Family Fun in Oklahoma City

After spending nine days of mother-time, Mark picked Denisa up at the airport in Oklahoma City to start some family-time. Our first stop was Denisa's sister's house in Edmond, where we spent the day making peppernuts. This is a family tradition started by our grandparents, who gave these spicy little cookies away at Christmas time. Rolling and cutting these tiny cookies is a labor-intensive process. We were so busy that we forgot to take a picture of Connie, Joe, Mark and Denisa working in the kitchen. But we did remember to take a picture of some of the finished products. We noticed that some of the peppernuts were getting bigger as the day progressed and the bakers got more "creative" with the dough.

We were also blessed with two evenings of family time, as nieces and nephews and their families came to see us in Edmond. What fun family time! After a couple days, we moved to Oklahoma City to spend time with our son and his wife. Claire was working, when Blake took us to the Oklahoma City zoo on a beautiful weather day.

It has been years since we had been to the zoo in Oklahoma City, and Blake and Claire have season passes. We were excited to see all the changes inside, such as the brand new Asian section with its beautiful buildings.

But of course the stars of the show are the animals, who were enjoying lounging in the sunshine and enjoying the weather. Seeing the grizzlies up close reminded us of our visit to Glacier National Park and the bears we saw on the trail.

The lighting made the color of these pink flamingos really pop in the sunshine. In contrast, the juvenile bird in the center seems to have his head bowed, as he hasn't gotten his pink plumage yet.

Denisa's favorite is the giraffe, and they were close to the fence for the feeding. He was enjoying the $5 pieces of lettuce that were being handed over the fence.

We have to say that the Oklahoma City zoo has some first-class exhibits, with well-done enclosures. It allows you to get up close and personal, while the animals still have a large space to enjoy.

Also, spread throughout the zoo are statues that are good for pictures. Sometimes it's hard to differentiate the animals from the visitors.

One of the newest members of the zoo family is the baby elephant born this fall. Mom and baby were walking right toward us when Denisa snapped this picture that seems to highlight the fence more than the animals.

We had a great day at the zoo! This was followed by more fun activities, as we spent a couple evenings with Claire's parents too. We really love it that our sons have married into such fine families that we enjoy spending time with. We also spent some time playing piano duets . . .

and yoga. Denisa enjoyed yoga while in South Texas, and Claire is a certified instructor. So we had our own private exercise sessions as we cobra-ed our way to more flexible muscles.

Claire is also working on her certification in HIIT--for those not up with the latest fitness jargon, that's High Intensity Interval Training. She needed a group of volunteers to practice her teacher-skills. Along with Claire's parents, we volunteered for an evening of exercise without thinking this through. Below is a picture of the upstairs studio, overlooking the Christmas lights on Broadway. It's a beautiful view for the intense workout that we will remember for a long time! Claire did great, but some of her volunteers were feeling it the next day.

Besides all this playing, we also got some work done. We bought them a new dining room light fixture for Christmas, which also included the labor to hang it. Mark and Blake also installed a new wooden window blind. But the big project of the weekend was installing this macrame hanging in their living room.

Made by Claire's aunt and uncle, this was the beautiful back-drop for their wedding vows in the park. Thanks to Mark's handiwork, it now hangs in their living room.

So we are enjoying some good family fun and fellowship here in the Oklahoma City area. Denisa has been living out of a suitcase for two weeks now. This makes her appreciate how easy it usually is to travel in the motor home, where no packing is necessary. But with it winterized right now, we are glad to have family who welcome us into their homes. This two-week suitcase trip isn't over yet, as we have plans for more fun in Kansas City!