Memories of a new home

This is a post making fun of me mostly.  Its also a lesson in think before you speak.  This story is about looking back at a few memories that I have of my new home, Oklahoma.  Loy and I started dating in the summer of 2002.  In 2003 the week of Spring Break I drove to Oklahoma to visit my boyfriend.  On the weekend we went to his parents house for a visit.  So lets set the scene... we are driving down to Southeasten Oklahoma from central Oklahoma.  For one, I have never really seen as many trees along to road or around than here (besides CO) and we are driving down the road at 65 (more like 70-80) down the road.  So flying down the road I'm watching out the window, enjoying the scenery.  Then it comes... (I'm already laughing) "Why did they spray paint those trees purple?"  I ask.  

"WHAT?!" Loy says.  

Agin "Why did they spray paint those trees purple?"  

"Those are Redbud trees and those are the blooms!"

Doh!!!

Example of what trees along the road look like (think going 70 miles an hour  past them)

So in my defense, these little trees are in amongst all the other hundreds of trees along the road and when your flying down the road it just looks like there are trees just sporadically colored a different color.  To me it looked like the ones sticking out farther than the others were the ones that were a different color.  And never having seen a Redbud tree, I had no idea.  Upon closer inspection I saw that they were really buds, and purple, not RED!   

These trees are beautiful and one of the things I come to love about Oklahoma and look forward to every spring.  Of course, its also a good reason to laugh at me every year.

Other memories of my new home, include Scissor- Tailed Flycatchers.  

First experience watching them was shortly after the redbud incident.  We were in a parking lot, like at Wal-mart or something at night, sitting by a light pole

and here are these two beautiful birds snatching up all the bugs they could.  The way they flew through the air, whipping their tails to dive and chase the birds was mesmerizing.  I still love sitting and watching these birds in the air. 

My first memory, includes my now brother and sister-in-law, who brought me to Oklahoma for the sole purpose for me to "marry her brother" (another story for anther time).  I piled in their car with their oldest son who was 2 at the time and drove to Oklahoma from New Mexico, heading to Lake Eufaula.  On the trip there I got to experience singing/learning "Oklahoma" as we cross the Oklahoma boarder.  Then I was quizzed.  "Whats that say?"  (Looking at a town name)  And I had to pronounce all these really crazy names of towns, where I was laughed at a few time for my funny pronunciation, or total butchering.  Things like Anadarko, Pottawatomie, Pontotoc, Checotah, Muskogee, Okmulgee, Tahlequah, Pawhuska, Tecumseh, Wapanucka and others.  They stared out just looking at the signs along the road, then they pulled out the map.  I was getting pretty good at it.  We had some good laughs though.

These are all precious memories I have of this place that I soon after learned would become my home.  The place I would live, build my family, make new friends and build my life.  I has been a great almost 8 years and I am still learning about Oklahoma and all its beauty and wonder.  

Whats your favorite memory of Oklahoma or maybe you have similar memories of a place you now call home?  I would love for you to share.  There is just something magical about learning about all a state or area in the country has to offer and how its different than what we grew up with.