From a small town....To Dallas.

I grew up in a small town in Mississippi, so it is no surprise that the plethora of shopping, fast paced life, and even cars in Dallas were quite a shock to me.  Where I was raised, the nearest store was the Walmart and a few years ago, when we heard that Dillard's was going to open in Southaven, we all counted down the days and would go there just to walk around.  It may seem strange, I know, but it was a place where people were never defined by the clothes they wore or what kind of car they drove.  There wasn't much to do on the weekends at all, so we usually drove by the movie theater to see who was there, went riding four-wheelers on the farm, or stopped by the Sonic to see which boy's truck was the muddiest and grab a sweet tea.  Going to Church and High school football games were priorities in our lives, and we would all laugh at anyone who told us that things would ever be any different.  

When I came to Dallas in August, my world was, to say the least, turned completely around. Range Rovers, BMWs, Porches, Tory Burch, Louis Vuitton, Long Champ, Mustang Laundry? I remember my first day of class, seeing bag after bag with this funny cross on them... I can honestly say I had never heard of Tory Burch in my life. College kids driving Range Rovers and Porches? My first thought was, what kind of car will they have to look forward to when they get older?

Don't get me wrong, luxuries can be fun and I realize that we should be grateful for the blessings God gives us, but I had never actually seen first hand the lifestyles that many people live here.  I feel like I'm in an episode of the Hills sometimes, and it's fun to be in such a busy city with something to do every minute, but I must say, It's nice to know I can go home and have nothing to do but sit on a truck bed with my best friends, actually be able to see the stars, and be around people who know how to do their OWN laundry. 

 

Thanksgiving.

On Thanksgiving morning, I usually wake up around 9:30 a.m. and sluggishly walk to my den just in time to watch a good portion of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  I can hear dishes and pans clinking downstairs, and the heat from the busy kitchen begins to creep slowly up the stairs around 10.  After watching the floats, singers, and dancers make their way down the congested streets of Manhattan, I usually take a shower and start to get ready for our family to arrive.  

When I finally make my way down the stairs, I see the welcoming fireplace and quickly rush to sit by it, joining my dog Lucy.  Out the window, I see my dad stacking more firewood with, of course, a huge cigar in his mouth.  The smell of sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and fresh turkey continues to fill the air.  Sadly, I must wait another two hours before our family arrives and we dig-in to the mouth-watering food.  

Oh how I love turkey day.  

Fair Time

The Texas State Fair is one of the most well known and biggest fairs in the nation.  Each year, thousands of people come from out of town to experience this event, and this past weekend, I finally understood why.  

The minute people walk in to the lavish set-up, hearts seem to be lightened and smiles almost immediately appear on their faces.  The smell of popcorn and chicken and cotton candy lingers in the air, and screams of excitement from the people on rides fill the ears of all.  The lights, the people, the opportunity to eat anything fried from peach cobbler and Oreos, to jellybeans and cheesecake, work together to create an atmosphere that welcomes friends and families for hours upon hours.  

One of the coolest things we did when we were there was ride the Texas Star farris wheel.  The sight of the city of Dallas at night was amazing, and even thought the cost is fourteen tickets for two times around, the fun and beauty was definitely worth it.  

If any of you get the chance, I highly recommend a trip to this famous park.  It's a great time with friends or family, and it justifies eating anything unhealthy, at least for a day.  

Is The Stereotype True?

When I first started to consider SMU, one of the first things I did was ask my friends what they had heard about it.  Honestly, I wasn't very comforted by their feedback.  Most raised their eyebrows immediately and said that SMU was a "rich people" school and that I would probably turn out to be a snob if I went there.  Unfortunately, that reaction automatically turned me off to the idea of EVER being a mustang.  However, when I mentioned the possibility of attending SMU to adults, their reaction was the complete opposite.  They all kept going on and on about how amazing the school was, and said if I passed up the opportunity to go there, I would be missing out on a degree that could get me extremely far in whatever career I want to pursue.  

  At this point, I was utterly confused.  To see for myself, I visited campus in early December of last year.  It was finals week and there was not a soul around.  I did not have a comforting feeling at all when I left SMU on that freezing Friday afternoon, and I was completely convinced that my plans to go to Auburn were now set in stone.

April of senior year arrived before I knew it, so did another invitation to visit SMU just one last time for Mustang Days.  I rolled my eyes when I received the letter, but my dad was so intent on me giving it one more try that I agreed to go back to Dallas.  I arrived on campus once again with the terrifying "snob school" stereotype still echoing in my head.  I was just ready to get this night over with. 

However, to my complete surprise, I began to like SMU and the other incoming freshman

more and more as the hours went on. After talking to people, I found out that they were just

as nervous as I was about coming to a school with such an intimidating reputation. I had so

much fun that weekend, and when I left, I knew that this would be my home for the next

four years. Yes, our school is known for wealth and beautiful people, but there are those

people at every university. I am so glad I was able to look past the initial impression of SMU

and I couldn't be happier to attend such an amazing school.

Roommate.... Friend or Foe?

When I finally decided to come to SMU at the end of April, there were a number of things heavily weighing on my mind, the greatest being my roommate situation. Because the only girl I knew who was coming to school here was doing the Hilltop Scholars Program, I was left with no option but to sign up for a potluck roommate.
I spent the whole Summer praying and anticipating August 4th. This was the day that I would receive an email with the name of the girl I would be living with for the next nine months of my life. When that day finally came, I checked my mail at least ten times before I finally got the message. At six in the evening I found out her name, and like most people, immediately went to Facebook. We messaged back and forth for an hour or so, talking a little about ourselves and interests and how excited we were to be going to SMU. She seemed normal! The next two weeks flew by, and before I knew it, move-in day had arrived. We both met for the first time and immediately clicked. Since the first week of school we have gone to breakfast together every morning, and been almost inseparable. My fears of having a "random" roommate have definitely been surpressed, and even though I'm sure we'll have our spats, I am so fortunate to get to live with such a great friend. However, some people haven't been so lucky. I know girls who knew their roommate before even coming to school, and are having a major problem getting along. So I ask you, is your roommate a friend or a foe?

5th Offense

On Monday September 1st around 2a.m, Uriel Palacios got behind the wheel of his friend's car while heavily intoxicated. He borrowed this car because his own required a breathalyzer in order for it to start.

Around the same time that morning, five SMU students were sitting at a red light on their way back from a late night trip to Taco Bell. Less than a second after the student driver accelerated, a tremendous force slammed into the left side of their Tahoe, sending them sliding several feet and igniting the hood of the car with raging flames. Palacios had sped through a red light going near one hundred miles per hour, hit two cars before flipping his own, and left most of the wreckage almost unidentifiable.  Two people in one of the cars he hit died and all five SMU students were taken to the hospital, some critically injured.  

The news of this wreck is disturbing, but even more apauling is the fact that it could have been prevented.  The 22 year old drunk driver was driving on a suspended license, an arrest warrent, had alcohol in his vehicle, and a criminal record with two DWI convictions from 2003 and two DWI felonies from 2007 and 2008 (myfoxdfw.com).

I only wonder what the judge was thinking during the fourth court hearing of this man, and what compelled him or her to give Palacios another chance to straighten up his act, when he clearly had not been able to do so up to that point. 

If Palacios had been kept behind bars on his first offense, the lives of so many would not have been put at risk for five years.  His reckless and irresponsible behavior was bound to have dire consequences, it is beyond tragic that two people are dead because of him.  

The story of this man and accident makes me wonder how many other dangerous drunk driving criminals are still out on the roads because they were given four chances to stop breaking the law. I firmly believe that a person caught driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated should serve jail time without opportunity for bail, and have their license revoked for a year or more.  Tragedies like this destroy families across America, and the tolerance for drunk driving offenses should be zero.