SOONER...or Later?

An OK sunrise

Saturday mornings are good for sleeping in; however, this past weekend found us up at 5:15 and on the road by 6AM headed for Norman, Oklahoma. YAWN!

Our resident OSU Cowboy willingly agreed to drive his middle child to the enemy camp -- University of Oklahoma -- for a campus tour. At least Mr. Smith has braggin' rights this year, since OSU routed/trounced/crushed/licked/defeated OU in football 44-10, and the Cowboys captured the Big 12 championship. (Although tempted, Mr. Smith didn't wear any orange and black articles of clothing on Saturday.)

We arrived on campus 30 minutes before our orientation meeting began. (It would be really corny if I said that we were there sooner than we needed to be, so I won't.) We were thankful to get to the visitor's center early because we found a really great parking spot. All was going smoothly until we realized we'd be spending that time in a torture chamber... er, uh, I mean large meeting room with seventy-some total strangers listening to "Boomer Sooner" way too many times. Awkward!

Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner,
Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner,

Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner,
Boomer Sooner, O-K-U.
     
Oklahoma, Oklahoma,
Oklahoma, Oklahoma,
Oklahoma, Oklahoma,
Oklahoma, O-K-U.
     
I'm a Sooner born and a Sooner bred
And when I die I'll be a Sooner dead!

Rah Oklahoma, Rah Oklahoma,
Rah Oklahoma, O-K-U!

After being subjected to an instrumental version of the OU fight song a countless number of times, a representative from the university FINALLY turned off the background music and gave an informative, thirty-minute, multi-media presentation about the school, its history, degree options, campus life, etc.  We were then treated to a walking tour of the lovely campus. It was a cool but sunny day, perfect for a stroll across the university grounds. Mercifully, while on our tour, there were no more recordings of the school fight song within earshot, but I was having a brain itch or an earworm as a result of hearing the same tune over and over and over again. Boomer Sooner's "catchy" lyrics and unforgettable melody were solidly stuck in my brain. Arrrrgh! Despite having my own personal soundtrack playing in my head, it was a wonderful visit.

I had never set foot on OU's campus before, so I was surprised to find how beautiful it is. Apparently, Frank Lloyd Wright used the phrase "Cherokee Gothic" to describe the unique architecture style found on campus. The buildings are classic gothic architecture mixed with design elements from Oklahoma Native American tribes. It is pretty and interesting, and pretty interesting!

The Great Reading Room in the library is lovely, and oh, so quiet. Shhhhhhh! When I curl up with a good read, I prefer to do so on a comfy sofa or over-sized chair, and that is one thing that is noticeably absent in this room. Perhaps furniture that would promote sleeping was deliberately omitted from the decorating scheme since snoring would be a distraction. ;-)

I snapped a photo of a couple of dancers outside the School of Dance. 

Liesey had originally scheduled a ballet audition at the school, a few hours after the campus tour; however, due to injury and a flare-up of bursitis in both shoulders, she had to relinquish her spot. (No dancing for a minimum of two weeks, doctor's orders.) We saw so many bunheads on campus, but alas, our dancer was not one of 'em.

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9

We are taking this as a sign that the Lord has something else in mind at this particular time, but it was disappointing, nonetheless.

It definitely was not a disappointment to get to spend time with a dear friend, Sarah.

I snapped a SECOND photo of a couple of dancers. :-)

After a very full day on campus, we met up with our long-time friends, enjoyed tasty food, then spent several hours visiting. All's well that ends well.

The college tours are complete. After visiting IU, Texas A&M, TCU, and OU, our soon-to-be college freshman now needs to decide where she wants to go to school. Bring on the scholarships! That might make the decision-making process a little bit easier.