Oklahomanisms and Oklahoma lessons/Being sworn into Law school

Being sworn into law school

The people here talk funny...teehee they probably think that about me.



So here is a few things I have learned

• Ya'll is a word, it is used often




• When referring to Indians here you have to qualify between dot or feather...India or Native American...interesting




• There are a lot of bugs in Oklahoma...and snakes




• Fleas will infest everything you own




• The grass is different, Iowa's is green and soft, here it is yellow and brown yet still gets taller




• There is heat and there is Oklahoma heat...it is wet heat...it is horrible




• Oklahoma is not one city, it is a bunch of little cities all put together and you never know which one you are in at what time.




• Wood roaches are scary




• People in Oklahoma think people from Iowa are hicks (yes, I was called one...made me laugh)




• A truck or SUV is an appropriate form of transportation even when gas is sky high.




• Everything but eating out is cheap here (example: haircut/color in Iowa was over 100, here it was 60)




• Public transportation is a joke...you see the buses but never when you are waiting for it.




• Everyone has a permit for a concealed weapon here or has a rifle in their truck.



• The most dangerous parts of town are where they put the important businesses and schools.



• Just because the same street is on both sides of the map does not mean it runs straight through to the other side.



• Long-haired dachshunds are an anomally and everyone wants to see them.



• The best food is on the south side...which is the dangerous side...but it is still worth venturing out to get



• Tornado season is twice a year...and that is why there are few highrises here, everything is slab and one story.



• You cannot just go to the DMV to get your tags and license. You have to go to a tag agency for the tags. Then you have to go to the DMV office for a piece of paper for your license. Then back to the tag office for your license. They are not located anywhere near each other because that would be too easy.



• And one final thing...they don't like it when you sing the state name...

Law school begins...

This first week was not as bad as I had thought. It actually went very well. The class was an intro to law school and we went through some interesting cases.

I am starting to adjust to life in Oklahoma now. I have established a good routine but the dogs don't like it much. I am out of the house around 7:30 and try to get back around 4 so that is a long day for them. I have found the gym at OCU too. It is not the best gym, but it is included in my fees so I guess it will be the one that I am using.

OCU is actually not a bad school. They have parking lots reserved just for law students so that is nice. They also have good security at night to walk you to your car. The campus is small, but the people have been pretty nice so far. We will see what happens when we start competing during classes though.

I miss Iowa very much. I miss my family and my friends. I even miss working. But this is what I have to do now, so i am trying not to think about that.

Mike is doing well. He is back in Korea. His paperwork is still going up the ranks, so we are hoping he gets to stay there. If not, he will be coming to the US around christmas time. Knowing our luck, it will be right during finals weeks for me (yes, we have three weeks of finals).

Only 2 years, 8 months and 28 days until I graduate!!!!!!

A tribute to the military wife...

What is a MILITARY Wife?

They may look different and each is wonderfully unique, but this what they have in common.



They have THIS IN COMMON!

Lots of moving---

Moving.

Moving.

Moving far from home.

Moving two cars, three kids and one dog----all riding with HER of course.

Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house.

Moving curtains that won't fit.

Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.

Moving away from friends, moving toward new friends.

Moving her most important luggage; her trunkful of memories.

Often waiting-

Waiting,

waiting,

waiting for housing;

waiting for orders;

waiting for deployment;

waiting for reunion;

waiting for phones calls;

Waiting for the new curtains to arrive;

waiting for him to come home for dinner----AGAIN!

They call her 'military dependent', but she knows better.

She can balance a checkbook.

Handle the yard work.

Fix a noisy toilet.

She is intimately familiar with drywall, anchors, and toggle bolts.

She can file the taxes, sell a house, buy a car, or set up a move, -- all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.

Reinvents her career with every PCS; locates a house in the desert, the arctic, or the deep south and learns to call them all 'home'.

She MAKES them all home.

She is fiercely IN-dependent.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty.

They leap into decorating, leadership, volunteering, career alternatives, churches and friendships.

They don't have 15 years to get to know people.

Their roots are short but flexible.

They plant annuals for themselves and Perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other.

They connect over coffee, rely on the spouse-network and accept offers of friendship and favors and record addresses in pencil.

Military Wives have a common bond.

The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands his commitment is unique.

He doesn't have a job, he has a 'mission' he can't just decide to quit he's on-call for his country 24/7 but for you, he's the most unreliable guy in town!

His language is foreign:

TDY

PCS

OPR

ACC

BDU

And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.

She is the long-distance link to keep them informed the glue that holds them together.

Military Wife has her moments----She wants to wring his neck, dye his uniform pink, and refuse to move to Siberia.

But she pulls herself together.

Give her a few days, a travel brochure, a long hot bath, a pledge to the flag, and a wedding picture.

And she goes.

She packs.

She moves.

She follows.

Why?

What for?

How come?

You may think it is because she has lost her mind.

But actually it is because she has lost her heart.

It was stolen from her by a man...

Who puts duty first.

Who longs to deploy.

Who salutes the flag.

And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military husband,

She will remain his Military wife.