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Hi, many of you have followed my journey from beginning to end and I promised I would get back to you on my final opinion. We ended up in Broken Arrow and our kids are in the Union School District. My sons both made baseball teams here but my oldest will have his work cut out for him because he is behind in his mechanics. He will be taking private lessons for the next several weeks and hopefully will be able to get up to par.
I really like the school systems here and believe my boys will get a good education. Today was the first day of school!! Wow I can't believe I have made it this far.
The move was really hard in many ways and stressful. I dearly miss Washington with the pine trees and mountains. I am extremely homesick and long for cooler temperatures. The weather in Tulsa is unbelievably hot and humid and I honestly don't care for it at all. Yuk, we were moving in our house and it was over 100!!! I keep waiting for it to cool down at night like it does in Washington but it doesn't. The bugs here are terrible and very ugly. Those black crickets... ugh. And we have an ant problem in our house. I keep looking at the floor for bugs!! There are hardly any bugs in Washington so I am not used to this.
Also, the traffic and rude drivers are horrible here and I dread the day that my son drives. I have avoided several accidents. People drive like they are maniacs. One guy today on the 169 must have been driving almost 90 weaving in and out of cars. I thought is was going to die and I can't believe there is not a helmet law here. Wow!! The rules are weird here.
Anyway, I think we will adjust as we always do and I think the boys are in a good place as far as academics and sports but honestly I would move back to the PNW in a minute if I didn't have kids. I guess I am spoiled. Even the Jenks area is NOT as pretty as Oregon and Washington. I don't understand what the green country thing is about. I guess nobody has ever been to the PNW. Talk about green. Even in the winter it is green in Oregon and Washington.
Sorry you guys, I am just being honest. I think the people in Tulsa are very friendly and there is alot of diversity. Something that is lacking in Washington.
Anyway, we still have boxes everywhere but we are getting settled in... Thanks to everyone for your amazing help. I wouldn't have been able to do this without your support.
Well, there will definitely be a lot of climate and terrain difference between the PNW and Tulsa. Can you remind me why you wanted to move from Washington in the first place? I know that if I could find a job in Washington I'd move there in a heartbeat although, I do like Tulsa very much. But if you think it's not green there, you'd freak out if you came to DFW. Oh, and that applies to the heat thing as well. Summers down here are hell on earth.
Wow, i guess i'm acclimated and prefer the warmer weather, especially the summer nights in this area. I've always hated when you start the day off in flip-flops and when the sun goes down you end up freezing. Flip-flops, shorts, and a cold margarita/brew on a patio...just doesn't get any better in my book But hey, i'm kind of crazy and actually enjoy humid air.
Raelyn, you do own summer weather clothes right? I'm sure it will take awhile to acclimate, but try to enjoy the green while it's still around. When the cold/polar fronts come through all you're going to see are brown sticks and hay colored grass everywhere. I'll bet you didn't have A/C up there in the NW, and now you have moved a few latitudes south so it's to be expected. They call it green country because in comparison to western OK, it's about as green as you could get
Raelyn, thank you for getting back to us and letting us know how things are going. That was nice of you to take the time to give us a report.
I posted to you in the other thread, but just wanted to add something here~
for ants~try Terro. It works wonders. Just put a little of the liquid on your cardboard and place it in the areas you have ants. They carry it back to their nests so they'll disappear fast. Poor little things~I hate doing that to them because they are such a hard-working and cute little bug. (or whatever they are) BUT they just don't belong in houses.
Just adding~the first chance you get, drive east of Tulsa and take a drive along the eastern border. You won't see the majestic mountains, but I honestly think you'll be happier with your surroundings. Check out the Talimena Drive. We didn't get that far cause I was carsick, but the pics of it are gorgeous. Also, check out the lakes in Ok. If you get out and about instead of just staying in the city, I think you'll be happier.
What you will find is you and your family will adapt to popular things to do in this great state. Sports is huge in Oklahoma, especially football. Oklahoma has more miles of shoreline then any other state, and most of those lakes are in NE Oklahoma. Many people own boats, PWC, etc., and play at the numerous large lakes in our area. Especially in the heat of the summer, it's a nice escape to play in the water. If you like fishing, you can do that year round here in Oklahoma. Oklahoma is very unique in the fact that we have over 10 different ecosystems. There are only 3 other states that can claim that:
Climate & Ecosystems - Quality of Life - Site Selection - Oklahoma Department of Commerce (http://www.okcommerce.gov/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=331&Itemid=4 12 - broken link)
I basically moved here because my husband lost his job in Washington and it was the only transfer that he was able to get. I am thankful that we have an income and a roof over our heads. We did get a decent home that we are currently renting. Like I said I think every place has it's good and bad points and I am not going to forget to mention the positives about Tulsa. The education and athletics is far superior to Washington/Oregon. In fact, I just received word from a friend that due to budget cuts in Washington they are thinking of removing the music and athletic programs in the schools. That is pathetic to me and a total injustice to the well-being of our kids. There are many issues that the PNW is facing at the current time. The economy is terrible there, not many jobs and housing is losing it's value dramatically. It is prettier and the weather is amazing but if one cannot afford to live there and have a decent life than it doesn't matter how pretty it is.
I believe that everything that happens is for a reason and I am here for a reason even though I don't know what it is yet. Time will tell. I appreciate all the suggestions and support and hopefully I will adjust and the homesickness will dissipate over time. Until then I need to look for the beauty here where ever I can.. I see the beauty in many people here.
Its looks really pretty, thankyou!! As soon as we get settled we will start to explore the area a little.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Synopsis
Take a weekend and rent a cabin down in the Ouachita Mountains Raelyn. They're not the mountains of Washington, but there is a lot of beauty there.
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. The weather in Tulsa is unbelievably hot and humid and I honestly don't care for it at all. Yuk, we were moving in our house and it was over 100!!! I keep waiting for it to cool down at night like it does in Washington but it doesn't. The bugs here are terrible and very ugly. Those black crickets... ugh. And we have an ant problem in our house. I keep looking at the floor for bugs!! There are hardly any bugs in Washington so I am not used to this.
Just put a little of the liquid on your cardboard and place it in the areas you have ants. They carry it back to their nests so they'll disappear fast. Poor little things~I hate doing that to them because they are such a hard-working and cute little bug. (or whatever they are) 
BUT they just don't belong in houses.
Thanks for all the comments!
