Posts Tagged With: Oklahoma

Vans Warped Tour and the “Outrageous Noise”

Posted on June 30, 2015 by erikamae82

Vans Warped Tour is the largest traveling music festival in the United States. The skateboard shoe brand Vans, has sponsored the event every year since 1995 and now it’s the longest running touring music festival in North America.

For all of you long-time followers, you may recall two years ago in which I was on a different side of this event. Touring with my favorite band Heritage brought a completely different angle. Check it out by clicking this fancy link!

Today, it is my workplace.

My position is to simply intrigue attendees to register to win a new Ford F150. By filling out a form, they get a free t-shirt or sunglasses (and a few spare moments in the shade, which I think was the main reason people walked over to us).

My partners in crime for the day included these fine gentlemen, Sean and Derick.

This new friend and fellow gypsy made my day even better than it already was. Meet Kary Parks, a kind hearted musician with a passion for helping others. If you’d love to check out her new tunes (I highly suggest it) please enjoy her website at www.karajack.com

Handstand shot? But of course! This time it’s with Kary (who happens to be an ex-gymnast!)

The genre of the music ranges slightly between punk, heavy metal, rock and hip-hop. A few of the more popular bands were listed as Wonder Years, Pierce the Veil, Family Force Five, Autumn burns Red and Black Veil Brides.

Lets turn the focus now and soak up the platform for a people watching event. This type of music draws in all types of styles. Instead of describing it, I’ll just let you take a look.

I should of sent out a memo for hair color specials. I would of been in business!

Along with a variety of appearances, it clearly attracts all ages as well!

They called it the “Reverse Daycare”. An air-conditioned tent for all of the chaperons to relax, cool down and wait for their children to finish enjoying the outrageous noise (as one parent described it).

I feel like this neon paint will provide some pretty unique tan lines come morning.
Tan lines? Yeh, to say at the least. It was a scorching afternoon and many were walking around like burnt zombies. Dangerously hot, if you want to take it that far. Medics were constantly wheeling people to the first aid tent. Then there was our little nurse (Kary) concerning for anyone that walked by who appeared to be in need of a cool down.
I thought this was a brilliant idea. A small water slide with a man on hand to control of the water hose. Ahhh…

Lunch time brought options for everyone. Corn dogs, fried potatoes and snow cones were just a few of what I saw people walking with.

Our breaks were conveniently located in the air conditioned truck for a foot resting and cool down.

My lunch? You’re probably not shocked to find me huddled in the truck-o-air with my tasty sack-lunch!

Here are just a few more random shots taken throughout the day. The first line up is a series of photos I took after watching a mob of fans anxiously wait for for their favorite band to sign posters and “acually shake hands”!

Thank you Kary, Sean and Derick for making it a smile filled day on the job! Cheers till next time!

Categories: Art, Uncategorized | Tags: Concert, Ford, Music, Oklahoma, punk, rock, vans warped tour, work | Leave a comment

1,000 pieces of penny cent candies

Posted on June 22, 2015 by erikamae82

The Dollar General: “A convenient-sized store that delivers everyday low prices on products that customers use every day”.

Upon arrival to Oklahoma, I was informed that they were having a huge grand opening. The first 50 customers would receive a tote bag and a $10 gift card. Challenge accepted!

Just ten little dollars you say? Here’s a small list of things you can get for around $10:

A new wardrobe from a thrift store in Thailand, coloring books and crayons, 1,000 piecieceses of individual penny cent candies, a couple of fancy coffee’s, gallons of gas, frozen yogurt for the whole family, a beach chair, pet toys, art supplies and enough trail mix to weigh down a backpack. You know the list is never-ending, so for the sake of getting this post up… lets move on.

I left the house around 7:30am for my usual run with the intentions of heading towards the Dollar General by 8:00. Here’s a few sights along the way.
Just to give you an idea of how “new” and exciting this place is, check out the panoramic below. Nothing but haystack fields and dirt surrounding the freshly poured cement parking lot.

I was expecting to be one of the first in line, but as you can see, others had the same idea.

Favorite couple of the day goes to the matching denim overalls!

And the nominees for best Okie (in a good way) vehicle...

Yes folks, there was even a yellow ribbon cutting. It’s official, they mean business.

A friendly smile greeted me with a tote bag and… the gift card!

No, I didn’t pose this photo appropriately in front of the spam and Velveeta. Maybe.

Funny how a small event with a bit of success can start your day on the bright side. Not to mention the giggles it brought to my family when I came bouncing through the door with my fancy new presents.

Success!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Agra, Dollar General, gift card, grand opening, Oklahoma | Leave a comment

Time to work hard…ish

Posted on June 19, 2015 by erikamae82

Thanks to my cousin Reggie, I was able to glove up and work a bit on a side job.
This little dandy tool is a bundle of curved wires that spin aggressivly to brush off a surface, today I was eliminating rust. Not so fun fact, those little brisles randomly exit their home and stab the first object they come in contact with. On this day, it was my gut.

Spray paint? Sure!

This is Dane, another spicy cousin that knows how to work summers for extra cash.

Two things I learned about this guy:

1. If he knows the song on the radio, you’ll hear him.

2. He will beat you in any runnng race (his records prove it). Below I started to run after the paper bag and before I got to a solid sprint, he was already gone!

A few more random shots of our day in the humid Oklahoma heat.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: construction, Cushing, labor, Oklahoma, Reggie, work | 1 Comment

Dear highway, will you ever end?!

Posted on June 18, 2015 by erikamae82

All righty my friends, time to catch you up. I’ve left Arkansas to head west towards my dear family in good ol’ Oklahoma! The best part of this 6 hour roadtrip was the quality conversations with some of my favorite people. The first half included my sweet cousin Lana Lane and her two sleepy kids.

Here are a few pics from that scenic (ha. ha. ha.) drive.

Recently, this area has been hit with storms creating flash floods. Check out these examples of the water levels that have put many farmers out of business and residents looking for higher ground.

In the state of Oklahoma, any beverage containing more than 3.2% alcohol by weight or 4% alcohol by volume, (most liquors, wines, and typical beer) may only be sold in licensed liquor stores at room temperature.

I thought I’d post these prices for comparison in years to come and also to give you non Oklahomians an idea of what they’re paying around here.

We met my dad half way so I got to continue the trip with two of my siblings Hannah Joe and Benjamin Dalton… related much?

“OKLAHOMA, Discover the Excellence”

Hmmm …the excellence of?

Finally arrived to my new home of Agra, Oklahoma (population 400 including pets). I may or may not be related to at least 50% of the wonderful people in this modern village. For more silly details of tornados, family time and Okie fun facts, see any of the posts here!

Next up… Work hard before you play harder!

Categories: Accommodations, Uncategorized | Tags: Agra, arkansas, Oklahoma, roadtrip | 3 Comments

1000 miles in 24 hours

Posted on January 29, 2015 by erikamae82

Ever wish you could have a friend run an errand for you in order for you to get other stuff done?

Ryan, from the post Tulsa, more than just the Drillers, decided it was more valuable (and helpful) to pay me for the task at hand, than to do it himself.

“Gee, let me think…. Umm sure!”
(That was for all of you Jim Carrey fans out there).

It was my mission to fly north to Bloomington Illinois to pick up his truck that had been serviced and drive it back down to Tulsa Oklahoma.

Besides the trip itself, there really wasn’t any extraordinary events that took place, so here’s my 24 hours in a nutshell.

Ryan dropped me off at the Tulsa international airport for my departure to the snowy city up North. The first flight was on an average sized commercial plane that had 32 rows with 3 seats on each side of the aisle.

The second flight was a bit smaller, but far from the smallest I’ve ever flown on (for one of those death defying, chicken in the runway episodes, see the post: Sit back, relax and enjoy the flight). For those of you who haven’t flown, let me give you a sneak peak at why being vertically challenged is a benefit on these flights.

Coming into land at my final destination, the snow covered grounds made for a pretty picture. What they didn’t make for, was a warm welcome.

The airport was clean and brightly lit with an open layout.

When I walked out of the front doors, a wall of “freezing” hit me square in the face, like an ice monster attacking with no mercy. I took a step outside and immidiently did an about-face and went right back into the airport to wait for my ride. Here’s a shot of the security picking off icicles so they wouldn’t drop on pedestrians.

A quick trade of paperwork put me in Ryan’s truck ready for my 550 mile drive back to his house.

The weather had reported that I would be right in the trail of an “ice vortex”, sounds vicious, right? Luckily for me, the storm relaxed and detoured to the east, leaving me with safe roads and smooth ride.

As the sun dropped behind what seemed to be a never ending highway, I stuck to my goal of getting a few hours on the road before snagging a hotel. Here’s a blurry night shot of St.Louis, home of the Rams and the popular arch. Can you see it on the right?

Turns out on the open road, I completely decompress with the sound of a motor… like a baby after a warm bottle in a rocking chair. As I began to melt into the warm seats, I spotted a simple hotel that was perfect for some shut eye before finishing the route ahead. Not too shabby for a pitstop in the middle of Missouri.

The sunrise was gorgeous but deceiving as it brought light but not much warmth. My solution? I took heating pads that are supposed to go in your shoes and stuck them to my legs and hands. Silly? Brilliant! I was toasty until the heater took action and now it’s time to roll.

I wish I had some incredible snap shots to show you, but it is instead I captured some photos that I assume, some of you have never seen before.

Yes, you can get pulled over for going to slow.

So close!

From the moment he dropped me off at the airport, it was 24 hours later that I pulled into his drive. Safe and sound (me and the truck) we had success! Here’s the vehicle that I had grown to love in my time behind the wheel.

What mission accomplished would be complete without a celebration? We chose a casual walk that lead us to the Valkrie, seen in the post about Tulsa.

Here’s a quick snap shot of me, Ryan and his beautiful girlfriend CJ.

A walk home and a bright good night is how I’ll end this one.

Handstand material for sure!

Categories: Accommodations, Travel talk, Uncategorized | Tags: airport, Bloomington, drive, flight, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, roadtrip, tulsa, Valkrie | Leave a comment

Tulsa, more than just the Drillers.

Posted on July 9, 2014 by erikamae82

I’ve been loving life on the road now for 2 1/2 years. Homeless but never unsettled… traveling solo, but rarely alone. What a dream.

Volunteering abroad has allowed me to experience a wide range of lifestyles, careers, religions, traditions and so on. In regards to food and accommodations, I’ve been able to pleasantly earn my way through volunteering and bartering, that in itself has been an adventure!

Well, turns out there was opportunity right near my own back yard!

Work hard (barely) and play hard (relax) seemed to be the theme of my whirlwind trip to Tulsa. A few projects to assist in and a partner in harmless crime was my position to fill during this visit to see my long time family friend, Ryan. We spent a summer together over 15 years ago and lost touch until last year. Fun fact, we both traveled to Asia and Japan within months of each other without even knowing it!

Assignment number one? Taxes…. enough said.

How it began…

The controlled chaos…

The gorgeous results…

I’ll pause here for you to meet Chris Farley…. Cute, lazy and completely lovable.

Project number two called for some creative minds, dirty toes and one bandaid thanks to the gorgeous cactus plant.

If you know me at all, you’ll know that cooking is hardly a chore but rather a candidate for one of my top 5 favorite activities. With that said, playing in his kitchen was far from work and more of a treat. Friends, meet one of my happy places.

Where was Ryan during my crazy culinary play-time? Clearly he knew that without his effort, it was going to be an all veggie dinner. I found him out back firing up the grill.

The result of our powers combined equaled a huge hunk of meat and my roasted veggies, a cucumber-tomato-onion salad with a side of homemade guacamole and salsa with lentil chips. Yum.

I’ll give you one guess to figure out which plate belonged to him…

Ryan served up dessert with an unofficial-officially proper scotch tasting.

If you ever make your way through Tulsa and you have a great deal of appreciation for creative drinks in a unique ambiance, I highly suggest you check out Valkyrie.

They provide carefully selected craft beer, worldly wine and your classic cocktails using quality ingredients. By “quality” I mean they make their own mixers, infusions and juices with local produce and a lot of love. From lavender, jalepeño, to cucumber and homemade ginger beer, the menu offers a variety for the people who stick to the classics. It also caters to those of us who search for a new flavor with each order. Choose from the “shaken” or “stirred” list and wait for the masterpiece to present itself. I tried the “Shake rattle, bang your head” which was a brilliant combination of Gin, jalepeños, chartreuse, cucumber and lime.

After enjoying these wonderful beverages, what better way to test your hand-eye coordination than a few friendly games of pool and shuffle board. To prevent public embarrassment, I won’t say the name of who came in 2nd place… I’ll simply post a picture of who dominated both games.

For my last evening, we went to a local restaurant that offered a classy menu with a fine wine list. Unfortunately we managed to order items that didn’t produce the flavors it had flaunted. I’m thinking we just caught the chef on an off day, so if you choose to dine at Tall Grass, I wish you an amazing edible experience!

Our selection for the appetizer was bone marrow. Notice how he just pushed the interior mass into a pudding-like pile. The first taste to hit my palette was salt. Not a “salty” flavor, but actual sodium… like I licked a salt shaker. There wasn’t a second flavor due to the speed in which I removed it from my mouth. Hmmm, no thank you.

For dinner I ordered a root salad with an apple cider vinegar dressing and he went for the pecan crusted halibut (sounds marvelous, right?). Dessert was a fancy wine that neither one of us had ever heard of, but definitely proved to be the most flavorful item on the table.

The best photo of the evening was catching Ryan in his ever so sophisticated pose with a cheeky grin. Perfect for the energy of the evening, well done… Well done!

Lastly, I’ll wrap up this post in gratitude for the very much appreciated moments outside. A breath of fresh air, solid sunshine and good conversation was a perfect compliment to this mini trip.

Ryan, this unexpected and perfectly timed get-away was hopefully just the first of many. Cheers to Japanese bloody Mary’s, squeaky windmills, kale chips and the best sports team ever… The Drillers! Thank you for everything.

Categories: Accommodations, Edibles!, Uncategorized | Tags: cooking, garden, Oklahoma, scotch, tallgrass, taxes, tulsa, valkyrie | Leave a comment

Fishy fishy in the brook

Posted on May 30, 2014 by erikamae82

I’d like to proclaim that I’m an outdoorsy girl that has no qualms with stomping around in gum boots, sleeping on the dirt ground and starting a fire with two sticks. All being true, I was excited to head to the local lake to go fishing with my good ol’ pops and the family. I can just see it now, dad, my brothers and I teaching the little ones how to cast a line…

Well, turns out my rugged backpacking skills don’t assist me when I have a live worm in my hand with instructions to “just stab it through the hook” and “really make sure it’s on there.” Yeah, no thanks.

As I was secretly hoping that I didn’t catch anything, (in fear of seeing a flopping fish struggling to survive the metal through its gils) I hear, “you got one Keka!” Oh great.

After politely bailing on the actual fishing portion of the day, I was able to capture some cute moments with the family. This was such a peaceful day that will be listed in the “feels like it was just yesterday” portion of my memories.

Excluding my new internal battle of fishing for sport, I’ll admit the afternoon was absolutely perfect. With family running through the dirt roads and ankle high grass, I found a sweet spot showing off the popular red dirt that Oklahoma is known for. Handstand time!

Quick pic update for those of you who have been following since day one. Here’s a sibling photo from a post 2 years ago, followed by our recent. I don’t know how they got older and I got younger!?

I’ll leave this as my last post in Oklahoma for the time being. Next stop is Florida where my mom is currently counting down the days until we reunite at the Panama City Beach airport.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: bate, cushing lake, family, Fishing, Oklahoma, red dirt, worms | 1 Comment

Polk Poison Salad… Delicious!

Posted on May 29, 2014 by erikamae82

Poke, Polk, Poke salad, Polk greens whatever you want to call them, are a hidden secret that some of the locals down south don’t even know about. It grows wild and is rarely purposely planted due to its poisonous characteristics. Yes, you read correctly. If consumed without proper preparation, it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, headache, dizziness and occasional cases of death. With that said, let’s eat up!

Warning: Like most high fibrous greens, Polk can encourage a quick elimination depending on your bodies sensitivity. (It could also be the small trace of poison remaining in the depths of the leaves). Either way, I call it the “Polk Cleanse”.

Step 1: Have a generous friend that’s willing to hit the fields and collect bags full of this organic delight.

Step 2: Rinse thoroughly to remove dirt, bugs, weeds, spiders or any other unwanted item.

Step 3: Boil the venomous vines until you witness a greenish white foam floating on top. (I forgot to snap a photo of the white foam as I was stuck on step 4…. Sorry friends!)

Step 4: Stare at the foam covered greens and debate if you really want to follow through with this toxic (but nutritious) detox. If bravery has overcome your naturally fearful thoughts, continue to step 5.

Step 5: Strain the greens and rinse.

Step 6: Boil it again. This time cross your fingers and do a silent prayer that the white film doesn’t come back and the contamination was left at the previous soaking.

Step 7: Strain and rinse again.

Step 8: Serve it up! First, to your guests of course (mainly to see if anyone gets sick) then when all is safe, proceed by enjoying them yourself.

Today I made a portion into a side dish, similar to a spicy spinach dip. I combined Greek yogurt, cucumber, onion, jicama, jalepeños, garlic, lime, cumin, salt, black pepper and tapatio. Chopped up some polk and viola… Polk dip!

Dear Grams and Aunt Vicki, eating this wild plant will always bring back extremely fond memories with reminders of my time here and the many jokes over plates of Polk poison salad. Thanks for sharing! Love you

Categories: Edibles!, Uncategorized | Tags: Oklahoma, poisonous plant, poke salad, polk greens, southern cooking | 1 Comment

Arkie to Okie….Crossing state lines

Posted on May 28, 2014 by erikamae82

Leaving California usually provides mixed emotions. Saying goodbye to my hometown and childhood friends weighs heavy on the comfort seeking part of my spirit, yet knowing a new environment is in my near future brings a unique excitement that is irreplaceable. I’m not sure if it’s a hindering or useful quality of mine, but being in my “comfort zone” is generally short and sweet before I crave a different surrounding to stimulate my senses. I suppose there’s no need to label it “good” or “bad”… It just is.

To my memory, I haven’t posted these fun photos of the inside of the Sacramento airport. It’s so familiar to me that I forget my international friends have never experienced it. Check out the creative artwork at the baggage claim. I think it’s brilliant!

Next stop is the land of fried okra, snappin turtles (nobody pronounces the “g” in “snapping”) and red dirt. Before we land, lets pause for a short story.

Southwest Airlines doesn’t assign seats, rather gives you a general boarding order that allows you to pick any open seat. This means, for travelers like me that don’t take concern in an early check in, get stuck loading a plane like a ten year old on a bus for the first day of school. All the cool kids with their window views, the runners up in the aisle chairs and the rest of us debating on the middle seat between the mom with toddlers or the business man who clearly uses the flight to recreate his work desk and take over the entire space with every tech gadget that they allow on board. My pick today was to squeeze front and center with an older man built like the traditional Santa Claus and a younger fit guy with legs the size of my waist.

Great news to me, Mr. Bulging-biceps was a friendly talker who was extremely intelligent and eager to trade stories. I could make this entire post about the conversation between the two of us, but instead I’ll just give you a photo with confidence that this gentleman crossed my path for a purpose. Thank you for the new workouts, encouraging words and a few well needed giggles.

I landed in Arkansas to visit my cousin Lana for a week before heading to Oklahoma. Road trip! Her and the family loaded up as we set off for our 5 hour journey.

*To my international friends: North Americans pay gas per gallon, not liter.

I wonder what their fuel was before? Also, notice the sign to the right… Classic southern offer!

This little pit stop has a flavored sugar disposing machine. Yes, you imagine correctly. It’s a huge colorful attraction in which you pick your choice of dyed sugar to weigh in and eat up. I rarely post strong negative opinions, but really folks… Can we at least pretend to care about the nutritional needs of our children?

The famous Route 66 guides us in to the final stretch before finally arriving to the small town (by small town, I mean a street the has some houses surrounding the gas station-grocery store-post office that sits across the hwy from the only school k-12th. All shown in detail here).

Agra, Oklahoma will be home while I visit my family including but not limited too: The precious Grams, 2 hilarious Aunts, 2 adorable Great Aunts, my Dad and his wife, 5 siblings, and 23 cousins still counting…

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Agra, arkansas, family, Oklahoma, road trip, Sacramento, southwest airlines | 1 Comment

Handstand of 2013! The winner is…

Posted on January 28, 2014 by erikamae82

I absolutely loved watching the votes roll in, thank you! Plain and simple, here are the winners starting with the runners up and working to #1!

The honorable mentions start with an open green area in Cusco, Peru. This area made up just a small part of the exciting journey we spent exploring the streets and unique markets. To this day, it’s still one of my favorite cities in the world!

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most internationally recognizable structures in San Fransisco, California . Definitely handstand worthy!

After Machu Picchu hit the top of the polls for best photo of 2012, I thought it would be refreshing to introduce another wonder of the world. Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England was a classic set up for a proper handstand photo.

The sunset over looking The Thimble Islands was a surprise treat while visiting my longtime friends on the east coast of the United States. The colors were not touched up in this photo… All natural beauty!

The Cologne Cathedral is the largest gothic church in Germany which made it a bit of challenge to get me and the very tip of the building in the same shot. Well done Hayden!

Santa Catalina is a beach town on the west coast of Panama where I was volunteering as a staff member of Cabañas Time Out resort. What an office view!

Then there’s my precious family in good ol’ Oklahoma. These are my five siblings that are always eager to help out with the handstand shot. This year we chose to do it in front of our snow woman before she melted away.

In third place, we have the Mahogany Cathedral that welcomes you to the north coast of my favorite island. Barbados holds a special place in my heart and I highly suggest a visit if you’re ever in need of a well rounded beach holiday.

With a close second place, it’s not a surprise that the temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia caught your attention. From the peaceful monks walking around to the thousands of stairs and doorways, this scene was easy to get lost in… both physically and emotionally.

With a solid win in first place, I share with you the colorful handstand photo from Chiang Mai, Thailand. These lights almost define this magical place and the vibrancy that naturally exists throughout the city. Well done Asia.

Categories: Polls, Travel talk, Uncategorized | Tags: Angkor Wat, Barbados, Chiang Mai, cologne, cusco, handstand, Oklahoma, San Francisco, Santa Catalina, thimble islands, winner | 1 Comment