SAS @ UCO

Does anyone one know what SAS is? Most people I talk to about SAS have no idea what it is. SAS stands for Students for an Accessible Society, it is an organization here on campus. The main purpose of SAS is to bring awareness to others about how disabilities effect students in school as well as in life. Many people don't understand how hard it is to be a college student that is deaf, blind, have learning disabilities, handicaps, etc. On Monday I will be giving some what of an acceptance speech to take on Presidency of SAS for the Fall 2011-Spring 2012 year. You couldn't tell by simply speaking to me that I have A.D.D and 3 learning disabilities. That is because I don't allow my disabilities to affect my life. I didn't always have such confidence in myself until my sophomore year at UCO. I realized how cruel people could be when I heard someone talking behind me in my physical science class about the "retards" in the class. They were referring to myself and about four others that also had disabilities. From that day on I have made it my goal to bring awareness about disabilities, because though some disabilities are visible, most are not. This brings the statement don't judge a book by its cover. Everyone has a story, everyone has faced a battle, so think twice before you speak. You could truly offend someone. There are so many things I want to do for SAS my last year in college and I believe it will change the lives of many. Or at least that is what I hope to see happen.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
It is very difficult for me to embrace this statement that I am constantly hearing. For the last month, my mom has been telling me to slow down. She isn't talking about the speed I drive my car, but the speed of my life. I am guilty of taking on more then I can handle because at the time I feel like it won't be a big deal. Examples of this would be my internship with the Bricktown Brawlers and my volunteer work at my church. I have been stressed for a number of reasons mostly because I discovered I can't graduate until Spring 2012 due to one course. I don't remember which professor advised me last semester, but they failed to mention I couldn't take PR Methods, PR Case Studies, and PR Campaigns all together. I recently found out that I have to take Methods and Case Studies first. Therefore, I will be taking one course my last semester of college. Oh joy. I think this is just an example that we shouldn't be forced to see advisors before enrolling.

As far as everything else that is stressing me out, as an intern for the Brawlers we are having Student Night, April 23 and Thai and myself are in charge of planning this game. I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off to find a halftime show and get the small things planned out by next week. It has been extremely difficult to get people because everyone wants to give you the go around and let you know last minute. I guess this will be a learning experience. I'm glad I'm taking Event Planning as an intersession course because I need some guidance.

And lastly I have been working on the brochure for our non- profit we met in Wales, which will be sent out to them on Sunday to see if it is what they are looking for. It is hard to work with a company that is in another country especially when there is a six hour difference. This is my rant of the day.

Brianna Gaither

Brianna Gaither performed a halftime show this previous Sunday, April 3rd at the Bricktown Brawlers vs. Colorado Ice game. She is a phenomenal artist straight out of Edmond. She has been writing songs as long as she could remember. Gaither's performance was in order to boost non profit Give a Goat. She was loved by the crowd and of course I became a fan. Taken from her Facebook fan page Gaither stated her bands goals and interests, "Presenting truth in a way that is utterly transparent, creating art that is authentic in every sense of the word, and making music that emulates the affect of uninhibited, unconditional love." They were very sweet kids to talk to and I enjoyed meeting them. I wish them the best of luck. If you're interested you can check her out at briannagaither.com


Grayson Boyer is a 7 year old, Charlotte Church, if anyone knows who Charlotte Church is. You would look at her and expect her to have a child's voice. As soon as she opens her mouth and starts to belt it out you're in awe. She sang the national anthem for the Brawlers game on Sunday. I was absolutely amazed at how well she could sing and to not be nervous in front of so many people at her age. I wouldn't of been able to do that at age 7. I was totally impressed. She took the crowd by storm and got more applause then any singer we have had this season. I can safely say we will be asking her to come back! 


The next couple of shows I will be attending is the band For Today at the Conservatory, a band I've never heard of, but I'm sure it will be great. The other show is  Ink Life Tour Tattoo and Music Festival at the Cox Convention Center.  This three-day mega-event features world-renowned and local tattoo artists including Amy Nicoletto from the hit TV series LA Ink competing for the Best of Show award and an exclusive feature in Tattoo magazine. Besides over 150 of the worlds best tattoo artists, the event in Oklahoma City also includes a Battle of the Bands competition with a $2,000.00 cash prize. Live performances by Siva Addiction, Rob Zombies' band ’Scum Of The Earth” and the best local bands Oklahoma City has to offer. Tickets are $20 dollars for admission. I'm very excited for the battle of the bands competition, it is going to be intense. 

The Social Network

The Social Network is a movie about Facebook creator, Mark Zuckerberg. It basically confirmed everything we already knew about Facebook and it's creation. Facebook was launched in 2004 from Zuckerberg's Harvard dorm. The process to create such a social network involved a lot of drama and constant law suits. But, more importantly so began the addiction. The addiction to Facebook that started in one school and eventually spread to take over the world. It is true that Facebook has become an addiction to college students, I myself have lost the battle of homework vs. Facebook. It is the greatest entertainment source for procrastination. This movie has led me to think what's next? Facebook can only last for so long. Who will create our next big thing?

Day 8: Home isn't Where My Heart Is

Sadly we are back home, state side. I keep clicking my heels together hoping that when I open my eyes I will be back in Wales. I didn't think I'd miss Wales as much as I do. I think for the most part being home means back to school, back to work, back to my internship, and basically back to no free time. Wales was a dream come true. I needed this time away to in a way find myself and grow up. I definitely did a lot of that while I was there. I've learned that I don't have to talk to my mom 5 times a day, but my puppy has also taught me that I'm never allowed to leave her again. I'm good on flying for awhile at least long distances. I probably could handle a 2 hour flight, just no more 7 hour flights for awhile. I took sleeping pills before the flight so I slept for a good portion of it, but I didn't have luck sitting next to any friendly people. I at least had Lauren behind me to semi keep me company. We made it to DC and had a two hour layover, which seemed like forever. Everyone was quiet. I'm pretty sure by this point we had bonded enough. We finally boarded our plane only to be evacuated because the plane filled with smoke. Remember how I mentioned I was a worrier? Well I immediately started having an anxiety attack and was refusing to board that plane. After another hour and a half maintenance finally fixed the problem and we were able to re-board and head to OKC. We landed in OKC about 10:15pm, only an hour and a half late. It was nice to sleep in my own bed, but I can't help but dream and wish I were still in Wales. It is my ideal atmosphere to live in, if only it were a little warmer. This was a trip of a lifetime and I know I will never forget it. I'm so glad that I have pictures to remember everything. This trip has helped me realize that if I'm ever offered an opportunity to travel I should take it. Cultures are so different from us and it is good to experience them from time to time. We sometimes get stuck in our own world and never really embrace anything that happens in our lives. Take chances. Take risks. It's worth it in the end.

Day 7: LONDON!

I woke up earlier then anyone I think. I just couldn't stand the excitement of what London had to offer. I got ready and even made it downstairs for some very delicious pancakes. We longed for pancakes when we were in Wales, but the hotel didn't serve pancakes. We loaded up into two taxis and headed towards the subway station. The only other time I had been on a subway was when I traveled to Washington DC, surprisingly enough London's subway was a lot cleaner then I expected. Although I do watch too much crime tv and I kept expecting something bad to happen. I'm too much of a worrier. We made it to London in one piece and from there our group went seperate ways. Our options were take the Big Bus Tour or go shopping. I knew this would probably be the only time I'd ever be in London so I wanted to see everything. Taylor, Nicole, Mark Scott, Nelson, and myself all purchased tickets for the Big Bus Tour. I do not regret my decision at all. I couldn't describe the beauty we saw. It was the greatest experience of my life. We got to see everything, including Big Ben, the London Eye, Westminster Abby, Tower Bridge, and the ORIGINAL Hard Rock Cafe. I wish we would of had more time in London because I know there was a lot that we weren't able to experience. I couldn't pick out one thing that I loved the most. I learned so much about London and I love all of it. We were even able to see a few protests while we were there. It was great seeing all the other tourists. We sat next to a couple from Texas, I didn't feel so out of place. We finished our bus tour and met the rest of the group and headed down to Hard Rock to have our last meal in another country. I must say I had the best Chicken Mac and Cheese of my life. I devoured it, I really don't think I took a breath. London is just as beautiful at night. I truly wish we had more time to spend here, there was so much more I would of loved to do. Unfortunately tomorrow we head back to the States. I'm not looking forward to the long plane ride home, but I know my puppy is missing me.

Day 6: New Hatred for Buses

The day we went to London, wasn't very eventful. We spent most of Friday morning packing and killing time. We had to check out of our rooms by 10:30am and the bus didn't pick us up until 3pm to take us to London. Emily and I woke up early and ventured down to the Uni so I could get a Swansea U hoodie. It didn't take much time at all because we finally got the hang of the public transits, of course on the last day. We then went down to Mumbles to get a few souvenirs and try to meet up with the rest of the group. After doing some shopping we went down to Verdi's Cafe to have lunch, but we had missed our group by probably 30 minutes or so. Because when we finished eating they were walking back from the pier. We had to try Verdi's ice cream to determine if Joe's was better or not. I preferred Joe's only because Verdi's added whip cream to theirs. I should mention whip cream in Europe tastes like sour cream. There is nothing sweet about their whip cream. I was very disappointed. By the time we walked back to the hotel it was almost time to get on the bus. We gathered our luggage and loaded the bus. The majority of us slept and it was probably for the best. European drivers are about as distracted as we are when driving. And our driver said he would drive straight through that he didn't like to stop. That was a lie to say the least we stopped at least twice before we finally made it to London. We arrived at the hotel, got to our rooms and then met down stairs to decide on dinner. Once again, we all ended up at McDonald's across the street from the hotel. Americans and our fast food. Which as a side note I would like to add that the population of obese people in Wales, was very small. I saw maybe 5 overweight people the entire week. I will miss that.