May Showers and the Tigernado

I know it's now June, but I really need to tell you all about this past May. It was one of those months when it didn't feel particularly eventful until I tried to describe it. Hindsight really is 20/20. Ryan and I are growing quite fond of Oklahoma; it is starting to feel like "home" whenever we come back to our apartment after travelling for a bit. That really is a wonderful feeling! But that warm and fuzzy feeling is inevitably mixed with a beautiful kind of dangerous humor as the weather and the universe laugh at us. Us: "Yay! Oklahoma is so nice; the weather's not so crazy" Universe: "Challenge Accepted." I feel that these images perfectly describe how the weather was this May:
 

Seriously. This all happened. I highly recommend that you all follow this link and read a full article on the events of May 6, 2015. But I'll sum it up too. Obviously, it rained a lot this month. But in one single day there were 51 tornadoes between Texas and Nebraska. That was May 6th. That same night, the weather made it impossible for the OKC zoo to account for all their tigers. After a few hours they found them all, and both animals and humans were ok, but the news had had to advise people to watch out for loose tigers in addition to the flooding and tornadoes. The rest of May was a continuation of tornadoes, thunderstorms, and flash flooding. Local lakes were an average 12 feet above normal.

So that's the latest weather update! That Tigernado picture was just too special not to share with you all. More importantly I think it captures how sometimes warm, fuzzy feelings of contentment can be tested by unpredictable reality. All in all, our growing love for our new home was strong enough to survive one messy month. We feel lucky to be here.

On a less meterological note, Ryan and I got to fly to our friend's wedding in May. Micah and Gerilyn got married at the Salt Lake City temple, and were so happy together you'd never have known it actually rained during their photos! It was fun to be there that weekend and visit again.

Umbrella holding:
Groomsman duty #1

Shoe-Shining/Drying:
Groomsman Duty #2

 

Micah and Gerilyn

Ryan and I have officially made it through our first year of marriage! Going to these weddings has reminded us how lucky we were on our own wedding day. We were surrounded by so many friends and family, many of whom had had to travel across the country to be there and plan for that time off far in advance. We're so grateful for everyone who came, and especially for all those in the background who made sure food, decorations, etc. were ready and taken care of. I know it was a year ago, but I just still feel so grateful. So thanks again.

We went to a little German restaurant for our anniversary dinner. It was a fun new place that Ryan discovered and even had a store attached where we could buy German chocolate, cookies, curry ketchup, etc! You know, the normal stuff. :)


Some new friends of ours invited us up to their lakehouse for Memorial Day weekend. We hadn't been outside the city much since moving here, so it was wonderful to drive through all the farmland by the lake. With all the rain, the lake was fabulously full of water, but not crowded. We had a blast tubing and water-skiing. I should probably clarify that we both tubed, but Ryan skiied, and he even did slalom! When it rained we just played games with everyone for hours. They were all so kind, it felt like a typical family vacation.

It's been great these past few months to visit so many of you, but each trip reminds us of those we don't get to see. While we are learning to love all the aspects of the "Oklahoma experience", and have felt welcomed by so many people here, we do love and miss you all. So here's to seeing all you again on some future adventure! All our love, from the state of Tigernadoes.

Remember how the riverbed was almost empty? Now it's full!