aiukli: life is beautiful

I decided to make an "About Me" page for those of you following me and who don't really know much about me except the name of my blog, and a little bit about the content of my blog.

Written on January 3, 2011 and dated for October 27, 2010

My name is Mallori, and I have been a resident of Oklahoma my entire life. I've never moved out of the state, but I've moved within the state quite a bit. I am a proud alumni of Sperry High School, which is located in a small town just north of Tulsa, OK. As of today, I am a current student at the University of Oklahoma, but I will be graduating in May 2011 with a Bachelor's of Science in Health and Exercise Sciences. From graduation, I will be "taking a year off" to take some classes that are pre-requisites for nursing school. I hope to enter nursing school in 2012 to complete a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing.

I come from a small family of four, but that's only my immediate family. I spend SO MUCH time with members of my extended family, and sometimes I forget the little rugrats are my cousins and not my sisters. I have two brothers who are my friends. Even though we fight sometimes, I love them dearly and want what is best for the both of them. My mother raised us as a single mother for a majority of my life.

In my house when I'm not in Norman, there are six of us living together. It can get crowded and we butt heads, but in everything, we are still a family.

I believe in God. I may not show it through all of my posting, but it is something I was raised on and still believe in. I neglect it a lot more than I used to, but I have my beliefs and always try to stick to what I believe. I was raised as a Southern Baptist, and now that I'm 23, I don't necessarily believe that you have to have a religion to be a spiritual being. However, I still associate with my home church and still claim to be a Southern Baptist.

I am probably one of the most passionate people you meet. It can be my downfall sometimes, as I tend to put a lot of time and energy into some things that are not always healthy for me. As I've gotten older, I have realized that these are some of the things I'm most passionate about:

• family. every single family member. No matter how much we argue, they will always be my rock.
• my schools. I'm a lover of both Sperry Pirates and OU Sooners. Don't talk smack about either and I won't present an argument :)
• friends. I invest so much time and energy into the people I call my best friends that I've gotten hurt in the past. It doesn't stop me from trying to see the beauty in it all
• books. I love reading, A LOT. I love recommendations from people, and love to discuss things we found within the book itself.
• learning. I never want to graduate, so long as I can take classes that I find interesting, and not necessarily classes within my major anymore. The classes are starting to get redundant.
• laughing. I love to laugh. I love laughing with friends. I love laughing so much I can't breathe.
• loving. I love everything about the idea of love, and I love showing that emotion to those closest to me. There's no greater feeling than loving someone and knowing you are loved in return.
• pictures. I believe you can never take too many, as pictures capture a moment, scenery, and friend in time. Too soon things change and I love looking back on the things I wanted to remember forever.

When I first started this blog, I was a freshman in college. I basically started it so I could have a place to vent about how lonely I was. It was awful. I was looking for love in all the wrong places, and wanted everyone to have pity on me. I don't like looking back on my first posts, but it is what it is, and without that time period, I wouldn't be the strong person I am today.

Since then, I have taken a new direction with the blog. It's mostly filled with my day-to-day adventures, and things I think you might like to know about what's going on in my life. I am not necessarily looking for love anymore, instead, I am enjoying the love I am sharing with those closest around me. I have big ideas for my life, and am excited about things to come in the future. I know I wouldn't be anywhere without my family and friends who keep me strong and hold me accountable to the things I love.

On my profile page, you will read this:

"20-something female who finds joy in the little things in life. I love to love, and I love to laugh. And I have an unhealthy obsession with Love Actually. Adjectives to describe me: female. sister. daughter. brother. runner. lover. friend. college student. pirate. SOONER. :)"

When I decided on all these things, I wanted to give you a short synopsis as to what I find most interesting about me, so here is a breakdown of the above:

• 20-something female: I am 23 years young
• who finds joy in the little things in life.: It took me a long time to be truly happy, and I got a tattoo to remind myself that everything can be beautiful. It is a tattoo of the word "aiukli" across the top of my left foot. "aiukli" means beautiful in my Native Language, Choctaw. If you ever see it in person, remember what it says, and don't think it says "ankle," because it's on my foot and that is silly.
• I love to love,: I think I touched on that pretty well above.
• and I love to laugh.: Again, see above.
• And I have an unhealthy obsession with Love Actually.: If you haven't seen this movie, you need to do so now. It shows all the different aspects of love, and it is a beautiful movie. It's definitely my favorite feel-good chick flick.
• Adjectives to describe me: female.: I am a girl. I have my tomboy moments, but I love getting dressed up and feeling like a girl.
• sister.: This is in two ways. I am a sister to two of the most amazing brothers a girl could ask for. They're younger than I am and I love them too much. I am also a sorority sister, and have met some amazing women whom I call my friends, confidants, and sisters. I never thought I would have sisters.
• daughter.: I love my momma more than words can say. She irritates me to no extent sometimes, but she is my mother and she sacrificed a lot while we were growing up to make our lives better.
• brother.: I promise I'm not crazy! I am a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity. We pride ourselves on living to the three cardinal principles, Leadership, Friendship, and Service. Because it is co-ed, we are all brothers.
• runner.: I recently became a distance runner, with the completion of my first half marathon. When I was in high school, I hated running because it was punishment. Once I got to college and had to learn how to exercise on my own, I realized how much I loved everything about running. It is my mental escape and relaxation.
• lover.: I'm a lover of many things, as you can read throughout this entire about me page. Some other things include: purple, TOMS, Converse, plaid, meeting new people, college football, text messaging, and random texts from random friends that brighten my day
• friend.: To have friends, you must first be a friend. I pride myself in working every day to show my closest friends just how much I love and appreciate them. They get me through some rough times.
• college student.: As I said before, I am a college student. I live on a college student's budget, and I do without. But in the long run, an education is one of the most valuable things I will ever invest in.
• pirate.: Before I was a Sooner, I was a pirate. And I will forever love the colors of orange and black together with a pirate logo. I take pride in the fact that I am an alumnus of Howard W. Brooks High School. The teachers there also helped shape me into the person I was to become.
• SOONER. :)  : I am a Sooner. I have met so many people and learned the most while attending The University of Oklahoma. Being a Sooner (and college student) has molded me into everything I have wanted to become, and without this place, I would probably still be writing blog posts to gain sympathy.

If you have made it this far, THANK YOU SO MUCH for taking the time to read a little bit about me. These are the only things I could think of off the top of my head. If there is ANYTHING you want to know about me, you can ask me on a comment here, or if you would like to ask anonymously, ask me here at formspring. I promise to answer everything honestly! I love getting to know people, and I hope you want to get to know me.

All my Love,

Mal