The next morning after Avery's wedding, we drove to Oklahoma. I have two special memories tied to the state, even though I'd never been there. My childhood penpal lives in Oklahoma. We started writing letters back and forth when we were in elementary school and kept up until we both graduated high school. We later reconnected on social media. Although we've still not yet met in person, Kori is a dear friend. The other is Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical, Oklahoma! I have no idea how many times we watched it in Sara Beth's choir class over the years of middle and high school, but it was a lot!
Since we crossed a new-to-us state line, we had to stop at the welcome sign for a picture. They are thrilled every time we do this. Can't you tell?!
We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening exploring Oklahoma City. Our first stop was at OKC Riversport. It's an outdoor adventure park with adventure courses, zip lines, kayaking and a man-made white water rafting experience. I'd never seen anything like it before. We did the white water rafting, and everyone really enjoyed it.
We went to the Skydance Pedestrian Bridge. The design was inspired by Oklahoma's state bird, the scissor-tailed fly catcher. There was also a pretty park in the area with nice views of the city skyline.
Our next stop was the infamous OKC sign and the Wheeler Ferris Wheel. The Ferris wheel used to be located at the Santa Monica Pier before it was moved to Oklahoma City. When in Santa Monica, it was featured in many movies, including "Titanic" and "Forrest Gump."
We were super tired by the end of the day so we went to the Brockton District to eat supper before going to our hotel. Speaking of a hotel, this girl lives her best life in hotels!
The next morning, we visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial before leaving the city. I very clearly remember the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. It's my first clear memory of the horror of domestic terrorism. The memorial is stunning! It is absolutely beautiful, but it's also very somber. It reminded me of my experience a few years ago at the 9/11 Memorial. I really enjoyed our time here.
There are twin bronze gates leading into the memorial grounds. The gates are time-stamped with the last minute of peace, the first minute of destruction and the first moments of recovery. The inscription reads, "We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity."
The Field of Empty Chairs is definitely the most sobering part of the park. There are 168 empty chairs crafted of glass, bronze and stone. Each one represents a life lost that day, and each name is etched in the glass. The chairs are arranged in nine rows to symbolize the nine floors of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, and each person's chair is on the row/floor they were on when the bomb exploded. There are 19 chairs that are smaller than all the rest. Those were the children.
If you look very carefully, you can see several men on their knees. They are carefully trimming the grass by hand around the base of each chair. We watched them for several minutes. I couldn't help but wonder how often they do this.
When in Oklahoma, a stop in Pawhuska is a must! It's a good thing Pioneer Woman put this tiny town on the map. Otherwise, it wouldn't be. We didn't realize until we passed it that we were at her place. So, of course, I made Seth turn around and go back for a picture.
And, of course, we spent some time at The Mercantile.
The kids each picked out a treat from the bakery. And I had the most insanely delicious coffee drink of my dreams! The Spicy Cowgirl!
I found a salad. And it was delicious! I also tried their version of Brunswick stew. Let's just say it wasn't the Brunswick stew that I know. It was more along the lines of a beef stew.
This was Hannah Kate's BBQ Mac n cheese.
The was the view looking out over the city from the front steps of the capitol building.
This one loved it the most. I'm certain she felt like Belle in "Beauty and the Beast!"
We finally had a change of scenery as we approached our next stop . . .
