Oklahoma, Where the Wind Comes Sweepin' Down the Plain

Tulsa, Oklahoma. What's there to say about Tulsa, Oklahoma? Well, for starters, that's where we were this past weekend. Why would anyone in their right minds spend a random weekend in Tulsa? For a wedding, of course. And why would I know anyone getting married in Tulsa? Because my best buddy from high school is, shall we say, a tad penurious. He's spending (no pun intended) a year in Tulsa doing a cardiology fellowship. When he saw how much it cost to get married at home in Miami and how much it cost to get married in Tulsa, Tulsa it was! He's very lucky his new wife is such a good sport.

The pressure is on for this entry because Jennifer and Teener Tuna will be counting on me to say something deprecating about them, the weekend, or both. But the truth is, our weekend away was delightful and they weren't too bad themselves. Doodles was a charmer on the flight down, and despite a bit o' bad weather, the weekend was relaxing and enjoyable. His only temperamental moment came when we tried to put a tie on him (Adam declared, "He must be a Democrat") and he got fussy during the actual ceremony. But Adam quickly whisked him off and after a quick nap in the car on the way to the reception, Doodles was his old wonderful self again.

Here are some random thoughts about the weekend:

• Tulsa. Well, I didn't really see much of Tulsa, but boy, does that town have it's share of guns and God. You couldn't go more than a few feet without running into a gun shop, a church, a shooting range, a fellowship, or a billboard advertising one of the two (my favorite: Guts Church).
  
• At the rehearsal dinner, the bride's family was attempting to work the CD player. Adam sat there and watched. He leaned over conspiratorially to me, Jennifer, and Teener Tuna and said, "I could fix that in less than two minutes." When he was prodded to go fix it, he said, "Nah. I'm not the tech rep of this wedding." At least he found himself amusing. And after a half hour, he finally got up and helped out at the CD player. Sure enough, seconds later, music came blaring through. Adam came back and said, "I wish I could say it was a wiring thing, but actually they were just putting the CDs in upside down."
  
• How cool is it to hear the opening strains of "I Will Survive" from the CD player but instead be serenaded by "Yo Vivire" (the bride is Cuban).
  
• The rehearsal dinner meal. Oh my, this is some of the best BBQ I've ever had, hands down. And Braum's ice cream and hot fudge for dessert. I'll have to run a marathon to work off everything I ate. Oh, wait. I already am!
  
• The food in general. Brunch at the Rendezvous Restaurant at the Gilcrease Museum was surprisingly yummy. The wedding cake was chocolately goodness. And I'm still dreaming of those ribs.
  
• Well, the funniest moments can't be repeated in the blog. Because 1) they won't make sense because most of it was stupid reminisces about high school and 2) someday Adam will be a respected businessman and it won't help him to have stories about his female better half's (still hate the word "wife") semi-legal misdeeds as a youth posted on the Internet. These are the times when I wish I kept an anonymous blog.
  
• The bride and groom made lovely baskets that were waiting for us at the hotel. Ours had BBQ sauce, fry bread mix, a horse that Doodles adored, and 101 Fun Things to Do in Tulsa. It's filled with many good suggestions (visit the ORU campus, walking tours, and the like ). However, some are, well, they're just so Tulsa. Like "Laugh at a 'Smoke-Free, Smut-Free' Comedy Club." And how about "Do the Chicken Dance at Oktoberfest" (can you imagine a New York or Boston guidebook advertising the chicken dance)? And you can "Stretch Yourself with Pilates." Because that's something you just can't do anywhere else.
  
• Tulsa is a tree town. All along the highway are sings that read "Up with Trees" with the name of someone on it (who I assume donated all those up-growing trees). I, of course, entertained myself endlessly by yelling out "Up with Trees" every time we saw the sign, which might have been amusing if they hadn't been placed so close together.
  
• A minor rant: American Airlines won't let people with the massive car seat, multiple diaper bags, and squirmy babies preboard anymore. We asked, and were told, "Nope. You have to board with your group." Even worse was the poor woman who was traveling alone who had to get everything down the aisle alone. So next time someone smacks you in the leg with a mammoth car seat as s/he tries to get down that narrow aisle or you're stuck in the aisle waiting for some family to get settled, know it's the airlines fault that they didn't get into their seat early.
  
• I feel like I should say something mean about Jennifer and Teener Tuna. After all, I'm still bitter I didn't get invited to Jennifer's wedding (and yes there's a story there, and no, I won't tell it). But Jennifer did good by providing me with the most adorable cousins and she makes me laugh with her blow-dried hair and Teener Tuna is simply amusement in and of herself, so I'll just end this all here.