What Day is it?

Tuesday. No it's Wednesday. But there's no way.. It HAS to be only Tuesday. But it feels like Sunday was just yesterday. Maybe it's Thursday. I don't even know anymore. Confusion has taken over. The days are blurring together. That can only mean one thing though.. we are having a blast. That I do know for sure.

Today was a relaxed day. Especially compared to yesterday. We even got to sleep in until like 8! We arrived at the Hardest Arts Center about 9am to take a quick tour. The current feature exhibit is the Art 365, which is an exhibit sponsored by the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition traveling around the state. The purpose is to encourage local artists to create new art, offering prizes up to $12,000 per artists. It was a truly fascinating exhibit, with pieces ranging from pictures, to scents, to sculptures, and even interactive art.

From there we walked down the street to the Woody Guthrie Center. This museum is sponsored by the George Kaiser Family Foundation. The Executive Director, Ken Levitt, spoke to us about the purpose of the Foundation and some of their initiatives, which includes the Woody Guthrie Center, as well as a multitude of program which battle against the poverty cycle. Education, Health care, and social services are the main focuses, but they have helped with several amazing projects that help put Tulsa on the map as one of the best cities for "20-somethings" to live. Its an exciting time. We then learned about Teach For America and some of the benefits of other nonprofit work here in Oklahoma. I must say, I am thoroughly impressed with the intent, passion, and progress that has been placed on nonprofit, especially within the past few years in Oklahoma.

A prime example of this is the rise of interactive community events such as Food Truck Wednesday on the Guthrie Green in downtown Tulsa.

The next portion is brought to you by the GREAT Thomas Fleming:

"We then went across the street to the Dust Bowl, a combination diner and bowling alley. The kids had a lot of fun spending time with each other bowling and socializing, and Thomas Fleming impressively broke 100, just one more thing to add to his long list of talents and accomplishments. Man, if I had to choose someone to emulate, it would be him. Anyway, after we finished at the Dust Bowl, we headed over to Stillwater, in which we visited the Eskimo Joe's Promotional Product group. This place manufactures all kinds of things, from T-shirts to hats to cups. Our tour was led by Bill, a 20-something-year veteran who had a sweet ponytail. No kidding, it was gorgeous. At the end, we all received free T-shirts from Joe's with the Eskimo Joe logo on the front and the YLOK logo on the sleeve! Totes Mgoats Awesome, am I right?! We then went to Eskimo Joe's for their amazing cheese fries and the beautiful sights! Finally, we went to our hotel to swim and work on our skits. This was certainly a day well done. And that Thomas kid is awesome. That is all."

So as you can see. It was a pretty relaxed day. Visions of grandeur have taken over some students' mindsets. Eskimo Joe's has been around for nearly 40 years and if you have never been you, then I don't know that you have ever lived. Maybe you have. Either way, visit Joe's for some great cheese fries and pick up a great tshirt.

As the night winds down, friends have found each other. Conversations have grown deeper. I think that may be my favorite part about this trip. It's unlike any other leadership program in the state, in that it focuses on the state of Oklahoma. It gives the students a chance to build relationships with one another. And I'm not joking when I say that these kids are amazing. I'm continually blown away by them. I think I'm pretty lucky to be here. I mean.. just look on the excitement on my face!

Until next time,
Andy Stewart
Student, Optimist, aspiring Catalyst.