This is what happens when I get bored.

So this Oklahoma weather is annoying me. I know that I should have some bigger kind of emotion, like fear or awe or excitement, even- but honestly, it just drives me nuts. It's like, are we going to have a tornado or not? What exactly are we worried about when we get a severe thunderstorm warning? To me, growing up in the north, rain clouds = rain. Done. Snow is a whole other matter, but usually if there's a threat, there's a follow-through, you know what I mean? This kind of weather, where pretty much every day my husband is forcibly dragging me to covered parking so we don't get our cars freaked up by hail, is just frustrating.

The issue here is most likely the fact that, because I'm still job-hunting, the weather really plays a role in my day to day goings-on.

Like today. I was planning on checking out a state park I've never been to, but decided to stick close to home because I don't know how to read these clouds fluently yet. So, went back to the Wildlife Refuge.

First, me and the pup thought to ourselves, should we try to climb Elk Mountain?

We walked for probably 5 minutes uphill before I got nervous about a snake biting my face off (thanks, husband, for freaking me out so solidly) and then I saw a TARANTULA.

@#$@#%@#%! 

We were out.

We decided to play it safe, stay in the car, and drive up Mt. Scott instead.

That was cool and everything, but we were restless. I needed an adrenaline fix.

I've learned a few things about buffalo since moving to Oklahoma; one of the most important things is that a buffalo, who usually keeps his head down to graze, will only look directly at you if he's thinking about flattening you in a stampeding blaze of glory.

I think my dog has post-traumatic stress.

My Oklahoma

Last time we lived in Oklahoma, I was...not always totally enthusiastic about it. 

I've decided to be open to a different kind of pretty than what I grew up with, and honestly?

It can be really, really breathtaking.

We went for a drive down scenic Route 115, and it's stunning.

J got to practice riding his bike and I got to paparazzi the crap out of some cattle.

It was a banner day.

Exotic Animals Attacked Our Car. (And dog.)

Possible one of the best Easters ever.

J and I figured, since he didn't have to work but we didn't exactly know what to do with ourselves on Easter, then we should go "find an adventure," which we use as our general motto for life.

So, on Sunday, we trekked out to Davis to check out this place we've been wanting to visit called "Arbuckle Wilderness: Oklahoma's Premier Exotic Animal Theme Park".

IT. IS. AWESOME.

Basically, it's like Jurassic Park when they get to drive through the dinosaur park in cars, except replace the dinosaurs with camels.

Example A:

I was talking to J while he was driving, turned back to look out the window, and was face to face with a camel! (J was laughing his fool head off, by the way.) Then, our little dog Q decided to lick our new camel friend in the mouth.

We drove through and saw ostriches, tigers, timber wolves, llamas, zebras, buffalo, rhinos...it just keeps going! It was SO much fun, and, I have to say-well done, Oklahoma!

I never would have expected to feed zebras smack in the middle of the U.S.!

There were only two things that weren't completely picturesque.

1: Poor Q was attacked by emus, which, as it turns out, are incredibly aggressive bird-like things.

2: This llama.

Arbuckle Wilderness

$17/adult ($12 military discount)

3 cups of feed=$5 (worth it)

http://www.arbucklewilderness.com/

Fresh Start

Ummm. Wow.

Really fell off the wagon there.

Sorry about that.

Now that I, slowly, painfully, have dragged myself back up here and am getting my bearings again, I really need to get caught up!

MUCH has happened. First, I figured I'm feeling a fresh start, time for a new blog. I no longer live in Korea, so the Korea travel blog is now a moment in time. Actually, at this point I've hit my six month mark in Oklahoma.

OKLAHOMA. Who knew that's where I'd be? Not this girl.

J and I are living together in a fantastic little apartment not too far from base, where he works, or from the university I started attending for my master's, or the high school where I do sub assignments. (It's pretty convenient.)

Alright, now that the basics are thrown out there, let's get into the juicy detail!

So J, that boy I met at the City Hall stop in Seoul, South Korea? He turned out to be...the man I married! Yes, married! He and I had been living together for a few months when, right before Christmas, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Most of my family actually met him as my fiancé. We were planning a big July wedding, but were told about three weeks ago that he would be deploying before that would ever take place. His unit is preparing to leave, but we don't know exactly when.

Actually, I should be finding out more tonight, so I'll see what the deal is.

So basically, they said, "Hey, you only have one week guaranteed leave before you deploy, so wrap up whatever you need to do." So...in one week, we scrambled to completely change plans and get married here on post with only immediate family. It was crazy! Because there really wasn't time for a wedding dress, I decided to go in a different direction; since he was going to be wearing his dress blue uniform to the ceremony, I would go with something 40's inspired! I wore a traveling dress, a birdcage veil, and bright red lipstick. The whole thing turned out to be really beautiful and special, and once I get the photos, I'm totally putting them up! We're still going to do the big ceremony we planned so we can celebrate with everyone, it'll just be when he comes home.

Then, since family had flown in, we spent our honeymoon with relatives. I'm not complaining, it just seems really funny to me. He still had to be back at work on Monday, so it wouldn't have been anything elaborate. Since we couldn't have romantic, we decided to go ridiculous.

This would be my brother, Luke, enjoying the heck out of some ukulele.

Basically, this sums it up. Sometimes it was a little difficult to play hostess because it's much different here than it was in Korea; here, I have to kind of search for random adventures, as opposed to just wandering into them. (I blame this entirely on the lack of a comprehensive public transit system. Places with subways are always chock-full of strange things waiting to happen.)

Other than that, the families,who had never met before, snuggled up in our little apartment and hung out, had some dinner, definitely had some drinking. That part was all hilarious, especially when J's very polite, Southern lady-esque grandmother was drinking peppermint schnapps straight from the bottle. Needless to say, I think they all got along swimmingly.

I have to say, although most people don't seem to like it here, it's been pretty good to me. I have my husband, the apartment, started school again, and got my foot in the door at a really great school. I've had some amazing experiences working there, and my next assignment starts up on Monday, so I'm getting nervous/excited about that.

And, to top it all off, J's parents brought us his dog they had been watching over while he was deployed.

Meet Q, the lovable 3-legged pup!