Tidbits: Oklahoma City edition

As we were getting ready this morning, Christian made a joke. And a funny one. And he's only four. When listing off who was in the room with him, he counted mommy and daddy, his sister Zuzu, his two cousins, and aunt... but he saved my brother till last. "And him," he said - pointing at Aaron, "He's my friend and he's BIG!"

Many of the eateries around Oklahoma City are (by outward appearance) scary, but none more frightening than a restaurant a few blocks away from our hotel. It's called Shorty Smalls. Aside from the redundant name, the outer decor was decidedly vaudevillian. The face adorning the Shorty Smalls sign looked like Danny DeVito in Big Fish. And (as if it couldn't get any worse) there was slogan painted in circus-themed font on the wall facing the main street: "We don't serve women, you have to bring your own."

This weekend, I have endured one of the worst hotel stays I can remember. There's a brief synopsis on HBO's wild card thread last night, but I will post the full story later.

I got to see three of my cousins whom I haven't seen in years (two I haven't seen since graduating in '97, the third I haven't seen in 15 years). The first time I met them, I spent a month visiting them in Kansas City. Their dad was a pastor at a small church and the four of us cousins buried a time capsule at their church. The Idea was that we would one day unearth it and see what we were like. I remember digging the hole, and burying the box, but I do not remember what we put in the box. That was sixteen years ago. Since then, they've gone over seas with their parents as missionaries, returned home, went to college, and became engaged and/or married to begin their own lives. I asked my cousin Al if they ever dug that box back up. He hasn't thought about that box in sixteen years but the moment I asked his face lit up. He knows EXACTLY where that box is buried. However, he doesn't remember what we stowed away in our time capsule.

The whole purpose of this trip was to help celebrate my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary. These two people have left an incredible legacy for us grandkids to follow - one of selflessness, serving, sacrifice, kindness, generosity, and hospitality. Their love for each other continues to have a youthful vibrance that I find to be nothing short of inspiring. I have much more to say about these two wonderful people. I could probably write a book about them. But in the interest of time, I will say this: she reads this blog. When she first saw me yesterday, she told me she loves it. She's a fan, but I know she's a fan of all her grandkids. She is immensely proud of what we are all doing in our very different lives. She says she's amazed by us, but I am continually amazed by her.