and thought "Oh this seems really legit and I want to go."
Then I thought "Oh it costs HOW MUCH?!?!?"
Then "Well it was a cool thought while it lasted."

I brought it up to my parents later that day, telling them exactly those thoughts, and they came to a similar conclusion but also mentioned that if I really wanted to do it I could probably find a way.

That was enough for me. I set out to make it happen. At this time I was a part of a program called Give Back America in my hometown that worked to give educational opportunities to students in low-income families. We met every week to study and prepare for exams and college applications.

In this program, each student was paired with a "Silent Angel" that would support them and help guide them along their journey. I would like to point out that I would have never gotten this opportunity without the help of this organization or my Silent Angel. They donated $1,000 of the money I needed and the company they worked for donated another $1000 and I only had to raise $1,500 on my own.

I was also helped by my friends and family. I didn't have much in the way of professional attire so my family helped donate and find me items to wear to the conference. Lastly, I had a friend whose father worked at Southwest Airlines and they were able to get me my plane tickets on standby for free.

When I was finally set to go I pulled an all-nighter packing and went to the airport the next day. I had never flown on an airplane before so I was mildly anxious and extremely excited. I spent the whole time looking out the window and talking to flight attendants.

When we finally arrived at Dulles International Airport in D.C. the real fun began. I couldn't afford a cab so I had to learn the bus routes and find my way to American University alone. Unfortunately my dad's girlfriend, Tiffany, had to leave me at the airport because she was set to fly back to Oklahoma. I got on a bus and waited anxiously for my next bus stop that would lead me to a subway station that would lead me to Tinley Town nearby the University. From there I simply had to catch a shuttle that would take me to the residence hall I was to stay in.

Finally rain drenched and watery-eyed I arrived at the residence hall. I was a couple of hours late for check in, but the office assistants checked me in anyway and even ordered me pizza. The other students were on a boat ride and wouldn't be back for a few hours.

From there I sat in my room, eating and setting up my things, and I waited to meet my roommates and for what the next day would bring us.

Stay tuned for Part 2!!!

A Radio Farewell

Aryn and I on our final show

As you may know, I'm a college student (shocking I know!) and I've been studying the last three and a half years to work in the world of Mass Communications. When I tell people that, they always respond with "Oh, what are you going to do with that?"

Hahahaha..... I don't know.

BUT! I do know that I enjoy working on the radio. I interned last summer at a radio station in my hometown, and this semester I was a personality on 99.3 Ucentral Radio in Edmond. It was our first semester having a low-power FM station and I was honored to be the first voice heard on air.

As the semester went on I worked on Wednesday afternoons with my co-host, Aryn. We talked about a variety of things from Halloween costumes, movies, food, and the world around us. It was amazing because we worked well together and I think we both learned a bit talking to each other.

This was my first time being a large part of a show on an FM radio station. Unfortunately our last show was this past week. We talked about how we are preparing for the holiday season and said our final good-byes on-air.

I think I'll continue to work with radio. It makes me happy and I've gotten so much more comfortable in front of the microphone. I am glad I got to have this experience, and I hope that my future in radio is full of exciting experiences to come.

Essentials to Get Through Finals Week

I can't believe its been so long since my last post. Such is life i guess, you get busy and stop thinking about things that you actually enjoy. I don't expect my life to get any less busy in the next few weeks, but hopefully I can finish out this dragging semester with my sanity intact.
That being said, I've got finals week right around the corner. This week is nearly half over, next week is Thanksgiving break, then we have Dead Week, and then Finals week! I'm ready to wrap up this semester and begin my final stretch towards graduation.
But.... Before it's all over we've got to get through Finals week. It's a dreaded time in every student's life whether you're in high school or college, so here are a few things that help me get through the test-ridden time of torture.

1.) Spotify

I was reluctant to try Spotify at first. I kept telling myself "No Pandora is where it's at and I don't need Spotify." I ended up giving in after I got hired as a Resident Assistant. We work desk from time to time and the Spotify app was already installed on the desk computer. I got bored; I started listening.
Now I don't used Pandora at all. I have playlists for music I like and the pre-created playlists help me discover new music, while being able to focus on my homework.

2.) Legal Pads

I know many people use notebooks the keep everything organized, but for some reason I do so much better with legal pads. Maybe it's because I don't have to worry about the spiral cutting into my hand while I write.

3.) Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Lotion

Again, this may just be me, but after hours of studying and sifting through piles and piles of papers, my hands get dry and I hate that feeling. I first tried this lotion in an Ipsy bag and I loved it! It smells amazing and it does a great job moisturizing without making me feel all greasy.

4.) Softlips Cube

This is another product that I absolutely NEED this time of year. Fall Semester finals happen closer to Winter and the last thing I want to worry about is chapped painful lips while I'm knee deep in my existential quarter life crisis.

5.) Coffee

No one should be shocked here. One of my favorite Finals week pastimes is going to IHOP with a few friends, drinking 6 cups of coffee between midnight and 4AM, and catching up on everything I've put off for the last 2 weeks. Granted, I generally end up with a messed up sleep cycle and shaking hands but I really enjoy the time to spend with my friends and it gets me away from campus (I get stir crazy).



I'm ready to get this semester over with. Let me know what your favorite finals week essentials are! Maybe I can shake up my routines this year. Enjoy your finals and Study hard adventurers!
-Allie

I Did Another Photo Project

I've mentioned before that I dabble in photography a bit and I've actually been taking a class on the subject to make my work look better. This past week we've had to complete a portrait project that not only shows a person in a pretty photo, but also tell a little about them in the process.

 I originally decided to shoot my boyfriend while he was out shooting his guns (which is where last week's post came from), but before I had the chance to back up my work all of the files corrupted and I had to format the card. Luckily, my best friend, Alison, loves when I take pictures of her.

So far I've taken pictures of her in winter, spring, and now autumn. Summer still hasn't happened yet, but we'll get there.

I had her bring "Betty", her ukulele, along for the shoot. Fun Fact-She is a very talented singer and songwriter. The ukulele was her instrument of choice and I've heard her produce amazing work on it. She is such an amazing person and being her friend has been one of the greatest adventures of my life so far.

Keep on Adventuring.
Allie

I Shot a Gun!

So with election coming up, people are concerned with their 2nd amendment rights. My opinion, people can have gun as long as they are qualified to used them. People should be take gun safety and be licensed just like with cars, and they should probably also not be crazy enough to shoot people. Shooting people is rude.
Anyway, I went to Enid, OK with a friend to be his date to a friends wedding over Fall Break. While we were there we had some down time and he took me out to his grandmother's house to shoot his AR15.
At this point I had shot a gun exactly one time in my life and that was about 3-4 years ago. He and his cousin shot a few mags before he started showing me how to use the rifle. He explained how to load it, how to work the safety, and a few gun safety rules.
I aimed at the target, slowed down my breathing, and when I finally got comfortable I pulled the trigger. Surprisingly enough I actually hit the target with the first shot! Granted, I didn't hit it again the rest of the time we were there, but I got close.

The rest of the time I spent taking pictures of my friend as he did what he does best, "throwing away money" as he puts it. Unfortunately my memory card corrupted and I lost all of the shots I took. He got a couple of me though. Apparently I'm adorable when I shoot guns. 

I don't know that I really learned much on this adventure, but I had fun. I always advocate for trying new things, so get out there and try something!
Keep on Adventuring.
-Allie

A Trip to Pagan Pride

Fun Fact about me:
My parents are pagan polygamists. Now when I tell people this I am usually bombarded with strange looks and questions about their lifestyle and whether or not I share that same lifestyle. In case you were curious, I don't. However, I support their freedom to express themselves and live their lives in the way that they see fit. It's not my job to tell them they are adulating wrong; I don't even know how to adult.

Over Fall Break Tiffany, one of my dad's partners, invited me to visit her booth at pagan pride in Oklahoma City. She sells all natural products and herbs that can be used for Wiccan practices and everyday life. I personally love the Shave Solution she makes and the BE Calm oil blend that she developed. Her products can be found here.

Going to Pagan Pride was a little nerve racking for me. I don't consider myself pagan. I'm Christian, but I consider myself to be more spiritual than religious and I don't believe in judging others for their life choices. I had originally planned on taking a friend or two with me for emotional support, but many them didn't feel comfortable going to this function.
So I packed up my dog and drove the 20 minutes to the festival. When I got there I parked in the grass lot, took a deep breathe, and prepared myself for whatever I was about to walk into.
I wasn't 100% sure where Tiffany's table was set up so I walked in and wandered for a couple of minutes. Thankfully I wasn't alone for too long. I ran into my brother, Brendan, and a family friend, Aqua, after just a few minutes. They lead me over to Tiffany's table where I got the chance to survey my surroundings. It was a small festival. People were all dressed up sharing their passions and beliefs with one another.

There was live music and a poetry slam happening on a small stage off to the side, but most of the activity was happening at the booths. People were selling handcrafted jewelry and decor as well as other goods. Some of the tables even offered psychic readings.

After a while I started feeling more comfortable there. Everyone was kind. I grabbed my little brother and he walked with me around the booths. He's ended up buying a painting and some runes and I bought some relaxation tea and a steeping spoon (by the way, the tea was fantastic).

Isn't my brother handsome?

I had to leave shortly after because I was set to work at 4 o'clock, but it was an amazing experience. Today's society paints pagans to be a group of scary devil-worshiping cult leaders, but in reality they are just normal people. To some extent I already knew this because I wasn't sheltered from it growing up, but there is a difference in your pagan family and all of the others out there.
Not all pagans are the same. Some are Wiccan others are Ásatrú and some choose not to define themselves with labels. Either way, they are kind people who simply want to express their beliefs. I think I left Pagan Pride even more accepting than I went in. If you get the opportunity to experience another culture, whether its geographical or religious, take it. You never know what you'll learn.
Keep on Adventuring.
-Allie

Diving into Slam Poetry

Lately I've been testing out a new hobby. As I mentioned when I started this blog, I not only want to experience places, I want to experience things and ideas. One thing that has always fascinated me is the culture surrounding slam poetry.
I imagine a dimly lit coffee house with artists pouring their souls out on stage to a sympathetic audience awaiting their turns to take the same stage and lay their own hearts out for all to see. I DO have a reason for picking up this hobby but I've decided to wait to announce my reasoning until later this week when it's been made official.
Anyway, I have been working on my own bit of slam poetry which I will post here either in text or video form when it's finished. Until then I've compiled a few feminist (of course this is the subject matter I've chosen to tackle) slam poems that have been inspiring me as I've been writing my own.

Pretty - Katie Makkai

I LOVE this one. It reminds me of the way I feel about how society expects a woman to look or to act. I have a lot of self-image issues and I hope one day I can move past my desire to be "pretty" and work towards being "pretty amazing".

My First Period - Staceyann Chin

This one is a bit longer than traditional slam poetry but I love the message behind it. It begins with the confusion and apprehension that comes in every girls life when she starts her menstrual cycle and goes on to remind women that they possess the power to create life! It's a truly amazing thing and you can see her passion as she recites the poem.

What Guys Look For In Girls - Savannah Brown

Here's another one I love (of course it's another body image one). I like that it points out the struggle that comes with learning to love yourself, but also struggling with wanting someone else to love you too. It shares the struggle of trying to love the skin your in while the world tells you to hate it more than anything. This particular video also has a response and a response to the response if those things peak your interest after watching it.


Hopefully the poem I write is a heartfelt and well-done as these. I'm not 100% sure when it will be done. As you can imagine it takes a lot of writing and re-writing to get it perfect. The announcement of what got me started on this journey should be coming out at the end of this week.
Stay tuned and keep on adventuring!
-Allie

The 5 Stages of Coping With Technology Failure

So recently I've been struggling with the world of technology. I'm not getting emails, some of them won't send properly, I keep leaving my laptop under piles of papers so I can't find it, and today the digitizer in my cellphone broke (that's the thing that registers your finger as a cursor). Because of all these woeful events I've been inspired to make this list for you, and I'm calling it The 5Stages of Coping With Technology Failure.

1.) Surprise!

What's this? A crack in my screen? Oh no! What do I do?


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2.) Denial

Oh this isn't so bad. Maybe if I just turn it off and back on again..........

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3.) Panic

Nothing is working! What will I do? This is an emergency! DEF-CON 7! CODE RED! CALL IN THE NATIONAL GUARD!


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4.) Acceptance

Ok...... It's broken....... I'll have to bite the bullet and fix it.


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5.) Hunger

Alright, I've spent my life's savings on fixing this piece of plastic and glass so I'll be sneaking into my parent's house to find food for three months, but at least now I can check Twitter!!!


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So that's my week so far...... I hope you've enjoyed this hot mess of a blog post and I'll see you soon adventurers!
-Allie

Alternations: Part 2

Some of you may remember that my car broke down on the side of the turnpike a few weeks ago. Well since then poor Ripley has been sitting in my mother's driveway awaiting a brand new alternator. The plan was to fix the car last weekend, but mother nature had different plans for us involving rain. Instead this past weekend my mother wanted to do Family Photos, and we were set to fix Ripley after the shoot.

Aww! Aren't we cute?
Left to Right: C.J., Brendan, Mom, Rich, Me, Mikki
Photo by Anisa's Photography

When I arrived the dust covers and tire were already removed from my 2000 Infiniti I-30. Because of the way the Infiniti is built we also had to drain the radiator and move the air conditioner out of the way, two thing I can now say I can almost do by myself now (unless it's in a different car). Then came the daunting task of removing the bad alternator. It turns out there are a few blots holding it in place and one of them can be compared to the Lynch Pin on the Death Star. It was difficult to find and when we got it out the whole alternator could just fall out of the car.

No judgment on how bad I look trying to fix cars.

Now I would like to point out that I ad never seen, much less held, an alternator before. It looks like it maybe weighs 2-3 lbs. The thing is full of coils and magnets and who-knows-what-else and it weighs closer to 20-30 lbs. We then proceeded to AutoZone and bought a new alternator to bring Ripley back to life.
At this point we had taken the car apart, so putting it back together was fairly simple. Unfortunately we were running out of daylight and we had to work fast, but nevertheless we managed to get Ripley up and running like a champ. I even used the car to take my little brother to get ice cream to make sure everything was in proper working order.
Thanks to my parents who helped me fix my car up and my friends who drove me around for a few weeks. It was interesting to help fix my own car and the whole process was definitely an adventure.
-Allie

Super Lunar Eclipse

This year, as you may have noticed, a large part of the world was able to experience a Super Moon and a Lunar Eclipse at the same time.
If you didn't already read thousands of articles about it, a Super Moon occurs when the moon is in it's closest part of orbit to the Earth. Because of this it appears approximately 14% larger than usual. A Lunar Eclipse occurs when the Earth is positioned just right in between the moon and the sun. It casts a shadow over the moon and sometimes even a faint red glow over our nocturnal, celestial friend.

Photos taken from my roommate, Addison Frazier's, cellphone through a telescope.

My original plan to watch this event take place was to sit in the courtyard of my building with smores and blankets and friends, however my plans never go the way I want them to. Instead I was helping my family change the alternator in my car (YAY my car's fixed! Read Alternations part 2 for more information) and we weren't finished until almost 9PM. By now the eclipse had started forming the moon into a slowly shrinking crescent shape, and I was desperately trying to get back on campus before the total eclipse happened.
Luckily, I was able to make it back just in time. I saw the red, shadow-y, I-guess-it-was-a-little-bigger, Super Lunar Eclipse. My friend James Tyler and I sat on a blanket next to a few other college students and watched it. I tried to take photos of my own, but my lack of telescope made them all look pretty terrible.
It may not have been the grand spectacle I had planned, instead it was a rushed kind of thing, but this particular lunar event isn't slated to happen again until 2033. Regardless of how, I'm glad I got to see it. Hopefully in 2033, my planning skills are better.
-Allie

#TBT Adventure: Padre Island

Spring Break is a magical time in a college students life when everyone packs up their car with their friends, swimsuits, beach towels, and loud culturally accepted music. Well, that's not an adventure I've been on yet, however I HAVE taken a Spring Break to travel to a beach.
Last year I was introduced to a thing we do here at UCO called Alternative Spring Break. Essentially, instead of taking a week off, student go for a week ON helping out the community and the world. I decided to go on a trip to Padre with 11 other people to help build nesting sites for the endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtle on Padre Island.

A lot of people would look at me sideways saying "You're going to Padre to volunteer?"
At this point I would like to point out that there is a difference in the miles of undeveloped beach on Padre island and the miles of party beaches on South Padre island.
So there we were at 5AM. A ragtag group of tired college students crammed into a 12-passenger-van with all their luggage for the week. Needless to say it was not the most comfortable road trip ever, but our discomfort didn't end there. When we arrived in Padre we were set to sleep in an auditorium at the tourist lodge; and by auditorium I mean a small room with a curtain that lead to a "stage area" that was full of podiums and chairs. The room was full of mosquitos and the floor was hard, but we played card games and bonded as we set up our sleeping bags side by side. When we wanted to leave the auditorium a few of us would go play in the ocean at the nearby beach (at this point I would like to point out that this was my first time touching the ocean and I was really excited).


The next day we packed back up and road with the Sea Turtle Conservation staff about 30 miles down the beach to a cabin area that we would be staying and working at. After that tasks included opening up the cabin, unpacking, and setting up our campsite (the cabin was small and was only supposed to be used for staff, so we set up tents in front of it.) At this point in the trip we hadn't started our real work yet. We spent the rest of the evening taking, bonding, and enjoying the beauty of the ocean only a few yards from our tents.


On the third day of our adventure we were set to get to work. We began with a beach cleanup. Because all the different currents in the ocean, a lot of trash from around the world ends up at Padre island. I found trash wrappers with different languages on them and even a few children toys. We had to clear all of the trash before the trucks arrived with to flatten the sand and bring the fence panels for us to build the nesting corral. Once we finished the cleanup we began to fill sand bags that would be used to weigh down and protect the panels in case of storms.

When the trucks arrived we got straight to work. We arranged the panels to their proper positions and we dug trenches for them to be placed in when we started erecting the corral. We broke up into two teams, each going the opposite direction, putting up panels around the corral. It was difficult. The sand kept falling on us and getting in our eyes, and some of the brackets were corroded from the salt water from previous years of use, but eventually both teams met in the middle and the frame of the corral was built.


Next our job was to kick in the trenches and bury the bottoms of the panels before surrounding it with a green mesh that would be used to keep ghost crabs and other critters from turning the baby turtles into snacks. Finally we dropped sandbags around the entire structure and we were finished!

The staff was shocked, saying they had never seen it go up so quickly and so well. the wire ceiling still needed to be built to keep out flying predators, but they decided to save that job for their hired bio-techs. So we were finished. We spent another night on the beach but then we went back to the tourist lodge to spend our last night in Padre island in the same auditorium we started in. This worked out well though because they had showers, and by this time none of us had showered in about four days. Then the staff showed us around their facilities and shared with us the importance of the Gulf region sea turtles and the importance of the work we had just finished.

With our work accomplished we packed up our 12-passenger-van and drove back into Corpus Christi.  We stayed in a hotel the last few nights and made plans to go to Sea World. It was fun getting to spend time with the people I had grown close to that week, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me sad. I truly enjoyed seeing ocean wildlife up close and in person; at Sea World the animals just don't seem as happy.


Our sea world trip marked the end of our trip and the beginning of another 12 hour drive, but this time we were going home. Beaten and worn our, our crew slept most of the way home (personally I slept for about 6 hours after we got home too). Our trip was enlightening and I came home with a better understanding of marine conservation and a new passion to save the ocean and all its inhabitants.
There is so much more I could say about this trip, but unfortunately I fear this blog post is already long enough. I would love to keep this conversation going if you care to respond in the comments. Just remember that, in our world, there is so much you can be passionate about.
Find something that makes you happy.
Make a difference.
Keep on Adventuring.
-Allie

A Trip to the Haunted Circus

Hello Sunshine!

First off, you may have noticed the blog looks a bit different... I decided to personalize it a bit! Now all the photos on this site were taken by me or of me (Hooray no more generic background image!) and I've added in a few pages to help organize the blog a bit better. I'm excited about it but please let me know if you want to see anything else.

Anyway on to the adventure!

So for those of you who don't know Gandini's Circus was an attraction in Edmond, Oklahoma between the 1900's and 1930's. It mysteriously burned down and the ruins were left in their places. I've heard many urban legends regarding the circus. For instance, I've heard that when the place caught fire it killed everyone who worked in the circus and when you go there you can hear chains rattling as if the ghosts are telling you to leave.

Now, I can't confirm or deny that these stories are true. Even after countless hours of internet searching all I've come up with is the information here. I'm sure if I could get a hold of Edmond newspapers from that time period I could get something, but the internet did not prove useful in learning the history of this place. What I CAN say is my roommate and I heard no chains, saw no ghosts, and we had a great time exploring the ruins together.

*DISCLAIMER* not all of the images taken are shown here. If you would like to see more of the circus check out the photos in the Gallery.

I had to make her pose a few times. =)

After parking in a nearby neighborhood we doused ourselves in bug spray and made our way to the circus. I will say, you really don't think to stop and explore when you pass by the entrance, but it was kind of thrilling to cross the gates.

After we walked through the field we made it to our first stop on the tour (my roommate had been here a few times before and she was showing me around). It appeared to be an old abandoned house. I'm not really sure what the house had to do with the circus, perhaps it was where some of the performers slept, but I may have been one of my favorite parts of the trip.

I took a lot of pictures here, one of which is the new backdrop to this blog. I think what made this place so fascinating to me was the complete destruction of it.

One thing Addison pointed out is that the circus looks different every time you go. I isn't uncommon for high school/college studnts to explore the area and it is apparently a fun hideout for local stoners to blaze up. The thing about ruins is people have no interest in preserving them. If it's broken then it's OK to break it more.

Personally I wish I could have seen it before it was so used, but I think the busted floors, ceilings and walls make for more interesting photos. Additionally, I am a strong purveyor of the arts and I love how the graffiti give the place more personality.

After the house she lead me to an old tour bus. It was also littered with graffiti which you can see in her smiling picture above. She mentioned that she would have taken me inside the bus, but she wasn't sure it was safe.

In this same area there were trailers decorated in spray paint that were apparently used to smoke weed. 

Anyway a little further into the circus we came across the old barn that she said used to house some of the animals. This area felt like a skeleton because most of the building was gone. All that remained were support beams and parts of the ceiling.

 Next we stopped at the train cars. This was probably my other favorite part of the trip. The train cars showed the most evidence of the place actually being a circus. Of course by now most of the paint has worn away, but if you look closely you can see the red and yellow swirls on the sides of the cars.

                           

The rest of the time we spent taking photos of smaller parts of the circus and making our way back to the car. I think this trip was one of the funnest I've been on in a while. Personally, I love old abandoned things. They make me feel happy and sad all at once, but in a way that makes me want to stay. I may return to the haunted circus someday just to see how it changes. 

I hope you've enjoyed exploring this place with me. There are more photos of this adventure in the Gallery. Let me know where I should go or what I should do next.

-Allie