Mainland USA Driving, Four States in a Day

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the Heavens and on earth is yours, O LORD, and this is Your kingdom. We adore You as the One who is over all things. (1 Chronicles 29:11, NLT)

We are well under way and blogging our Full Return adventure. Early this morning, my Bestie gave us a ride from Ada to Oklahoma City. As always, we had a great trip. Any time spent with her is like being on vacation. Within five minutes of being with her, I was relaxed, laughing, and ready for our great adventure. Since we are separated by over 4,000 miles and have been besties for almost 30 years, we made a commitment to one another to meet up somewhere at least once per year. I'm really looking forward to that. It seems as if life spins at a very accelerated rate, please make commitments today and purpose to spend fun times with family and friends.

A side note, if you ever need a hotel in Ada Oklahoma, choose the Laquinta Inn. It is a very nice facility with a pool. It is super clean and their staff is courteous, friendly, and helpful. Thanks ya'll!

Another side note, during our Ada stay, we took a road trip with my baby brother to Krebs Oklahoma and had dinner at Pete's Place. The salad and service is great. Totally worth the road trip. Highly recommend.

Once we picked up our rental in Oklahoma City, we headed to Brick Town and ate Italian at Zio's. Another highly recommend. Brick Town is very pretty and the food at Zio's is top notch.

We were treated to many sights along the way and my girls were able to see things they've never seen; such as, coyotes, the Canadian River, and Tinker AFB. They also learned they were in "America's corner".

After lunch we stopped by the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum. If you are in the area, please stop. You will be glad you did. The link below will give you more information www.OklahomaCityNationalMemorial.org 

The pictures below are taken from the sight.

The twin gates, The Gates of Time, are located at the east and west entrances of the memorial. The East Gate, 9:01, represents the innocence of the city before the attack. The West Gate, 9:03, represents the moment Oklahoma City was changed forever. There is a reflecting pool that holds shallow, gently flowing water. There is a field of empty chairs with a name etched in glass symbolizing loss of life, including children. The Survivor Tree is a 90+ year old American Elm that witnessed the violence. The message there reads, "The spirit of the city and this nation will not be defeated; our deeply rooted faith sustains us." A fence was installed to protect the Murrah Building site where people still leave tokens of love and hope. 

Across the street from the memorial is a statue depicting Jesus.

Hopefully you can see from the pictures, the memorial is done very well and worth a visit if you are in the area.

Next state: Kansas

Oklahoma Highlights

Mike: Chocolate milkshake at Braums with extra malt (yuck).

Genice: Precious time with my Bestie

Mikea: Uncle Ferm's farm

Gracie: Seeing Auntie Babs, Uncle Ferm, and playing with my cousin

Immediately crossing the Oklahoma/Kansas line, we were blessed with another rare treat. We saw a big buffalo ranch. My girls were very excited because being island girls, they'd never seen live buffalo before. We also saw windmills, drove past the Eldorado Lake, and crossed the Neosho River. Cool Kansas names, with brown water. 

Mike's "take" on Kansas: 

Rolling plains covered with brilliantly colored flowers. Huge racked bucks lurk behind every corner. Turkeys gobble from behind every tree. Truly a sportsman's paradise for hunting, trapping, fishing. For anyone who enjoys the great outdoors, Kansas calls their name!

And of course, we had to stop and visit Bass Pro Shops.

Next state: Missouri

Kansas Highlights

Mike: Bass Pro Shops

Genice: Resting in the "wife waiting area" at Bass Pro Shops 

Mikea: Seeing the buffalo

Gracie: Same as sissy

Ahhhh, my girls got to smell something they've never smelled before, a skunk...three different times. They are not a fan.

Crossing the Missouri state line made me miss my Missoura peeps. Missouri is like a second home state to me. By the time we got into Missouri, it was dark so we didn't get to see much except the beautiful city lights.

Next state: Iowa

Missouri Highlights

Mike: Anticipating our road trip

Genice: Chatting with my friends

Mikea: Crossing the state line

Gracie: The building with all the changing lights 

It is currently nightfall so by the time we cross the Iowa line, we won't be seeing anything but city lights. Tomorrow we will include pics and Iowa information.

Thank you all for joining us on this amazing road trip!

Most loving Heavenly Father, thank You for all the amazing sights we were blessed with today. You are great, powerful, glorious, victorious, and Your majesty is shown in Your beautiful creation! Everything in the Heavens and on earth is yours, O LORD, and this is Your kingdom! We adore You as the One who is over all things! Thank You for all the beauty You created for us to enjoy. We look forward to tomorrow as You continue to direct our steps. Thank You for blessing us beyond anything we could ask or think, we love You!

1 Chronicles 29:11, NLT