Sweet Summertime

So, this past weekend, I took a trip down memory lane. Returning to my neck of the woods, Tahlequah, Ok, (aka The Quah). What brought me back? A wedding, my family, old friends and you guessed it, sweet summertime. My Kappa Little, Julie, was getting married, so I decided to make the trek back to celebrate her finding love and starting this new journey in life. My G-Little, Jody, was a bridesmaid and I hadn't seen either of them in other in over a year and it was quite the sweet reunion. Some of the highlights of the night were seeing some Kappas, Julie wearing cowboy boots under her wedding dress, the AWESOME photo booth at the reception and of course, the plethora of country music, swing dancing, line dancing and two-stepping! Ahh...love...love is one of the sweetest parts of summertime.

One of my fave Summer songs, says it well...
(Summertime by Kenny Chesney)

"And it's two bare feet on the dashboard

Young love and an old Ford

Cheap shades and a tattoo
And a Yoo-Hoo bottle on the floorboard

Perfect song on the radio
Sing along 'cause it's one we know
It's a smile, it's a kiss
It's a sip of wine, it's summertime

Sweet summertime"


Saturday came in a hurry and I found myself out on Lake Tenkiller (the epitome of Summer) with my good friend Colt and his mom. Cruising on the crystal green waters, wind in my face, sun beaming down, all I could feel was happy. I always forget how beautiful this lake is...the sharp cliffs, rocks and emerald green trees jetting down to the warm choppy waters in a picturesque scene. We spent the day parked in Party Cove with many other boaters and sun bathers, stereos blaring and cold drinks flowing. It was a perfect 90 degrees, blue skies dotted with white puffy cotton. I loved this day. Not only had I been dying to catch some serious rays, but also it was well past time to don my new suit! I didn't do the 30 Day Shred for nothing!!! We finished a great day on the water at the restaurant on the dock.
Something about being on the lake made me give into the freshly fried catfish and I enjoyed the indulgence!


"Temperature says 93
Down at the Deposit and Guarantee
But that swimmin' hole
It's nice and cold

Bikini bottoms underneath
But the boys' hearts still skip a beat
When them girls shimmy off
Them old cutoffs"


Later that night I rallied and hung out with Justin, one of my best friends from HS. It just so happened that there was an art/music festival going on downtown this night and so we met up with some other Quah peeps for the night. This is where it got weird...I kept being introduced to college kids who I knew from back in my youth group days who were so BIG! I mean, I wouldn't even have recognized many of them and couldn't believe that I, yes I, was feeling OLD! Impossible, I thought, haha.

After the festival we made our way to the local watering hole, Granny's Attic, where we met up with some more high school friends. This was only the 2nd time I'd ever been out to a bar in my home town, and the crowd never ceased to surprise me! I kept running into old friend after friend and it was crazy the way some people had totally changed, and how some had stayed exactly the same. It got even more odd when a whole slew of some older kids from my high school paraded in and I was really confused that they were all there and still in Tahlequah...but finally someone informed me that it was the 1999 HS Reunion after party - ahhhh...it all made so much more sense! I ended the night with my first game of shuffle board and caught up on all the high school gossip. Not too shabby!

Sunday was a family day. Went to Tulsa with my dad, granny and sister to celebrate Father's Day early. We went to my dad's fave restaurant, Olive Garden, and gorged ourselves on the most delicious bread sticks and salad amidst other things. I do always eat well when I come home! Then, the moment I had been waiting for...my dad opened his gift...it was a laptop. The first computer he has ever had. He started giggling like a little girl when he realized what it was and I think the shock on his face was enough joy to keep me happy all year long! I loved being able to give him such a special gift and now just pray that my 11 year old sister can teach him to use it!

"The more things change
The more they stay the same
Don't matter how old you are
When you know what I'm talkin' 'bout

Yeah baby when you got
Two bare feet on the dashboard
Young love and an old Ford
Cheap shades and a tattoo
And a Yoo-Hoo bottle rollin' on the floorboard

Perfect song on the radio
Sing along 'cause it's one we know
It's a smile, it's a kiss It's a sip of wine, it's summertime
Sweet summertime"

Kenny and Oklahoma will always be the essence of Sweet Summertime for me!!!

Back Where I Come From

Oklahoma - Kenny Chesney says it best in his song Back Where I Come From..."In the town where I was raised, The clock ticks and the cattle graze. Time passed with Amazing Grace, Back where I come from." And although he's talkin' bout Tennessee, these words still get to me.

Returning home to Tahlequah, Oklahoma from my busy urban perch was a much needed respite for my weary soul. There's nothing that grounds me more than the smell of freshly bailed hay blowing in the wind and watching the town I know and love tinker on the verge of progress and regress.

The purpose of this Oklahoma pit stop was to attend my sisters' HS graduation. Watching them graduate from my high school was a bit emotional. Not only did it seem just like yesterday that it was me walking across that stage, but also I was hit with the reality that it's actually been 6 years! "How could so much time pass? I'm glad I'm past this. But these days were so great! Ya, but I love my life now." I thought to myself...pretty much a mixed bag.

It's funny how the relatively simple things can have such an effect on me...like the freedom to cruise down the highway at 80mph (speed limit is 75), or holding my new baby niece and breathing in her sweet smell, or gorging myself on my fave "white dip" at El Chico(s) - i say it with an "s" - the Mexican restaurant in Muskogee to which I happily drive 30 min to get my fix.

"Now you can lie on a riverbank
Paint your name on a water tank
Or miscount all the beers you drank
Back where I come from"

Throughout the duration of this long weekend, the great outdoors lured me back places o so familiar to me. I joined friends for a day out on Lake Tenkiller, braving the sun-worshipping crowds gathered for the holiday weekend. There I was in awe of the beauty that beheld me in this often-overlooked gem of a destination. The emerald rolling hills submerging themselves in the almost equally green waters contrasted with the bright blue sky painted with cumulus nimbus puffs - an idyllic day for boating and swimming.

In an effort to reclaim some of my most fond childhood memories, I joined my younger sister on a 4-wheeler excursion (in my sundress). The familiar vrooom of the engine sent sparks through my chest as the exhilarating ride began. It had been a few years since my last ride and I was feeling a bit anxious and rusty, but as is true with riding a bike, it came back in no time. Following her through trails, around ponds, and (unwisely) into a muddy field - i got stuck and mud was flying up all around me...i was at a crossroads btwn saving my fave yellow and white dress or getting the 4-wheeler out of the mud - amazingly making it back safe with only a drop of mud on my dress!

The past four days taught me a lot about little. It truly is the "little" things in life that make a life great. Family to love, good friends to laugh with, new life, the great outdoors, favorite foods, small towns, absence of time, and all that is home.

"Back where I come from
Where I'll be when it's said and done
I'm proud as anyone
Back where I come from"