30th Birthday Road Trip Extravaganza: Stop 1

I swore I'd be a better blogger. I failed. No excuses (though I could find a million). Instead, I will brag on my amazing husband. Last year, he turned 30 and I surprised him with 30 gifts for each day of his birthday month, along with a trip that included surprise guests, a beach cottage (aka Party Central), chartered sailboats, golf, and an exclusive golf package at TPC Sawgrass (more on that later). So, this month is my 30th and I had no idea what to expect. Mr. Marine is terrible, let me repeat terrible, at surprises. I love them. So once I knew he was up to something, I didn't so much as mention my birthday for fear he would cave or let something slip. Then I saw on my work calendar that I was off for a week. 

I was told what the weather would be, and nothing else. So, I packed my entire wardrobe and shoe collection "just to be safe" and we headed west. 

Funny Conversation:

Mr. Marine: "Obviously, we are heading west. Do you have any idea where we are going?"

Me: "No. No clue."

Mr. Marine: "What's west of Missouri?"

Me: "Colorado." 

Mr. Marine: "That's waaaaay west. What's on the southwest corner of MO?"

Me: "Arizona?"

I have to be honest. I rocked geography in school. However, I was, and still am, under the impression the Midwest should just be lumped into one giant state. They really don't have much to offer independently and would be much more noteworthy as one large entity.

Anyways, after a good chuckle - ok, more like a rolling laugh that came from the depth of his belly - Mr. Marine told me stop #1 on my birthday trip was Oklahoma. Norman to be exact!

We adore college towns and this was one I never expected to have the opportunity to see, so I was ecstatic he was making a stop here! 

We checked in at the most darling B&B and got ready for a fun evening...

One thing Mr. Marine is big on is going for a run in a new city. He swears you see more on a run than anything else. So, we laced up our sneaks and headed for a 3 mile jog through the OU campus. While we were there we saw the Road Trip crew (a show we love since it tours college towns) and we were able to get a quick pic with them! 

They were there doing a segment on Norman and that's how Mr. Marine revealed stop #2 (to be revealed in my next post!)

The OU stadium. I am a Longhorn fan so I was tempted to spit my gum out on this field. But my mama taught me better!

This was a gorgeous campus and a beautiful city. The people were friendly - since I wasn't wearing burnt orange, nor were we driving my car with TX plates. We really enjoyed Norman.

After a great run, a few cold beers and a yummy dinner, I spied a frozen yogurt place. God, I love that stuff! Vanilla, raspberries, chocolate chips...delish!

On our way to stop #2, we stopped by a liquor store that had "Texas Sux" beer and on the bottom of the box it reads, "Stupid Texan, Open Other End." Not sure Oklahomans should be casting stones :)

If you have never driven through Oklahoma and North Texas...I am sorry, because that means you missed out on Robertson's. We stopped there, in the middle of nowhere and enjoyed the best damn ham sandwich I have EVER tasted. Period. Oh, and it was like $2. Oh, I also had sweet tea with crushed ice in a Styrofoam cup. A-Maze-Ing!!!!!

Now, get in your car and drive to the middle of nowhere and get you one! Go. Hurry!

Well, that there was stop #1. Next, I will tackle stop #2 which was probably one of the most amazing things I have experienced. It was a dream of mine and the fact that Mr. Marine planned it for my 30th birthday made it that much better!