Good Ol' Oklahoma

I feel like I can make this comment since I am from Texas myself, but I don't know of any group of people that is prouder to be from a certain place than Texans.  If you ask a Texan what he loves about his state, he will probably not only rattle off a list of reasons about why Texas is so great, but he will probably also give you a list of reasons why whatever non-Texas state that you are from is obviously inferior.  I Googled "Why do people love Texas so much?" and here are some of the responses from Texans.  I'm not even going to comment on them because they really need no commentary.

"Because it's the only place worth visiting for Las Vegas besides New York." (What?)

"Food in Texas makes your taste buds sing."
"Blue Bell Ice Cream!!!!" (with that many exclamation points)

"Because Texas is the best state. Texas is the only state that is self-sufficient. They can grow all their own food, own fuel, etc. No other state can do this. Hooray for Texas!"
"We are a little above the rest and we know you wish you were from here. Have a nice day y'all."

...and my personal favorite...

 "Texas is the wave of the future, if you do not change your ways you will get left behind."

They say that everything is bigger in Texas, and apparently the egos are, too.  (Don't worry, I'm a proud and pretty egotistical Texan at times, as well.)

For the past six years, I have lived in Norman, Oklahoma.  I didn't like hated it when I first moved here.  I complained about everything from the constant windiness (okay, a little annoying), to the uneven sidewalks (at least we have sidewalks just about everywhere!), to the ugly (unique) houses, to the lack of attractions (um, hello, we live about a mile from the OU stadium?!), to anything else that is the least bit unlike the wealthy suburban area where I spent my high school years.  Norman isn't perfect, but I have grown to love its quirkiness and college town charm.

Downtown Norman (Main Street)

What I didn't realize until the past three weeks or so is that parts of Oklahoma are actually beautiful.  It's wedding season, so we have been traveling all across the Sooner State to watch our friends tie the knot.  My friend from Tahlequah confidently claimed before her wedding that "Tahlequah is the prettiest part of Oklahoma."  I didn't believe her.  My only connection to Tahlequah in the past had been watching Where the Red Fern Grows as a child (I think I asked my mom if I could watch that movie about every other day).  As it turns out, Mallory was right about Tahlequah.  Maybe I'll have to start making other connections with that lovely little town.   

Illinois River in Tahlequah

Andrew and I also went hiking in the Wichita Mountains near Lawton, Oklahoma.  Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll let these speak for themselves.

Our final weekend adventure was to Beavers Bend, Oklahoma, for my cousin's wedding.  The drive there was small town after small generic town, but I am somewhat of a country girl at heart and think that back roads and farmlands are delightful.  The scenery at Beavers Bend State Park was absolutely worth the four hour drive.

This was my favorite thing that we saw on the way to Beavers Bend.  I have no idea who those guys are, but we passed the sign too quickly for me to grab a picture. 

Beavers Bend

Maybe Oklahoma isn't THE most amazing state in the Union, but our recent travels have convinced me that it certainly has some redeeming qualities and is much more stunning than most people realize.  Just within the last year or so, I have even caught myself telling people that I am from Norman and not Flower Mound or Houston.  I guess this place is becoming home.

So with all of that, "Boomer Sooner", "Thunder Up", and "God Bless America."  Hey, I'm sorta proud to be an Okie.