It has been an incredible weekend in Oklahoma…I’m back in Phoenix, one more hour until I’m back in California.

600 pictures…18 hour days…a heart filled with joy and wonder…

Yes, I did get my 24th state…but much more importantly, I was able to visit with family that I love dearly, and I was able to see so much about my family history.

I walked where my great-grandparents grew-up, saw the bridge my great-grandfather helped build during the depression, saw the train station from which my great-grandmother and her three kids left for California in 1942…I saw my great-great-great grandfather’s grave, and learned so much about him and that side of the family…as a lover of history, and as someone who treasures family beyond anything else, it was a perfect weekend.

I saw the Oklahoma City Memorial for the 1995 bombing…and that was incredible. There is such a rich history in Oklahoma–more than I ever realized.

I experienced the love for football, especially as my family lives in Norman, which is where OU is located. Go Sooners! 🙂 It was homecoming weekend there, and the town was going crazy for their team…

I was amazed at how much I felt like I fit in there. Granted, I know that I am an Okie at heart because that’s where my family is from…but this weekend as I experienced Oklahoma for the first time, I felt at home.

So, all in all, it was amazing. Below are some pictures–and I’ll create an album soon.

Lesa at her great-grandfather’s old home…great-great-great grandfather’s grave…Lesa, grandma and aunt Lola…Lesa and Blaine…

OU campus, British telephone booth on campus, statue of James Garner, statue carved with a chain saw…

I am currently in Phoeniz, AZ…two hour layover…and I can use wireless Internet on my laptop for FREE. 🙂 It is making the time fly by!

Sometimes, technology is an incredible thing…

I am getting excited about my weekend! Tomorrow, I will have been in 24 states 🙂 Almost halfway there!! And, I will get to see family/friends that I haven’t seen in a very long time–and some that I have never met. I will get to see where my great-grandparents grew up, where they met, went to school, etc. Back to my roots! 🙂

Pictures and a post when I return…Have a great weekend!

PS–I’m pondering getting an MBA…any thoughts?

Here are a few pictures from my sailing trip last weekend…for the full album, go here.

Just got this email from APU Campus Safety…

“Shortly after 9:30 a.m. on Friday, October 13, 2006, the Department of Campus Safety received a phone call regarding a bomb threat located in Munson Chapel, on APU’s East Campus (Azusa Campus). Munson Chapel, the Ronald Center, and the Warren Building were immediately evacuated.

APU’s Department of Campus Safety working in conjunction with the Azusa Police Department established a perimeter to ensure the safety and security of our students, faculty, staff and community members. A suspicious package was identified and the LA County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad and Fire Department were called.

With the LA County Fire Department on site, the Bomb Squad did a cautionary detonation with a suspicious package at 11:23 a.m. There was no secondary explosion, and no damage to the immediate area.

Access was granted to university officials 11:43 a.m. The Munson, Ronald and Warren buildings will reopen at 12:30p.m. today.”

Wow–the long-awaited sailing trip to Catalina is almost here! It is going to be SOOOO cold for us–especially because we are sleeping on the deck of the yacht…man, I will be packing so many layers!

It’s going to be an adventure, and I’m totally looking forward to it. I’ll post tons of pictures when I get back! 🙂

This evening, I curled up with a cup of tea under a blanket (with a cat to keep me toasty warm), and I finally watched “The Lake House.” Wow!! I wasn’t disappointed! I love stories of time travel (i.e. Somewhere in Time) and other time-related stories. 🙂

It was a good evening…