OKlahoma is OK & More!

How was the Edwards family vacation to Oklahoma? It was better than OK ... it was great! 4 days in the Sooner state led us to the following places and created these memories:

• The Marais des Cygnes Massacre site where a five free-state men were killed by pro-slavery men in 1858 ... a solemn pause for history in the state of Kansas.
  
• Big Brutus ... a 16 story tall piece of mining equipment near West Mineral, KS ... but we couldn't "dig" the $8 visitor price tag.
• Visiting the homestead of Laura Ingalls Wilder near Independence, KS. Couldn't find a wheat field to run down though.
• Stayed in a comfy Kamping Kabin at a Tulsa KOA amidst a violent thunderstorm. Had to wait for the lightning to stop before we could run and use the bathroom.
• Walked through downtown Tulsa admiring the art deco, skyscraper lobbies, tunnels, and clocks that displayed Tulsa time.
• Witnessed an echoing phenomenon at the Center of the Universe ... eerie and spooky! Paige has her own theory as to why ...
• Got wet at the Big Splash Waterpark Friday night. We couldn't pull Tyson away from the wave pool and Cody found the courage to go down the Silver Bullet slide ... once.
• Tyson took a ride in an F-16 and launched the Space Shuttle at the Tulsa Air Space Museum. We caught our breath afterwards by taking in a show at the planetarium.
• Saw other quirky Roadside America sites such as the Golden Driller and the world's largest set of praying hands.
• Found four (4) of Cody's ancestors (great-great-great-great grandparents) in the small towns of Havana and Altoona, KS.
• Did summer school work at a local library with wi-fi connection.
• Took in an outdoor musical production of "Oklahoma!" at Discoveryland USA, national home of Roger and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! ... great show, great food, but watch out for the bbq sauce - comes out a little fast when squeezed too hard.

We have a new appreciation for our neighbors to the south and look forward to another state-filled-good time next year.

To see all 39 pictures in the Official OK Vacation photo album, click here.

A Concert with Nature

In celebration of their 14 years of marriage, Cody and Paige headed to the hills ... the Flint Hills ... to enjoy some of mother nature while listening to the Kansas City Symphony perform in the background. The 3rd annual Symphony in the Flint Hills was held on a private ranch just outside of Council Grove, KS (about a 2 hour drive from Tongie). In a week peppered with severe weather, Saturday was a beautiful day for an outside concert. Covered wagons and cattle drives added to the visual senses while the crickets and nearby frogs accompanied the full piece orchestra. Of course no Kansas activity is complete without some good ol' fashioned barbeque. But no marriage anniversary is complete without a trip to Subway - that happens Tuesday.

Employeed for a Day

Postponed from April, Tyson finally got the chance to spend the day at work with his Dad. Dressed in his casual-Friday apparel and toting his book bag along with him, he was ready to work ... for a little while. He did some beta testing of a new online page creation program (eDesign). Next, he assisted in figuring out a school's image problem that wouldn't import into InDesign correctly. Of course there was some tinkering with a laptop, touring the plant, discussing Ubuntu with Jason, and schmoozing the ladies.

A Hideous Green Lure

With a 2008 Kansas fishing license tucked away in the glove compartment of the truck, Tyson and Cody headed over to Leavenworth State Fishing Lake to "rip some lips." It took Tyson all of one cast to land a small crappie fish with a local garden worm as bait. Later he switched to the most hideous, fluorescent green lure known to man. Amidst the summer breeze that blew across the lake, one could hear the fish mocking it's ghastly appearance. Except for the two fish that took a swipe at it and landed in Tyson's hands. That'll show them to mock one's lures!

Less Trimming

With the boy pushing the lawn mower around the house in those "harder to reach places" ... there was a little less trimming to do around the house with the weed eater. Tyson worked out a deal with Mr. Nible down the street to buy a new lawn mower for $10 (and another $10 from Mom and Dad for 50% ownership). Mr. Nible taught him how to check the oil, maintain the cables, and other general maintenance. When all was said and done, Tyson mowed around the house three times ... all at different settings.

Is School Really Over?

It's almost like a cruel joke ... the kind that has a rotten punchline. Is school really over? Well, for some of us. Paige is taking some time off to full-time gardening and mothering, but not before being inducted into Lambda Delta of Sigma (National English Honor Society). In the national Standardized testing this spring, Tyson's scores were in the 90th percentile in just about every subject! Unfortunately that didn't transfer to his school work; thus he will be engaged in summer school. Cody graduated from Kansas City Community College ... kinda. There's still two more classes to take this summer before moving on to Washburn University this fall. So is school really over? Depends on who you ask.