well I do declare, [in my most southern accent] that I never intended to leave you for this long, my dear. but I must say - mon petit frère, Logan, came in to town for a week, and we were just having too much fun.
Boy, can we pack some adventure into one week? I think so. It's funny how someone coming to visit will get you out of your normal routine [i.e. off your lazy bum] and allow you to explore your little city. Allow me to summarize our week o' fun with our featured guest...Foo Fighters concert. Frontier City amusement park. The Dark Knight. Guthrie's wakeboarding park. Redhawks baseball game. Swimming at the pool. Take-your-brother-in-law-to-the-lab day. Bible Study @ corey + kara's. Shopping. Museum of Natural History. Rock climbing. Test driving cars. OKC Zoo. not to mention lots of games and great cuisine. I'm exhausted, and I have calloused hands from the climbing. I think Logan drove home happy today...but sore and worn out just the same.
I've complained many times about the situation with my job at the Children's Hospital [long update to come on that one...], but I really enjoyed being able to 'unexpectedly' spend time with all our guests this summer.
[this is the part where I bow, twirl my hand in front of me, and step graciously to the side...]
Foo Fighters take the stage at the Ford Center.
Originally, their tour brought them to OKC back in January - and for disgusting details that they didn't hesitate to share with us, they had to reschedule. Because of juggling the dates around, they offered up an incredibly long (and awesome) show in efforts to reconcile with the fans.
they, of course, delivered.
Hitting up the roller coasters at Frontier City with Melody & Brian.
They even opened up a new ride 'The Steel Lasso' - which we believe we were on some of the inaugural runs. The 'user manual' was even still out on the control board.
Very classic-oklahoma. 
Saturday the boys hit up the wakeboarding park in Guthrie. Pretty neat design, I'd never heard of this. It's basically wakeboarding, but without the boat. It's a manmade lake with lots of ramps and jumps, & a cable system to pull you around.
Logan made it all the way around, but Aaron hadn't ever tried it before and had a little trouble getting started. They still had a blast, but their bodies paid dearly. I decided to just be the photographer for the day, I'm not exactly a water-athlete.
a short drive down historic route 66 - a stop at Pop's and the Round Barn
Redhawks vs. Memphis Redbirds. We got the 'all-you-can-eat-seats'. So, yes, Aaron and Logan waddled out of the stadium feeling a little queasy from all the free hot dogs, cotton candy, soda, popcorn, peanuts, and nachos. Gotta get your money's worth, right? With all they consumed, they definitely made money on the deal. 
When Logan comes to town, sushi Neko is definitely on the menu. They even got the gross little octupus ones with the suction cup thingys still attached. 
One afternoon brought us down to Norman for a little Freebirds, some little sidewalk shops, and a stop at the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History. I was quite impressed with all they had there, worth the short drive south. 
and, the Pièce de résistance... our first climbing experience at Rocktown. They actually converted an old grain bin into an elaborate rock climbing facility. There are a number of different 'rooms'...or individual silos with crazy courses, some even up to the roof. 
Here's me on our first run. We definitely tried to keep it on the one- and two-star level for our first time. Amazingly, they bring you in, you sign injury waiver - both physical and emotional (Hey! you suck!) - and give you a 5-minute safety prep -- then it's off you go to climb several stories in the air with only each other! I expected someone 'professional' to be belaying me (that's controlling the rope that could save my life should I slip) ...but, no, it's just me and Logan, two greenies without a clue, off to try out this new sport. We both had a few trust issues. At first, I was thinking...I will never do this again. Logan slipped once, but he was just a few feet off the ground...there was still some slack in the line and he fell back. That definitely shook our confidence for a few rounds, but by the end of the day we were both enjoying it & decided we would definitely give it another chance sometime.
When Logan comes to town, sushi Neko is definitely on the menu. They even got the gross little octupus ones with the suction cup thingys still attached. One afternoon brought us down to Norman for a little Freebirds, some little sidewalk shops, and a stop at the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History. I was quite impressed with all they had there, worth the short drive south. and, the Pièce de résistance... our first climbing experience at Rocktown. They actually converted an old grain bin into an elaborate rock climbing facility. There are a number of different 'rooms'...or individual silos with crazy courses, some even up to the roof. Here's me on our first run. We definitely tried to keep it on the one- and two-star level for our first time. Amazingly, they bring you in, you sign injury waiver - both physical and emotional (Hey! you suck!) - and give you a 5-minute safety prep -- then it's off you go to climb several stories in the air with only each other! I expected someone 'professional' to be belaying me (that's controlling the rope that could save my life should I slip) ...but, no, it's just me and Logan, two greenies without a clue, off to try out this new sport. We both had a few trust issues. At first, I was thinking...I will never do this again. Logan slipped once, but he was just a few feet off the ground...there was still some slack in the line and he fell back. That definitely shook our confidence for a few rounds, but by the end of the day we were both enjoying it & decided we would definitely give it another chance sometime.Next we tried the outside course, and both made it to the top. I love this shot of Logan up on the wall. I never have been afraid of heights, but gee whiz... 'don't look down'. I couldn't imagine doing one that goes up to the roof. 
Aaron didn't climb with us that day. He could barely lift anything at all, especially his own body weight, after wakeboarding last weekend - and trying to pull himself up over and over. At first, I felt bad that Logan had to be stuck with me, and wished Aaron could partner up for his sake. But, I felt like I got my "belay on" by the end of it... and, Aaron's happy too. Because now he knows I'll go back.
Last but not least, we learned that Wednesdays are 75 cent day at the zoo. So, me and these two yahoos monkeyed around for a few hours checking out all our favorite little creatures.
Aaron didn't climb with us that day. He could barely lift anything at all, especially his own body weight, after wakeboarding last weekend - and trying to pull himself up over and over. At first, I felt bad that Logan had to be stuck with me, and wished Aaron could partner up for his sake. But, I felt like I got my "belay on" by the end of it... and, Aaron's happy too. Because now he knows I'll go back. Last but not least, we learned that Wednesdays are 75 cent day at the zoo. So, me and these two yahoos monkeyed around for a few hours checking out all our favorite little creatures.Logan, thanks for making Oklahoma City a stop along your little road trip this summer. We were delighted to have you.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment