My Goal is Simple

a blog about my life a few people read

Tag: oklahoma

November 8, 2011

Hail, Tornadoes, and Earthquakes – Oh My

Yesterday evening was filled with tornado watches and warnings. This is not unusual fare for Oklahoma but combined with the earthquake tremors, the weather has a lot of living creatures on edge, including donkeys.

Since we now live in the infamous Tornado Alley, it is important that we’re familiar with weather vernacular. For example, a tornado watch means that there is a possibility of tornado development in the area. A tornado warning means that a tornado has actually been sighted or is indicated by radar. Typically, tornado season is late April through early June, but as yesterday indicated, the weather can be unpredictable any time of the year. The most devastating tornadoes to hit the area were in 1957 and 1979. This fact causes some to theorize that Lawton ‘is due‘ for another tornado outbreak.

This is footage from the tornado outbreak yesterday afternoon, taken by storm chases Dave Demko and Heidi Farrar (at 3 minutes you begin seeing a true tornado). I am not going to lie – I am completely fascinated by super cell storms so I suppose that is another positive of living in southwest Oklahoma. Luckily, the damage caused by the tornadoes yesterday was minimal and no lives were lost.

Cue the Miss Gulch music…

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October 17, 2011

Dream Houses

I’ve always been a fan of Mondays. Back in my working woman days, I would have no problem driving to work with a smile on my face and a large coffee in my hand. This Monday started with an early wake-up call, courtesy of Weston and a light bulb exploding in the bathroom. And I am now sipping a cup of coffee and dreaming of houses. Yes, houses.

My dream house since I was a little girl. Are you familiar with it?

So what did we do this weekend? On Saturday morning we drove around town to scope out some houses while sipping Pumpkin Spice lattes. Little guy watched Elmo in Grouchland and we found some houses that made our hearts swoon. Yes, we’ve decided to buy a house here, if we find the right one for us. Surprise! We’ve actually found a house that meets all of our specifications (custom-built (non-track), fixer-upper, at least 3 bedrooms with a bonus room, and in an established neighborhood) and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the roof assessment gives us a green light to make an offer on the short sale. We still own our home in North Carolina but because the rental market is strong in Raleigh, we’re going to hang on to that house for a while and keep it as an income property. We bought the North Carolina house brand new so we’re excited to buy a fixer-upper this time around and put our DIY skills to the test.

(Sports Illustrated)

After some shopping in Wichita Falls, Texas, we made our way back to Lawton and settled into an afternoon and evening of football. We watched Clemson remain undefeated in a nail-biter of a game against Maryland…Go Tigers!  After church yesterday, we had a lazy Sunday afternoon that ended with a rousing trip to the grocery store. Not a bad weekend, not a bad weekend at all.

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October 14, 2011

Beginning to Bloom

I am not writing as often as I’d like, but I have good reason. More on that at a later date. And no, I am not pregnant (sorry, Mom!). As you know from my previous post, Clay’s parents were in town over the weekend. Showing them around town and the surrounding area made me realize that this part of Oklahoma is actually growing on me. There, I said it. Sure, there were parts we didn’t show them (like Lee Blvd. and any street identified with only an alphabetical letter) to save them from horror but overall, it was good for me to see the area through the eyes of visitors. Perhaps I finally pulled up my big girl panties and allowed myself to bloom.

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I am sure you’re familiar with the adage, bloom where you’re planted, right? Whether or not you agree with it is another story for another day. But it is a common phrase within the military community and other lifestyles where the locale isn’t necessarily first choice. We’ve been living in Oklahoma for almost 9 months now and I feel as if I am starting to bloom. Finally.

It is easy to complain. Too easy (though I will continue to preach from the top of mountains about how Lawton needs a Target). And you all know I have done my fair share of complaining about the area on this blog. But as we’re becoming more involved in the community, we’ve been exposing ourselves to some of the brighter and shinier aspects of the area and you know what? I like them. Oklahoma is not going to be our forever home, but we may stick around longer than we originally planned. Funny how life works sometimes, isn’t it?

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