I haven't written anything for quite some time. Life sometimes just gets in the way. But because of the events of the past two days, I felt I just had to write.
Many people have asked me why I want to go back to live in Oklahoma, especially because of the tornadoes. I will try to explain it.
I have only lived in three states. I was born and raised in Ohio. I got married there. I had my babies there. I was content.
Just over 11 years ago, my husband, told me our first assignment was Oklahoma. My first thought was, "Oh shit. They have tornadoes there." I grew up terrified of thunderstorms. I was very young when the Xenia, OH tornado hit in 1974. It scared me. I dreaded moving to Oklahoma. We would be just under 1,000 miles from our families. Pretty far away especially when you relied on them for a lot. So July 31, 2002, we found ourselves in Edmond, OK.
We moved into a nice neighborhood, where we were befriended almost immediately by the Caporales. We remain close to this day. As I learned where everything was located, I noticed people waving, smiling and making you feel welcome. We joined St. Monica Catholic Church and everyone there made us feel welcomed. They encouraged us to become active in the parish, which I did. I taught Religious Ed for about 5 years, helped with Music Camp, the youth group and sang in the choir. At my kids schools, I was a good volunteer, where I got to know many fantastic teachers and met a dear friend of mine, Devon. She in turn helped me find a dance school for my girls and that in turn introduced me to many many more people.
Oklahoma was where I finally finished my Bachelor's degree at UCO., where that led me to more fabulous professors, my mentor, Heidi and my history friends. Oklahoma is where four of my kids grew up and consider it their home. Sean is back there trying to make a life of his own. Megan is looking forward to going back to attend OU for meteorology, which brings me to the weather. If you have never experienced Oklahoma weather, you haven't experienced anything. The weather is why the Okies are so resilient. You have to be very tough to make it through the cold (and it does get cold especially with the North wind coming done the plains), the heat (like living in an oven), the drought and of course the wind. It constantly blows. I it isn't, watch out, trouble is a comin'.
I love the fact that you can see a storm 2 hours away. You can go to a drive-in and see first run movies, fight the mosquitoes and other wildlife. I love that I can get really good Mexican food there. I love the history of the state and it really does have a wonderful history. And yes, I even love the tornadoes, when people aren't being hurt or killed. They are fascinating. But most of all I love the people. They are the friendliest people I know. They don't care that you are to a native of the state. They treat you as if you lived here all your life. I love that most Okies are laid back, not in a hurry. It's a slow paced life and I miss that. If we have a chance tomorrow to move back to OK, I would not hesitate. Oklahoma is my home.
Thanks for reading.
<3
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