Getting Out of Dodge

Travel

Once upon a time, there was a boy and a girl who loved each other super much. And the girl was busy child-wrangling their son Jude every day in addition to running her paper sweat shop company and stalking J.Crew’s online sales in between prepping for Bible Study Fellowship and picking up the living room floor for the billionth time. Oh, and using her new steam cleaner to attack the mildew in the bathroom. (yuck)  The boy was busy selling houses (showing 45 houses last week alone!), writing contracts, working the social system of the decorators’ show house and driving through Starbucks. So there was little time for the … how do you say … amour.

So when the boy called the girl on Friday afternoon at 3pm and sexily suggested to throw all her things in a bag because they were gettin’ outta Dodge (read: we’re goin’ to Tulsa, baby), the girl squealed and jumped for joy.

So the adorable offspring was left with the grandparents and the lovestruck boy and girl hit the road to T-town.  Coincidentally, you’ll notice my reading material for the weekend — the delightful memoir of The Pioneer Woman’s romance with Marlboro Man, which I absolutely adored — which was perfect as we headed off into the wild blue yonder.

Tulsa is a fun town, full of such beautiful architecture. Friday night involved a food-coma-inducing delicious Italian dinner and lounging in our fluffy hotel bed.  And Saturday was a sunny, if brisk, new day.

We of course love driving through pretty neighborhoods. Check out the pitch of this roof!

I positively adore this house (despite dreadful mid-day lighting – I hate shooting photos at noon!). Cottage style, with grey shake shingles. YES. White trim? Yes!

Side view. GORGE!

Look at this cute street sign we saw!

And then we caught lunch in Utica Square at the famous Queenie’s where we gorged on their homemade specialty grilled cheese sandwiches and strawberry whipped cream cake.  Oh, and a special side of surly attitude from the waitress.

Dears, allow me to impart some wisdom. Cake is good. Cake is great. Cake is a blessing from heaven!

Cake before trying on dresses at Anthropologie? NOT SO GOOD.

After stumbling in a cake-induced depression out of Anthropologie, we pulled it together and wandered around the pretty outdoor shopping center.  I hadn’t been to Restoration Hardware in awhile, and the instore displays were stunning.

I’ll take both of these lovelies.

I love all the greige paint everywhere, too. Rich and pretty.

In great anticipation of our new Whole Foods opening up in OKC soon, we hit up the Tulsa outpost, where I discovered this little gem in the haircare aisle: Kinky Curly Curling Custard.  I really wish I’d bought some because it seriously piqued my interest.  Except it was $30. And I can’t shell out $30 unless I have read some kind of mind-blowing review.  Or  twelve.  However, now that I think about it, it was a pretty big bucket of hair custard, so maybe $30 was worth it. Maybe that is a lifetime supply of curling custard right there at Whole Foods.  Hmmm.

We also witnessed a Whole Foods Mardi Gras parade which involved a grown man wearing nothing but a gold lame cape and a baby diaper being pushed inside of a shopping cart. I cannot rid this image from my mind. Horrifying. I will spare you the gore.

Finally, it was time for us to think about heading back towards our neck of the woods. But not before straying off the highway into Stroud, Oklahoma. Well, actually, several miles northwest of Stroud to the Tatanka Ranch, a really pretty guest ranch where you can stay in their little cottages, swim in their perfect idyllic pool overlooking a lake and serene, bucolic pasture.  Simon works with one of the owners of it, and we were curious about it since it seems from their nice website that it might be a fun place for a long weekend w/ the family.

HOWEVER. Google Maps is not our friend.  We didn’t know exactly where we were going, so I had Google route us there on the iPhone.  I kid you not, after the 4th mile of dirt road, Simon looks at me and is all, “No way.  NO WAY.  THERE HAS GOT TO BE A LEGITIMATE ROAD!”

And then, I swear to you, this … this …. sound was emitted from the vicinity of Simon, and I swore up and down it was a deep groan like he was just so over this little jaunt out into the prairie, but when I looked out the window, I saw a big ol’ cow letting out a deep moooooooooo.  We laughed until we cried.  That cow had some serious comedic timing.

Finally we arrived at the beautiful Tatanka Ranch, and I cannot wait to return.  Come summer, I envision us hanging out by the pool and enjoying the beautiful views over a long weekend. Isn’t it charming?  Oh, and for the record, there is paved road all the way to Tatanka Ranch. IF you know the way to go!

There’s several cute little cabins all in a circle as well as a gorgeous pool overlooking the countryside.  Rocking chairs sit on a porch near the pool.

::sigh:: It’s amazing how restorative it is to your marriage and to your soul to just get away from the regular ol’ humdrum schedule of day-to-day living. Like I’ve said before, “The days are long and the years are short.”  It is so true, but I am so grateful that Mr. Cute City Slicker up there decided to whisk me away. Can’t wait to do it again!

Oh, and don’t forget!  You have ’til Wednesday to enter my CSN giveaway for $65!  Tweet, blog, comment — get on it!

with love,
Rachel

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