My Mom Was Here

As I pointed out in my last post, my mother made an ill-timed, meticulously planned trip to Tulsa for the express purpose of visiting me. I think I've finally recovered. Here's what we did:

I had to take my mom to see some of Tulsa's most interesting landmarks, so we dropped by the Golden Driller...

And the giant praying hands at ORU...

And the Blue Whale on Route 66...

She made me drive to Bartlesville for a tour of Price Tower, which was admittedly pretty cool...

I also found a buffalo with extreme, disco-ball testicles in Bartlesville...

We spent an afternoon at Will Rogers Downs, betting on races...

But most of our horses came in last.

We stopped at Lake Oologah...

Dashed through downtown Tulsa to make it to the opera on time...

And generally had a very busy week! 

I think my favorite part about the whole inconvenient visit was getting to dine at some new places around town- Dilly Deli downtown, The Wild Fork in Utica Square, Frank & Lola's in Bartlesville...All were very, very good. Our tour of the Blue Bell creamery in Broken Arrow was another highlight, especially the part where they gave us an entire gallon of vanilla ice cream. My mother also met Buttons, The G, Anne, Shari, and Kyla. I think she had a good time. As for me? I hope it's five years before she decides to visit again.

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Welcome to OK, Mom!

Well, she's actually in Arkansas at the moment, but will be here in the Sooner State tomorrow. Then the fun begins! ...Not.

My mother and I get along amicably enough. She calls me weekly (down from twice weekly when I lived in Wichita) and we have a conversation about work, cats, and mutual acquaintances. I tell her what Johnny and I are up to, she tells me what various family members are up to. As her only child, I recognize the importance these phone calls have to her, and therefore, I always answer them. While this isn't my ideal relationship, it works well enough. (For reference, my ideal parental relationship is the one I share with my father: we talk on the phone once every few months, he feeds Moe for me, and sometimes he remembers when my birthday is.)

Since I moved to Oklahoma (600 miles away from my family), my mother has doggedly disparaged the state (and all prairie states in general). She seems to think it's a tumbleweed-filled landscape populated by rednecks and rough characters. She isn't entirely wrong (and I'll be the first to admit I dislike Claremore immensely), but I'm determined to show her all that vibrant, beautiful Tulsa has to offer. (Plus, I'm pretty sure if I keep her busy, she'll be too tired to bug me about going to a casino every night. SUCCESS.)

Here's what I'm looking at:

Monday

• Tulsa classics: Crazy ORU campus (praying hands, prayer tower), Golden Driller statue, Blue Whale on Route 66
• Lunch @ Dilly Deli
• Shopping in Brookside
• Dinner @ Hideaway Pizza

Tuesday

• Morning at the barn (RSU Equestrian Center): riding lesson on The G with Anne, teaching Roscoe to jump, clipping/bathing program horses (weather permitting)
• Lunch @ The Pink House
• Horse racing @ Will Rogers Downs
• Dinner @ house (I'll be sure to share the menu & recipes soon, provided they're well-received!)
• Night @ Hard Rock Casino

Wednesday

• Tour of Bluebell Ice Cream factory
• Lunch @ Billy Sims BBQ
• Shopping @ Utica Square
• Dinner @ The Wild Fork

Thursday

• Tour of Price Tower (Frank Lloyd Wright's only skyscraper)
• Lunch @ Goldie's Patio Grill
• Tour of Oak Hills Winery
• Dinner @ TBD
• Attend final dress rehearsal of Tulsa Opera's performance of Norma. (Thanks for the tickets, Anne! You're the best!!) 

I think I've planned a pretty excellent itinerary if I do say so myself. I hope my mom enjoys her trip. Mostly, though, I hope she stops hating on Oklahoma! 

(If you're wondering where Johnny is through all of this, he's meeting us for dinner on Monday and Thursday, grilling for us on Tuesday, and chilling with Buttons the rest of the time. Hooray, Johnny!)

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