Introduction to the Person Running This Blog

    Hi everyone! My name is Natalie, or Snail Mail Riot, and I run this blog for my Mythology and Folklore class.

    I'm currently in my last semester as a student at the University of Oklahoma. I'm majoring in professional writing and minoring in history. My higher education journey has been pretty wild. During my first semester of college, I attended Oklahoma Baptist University. I chose this university because of its creative writing major and proximity to home. Unfortunately, OBU wasn't a good fit for me.

    The next three semesters I spent attending St. Gregory's University. This one I chose because I swung to the opposite end of the spectrum. I had chosen OBU solely for its academics. SGU I chose for its life and found I fit in much better there, even though I wasn't happy with being relegated to an English degree instead of a writing one I wanted.

    This time, when I changed universities, it wasn't by choice. In the fall of 2018, SGU made the announcement that it was closing due to various reasons. I remember I hadn't been on campus when the news was announced. It wasn't until that night when I showed up for stage rehearsal for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe we were putting on that I learned what had happened. To say it was devastating to me at the time would be an understatement. I had just started to come out of my shell and claw my way out of a deep depressive episode when the news of the university closing seemed to pull the rug out from underneath all the progress I had made.

    Looking back, I see now it was a blessing in disguise, for me at the very least. Although I suspect it was for others as well. The college fair held by SGU led me to OU and subsequently to many blessings and wonderful experiences.

    One of those blessings is the professional writing major I'm set to receive a diploma in.

    My favorite thing about the major is, well, technically there are two things I love about it! The first is watching my writing grow and change and evolve. I've learned from so many good professors and students. I've learned how to put words on a page that will let readers into my head and the worlds I've created. The second thing I love is reading other students' works and hearing what they've written about. I've heard so many ideas I would have never thought about. Seeing others' creativity inspires my own and helps me strive to ever improve and never cease aiming higher and pushing myself farther.

    In addition to the wonderful things I've gotten to write, I've been exposed to so many books I previously wouldn't have given a second thought to. I was a voracious reader before, but PW has kept the flame alive where I believe it would've died under the stress and movement of college. My favorite book, one I recommend to anyone who asks, is Green Rider by Kristen Britain.

    Green Rider is the first book in the Green Rider series. It follows a woman named Karigan G'ladheon and takes place in the fictional kingdom of Sacoridia. There's never a lull in the action. It's one harrowing piece of action after another and before you realize it, you know how Karigan's world and the magic in it work and operate inside and out. The series' mythology does build up slowly over the series, but there's enough in there to keep you wondering and curious.

    To anyone who decides to read this series, just a warning Britain takes forever to come out with a new book. The seventh one is in the works, but I suspect it will be another year or two until it comes out. And if anyone does end up reading it, I really hope you like it!

    Outside of reading and writing, I like to bake and play with my three dogs. Every once in a while I'll take a step out of my comfort zone and try to bake something ambitious. For the most part, though, I like to stick to cookies, cupcakes, and pies. I often stress bake, so there's rarely a shortage of dessert in our house with extra to give to our neighbors.

    But I've mentioned my dogs, and I have a feeling you've been waiting to see them! Here they are!

Zeus

    I got Zeus in January of 2014 when he was a two-year-old puppy. He likes to act like a grumpy old man now, especially with the two puppies we've come to adopt in the last year, but when I walk through the door or hold him when he's sleepy or asks if he wants a cookie, I see the puppy he likes to try and hide.

Personal Photo. Zeus looking unintentionally majestic. (Source: Me)

    He's an older puppy now, and he looks scruffy in his old age. He was a rescue we got from a shelter. When we got him, he had mange, was underweight, and had short hair close to his skin. After the first month of living with us, his mange healed, his hair had exploded into a spiky mess, and he now seems to be an eternal "chonky boi" no matter how hard we try to get him down. 

    Due to my previous phone unexpectedly crashing, I no longer have any of his puppy pictures. (It still breaks my heart when I think about it.) But I am so lucky I get to keep taking pictures!

Personal photo. I interrupted his Bone Chewing Time. (Source: Me)

    His resting face tends to look on the serious side, but from experience, I know he can and will explode into a flurry of energy whenever he wills. It wasn't a few seconds after I took this picture that he got up and ran around the house. Because he's a rescue, all we know is that he was a "failed designer dog." We think he's a terrier pomeranian mix. Then again we could be way off!

Henry

    We got Henry in the late spring of 2019. He was the dog of family friends but chose my mom as his person upon their first meeting. After the family friends went through devastating health problems, they turned Henry over to us. They conceded they could no longer take care of him, and they knew he would be loved unconditionally with us. Henry is around two, but we're not totally sure as he was a rescue as well. We're also not sure what mix he is, but we believe he's a terrier mix as well.

Personal photo. Henry after laying down in his new bed and realizing he's here to stay. (Source: Me)

    Henry is a tiny little thing, even smaller than Zeus!, but he's the instigator of the three. When he wants to play, he'll whine and yip until you or the other dogs pay attention to him. If that fails, he'll stand on his back legs and hop toward you until he can pounce. It's one of the cutest things I've ever witnessed!

Personal photo. Henry starting to learn what "cookie" means. (Source: Me)

    When Henry's hair grows out, he looks a lot like a type of miniature alpaca. His hair hadn't grown and puffed out fully yet in this photo, but it's one of the better ones I have of a head-on shot of him. If he's awake, he's usually not sitting still!

Penelope

    I found Penelope in August of 2019 on the side of the road on Highway 9 on my way to OU. She was tiny (turned out only 3 months old), skinny, exhausted, and flea-infested. When I ditched school to pick her up and bring her to the vet, I found out that she was days away from dying of worms. The next few weeks were nerve-wracking as my parents and I nursed her back to health and introduced her to Henry and Zeus. 

    Over the course of this past year, she has grown into a big beautiful puppy who loves to play and receive belly rubs and keep guard over you while you sleep.

Personal photo. Penelope sleeping after running around the backyard. (Source: Me)

    Penelope likes to lay on her back when she sleeps. We think it makes her hips feel better. She's a Great Pyrenees and Anatolian shepherd mix (according to the vet). Her coat is so fluffy and soft! She'll bend and curl all sorts of ways that you think would hurt, but she honestly seems so comfortable even though sometimes she looks like she's twisted into a pretzel.

Personal photo. Penelope posing for the camera. (Source: Me)

    Penelope is one of the sweetest, most gentle dogs I've ever known or had the pleasure of living with. She's one of the three best dogs in the world. At first, she was so meek deer in the backyard scared her, but over time, she's learned to at least not fear the squirrel that steals seed from the birdfeeder or the toads and frogs that hang around the back porch.