Week 1 Introduction: The Life of a Militician (Military/Politician)

Hi there everyone! My name is Savannah, I'm 21 years old and I am currently in my Senior year at OU. I'll start you off with a little background about me: I was born in Macon, Georgia, but I'm also an Army brat so I moved all over the place while I grew up. I moved 11 times until I was in 6th grade, but most of my childhood years were spent on the East Coast: South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. That's also where all of my extended family live as well, so I'm extremely southern at heart. In middle school my dad was stationed in Edmond, OK from South Carolina, and retired when I was a freshman in high school. I graduated from Edmond North, came to OU, and am now a Political Science major with a minor in French.

Standing in front of the Capitol,
this is my first day living in DC starting my 3 month internship.
Source: Personal Photo May 2014

I fell in love with politics in high school, volunteering much of my free time with organizations like Americans for Prosperity, and paging at the State Capitol. I continued my political involvement in college by interning on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC for a summer, in addition to other local Congressional and Senate offices here in Oklahoma. I did, however, begin another adventure by joining the Air Force ROTC and pursuing a career as an Air Force Officer. Being a Senior, I've completed the majority of my training, and now I just have to finish up my degree and I'll be on my way to becoming a 2nd Lieutenant. In addition to that, I recently got into campaigning over the summer, and am currently working full time on staff for a Congressional campaign. Yes, that means full time school and full time work. It's a blast though and I really couldn't ask for anything more.

For fun, well... I'm a country girl. I love hunting, fishing, shooting; anything along those lines. My family lives out by a lake so I fish all the time when I go home, mainly just bass and catfish, and every year I look forward to deer hunting season. My little brother is 14 years old, and is my partner in crime for all of these activities. I also have an 18 year old little sister, but she's never been too keen on touching a fish or holding a gun, so her and I love to hit up the mall and have some coffee at Starbucks.

My prize out of our neighborhood lake:
 An 8 lb Largemouth bass
Source: Personal Photo May 2012

More fun facts about me: I adore children and babysit as often as possible, I love the beach more than anything in the world (Charleston, SC to be exact), I'm saving up to hopefully take the backpacking trip of a lifetime to Europe next summer, I'm a born and raised Baptist with a heart for serving the Lord, and last but not least, I am a die hard, no kidding, born and raised Dallas Cowboys football fan for life.

My little brother and I after a few hours of paint-balling.
Source: Personal Photo March 2015

Storytelling Week 1: Bo-Peep and Her Sheep

"Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,

     And can't tell where to find them;

Leave them alone, and they'll come home,

     And bring their tails behind them."

(traditional nursery rhyme)

Once upon a time, there was a young lady named Bo-Peep and she owned many, many sheep. You see, Little Bo-Peep's parents were sheep herders and raised her to love and care for all of her sheep for every moment of every day. One day, however, Little Bo-Peep had a visitor; it was the handsome young man from next door. Bo-Peep, being single and available, couldn't possibly turn down the chance to get to know her future husband. As a polite host, Bo-Peep went inside for a few minutes to get the young man a glass of lemonade and a tart, and figured the sheep would certainly be fine being by themselves for only a few minutes. Before she knew it, over an hour had passed since Little Bo-Peep had gone out to check on her sheep; you see, falling in love can make a person lose track of time. When Bo-Peep noticed the time, she jumped out of her seat, sprinted outside, and stared forlornly at the empty green field before her... all of her sheep were gone. She pondered for hours about what she could do in order to find her sheep. She then decided that if they loved her as much as she loved them, then they would come back. So, she decided to leave them alone, and wait. 

"Little Bo-peep fell fast asleep,

And dreamt she heard them bleating;

But when she awoke, she found it a joke,

For they were still a-fleeting."

As she waited, the hot sun beating down, Bo-Peep thought she would take a short nap since the heat and stress of losing her sheep had exhausted her. As she slept, she also dreamt that all of her sheep had come safely back to her. She was leaping for joy and hugging her sheep, when she suddenly awoke and realized... oh, it was only a dream. Bo-Peep proceeded to stare out the window for many more hours, at the sheepless pasture behind her home.

"Then up she took her little crook,

Determin'd for to find them;

She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed,

For they'd left all their tails behind 'em."

As Bo-Peep stared, hour after hour, she kept thinking to herself that maybe she should go search for her lost sheep. Then it suddenly occurred to her that maybe the sheep became thirsty and went down to the creek for a sip of ice cold water. So she pulled on her walking boots and trekked through the woods, into a valley towards the the nearby creek. As she was nearing the creek, she saw little white puff balls prancing around just over the next small hill. Bo-Peep became ecstatic at the sight of her sheep and ran up the hill as quickly as she could to meet them. Once she finally reached her flock of sheep, she nearly fainted when she noticed their tails had fallen off! From that moment on, Little Bo-Peep kept a close eye on her sheep, and made sure they never again went near the water in that poisonous little creek that had made their tails fall off.

Litte Bo-Peep looking for her sheep
Source: Wikipedia

Author's Note & Bibliography: Based on the original nursery rhyme "Little Bo-Peep" sourced from The Nursery Rhyme Book  by Andrew Lang (1897).