Another Exciting Venture!

SO, on top of all of the wedding planning business that we have going on, Arsen and I decided to add one more thing to the list: We’re buying a house! It is super exciting, and just a little overwhelming. Dallas and the surrounding areas are a bit large, so finding the perfect area, not to mention the perfect house, is a bit of a challenge. We definitely have certain things we (think) we have to have, and we definitely want it to be in a safe area. And we both prefer to steer clear of wood paneled walls, linoleum floors, shiny gold fixtures, and all of the other things you seem to find in so many of these homes.Oh, and one more thing: my lease is up the end of June, so we have about two months to get everything taken care of. Easy, right?

More than anything, I am just incredibly excited. I’ve been living in a dorm/apartment/rent house for eight years now. I am beyond ready to have a place of my own. And my head is about to explode with all of the decorating ideas I have. It also helps that we are registering for the wedding right now, so hopefully we will get a few of the beautiful things I have picked out in September. I’ve already started buying little things here and there. The problem is I don’t have one spare inch in this apartment to keep anything! Two more months…..

I’m SO good at this blogging thing

Oh my good Lord I’m awful at keeping up with any kind of social media. Which is crazy, because that’s what I do all day at work…maybe that’s the problem? Who knows. Anyway…

Wedding planning is in full force these days. I’ve always been a wonderful procrastinator, and I must say I’m exceptionally good when it comes to this wedding. I’ve got the major things taken care of: venue, dress, cake, etc. But now I’m getting into all the little details that are just torture. Picking out music for a million different parts of the ceremony and reception, choosing flowers, invitations, decorations, ugh…none of it is as fun as I thought it would be. Arsen keeps reminding me that I have to remember what it’s all about: me and him starting a our lives together and being happy and in love. Sometimes it’s difficult to keep sight of that when I’m bogged down in all the details.

On top of that, we are now having TWO weddings. Yes, you read that right, two. On September 17th, we will be having our wedding at the venue I chose with all of our friends and family and all of that. And most likely the weekend before that, we will be having our Armenian wedding. It’s really important to Arsen that we be blessed by an Armenian priest in the church, and also his family wants to invite all of their friends who would definitely appreciate an Armenian ceremony more than our American one. So there ya go. Two weddings. I was super stressed about it at first, but I will have zero to do with the planning, and more importantly the funding, of the Armenian wedding. So my plan is to show up. Period.

On a fun note, we got our engagement pictures done a couple months ago! I’ll put a few of them on here for your viewing pleasure. And hopefully, it won’t be another four months before I update again.

My FAVORITE

 

 

Sweet Relief

We did it. We finally, FINALLY chose a wedding venue. It is the first place I absolutely loved when we started looking, and I should have known that meant it was “the one”. But of course, I let the concerns of everyone else involved get in the way, and we drug this process out for over a month. Moral of the story: trust your gut. Lesson learned!

So I’ve decided to take this approach with the rest of the wedding: when I love something and have a strong reaction to it, that’s it. Of course, the fiance gets a say too, but for the most part he won’t be too concerned with flowers and decor and all of that. And of course, I’m sure there will be many calls to my mother and friends, asking for advice, but you get the point. No more questioning my first instincts!

I do love the venue we chose. It is gorgeous in a very clean, simple, elegant way, and to me those are beautiful words to describe a wedding. I can visualize how I want things to be already, and I couldn’t be more happy to have made my choice. YAY!!!!

Wedding Planning–It’s not for everyone

I’m the type of girl who always thought the period of my life that I spent engaged to the love of my life would be blissful and filled with happiness and love. Umm….no. Don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly blissful and happy and in love sometimes, but I’m also stressed out and cranky and arguing with the love of my life more often than not. Who knew how difficult this would be??? Why did no one tell me???

OK, enough with the drama. It’s really not so bad. We just can’t find a place to hold the wedding and reception. Which basically means we can do absolutely nothing. We can’t choose a date, we can’t decide on the number of guests, we can’t choose a photographer. Nothing. And the opinions from our families and friends, while somewhat helpful, make it even more difficult. Not only are we trying to please ourselves, we’re trying to please everyone involved. I find myself desiring that little quicky Court House marriage that Arsen has been pulling for on a regular basis.

So this journey could be interesting. IF we find a place and are able to book when we want, we will be getting married in September of next year. This means we have about 10 months of fun ahead of us….and that may actually be true. I’m thinking once we find a venue, everything else actually WILL be fun and blissful and happy and all that. Cross your fingers for me. Please.

Ms. Audrey

“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” ~ Audrey Hepburn

When I think about style, a million things go through my head. There are so many trends, so many people with gorgeous personal style that I would love to emulate. But above and beyond anyone else is Audrey Hepburn. She had an amazingly elegant, beautiful sense of style that is still relevant today. And most likely always will be.

I try to stay current with the way I dress, and follow trends to a certain extent, but I’m not too terribly “trendy”. It just seems such a waste to follow each and every new trend that comes along, and no one want to be a slave to fashion. I used to think this meant I didn’t have much of a sense of personal style, but in reality I’m more often drawn to thing that never go out of style. I think I have a “classic” style, and just never realized it. I’m starting to see this isn’t actually a problem, I just need to own it and allow myself to invest in the pieces that suit me.

Here is the trailer for Breakfast at Tiffany’s, my all time favorite Audrey movie. As you will notice, every thing she has on could be worn today. You could seriously base your wardrobe around this film and still be quite fashionable.  The huge glasses, the trench, the beautiful necklace she wears at the party, her adorable dresses. Love it!

Identity

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.  ~Judy Garland

Today in my pop culture class we were discussing identity, in relation to sex and gender. This is really an interesting class to be in and I have a good time listening to what everyone has to say. One thing that was discussed was how from the minute you are born you are either “pink” or “blue”, when you are small you play with tiny kitchen sets and vanities, or toy trucks and cop cars, and it just goes on and on forever. From the very beginning a lot is decided for you, just based on gender alone.

It kind of got me thinking about who I am, really. Like deep down, underneath whatever predetermined likes and dislikes I have. What would I like if no one were telling me what to like? Not that there is actually someone sitting around telling me, but think about the constant influences we have from the media, friends, family and so on. Would I still do what I do, watch what I watch, and wear what I wear without it?

In a way I think, of course I wouldn’t, because without “pop culture” and the mass media telling us what’s popular, the majority of people wouldn’t be the same. But I think I’m individualistic enough that I pretty much stick to what I truly prefer. At the same time I do take into account what people think more than I probably should, even if I hide it.

I do feel like when it comes down to it though, I know who I am. I’m a girl who loves old, ridiculously romantic movies, reading good novels that make me laugh or cry, lounging around in sweat pants with my boy and my dog, getting dressed up anytime I have an excuse, laughing at anything and everything, eating delicious food, listening to music of all kinds, shopping for whatever I can possibly think of, writing down my thoughts, the occasional glass of wine, checking people.com, twitter and Facebook obsessively, and spending time with my wonderful friends and family. I know I have very clearly defined morals and stances on the things that matter to me, and I will defend them to the end.  I know I like to observe a situation and take it all in before jumping in, instead of immediately dominating a situation, which may come off as reserved but works best for me. I know I may not be anywhere near perfect, but after 25 years of living I’ve figured out how to be the best version of myself that I can be. So I guess that’s all I really need.

I’ll end this with Lady Gaga’s video for “Just Dance”. Seriously one of the most fun songs around, and it always makes me happy! And she clearly doesn’t need anyone telling her who she is, haha. Love her!

Ohhh, guess I’ll try it again…

I’ve been debating for awhile whether or not to start blogging again. I’ve never taken it too seriously, and I’ve certainly never done it on a regular basis. I sort of figured why bother? I have nothing all that important to say, no particular topic I’m just SO passionate about. But I have always enjoyed writing, and Lord knows I have a lot going on in my tiny little mind all day. So I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ll just write whatever I feel, whenever I feel like it, about whatever topic happens to be on my mind that day. If people happen to read and enjoy, that’s wonderful! If not, I guess it’s sort of therapeutic.

All that has been consuming my mind lately has been: job searching (yikes), the nasty weather, and getting out of Stillwater. None of this is too cheerful or exciting, so therefore I’m trying to move my brain in another direction. And the only direction it wants to go in is shopping. I’m slightly obsessed. My boyfriend will gladly inform you that even if it’s a quick run to WalMart for groceries  I’ll somehow find a way to buy a magazine, a $5 movie (who can resist?), something for my dog, and a few random things, like Clorox wipes in a pretty purple box.  It’s honestly a bit of an addiction. Yesterday I went to deposit a check at the bank, which is located inside WalMart, and ended up coming out with $15 of randomness, none of it that I needed. But I was incredibly proud I only spend $15!

However,  I have yet to branch out in to the world of Internet shopping, as strange as that may be. For some reason it frightens me. I will load up my shopping bag with all of these wonderful deals, proceed to check out….and freeze. The shipping price always gets me. “If I bought this in the store it would be $8 cheaper!”, I always tell myself. Although I never really took into account the gas money I spend to drive an hour to a town with decent stores. Hmm…that may help me out. But also, what if it doesn’t fit? What if I don’t like it? It seems like such a hassle to return it. And what about sale stuff? I’m just stuck with it forever even if it doesn’t fit?!?!?

See, something as wonderful and amazing as online shopping, and I still find a way to develop anxiety. Maybe I just need to take the plunge and order those adorable white sandals I’ve been eying at Lulus.com. But then of course there’s the chance I’ll soon have a new addiction. Oh well, at least I’m a frugal shopper.

I think this really has been very therapeutic for me. In fact, I think I may go take another look at those sandals. I’ll leave you with a couple photos of Addie, who is the only really enjoying all this snow.

My little love Addie

A little over a month ago I developed a new obsession. Well, not completely new, it had happened before, but a renewed obsession I suppose. I decided that I wanted a dog. Desperately.

Now, I have never had a dog of my own, other than a few dogs that lived outside when I was really young. So I had no idea what I was in for. None. Regardless, I started checking Petfinder every day and sending pictures to my boyfriend and mom constantly. They were both a bit hesitant, but I got them to eventually see my side of things. I’m responsible (-ish), almost done with school, and the majority of my friends have children, so surely I can handle a dog. Right?!?! Right. So off to the city to look for a puppy the boy and I went.

I had found a little guy online who I though was perfect, and tried really hard to get him. However, quite a few people were already in line for him, so we decided to look elsewhere. That Saturday we went to a few PetSmart adoptions, and didn’t find the right pup, although it’s hard not to take all of them! It’s just so sad to see them sitting in those little cages staring at you with their sad little eyes! So of course Arsen was having to talk me out of every dog I saw, but deep down I knew I would know when I found the one for me.

We ventured on to the Oklahoma City Animal Shelter to see what we could find. There was a huge crowd in the lobby, some people adopting, but it  seemed like more people were turning dogs in. We finally found someone to help us, and she sent us back to the dog area.

It was a little frightening to walk in, because the minute you do, many, many large dogs are lunging and barking at you in their cages. Now I know they are just excited, and it broke my heart, but still…a bit intimidating to walk into.  So Arsen and I sort of split up and started wandering around. There weren’t hardly any small dogs, which is what I was looking for, so I was a bit disapointed. But after just a minute or so Arsen called me over, and I saw her. The most adorable little dog ever. She was tiny and scrawny, with her hair buzzed, but oh so cute! We took her out of her cage to play with, and the rest is history. She was obviously ours. After a few minutes of playing in the play room I asked Arsen what we should do. He said, “Well we can’t put her back in there.”

So that was that. A $25 adoption fee, a few instructions, and about 30 minutes of waiting in line later, we were pet parents. And I was completely overjoyed.

Addie soon after adoption

Now I won’t lie, it hasn’t been easy. The shelter had her estimated to be about 5-7 years old, but each vet we’ve taken her to has said she was younger. The last said no more than two years old, and the way she is growing, I’m pretty sure she is only a baby. She gets bigger every day, and not just weight gain. So we definitely weren’t bargaining on getting a puppy. I was not planning on dealing with the crazy energy, accidents in the house, and chewing on everything from my bathroom floor to my new slippers. It has been stressful at times, and frustrating (oh how frustrating) at others, but I wouldn’t trade her for the world!

She was exactly what I needed. A little baby to take care of, to begin our little “family”. She’s laying at my feet napping right now, and I couldn’t be happier!

Addie Today! Healthy and Happy.

After walking into that shelter and seeing all the dogs and cats available for adoption, this has become a huge burden on my heart. I have tried to convince each of my parents to adopt, and a few friends. I just can’t believe how many animals out there need a home. I encourage everyone who has the time and funds to take a pet home to do so. They give back so much happiness that there is really no reason not to do it! You can visit the OKC Shelter’s site here.

I hope everyone out there will seriously consider adopting! It’s the best thing you will ever do!

Celeste

I’m Back!!!

Well, it has been over six months since I updated my blog. Shameful! Honestly, I didn’t expect to keep this up after my social media class. It seemed like a lot of work, and really, what do I have to say that’s so important? But I’ve been reading other blogs and realized that it’s fun to just randomly find out what’s going on in someones life, so here goes!

Although a lot has happened (obviously) since I’ve posted, all I want to talk about today is the awesome town hall meeting I was a part of yesterday. The JB school (that’s journalism & broadcasting) here at OSU got to help in the Pickens Plan Town Hall that took place on campus at Gallagher-Iba Arena. T. Boone Pickens came to speak about his Pickens Plan, which focuses on using natural gas and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. We journalism students were lucky enough to get the chance to help in the promotional aspect of the meeting, as well as a lot of fun behind the scenes stuff the day of. The student run PR firm I am a member of, STATEments, also played a big part. It was an awesome day, and I feel like I learned so much about what it really takes to coordinate such a huge event.

During the event I had the honor of being the “shadow” of Gary Shutt, who is my boss at OSU Communications, where I am a Communications intern. I pretty much was there to assist him in whatever he needed, and I actually got to do a lot of fun stuff. I was in charge of dealing with some microphones, running around to deliver some messages, and even got the chance to get on stage with Boone! Of course I took this opportunity to mess up my simple little job. I was supposed to, from what I understand, simply hand a package to Mr. Pickens that he was to give to President Hargis as a birthday gift. Not so much. He decided I needed to open the package for him, which seemed to be impossible! Finally, President Hargis saved the day by ripping it open. Luckily I don’t embarrass too easily, so it just makes for a funny story 🙂

Overall, I discovered once again that I definitly chose the right career path. I love how fast-paced things were during the event, and I love the fact that the job changes day to day. Since interning here at OSU Communications, I have done a number of different things, and loved just about every one!

OK, so my goal is to keep up with this whole blogging thing…we shall see how it goes!

Check out the site for the Pickens Plan here

Until next time!

Celeste

Social Media vs. Traditional PR

The two JB classes that I have this semester are Social Media and Advanced PR Media. They are both great classes that I thoroughly enjoy, but lately I’ve been wondering which will be most beneficial to me in the long run. Once I get out into the real world of PR, what will be the more marketable skill?

One major argument for social media that we always hear is that as a younger generation, we have a bit of an edge on those who came before us. We grew up IM’ing on AOL and surfing the Internet, and for the incoming freshman and those behind them, grew up with Myspace and Facebook. So we are naturally more comfortable with blogging, tweeting, etc. than someone who has been in the PR world for 20+ years  would be. I started the semester knowing not much at all other than how to use my Facebook, and now I feel that I have many great skills to offer in the area of social media. However, anyone can learn, so is this something that is really that valuable? As we’ve learned in JB 4520, at any site, whether it be Twitter or Visual CV, there is an instructional video to walk you through the entire process. Also, just about every company or organization out there has a presence on the Internet. So I’m sure being able to say I have had a class teaching me the specifics of all of these different types of media will be impressive.

Traditional PR, however, isn’t something that you can just log on and learn. Of course I’m sure there are sites telling you how to write a press release or that can teach you AP style, but isn’t this something that really should be taught in a classroom and drilled into your head? I have had more than 20 hours of PR specific courses, and some of the technicalities still make me a bit nervous. In my Advanced PR Media course we are learning to use InDesign and Photoshop to create brochures, newsletters, fliers, etc. , which are things any good PR practitioner will need to know how to do. Again, this is something that should help in the job search.

So when it comes down to it, is either set of skills more valuable than the other? Or has the world of PR come to the point that in order to be secure that you are doing the best job possible, you need to be a “guru” in both areas? Either way, I can rest assured that I’m getting a great education in both areas. Thoughts, anyone?

Celeste