Okiehoma from a Yankee's Eye View

A cooler blog than mine

2010-02-18T10:05:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the Tulsa World, I was made aware of a cool new blog from here in Tulsa.

http://carlessintulsa.blogspot.com/

Dustin and I have given serious thought to becoming a single vehicle family. The idea is that we would have the two cars but really make a serious attempt to only use one to save money & lower our carbon footprint.

Ironically enough, after talking about it, the Saturn broke down (3 weeks ago) and that has put us in the position to live our lives with just one car. If it were up to me, it would have been at the mechanic and fixed by now. However, my loving & good intentioned husband believes he can fix it and so I am allowing my car to sit in the driveway til the day when he had time to tend to it :/

But, I digress.....

Carless in Tulsa is a phenomenal blog. I love how honest they are about the joys and not so joyful moments of living without a car. They certainly don't make it sound perfect but prove that is completely doable :)

Enjoy!

Sprout's 30 week check up

2010-02-12T12:29:00.000-08:00

Sprouty and I had our 30 week check up yesterday and like every appointment prior to this one, it ended with the doc saying "Wow, you certainly are just motoring through this pregnancy."

My belly is measuring exactly 30 weeks.

Sprout's heart rate was 148. It has been in a really tight range of 146 to 154 all pregnancy.

My blood sugar from my glucose challenge two weeks ago was perfect.

My blood pressure was 126/76.

I gained 5lbs in 2 weeks bringing my pregnancy gain to 19lbs total (7 in the first 6 months, 12 in the past 6 weeks). The amazing thing to me is that at one point in my life, I was 13 pounds heavier than I am right now!

And so the boring pregnancy continues :)

In addition to the doctor's appointment, we also went in for our pre-admission paperwork and testing which was interesting on several fronts.

Let me say this, there is not enough money in the world that would make me want to be a hospital billing person. No amount could ever compensate for what those individuals have to deal with on a daily basis. How our "financial counselor" (and unfortunately for the life of me, I can not remember her name) was so nice and so patient in explaining everything to us and for helping us to recover from our coronary when we saw the bill by explaining that in actuality we don't OWE that much is beyond me. Kudos to St John's for having such an incredibly pleasant, understanding and intelligent person doing that kind of work in the women's center :D

We also got a tour of Labor & Delivery which was pretty cool and very surreal. Despite the fact that they were busting at the seams, every nurse there seemed perfectly relaxed and friendly. That was a great source of relief to me :)

So, as this pregnancy continues to truck along (2 1/2 months to go), I took Gracie on a walk today since the temp was above 40 degrees and the sun was shining. We have one more day of this pseudo-spring weather before Valentine's Day turns cold, blustery and miserable so I might as well enjoy it :)

The Great Sand Springs Civil War of 2010

2010-02-11T07:14:00.000-08:00

I grew up in the 19038 zip code. Glenside, PA pride :D

But don't tell that to people who live in Ardsley, PA. They use "our" zip code too but according to the US Postal Service "19038 (ARDSLEY, PA IS NOT ACCEPTABLE - USE GLENSIDE". Oh and same goes for my friends in North Hills "19038 (NORTH HILLS, PA IS NOT ACCEPTABLE - USE GLENSIDE).

Oh and technically....Glenside isn't a "town". It is a CDP, a census designated place, located in Abington, Cheltenham, and Springfield Townships. I grew up on the Abington Township side of the tracks, literally. There are train tracks that divide the two townships. If you are at the train station and waiting to go INBOUND to Philadelphia, you are in Cheltenham Township. OUTBOUND passengers load up in Abington Township.

(Incidentally, the boundary between Ardsley/North Hills and Glenside is also train tracks)

The trash talking that goes back and forth about which side of the tracks within the 19038 is pretty legendary :)

I have friends who live and grew up in Mt Airy, Roxborough, Chestnut Hill, Germantown, Mayfair, Frankfurt. These places don't exist either. They are all within the city limits of Philadelphia, PA.

I have had many friends who lived in Oreland, PA. That's a CDP of Springfield and Upper Dublin Townships.

There is a point here....I'm getting there....bear with me.

My husband opened up a hornet's nest, a hopping, mad, really angry hornet's nest here in Sand Springs. He wrote a column regarding Prattville vs Sand Springs.

http://www.sandspringsleader.com/articles/2010/02/10/opinion/doc4b6e44f4c9d8b329394089.txt

The history of the Civil War

A brief history, albeit not detailed, regarding this civil war.

Sand Springs is a town founded by Charles Page on the north side of the river.

Prattville was a town on the south side of the river founded by Henry (or is it Harry) Pratt.

At some point, I think in the 1960's, Prattville was annexed by Sand Springs. In doing so, Prattville became part of Sand Springs. And that chip has been held on the shoulder of generations (ok, one generation) of Prattvillians.

When I moved here, I only knew Sand Springs. I live on the north side of Sand Springs, when I cross the Arkansas River, I am on the south side of Sand Springs. When I do cross the bridge, it is generally to take Gracie to the vet, go to Braum's for ice cream, or to get on I-44 in Salpulpa. Everything I need is pretty much on the north side. Same goes for the Prattvillians. They typically only cross the bridge to go to Walmart. That's because each side has a QuikTrip, a Sonic, and a Mazzio's. All are staples for any Tulsa area community. Each side also has an elementary school and a library too.

What's your point, Katie

My point, here is that there is no need to get angry about this!

I'm used to growing up in "towns" that aren't really towns because in PA most of us live in townships. I identify myself as a Glenside gal, I'm proud of my 19038 roots just as someone from Ardsley and North Hills is proud to be part of their little corner of 19038 in Abington Township or Upper Dublin Township.

It's all about the sense of community that comes with having pride in where you are from and having FUN with it! Some good fun ribbing about which "side" is better is good and can help a community grow but carrying on about the economic advantages or disadvantages of one side over the other is just plain silly. I would gladly trade our Carl's Jr for a Braum's but I'm not going to complain about having to cross the bridge to get those decadent, gooey, wonderful towers of chocolate and fudge goodness....where was I?.....oh yeah.....

Sand Springs, both sides of the river, are the 74063 zp code. Whether you are in North Sand Springs, South Sand Springs, Prattville, Tulsa County or Osage County. It's one big...happy?...community :) The bridge isn't THAT long and, despite what you might hear, the traffic is virtually non-existent.

So, my advice to Sandites (both sides), take pride in being from Sand Springs. There are alot of good things starting to happen on both sides of the river. Heck, visit each other every now again. The walk across the river has a fabulous view of the city of Tulsa. You might want to check it out when the weather gets warm.

Bloggers note: sorry if this was a rambling editorial but I just had to get this out! :)

Second bloggers note: Way to go skate park organizers in Sand Springs...y'all are one step closer!

Lazy Monday

2010-02-08T10:53:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here watching the snow fall and occasionally looking over to check on my sleeping husband curled up with my sleeping dog. It's quite nice.

Christmas Visit

I was lucky enough to be able to travel home to Philadelphia over the Christmas holidays (way long ago). Anytime I get home is a special blessing and this time was extra special because it had been 8 months since I had been there last and because Tulsa experienced its first blizzard while we were gone :)

Dustin and I decided to drive rather than fly and that turned out to be a fabulous decision given the fact the MidAtlantic got hit with a snowstorm right before we left for our trip. We would have most likely been so delayed getting into Philadelphia and possibly would not have gotten home til after Christmas Day.

The one disadvantage of driving is that if something goes wrong with the car, you better hope it is not bad. Fortunately for us it was bad but not THAT bad.

Long story short (as is usually the case with me)....our trip home went a little like this....

We decided to take the southern route home to Tulsa which consists of Philly to Knoxville, TN to Nashville, TN to Memphis, TN to Little Rock, AR and home to Tulsa.

We exited the PA turnpike in Harrisburg when my shift cable snapped. After playing the pregnancy card with both the tow truck driver and the Saturn dealership (which was to become a VW dealership on Jan 1st), we were back on the road within 5 hours making it to Bristol, VA/TN a down known only for its Nascar Race and for good reason :/ I am certain we stayed in the creepiest Motel 8 east of the Mississippi River that night but with the weather turning bad we didn't care!

We arrived home just in time to celebrate New Year's Eve with our puppy and be in bed by 12:15am....lol.

My Growing Belly

I swear I went from not pregnant to pregnant in the matter of 2 weeks!

Stupid Groundhog

Yes, it is still winter here in Oklahoma. Cabin fever is our house is reaching a dangerously high level. Spring can not come fast enough.

The New 'Do Courtesy of Clary Sage College :)

2009-12-14T11:33:00.000-08:00

So today I decided to treat myself to a little pampering and thanks to the girls at Clary Sage College (a cosmetology school here in Tulsa, http://www.clarysagecollege.com/clients), I am feeling so much better.

My sister Mandie gets her hair done by cosmetology students quite a bit in Manhattan and has always had wonderful experiences at a fraction of the cost. So while I was a little nervous about it, I figured that I can spend $12 at the Hair Cuttery or I can spend the same amount of money to have a student who is working with the best products available and being supervised learn something.

Britiney (I think I got that spelling right) was my stylist and she just really got it perfectly!

My hair was so super damaged from me not taking care of it and the fact that since I became preggers my hair & skin have no moisture. She ended up having to take 4 INCHES of wet hair off. That springs up to about 6 inches in curly hair. I also got a sensational deep conditioning. The final look is cute and sassy. I can't wait to start to playing with headbands and scarves and have some fun with my new shorter do :D

Sprout Update: 20 weeks and growing

2009-12-11T12:16:00.000-08:00

Well, I've made it to the half way point in my pregnancy. I'm now a healthy 21 weeks and everything is looking great :)

Sprout is growing at an amazing pace! Right now he/she weighs in at approx 13oz and is resting quite comfortably on the right side of my tummy. I think the gurgling noises of my stomach are too much for the lil one to handle.

The ultrasound was amazing! The tech went from head to toe showing us each and every little part of our tiny sprout. Everything from all 10 toes to the heart to the stomach even onto the bladder! Sprout's head is way down low in my abdomen with the feet pretty much up by rib cage. Apparently the kid likes to stretch it out. And is now looking like a little person in there.....kind of.

Apparently our child is a little camera shy. While the tech was trying to get a good picture of Sprout's adorable mug, he/she was busy moving his/her hand in front of the face. We were able to get a couple of good pictures but, with the baby looking straight at the camera, our child looks more like an alien form of Skeletor than a cute lil baby :)

If you turn your head to the right, you can kind of see the shape of a face. I'm going to be honest, the tech had to point out all the features for me to really see it.

My favorite picture from the ultrasound came from the fact that the little one has his/her feet planted firmly under my rib cage. So far, he/she has been very kind in the not kicking me too hard but, the kicks are getting stronger. Dustin was actually feel a couple of good ones over the past few nights :)

So, that's the brief Sprout update. I should have a belly picture soon enough. I just feel weird having one taken of me for some reason but with Christmas coming up, I'm sure I will have some to share!

Catching Up & Looking Back: A Year in Review

2009-11-20T13:58:00.000-08:00

Wow....it has been a year. Slowly Oklahoma is no longer the strange land it was a year ago. Don't get me wrong. It is still very strange but at least there is some familiarity to it now.

Admittedly, I have been a bad blogger. It was kind of a topsy turvy summer but things are starting to even out and life is chugging. So let's catch up.

GRACIE

Our little 5lbs bundle of fur is now a 30lbs 6 month old chewing monster. If this mutt doesn't prepare me for having a toddler, nothing will! She is extremely lucky that she is not only cute but does manage to behave herself 70% of the time.

She still loves her naps and chewing on things but we have started to find less destructive activities for her to engage in.

Here's a walk along the river at 10 weeks old.

Her first camping trip in Keystone State Park

Her first hike at Turkey Mountain

And the always favorite activity, lounging with Dustin :)

A VISIT FROM MY SISTERS :)

In August, I was incredibly fortunate to have my sisters visit for a couple of days. We picked them up in St Louis and did some local touring but, really it was mostly just a chance to relax and enjoy time with them since it had been so long.

Maggie enjoying a beverage Joe Momma's in downtown Tulsa.

Mandie & Maggie at Pops in Arcadia, OK

A visit to Oklahoma City

Playing at the 41st Street Plaza

Back in St Louis

OTHER SUMMER HAPPENINGS

It's official. I despise and do not look forward to Oklahoma summers in any way shape or form. When the heat index is 110 for three or more straight days, I call that excessive.

Dustin and I did have the chance to take in a bunch of Driller's games this summer which is always a great time :) We were able to take in the second to last game played at the old Drillers stadium. They will moving to their new ballpark, Oneok Field in downtown next for the 2010 season.

Other than that, it was a pretty quiet end to the summer but for one last little bit of news......

DRUM ROLL PLEASE

Dustin and I found we were expecting on August 18th.

Sprout is due to make his or her Tulsa debut around April 22nd.

So far I've had a relatively boring pregnancy which is always a blessing. We are not going to find out what the sex of the baby is until his/her arrival in April so, we've spent a good bit of time guessing with absolutely no scientific data to back up our beliefs :) Next ultrasound is in 2 weeks on Dec 3rd so be looking for a new picture!

LOOKING FORWARD

Dustin and I have had some challenges over the course of the past month. Mostly regarding my job situation but I can honestly say that I'm incredibly optimistic and excited about the next year :)

Hopefully I'll be a better blogger in sharing it with the few readers I have left :)

Introducing Gracie

2009-06-24T07:36:00.000-07:00

Dustin and I had talked about adopting a dog. Who hasn't at one point or another. But to be honest, I didn't think we would until we settled down more and started a family involving our own DNA.

And then I met Gracie.

Gracie is a puppy with one of those rescue stories that makes you realize how important it is for people to choose rescue dogs. Gracie's real mommy was brought from another town's animal shelter to ours to be euthanized because she hadn't been adopted. When she arrived in our town, our animal control officer (who is AMAZING) realized that the dog that was to be put down was pregnant. On May 22nd, a litter of 4 adorable lil pups were born in a cage in the shelter. By Monday morning, 2 of the litter had been adopted, leaving Gracie and her brother. I got the text early Monday afternoon from Dustin that Gracie & her brother would be the pets of the week for paper. By Monday evening, Gracie had a home.

So now I'm the mommy to a cute lil 4 week old bundle of fur. Besides the whining through the night and the chewing on anything she can get her mouth around (apparently ankles and calf muscles are quite tasty), she's a good pup. Her favorite activity right now is sleeping (except at night apparently). She's going to put a little different spin on where & when Dustin go on our adventures but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. We'll be spending alot more time exploring parks and teaching lil Ms. Gracie how to hike.

As a little public service announcement. I really do encourage everyone to adopt from your local shelter before a pet shop. There are so many good animals that need home so Save a Life, Adopt a Rescue Animal :)

Weather Forcast: It's Gonna Be Hot!

2009-06-23T05:58:00.000-07:00

When I moved here and I complained when it hit a humid 85 degrees, everyone told me "Wait til late July and August when it REALLY heats up."

Weather forcast for the JUNE 23-27

Tuesday: 101
Wednesday: 100
Thursday: 101
Friday: 102
Saturday: 101
Sunday: 97

That is just the high temperature and does not take into account the heat index which right now at 8am CST is 85 degrees.

Since returning from our trip, the temperatures have not dropped below 95 and we have had not had one drop of rain. There are no storms in the forcast, although yesterday there were a bunch of puffy white clouds.

It's gonna be hot!

2009-06-14T12:11:00.000-07:00

I found a great quote when getting ready to write this blog and it pretty much sums up my past week.

The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land. ~G.K. Chesterton

Dustin was forced to take a week long furlough from work. So, last Monday, we set out on a 5 day adventure that was to span from Tulsa to the Oklahoma panhandle with a short jaunt into New Mexico and back again. Somehow we ended up on a 5 day adventure that involved the Oklahoma panhandle w/ a tree limb almost hitting us to a cold night in the mountains of New Mexico and ending with a night under the big bright stars of Texas.

First Stop: Black Mesa, scaling Oklahoma's high point

We headed out way too early on Monday, our first stop was Black Mesa State Park near Kenton, OK. Black Mesa is located on the panhandle of Oklahoma, an area larger than the state of Connecticut w/ a booming population of 30,000 people (and I'm guessing 10 times as many cows).

Slapout, Oklahoma is one of the first towns we came across on the panhandle. Population: 3.

When Dustin and I travel we tend to get distracted by roadside attractions (you will see that trend) and when we saw the Gloss Mountain State Park, we had to stop. The Gloss Mountains or Glass Mountains (depending on which story you believe), are series of tall red mesas right before you reach the panhandle in Major County, OK. They get the name Gloss (or Glass) from their sparkley appearance due to the gypsum found in the rock.

After being on the road for approx. 8 hours we reached Black Mesa State Park and settled in the for the night, very very very very very windy night. When Dustin started complaining about the wind, I knew it was bad.

The next morning we headed up to Black Mesa, Oklahoma's high point. For those of you not familiar, each state recognizes their highest point in elevation and there are people whose goal is to reach all 50. Most fall short due to a little mountain in Alaska called, Mt McKinley, or the hill in Washington named Rainier but, they often succeed in hitting 48 of the 50.

Black Mesa soars to an elevation of 4,973 feet which is 1500 feet taller than Pennsylvania's. The hike itself it not terribly difficult really. Except for a 1/2 mile stretch it very flat but on a hot day, it could be brutal.

We signed the registry and left a note for my sister, Mandie :)

After conquering the mighty mesa we did some local roadside attractions because we are dorks like that but first we had to return to our campsite to get directions. That is where we found this.

This branch is easily 200 pounds and landed a couple feet from our tent. After marveling at our luck in still having a tent, we headed out in search of dinosaur footprints and a spot where we could stand in 3 states at one time.

The dinosaur tracks are on private property but, there were no houses as far as the eye could see.

Dustin was partial to the Oklahoma corner.

I couldn't decide between New Mexico or Oklahoma.

But, I did check out Colorado for a minute or two.

Stop Two: Sante Fe, where have you been all my life?

After our branch incident, Dustin & I decided that as much as we love Oklahoma, it was time to head somewhere less windy. We reformulated our plan and came up with a new one. We would stop to see Capulin Volcano then head to Sante Fe to find a campsite there. From Sante Fe we would head south to Albuquerque before heading east through the Texas panhandle to Palo Duro Canyon.

Capulin Volcano is located in northeast New Mexico in an area home to many dormant volcanos. They are truly dormant and have been for thousands of years (or so the government would have you believe).

Capulin from the distance.

The crater of the volcano sits 415feet down from the parking lot and over a 1000 feet down from the crater rim.

The crater sits at about 8100 feet in elevation. It was very cool and chilly up there.

Our journey continued onto to Sante Fe where we grabbed lunch at the AMAZING Blue Corn Cafe (thank you to the New Mexico visitor center girl who recommended it). Blue Corn Cafe brews their own beer and the food was exceptional!

Dustin and I have decided we really love Santa Fe. Like really love Santa Fe. So much so that this blog may change name at some point.

The miraculous stairwell at the Loretto Chapel. Apparently I am the only person to have never heard of this thing.

San Miguel is the oldest church in America.

Our home for the night was Hyde Memorial State Park just north of Sante Fe National Forest. We were more prepared for mesa and desert camping not sleeping at elevation. At an elevation of 8300 feet we tried to sleep through a very chilly night.

Stop Three: Rock Doodles, Boredom on a Farm and the Stars at Night are Big and Bright (name that tune)

We headed south to Albuquerque, NM to visit the petroglyphs at Petroglyph National Monument. These petroglyphs are found on the rocks within several canyons in the area. Some obviously pictures of something but alot were drawings that only the doodler knew and are open to interpretation. When you take 2 road weary individuals with a sick sense of humor and show them pictures to interpret, it becomes obvious that these people need serious help.

When Dustin saw this next roadside attraction he almost crashed the car.

This is Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. According to Roadside America: The Cadillac Ranch, located along the tatters of historic Route 66, was built in 1974, brainchild of Stanley Marsh 3, the helium millionaire who owns the dusty wheat field where it stands. Marsh and The Ant Farm, a San Francisco art collective, assembled used Cadillacs representing the "Golden Age" of American Automobiles (1949 through 1963). The ten graffiti-covered cars are half-buried, nose-down, facing west "at the same angle as the Cheops' pyramids." I don't get it but, Dustin loved it.

We reached Palo Duro Canyon State Park at about 6:30pm and were lucky enough to get a campsite. Despite the number of people at the campground, we enjoyed relative quiet for our last night.

And so our vacation ended. We saw mesas, desert, snowcapped mountains, a volcano, evergreen forests, alot of cows, a couple of noisy turkeys, and many interesting characters on the way.

We are already planning our next roadtrip :)

Our New Dinner Guest, Gray Pants

2009-06-04T19:27:00.001-07:00

Tonight was another beautiful early summer Oklahoma night. Another night in which Dustin fired up our charcoal grill, we opened a bottle (or two) of our favorite local brew and sat on the porch to enjoy dinner & a beautiful evening.

Tonight we had a guest.

We have seen this kitty around before. He has spent an afternoon or two chilling out on the rafters of our porch. He's super skinny. He has no tag on him so we don't know his name or where he lives. But, one thing is certain. He is not afraid of people and is rather fond of just sitting at your feet while you eat dinner. So we let him hang out and against our better judgement gave him a bit of Bobbie's food.

Needless to say, Bobbie was not pleased but our new friend seemed very happy and decided to try to invite himself inside.

We decided that if our new feline porch companion was going to continue to spend time with us he needed a name and so it was bestowed upon him the name, Gray Pants.

We aren't sure how long this relationship is going to last but, we'll keep you posted if somehow Gray Pants ends up a permanent member of our evening porch sitting family.

Tulsa Tough 2009

2009-06-01T07:36:00.001-07:00

This weekened was a fun one in Tulsa. The city hosted Tulsa Tough 2009. Tulsa Tough is a free 3 day cycling event held here annually. As a point of reference for friends & family back home, it is like the Liberty Classic.

The event started on Friday in the Blue Dome district. Dustin and I opted to go to the Drillers game instead (we couldn't turn down the free tickets through Walmart) but, headed out in the afternoon on Saturday.

Saturday took the race through the Brady District. This was my first visit to this particular area of town. The Brady district is home to Cain's Ballroom (which has a really cool rock-n-roll history, check it out http://www.cainsballroom.com/history)and the Brady Theatre (another Tulsa music venue that has seen acts ranging from Tony Bennett to Devo to Bill Cosby to Will Rogers to Kenny Rogers and even U2). We decided to walk the course so we could really check out the neighborhood and find a spot (preferably shady) for watching the race. We didn't find shade but we found the jackpot spot, the area in front of the bar Soundpony which happens to be next door to Cain's. Soundpony is a cyclist's bar, not to be confused with a biker bar, and was located on an uphill part of the course. Alcohol, cowbells, and an uphill climb = on heck of an afternoon :) Here are some of the sights from Saturday.

Racers coming through the straightaway in the Brady.

Racers coming up the hill in front of Cain's.

That's the BOk Tower in the background. It was designed by the same individual who did the World Trade Centers was built at 1/4 to scale of the towers.

Cyclists going past Caz's, another great Brady spot where we stopped to get out of the heat for a bit.

On the walk back to the car we passed through the Center of the Universe, a pedestrian walkway area that when you yell it echos perfectly.

Sunday brought the race down to an area of town that I have grown particulary fond of, The River Parks. Here the race took the riders down the straightaway along Riverside Drive and then up the hill and back around. Again, we decided to walk around and find the best (and shadiest spot). We headed for the hill and were thrilled to see the Soundpony crew up there with cowbells, a tuba, a drum set and a bass guitar cheering the riders on. It looked so much like Manayunk back home during the Liberty Classic. We watched some of the race from there before heading to the downhill on the other side of the course. To be honest, we were seeking any shade we could get.

Looking down Riverside as the riders begin their ascent.

The mighty Arkansas in the background as the riders climb.

Finishing their ascent.

Starting their descent back to Riverside.

The turn at the bottom of the descent.

Despite the heat (temps in the low 90's which come July and August will be a welcomed relief) and sun, I escaped with no major sunburn :) It was a great weekend to get out and explore Tulsa!

Catching Up - Early summer update

2009-05-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

The past month has been a busy one for me & Dustin but with early summer approaching and some changes being made in my life, things are slowing down and that is a beautiful thing.

So, what have I been up to?

Drillers Games!

As you might recall, for Valentine's Day I received a 20 ticket voucher package to the Tulsa Drillers and we have been using full advantage of them!

First game was a $1 Beer night sponsered by the DUI guy.

It was also Clunker night where you could win someone else's broken down car. I felt a little ping in my heart when I saw this clunker. A 1998 Saturn SL was the first new car I ever bought. This one didn't make it all the way around the field and had to be retired to the storage shed.

Every Drillers game also includes a mascot race featuring the politically correct characters of The Hot Dog, The Taquito, and an Egg Roll complete with fu man chu & hat.

The next game we went to was a race to get done before storms rolled in. Fortunately, the storms held off but, on the way home we got hit by pea sized hail.

Mayfest!

Mayfest is as annual, you guessed it, May event here in Tulsa. It is similiar to the OKC arts festival but on a smaller scale.

My first experience with a FRIED SNICKERS. I think my face says it all.

Taking place at the same time is the Blue Dome Arts Festival. Blue Dome is a small section of downtown that has a counter culture reputation.

During the Arts Festival it was host to the Art Car Parade!

For those who don't know according to wikipedia an art car is: An art car is a vehicle that has its appearance modified as an act of personal artistic expression. Art car artists usually drive and own their own work. They are sometimes referred to as "Cartists". Art car artists or owners often dress in a matching motif when displaying their cars. Art cars and car artists come from all walks of life, uphold a wide range of personal philosophies and beliefs and come from all political groups.

This was our personal favorite. The Sashimi Tabernacle Choir out of Houston, TX. This guy built this car that is operated by 2 computers to get these fish to sing!

www.SashimiTabernacleChoir.org

River Parks!

Summer just can't start without a visit to River Parks :)

We saw alot of people walking their dogs and then we met this guy. He's some sort of African Desert Tortoise, not turtle, a tortoise.

We've got alot more planned for this summer so stay tuned!

Oklahoma City Festival of Arts.

2009-04-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

I have a hard time sitting still (can ya tell?) so, when we found out that our friends Ben & Jen were going to be in OK visiting, I got incredibly excited because that meant my plans to stay inside and clean had been thwarted! We headed out to the "big" city, Oklahoma City, to meet up for lunch and some touristy fun.

We got to OKC a little early so had to spend some time entertaining ourselves which is never a good thing.

Once Ben & Jen arrived and saved ourselves from ourselves we had lunch at the Bricktown Brewery where I had an AWESOME burger (that I could actually taste that day). After lunch we were trying to figure out what to do next when we happened upon the OKC Festival of Arts.

The Arts Festival was held on the grounds of the Myriad Botanical Gardens and is one of the biggest arts festivals in the plains states.(http://www.myriadgardens.com).

Both Dustin and Ben grew up in OK but had never been to the Myriad. For $4 admission it was more than worth the price of admission. It was one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen! A totally unexpected little jewel in the middle of the city. It was a nice place to get away from the crowd of the festival and enjoy some time taking in the sights and scents of the garden.

I had to get really close because my nose is still very stuffy

The view was well worth the fear I was feeling by being up on that cat walk

Unfortunately, the battery in my camera died in the middle of the gardens so, I don't have pictures of the the festival but, despite the crazy amount of people and the fact that I got sunburnt, it was an awesome day :)

Breezy, Beautiful....it is date night Thursday, the birds are too fat, and line drying.

2009-04-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

Date Night Thursday

My schedule for the past month has been Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed 1pm-1am. Dustin works Monday through Saturday 8/9am til whenever. Needless to say, we don't see each other much and that's why Thursday date night is pretty much our favorite night of the week.

Typically we spend it McNellie's but decided to switch it up a bit this week (I felt like I was cheating on McNellie's) It was just too nice out and we were looking to eat outside. So with temps in the high 80's and a nice easy breeze we headed out to Jenk Riverwalk.

We ended up eating outside at the Ale Haus (http://ale-haus.com). I would love to say that the food was excellent but, I had to rely on Dustin's opinion because I am so congested with a cold that I couldn't taste a thing. However, Dustin tells me that the food was awesome and the beer was excellent. It was a really great, relaxing night.

The Birds are TOO Fat

We have 2 bird feeders outside to help keep the cat entertained and we're trying to get a really good picture of the Cardinal couple that nests somewhere near our house. One feeder holders 5lbs of food, the other 2lbs. The neighborhood birds have eaten 7 POUNDS of food a week for the past 2 weeks! I feel like we are running a bird soup kitchen from our porch. So, this morning I headed out to Atwoods to get a 20lbs bag of bird seed and 2 more bird feeders. I feel like such an enabler.

Line Drying is Overrated

We inherited a 15 year old dryer from my mother-in-law. We had it for a couple of weeks before it just died on us. That gave Dustin the great idea of being more eco-friendly and said, "We should start line drying!". After pricing out super energy efficient dryers and realizing it wasn't in the budget, I half heartedly agreed with ONE rule......my underwear DO NOT get hung up outside. What I have discovered in the past few attempts at line drying is that it makes me really annoyed when it is cold outside and I have to dry inside. BUT, when it is sunny and breezy outside, my clothes dry in an hour and I actually kind of enjoy. The energy efficient front loader is still on my wish list but, I'm learning to embrace the good ole fashioned way of drying.

You can go home again.

2009-04-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

This was a tough week for me, I'm gonna be honest.

First, I found out Phillies broadcaster, Harry Kalas died. I lost a piece of childhood :( I actually teared up when I heard and for the rest of the day I had a heavy heart.

And then the other shoe, the much much bigger shoe dropped.....

My grandmom passed away April 13th.

She was 2 weeks from her 97th birthday and you get really spoiled having someone that special in your life for that long. Saying good-bye to her was one of the toughest things I have ever had to do.

So, Friday I found myself sitting next to my hubby at Tulsa International at 6am waiting for my flight back home to Philadelphia. I was to land at 12pm Friday and my return flight left at 5:30pm on Sunday. I had 54 1/2 hours.

The weekend was short and bittersweet. Seeing my sisters and parents was exactly what I needed after not being home for 5 months. And then there were seemingly endless introductions of my extended family (Grandmom had 6 kids, 17 grandkids, 8 greatgrandkids, was one of 10 siblings, and had more nieces & nephews than I could even count)......"OMG, Katie, I haven't seen you since you were young and looked like Annie. You can't possibly be old enough to be married." That got a smile or two out of me.

I spent alot of time hanging out with my cousins (can they possibly be old enough to drink? I used to babysit these kids!). Then there was the night out with my sisters. Bedtime for me, Mandie, Dustin, and Pat (the over 30 crowd) came at 10pm. The youngins continued on without us.

I was able to spend time with my friend Susan and with some of my friends from West Chester. It made me really realize how blessed I am that I can go home and be able to catch up right where I left off :)

A bonus to the weekend was that we left the cold and rain in Tulsa to an unseasonably sunny, warm, spring weekend in Philadelphia. It was perfect weather and made me feel just a little bit better.

So, now I'm back in Tulsa. Getting ready to go back to work and listening to my annoying porch sitting whistling neighbor (it is driving me INSANE right now).

Hopefully it will be a better week.

Boot Scoot Boogie

2009-04-09T13:46:00.000-07:00

A week ago, I headed out with my fellow academy graduates. I was attempting to break my reputation of being shy (some of you back home can stop laughing now) and I needed to blow off some serious steam after four 6 day work weeks.

So we headed out to the Wild Horse Saloon.

I do not own a cowboy hat (yet). I do not own cowboy boots (yet). I do...I mean...I did not know how to line dance.

I still need a cowboy hat and cowboy boots.

With the help of my academy mates Eryn and Lisa, I did learn to line dance and Boot Scoot Boogied the best my Yankee sense of rhythm could. And I had ALOT of fun doing it!

When I wasn't taking part in the moving lines of people, I was watching some of the serious, experienced line dancers (and there were alot of them!).

It was honesty something that I probably I wouldn't have done on my own and is not really my type of place (they have 50 cent Bud Lite nights, their highest end beer is Corona and jello shots are served in large syringe things by girls half my size) but, I would definatley go again with a group of people.

But, I still need that cowboy hat!

Snow No! And for those of you who don't know, I'm kind of a big deal.

2009-03-31T18:02:00.000-07:00

It happened. For the first time in history, it happened. Tulsa received more than 1.5 inches of snow after March 21st. We received almost 10 INCHES of big, flaked, wet snow on Saturday.

I was fortunate enough to be working during the worst of the storm which meant I got to see the city in the middle of a virtual blizzard. Unfortunately, I couldn't take any pictures because I was on the job but, let me tell you, it was AMAZING! I was just so happy to be out and playing in the mess!

Dustin and I woke up Sunday morning and headed out for a walk heading north on our street instead of our usual walk to downtown.

This is not our house. We wish it was but it belongs to the neighbors three doors up.

Main St, Sand Springs

Dustin's Snow Alien

And then Sunday it hit a high of 65 degrees. Just like magic, the snow was gone and the tulips were up.

Little side note:

I had the honor of being interviewed for one of the most popular blogs here in Tulsa and in all of Oklahoma. I highly highly recommend it! It is the blog that my little blog wishes it could be when it grows up :) So thanks Tasha!!!!!!

http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/

Where did the time go?????

2009-03-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

It has been way too long since I have visited my own blog! I can not believe so much time has passed.

So where have we been and what have we been up to?

WELCOME TO THE LAND OF THE WORKING YOU LAZY YANKEE

I am now gainfully employed :) I feel very blessed in this economy to land a good job. I'm even more blessed that I actually am quite excited about my job. It will also allow us to have the moolah to do more exploring in the city. It was a win win for me.

A TAIL OF TWO SUSHIS

We have visited two very good and very different sushi restaurants in the past couple of weeks.

First up was In the Raw (http://www.intherawsushi.com) for Dustin's birthday. It is one of the trendier Brookside neighborhood restaurants and as such is always packed on a Saturday night. We ended up waiting close to an hour for a table and then ended up a the sushi bar which actually was a great thing! Dustin decided to get a little adventurous and tried the Salmon Roe and Sea Urchin. Roe was a big hit. Sea Urchin ended up at the bottom of our toilet later that night when he kept reliving the texture over and over again in his mind. This was our 2nd time at In the Raw and both times the sushi was incredibly fresh and excellent. It is on the pricier side of a dinner for two but we both agree that it is totally worth it!

Our second sushi restaurant was Sushi Train. Sushi Train is not the trendiest spot and doesn't even have a website. It's located at 3302 E 51st St in Tulsa tucked into a strip mall. Apparently sushi trains are very popular in Australia (at least that's what wikipedia told me) and gaining popularity in the states. We had a lot of fun just grabbing different plates off the little engine that passed by our seats at the bar. It's a very bare bones little restaurant but the sushi tasted really fresh and for the price, it was an excellent, quieter alternative to In the Raw.

I would honestly recommend either place, it just kind of depends on what whether you want to get all dressed up for a night out or if you just feel like a quiet, laid back bite to eat.

ADVENTURE IN THE BIG CITY

We took a road trip out to "The City". "The City" is Oklahoma City and is located about an hour and half from our little own of Tulsa. The Philadelphia 76ers were taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 76ers got killed but at least I was able to hang out with our friends, Rob and Carmen. Oh and I was able to see with my own eyes the Sasquatch with horns that is the Thunder's mascot, Rumble. He is absolutely frightening.

WEATHER UPDATE

It is officially spring which means that our video camera will always now be fully charged and placed in a convenient place so should Mother Nature decide to spin off a whirling dervish, we are ready.

We're trying to find some place new to try this weekend. I haven't been to the Tulsa Zoo yet so that's a possibility if I'm not working. T-ball & spring soccer season is starting up so, we'll be out cheering on the nieces and nephews :) My running has taken a hit because of my schedule and I don't see that getting better anytime soon which is a real bummer. I'm hoping the roses at the Tulsa Rose Garden start budding soon :) Springtime is just so full of possibilities :)

Talk to y'all soon!

Against the Wind, Still Running Against the Wind

2009-02-26T13:50:00.000-08:00

I am writing this blog on my laptop seated on my front porch :) It is 81 degrees here in the greater Tulsa area today. Just thought I would share that little bit of info to my friends and family back home.

One of the many things I have learned in my 3 months here (I can't believe it has been three months already) is that every day is guaranteed to bring some sort of breeze. As I have told Dustin on several occasions "It is always windy here", usually stated when my SUV is getting blown sideways on the highway. His response is that sometimes it can be "still" in the summer then admitted that we probably have different ideas of what windy actually means. Today the wind is blowing WNW at 18mph. That is windy to me and breezy to Dustin. Spring is the "breezy" season.

Today I headed out on an 8 mile run. I am training for the Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon (my first half marathon) and am at the half way point in my training. Thanks to the mild winter we've had since I've been here, the training really hasn't hit any weather bumps by means of precipitation. What I have had to face, literally, are headwinds!

Now, I'm used to running hills back home in PA. I just put myself in low gear and truck up the endless ups and downs. I don't like them but they are an inevitable part of running in the NE. I come to Oklahoma and I'm thinking "This is great! This state is flatter than a pancake. It'll be like running in Kansas."

No, no it's not.

I live in Sand Springs, OK. Apparently, I live on the ONLY hill in Oklahoma. Hills like we have back home. Hills I hated to run up when I was in PA. So, I think I'm going to outwit topography and head towards the flats of the River Park system.

Not so fast.

I didn't take into consideration that Tulsa is wide open. Our tallest trees are maybe 40 feet tall and they don't grow in bunches. There's nothing to break up the wind. So, that nice little WNW 18 mph feels alot different when it is blowing straight in your face by mile 5 of a 8 miler and continues til you are at the base of the hill at 7 miles.

Moral of the story is that like any good runner in any region, it's just one of those weather related things that you learn to work around. Typically it is much smarter to do the first half of the run facing the wind and then use the wind to blow you back. Today, I was not that smart.

A nice little side note to this whole spring like February. I came home from a run and Dustin very excitedly says "I have something to show you. We have YELLOW LILLIES growing in the backyard!" and showed me these:

I am so super excited that we have DAFFODILS growing already :)

$3 Burgers at McNellie's

2009-02-19T17:46:00.000-08:00

Another high five to my favorite Tulsa eatery, McNellie's. Wednesday night is $3 burger night (5pm-8pm)!

Dustin and I headed over at about 5:30 and as soon as we entered the Greenwood District the parking situation let us know right away that McNellie's was going to be incredibly crowded.

The place was packed! The wait was about 45 minutes for a seat downstairs and there was not a seat to be found at the bar. However, the upstairs is the smoking area and is first come first serve seating so we headed up there. Within minutes we had seats at the bar and were ecstatic to see our favorite bartender working :) In all honesty, the smoking level wasn't even that bad. You could smell the smoke but I didn't come home with my clothes and hair stinking.

The burgers they serve for $3 burgers are the same exact burgers they usually sell and they are big burgers. Our burgers were perfectly done with sweet potato fries on the side and enhanced by a Moose Drool Brown Ale and a Left Hand Milk Stout. Awesome mid-week, get out of the house dinner :)

McNellie's is within blocks of the new ballpark. I am hoping they keep up with the $3 burgers because Wednesday night home games are gonna rock!

Nothing says Romance like Pitchers and Catchers reporting

2009-02-16T14:41:00.001-08:00

Valentine's Day 2009

This Valentine's Day was extra special. OK, yes, it was me & Dustin's first Valentine's Day together and that's very sweet and mushy. But, really it was EXTRA special because pitchers & catchers reported to spring training.

It was the official start to MY Philadelphia Phillies defense of their World Series Champtionship. To mark the occassion we had a Phillies flag raising at our house.

The theme of the day continued when Dustin presented me with an envelope that contained a partial season ticket plan to the Tulsa Drillers, AA Affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. We can pick and choose any 10 games this season. The season starts on April 16th and I can not wait!

Our evening was spent at a nice little bistro in the Brookside neighborhood called Sonoma (www.sonomatulsa.com).

We really liked it! Despite the fact that it was Valentine's Day, it didn't feel too crowded. The wine list is HUGE and they have a really impressive beer list! We ended up trying a wine off the "Unique and Interesting Red" list called Hey Mambo Sultry Red from Washington State and it was really nice. They have a great appetizer menu and we went with the cheese platter, another good pick for the night. They have a really diverse menu with sandwiches, pizzas, and entrees. Dustin's Grilled Skirt Steak with Gorgonzola was phenomenal and my Pesto Crusted Tilapia was super yummy too. The ONLY disappointment we had was dessert :( The special was a chocolate poundcake with chocolate sauce on it and it was so not what we were expecting. It was kind of small for a dessert special on Valentine's Day and I the poundcake tasted just like the brownies I make at home. But, all in all, we would totall recommend Sonoma!

After Sonoma we headed down the block to The Brook, a Brookside favorite of ours. It was like a ghost town in there which was good for us because the service which is always really great there was even better. I'll have to post a full review of there when we eat there again.

So, that was our day. Hope y'all had a wonderful day too!

Spring Storm Preview

2009-02-11T19:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got my first taste of what is in store for my first spring here in Oklahoma. It was a strange combination of being bad nervous and a weird sense of anticipation.

We had a cold front that literally blew through the state starting at 3pm yesterday.

In the end it spun off tornadoes that affected 17 counties in Oklahoma. One tornado took the lives of at least 8 people in the town of Lone Grove, OK, a town in southcentral Oklahoma on the Texas border (or about 3 hours southwest of where I live).

The worst thing we got here in Sand Springs was a downpour that lasted about 15 mintues, high winds, some lightening, and a couple claps of thunder. The closest we got to a tornado in Sand Springs was the one that hit Pawnee, OK which is about 50 minutes to the NW of us. We were very blessed.

Keep your prayers for those affected and for what lies ahead for us come springtime.

Weekend Update: Celebrating 3 months of marriage by stuffing our faces

2009-02-09T13:14:00.000-08:00

The weather here in the greater Tulsa area has been nothing short of amazing since last Thursday. The highs have been in the upper 60s to mid 70s, sunny for the most part, and a bit breezy. I can not believe it is February.

Thursday nights at McNellie's

Dustin has started taking a class at Tulsa Community College on Thursday nights. So after class, he and I meet at our favorite Irish bar, McNellie's Public House (http://www.mcnellies.com).
Jessica is the Thursday night bartender downstairs and is cool for so many reasons. She is from Maryland which doesn't make her a Yankee because she is from south of the Mason-Dixon line but that's close enough for me to like her. Jessica knows beer and she loves to tell you about the latest things on tap and can pick the perfect beer for your liking. She joked last week that all her "beer nerds" come in on Thursdays. This week I tried the Left Hand Brewing Company Smokejumper Porter (their Milk Stout is a big favorite of mine) and Young's Double Chocolate Stout. I seriously couldn't tell you which I liked better but, I think Young's edged out because of the chocolate.
McNellie's has a great atmosphere, great food, and an exceptional staff. It is pretty much favorite place in Tulsa and as a bonus, will be right down the street from the new ballpark! Yahtzee!

Mexican food, Biking riding, Hideaway Pizza, and "mild" habanero sauce on a Saturday

Saturday was a unique day to say the least. It was a hodgpodge of all things that I have come to love about Tulsa.

I've mentioned that we are trying to avoid chain restaurants. There are just so many great local ones that it really would be a sin not to take advantage of that. So, for lunch we decided to try what is alledgely the BEST, most authentic mexican restaurant in Tulsa, El Rio Verde.
El Rio Verde is located off the beaten path, in a working class neighborhood in Tulsa (38 N Trenton Ave, Tulsa). Inside the restaurant looks like an old diner sort of place and there was a total mix of every different kind of people. Their wet burrito is really what they are known for so, that's what we tried. It was huge! Dustin & I had chips & salsa, 2 burritos, 2 cokes, one beer, and some sort of Mexican candy for $20. Great deal, awesome food, down to earth atmosphere. I was so stuffed when we left there! We are going back for breakfast one of these days.

From El Rio Verde, Dustin and I went for a bike ride along the southern end of the River Parks (http://www.riverparks.org). We rode from 56th Street down to the Jenks Riverwalk Bridge and back for a round trip of just over 11 miles. It is totally flat so my legs got a decent work out but I could still walk the next day. My dorky husband made a video montage of the trip. WARNING: If you get motion sick, you may want to skip this video.

But, wait, our day did not end there.

After getting showered, we headed out to my favorite pizza place, Hideway Pizza (http://www.hideawaypizza.com). It has been my favorite since my first visit to Tulsa back in 2007. The pizza here is just so darn good, no matter what you order and the beer is always so cold served in huge frozen fishbowl sized glasses. Hideaway makes me happy :)
Hideway is located in the Cherry Street area of Tulsa. It's a street lined with lots of great bars and restaurants: Full Moon Cafe, Drake's, and Kilkenny's just to name a few.
After Hideaway we ended up at Kilkenny's (http://www.tulsairishpub.com). Like McNellie's, it is an Irish place and has an outstanding beer menu (although most of their really good stuff is in bottles, not draught). The bartender was great and after seeing someone else order oysters, Dustin and I got curious. We saw an oyster appetizer on the menu that sounded very interesting and we inquired about it to the bartender. He gave it a big thumbs up so, we tried it. Basically, it was a planko battered fried oyster with pineapple salsa on top of a tortilla chip with a "MILD" habanero sauce drizzled over the oyster. "Mild" habanero is an oxymoron as far as I am concerned. There is no such thing. But, let me tell you something, it was AMAZING! So, once again, we made a mental note to come back and actually do a sampling of all things oyster at Kilkenny's.

So that was our weekend. Sunday was very laid back and entailed church, me going for a 4 mile run, and grocery shopping. Not very exciting stuff but we needed the break.

Playdate at the park

2009-02-06T12:38:00.001-08:00

Today was 70 degrees, sunny, and very breezy. My sister-in-law, Jenny asked if I wanted to join her, the boys, and her friend at the park. After running 6 miles yesterday, it was perfect opportunity for me to get out and stretch my tired legs in the beautiful sunshine :)

Here are some pictues from our day!

Chan Man

Bryson coming down the slide

Bubble Boy

Bryson and Bella

The Red Cross doesn't want my blood, traveling without TomTom, and running in the Slush

2009-01-31T07:10:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to ramble for a bit this morning about my misadventures in the greater Tulsa area yesterday.

The Red Cross Doesn't Want my Blood

There is a blood shortage in the area due to the ice storm causing the cancellation of alot of blood drives and then the greater need of blood due to injuries associated with the accidents from the ice storm.
After seeing 3 straight mornings of it being covered on the morning news, I decided to head on down to the Red Cross Tulsa headquarters to drop off a pint. I've donated 17 pints to the Penn-NJ region but this would be my first in Tulsa. Things were going great: blood pressure was 120/78, temperature was 98.1, and my iron level was exceptional.
I usually breeze through the question section: No, I haven't had sex with a man who has had sex with a man prior to 1977. I haven't had sex with anyone born in Africa. Haven't sold my body for drugs. No, I don't have those diseases that I can't pronounce. My skin and dura mater is all mine. YES, I have been out of the country in the past 3 years....huh.
The super nice Red Cross lady comes in and reviews my questions.
"Where outside of the country have you been?"
"Belize and Cozumel"
She types in Belize and some sort of yellow warning comes up on her screen.
"Where in Belize?"
"Uhhhhhh.....I dunno, a small island off the coast"
"But not Belize City?"
"No. We didn't go into the city"
After consulting an atlas and making a phone call, she comes back.
"OK. So we need to defer you for 12 months due to travel in a malaria risk area. If you had stayed in Belize City you would have been an acceptable donor."
I take my deferral letter in my hand and leave the Red Cross feeling like a Leper.

Traveling Without TomTom

After lunch, I put on my running shoes to head out for a 4 mile run. But, first I wanted to drown my Leper sorrows in some retail therapy on a budget.
I had been at Goodwill on Thursday and came home with 2 pairs of shoes and a really cute purse for $13! However, Friday was buy one item, get second 1/2 off. There was another purse that I had seen there that I loved but promised myself that if it was still there on Friday, it was meant to be mine. It wasn't there. So now I felt like a purse less Leper.
The point of this story is that I made it to Goodwill all by myself without the assistance of TomTom or Dustin! I was quite proud of myself despite being a purse less blood donor reject.
From Goodwill, I was heading out to LaFortune Park for my run.
I am very much a landmark driver. So finding the Park without TomTom wasn't as difficult for me given that all I have to do is follow the signs for St Francis Hospital.

Running in the Slush

Yesterday's temperature reached 60 degrees, enough to melt alot of the cold wet stuff that had fallen this week. However, what was left was slush, mud, puddles of water, muddy puddles, muddy slush, half melted ice, mud under slush, ice under slush, ice over mud.
The run was challenging, not because it was my longest run since October but, because my eyes were constantly scanning the ground looking for my best way to avoid landing flat on my back or on my knees in the mud.
I usually find runs very peaceful and therapeutic. This run was pissing me off! I was getting so mad that I couldn't just go out for a run without having to worry about breaking something when I suddenly slipped on mud after avoiding a pile of dog crap. I managed to regain my balance before pitching forward into a slushy mud puddle.
I stopped and slammed my foot into the puddle sending mud flying. From that point on, I carried on much more relaxed, laughing at the lack of good fortune on this beautiful Friday.
I finished the run in a respectable time given the conditions and fortunately had my Crocs in the car to change into so I didn't have to drive in cold wet sneakers.

I found my way home without the use of TomTom and flopped on the sofa all sweaty & muddy.

I was a purse less, mud covered, malaria risk but, I am becoming alot less navigationally challenged so the whole day wasn't a total loss.

Yankee Weather Report: SNOW!

2009-01-28T09:36:00.000-08:00

This morning I was able to get out on a very cold, sunny, snowy walk after being in the house for 4 straight days!

What was predicted to be an ice storm of similiar magnitude as the Great Ice Storm 2007, turned into a pretty nice little ice/sleet/snow 1.3 inch event (at least from my perspective, the Okies largely disagree). Further south and east of the Tulsa area didn't fair as well.

I've talked about how Okies disdain winter and absolutely abhor any precipitation that falls from November through March. I think I realized why. They just don't know how to prepare for it.

As a state, Oklahoma has a variety of storm warnings & technologies in place that allow you to know a tornado is coming at ya as soon as the vortex is descending from the super cell (how's that for using a new vocabulary word from class last week). Okies have basements, storm shelters, emergency provisions, and weather radios in case of a storm. Municipalities have emergency coordinators that have every storm related certification possible. They know spring severe weather.

When it comes to winter weather, our town has sand. Yes. Sand Springs uses sand, and only sand, to treat ice. Back home in PA, we pre-treat our roads with brine, then salt, then plow (if necessary), then throw more salt on the slushy mix. Everything is calculated based on the type of precipitation, the road surface, the air temperature, the anticiated road usuage by vehicles. It is all very calculated and scientific. Here we just dump large amounts of the sand onto the ice to help with traction and call it a night. Given the name of our town, one presumes we have an endless supply of the stuff so it kind of makes sense.....in a way.....until the sand truck gets stuck on the ice on the way to help the fire truck stuck on the ice. Break out the kitty litter.

Yankees know winter and Okies know severe spring storms.

Anyhoo...onto my walk.

It was 20 degrees when I left the house with not a cloud in the sky. The sun was already working on melting the ice off the back of my car requiring less effort from me once I got back from my little jaunt.

Dustin's truck had gotten stuck at the bottom of our driveway the night before but he had managed to get it out by the time I left for my walk.

I walked down our street to the downtown part of Sand Springs.

This is the triangle (not square) in the center of town.

From there I walked down to my favorite running trail. I was passed by one runner and saw footprints of ones that had been through earlier in the morning. You can use this to bike or run all the way to dowtown Tulsa which is only 7 miles away. Tulsa has a great running/biking path system.

I walked back through the center of town to the little garden next to Dustin's work.

With the sun so bright, the ice on the wires and trees was starting to melt and I had to be careful not to walk under anything that appeared to be a big chunk for fear it would fall on my head. I also broke a sweat walking up the hill back home. Our town is very hilly by Oklahoma standards and I know this because no matter what route I take on my runs, the end is always uphill.

Tomorrow's temperature is suppose to be 45 degrees and it will get up to 54 on Saturday so all this white stuff will soon be a memory but, I'm enjoying it for this one day :)

Storm Spotting 101

2009-01-22T20:16:00.000-08:00

Tonight I took my first class since arriving here in Oklahoma.

National Weather Service Storm Spotter Training: Spring 2009

Every year the NWS hosts these mini-seminars prior to the spring storm to educate the public and storm spotters about what all the warnings mean, what the cloud formations are, and when the hell to get out of dodge.

Now, when I heard storm spotter, I immediately thought storm chasing (I know that all my Yankees back home did too). That's not the case. The NWS relies heavily on local volunteer firefighters, amateur radio operators, and law enforcement to be their eyes on the ground while back at the office their eyes on the radar.

The class was taught by Ed Calianese, a Warning Coordination Meterologist from NWS Tulsa. He's spent his entire career in the lower plains so, he knows storms.

First a little background on Oklahoma/NW Arkansas tornadic activity from last year.

Last year Oklahoma experienced 77 tornados. The yearly average is 53. Arkansas averages 22 and they had 80 in 2008! On May 10, 2008 there were 15 in one day in Oklahoma, including a F4 that hit the ground and carved a 77 mile long path!!!!!! Oh, and not only does living in tornado alley leave us more suspectible to the number of tornados, ours are also more violent than the national average. What that means is we get more in the F2-F5 range than the rest of the country.

So onto the technical part of the class.

Initially I was clueless. Words like: cumulus, updrafts, downdrafts, anvil shaped clouds, wall clouds, tail clouds, rear flank downdrafts, rain free base, clear slots, supercell, and squall line were being thrown around like they are used in every day language.

Oh yeah, around here from April-June, they are part of normal conversation. My bad.

Eventually with lots of charts, radar images, photos and a combination of all three.....I kind of got it.

I did learn that supercells are capable of producing tornados and GRAPEFRUIT sized HAIL! Referencing my new hail chart that means hail approx 4 1/2 inches in diameter!!!!!!!

Squall lines can spin off tornados that don't really show up on radar so the NWS relies on the spotters on the ground to call those in. That's a comforting thought at 3am.

The best vantage point to get a good picture of a tornado is from the southeast side. So, if I ever felt like hopping in my car and heading out into the open to chase down something that can scoop me up and shoot me out like a cannon, at least I know the best angle to document my last moments.

I would be fibbing if I said that this class made me feel any better about the severe weather spring season. To be honest, it is making me nauseous to think about my first rough night but, I also know that there are alot of systems in place to make sure I know what is heading our way.

I am very fortunate to live in Sand Springs, OK. Sand Springs is one of only 2 towns in Oklahoma that has a reverse 911 system for weather emergencies. This means that when there is a severe weather warning, my cell phone will ring and inform me about that warning. So, in the middle of the night if there is a tornado warning 3 things will happen all at once: my cell phone will ring, the tornado siren will blow, and the weather radio will beep. On average, these warning give us 14 minutes to seek shelter. That was probably the most comforting moment of the evening coupled with the fact that Sand Springs has NO documented tornado strikes in its history.

Oh and I got a cool certificate :)

Oh and if you ever want to check out really detailed weather info for the area I live, here's the website. For those who don't know. I live in Tulsa County. It's going to be on the western side of these maps in a county that looks like a miniature Oklahoma. Might be fun to check it out during the spring.

www.srh.noaa.gov/tulsa

The DMV, the Crazy OK Weather, a Field Trip, and why TomTom is usless in rural Kansas

2009-01-20T06:28:00.000-08:00

It has been a really busy week and a half since I last posted. I've been spending most of my days scouring any and every website I can use to find a job (which in these economic times is not the easiest task), the weather has been kind of crazy, but we were able to get out on another field trip :)

First, the DMV....

Technically in Oklahoma it is not the DMV. Driver's licenses are handled through the department of public safety. To make a potentially long story short, it took me 4 hours (with a lunch break) to get my driver's license. Seriously. I was lucky I even got my license because I after the computer crashed twice while mine was getting done, it just died after the completion. It is a grossly inefficient process. From what I understand, in order to save money, the state DE-centralized the process a number of years ago. This has resulted in the process becoming long and arduous for all involved, including the super DPS officer who was so nice, friendly and professional. In the end I did get my Oklahoma driver's license with my new last name on it and a pretty good picture as a bonus. It was the second time I signed my new last name, it was kind of weird.

The weather last week was SO crazy! I'm starting to get used to the constant roller coaster of winter weather systems.

Last Thurday (Jan 15th) this was the scene from our house.

The high that day reached 17 with windchill of 5 degrees. We had a dusting of snow and I didn't leave the house. Keeping the thermostat at 60 and be comfortable inside was a challenge.

Saturday (Jan 17th) this was the scene from our front porch.

The high that day was 65 and Dust & I sat out on the porch all afternoon reading books. It was so beautiful and warm in the sun.

Sunday we took a roadtrip about an hour and half north to Pawhuska, OK. We weren't there to see the town but really to see the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve.
http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/oklahoma/preserves/tallgrass.html

It is a an area of over 200,000 acres of natural, rolling, beautiful prairie in NE Oklahoma owned by the Nature Conservacy. In the winter it is really quiet and dormant. I guess most would consider it "dead" in winter but, it was such a beautiful day with temperatures near 60 degrees, a pretty nice stiff prairie breeze blowing, all the birds flitting about, the wispy white clouds, the blue sky, no bugs or ticks, and no one else around, well, it hardly appeared dead to me. Approx. 2500 bison call the prairie preserve home but, we only saw them from a distance on this trip. We took a nature walk on the Prairie Earth Trail. It is a 2 mile loop that takes you through the prairie and into the low lying creek bed. There was a map that explained all the points along the trail and really educated me on the area since there is nothing like it back east.

This is why they call it Tall Grass!

Our adventure to the prairie did not end there! On our way out we saw a sign that indicated the state of Kansas was only 8.5 miles to the north. "Ya wanna go?" asked Dustin. "Sure why not?" I replied. "I've never been to Kansas and it is only 8.5 miles". So off we headed down a LONG gravel road.

We would eventually figure out that TomTom is not very rural compatible. It doesn't differentiate between what is a true county rural road and what is a farm road. We didn't realize this initially and thought we were doing alright when we found this cool, old cemetary in what appeared to be nowhere.

When you look at the second picture, you will notice that the dirt road goes down into the trees. We followed that road. That is not a "road" contrary to what TomTom tried to convince us was true. There were mud puddles that I was so nervous trying to get the Saturn through because I really wasn't sure it was going to make it out (and I'm pretty sure Dustin was positive we weren't going to make it out). I could hear the rocks and branches hitting and scrapping the undercarriage of my car making me wonder out loud if I was going to have any oil pan when we got back to civilization.

As it turns out, the "road" dead ended into a farmer's field. So, after turning around and plowing back through the mud, we made it to the cemetary, and tried again. Once again, TomTom attempted to lead us down a dirt path. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. We didn't fall for it and turned off TomTom. From then on we used the compass on the car to make our way out to Kansas Route 166 which by looking at a map (OMG, a real map!) we figured the road was due north so as long as we were heading north, we would hit a highway. We were right. Score one for human sense of direction.

Unfortunately there are no pictures or of our dirt road adventure because we were more concerned about making it out with the Saturn in one piece than documenting the event and having it end up on youtube :) The Saturn ended looking like I had been playin' in the mud with the good ole boys!

Oh well, I've procrastinated enough on this Inaugauration Tuesday. I'm turning the TV and will attempt to join the land of the tax paying employed.

Field Trip: Route 66 - Sapulpa to Edmond

2009-01-10T18:06:00.000-08:00

Route 66, aka: the Mother Road, travels from Chicago, IL to Los Angeles, CA. During its heyday the road took vacationers and job seekers across the Midwest and plains to points west. All along the way there were motels, service stations, cafes, and family oriented picnic areas. Progress brought the era of the interstate and with the slow death of the businesses and, ultimately, the small towns along the Mother Road.

Today, the route is becoming more popular as a vacation route for those seeking a bit of Americana nostalgia, including a popular route for motorcyclists. States and towns are beginning to preserve and renovate many of the landmarks that made Route 66 popular 50 years ago but much of it has long been abandoned.

The weather was beautifully sunny but cold here in Sand Springs, so Dustin and I decided to take a nice little road trip. We considered our options and opted to drive Old Route 66 from Sapulpa, OK to Edmond, OK. It's about 90 miles each way so it is perfect for an afternoon.

Sapulpa, Kellyville, Bristow
Sapulpa borders Sand Springs and is the closest town to us in which Route 66 goes through so it was our natural starting spot. It's home to Francoma Pottery which I visited right before Christmas.
Kellyville follows Sapulpa heading west. Since Route 66 doesn't actually go through downtown so, we really didn't see much.
Bristow comes up next. Visually, the downtown is very typical of the towns you see along Route 66 and what immediately comes to mind when you think of western towns. Lots of brick buildings lined up next to each other known as Prairie Commercial style. Bristow is holding its own and the town is still very active despite losing the road traffic.

Depew
We had to take a left off of Route 66 to get on Old Route 66 to see the downtown of this very small town. Depew is a perfect example of what happened to hundreds of towns along the route. The main downtown district has one grocery store and one other business. The rest of the buildings are empty. It was very much like a ghost town. Fortunately, they working to paint murals on the buildings and clean up the downtown area that will hopefully bring businesses back.

Stroud
Stroud is a really cute, thriving town also in the Prairie Commercial style, with lots of small gift shops, restaurants, and antique shops.
The Rock Cafe is located in Stroud. This cafe was made famous by the movie Cars as the inspiration for Sally Carrera in the movie was the owner of The Rock Cafe, Dawn Welch. Unfortunately the cafe burnt to the ground in May 2008 but they are busy renovating and hopefully it'll be opened by the fall.
Our real reason for visiting Stroud was the Stable Ridge Winery. Our visit to Stable Ridge was EXCEPTIONAL! The winery is owned by Annetta and Don Neal, both of whom were there today when we visited. They took an old Catholic church originally built in 1898 and made it into a beautiful tasting room. The winery has been up and running for 5 years now and not only was the wine wonderful (HIGHLY recommend trying the Wild Thang red) but Annetta and Don were two of the most personable, funny, unpretentious vineyard owners I have ever met. It was such an absolute joy to spend time there and I can not wait to go back in the spring & summer to sit on the deck and enjoy the wine there again :)

http://www.stableridgevineyards.com

Davenport
Davenport is much like Depew. When Route 66 was still a dirt road this was a thriving small town. The road was eventually turned into brick but, since the realignment of the road, this small town has been long forgotten. The post office is the only business remaining on the short stretch of the original road.

Chandler
The Route 66 Interpretative Center is located in Chandler, OK. Chandler is a very busy town with lots of restaurants, shopping centers, and assorted shops. We stopped at the Interpretive Center and were the only people there! The center doesn't have any artifacts from the trail but what they do have is a great multimedia center in which you sit on old car seats and replicas of motel beds and watch videos about various points on the route. It was a really great place to visit and had amazing photographs of sights along the route.

Warwick, Wellston, and Luther
To be honest, we didn't really see much of anything while passing through these towns.

Arcadia
Sweet sweet Arcadia. Home to two of our stops along the route.
First up was the The Round Barn. It was originally built in 1898 and was restored in 1991. No one really knows why it was built round. Supposedly it was to be more tornado proof. The gift shop is downstairs and there is a loft upstairs. I'm gonna be honest, and forgive me if anyone in Arcadia reads this but, the gentleman running the gift shop scared the living daylights out of me! Seriously. He said something when we came and I still have no idea what it was except that I think it was some sort of greeting. The walls are covered with photos and different artifact with hand written explanations. At least I think that's what they were because the spelling was so bad it took me several moments to figure out what it actually said before I just gave up. I wanted to take pictures of it but I was afraid. I'm sure he was a very nice individual, he just made me a little nervous and since I am not fluent in Okie I didn't want to get caught in a conversation. Anyway....the loft is an expansive, awesome empty room that you can use for different events.

http://www.arcadiaroundbarn.org

Our final stop was POPS! Pops is a service station/restaurant that features more than 400 different kinds of pop (that's soda for you yankees). It also has a 66 foot pop bottle that is illuminated. Unfortunately we were there during the day time so, we'll have to road trip back to see it at night. We had a late lunch/early dinner where I had my first bite of chicken fried steak. To me, it tastes like KFC covered steak which I guess is the point. Once we had stuffed ourselves silly, we got a six pack of pops to go and headed out.

http://pops66.com/

Edmond
Well....I'm gonna be honest.....we didn't quite head into Edmond, we got distracted by a sign that said Guthrie so we sort of skipped Edmond. We'll hit when we head out to Oklahoma City in April.

As I just mentioned, we took a slight detour towards Guthrie, OK. We had both heard how fabulous this town is so, we had to check it out.

Guthrie
Everything we had read about Guthrie was true. It is an adorable little city and we can't wait to get back and explore it. There's lots of shops, restaurants, bed & breakfast, and it was once the state capital of Oklahoma.

I apologize for the length of this entry. I wanted to really give you a good feel for this section of Route 66. We're planning on heading out to Oklahoma City in April and hope to do a few of the town west of there so, there will an equally long entry to come!

My car is an Oklahoma resident, I am not

2009-01-05T12:38:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to take a giant leap in leaving my old Yankee self behind and move into my new life as an Oklahoma resident. I attempted (key word and emphasis on attempted) to change my car registration and driver's license.

Oklahoma requires things done in a specific order:
#1 - insure your car in Oklahoma
#2 - change your car registration to Oklahoma
#3 - get your new Oklahoma driver's license

I changed my car insurance back in December because it was due anyway. Geico made it incredibly easy so, the whole process took 5 minutes and I got rental insurance too.

Today, I took everything I thought they could possibly need to change the registration and to get my driver's license (which are done at the same tag agency, or so I thought). I brought: my PA registration, my PA license, my car insurance information with the Oklahoma address, my passport, certified copies of my marriage license, my car payment account number, a water bill from the city showing that I am living at that Oklahoma address & paying utilities there, me, and the Saturn.

The changing of my registration was a fairly simple process.

For $117.50 (if I had used my credit/debit card it would have been an additional 2.5%added on, someone explain that to me), my car is now registered in OK with a nice new license plate. The registration will remain in my maiden name until it is paid off and THEN I can change my name on the title. OR I can go back to GMAC, have them do that now, then go back and get my registration changed now. I'll take the first option, thank you very much.

I was feeling very relieved that the registration process was so easy and I was anxious to get done, get my new license and get home.

Not so fast.

In order to get my new Oklahoma license, I MAY or MAY NOT have to take a driving test!!!!! Keeping in mind, I have had my license since I was 17 and have had zero accidents, one moving violation, and 2 parking tickets. PA is perfectly comfortable with me driving the Schuylkill, the Lincoln Drive, the Blue Route, and I-95 both in and out of rush hour but, Oklahoma MAY or MAY NOT be so sure I can handle its wide open highways.

May or may not is determined by the driver's license guy who is only at our particular tag agency the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month. So on the 14th of this month, I get to find out if I do have to take the driver's test or if they just give me a new license. I know I will be required to take the vision exam and given the fact that I wear glasses, I'm curious to see how that works out.

So, my car is no longer the only PA car in town. It now just blends in with the rest of the Oklahoma cars. Well....it does sort of stand out with the big Phillies sticker on the back and then there's Immaculata University & New York University stickers in the window and the ADK (Adirondacks) euro sticker on the window. So it is still hanging onto its roots :)

My car now sits in the driveway with its new license plate which looks really funny IMHO. I mean, the colors go better with the gray paint than the yellow, blue, and white of the PA tags but it just doesn't look right. At least I still have the yellow, blue and white driver's license for another 2 weeks!

Christmas Morning 2008: the first Yankee/Okie Christmas

2008-12-25T10:25:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning: 2008

So, this is Christmas. My first Christmas outside of PA. My first Christmas away from my family. My first Christmas married to an Okie. My first Christmas as a Yankee in a Strange Land.

Okie and I started out in the wee hours of Christmas at the midnight Mass held at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Sand Springs. Our pastor, and only priest in the parish, is a wonderful man. Father Marty Morgan is a native of the Scranton area and, as such, is a fellow Yankee :) Mass was wonderful and not crowded. A very good way to start our Christmas.

With no alarms clock to set and no where to be til 6pm, we could have slept in as late as we wanted. That ended up being 9am. God, we're old.

Figuring out new traditions is kind of a strange thing. Fortunately our past family traditions blended well this Christmas.

After opening everything in our stocking including an outdoor Phillies flag which will go up outside our house on February 14th when pitchers and catchers report to spring training!

After relieving my experience watching the Phillies win the World Series in the cold, we set out to make our first Christmas breakfast which turned out OUTSTANDING!!!!

After eating way too much, we opened our remaining gifts. I'm gonna give the Okie credit on this one, he did a fabulous job! I got a Nike Plus running system which allows me to use my iPod to help me track my running mileage so I can train for my half marathon in April :) He also got me two books including Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, my favorite TV host :)

Okie in return got a book called What it Means to be a Sooner which I think will be used as bedtime tales for any future Yankee/Okies. He also got a beverage shaker, Bloody Mary mix, and a bottle of Absolut Vodka & Madden '09 for the Wii. The Yankee is a good Mrs Claus.

After a game of Cowboys vs Giants on the Wii, we channeled our inner Bourdain and had Bloody Marys while watching White Christmas :)

Even Princess Fluffy Butt had her moment of Christmas joy and almost cuteness when she hid under the wrapping paper.....that was until she ambushed Okies barefeet and got sprayed with the water bottle.

All in all it was a good Christmas morning. I miss my family back home in Glenside like crazy this morning but, I got to talk to them twice before noon and wll see them in a couple days when we fly home on the 30th :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Quick Note: In search of French Fried Onions

2008-12-24T14:38:00.000-08:00

The instructions for Christmas dinner were:

Dustin, you are responsible for the green bean casserole.
Katie, you are responsible for dessert.

Katie headed out on yesterday, the Eve of Christmas Eve and got all that was necessary to make her chocolate pudding pie w/ caramel bits, topped with Cool Whip and chocolate chips. YUMMY!

Dustin headed out today for the ingredients necessary for green bean casserole.

Greens beans....check
Cream of mushroom soup....check
French Fried Onions.......

French Fried Onions......

6 stores and a Sonic Cranberry Limeade later, it was decided the green casserole will be made without the french fried onions because every grocery store, dollar store, walmart and kmart in Sand Springs, OK is sold out.

Lesson I learned about Okies today:

Okies love green bean casserole with french fried onions.

Twas the day before an Okie Christmas

2008-12-24T09:12:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve 2008.

While I'm sitting here waiting for hubby to get home from work so we can head out to get the "one last gift" and food, liquor, and wine for tomorrow, I thought I'd give you a little tour of the Yankee/Okie home at Christmas :)

The house we are currently renting is a cute little craftsman style house pretty common in this area since alot of these homes were built in the 1920's & 30's. The problem we ran into when trying to decorate the outside is that there are no exterior outlets so we couldn't hang lights. But we made do with some garland, bows, and glittery snowflakes. Oh, and apparently we kept the hay bale and scarecrows from the fall because I honestly forgot they were there til I looked at the picture.

Speaking of the snowflakes.....they have become a weathervane of sorts for me. They hang from the eaves that over-hang the porch (a signature of the craftsman style house). Anyway, in the wind, those poor things get blown every which way but, we have not lost one yet! We had wind gusts to 45mph one day and those little buggers hung tight :) Although the one keeps getting wrapped up in the garland.

Inside, we have a non-fuctioning fireplace in the living room. It was once a real fireplace turned into a gas fireplace turned into a sealed-off decorative mantle.

We have a real tree but I forget what kind we bought. It was the least expensive kind, I can tell you that much because trees are expensive! We did make a very wise decision when we decorated the tree: shatter proof ornaments! However, we've had one two part problem with the tree.

First, we put it close to a heat vent because we insisted on having its pretty red, green, and white lights visible from the street. We have two heating vents in the living, both are beneath the windows. So, the tree requires daily watering. Which leads me to problem number two. The cat (Princess Fluffy Butt), likes to drink the pine tree water rather than the purified water in her bowl. So, no matter how much we water the tree we have a potential timber fire in our living room. You live and learn.

Speaking of Princess Fluffy Butt, my arch-rival and nemesis (who I will defeat because despite what she may think, I am higher on the food chain), we decorated her too. It might explain why she has been ambushing our feet from her secret lair under the dining room table which is in the direct path from the living room to the kitchen.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the little tour of casa de Yankee. Have a wonderful, safe, happy Christmas Eve!

Field Trip: The Gilcrease Museum

2008-12-21T16:47:00.000-08:00

Today was a beautiful sunny day. A day that when you look out the window you think "Wow. It is a beautiful sunny day". Til you turn on the Weather Channel and the temperature reads 15.

Dustin and I had been looking for an afternoon to see the Ansel Adams: A Legacy exhibit at the Gilcrease Museum and today provided the perfect opportunity.

http://www.gilcrease.org

The Gilcrease is a museum of specializing in Native American art and the history of the America West. It's located 15 minutes from our house so there really is no excuse why we shouldn't spend alot of time there. I can't wait til the spring when the museum gardens are in full bloom!

http://www.gilcrease.org/gardens.aspx)

There are actually two exhibits there right now, both ending in January.

We first went to the 101 Ranch: The Real Wild West exhibit. From what I learned today, the 101 Ranch was a giant Wild West circus set up in Ponca City, OK. The exhibit was full of photos taken of the different performers and their specialities. It was a really fun exhibit :)

Ansel Adams: A Legacy is a traveling exhibit of 138 prints by Ansel Adams. It was an incredibly well put together exhibit. I also loved how they included quotes by Ansel Adams on the wall that helped you kind of understand of what he was experiencing when the photos were taken whether it was in San Fran or Yosemites or Sierra Nevadas. I am so happy that we were able to see this exhibit before it is over on Jan 4th.

The musuem has original fine art works by Thomas Moran (he does alot of landscape paintings) and Frederic Remington (who did some unbelievable bronzes). In addition, they have extensive collection of the original Native American textiles.

So that was our little bit of culture for December.

Tulsa actually has a number of small museums & public gardens. I'll have to blog about the Philbrook museum come springtime when we go back there to explore the gardens. I was there in the summer when it was 106 degrees out and would like to get back so I can enjoy walking around. Then there's also the Tulsa Rose Garden which I am super excited about!

Looking forward to going back to the Gilcrease and making some garden field trip bloggings in the springtime :D

Christmas Shopping - King of Prussia, Oklahoma

2008-12-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

Last Friday before Christmas, 2pm......

I thought I would head out Christmas shopping by myself since it's hard to shop for Dustin when he's there and since he's not a fan of shopping. Dustin works late on Fridays so I like to go on adventures so I don't get too bored or lonely.

I went online, wrote down the addresses of all the stores I wanted to go to, mapped out my best route and then me, the shopping list, the Saturn and TomTom headed out on our shopping adventure.

I lived in King of Prussia for a year and worked at the mall for 2 years in Bath-n-Body works so I'm used to Christmas crowds. They typically don't even phase me because it is just what is expected when you live and work in a retail mecca. There were days that is was actually alot of fun and invigorating believe it or not.

Sometimes I forget that Tulsa is a city of 300,000 people. It's pretty easy to do because it's a very spread out suburban metro area, rush hour is typically not too bad and downtown is a pretty quiet place in the evenings.

I am certain that all 300,000 Tulsans descended on the Promenade Mall and then followed me to 71st and Memorial yesterday.

All of sudden, I found myself completely transported back to King of Prussia! Where the hell did all these people come from??????

As the afternoon went on & 2 non-fat lattes later, I came to a very important realization....Christmas shopping makes people drive crazy no matter where you live. All of sudden, every Tulsan began to drive like they were a Yankee!

SUVs trying to jam themselves into spaces they had no business being in.

I'm pretty sure that pedestrians in the parking lot crosswalks were 100 points each plus a 100 Christmas point bonus because I was almost plowed down 3 times and one truck almost earned 800 points on one shot!

You had the Mercedes with no handicap tag parked in the handicap spot while the conversion van with handicap tags was driving laps looking for a spot that wasn't a half mile away.

It looked like Target had set up valet parking with the line of cars parked in the fire lane outside the store. Apparently, the drivers were patiently waiting while their partners in crime did ALL their Christmas shopping inside the store.

The quietest place of all was Petco where I had to pick up cat litter and treats for Princess Fluffy Butt. Guess pets aren't a priority on people's Christmas lists. Poor things.

Even the Christian bookstore parking lot was full!

Once inside the stores, I found the obviously exhausted retail worker bees to very helpful and still hanging onto their Okie politeness :) I don't know if they feed the employees at the the Borders on S Yale or to the Best Buy helpers on Skelly but, they were so incredibly pleasant to be around. Maybe it's the smell of books or the ions coming off the electronics that does it but whatever it is, thank you :)

Even the Christmas shoppers were very pleasant. The same pick-up driver who almost earned 100 points on me in the parking lot (I wasn't in the crosswalk so, he would lose points for that) was now holding the door open for me at Best Buy. It was a Christmas miracle!

I got back to the house around 6pm. I wasn't as homesick as I usually am because I had found King of Prussia, Oklahoma and I felt like a Yankee again :)

A Yankee Weather Report: Ice Man Cometh

2008-12-16T07:25:00.000-08:00

I have taken my next two steps into obtaining my status as an Okie.

I have become weather obessed. It's the first thing I check in the morning and then will usually check it at least half way through the day. Oh and I check tomorrow's weather before I go to bed at night.

Okies are so weather obessed that they can look into the sky and tell you the type of cloud and what it means, the wind speed/the wind direction and what that means, and by putting those all together they can give a fairly accurate weather forcast.

The weather can change so fast out here. For example: Sunday, Dustin and I enter Borders at 2pm, air temperature is 68. We come out of the store at 2:45pm and the temperature is 51 degrees.

It is really out of necessity and safety that Okies are so weather obessed. It'll be another 5 months before I get to experience spring storm season. Living out here in Tornado Alley, you learn to keep your eyes on the skies from late March to May.

But right now, in December it's all about the precipitation.

Oklahoma doesn't get alot of snow. According to the National Weather Service in Norman: The three largest population centers in Oklahoma - Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Lawton -all average one 4-inch or greater snowfall event every 1 to 2 years. Eight 8-inch or greater events average roughly one every 5 years in Tulsa, one every 5 to 10 years in Oklahoma City (which is about 1.5 hours SW of Tulsa) and one every 10 to 20 years in Lawton (about 3 hours SW of Tulsa).

What they do get is ICE. Last year, millions of Okies lost power, some for almost 2 weeks, after a massive ice storm came through the area this time last year. Since that storm, they are very sensitive about any indication they might get ice.

So, as part of my Okie indoctrination, I sit here on a COLD December morning experiencing Day Two of my first Oklahoma ice event. It doesn't come close to what happened last year but it's nice little taste of how Okies deal with freezing precipitation.

Okies don't like the cold. Okies don't like ice.

As soon as the weatherman says "temperatures below 50 degrees with 20 percent chance of freezing precipitation", they jump in their pick-up trucks and SUVs and head off to the closest food market to load up on the necessities: eggs, bread, milk, rice, beans and Bud Light.

The Sand Springs area got hit with a 1/5 inch of ice on Sunday night. It was enough to cause 58 car wrecks on Monday morning in the Tulsa metro area. It was also enough for me to almost bite it in the Walmart parking lot when I was actually dumb enough to venture out. Oh and schools have been closed for 2 days because another 1/5 of ice is expected today.

And Philadelphians think they are winter weather wimps!

I learned my lesson yesterday. This Yankee is staying in til Wednesday when it is suppose to be 60 degrees, rainy and windy!

Does everything taste OK?

2008-12-10T08:27:00.000-08:00

I've been getting out a bit to try the local eateries because I love to eat!

I'm trying to stay away from the chain restuarants whenever possible. Except when my Cranberry Limeade craving sends me running to my closest Sonic (which are as common as Starbucks back east). But for the most part, I've been sticking to locally owned restaurants or the locally owned chains.

It was after about my 3rd meal out that something hit me. At every restaurant I had been to, the waitress or bartender stopped by our table asked:

"Does everything taste OK?"

Not "Is everything alright?"

Not "Do you need anything else?"

It was "Does everything taste OK?"

Now, maybe some of my Yankee friends may correct me, but I had never in my life been asked that question in a restaurant. I mean, half the time, I don't actually even pay attention when they ask it. But now, I am very aware of how my food tastes because I know someone is going to put me on the spot and ask me specifically that question.

I'm getting pretty used to it after a couple of weeks so, the poor waitresses no longer get that peculiar little look that I had been giving them. I just munch away and tell them "it's great" (and I'm not lying, the food in the local eateries has been really great).

Right = up, Left = down

2008-12-07T18:33:00.000-08:00

I have heard alot of complaints regarding the driving habits of Yankees. We drive too fast. We drive too aggressively. We are generally not too respectful to each other on the road.

Well, now it's my turn! Get it TURN!

Turn signals are are used to signal when a vehicle is going to make a turn either to the left or to the right. If you wish to turn right, you raise the little lever found on the steering column up. If you wish to turn left, you lower the little lever found on the steering column.

Right turn = up
Left turn = down

I DO NOT care if you are going 5mph, I would still like to know that you have plans to turn into the Warehouse Market prior to almost ending up in your trunk when you make the decision to do so.

My first almost accident here in OK occured under such a circumstance.

Okies typically drive the speed limit. Maybe it's because on the highway, the speed limit is 65mph which is plenty fast by most standards. But, even on the side streets, they are very aware and diligent of the posted speed limit.

What they don't believe in is the consistant use of their turn signals! ARGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!

Seriously, folks. There is a reason they were put in vehicles. It is so that other drivers are aware of which direction you are planning on traveling before you start into your turn.

According to my native Okie husband, the answer is quite clear. Okies slow down to a near stop before turning. That should be warning enough.

Of course, how silly of me. I can't even understand Okies when they speak to me, let alone read their minds!

That is my only real road related complaint. Even the Okie drivers in their Hummers & extended cab luxury Ford F-350s (and there are ALOT of them) are a pretty polite group. Of course you do have the occassional really rude 20-something redneck in his 10 foot high mudder pick-em-up truck who feels the need to drive 50mph up my road at 10:30pm. But, as a general rule, other than my rant about turn signals, life on the roads here is pleasant enough.

Go West Young Lady!

2008-12-05T10:04:00.000-08:00

Well, I made it.

1257 miles

22 hours of road time in the sun, snow, freezing rain, flurries, sleet, wet snow, ice pellets, icing on the road, wind, and finally more sun.

A journey that took me, Dustin, and the trusty Saturn Vue through the my home state of PA, into Ohio, then onto Indiana, onward into Missouri and finally pulling into my new driveway in Sand Springs, OK.

I wish I had some pictures to post but, unfortunatley, we took alot of video and no actual photos on the way. Not my fault! I was the pilot (hubby does not drive stick shift), TomTom was the navigation system, and Dustin was responsible for onboard entertainment.

So our trip began at 9am EST standard time as I pulled away from my childhood in Glenside, PA. Things were fine as we followed the familiar PA Turnpike westbound through Lancaster County and into the Harrisburg area. Lots of cows, a view of Three Mile Island and more cows for the better part of 3 hours. It was getting increasingly cloudy as we drove. The kind of clouds that make you say "Hey those look like snow clouds."

And we were right. Very very very right. We encountered every variety of wet precipitation. We saw snow that blew up, sleet that came down, ice pellets raining down upon us and swore that we got hit with pea sized hail at one point.

Ohio did not give us any relief from the weather or from Ohio drivers. It was the longest drive of the trip! That state simply never seemed to end! It just went on forever! Not only did we continue our fight with Mother Nature but now we had to contend with a 2 lane wide WIDE load with a police escort just outside of Columbus. Stuck in that mess for 2 hours with a two rapidly filling bladders made us beg for Indiana!

We entered Indiana under the cloak of darkness and were greeted to the Hoosier state with high winds, blowing snow, and roads that were getting increasingly slick. Oh and every sized tractor trailer. Our goal was simple. Make it Indianapolis in one piece. Upon arriving in Indianapolis we were very disappointed not find a 50 foot high billboard of Peyton Manning greeting . I mean, what else is there in Indiana now that Bobby Knight is gone! So we settled for a Holiday Inn with a Damon's Steakhouse. Not nearly as exciting as Peyton Manning smiling down on you but the food was hot, beer was cold and the bed was comfortable.

The next morning we woke up before the sun to freezing temperatures and a drive thru Starbucks :) Life was going to be OK despite the cold because today the sun would shine down upon us all day!

We stopped in some Indiana town that I can't remember for a good ole Denny's hot breakfast. Nothing like eating at a Denny's in the middle of nowhere to make ya feel like an American. And with full tummies, empty bladders, and 10 more hours of driving, we continued on.

I will say this about Indiana. It is not the most exciting state to drive through but, the people are very nice, the drivers are very polite, and the roads are very straight. It was the easiet, most pleasant part of our trip.

Missouri pretty much goes up and down and up and down and up and down in a straight line for over 200 miles. It is also home to more sex shop billboards than I was comfortable with, a Precious Moments museum, and the town of Branson.

I am fascinated with Branson. My husband gets mad when I say Branson. I MUST go to Branson! I told the hubby I MUST go to Branson every mile for about 30 before he made me promise not to bring it up again if he took me there within the next year. It was a deal! Yeehaw Branson here I come!

Anyway, Missouri is also home to Meramac Caverns (or so the 50+ billboards advertising it led us to believe). In case you didn't know (and I bet you didn't) Meramac Caverns is 60 degrees year round and Granny makes fudge there. Fascinating.

The highlight of our Missouri leg of the trip was driving through St. Louis! We got to see the arch and Busch stadium which was awesome! A little less awesome is that I have a big Phillies sticker on my car and could hear the snickers of all the Albert Pujols idol worshipers as I drove by.

So, finally, we arrived in the Sooner State! We had been in the car for 20 hours together and it was upon entering Oklahoma that we had our first fight as newly weds! Ahhhhh, home sweet home :)

The eastern part of Oklahoma coming in from MO is very flat. Not a whole lot going on. There's no billboards. You can see a house or two, a bunch of cows, and that's about it. I know Claremore, OK is out there but couldn't tell you any other towns.

We pulled into the driveway around 5:30pm CST and were immediately greeted by our neighbor :) He's a super sweet elderly gentelman who has lived in that house for over 50 years.

I walked into my new home for the first time and that's where this story really begins!

I hope you enjoy my Yankee ramblings as I figure out my way through the Sooner state :)