Full Circle for Dad

In 1993 we packed up our belongings and moved from Oklahoma City, OK to Utah. I know what you're thinking...."good move", and for the most part you're right. But there were so many things we really loved about Oklahoma that when my Dad announced he'd had been offered a job that would take him back to the Sooner State, we were surprisingly excited. I love Utah with all my heart, it has the most diverse and breathtaking landscapes you could find anywhere in the USA. I am not even comparing the two states, but before any of you get carried away with inbreeding jokes and ridiculous midwest accents, I thought I'd give you my take on Oklahoma by sharing some things we've always missed.

1. No question.... you will NEVER find a place that has more amazing storms than Oklahoma. Sometimes I'll admit they can get a little scary, but they are always magnificent. Even hiding in your bathtub with a mattress over you during a tornado can be thrilling when you have the right attitude.

2. Sticking to the sky... the sunsets and night skies in Oklahoma are so vivid and colorful, every evening most of our neighborhood would go sit outside and watch the sky. Not because we were some back-woods hicks that didn't have television (Jack), but because we had a great appreciation for the way a sky could change into every possible shade of red, orange, yellow, blue and purple. Usually in that order. Nothing could come close to the beauty in those sunsets.

3. Fireflies!! To me, the term "Catch and Release" will always bring to mind chasing fireflies through the trees at night. Just after sunset you will find beautiful little clusters of lights around the trees, like wireless twinkle lights. It's amazing!

4. 89'ers Day. Specific only to Oklahoma, this holiday was one every elementary school student looked forward to in April. It commemorated the Land Run in 1889 when, at the shot of a gun, thousands of people rushed out into the Oklahoma territory to stake their claim on land. The term "Sooner" comes from the sneaky little devils that cheated and had their family and spouses go out the night before and stake a claim under the cover of dark. When they rushed out with everybody else, they ran straight to the land their family was reserving and pretended they'd just gotten there.

This lady was definitely a sooner. How else could she manage to look so clean and fresh?

5. Braum's Ice Cream was the greatest childhood outing. They sold really good milk, so you could usually tag along with your parents and talk them into a sugar cone. They had very tasty burgers as well. In high school we talked a guy into swallowing an entire shaker of salt at Braum's and ended up calling an ambulance for him. NO BUENO!! But the memory lives on. Thank you Braum's!

These are just the first 5 I could think of. I'll be updating more later, when I have more time and I'm less emotional about the fact that my dad is moving so far away. Stay tuned for #'s 6 through 10 on the list of Oklahoma memories.