Ryan, Dylan and I have had such a fun and crazy month! It seems like every week has been jam packed with road-trips and new events. We celebrated our birthdays at the beginning of the month; Ryan's on the 4th and mine on the 7th. A year ago in March 2011, Ryan sent me an email outlining a day trip he wanted to take. At the time, he had just gotten a new camera and wanted to go somewhere scenic to get a few good shots. It sounded like so much fun! Time passed, and continued passing...before we knew it the idea had been put aside and forgotten about.
Fast forward to February. I was brainstorming a fun plan for Ryan's 30th birthday, and a day-date sounded right up his alley. I asked him what his ideal birthday would consist of, and he answered "to spend it with you & Dylan!" So sweet. Well, I half listened to his request. I pulled up his old email and got to planning his big birthday outing! I confided my plans to Ryan's parents, and they agreed to pick Dylan up bright and early Saturday morning. I used my free time during Dylan's naps to create an itinerary book. I was so excited! It was hard not to spill the beans!
Saturday morning rolled around, and Dylan woke us up with his usual "DaDa!?" Ryan brought him to our bed like we do every morning, only this time he came back to a book on his pillow. I snuggled with Dylan has Ryan read through the pages of maps, pictures, menu and directions. He was so excited that I remembered, and that we were actually going to go. "When are we going to do this?" he asked me. I told him his parents would be at our house in an hour! It was time to go before we knew it. We kissed critter goodbye for the day and he waved eagerly, excited to go play.
We hit the road and headed for the hills...
The 30th Birthday Boy and I made the most of our three hour drive to the Wichita Mountains. I printed off a wonderful list of 50 questions to ask your mate. I got the idea from one of my favorite blogs; We are THAT family. She recently prompted me to write a love letter to my husband, so I was elated to find a fun relationship builder that could help us pass the time. It was such a neat way to bond and learn more about each other as people, spouses, and parents. I wrote down all of our answers so we could look back and enjoy it again later.
In no time were arriving at our first destination in Meers, Oklahoma. We braved the giant line at the Meers Store & Restaurant to fill our tummies with the word-famous Longhorn Burger, and it was well worth the wait. We washed down the most delicious onion rings I've ever had with a cold Choc beer from a local brewery in Krebs. Once our bellies were full we headed out to see the sights.
Before we knew it, the flat Oklahoma plains sprouted into beautiful mountains! Small, but exciting to see something new in our pretty state. We drove through part of the Wildlife Refuge to the windy road that led us to the top of Mount Scott. We stopped half way up to get a breath of fresh air, snap a few pictures, and marvel at the view.
The view at the top was breathtaking. I am a self proclaimed nature lover and it doesn't take much to knock my socks off when it comes to marveling at the sights around me. I could have stayed up there all day! The smooth boulders that dotted the mountaintop were perfect for climbing.
Every now and then between the giant piles of rock would be a patch of grass as soft and thick as a bed. I couldn't resist cozying on down. Ryan joined me and we took a few fun pictures. So began the first shot of our traveling feet series.
As the temperature started to drop on the windy afternoon, we decided to see what else the area had to offer. We found a sweet, quiet lake and stopped for a bit.
Next up was Medicine Park, known as America's Cobblestone community. The adorable town was dotted with Mom & Pop restaurants, tiny shops stuffed full of Native American artwork, and a beautiful Medicine Creek.
Ryan and I took a stroll along the creek, crossing the bridges and admiring the many fisherman.
The last leg of our trip was to the Holy City. It is a beautiful stone city created to replicate Israel during the Biblical times. The three crosses on a tall grassy hill are a touching sight to see, and the giant white marble statue of Jesus is absolutely gorgeous.
On our way out of the Wildlife Refuge we were so excited to see a few neat creatures.
The ground was moving with hundreds of groundhogs running in and out of their burrows.
Herds of buffalo moving slowly across the plains stopped right by us so we could catch a glimpse. They were so gorgeous! We even saw a few wild Longhorn Steer wandering the roadside.
The trip was short and sweet but full of awesome stops along the way. It was well worth the year long wait, and I am so happy the surprise went off without a single hitch!
It was such a beautiful day, and the most perfect birthday getaway.
I hope you had a wonderful 30th Birthday sweet husband. I love you!!
3 comments:
What a great little day - trip! I'm not craving that burger and onion rings you all had along with the scenery! And I've bookmarked this to print off those questions for our summer road-trip to Seaside! Such a great idea!
Thanks dear! It was a very memorable day indeed. Mount Scott is pretty close to where you live - you two should check it out :) I hope you enjoy the questionnaire as much as we did. Some questions were lighthearted, and some were more serious - we learned a lot about each other! Looking forward to seeing pictures from your Summer trip!
I was born in Lawton in 1963, and grew up there too. I moved away in 1988. I spent a lot of time at the mountains and wildlife refuge, and loved eating at Meers. I enjoyed your post and pictures tremendously. Thanks for the memories!
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