Oklahoma Part 2: Non-Stop

I had returned to where it had all started, the place I was born and raised. Seven months removed, would it feel like I had been gone for long or would I slip seamlessly back in? Can you ever really go home?

After settling in, getting the kids to bed, and chatting with my parents for awhile we crawled into bed to get some much needed rest. It had been a very long day and nerves were worn thin.

Saturday morning brought fresh energy and an enthusiastic start to the week ahead. After coffee and a quick run for sausage rolls and donuts we loaded up in Nanny and Papa's new truck "Big Mo" to go feed ducks at the park. It was still early but the heat and sun were beating down on us. Needed to let Chelsea and Clayton wear themselves out on the playground so they would nap so we hung out there for awhile. Dinner was a cookout with the family gathering at my sister Misty and her husband Ray's house. The kids got to meet their new aunts, Misty and Lisa, new uncles, Ray and Paul, and one of their new cousins, Olivia. She is the same age as Chelsea and all of them hit it off immediately. We decided to head back to the park so the kids could enjoy a few rides there.

The carousel did not live up to Chelsea's thrill ride expectations. 

Lisa, Olivia, and Nanny

Cousin fun

Discussing important matters of the day.

Paul, Lisa, and us

Papa and Nanny

The girls got one cart

And the boys got another

Sunday we packed into Big Mo and drove to one of Oklahoma's nice state parks: Roman Nose. But we just had to stop along the way and check out Nanny and Papa's camper to satisfy the kids obsession with camping. They keep it stored near Canton Lake and since we have chipmunks in Wisconsin the kids just had to see their Oklahoma counterpart groundhogs.

Then it was off to Roman Nose and its natural springs. Oklahoma summers are brutally hot but the water flowing out of ground is incredibly chilly. The tradition is to walk back and stick your head into this icy waterfall but the best I could get out of the kids was reaching their hand in.

Turns out Biscuit is a natural swimmer. She doesn't like it but she can do it.

 Roman Nose also has a very nice swimming pool.

And what's better than ice cream after a long day in the sun?

Papa teaching Clayton a southern accent.

This is the result: "Yee-haw Sonic ice cream"

On Monday we decided to do a truly unique-to-Oklahoma activity and go to Salt Plains and dig for crystals. I had done this a handful of times in my life but not for many years and I really didn't remember too much about it. We left the grandparents at home and took this little adventure as a family. As it turns out this was one of Erin and I's favorite parts of the entire vacation.

This seemingly unexplainable salt flat makes even flatter than flat Oklahoma seem hilly.

A previous dig hole that all of the water has evaporated from leaving only salt.

Not sure how he did it but Clayton managed to step in, sink, and get stuck in a mud hole within the first 25 ft we walked. Truly his powers as a 3 yr old hold no bound.

Let the digging begin.

The water table is only a couple feet down and you need the water to splash the sides and find crystals.

There is no way around it, you're going to get absolutely filthy if you do this.

Clayton passed out pretty quick on our way home.

Our crystals. We didn't find any really large ones but this is a nice haul.

Example of an ideally formed selenite crystal.

Some other uniquely formed examples.

Tuesday we wanted to stay in town and get the kids together with Olivia. We visited Leonardo's Children Museum in Enid, which is really a great place to keep kids entertained all day long. There is a huge outdoor play structure and park and inside they have a wide selection of areas to explore.

Nice face there Chelsea

The coolest Lite Brite I have ever seen.

The attendant in this section was awesome and got out nearly every animal they had so the kids could pet them.

A giant maze they crawled through.

It was also Erin's birthday on Tuesday. Let's just say she's been 29 for a couple years running now. My parents took the kids so that we could go out and have a nice evening. We had a nice dinner and found some live music to enjoy for the evening.

The beautiful birthday girl.

By this point you're probably thinking "they have got to slow down at some point" but you'd be wrong. Wednesday we met up with Lisa and Olivia for some fun at Enid's 'water park.' It's not terrible but a little maintenance and some sprucing up would go a long way. The kids loved it though and since we had told them we would go before we even left Wisconsin, we had to deliver. 

Another item on our must do was to take Erin to Eskimo Joe's so she wouldn't feel like a poser when she wore the shirt I had bought her last year. We also needed a load of Joe's cups to take home as I had only brought 4 when I moved north and we had all been fighting over them ever since. Thursday we drove over to Stillwater for lunch.

That night Chelsea and Clayton slept over at my sister Misty's house while E and I went to hang out with some of my old friends. This was the first time any of them had met her so of course we had to have a good time. Beer and food at one place and more booze at another. To say we may have overdone it is putting it mildly. We definitely did. But I think it was worth it and gave my friends there the chance to see just how special Erin and what we have is. There was hesitation and concern from most as my decision to leave everything behind and move north shocked everyone. And it was important for Erin to meet them and get to know who my friends were along with just where I was from. We paid a price for the fun though.

Thankfully Nanny and Papa stepped up and took the kids off of our hands the next morning and afternoon. We finally slowed down on Friday, not because we chose to, but because we were physically incapable of any adventures that day. The local country club does their fireworks show on the 3rd of July so people can go enjoy the larger show on the 4th at a park in town. This show can be seen from my parent's back yard so we all pulled up chairs and oohed and awed to close out an easy day.

The 4th was our last day in town and we took another day for rest. Dinner and a birthday party for my niece Shelby at Paul and Lisa's house was the only thing on the agenda. Erin and I washed laundry and prepacked as much as we could while the kids played hard with their new grandparents. 

The day wound down and as we prepared to head out early I finally found a little time to think about that question again. Can you really ever go home?