Living on Tulsa Time

This past weekend, the family and I journeyed up the Turner Turnpike to Tulsa. It was a whirlwind trip, but one that was definitely long in the works. Michele's brother and his wife had their first baby in February and due to sickness and work schedules it took us a while, but it finally worked out where we could go and see them and have a family getaway.

The weather from the previous week had been pretty comfortable and so when we awoke in the morning we were disappointed that the forecast called for highs in the 50s. So much for the idea of enjoying the warm weather and sunshine on our roadtrip. We loaded up in our Toyota and headed to McDonalds to get some fuel for our stomach's and then it was on to Shell for some 89 octane for the car. Tulsa is normally a hop, skip an a jump up the Turnpike from home, but the fog and mist gave it less drive appeal.


We arrived in a safe and timely fashion at Michele's brothers home in Tulsa. The family was excited to get to meet Evan our newest nephew and cousin. After holding him and  taking some pictures our brief visit was over. They quickly became bored with the scenery and for those with small, energetic children you understand what I mean. They were quarantined to the living room and forbidden to touch anything. While I understand there is a time for my children to behave themselves and have respect for my extended family and their house rules, it is only in their nature they want to explore and play and as adults we need to embrace this desire and allow them to be children and play. 

We soon said our good-byes and were off again in our car headed off towards Woodland Hills mall for some shopping. With it being a Saturday and at the mall was a recipe for chaos and frustration. Our destination was to Children's Place to purchase some items with a giftcard Micah had received for his birthday last month. Since the store aisles were very narrow and not kid friendly, the peanuts and I ventured over to the Fossil store.

My previous experience with a Fossil store came within the Mall of America two years ago where I purchased my first Fossil watch. I will admit that I was disappointed when arriving at the Fossil store in this mall. When we walked through the threshold of the store we were greeted by racks and walls of clothing items. While I had previous knowledge of the Fossil clothing line, I did not realize they had changed their entire business structure. They did have a selection of watches in the back of the store, but definitely not the layout I had experienced in Minneapolis.

After letting the kids look at the different types of watches, I tucked my tail between my legs in disappointment and led the kids back to our origin where Michele was just checking out. It was a unanimous decision to leave the mall and go eat. After going against the flow of 71st and Memorial traffic we arrived at On The Border for some great mexican food. It was at this particular location where I had last worked as a server in college many moons ago. As we enjoyed a nice meal consisting of fajitas for the wife and I and enchiladas for the kids I began to daydream of days gone by when I was on the other side of the table serving the meals. Funny how history comes in cycles as I am once again serving meals, but in a more contemporary environment. 

After our delicious meal we headed towards Justice to allow my daughter to purchase some items with her gift card and then it was on to Target for some more shopping. Can you see a trend developing? Our family loves to shop. :)
Once all of our shopping was completed we made one last pit-stop to QuickTrip to get some refreshments for the trip home and then it was back on the road home for us. While these trips generally leave us tired and ready for bed; they are definitely worth it and create some great memories.

Have a blessed week ahead!

Family Man