When I first wrote this, it was broken up into “Things That
I Love” and “Things I Could Do Without”. But when it ended on a negative note,
I decided to change up the order a bit. Happiness is definitely a choice and
I’m working hard to always look on the positive side – says the hypocritical
blogger who proceeds to author a 50% negative review;)
In celebration of living in Oklahoma for exactly 164 days, I
thought I would give a review of Oklahoma. Keep in mind that this is purely my
‘perspective’ - read: NOT facts - and I do not presume to speak for Ben or
Marley – contrary to popular belief;)
Positive
More
Family Time – I come from a BIG family. Ben comes from an even BIGGER family.
Since we lived so close to my family for years, we were constantly spending
time with family. So how can we be enjoying more family time while living 20+
hours away from ALL my family? It’s all in how I (have to) think about it.
These past months have been an amazing opportunity for us to spend way more
time together just doing stuff we had to coordinate. As the 
Negative
Less Family Time – Basically the
flip side of the above. It took us a couple of weekends to realize that we had
to start planning stuff to do rather than just planning to attend family functions.
I miss my sisters, parents, nieces, nephews, brothers. Uh, oh. Full disclosure
coming out. I hate that Marley doesn’t recognize them and as thrilled as I am
when I see pictures of everyone playing together – I kind of hate it too. I
want her to be friends with her cousins and love on her Grandparents and Aunts.
With her aversion to ‘strangers’, I am having some pretty serious anxiety
knowing that December is coming up and she’s going to see all of them and she
definitely won’t go running into their arms (nor will I push her to because
that will only make it worse). It’s going to take her some time to warm up to
them while they all have relationships already. That hurts my heart. Really.
Positive
Religious
Diversity – I am the token Mormon friend! How exciting, right? It has been so
much fun getting to know what other people believe and share my beliefs as
well. This has forced me to think about things I hadn’t and learn to phrase
things in layman’s terms rather than throwing around Mormon terms all the time.
It has led to many late night discussions with Ben and gives me more motivation
to read (and understand) the scriptures better.
Positive
An abundance
of parks and lakes – Yes, yes, I know. There are parks in Utah and even a few
lakes. But I didn’t use them a whole lot. I had a yard, my routine, etc. Out
here, parks have been our best friend. We take weekly trips to the park and take
Scooter swimming in a variety of lakes a few times a month.
Negative
NO SIDEWALKS!!! No where are there
sidewalks! You either walk on people’s lawns – which are NOT soft. I don’t know
what kind of weeds they sow into their grass seed out here but it’s NOT very
friendly. Or you walk on the road. This is probably another reason why I’ve
grown so fond of parks. It’s the only place I can walk with Marley and not be
paranoid that she’s going to get poked by weeds or hit by cars. Grumble.
Grumble. Oh and P.S. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way – about the
grass or the sidewalks. Everyone wants sidewalks and nice grass. I’ve been
known to knock on doors when I find a nice lawn and congratulate them. It’s that big of a deal;)
Positive
A New
Career in a New Industry – In simple terms, I work for Oklahoma University.
More specifically, I work as a contractor for a State DHS department. I love
the knowledge and insight that I gain every day. This job has opened up my eyes
to the realities that so many people struggle with. I am so grateful for the
solid foundation my parents gave me so that even when I’ve made mistakes – I
have never had to experience the incredible loss, desperation, hopelessness,
and fear that too many people cope with every day.
Negative
Lack of Elevation – There’s a
reason the winds come sweeping down the plains… ZERO elevation to slow it down.
I miss the mountains. That’s it. On a similar note, there is a severe lack of
outdoorsy stuff that I want to do.
Every “Okie” that I’ve asked where I could camp, hike, etc. has (joked) that
I’ll need to bring a banjo, trailer, some moonshine, and a cousin to make out
with while I’m there. Okay – maybe those weren’t their exact words but
seriously, that’s always where the conversation ends up. Apparently in southeastern
OK there are some beautiful, larger hills – but it’ll take some time for me to
adjust to having to drive hours just to get to some semblance of a mountain.
Positive
Sunsets
– Oklahoma sunsets are really amazing. Yes, I miss the mountains and I still
have ZERO sense of direction, but there’s definitely something to be said for
being able to see the sun setting at ground level. Don’t get me wrong, a
mountain lined sunrise/sunset still has my heart. But that doesn’t make these
sunsets any less beautiful. (hmmm… I feel a deeper meaning coming through
there;)
It has been such an adventure out here and I am really loving it. I look forward to whatever life has in store for us - whether we stay here for a few more years, return to Utah, or uproot all over again. Life is supposed to be adventure and with this little family of mine - it always will be:)
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