To POPS and Beyond

On Saturday we had the most amazing time with MiMi & ProPro! It was the day before Lola's actual birthday and we were in celebratory mode. We met in Arcadia at POPS which is an ultra cool gas station/diner/convenience store which specializes in pop. They have over 500 varieties. As you can tell from the photos above, there's some cool design involved and I think it is a unique experience that you should definitely make happen. I couldn't believe how busy the joint was. We waited outside in the hot sun for about a half hour only to get a seat on the patio. There was a huge yard where Lola played and got considerably muddy. For some reason they didn't have the umbrellas out and we baked while we ate our food but it still tasted great. Lola actually wanted and ate her first cheeseburger. For some reason, this kid has rejected all kinds of sandwiches. Very rarely, you can get her to eat a bit of a grilled cheese. But since POPS, I think we've entered a new era. I had a cheeseburger for lunch a couple of days ago and she grabbed it out of my hand for a couple of bites. Anyhow, back to Saturday's story...

After POPS we headed down the road to the Parkhurst Pumpkin Patch. We waited in line and lamented how this would be the last time Lola would get in somewhere free for being 2 or under. But we quickly turned to excitement again as we headed towards all the animals with our bag of feed. Lola swayed from timid with the animals to aggressively demanding to ride the pony. It amazes me how she can be scared of the mechanical car outside of Walmart but not at all frightened by the pony. However, I was horse crazy as a young girl, so I'm relieved to know there's some of me in her after all. She and ProPro animatedly ran us through the corn maze and she picked up all the hidden pumpkins with arrows and threw them. We tried to stop her and return what we could be she was a girl on a mission. No one will probably find their way through there again! Right at the end she led us out the side instead of finishing because she heard the tractor. She was not about to miss another turn on the hayride. She also had fun in the tire swing and the hammocks, climbing on hay bales, and picking out pumpkins. Lola & I were oblivious (or pretended to be) to the other's mourning for OU's loss to Texas. Eventually, we convinced Lola it was time to leave, load up our pumpkins and part ways with MiMi & ProPro.

As we were pulling out on Route 66, we decided to see if one of our old haunts and favorite BBQ places had ever reopened. Praise the Lord, it had. It was yummy food, but ended up a strange experience since I ran into someone I had went to high school with and not seen in 15+ years - a crazy suprise and a long way from Warner.

We hustled back to The Village and threw a spread together for noshing with the Nemcoks and Eric while we cheered the Oklahoma State Cowboys to victory over Missouri. GO POKES!!! By the time we hit the hay, metaphorically speaking, we had no trouble falling asleep.