Oklahoma

I've never been to Oklahoma, that is until this past weekend. This means I get to check another state off of my states I've been to list.  It's pretty much up to Alaska, Arkansas, NJ, NM, ND, MS, MN(well I've been to MN, but only the airport) that I haven't been to and really the only other place I really want to visit is Alaska and maybe NM and only because it's only a state away. 

Our reason for going to OK was to visit my dad's aunt Carol who is almost 94.  She is the only remaining sibling from my Grandpa Youngs family.  Her daughter Laverda picked us up from the airport.  I admit, I wasn't so hip on seeing all of the OU and OSU paraphernalia since I'm by far not an OU football fan, if you get my gist from the BSU/OU history. 

You should have seen Aunt Carols face when we drove into the drive way.  It was like a kid at Christmas.  She was thrilled to see us.  She is a jokester and a teaser and sometimes you don't know if she is being serious or teasing.  But she is usually teasing.  We visited all evening and over Chinese Food.  I think there was enough to feed an army.

Mom and Dad stayed at Carols and I stayed at Laverda's, just about 10 minutes down the road.  Sunday we attended church, where we were able to visit with some of dad's cousins children who also live there.  (Their parents are on a mission in Alabama, but they also live in OK) One of them use to be in our ward when I was in my senior year of high school and early college.  And their daughter is serving in Seattle, who I met last year when she was serving in my friend Aubrey's ward.  Small world! 

After church we spent the day at Laverda's eating, chatting and napping and eating some more. 

Monday we had lunch at this super delicious Mexican restaurant Teds.  They have the best cheese sauce and salsa that they start you out with and even warm tortilla shells.  I'm a huge flour tortilla fan, especially homemade. We met Crista and her daughters (Christa is Laverda's daughter).  I remember when I was a kid/teen when Crista would come to Nampa for the summer and Paige her cousin and I and Alisha would spend days out at Aunt Carols.  I have such fond memories of those days.

We visited the OK city bombing memorial which was beautiful and on a beautiful fall day.

Tuesday, since we didn't leave until evening, we drove 2 1/2 hours to the Pioneer Woman's Mercantile.  Oh, wow it was all that I ever thought it would be and more.  Mom and I loved it.  Dad wasn't so into it, but he was a good sport.  I totally splurged on a leather purse, which I've been wanting for a few years.  Vera Bradley, might just be out of my style for at least now.  We had some delicious desserts there, but didn't have lunch there because the line was crazy long.  But we had some amazing BBQ at a place just down from there, that was probably just as good or better. 

All in all, I'd say OK was a hit.  It was so fun to visit with aunt Carol and have her tell us story after story.  One, that I found interesting and that I hadn't heard was that when she was a kid, her parents never bought a house. They moved all the time and always rented.  Her mom would find a better place and they would move.  She said sometimes when her dad would be gone for long stretches he would come home and drive by the house they were living in with the kids on the front steps, not realizing the family had moved while he was gone.