Hi, my name is Lauren and I am a senior at University of
Oklahoma. I am a psychology, pre-occupational therapy major and Spanish minor. I
am hoping to graduate in May and go on to attend the University of Oklahoma
Health Science School. I was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas which is just
a short three-hour drive from OU. When I get the opportunity to venture home I
love to spend my time catching up with my family. I have an older brother and a
younger brother, which makes me the middle child and the only girl! Something my
family and I all have in common is that we are huge dog lovers. In all we have
four right now, although we’re always looking to grow our canine family. We
have two dogs that live in Fort Worth: a chocolate Labrador and a German
short-haired pointer. Sadly, our other two dogs live on our ranch in
Tishomingo, OK so I do not get to see them as often; they are both Great Pyrenees
and are massive sheepdogs and great cuddlers.
Personal picture of my two Great Pyrenees, Sam and Delilah
When I am not in class or visiting my family, I am usually
working. I nanny for a family of seven…a big family with a huge heart. The
Dzialo’s are a huge part of my life here in Oklahoma and I don’t know what I am
going to do when I graduate and have to leave them. They have an older set of
twin girls who are six years old and just started first grade last week. The younger
set of twins just turned three a week ago and have begun toddler pre-school. Lastly,
baby number five is a whopping eight (almost nine) months old and was a big
surprise to mom and dad when they found out she was coming. For me, nannying is
the time when I can relax and just hang out with kids who don’t know what the
real world is like yet and it is refreshing to be around such little minds.
Personal picture of the Dzialo crew: baby Amelia, Jenna, Ben, Sam, and Layla
Some of my favorite hobbies are traveling, reading, running,
and hanging out with friends. I am a huge Harry Potter fanatic and love everything J.K. Rowling has written. My mom always makes fun of me and my brothers for watching the Harry Potter Puppet Pals video, but it is too fun to annoy her with.
I am someone who has to be busy all the time…not
hard when you are responsible for five kids most of the day. I am anxious to be
a senior and have all of my friends graduate and move away at the end of the
year, but I am also excited to see where everyone will end up; a very
bittersweet feeling. It is easy to get overwhelmed when looking at the big
picture of my future and trying to plan out my next five years, so for now I’m
just taking it one day at a time.
I love your dogs! If I could have more than one, I would in a heartbeat. I actually work at an after school program so I am with 23 kids all afternoon (not all by myself, Thank God). I love them, I love their energy but coming home I'm exhausted. I don't know how you do it with five kids all alone. I admire you a lot haha
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren! I also am a psychology major and trying to graduate by May this year. Your dogs are beautiful! I also have a dog home with my family here in Norman. I am a dog and cat lover so I’m sure you will see me talking about my cat Phylix or see pictures I post of her. The kids you nanny are all so cute. I can see how five kids can keep you busy and kudos for doing such a nice thing for such a cute family in your free time. Becoming a senior is definitely exciting but nerve racking so I think taking one day at a time is the way to keep yourself stress-free. Good luck this year!
ReplyDeleteOh, the Dzialo crew is adorable, Lauren: kid-energy is so much fun. Maybe you can let them star in some of the stories that you write for class this semester! Maybe they could even help you make decisions about the plots and characters: I am always in favor of co-writing with children... and you've got a whole herd of children there who could help take your imagination in new directions: what fun! :-)
ReplyDeleteLauren,
ReplyDeleteI also love my dog, but I don't know if I could keep up with as many as your family has. We've never had more than two at a time. I'm surprised you find the time to take care of that many kids while in college, you really must like being busy. Thanks so much for sharing, good luck getting into the Health Science School.
Andrew
Wow taking care of that many children seems really hard! I can barely take care of myself in college let alone 5 other people! Your dogs are really cute! I have a cat but I grew up with a dog and cats. Good luck in getting into the Health Sciences school! We can achieve anything we put our minds to.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain; I'm also the only girl in my family with 2 brothers. I have 2 older ones, though, and all they do is pester me. I love being the kid sister though.
ReplyDeleteI love dogs so much, but don't currently have one!! I'm way too busy to keep up with one right now, but that doesn't stop me from wanting one every single day. Once I graduate, first on my list is getting a dog.
And I definitely get that bittersweet feeling of senior year. Nearly all of my friends will be graduating at the end of this year, and I am stuck here for another year. It will definitely be hard to have all my friends move away and move on from the so-called "college years." Sad reality for sure :(
Hi, Lauren.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I love spending time with my family. I like catching up with them, but it is a bit hard when my younger sister likes to update me several times before I return home. But it is okay, I like it when they call.
I feel like I have a second family too. My sister lives here and I am living with her mother-in-law, who is very nice. They come over often, so with their frequent visits, they feel like family now.
It is interesting that you have a ranch in Tishomingo. I have never heard of the place. My parents own a piece of land in Oologah, OK, but they work over there after work and travel back home to sleep. It is only a thirty minute drive.
Hi Lauren!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog layout! When I first read your post about the seven kids my mind went straight to the sound of music. That must be a lot of fun, and must keep you very busy. Your very luckey that you get to travel home so often. I wish I could do that, my home is like a two day drive from here. Your dogs are super adorable by the way! I can't wait to see what you wrote this week!
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ReplyDeleteHi Lauren!
ReplyDeleteI’m from Flower Mound, so super close to Fort Worth. ☺ I love Texas! Also, your dogs are adorable and I love that you have four. Occupational therapy sounds like an amazing degree. I hope you have so much fun with it!
I am one of those people that always has to be busy, too. The family you babysit for must be a blast; I can’t believe they have two sets of twins! I can’t wait to see more of your work this semester!
Hey Lauren!
ReplyDeleteYour dogs are adorable! They look like polar bears. My family and I are big dog lovers as well, and we have 3! Two chihuahuas and a malamute (she’s a giant too like your great pyrenees!) How often do you get to visit your ranch in Tishomingo?
I also think it’s really cool that you get to be a part of the Dzialo’s life! That's awesome that they have two sets of twins!
Oh and good luck with graduation and I hope you get into the health science school!
Hi! I think it's super sweet that you nanny here, did you just get the job randomly or did you already know the family? Two sets of twins is wild! I would be terrified if I had twins but I also really want them. I also think kids are fun to be around because they have such innocent and fun minds. Good luck on graduation and going into your next educational career!
ReplyDeleteCan I just say I absolutely love all of those dogs. I've got two that live at home, big ol german shepherds, and a corgi that lives with me. I adore dogs and great Pyrenees are super wonderful to hug and cuddle. Also, I'm a senior here so I know the anxiety around things changing and people moving. I'm a bit anxious about what's going to happen in the next couple of years but I guess if life always stayed the same it'd get pretty boring sooner or later. I hope you find success after college.
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren (aka Lo)! I know you personally, so not much of this is a surprise. I did not know, however, that you were a psychology, pre-occupational therapy major which is really cool. We have had our share of Harry Potter talks, and definitely need to go to the Warren to see Fantastic Beasts when it comes out.
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren! I love your blog (: the colors are super happy and put me in a peppy mood when I click on it!
ReplyDeleteI like that you are doing a portfolio! That is what I picked to do too and the organization you used is great.
The kids you babysit for are the absolute cutest; I love the twin boys I bet they are quite a handful! I also love that you imbedded a link to Harry Potter Puppet Pals it made me giggle. Can't wait to read more on your blog soon!