thisquietheart: our grand adventure

Last week we celebrated 19 years of marriage. We were just kids when we got married on a hot Sunday afternoon in August. Just kids jumping into a grand adventure and from that day forward we grew up and grew together.

Imagine two saplings planted side by side, their roots weaving together as they grow, branches stretching, reaching, tangling together. As they grow they gain strength and support one another through unforgiving storms. Over time they have grafted themselves together so that what once were two small saplings has become one strong tree. That is our story.

Over the weekend we were thrilled to be able to witness the wedding of two beautiful people down in Oklahoma. They have their own beautiful love story and it is a joy to see their lives come together, their grand adventure beginning.

We set out on an airport shuttle from our island and boarded a red-eye flight a few hours later. Dallas, Texas greeted us with a stunning sunrise before we boarded a smaller plane for Oklahoma City.

This Pacific Northwest girl was like a foreign tourist upon arrival in OKC. The bugs were humongous! The humidity felt like a tropical oasis! The grits with breakfast were a novelty! The sweet tea and authentic Oklahoma barbeque were amazing! Cicadas have to be my most favorite part of Oklahoma! They sound like summer.

The second part of our journey was to drive the bride's car and Uhaul trailer of things home to Washington where she will live with her new husband. Some folks might groan at the prospect of such an arduous drive but my husband and I were elated to have the opportunity.

We took four days to drive 2,200 miles. We passed through nine states and saw how beautiful this country of ours really is. I dare you to drive through sweeping fields of grain and witness the sunrise on purple mountains majesty and not feel impassioned with patriotism.

Our trip was breathtaking. We had good conversations, good car-karaoke, good miles of silence and all the while beautiful scenery was just outside the window.

Could the Oklahoma sky be any bigger?