Our Weekend in Tulsa

We took the kids to Tulsa this weekend to see some long-time friends. My hubby & these guys were like the 3 musketeers from about 6th grade on, and the other two musketeers moved to Tulsa in October. We have really missed getting together with them. When we all lived close, we spent a lot of time together. The guys were all in each other's weddings. I remember when the 6 of us would go out for dinner, then meet at one of our houses & play games until midnight or so. Now, between the 3 couples we have 3 boys & 2 girls. The oldest is 4 and the youngest is 14 months... what a houseful when we all get together!!

We left Friday afternoon, and of course had to stop at the McDonald's that goes over the highway. If you've ever driven from Joplin into Tulsa, you know exactly which one I am talking about... it is pretty cool, but for a 4 year old, it was REALLY cool! We got some popcorn and chicken nuggets & sat by the windows so we could watch the traffic zoom by underneath us. Now does that sound like heaven to a kid or what?? When we got there, everybody got together at a Mexican place called Abuelo's that was really good. Now for me, that is saying something because I don't care for Mexican food. Well, in truth I like it okay, but let's just say it doesn't like me. We were already geared up for Mexican though, because I had been telling my husband about this place I had been in Tulsa when I was in high school that was really fun, Casa Bonita. Unfortunately, we learned that they are out of business, which was really sad. They had little flags on the table, and if you needed your server, you just ran your flag up the little pole, and they would come by. The atmosphere was great too -- several different rooms, each with a different theme. One had an indoor waterfall & was decorated like you were sitting in an open courtyard. I still remember their sopapillas served warm with honey... mmmmmmm........ After dinner we went back to the house & got all the kids to bed. The adults stayed up talking & playing board games, Wii, etc. until 4:00 am. I cannot even think of the last time I was up that late! We all agreed it was probably because we had not seen each other in so long & we had a lot to catch up on. I vote that we get together more often so we don't stay up so late next time!! Our kids were up at about 6:30 Saturday morning, and the rest were up by 8:30. Ugh!

The two girls had their first ballet class on Saturday morning, then that afternoon we took the kids to the Tulsa Zoo. They loved the petting area and riding the carousel! Everybody loved the train too, except the baby -- he was great with it until we went through a tunnel, which he didn't like at all. It was pretty crowded, I guess because the weather is finally getting warm. We were going to eat dinner at an Italian place called Jonny Carino's, but when we got there, we discovered it was Prom night! The wait for a table for 11 was almost 2 hours long... and with 5 young kids who missed their naps, we all agreed that was not going to happen! We ended up at another Italian place called Carrabba's. There were some Prom-goers there too, but we got in within 15 minutes, so it was perfect. I think everybody had a great time, but we were all exhausted at the end of the day! We left Tulsa at about 9:00 pm, which put us home at midnight. Praise the Lord for getting us home safe on so little sleep! Then we were up early for church on Sunday, since DH is on worship team and I am doing drama for children's worship. Naps for all on Sunday afternoon!! All in all, it was a good weekend. It was great to see everybody again... we will have to do this more often. Minus the 4am part...