Oklahoma, OK!

My family has lived in Georgia for about 13 years now, and it's been a while since I've even thought about my homestate, Oklahoma. But an old family friend recently got in touch with us, and so the connection that was once broken is now intact. And I just thought, life's funny that way, you know? One day you can cry your eyes out because you miss your old home, a year later you finally make some real friends, 3 years later you visit your hometown and it seems like no one knows you anymore, 10 years later you're busy and don't think about home at all, and 13 years later, an old friend pops up to say hello.

This friend -- Chris Lawson -- was more particularly my brothers' friends, but he and his brother, Greg, were almost always at our house. So I guess they were kind of like brothers, too. Anyway, Chris wound up leaving a comment on my blog the other day, and he wrote "If you're not sure who this is, it's Chris Lawson (from Stillwater)." From Stillwater! As if I didn't know? And so I thought about how interesting it is that most childhood memories are so strong. There are certain things and people and places that you probably just won't ever forget. This is especially true for hometowns, too. Everyone from Stillwater will always have a special connection, and anytime I see an Eskimo Joe's shirt, I will always get a little excited inside and think, "Hey, they've been to my town."

So then I e-mail Chris, and he e-mails me and writes, "It's weird to see you all grown up and doing 'real world' things." (Same for you and Greg, Chris.) And it is weird, isn't it? Just picture yourselves being little and imagining what you would be doing when you're 25 or something. I mean, when you're little, you can't even think that far ahead! It's CRAZY! What I really remember is the people. People that are always there somewhere in my head, and I might see something that reminds me of them at a particular moment. And then all the memories of Oklahoma come rushing in -- fishing in Theta Pond, OSU homecoming, Westwood, Braum's cheeseburgers and shakes, Yost Lake, tornadoes. . . It's so neat to think about those things.

I guess what I'm trying to say here, is that I LOVED my childhood. I loved running around the neighborhood and asking my friends' parents if "so-and-so could play." I LOVE re-connecting with people I haven't seen in a very long time, and I love to see how they've changed. I don't know if there's anything I'll love more than growing up in Oklahoma (except maybe. . . having my own kids running around and growing). Won't THAT be exciting?

So in tribute to the Sooner state and all of the memories it holds, I'm posting a picture of growing Snows. I tried to find a picture of Chris and Greg and have a "then-and-now" kind of thing, but I tried in vain. So here's a picture of the family waking up one Christmas morning. It was sometime in the late 80's. Thing I'm thankful for: late 80's fashions.