Best Summer Ever - Girls in Oklahoma

Oklahoma had been planned for a few month and anticipated just as long! My mom and the girls were going to spend a week or two with my aunt and uncle in Oklahoma City. 2 days after returning from Orlando, we were back at the airport putting everyone on the SWA jet. I had worried about this for some time. My worries were for reasons such as this was the first trip that my children were flying without us, mom's health is not good and she needs some help from time to time, and there had been terrible tornadoes in Oklahoma during the weeks leading up to this trip.
When I was a kid, my Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Ben were the biggest positive influences on me and afforded me many experiences I would not have had other wise. So to send my Kids to them for a visit was a comfort in knowing they would be in good hands.
"Hurricane" the horse has changed Lexi forever! Driving the golf cart and feeding the animals with Uncle Ben is still talked about today by Chey. Other topics that must be mentioned are Aunt Cheryl's Cooking, the museum where there were real dinosaurs, "shell", swimming at Stacy's friend's pool, going for a ride in the beautifully restored truck of UB's, and a ride in the new corvette, playing in the sprinkler, AC washing their hair, the cows that looked right at Lexi, BB, Izzie Pearl, and Fishing in the pond. Whew! What a trip!!
So the topic of conversation about Oklahoma now is "when can they go back, and who is going to take them." We are still working on this one.

Best Summer Ever - Coke Zero 400

So in the spirit of Independence Day, Ron and I decided to display some independence of our own with our kids in Oklahoma and take in the race in Daytona on July 5. With some help from a friend, we were able to get tickets and pit passes for some family and ourselves. It was a good time and a special experience to be behind the scenes at Daytona Speedway. We stayed at the same resort in Orlando that we had stayed at in June, as well as a few nights with family. Carl finished in second place.
Our flight to Florida left out of Reagan National on the morning of July 4th. There is something to be said of being in the Capital on Independence Day. The emotion you feel is a sense of pride, not about being a Democrat or a Republican, but of being an American. A FREE American in these United States.
A final memorable thought for this trip is about the ride home. Ron and I agree that the turbulence we hit unexpectedly was truly the worst we both have ever experienced. As the beverage service had just started, everyone holding a drink ended up unwillingly throwing it into the air over their heads onto the passengers behind them. The hot coffee was dangerous. Thank goodness we dodged this.