Day 3 (Little Blue)

Little Blue - Disney State Park is one of my very favorite places on Earth.  That is not an exaggeration.  

 I don't have a lot of memories of Little Blue from growing up.  I'm sure we went there but I just don't have any memories of it.  I do remember, though, the first time I heard that we lived by Disney!  I remember being at Little Poppy's (my Grandpa Thatcher's father) house and the adults talking about Disney.  We hadn't lived in Oklahoma for very long when this happened so I was probably 9 or so and all I heard was that we lived very close to Disneyland.  Disney, Oklahoma is one of the smallest towns so you can imagine my disappointment when I learned it was just a little lake town.

 But here I am as an adult and I'm not joking when I say that I would rather go to Little Blue in Disney, Oklahoma before Disneyland.  I didn't gain my love for this place until David and I moved to Oklahoma as a family.  By this time, I had lived in the Western United States long enough that I had acclimated to dry heat.  Long were the memories of me being able to handle Oklahoma summers!  When I moved to Oklahoma this time, I was miserable in the summer.  I was reintroduced to Little Blue by Katie from church, where she and other members of the church would meet there (sometimes weekly). 

 I needed it for so many reasons.  I needed time with my friends.  I needed to feel good as a mother (because I was feeling incredibly guilty about not taking the kids outside because it was so humid).  I needed to cool off.  I needed the beauty of this place.

 Ever Since, I've been in love with this place.  

 Some of our church family met us at Little Blue like old times.

 One of the things I love about Little Blue is that the water is so cold and clear.  I kinda have a phobia of water that I can't see through.  So I don't swim in lakes or oceans.  Mind you, I LOVE the ocean.  It is very relaxing and calm as you sit on a beach and just listen as you distress or watch your little ones find the joy in the simplicity of playing in the sand.  I really only put my feet in the ocean water.  But Little Blue is perfect and I gladly get in this water every time.   It only gets somewhat cloudy after people have been playing in it for a while.

Later that day, Ronald, Hannah, and their kids made it to Oklahoma and things started to feel a little more complete.  We all ate at April's house that night.  And for the rest of the time (except for one night) all the grandkids stayed the night at Nanny and Poppy's house.  It was a party every night for them!