Big News

Okay, I confess. The main reason I haven't been blogging much these past couple of months is well...I have been a little preoccupied. With....THIS!

Yes! J and I are expecting our first child! The baby is due on February 2, 2010. We actually found out on his birthday, but were waiting until the second trimester before announcing it to the world. It's hard to tell what you're seeing in that photo above, so I have mapped it out:

It's been a crazy 8 weeks! First returning from Auckland to find out that we were pregnant, then confirming it at the doctor's 6 days later. They also found an asymptomatic UTI which I had to take antibiotics to get rid of which led to...um...other..."female problems" that took another week to clear up! ARG! I swear got that UTI from being seated in the middle seat on an overnight flight home from Auckland!

Then I had that trip to D.C. and broke out in a rash from having poison ivy in our backyard that the dogs had tracked in!!! So...here I am...poison ivy clearing up (finally!) and telling the world I am pregnant. It feels good to tell. I am horrible at keeping a secret.

J is super excited and we've just been homebodies for the past two months. Mainly because he's wrapping up his accelerated summer courses in algebra and biology (final exams are next week) and well, I've been extremely tired and nauseated, especially in the late afternoons. J did drop his early morning job and just has the one steakhouse gig in the evenings about 4-5 nights a week. That has been WAY better since he's also in school fulltime now.

We did manage to get to see Kathy Griffin Live at the SpiritBank Center in Bixby. It was a HOT night! 100 degrees even at 10:30 p.m. But her show was a blast (and extremely air conditioned)! She's hilarious and even had jokes about Tulsa. She said, "Thanks for coming here to see me. I know you had a tough choice to make between this, Rocklahoma and The Art of Barbeque." She had some other Tulsa jokes too. I am glad we got tickets and had a "date night," since it's been some time. I am off to Detroit next week for a conference for work...so it will be some more time before our next date night. Where should we go? What should we do?

So that, my friends, is why this blog has been neglected. Now that we've told everyone we're expecting, I hope to get back to blogging more regularly. And yes, it will have tons of baby-related stuff since, well, that's what's going on in our lives. But it will also have more insight into our life here in OK. We've only been here a year and there's still tons to discover. And now that a baby is coming into the picture, I am sure there will be more to discuss, like will our child grow up with a CA "accent" because he/she lives with parents that have a bit of it or will our child sound more like an Okie? Dude, only time will tell. Right y'all (sounds like "rite-ch-all").

Cali mama is goin' okie...

So...big news! My mom is relocating to Tulsa next month. She will be staying with us while she gets settled into a new job and life in a new town. You know what? You just never know! When we were packing up our lives to drive out here last June I said to my family, "you know how it goes...one person moves, then another comes to visit, likes it and before you know the whole family is relocated, one by one." They all blew it off and laughed. Well, well. Here we are...just six months later and she's on her way with her two chihuahua's in tow. We're thrilled to have her come here and start planning for her retirement. Ultimately, she wants to buy a home with some property so she can have a horse. Here...that's so do-able.

Exploring Green Country

Yesterday we took Auntie and Mom on a drive to explore the area northeast of Tulsa: Catoosa, Claremore, Owasso and Skiatook. It took the better part of the day. They wanted to see "the country" that might possible make a good place to retire. We saw some lovely properties with room to grow, their wish is to buy a place with land so an additional bungalow may be added, creating a sort-of "family compound". We stopped in Clarmore for lunch at Gin's Apple Dumplings restaurant. Our hopes for some good, homemade Southern cookin' were not fulfilled. The food was undercooked and bland. We made the best of it and ate enough to stave off hunger headaches and then hit the road. Next time, we'll be sure to get into town before two o'clock so we can try Dot's Cafe, which was recommended by the Chamber of Commerce when we stopped in for information on the town.


At Rogers State University looking at Claremore----------- In the mouth of a big red hippo! Hilarious!

We got back to our midtown home around 5:00 pm, mom and auntie were amazed by the Friday afternoon traffic on the highway. There was none! They also thouroughly enjoyed seeing that this area is lush, green and rolling hills. Nothing like they had imagined. I think many folks think Oklahoma is brown, flat and dusty, like the old pictures from the Great Depression. It's really too bad, but in a way, I am grateful, it's like our own discovered treasure. Coming from California, Oklahoma is so many things that the Golden State isn't....wide open, uncrowded, fresh air, clean water and abundance of space. The pace of life is slower here, just a touch, and the traffic? There's really none to speak of...

So, although I will always love the City by the Bay, I can see myself settling in here where there's still wide open plains where Buffalo roam. Of course, I am city girl at heart, so Tulsa the perfect fit. We can be at a lake or out in the country in less than 20 minutes, but we can also be in downtown, in the thick of it all, in leass than 10. Plus the cost of living is so much more reasonable! Gas is now down to $2.49. J got a raise last week...25%! So we should be feeling more comfortable in the coming weeks and months and finally get down to the business of paying off our debts and saving money for a house. We spoke with a loan specialist and he said that with our credit we could qualify for a FHA 3% down loan on a home. So, that's our plan...perhaps for 2009 or early 2010, since the experts are forecasting that home prices will continue to drop in 2009. Tulsa hasn't really been affected by the national housing slump, but we really won't be ready to buy for 18-24 months so if things come down just a bit, that will be a bonus for us.

4 months on the job...

Today marks 4 months on the new job. It's so weird that in just 120 days I can hardly remember my life before living here and having this job. I mean I can remember it, but it seems SO long ago that I was teaching all day, getting to bed at 2 a.m. and not starting the next day until 11 a.m.

Nowadays, 11 a.m. is almost lunchtime and 2 a.m. I had better be FAST asleep or else!

Living and working in Tulsa is starting to feel more "normal". I am glad to have been able to go back to NorCal last month and get it out of my system. It was wonderful visiting friends and family, but I can honestly say, I am not missing the traffic or the high cost of living. Gas here is down to $3.15 this week. And traffic? It might get a little congested at the stoplight just before the mall or entrance to the highway and that's it! Nothing unbearable.

Ooh....on a side note. We had lunch the other day at Organicafe located at the naturalfarms store. Naturalfarms is a small store that sells organic products, many that are locally grown and produced. Their cafe is super cute and the food was delish and soul-satisfying. What's more it's right down the street from work, so I will probably check it out again in the near future.

90 days

Happy Labor Day! This is one of my favorite holiday weekends....usually it signals that Fall is just around the bend, which is my favorite season of the year. And it's nice to have a 3 day weekend off with J. We've both been off together this weekend and that hasn't be the case for a while.

As of this weekend, we have been here for three months. I can hardly believe it. In many ways it seems longer and yet, it also seems like we just got here. Yesterday, we sang for the Mulitfaith Celebration at the newly opened BOK Center. It was a historic first for this city. And we were happy to have been a part of it. There was a community choir made up of over 300 singers (including J & I):

The arena was blessed by eleven co-celebrants:

The Rev. Mouzon Biggs Jr., Boston Avenue United Methodist Church
The Rev. Billy Joe Daugherty, Victory Christian Center Bishop
Edward J. Slattery, Catholic Diocese of Tulsa
James F. Johnson, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Venerable Abbot Thich Duc Tri, Tam Bao Buddhist Temple
The Rev. William Christ, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Rabbi Marc Fitzerman, Jewish Congregation B'nai Emunah
Raghavan Rajagopal, Hindu Temple of Greater Tulsa
Imam Mohamed Alghobashy, Masjid Al-Salam Islamic mosque
The Rev. Marlin Lavanhar, All Souls Unitarian Church
The Rev. Michelle K.T. Moulden, Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church

Here's an article on News6's webpage about it. It also features some video clips (which, for some reason, I am unable to embed or link directly here). The one of the choir is the song we started with, if you look closely, you can see J in the middle of the screen around 1'15" and I am at the top, in the back row, closer to the aisle of the right section (when the camera pans out).

After the concert, we decided to celebrate with dinner at The Chalkboard, a restaurant J has had on his list since we arrived in Tulsa. It's located at the historic Ambassador Hotel. We were the first patrons to be seated for dinner and basically had the place to ourselves. We started with a Taxi Cab Martini for me (pineapple and lime juice with a vanilla flavored cognac) and a regular three-olive Bombay gin martini for J. For starters we had the blue crab cakes...yummy! Then salads...Caesar for him (with fried capers and roasted garlic) and the House Pecan for me (with goat cheese, dried cherries and pecans).

Main courses were a two bone pork chop with blue cheese gnocchi in an apple reduction for me and the restaurant's famous Beef Wellington (Filet Mignon with Foie Gras Pate and Mushrooms wrapped in a Puff Pastry & baked till golden brown, finished with Marchands de Vin) for J, which came with haricot verts and smashed potatoes.


We each had a glass of Louis Latour 'Valmoissine', an awesome french burgundy wine, with our main courses and for dessert, we shared a slice of their amazing white chocolate drenched bread pudding. Yum, yum and yum! We were stuffed and both agreed that we can only eat like that once or twice a year. But it was good. And a good way to celebrate 90 days in our new town.

UMbrella and INsurance

Here in Tulsa, we are getting used to a variety of accents. There's the long, southern drawl. The twang of our neighbors to our south and the unaccented and spread vowels of our neighbors to the north (midwest) makes for an interesting combo!

Also, they place the wrong emPHAsis on the wrong sylLAble! Like UMbrella and INsurance.

And in addition to "y'all" and "ma'am" you hear things like "'n' course" or "o course" in lieu of "of course". And also "them thar", "new fangled", and "high falutin'".

Which brings me to my new southern catch-phrase for all thing troubling:
"hateful"! As in "Joan Rivers is just hateful to those celebrities on the red carpet." 'N' course you hafta enlongate and bend the "ae" in haaaeeetefuhl. I am gathering it that folks use it here instead of the B-word.

Now, to be fair...not every Tulsa speaks in this manner. Just like not ever California says "duuude!" or "for reals" or "like ya know" for every other word. But one does encouter it enough to take notice...especially when you hear it on the TV news.

Thursday night choir rehearsal

Yes, you read that correctly. Joseph and I just got home from choir rehearsal. And no, we're not paid "ringers". We actually volunteered for this! Let me explain...

Later this month, Tulsa opens its multimillion dollar, state-of-the-art,
brand new arena called the BOK Center. It is officially opened on September 1st with sold-out concert by The Eagles. But the week before that, they are having all kinds of celebrations, including One Song, Many Voices Multifaith celebration. They have a assembled a mass community choir of about 300 singers, made up of singers from local churches and choirs. A co-worker invite us to sign-up, so we did. And tonight was the first of five rehearsals leading up to our performance on the 31st.

Who's the headliner? Sam Harris! Remember him? The guy from Star Search who sang "Over the Rainbow" with that Patti LaBelle-esque wind-up to the high note at the end? Well, apparently his made a career as Broadway singer. And his is from Sand Springs, a nearby Tulsa suburb.

So, in a way, we will be a small part of Tulsa history. And we ran into some folks that J sang here with in the opera last season. And we made some new friends. And we sang. And it was actually fun. And that felt good. It's been a long while since either one of us could say that!

A blue state? Interesting...

According to an article in Tulsa World today, Oklahoma has more registered Democrats than Republicans! Interesting, I just assumed that this was a red state. At work, I know Democrats are in the minority. One thing I have noticed, people are less open about talking about it here. More than once, I have had a conversation that starts, "Now I don't know what your political leanings are, but..." Too funny. To me at least. I guess coming from the San Francisco, surely one of the most liberal political hotbeds in the country, if not the world, I have never been around people so cautious to voice their political views. I am definitely used to a more radical approach. That said, whenever someone starts a conversation with that phrase, I have realized they are saying it because they are Democrats or more liberal Independents and have something to say, but are testing the waters. Which, with that caution, is why I assumed this was definitely a red state. By numbers alone, 50% of the state's citizens register Democrat while 38% are Republican and the rest are Independent or unregistered.

But historically, it has been seen as a red state, at least when counted in the electoral votes on election night...but times are a-changin'. According to the Tulsa World article, there is great apathy among voters age 18-38. The trend used to be, in general, that young voters who register along the same party lines as their parents. But now, that's not the case. Even among young evangelical Christians, a typically tried and true Republican group, there is a wind of change. Many are no longer comfortable with the values of the Republican party. Interesting, to say the least. A paradigm shift is upon us, for sure.

Goodness knows we're in the middle of America, the belt buckle of the bible belt....Midwestern by locale and Southern by heritage. Needlesstosay, I let them know immediately that I am born and raised in San Francisco, which I am pretty sure, makes it nearly impossible to be a Republican. I mean, there may be a few, but I'd be surprised if there were a lot. Here, I guess I am seen as more liberal whereas back home I was definitely more moderate (in comparison to the far left liberals). Seems there's been a BIG change in just four years. Here's a map of the Presidential Election just four years ago. Notice, Oklahoma has not a drop of blue (neither does Alaska):

I have been listening to POTUS '08 on XMradio daily for the past couple of months and must admit, that this is the most involved in the political process I have ever been. Before now, I pretty much just voted along party lines. And in the time since I have had the right and privilege to vote, there has been two presidents: Clinton and Bush. So this time, I am doing my homework, exploring the issues and really figuring our where each candidate stands.

Frankly, I think both McCain and Obama have their strengths and their weaknesses. They are both aligned with some less than positive supporters and both also have very strong and reputable supporters too. Both have holes in their platforms....neither one is fool proof.

Oddly enough, I have said for many years, “If McCain ever runs for president, I might just vote for him.” I have never voted for a Republican President in my life! So that is saying a lot for me.

So…where does this leave me on November 4th? Well, for sure I will be in Hawaii (for work). And voting absentee, but that's not the question, really, was it?

Hopefully, by November 4th, I will be a well informed American, who has really done their homework in choosing their next president. I encourage each and everyone of you to do your own research too. Please don’t fall into the propaganda of either campaign or simply vote on party lines, because that’s what you always do. How many of you have listened to either candidate’s town meetings, unedited and in their entirety? Or are you simply relying on sound bites and 30 second smear ads that appear during the commercial breaks of your favorite reality show? How many of you have taken the time to research each candidate’s history as a state senator? If you’re hoping it will be wrapped up nicely in a glib, forwarded email, good luck.

To be truly prepared to vote, I hope that you’ll do your own homework and come to your own conclusions. Know what your priorities are and then figure out which candidate is best in line with those. For most it's the economy. For others it's the environment. A for a few more it's morality. Whatever IT is, know that and then do your research. Beyond the snippets on TV or the Internet. I hope that even if you've never voted, you will. Our country’s future depends upon each and every American taking personal responsibility and being truly informed about the issues at hand.

Home Chef Hubby

OMG! J has been cooking up a storm and I am getting spoiled! Today he unpacked the crockpot and put it to use. This the first time we've actually since we got it, for a wedding gift! I am not quite sure what exactly he concocted, but it was t-a-s-t-y...tasty! Pork loin, red potatoes, onions and all sorts of spices, including white truffle oil, which he was SO excited to find today that he had to call me at work to tell me about it! Too funny. So my budding chef is working it out in the kitchen. It's so nice to finally be eating good, tasty, healthy meals at home, after nearly six weeks of eating sandwiches, salads, cereal and milk and restaurant food.

Speaking of food...this weekend we're checking out The Art of BBQ. Um yeah! It's one of those BBQ competion/festivals you see on the Food Network. And it is being held... right.across.the.street.

How can we not go!?

There will be live music, wine tasting and of course, the BBQ contest.

Check out the categories:

Steak, Chicken, Pork Ribs, Pork Butt, Beef Brisket

And the rules are awesome! Here are some of my favs:

• Fires shall be of wood, wood pellets or charcoal. Gas and electric heat sources shall not be permitted for cooking or holding. Propane or electric is permitted as fire starters, provided that the competition meat is not in/on the cooking device. Electrical accessories such as spits, augers, or forced draft are permitted. No open pits or holes are permitted, except at the election of the contest organizer. Fires shall not be built on the ground.


• Parboiling and/or deep-frying competition meat is not allowed.


• Garnish is optional. If used, it is limited to chopped, sliced, shredded or whole leaves of fresh green lettuce, curly parsley, flat leaf parsley and/or cilantro. Kale, endive, red tipped
  lettuce, lettuce cores and other vegetation are prohibited. (Improper garnish shall receive a score of one (1) on Appearance)


• Sauce is optional. If used, it shall be applied directly to the meat and not be pooled or puddled in the container. No side sauce containers will be permitted in the turn-in
  container. Chunky sauce will be allowed. Chunks are to be no larger than a fine dice, (approximately 1/8 inch cubed). (Sauce violations shall receive a score of one (1) on
  Appearance).


• Each contestant must submit at least six (6) separated and identifiable (visible) portions of meat in a container. Chicken, pork and brisket may be submitted chopped, pulled, sliced, or diced as the cook sees fit, as long as there is enough for six (6) judges. Ribs shall be turned in bone-in. Judges may not cut, slice, or shake apart to separate pieces. (If there is not
  enough meat for each judge to sample, the shorted judge(s) will score a one (1) on all criteria, and the judges having samples will change the Appearance score to one (1).)


• Meat shall not be sculptured, branded or presented in a way to make it identifiable. Rosettes of meat slices are not allowed. (Violations of this rule will be scored a one (1) on all
  criteria by all six judges.)

So awesome! I cannot wait... don't you just wonder of someone is going to lose points over purple cabbage garnish and meat rolled into a rosette? The anticipation!

Illegal fireworks + barking dogs = no sleep!

Alas, yesterday was the Fourth of July which means barbeque, watermelon and fireworks for most redblooded Americans. (For what it's worth, we did none of those). Tulsa puts on a big fireworks display down on the river because the "safe and sane" type of DIY fireworks are illegal in Tulsa county. You can be fined $250 if you're caught with them. I guess that doesn't deter locals, because last night, it seemed that EVERYONE and their cousin was putting off their own bottle rockets, firecrackers and roman candles.

Yesterday was a lazy day for J and I. We futzed around for the better part of the day and around 7:30 pm I decided to head to Target for some things to get ready for my trip to San Antonio. When I arrived at the shopping center, the parking lot was nearly deserted. I was there for about an hour and half and it was pretty empty. But near the end of my spree, it started filling up in trickles. I left the store with my purchases and the parking lot was PACKED with tons of families tailgaiting. And putting off their own fireworks! Not a cop in sight. Obviously, this is a regular place for locals to congregate, perhaps to catch the big display on the river (from a distance) and to also have a place to fire off their own. It was sort of bizarre. It took me twice as long to get home.

A couple of hours later we settled into bed. Only to hear more DIY fireworks going off on our block. The pugs went nuts! For hours and hours. So yeah, we got no good sleep. Not cool. Personally, I hate fireworks. Especially the DIY kind. They are dangerous, stinky and make a mess. Plus I think they are just emulating bombs and gunshots. That said, I have enjoyed a well planned, professional display at Disneyland or the ballgame, but in general, I am not a big fan of blowing things up because it leads to people thinking they can do it themselves in their backyards.

We're officially OKIE!

We got our Oklahoma driver's licenses today. It was kind of weird...we decided to go to the DMV nearest my work since I like it be in a 8 am. So we found one and yay! It opened at 7 am. So we got their early and waited a short while for them to call our numbers. We go through the process...2 forms of ID? CHECK. Vision test? CHECK. Fingerprints? CHECK. Photo? CHECK. Signature? CHECK. They print out a form and stamp it with an official looking stamp. So we think we are all done and are ready to pay the fee and await the arrival of our new DL Cards in the mail in 7-10 days, yada, yada.

Nada, nada! They do it "differntly" here in Oklahoma, OK! We had to take said offically stamped and signed document to the "Tag Office". They have them all over and they are the offices that you can get your DL, your boating liscense and new liscence plates for everything from a Harley to a House on Wheels. Just our luck, there was one right across the street. Oh joy! Oh wait! They don't open until 8 am.

So 45 minutes later, the doors opened and we were the first inside. More official forms, a check for $56.00, another photo, finger prints and signature. Presto magic! Out comes a new Oklahoma DL....right then and there. Hey! At least that beats the 7-10 day snail mail wait. So yeah...long story short...we are now card carrying okies. We even had to hand over our CA DLs! So...it's officially offical. And officiously official. Next? Gotta git new plates...and wouldn't you know that this grand state offers over 100 special, customized plates....

Adoption Creates Families
Agricultural Awareness
Air National Guard
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha
Amateur Radio
AMBUCS
Animal Friendly
Antique or Classic
Bacone College
Balloonist
Benevolent Order of Elks
Boy Scouts of America
Bronze Star
Bronze Star - Motorcycle
Cameron University
Carl Albert State College
Certified Public Accountant
Child Abuse Prevention
Choose Life
Civil Air Patrol
Civil Emergency Management
Classic Vehicle
Color Oklahoma
Combat Infantryman Badge
Congressional Medal of Honor
Connors State College
Crime Victim Awareness
D-Day Survivor
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
Deputy Sheriff
Desert Storm
Disabled American Veteran
Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Service Medal
Douglass High School
Ducks Unlimited
East Central University
Eastern Oklahoma State College
Eastern Star
Emergency Medical Tech
Environmental Awareness – Rolling Hills
Environmental Awareness – Wildflower
Fight Breast Cancer
Firefighter – Motorcycle
Firefighter
Four H
Fraternal Order of Police
Future Farmers of America
Global War on Terrorism
Gold Star Parent
Heart of the Heartland
Highway Patrol – Retired
Historic Route 66
Indian Tribal
Iwo-Jima
Jaycees
Joint Service Commendation
Kappa Alpha Psi
Killed in Action
Kiwanis International
Knights of Columbus
Korean War Veteran
Langston University
Lions Club
Masonic Fraternity
Mid-America Bible College
Missing in Action
Motorcycle Personalized
Multiple Sclerosis
Murray State College
Mustang Club
NAACP
NASCAR Plates
National Guard
National Rifle Association
Ninety-Nines
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College
Northeastern State University
Northern Cherokee Nation Old Louisiana Territory
Northern Oklahoma College
Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma Baptist University
Oklahoma Bicycling Coalition
Oklahoma Christian University
Oklahoma City Bombing Victims and Survivors
Oklahoma City Community College
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma History
Oklahoma Military Academy Alumni
Oklahoma Panhandle State University
Oklahoma Safe Kids Coalition
Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma Statehood Centennial
Oklahoma Wesleyan College
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity
Oral Roberts University
Organ, Eye and Tissue Donor
Patriot
Pearl Harbor Survivor
Personalized License Plate (colors shown)
Physically Disabled
Physically Disabled Motorcycle
Police Chaplain
Police Officer
Police Officer--Motorcycle
Purple Heart – Motorcycle
Purple Heart
Red Cross Volunteer
Rogers University
Rose State College
Rotarian
Round and Square Dance
Seminole State College
Shriners Hospital for Children
Silver Star
Somalia Combat Veteran
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Southern Nazarene University
Southwestern Christian University
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
St. Gregory’s University
State Parks Supporter – Golf
State Parks Supporter – Pavilion
State Parks Supporter – RV
Support Education
U.S. Olympics
United States Air Force – Retired
United States Air Force
United States Air Force Association
United States Army – Retired
United States Army
United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard Retired
United States Marines – Retired
United States Marines
United States Navy – Retired
United States Navy
University of Central Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma
University of Tulsa
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Vietnam Veteran
Vintage Decal
West Point
Western Oklahoma State College
Wildlife Conservation – Bass 9
Wildlife Conservation – Deer 93
Wildlife Conservation – Quail
Wildlife Conservation – Scissor Tail
Wildlife Conservation - Trout
Wildlife Conservation – Turkey
World War II Veteran

Isn't that a little wacky?

We're actually leaning towards these personalized plates in colors that coordinate with our cars.

"Chamois" for our gold CRV.

And "Gray" for our silver Accord.

Although, I personally like the color of the "Sea Green" one:

What do you think? Which ones should we get? Oh the decisions. Who knew that Oklahomans like to express their individuality this way? Guess we've got to get on board!

One month later...

We have been here a month. Well, I and the dogs have been here a whole month. J and the cat are working on 11 days. But with more and more of our stuff unpacked, we are finally able to explore this new town around us. And what better timing, with Fourth of July just around the corner? I'll have a three day weekend. YIPEE! We might check out the FreedomFest2008 (hopefully it will have a unity vibe and not a redneck one!)

Speaking of happenings around town, here's an interesting article in our local lifestyle magazine, Tulsa People: What Tulsa Make$

Look Inside >> July 2008

Suprisingly enough, salaries here are competitive on the National Average, yet the cost of living is so much lower. We have the lowest gas prices in the country right now, $3.76 (which is still insanely high, IMHO). Food for thought.

And speaking of food, we're thinking of joining a food co-op that supports local farmers. And we want to check out the local farmer's markets.

This week we are also going to check out the free band concerts in the park that allow dogs to attend: Starlight Concerts. We'll see what that's all about.

J signed up today at Gold's Gym and will start his spinning classes again, which he make him so happy. They had a killer deal and he loves going to the gym (I don't, which is why I have a treadmill and exercise ball here at home). Our goal is to start eating better and living a healthier lifestyle. We've done okay in the past and now we want to step it up. So shopping locally grown, organic food, exercising daily and getting out in our community are high on the agenda. We can do it!

Food in the house is a great sign...

What is it about a fully stocked fridge and pantry that make a house feel more like home?

It has been weeks and aside from the random take-out container or box of cereal, the kitchen has been pretty empty. But now, since we have found our dishes and pots and pans, we can finally starting cooking and eating at home. Thank goodness! The "where are we going to eat tonight?" was starting to get old. And you can only eat out so many times before you feel like all you want is a nice, homecooked meal.

We hope to get a grill soon, so we can enjoy cooking outside...it's too hot to heat up the kitchen stove. And Joseph is a grillmeister...so we have got to get one soon. First we have to decide...gas or charcoal? Oh, the decisions. We did get a lawnmower, so now our lawn is a nicely groomed as the neighbors on either side. Who knew we were so domestic? Joseph mows the lawn and I vacuum the inside. And do the laundry. All of this is "fun" right now with our new "toys". Hopefully the novelty won't wear off anytime soon.

Hump day!

This morning started with an emergency warning alarm on the radio for flash floods, high winds and severe thunder showers. The sky turned charcoal gray even though the sun had already risen. The dogs were going nuts and I was just trying to get ready for my day. Unsure of the road conditions, I left for work later than normal since the weather warning was supposed to be lifted by 7:30 am. Finally, at 7:45 am I headed to work and made it there in about 20 minutes. The rain was coming down so hard! I parked the car and got drenched in the 20 feet I had to walk from the car to the front door at work!

Work was busy as we are getting ready for one of the triannual international board meetings that is happening this Friday and Saturday. J called in a near panic. He had been contacted by the auto transport that our Accord was arriving TODAY! We were expecting it next Tuesday! So, after a few phone calls and a trip to the bank, I made plans to delay my lunch break so that I could meet the truck driver and receive the car. By then, the storms had passed and the sky was bright blue and polka-dotted with white, puffy clouds. It was about 85 and nice. Not too humid and not too hot. I left the Accord in the parking lot at the mall across the street (that was only space large enough for the 18-wheeler to park to deliver the car) and I will walk over there and drive it back here later tonight.

Tomorrow's weather is supposed to me more of the same...UGH! I just hope it doesn't delay J's flights. He's travelling with Bella in a carry-on, soft-sided carrier and she will probably be a little freaked out. He has been taking her in the bag in the car to prepare her somewhat for the trip. And the vet said that we can give her half of a baby Benadryl to mellow her out for the flights. So we shall see how that all goes. They are slated to arrive in Tulsa around 10:30 pm. I am SO excited! He finished packing up the relo-cubes (like PODS) today with the help of my brother. And the cleaning crew came to do a final once-over before we turn the keys back over to the landlords. We hope to get all of our security deposit back...but we shall see. We're pretty sure they are hurting for cash right now. So I won't be surprised if they find some reason to retain some of it. I cannot wait until we are no longer renters! Hopefully, that will be about this time next year! Until then, I just cannot wait to have Joseph and Bella here and then our furniture and belongings so we can finally settle in here in our new home in Tulsa.

Lightening + Thunder = NO SLEEP!

Um yeah....it was 11 pm and I was ready to turn in. One last outside break for the puppies...I let them out in the back yard and noticed that it was pretty cool out. I stood out there with them, enjoying the reprise from the heat that has been choking Tulsa for the past week or so. All of the sudden...FLASH! And then huge, quarter-sized raindrops began to fall!

I immediately called the puppies inside, toweled them off and decided it was time to get to bed. I fell asleep for an two hours or so and then. FLASH -- CRASH! Lightening and thunder and MORE rain. Regina started barking. She's not used to this weather at all. I put on the TV to see if there was any severe weather alerts and thankfully, no, just regular ol' thunderstorms and some flash floods. And record breaking rain for Tulsa. In 100 years! Lovely.

Since I was up, I called J back in San Jose. He was just gotten off of work, so I was glad to be able to talk with him. I tuned to the Classical Music channel on the TV and the sound of the music and glow of the TV seemed to comfort the puppies and calm them down from reacting to every thunder crash. We all snuggled together and tried to fall asleep.

I managed to fall asleep, only to be re-awakened around 5 am. More loud thunder...felt like they were directly over our roof! I tried to rest since my alarm wasn't set to go off until 6 am. Alas, no luck. So I got up and fed the doggies and started my Monday morning. What a start. I pray that the ride to work is less eventful. And that this stormy weather subsides. I am having anxiety about the possibility of power outages. If the power were to go out, we'd loose A/C and then the puggies would be in grave danger. Especially if I were at work when it were to happen. So I will be bookmarking Public Service Company of Oklahoma's web site at work....just in case.

Oh, I will be so glad when this whole weather situation subsides. Native Tulsans are in awe of the weather, so I know this is not "normal". But then again, it seems that many folks in many cities are saying the same thing. So maybe this is the new "normal"? If so, I am going to lose a lot of sleep.

Weathered the storm..

I fell asleep around 9:30 pm last night knowing that, most likely, I would be awakened by the impending storm. And true enough, right around midnight, thunder and lightening started. Regina didn't like that and started barking and I awoke. So I put on the TV, partially to drown out the thunder and distract the dogs and partially to see if the "Big One" was headed my way!




Because I am not familiar with the area, the counties, what is near and what is far, I was afraid that the tornadic winds were headed our way and I andthe puppies got into the storm closet. Yes we did. And immediately, I realized, it's too small in there. I mean, we fit, but had J and Bella been here too, it would have been a tight squeeze! And it was HOT! So, we need to work on that plan! I called Joseph and we chatted while he surfed the 'net to get a better grasp on what I was hearing on the local news. Turns out, the really bad stuff was way South of us! So, I climbed out of the closet and got back in bed with the puppies. I left the TV on for a while, since it really does seem to drown out the thunder and other sounds that set the dogs off. Finally, by 1 am I fell asleep again and didn't awake until the sound of my alarm clock.

I think next time, I will have a better idea of the situation....basically, I need to be alert and aware, but really, I am not in the direct line of tornados! We have trees that have been here at least 100 years and the neighborhood was built in the 50's. So I feel pretty confident, that although we'll get the hail and thunder and lightening and even high winds, I won't be holding on to Regina and Luigi like Dorothy did to Toto!

One week later...

I can hardly believe that one week ago we just began our trek out here. WHEW! It feels like a month has gone by, not just a week. I am looking forward to this weekend. It will be the first time in weeks that I will get to sleep in and just do NOTHING! I might venture out into the city and explore the sights. I suppose it all depends on tonight's storm. They are warning for severe thunder storms and potential "tornadic activity". I am hoping that means "nearby" but not actually in Tulsa. Say a prayer for me and the puggies...

Work is going well, everyone is super nice and they seem to be happy with what I am doing thus far. Tomorrow is a big meeting and I spent most of today preparing for it. So wish me luck....I'll be in it all day tomorrow. I snapped some photos of my office (and the beatiful flowers that my mom sent the first day) and will post them as soon as I transfer to my laptop.

Starting to feel a little easier...

At least I am feeling a little more at ease at work. I know my way around a little better and am remember the names of the staff. It's a lot to absorb, but I am definitely catching on...

As for Tulsa. The town is great, it's laid out well and easy to navigate. Lots of neat little neighborhoods. Lots of green....trees and gently rolling hills. I have yet to get down to the Riverwalk, but I hear that's lovely too. But's also extremely hot! H-O-T! We were 95 today plus humid. I actually like humidity (it's great for my allergies, voice and skin...not so great for my hair, but I have learned to tackle it with a myriad of products!) but sometimes the heat here can take your breath away. Well not like it did in Bangkok, but close!

Also, they are forecasting SEVERE weather for Thursday evening. All I can assume that means, is be ready for tornados. This makes me very scared. So all I can do is be prepared. I have been sleeping in clothes that will work out in public (like sweats and t-shirts) should I need to get up and out in a hurry. I am also keeping the dog's collars on them at night (which we normally don't do) so they have their ID's and I have something to grab onto if I need to corral them into our storm shelter, which is the hall closet. I have bottled water in there, emergency radio, flashlights, important papers in a waterproof envelope, some sundries and food and our wedding photos in a plastic bin. So I guess I am prepared. Right now, I have NO baseline for how severe is severe for here. I mean, when should I really be worried? All the locals tell me not to fret too much, but yeah, I am pretty sure I will. Send me your positive vibes for Thursday night when they predict the major stuff to hit.

Change on all levels...good and tough at the same time.

It's official, I am now a Sweet Adeline! Today was my first day on the new job. I awoke early, eager to have plenty of time to shower and get ready for my first day without feeling rushed. We had breakfast at a nearby Panera and made the 12 minute commute to my office. We left with plenty of time to spare, since we all know that a 12 minute commute in California can mean literally 45-60 minutes on the road. Not so in Tulsa. We made it in 12 minutes! Once the office was open, I stepped inside and began my first day, which was full of welcome meetings and new hire instruction. Everyone was super nice and welcoming and I spent most of the day going over office policy and procedure, organizing my office and catching up on projects that are coming up quickly for my department. It felt familiar and strange at the same time. No stranger to office administration, I felt at ease learning the new computer and voicemail system. How to enter the codes for the payroll and the photocopier so that they were paid for out of the correct line-item was fine. But at the same time, it was weird to be in an office. To start work at 8:00 am. To record the outgoing voicemail with her new title. No longer a singer (by trade) or voice teacher, but an executive. Kind of weird. But kind of neat too. The day flew by and before I knew it, it was 4:30 pm and time to head home. A week ago, 4:30 pm was the just the middle of my work day. Now it was the end. Kind of nice.

My new office

The flowers and Waterford Vase that my mom sent to my office on my first day

Meanwhile, J had a jam packed day as well. The cable guy came and installed cable, our new phone and internet service (hence, our ability to resume blogging!). The Sear's delivery guy arrived with our new refridgerator (they forgot to put on the truck yesterday when they came to deliver our new laundry machines). Then he hit the bank to open our new accounts with Bank of America (alas, WaMu isn't in Oklahoma). Phone calls to the water and garbage services and more errands and it was time to pick me up from work.

We headed back towards home and had dinner at TGIFridays. Then we came home and crashed for about an hour. Refreshed from our nap, we headed to the market to stock the refrigerator. Grocery shopping in Tulsa will be a big change for us. For the past three years we have pretty much shopped exclusively at Trader Joe's for groceries and Target for sundries. Trader Joe's isn't in Oklahoma. So we headed to Target and got the items there that we normally buy and then headed to a Walmart Neighborhood Store which is actually a grocery store and not the big box stores we're used to associated with Walmart signs. The closest I can relate it to is a cross between Albertson's and Safeway. They carry national brands as well as their own. The prices were excellent, but when it comes to finding organic options, they are severely limited. We bought a lot of items that we normally buy, but brand names that we normally do not (since we've pretty much only bought Trader Joe's brand for the past few years). I was a bit overwhelmed by the whole process. "What do you mean they don't sell organic 1% fat milk?" "Don't they have low-sodium turkey?"

Change is tough and we've been though a lot in this past week. New city. New home. New job. New career. New hours. New appliances. New phone number. New weather. New food. Change is good, but all this newness can be overwhelming at times. Hopefully, in the coming days and weeks we'll settle down a bit. And perhaps, in due time, we'll find a store that carries organic 1% milk!

We made to Tulsa!

Whew! The last 3 days have been jam packed!

Saturday, May 31st we arrived in Tulsa around 2:30 pm after 6 hours on the road from Amarillo. We were happy to pull into the driveway of our new home. Here is the photo of it from our property manager's website:

It has 3 bedrooms and 1 bath, so we will have a guest room (with a queen sized bed!) as well as our bedroom and an office/studio in addition to the main living areas. The house has been recently updated, including new appliances as well as refinished wood floors, new paint and the all important central air/heat.

We are very close to the University of Oklahoma at Tulsa which is 100% medical school. This is where J plans to transfer to complete his Bachelor of Science Degree. And just down the way we have a mall, called The Promenade as well as another one call Southroads Mall. So, L is a happy clam with all of the prospects of shopping! Saturday was hot and we were tired, but we managed to unload the trailer in record time, set-up the bed and unpack some boxes. J returned the trailer to U-Haul and L got the puppies settled into their new digs. They LOVE the big back yard! We fell into bed exhausted and relieved that we had made to Tulsa, all 1500 miles, with no complications or issues. Halleluja!

Sunday, we slept in, somewhat and Joseph ran off to Starbuck's to get us our "morning fix". The Sear's delivery man came and installed our new washer and dryer. Who knew we could be so excited about new appliances? I guess that means we're really adults now. No more quarters saved up to do 10 mega loads at the laundromat!

No sooner did the delivery man depart did the skies turn very dark and ominous. Within the hour we had thunder and then lightening. We had the radio on and all of the sudden that erie emergency warning sounded over the classical music station to which we had it tuned. As if cued by the radio warning a large thunder cloud clapped directly over our house and it released such a gush of rain and rush of wind it startled us. Through our big, picture window that looks out on the back yard it was like a scene from a movie.

The rain was gushing down as if it were being poured from dump truck sized buckets and the wind was whipping the trees so ferociously that they seemed to nearly double over and touch the ground with their upper limbs. According to the news, it was 70-80 mile an hour winds pummeling the city. The emergency sounds from the radio intensified and L panicked a bit and started crying. In Tulsa less than 24 hours, she thought her worst fear was coming true: a tornado that "never hits the city" was upon us.

After assembling clothing and dog supplies, extra water and preparing to bunker down in the interior most closet (supposedly the safest place in a home that doesn't have a storm cellar), the fury of the storm had passed. It lasted about 20 minutes total. Within hours, the skies had cleared and given way to bright blue with small, white puffy clouds. Apparently a similar episode had occured the day before, but since we didn't arrive in town until after 2 pm, all we saw were bright, clear skies. What weird weather!

After the storm, the streets in our neighborhood were littered with torn down tree limbs. One house had a tree fall directly on to the driveway, smashing the car that was parked there. Across the street, the tents that UO had erected for some sort of celebration were in a heap, piled up against a huge tree's trunk. Another tree had been completed ripped from the ground, roots and all! Many of our neighbors lost power (some were running generators), although we didn't at all (the lights flickered just briefly). The power was also out at the mall and on several major street intersections. We made our way to Target to stock up on batteries, flashlights, a hand-held radio and other emergency supplies. Joseph phoned a friend that he met while singing here last Spring and asked him if that was "normal". He assured us it was not and that this year, in general, the weather has been more severe than "normal". Welcome to Oklahoma!?!?

Later, in the evening, we ran some errands and drove around the neighborhood. Other than some big tree limbs piled on the curbs for pick-up, it was almost as if nothing had happened. Like there was some concious thought by each and every citizen of midtown Tulsa that they needed to trim their trees on Sunday. That was it. We even saw fireflies flitting about, which thrilled L. The dogs barked at them and then they were gone.