Things I Will Miss About Oklahoma

We only spent just over 8 years in Oklahoma. But there are definitely things I will miss about it.

First and foremost all the people we have met and befriended. This list includes co-workers, people from church, the students, parents and teachers from the Edmond schools, dear friends and especially all my kids (and you all know who you are).

To my kids that I have informally adopted: I will miss seeing you all grow into the wonderful women and men that I know you will become or already are. I hope you know that you can always can talk to me still. It just won't be that face to face time. Remember, don't waste the talent that God has given you. Find your passion. It may not pay a lot, but a job is more palatable if you enjoy what you are doing. Just because your dad/mom was a doctor/accountant/lawyer/shoemaker, doesn't mean that you have to become one. Be your own person. Pick your battles. And above all, don't burn bridges especially with parents. Your parents will love you no matter what. And even if they are the nuttiest people you know. They really do want the best for you. It's just sometimes really hard for us to tell you. And be your own person. Don't label yourself or others, and especially don't let anyone put you into a label. You are who you are. Not everyone is going to love or even like you. It doesn't matter. You find people who accept you for who you are, not what they think you should be. I hope you all have learned something from me. Just know that I am here for you and that I love each of you very much.

I will miss:
Oklahoma sunsets. They are the best anywhere. I have seen fire in the sky when it has been cloudy. The stars might be bright in Texas, but they are just amazing in Oklahoma!

The history. Yes, the land runs, the Trail of Tears, the Indians, the crazy legislature of OK!! All my UCO professors that taught me to think and the others I never had a chance to take classes from! My museum/history geeks that I call my friends. Oh how I will miss conferences with you all and playing Scrabble in the bar! No one can top that! I will miss my time in Guthrie and all that history. I will miss the history of the OK National Guard and those people that let me be the true geek that I am. Thank you all for enriching my time here.

The weather. Need I say more. Well yes, I do! I have experienced more weather phenomena in OK than anywhere! Ice storms, blizzards, fire (within a few miles of the house), eye of a hurricane (craziness), drought and tornadoes (1 as close as down the street and the other 1/4 of a mile away). The only thing missing is a tsunami, but it wouldn't surprise me!

The wind. I know. It 's crazy, but it's weird not to have wind blowing all the time! It was one of the strangest things I had to get used to when we first moved here. Now I'm one that freaks out if there is no wind blowing.

Seeing a storm two hours away. The visibility here is about 10 + miles. I remember the first time I saw lightening in the distance and it still felt so close, but the storm took about two hours before it hit. Oh and the lightening is just incredible! I remember the first storm and thought that our house would blow away. The lightening never takes a break! It just comes one after the other! Amazing storms!

The weathermen. When you get a drinking game named after you, you know you've made it! They are the sportscasters of weather watching. They can turn a storm that is in the western part of the state into excitement of doom for us several hours away!!! It's a skill to occupy our time for several hours on a storm that will most likely diminish before it comes near us!

I know that there is more that I will miss, but the mind is fuzzy right now. Oklahoma will always have a special place in my heart. We will miss you all so very much.

Thanks for reading!

Starting Over Again

A new chapter starts in my life on October 1. The family will be moving to Virginia. I like change. I really do. I guess I'm one of those weird people who loves change. While I love it, I also hate that I'm leaving really good friends behind. But I get another chance at starting over. A chance to redefine who I am. And that's a really cool thing.

How many of us get to start over again? Yes, if you get divorced or your spouse dies, you do get that chance, but that's usually not due to your control. I actually had a choice. I could have said no to Scott about moving, but I didn't. Because I like change.

If you have known me for any reasonable time, you know I get bored fairly easy. Not with people, but with circumstances in life. And that's not to say that I have exhausted all there is in Oklahoma. I haven't gone everywhere I wanted to in this state. But a change of pace, scenery, or whatever you want to call it, was needed.

So many of us are afraid of change. We love our comfort zone. It's warm and comfy and safe. And even though I love my comfort zone, I know that I can't stay there forever. If I do, I will become stagnant. An example from my life: I was about 41 when I decided to take dance lessons. Again. You see I took ballet lessons around 4 or 5 years old for a couple of years. I can actually remember one of my recitals. We were wearing Japanese kimonos and had fans! And I can remember being on stage with the bright lights. Anyway, as an adult I had always wanted to take lessons, but time, money and yes comfort, said otherwise. My daughters wanted to take ballet, so we did when we moved here to Oklahoma. One stayed in it, the other chose horses. A couple of years of watching, I decided I wanted to dance again. I did jazz (similar enough to ballet, but still different). Then the teacher talked me into doing hip hop! Talk about not being in my comfort zone! Yikes! Even though I was hideous at it (really all that popping was me, not the moves), I did it for two years. The last year I actually performed in two routines, hip hop and jazz. I had a lot of fun and proved to myself that change is good, but really hard sometimes. I really want to take tap and ballroom lessons next. We will see what Virginia brings to me.

My whole point in my rambling is that change is hard. It can be numbing to some people. I say that even though it scares the pants off you, you need to do it. Start slow. Take baby steps. You don't have to move 800 miles away from family. You could start by taking a drawing class, dance class or learn something new. Or go back to college after 20 years and finish your degree, like I did. Change is a very good thing. So set a goal to get out of your comfort zone. Or at least try one thing new. Something you have always wanted to do. Life is too short not to try something different.

Thanks for reading!

So I'm a Blogger. Now What?

Okay, so I decided to blog. I love to write. I've always wanted to write a novel. But I always wanted to write a little newspaper column about things I have observed in my life. Ordinary things. Extraordinary things. Things nobody cares about. I'm going to try not to be formal. Yes, my historical research friends, I may have several careless errors. I don't care. I want it the writing to flow naturally and not have my thoughts stifled. I will proofread, but not for punctuation or grammar.

I don't plan on being political. Okay, let me put it this way. I will try not to be political. But I'm sure politics will creep in sometimes. Let's just say this is not a political blog. I also won't push my religious beliefs on you. However, I will defend my beliefs when I feel they need to be made. Let me get this out in the open. I'm Catholic. There. I said it. Now get over it.

Yes, the focus may be on my family - somewhat. If I find something that makes me laugh or cry, I might blog about it. I'm a proud mama, so I will brag if I have to! Names will be changed to protect the crazy ones! I will mention friends. Once again, names may be changed to protect the crazies! So, that will mean all of my friends' names will change. My family and friends are a huge part of my life, and I'm sure I will be inspired by them all!

I will try not to write in anger. I may actually do that but won't publish it. I hope. If you make me mad, then you have royally ticked me off. Once again, names will be changed to protect the obnoxious.

I hope you will enjoy my ramblings. If not, sorry. If you do, then you are my bestest friend ever! I hope I will be able to convey my sarcasm. It is my native language after all. I hope not to offend. I apologize now if I do. This will be my opinions/observations. I'm sure that they will differ from yours. That's why there is a comment section. Oh, and I reserve the right to delete your comment if you are rude or mean. You have been warned.

Thanks for tuning in!