A Weekend with the Waldroops

Posted on

February 23 – 27, 2017
Talihina, Oklahoma

Great times with special friends.

The fact that this is yet another blog about spending quality time with amazing people cannot take away from the fact that we have such amazing friends and we greatly treasure our time with them.  Like I’ve said on this blog before, I’m not exactly sure why we get to be so lucky to have befriended so many amazing people all over this country in our short lives.

This joy-filled weekend in late February was spent with our dear friends Dakota & Tanya Waldroop, and their sweet girls Lucia & Julianne.  They are homeschooling right now as well, so all 4 girls got to enjoy some lessons all together like drawing practice, math card games, and listening to Greek myths.

Sunny & Lucy enjoyed some Battleship matches. Learning to use a grid counts as math homework, right?!
The kids table was the place to be at this party!
Story time buddies

One afternoon we drove to Robbers Cave State Park.  We hiked the 1 mile loop that takes you by the Cave, and had such a blast exploring the rocky area!  Even though it was a short walk, it was one of the most fun trails that our family has done all year.  We climbed up rocks and slid down smooth cave walls and jumped across cracks and crawled through tunnels. And then we sat at the top where the views were best and ate giant sugar cookies shaped like campers.

This trail was so fun! So many bouldering & climbing opportunities as we made our way around the 1 mile loop.
All kinds of climbing & sliding fun inside the cave!
Robbers Cave is a place of legend – apparently outlaws hid out here and took advantage of travelers coming over into Indian Territory. There was even a large stone corral where they kept their animals.
Lots of fun stone staircases! (I don’t remember Coral falling down in front of me…pretty sure she’s just climbing around!)
Me & my littlest love.
Happy girls in the great outdoors.
Tanya & I with our mini-me’s.
Traversing the crack.
Making our way through one of the narrow parts of the trail. Even though this was just a 1-mile loop, it was one of the most fun treks we’ve made on our adventure so far! It was like an outdoor wilderness playground to explore!
Crawling through one of the small tunnels on the trail.
“Look fierce!” …I think the Waldroop girls are just too sweet for fierce.

We had a fantastic Saturday that started with a run for the boys, extra coffee for the girls, and a giant brunch spread complete with crepes.  This is my FAVORITE way to kick off a weekend.  Later that day we drove south to Beavers Bend State Park to picnic, hike, and explore a small museum.

Crepe day! I love Saturday morning brunch, especially when it can acceptably involve Nutella.
Checking out the tree museum at Beavers Bend State Park.
Hiking friends. These sweet girls have only seen each other once or twice a year for their whole lives, but they’ve always had a special connection.

 

After our day at the State Park, the Waldroops introduced us to their favorite catfish place in Broken Bow, Oklahoma.  I NEVER say no to fried catfish, and this place also had fried okra, so I was in heaven!  Brad even tried frog legs for the first time.

Silly girls at a yummy restaurant.
Decorating the table while we wait for all of our delicious fried fare.
The remnants of 6 frog legs.
Look – a rare picture of us! When possible, we try to help out with cooking and household duties in return for the free room & board.
Happy kids table! They’re excited because they got pudding cups with whipped cream & sprinkles on top for dessert on our final evening together.
Tanya & Dakota introduced us to the board game Ticket to Ride. It was super fun and totally appropriate for our year of traveling all of these highways!
Four young minds being blown by Planet Earth 2.

 

It’s such an amazing gift to have friends like these that you love so much, and every time you spend time together you have more fun than you even expected…AGAIN! We continue to be so grateful for the gift of friendship, and this gift floats us along on our adventure in both emotional and practical ways.  I left the Waldroops’ home armed with so many yummy new recipes, new inspirations for parenting and schooling, and refreshed yet again by the filling up I experience only from the conversations and laughter shared with wonderful people.

Comments (2)

2 Comment

  1. Janet Clark says: Reply

    Glad, You All had a good, refreshing time with your friends!Praying for you All!😊❤

  2. Janet Clark says: Reply

    Glad you All had a Good Refreshing time w/ Your Friends!😊😃❤

Leave a Reply