Odd, continued

Here are a few more strange things about Oklahoma...

Okra.  The grocery stores sell fresh okra and frozen okra, and it seems like Sprouts has dried okra on sale every week!  Another grocery store had dried okra samples; I didn't try them.

Chicken.  Chicken restaurants are everywhere.  We have Chick-fil-A, Raising Cane's Chicken, Church's Chicken, KFC, Ann's Chicken Fry House, Slim Chickens (haha!), Popeye's, Eischen's (apparently this is the best), etc.

Water towers.  Amos says that the water towers create water pressure (Oklahoma is pretty flat).  The water towers all look different.  Some of them, like this one, are orange and white.  The water towers in Yukon all have red lettering.  (I like water towers, but they kind of creep me out, too.  They look like huge, blood-sucking bugs!)

Masonic lodges.  There are lots and lots of Masonic lodges. I have no idea why!

405. The whole state has just four area codes; FOUR.  405 is the Oklahoma City area code.  Since one-third of the population of OK lives in the Oklahoma City Metro area and thus (presumably) shares this area code, I have been writing my own area code (530) REALLY BIG on all of my applications so that the school districts will call the right person. :)

Gas meters.  Most of the homes in Oklahoma City (or at least NW OKC) have gas meters in their front yards.  Not the prettiest thing to have poking up out of your lawn, but it could be worse.

I am listening to...

someone's music turned a little too high.
librarian voices.
magazine pages turning.
a clicky keyboard.
clearing of throats.
magazine shelves clanging up and down.
automatic doors opening.
more coughing.
textbook pages.
cracking knuckles.
my thoughts.
book receipts printing.
sniffing.
yawning.
discussions.
muffled, shuffling footsteps.
a printer.
protestations.
whispers.
the beep of a scanner.

the library.

Artwork

Since moving to OKC, I've found some little projects to while away the hours, one of them being watercolor painting!  I copy ideas from Pinterest or I just paint different color schemes.  All of these are on 4x6 pieces of paper.  Click to enlarge.

My anniversary card for Amos :)

I used a AAA sticker to make this one, haha!

This one is supposed to be vertical...

A sailor turtle with freckles!

Fifty-cent peanut butter

It's that time again!

Amos and Jennica: Ummmmm, where did our money go?!  We haven't spent THAT much of it.

*Amos does a quick expense report*

Well, no more Chick-fil-A!

I don't like not having money.  It makes me feel anxious, and now I really should go out and get a job.  It was nice being Pinkie's note taker because I went to work every day and I got paid every day.  I was making close to what Amos was making, so we almost doubled our income and thus we paid off my school loans, bought a new computer to replace Amos' dying one, tuned up our car, paid for my trip to Canada, spent more money on groceries, put money away in our savings account, bought some nice Christmas presents for people, went out to frozen yogurt once a week, paid for a few trips to NorCal, etc.

Everyone we talked to said that the cost of living would be a lot cheaper in Oklahoma, but as Amos said, that was just people talking; we really didn't know, and I just trusted what our California friends said.

But, car insurance isn't cheaper (hail damage), internet isn't cheaper (they just raised the price on us, too!), food isn't cheaper (farther from the fields, orchards, and ports), rent isn't cheaper (we had the cheapest place available in Santa Clarita), even gas isn't that much cheaper (per gallon it is cheaper, but stores and church are more spread out in OKC).

So now we are back to scraping by, and it isn't that fun; I'm sure many of you reading this can relate.


But in the mean time...

Before, we couldn't get by just on Amos' income (I had to sub at least a few days a month to make it work), and now we can, though I'm still going to get a job.

I filled out applications, looked up substitute opportunities, and e-mailed a lady at church for information about the Christian school that shares the church campus.  I heard back from the headmaster today (I didn't know headmasters existed in the United States), saying that there weren't any openings at the moment but that they are always looking for substitute teachers and I am welcome to drop in and meet him; I plan to do this tomorrow or Wednesday.

Amos and I figured out how much I can spend on groceries, and it isn't very much, but I like shocking people with how little I spend for how much I get.  (I got all-natural peanut butter for $0.50 a jar today.) :)

Matthew 6:8b: "...your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."