the big bad okc zoo...and another good restaurant

I'm sorting losing track of days, but I'm still committed to posting pictures on the blog, so here goes...

We made it eventually to the zoo with our big (and clean!) pumpkins in tow as our admission fee. (It actually didn't save us any money, but don't you think it's more fun to pay with a pumpkin than with cash? I thought so too.) Apparently, the pumpkins had to be the size of your head to be counted for admission, so luckily none of us had heads that were too large and our pumpkins worked fine.
We were all excited about the zoo. Since we didn't have a double stroller, or one of those cool tot-transporting wagons I saw all the time in the States, we rented this cool - and very unstable - buggy. It worked well and the girls thought it was a great little car. Even my mom thought it was great as it helped her take a load off her feet after the donkey exhibit. I was going to try to fit in there myself, but I decided against it. I'm not going to post tons of pictures from our time at the zoo, because you guys already know what those animals look like. :) but here are a few...I'm not exactly sure what animal statue this was, but my kids sure seemed to love it. The two elephants who live in oklahoma city were unfortunately absent during our trip to the zoo. They went on a trip to tulsa to try to have some babies. There were lots of signs posted around the zoo wishing the mama elephants good luck and telling all about their adventures in tulsa. We had a bit of explaining to do to the girls, about why the elephants weren't there.

If you ask emma and samantha where the elephants were at the zoo, now they will tell you, "The elephants went on a trip to find a husband!" You can't be having babies now, without a husband!

Samantha and mimi looking at some pretty birds (though I think samantha was still making the bird sound when the picture was taken...)Did you guys do the penny thing when you were kids? Where you put the penny in the machine and turn it around and around and it turns your penny into a little souvenir thing? Well, both girls did that. They both got gorillas, and now that I think about it, I think they are lost but that's ok. It was fun at the time.
And the meerkats, just because they're cute. Super cute.
We were exhausted after walking around the zoo, and didn't leave until just before 2pm. We decided to eat a late lunch at my favorite sandwich place ever, City Bites. (It does seem like I'm the one always picking the restaurants, huh?) City Bites is another local place with great and mouthwatering sandwiches. My personal favorite is the Fleetwood, with italian sausage, pepperoni, mozzerella cheese, olives, green peppers and spicy ranch sauce. It's lovely, lovely, lovely.

It's also a fun and unique place that sells giant cookies, so the girls had a great time too.


Aaaah, America...the land where eating out at a restaurant is relaxing and enjoyable! No smoky rooms! No drunken toasts the next table over! No photo ops by the crowd just as you're putting that bite in your mouth! Yes, the eating out experience in America is one to be savored.

...Ted's...Ted's...I'm always dreaming of Ted's...

So, Ted's Cafe Escondido was probably one of the top places on our list to visit ASAP. But, it was complicated by the fact that we wanted to take some out-of-town friends there to try, so we waited til they got in. Finally, on Day 3 they arrived and we all ate some of the best mexican food on the planet.

In case you don't live in the okc area, let me just say - Ted's rocks my world. It's not just the amazing, melt-in-your-mouth-til-you-cry tortillas. It's not just the great cheese dip. It's not even the unique chicken fajita enchiladas or the fabulous service. It's all of them rolled up together and served all at once that makes eating at Ted's seem like you've died and gone to food heaven. You never have to ask for a refill for your drink. You never run out of chips. The cheese dip is endless and always refilled quickly. Hot tortillas are delivered and redelivered and redelivered. Ted's is heaven. I'm not kidding.

So we were super jazzed to take our friends K & B there and share a bit of oklahoma style tex-mex. While we were waiting for our table, the girls camped out at the tortilla factory where fabulously skilled tortilla makers whipped out dozens every minute. I thought about asking where they got that machine, but I knew it wouldn't fit in my luggage. They scored a free tortilla just for watching. Later on that evening - we had to give our bellies some time to work off what must have been a 5000 calorie meal! - we headed out to a pumpkin patch down the street. We needed to buy some pumpkins so we could score free admission to the Zoo a few days later.

Fall colors are great! I loved all the pumpkins and hay bales and fallish gourds. There were lots of good choices...Emma and G discuss the merits of this particular pumpkin...Samantha confidently points to the first one she sees and declares it hers. Emma was most jazzed, perhaps, by this little wagon that she got to cart around and put her pumpkins in. Beware to anyone who intruded upon her wagon-pulling! They had a little photo op thing set up, so we all took a turn. (That big orange pumpkin on the top is real...grown at their patch! It was weirdly huge and quite strangely shaped!)

Of course, all the pumpkins were dirty, so when we got back to my parents house, of course we had to kick the shoes off and head back to the grass. This was when Emma and Samantha first discovered the water hose. Oh. My. Goodness. They think there was never a cooler invention than the water hose. They played in the water until dusk brought them blue lips and shivery fingers. But, hey, at least the pumpkins were clean...

casting my vote...

I'm not really very into politics. I'll just say that clearly.

I've always voted republican because that's just what people like us do; republicans tend to support moral issues that I personally support, so I vote for them.

Not much has changed in my thinking, but a little has. Thanks to my good friend John, who should be at some university teaching politics in another life, I've thought some about what I really think and want government to be.

And I think at the heart of it, I support smaller, more limited government. I don't want the governement involved in every little part of my life. I support being wise with people's money and not spending it wastefully. I support honesty and openness in the government (which, I'm sorry to say, is one area neither party seems to have mastered well).

That being said, I also support work for climate change, alternate energy sources, and other global humanitiarian issues - because that's simply being a good steward of the things we have been given. Should we live lavish, wasteful lives while debiting it all to future generations? Should we continue to accumulate things at the expense of others? I think not. But I don't really think of that as a democratic issue; to me, that's more of a Christian issue.

Anyway, that's about all the deep thinking I've done about the election (mostly, because john can do the deep thinking for me and then just give me bullet points. I do great with bullet points.) And I'm not voting - gasp! - because oklahoma will have no problem carrying McCain, which is who I would have voted for, and also because I didn't plan well enough ahead to vote absentee. I'm not crazy about McCain, but I'm way less crazy about Obama.

But today, I was reading Meghan McCain's blog (John McCain's daughter) and I was so touched by one of her posts. What touched me the most was how strongly she believed and supported her father. I loved the emotion in it, not because he was the guy running for president, but because here's a little girl who loves and admires her father. She's surely seen the worst of him, and still throws her whole life into supporting him. So, just out of admiration for her admiration of him, I'm going to copy part of her post.

And - be sure you vote today! What a great American opportunity!


"Musings on Politics from a Pop Culture Girl"POSTED BY MEGHAN

When I started the Blogette last year, I wanted to show people what happens behind the scenes in a national campaign. I did this because I love my family and I knew that it might surprise people to see how normal this experience can be. I know this has been a difficult campaign for a lot of people. I know there are many who just want to get past the last eight years. And I know there are people who are so desperate for change they will do anything to get what they think is a better deal.

I make no excuses for the state of politics today. But I want everyone to know that my dad is more than ready to be the President this country needs right now. Everyone always assumed Iraq would be this campaign's number one hurdle. The only thing I respect more than people's opinions about how to proceed in Iraq are the men and women who are bravely serving our country in harm's way every single day. My Dad is the only candidate with real military experience who has the support of an overwhelming majority of current service members. And if you really want to know how much I trust him, remember that I have two brothers who are serving, one of whom is about to redeploy. Of course, all of this is easy to miss, because this election is clearly about moving past the current administration and fixing the economy.

If you honestly think someone with extremely limited experience will solve the severe problems we have in this country then, by all means, vote for Senator Obama. If you want to give complete control of our government to the Democrats who have made a real mess of things over the last two years they've controlled Congress, then go ahead and vote for Senator Obama. And, if you really believe that our taxes should be higher and that government should have a bigger role in our lives, vote for Senator Obama.

Some of you have asked me how I can support my Dad or call myself a Republican when times are so tough, especially since my own personal beliefs don't always sync with the GOP. Well, I have asked myself that same question a lot. But I support my Dad through it all because I know this: my Dad will be unlike ANY other Republican president. My father has the experience, leadership skills, and proven dedication to serve. I only wish people could understand that Dad will bring about the change everyone is so hungry for in a much more real way than Senator Obama could ever possibly hope to do at this stage in his political career.

So, forget everything you've heard or seen. Just know this: everyone wants change. And while some people can only talk about it, my dad will bring it. Don't give up on him. He is never going to give up on you. And by you, I mean every American. Regardless of age, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation or political ideology; a vote for John McCain is a vote to change our country for the better. Don't hope for a better future. Vote for one.

(taken from http://www.mccainblogette.com/postings/102808_1231.shtml)

and I think to myself...

...What a Wonderful World!

Just a quick question - do you people in America realize that the sky is blue? I mean, I know you know it because everyone knows the sky is blue. But do you see it? Do you notice it each day? Every single day, I was blown away by the beauty of the sky. In oklahoma, even cloudy days are beautiful - great big gray clouds moving quickly and dramatically across the sky. I love, love, love the beautiful American sky. Case in point:


On Day 2, we went to a park just down the street from my parents' house. It's a pretty new park, and it is totally my favorite park in the city. It's very un-asianese in every way - not crowded, no dangerous toys, trash cans to throw your stuff in, rubber on the ground instead of cement...it's amazing.

Emma's main goal in life is to swing. She found the swings right away, and thought the infant swings were a good idea so she could go even higher. My parents came with us, so there was no shortage of pushers. Of course, samantha joined her on the swings.

We played and played and had a great time, with no one around to take pictures of my children...except me! That was a special treat! :) We had lunch at a great burger place in town - can we all say "Cheese Fries" together now? - and then went out to see josh's family that evening.

Josh's grandfather has several horses that he trains, and one of the horse has the name Emma. This horse's name is Jake, and for some reason he's out in the field, not the barn. I don't exactly know why. But PawPaw Al gave the girls a grand tour and let them "help out". My girly girls jumped right in! I was so proud of them (even if I myself was stepping gingerly in the barn!).

Going inside the barn to see Emma the horse. Everyone is excited here, hands outstretched, trying to pet her...
...until she sneezed right in their faces! They had to feed Emma her food......and then get her some hay. Later on that evening, we went to josh's parent's house to hang out with them for the evening. Josh's parents have three boys at their house, so the girls had a great time with endless playmates. Josh's mom (GiGi) had a great stash of girly toys they had never seen - my little pony, strawberry shortcake, and even a pink VW bug!

the long trek overr

So our odyssey to America began on a United flight (because we used frequent flyer miles to purchase our tickets - we are not wealthy enough to just drop the cash to fly home for vacation!) After being re-routed a few times, we ended up flying into San Fransisco instead of Chicago as we had planned. That actually ended up working out okay; even though there was an extra flight, the long flight was only 11 hours instead of 13. It doesn't seem like much, but we were sure glad to get off that plane!

Our flight took us over the Pacific Ocean, and incidentally, over a typhoon. Yep, a stinkin typhoon! If I were a pilot, I wouldn't fly over a typhoon, but I suppose I'm not a pilot. We had four hours of serious, typhoon-induced turbulence! But the girls actually did great on the flight. We had fun snacks, fun activities, and enough trips to the bathroom to occupy most of that 11 hours!And then, after many hours, our plane started its descent to Oklahoma City. I don't know what it is, but I love flying into Oklahoma City. Maybe it's the fact that we can usually find our homes from the air as we fly in; maybe it's because there are always so many familiar faces waiting for us when we land; maybe it's just the feel of familairity, but it's great.

We got in late, so my fab brother ran to Arby's and picked us up some tasty roast beef to munch on before heading to bed. I'm telling you, if I could count the number of times in the last two years that I've thought, "I'm thinking Arby's", you would be shocked! We settled in for the first two weeks at my (rachel's) parents house.

The next day, we began our American diet...which basically consisted of no diet at all! For breakfast, we headed to my all-time favorite breakfast place - a little hole in the wall place called Coits. My grandpa and grandma always used to take me here when I was small, and I've just never gotten over my love for the place.

Here's one of the main reasons - the best Cokes in the entire world. They are served in these great frosty mugs with no ice so they don't get watered down. This is pure Coke goodness, with free refills, and fresh mugs each time. Mom, Dad, and my Nana all accompanied Josh and I to Coits, and while I did some work on my biscuits and gravy, Emma and my dad (lovingly called "G") played on the bar stools. I think breakfast lasted almost 3 hours...and I won't tell you how many Frosty-mug Cokes I had! The girls and my beautiful nana. She's got to be the coolest nana in the world!

After all that breakfast wore off, the girls enjoyed playing in the grass ( a shocking event for them; in asia you aren't really allowed to play in the grass....) and with my two younger sisters who never seem to run out of energy.Wishing I was 21 again......and then inside, where my parents had bought tons of new toys for the girls to play with!Samantha and my mom ("mimi")

So much to do, so little time! Stay tuned...

are you tired of inconclusive?

Can you believe it? Can you really believe that I am posting something on my blog after almost a month? It's been a crazy month - more on that in a minute - and I promise I will catch you up on almost everything.

We decided several months ago to take a surprise 28-day vacation to visit our families. It was a top-secret operation that only a handful of people even knew about. We left our asianese home at the end of september and just returned yesterday, full of American food and lots of jet lag. If you happen to live in america and didn't know we were back, please don't be offended! We were keeping our trip under wraps so that we could maximize our time with our families. We had a great time, and I will post all about it here in the next few days or so.

BUT...before we left for america, we had a special visit of our own! One of our fab friends from Cali - and his fab wife that we hadn't met yet - came to spend a few days with us. Our friend BV has been with us almost each leg of our overseas journey, and we were so excited to spend time catching up with him and getting to know his way-cool wife.

B and S were great with kids, and Emma and Samantha totally loved them. I'm sure it helps that B is willing to tie a pot on his head and clap like a monkey... :)

This guy is going to make one great daddy, don't you agree? You totally rock, BV and S!

So they came, we ate lots of food, did fun stuff...and then we all traveled back to the USA on the same day.

The cool thing?

We spent a day in the Capital city due to an early flight the next morning, and thought we'd go down to the O l y m p i c Green to scope out the sights. When we got there, even though it was "Corporations and School Day" only, my husband managed to snag us some free tickets to get in and look around. Actually, the sweet lady who was punching the tickets was the one who got us in.

We were really excited to see all the cool olympic venues...but I've got to say - that place is huge and I was worn out from walking since I chose (unwisely) not to wear my crocs that day. Emma thought it was very cool that the gates to the stadium had all the letters of her name...so she happily ran around the whole place. She wasn't wearing her crocs either, poor girl...

They had a little bouncy gym thing set up, so the girls played there for a little while. I couldn't seeem to get any good pictures of my own children on the bouncy gym, but I did manage to get a cute picture of someone else's kid. I loved this girl's curls!Running under jumping fountains...Emma's going full speed ahead......but samantha didn't want to get wet!Ok, that's all for now from the olympic green. We woke up the next morning and headed off to the airport, on our way to America for the first time in two years.

More pictures await soon...