Oklahoma is O.K.!-

Greetings from scenic Altus, Oklahoma. The 10 hour road trip from Denver to Altus was just exhilarating. So many sights. Mostly cows.

Our Oklahoma adventure begun a week ago, and on Thursday we finally got into our apartment and by Friday we had internet! Now we're cooking with gas! We are unpacked and taking in all of the Oklahoma-ness we can. So far I've soaked in quite enough heat, flies, giant beetles and moths and I've had my fill, thank you. But we are enjoying Blue Bell ice cream (phew, I might have experienced withdrawals without it), Cary's relaxed flying schedule, and cable TV that is included in our rent. Abby remains unsure about apartment living and misses her backyard, but seems to enjoy having a dedicated audience each time she has to go to the bathroom. I already hate picking up dog poop, but it will just make getting into a real house in Spokane that much more delightful.

We will be calling Altus, Oklahoma our home for the next 5 months. So far, no one seems excited about the idea of hiring me for 5 months, but I'm not giving up. Without a job this summer, I might actually go insane. Cary is home quite a bit, but his schedule is very bizarre. One day he'll go in for 8 hours, the next he won't go in at all, followed by a 2 hour day, another day off, etc. And he's gone in every Saturday so far for a 5:30 a.m. simulator flight. Thusly, I have been very confused about what day of the week it is. And my brain is still stuck in February. I am not a person who thrives without some sort of routine.

So far we've had all kinds of adventures in Altus. We went to clean out our cars yesterday, during which time I vacuumed up enough Abby hair to make a whole new Abby. Sheesh. And then, because we weren't having enough fun cleaning our cars in the 95 degree heat, I decided it would be a good time to lock my keys in my car. Oh no problem, Cary has a spare. Except, wait, I had all of the spare keys while I went on all of these road trips. That sure is too bad. But the locksmith came and I learned how to break into my own car. It is not very glamorous, and he really did use a coat hanger. $36.00 later, all was well. Except my ego.

Who wants to see our apartment? Everybody? I knew it.

View of the living room from the front door. Hi Abby. My, what big jowls you have in this picture. Boy, good thing we have a fireplace. I'm sure it will get loads of use this summer...

View from the other side. The apartment came furnished, including a TV and cable! Hot dog! We lucked out in the furniture department, and our couch is sooo comfortable. I took a very enjoyable nap there yesterday. 

The kitchen. Some of the kitchens in this complex have bowls, plates, pots, pans, etc. But ours came with only 4 plates and bowls, and some dirty tupperware. Luckily we brought some of our own stuff.  But this summer will probably not be one for the culinary books without all of my usual kitchen gadgetry. (To my KitchenAid in the storage unit... Mama loves you.)

Bedroom. There is a big chest of drawers with a mirror across from the bed.

Guest bedroom! Come visit! We will even buy some sheets to put on the bed, just for the occasion!

Master bathroom. There is a full bath attached to the master bedroom, and then another full bath in the hallway! Bathrooms galore! Someone really needs to come visit us. We have so much space. 

And there you have it. And yes, I made Abby be in all of those pictures on purpose. She looks pretty possessed in a few of them. Abby and I have had to be kind of creative on our walks and runs since arriving in Altus. There aren't a lot of sidewalks and most of the roads are fast and busy, so for a while we just wandered in circles around a nearby neighborhood. But a couple of days ago, we discovered an irrigation ditch with a dirt road next to it that borders all of the fields around here. It's not the most scenic or exciting route, but I feel pretty confident that we're not going to get run over when we're out, so I'll take it.

It goes on for miles. And miles. And miles. And it looks like this the whole time. 

All in all, Oklahoma seems like an OK place to spend the summer (get it? OK?). It's hot and podunky, but my husband comes home every night and we have several friends who are stuck here along side us. And if anyone wants to come spice up our summer and come visit us, our apartment complex has a pool, we have a room for you, and I'll make you all kinds of delicious food.

As a result of all of this boredom, I tried to spruce up my blog today, but I'm not extremely thrilled with the results. Blog banners are not my forte. I wanted to come up with something awesome for my blog title, but neither "Amy" or "Reeves" really lend themselves to particularly awesome blog titles. I pondered the matter for days, but it turns I don't care enough to lose much sleep over the matter. Sorry if my blog aesthetics disturb your reading pleasure. I'll try to make up for it in witty banter and pictures.

And for those still on the edge of your seats about how I fared on my lofty April goals (run 100 miles, don't drink Diet Coke), I ran 108 miles and I didn't drink any Diet Coke**

**Okay, I had one Diet Coke on my road trip, but it was on April 29th and I was getting soooo sleepy while driving, so really it was a medical necessity. I'm calling it a success. Stop judging me.

But in all reality, this Diet Coke fast really has me bothered. On the one hand, I love Diet Coke. It is delicious. And stopping for a fountain Diet Coke with pebbled ice is one of the more profound joys I experience in life. However, there are occasions where my beloved beverage betrays me. My insides get all bloaty and distressed. And here in the other hand, there was a marked difference in how my intestines fared during my month without Diet Coke. So, what to do now? Come crawling back to the sweet nectar of life, despite occasional tummy troubles? Or forgo it completely? And if you are currently drafting a preachy comment about how diet sodas are going to give me cancer, you can go ahead and just print that there comment out on some paper and eat it, because I don't want to hear any of that nonsense. I think for now I will live by a self imposed rule of drinking 1 Diet Coke per week. I will keep you posted on my intestinal state. I know how concerned you get.