A Winner and a Week-end Trip

Thank you so much for all who entered the give-away contest. I did the drawing the old-fashioned way and drew a slip of paper from a cereal bowl. The winner of the book and CD by Steven Curtis Chapman is:

Chappyswife at Journey to the Prize

I hope you enjoy it very much. It has been fun to see all of those who came over to visit and enter. Come back soon!

When I was a junior in high school, I took my first trip to visit the college that would eventually be my home for four years - four wonderful years. I went with a bunch of kids from our church - it was an opportunity to look over the college to aid in our decision as to where to attend when it was time.

It was my first trip to Oklahoma. It was the school that our church supported with funds. (Interestingly, the winner of the contest, Shawna, is from Oklahoma). I had never seen red dirt before. It was rather windy. But I had a great time there that week-end, and found the students to be very friendly.

I began to count the days until I could go there as a student. The day finally arrived, and the story of my time there and the way God kept me there financially, is one I love to share. I believe I have shared it here before.

I took a lot of pictures of the buildings during that first week-end.

This is the Student Center, where we spent a lot of time eating, checking our mail, studying, visiting over a Coke.

The library.

The administration building - don't you love the 60s car?

A classroom building where I had many of my elementary education classes.




The Lamp of Learning -- I loved this in the middle of the campus.




For my sophomore and junior years, I worked as a resident assistant in a freshman dorm. My senior year, I had a bit more freedom and lived in Honors Housing in this dorm, Bracken Hall.

Many changes have occurred on the campus since I was there, of course. But most of these buildings are still there, although with different roles.

Here I am with two of my suite mates for that year. This picture was taken on the bus on our senior trip to a resort at Lake Eufala. My most vivid memory of this trip is that it had been raining for several days. We had been praying for nice weather. As we packed for the get-away, my roommate (in the middle) and I tried to decide if we should take umbrellas or not. We felt it would show a lack of faith if we took umbrellas when we had been praying for the rain to stop. So we left them home. It rained all the way to the designated location, and as we turned the final curve, the sun came out, giving us a wonderful week-end of weather. It was a great moment in my faith journey.

Don't you just love all the teased hairdos??

This is my graduation picture.

So why am I taking you on this trip down memory lane?? It's because tomorrow morning, I am heading down there for my 40th reunion - I find it hard to believe! But I am very much looking forward to this long week-end.

I will be staying with the girl on the left of the picture on the bus. I was in her wedding right after graduation. I think I've seen her at one reunion since, but we haven't had a meaningful conversation. We have ALOT to catch up on. The one in the middle is my roommate (and we also roomed together our first year of teaching), but she doesn't get to come this time.

And - on top of it all, I get to meet another blog friend! Susan, Penless Writer, and I will meet for lunch on Friday. I'll take lots of pictures!


I will leave you with this picture out in my back yard this morning - the setting moon was just gorgeous.