gotta have fath*: Oklahoma!

This trip was definitely a journey of firsts. I ordered my first chicken fried steak at Click’s in Pawnee, which was painfully evident when I asked for it to be cooked medium! It was also the first (and hopefully last) time that I shut Tony’s finger in the car door. I was on quite a roll that day!

I also went to my first rodeo! It was the 50th anniversary of the 101 Rodeo in Ponca City and we went on the first night, which was neat because it was like watching a Rodeo Sampler. We got to see a lot of different events…I really enjoyed the horse events and liked watching the horses who bring in the bulls/broncs/calves after each event (do they have a special name?) Really beautiful. And I really liked it when the calves “won” the events they were involved in. I have to admit, I was rooting for them the entire time.

It was also a great trip on the crafting front…Grandma Shirley showed me her workspace in the basement, which was awesome! I’m already dreaming up a similar space for whatever house we end up buying. She also introduced me to a really neat knotting book and needle that you use to knot fabric. I’m going to make a pretty big round rug for our entryway with some fabric scraps I have in our closet. And I’ll probably make a couple of oval rugs for each side of our bed. And I was able to finish the doily I started to thank her for the fabric she sent along for me the last time Casy was in OK. I had been working on it for so long I wasn't sure whether I would ever get it done!

AND I got my first sewing pattern…I actually have yet to start that. I'm so excited about learning to sew, but I needed to start working on a Special Someone's birthday present and I’m missing a quasi-essential piece to my sewing maching, which hasn't helped my progress. My thread sits horizontally on the machine, so it has a piece that slides on after it to hold it in place as I sew. I discovered that it’s possible for me to sew without it (or using some tape instead), but not very pleasant or easy. So I’m on a mission to find a replacement and until I do, my sewing is on hold.

Pictures?

I got lucky at the casinos playing this game. I picked it because it reminded me of Uncle Pat. I think we all agreed that it’s a good thing there aren’t casinos in NJ like there are in OK.

We went on a wildlife hunt one of the nights…it was a beautiful success! We saw 13 deer, 2 bunnies, a fox, a raccoon, an owl, a dead fish (with a fin!), and a moth. No armadillos, but I’m not losing hope.