Nomad Life - Day 59

After a wonderful visit to Northwest Arkansas, I woke up (with my alarm) at 0530 and got ready quickly for my departure from John and Laura's.  I dressed up because I was planning to attend church with my family a few hours later.  Breakfast was a blueberry muffin that my friends had picked up for me late the night before - they've been so nice to me!  By 0630, my car was packed up and I was ready to leave Bella Vista.  John and Laura got up to say goodbye to me and I was on the road about 15 minutes later.  The weather was cool and misty in the Ozarks as I departed to the west on AR-340.  Shifting to AR-279 and, later, AR-72 I passed through the town of Gravette.  Later, AR-59 helped me reach US-412 and the eastern end of the town of Siloam Springs.  By 0720, I was headed west into Oklahoma!  The skies stayed clear, although the temps kept rising as I drove - it was a great day for driving.  For most of my drive, I was on Cherokee Tribal Land; I made sure to keep my speed under control.  Because I've been trying to avoid getting toll receipts by mail during my Nomad Life, I made sure to stay off of the Cherokee Turnpike.  Instead, I used US-412 Alt and had a pleasant drive across rolling hills, which later gave way to prairie land.  Speeds were pretty good and the traffic was light.  I listened to an audio book for much of the morning and stayed on schedule for my planned arrival time in Tulsa.  Just before I crossed the Neosho River, I was able to rejoin US-412 (no more tolls).  As I approached the city, I got on I-44 and followed it to the exit for US-64.  After that, I made my way through a maze of six lane highways and surface streets until I reached Christ the King Catholic Church in downtown Tulsa (0910).  I parked in a nearly full lot and then tried to locate my cousins (Trish and Terry) inside the building.  Fortunately, I was successful and was seated with the family, including their daughters (Megan and Erin), sons-in-laws (Chad and Jacob) and grandkids (Theo, Emelia and baby Edith).  The service began at 0930 and the sanctuary was nearly full - there were a LOT of young families and noisy children.  During the next few hours, I got to know the parish of my extended family (their connection with the church goes back to the founding in the early 1930s).  Following Mass, I joined my cousins and many of their friends in an adjoining chapel for Edith's baptism.  The family's parish priest (Father Vincent) from their time in Minnesota was present to perform the Sacrament and the whole event was very joyful.  After many, many photos, we adjourned to the nearby Catholic School playground for a small reception (special family trail mix recipe, sparking water and very decorative cookies).  Trish and Terry asked if I would join them and Father Vincent for lunch and I eagerly accepted.  We departed from Christ the King Parish at about 1135 and, on the way to Broken Arrow (about 10 miles), I spoke with a former colleague (John S.).  After arriving (1205), we all gathered inside the restaurant, The Ridge Grill, and had an enjoyable meal (I ordered the Focaccia Club and had shoestring fries with it).  Everyone was in good spirits and there was a lot of news to share.  When we were done eating (1315), we headed to Trish and Terry's home (it was very close) and, after I got a tour of the recently completed structure, changed into more comfortable clothing.  Terry, Father Vincent and I watched some football while Trish prepared a large dinner for the entire family that was planned for a few hours later.  During this window, I was able to make a reservation at a nearby hotel but then spent the next few hours visiting and relaxing.  There were also a few opportunities to communicate (via text) with my sister's family, my daughters and Gerard - they were very excited to be hearing from me about the baptism and other family news.  At one point, I tried some Irish Vodka (!) that Trish and Terry had found during a trip to Ireland - it was good - but, otherwise, I drank lots of water.  The home was very light and airy, despite temps being in the mid 90s - I learned a lot about window placement, tinting and other energy saving features.  The high ceilings, wide windows and wonderfully green back yard were wonderful features of the home!  Starting at about 1630, the rest of the family started arriving and I enjoyed catching up on the lives of my younger cousins (Erin, Jacob and Sean K) and their (Chad and Megan) children. The kids had taken a nap and were cheery and smiley as they played with toys and "showed out" for the relatives.  Baby Edith, who'd already slept for most of the day, woke up a few times to provide some more "oohs and aahs".  At 1745, Father Vincent performed a beautiful "house blessing" ceremony for the family (he'd apparently done other homes of theirs before) - it was the first time I'd seen something like that.  Dinner began soon afterward and we had a "deconstructed lasagna", salad and some good red wine (Sangiovese).  At 1900, I called my dad and gave him an update on my Nomad Life.  By then, the family had adjourned to the back yard because the temperatures had dropped into the 70s.  We managed to find time after Chad, Megan and the kids left to view Erin's wedding photos (they were a big hit).  I stayed at Trish and Terry's until about 2045, Erin, Jacob and Sean were ready to leave.  After about a five mile drive to the north, I arrived at my hotel (a Quality Inn, located next to the Broken Arrow Expressway).  After verifying that I had good internet for my work day, I took a nearly four mile walk in parking lots and an Industrial Park nearby.  I wasn't finished with my walk until about 2230 but transitioned quickly to bedtime mode.  There were a few administrative tasks (bills, emails, etc.) that kept me awake for a little longer than I'd hoped - I wasn't "lights out" until 2300.  So glad that I was able to make the quick drive to Tulsa today - the Nomad Life has already provided several great opportunities for family time!