The OK Trip, Part 3: The Mexican Food

The Sparks cousins, youngest to oldest, at Cocina Marin in OKC

One thing we love about Oklahoma is the ubiquity of Mexican food. DC has a decent offering of Mexican restaurants; District Taco and Tortilla Coast are our favorites on the Hill. But it's not quite the same as Ted's and Chelino's in Oklahoma City, with their free-flowing queso for all. It's safe to say we had our fill of Mexican food during our three-week trip, both at restaurants and in the homes of family and friends:

Mom and Dad's: tacos

The Heltons': tacos

The Guyers': tacos

The Newmans': burritos (I'm counting this even though it was in Ohio en route back to DC)

Chuy's

Cocina Marin
Chelino's

Taco Bell

Taco Bueno

El Sombrero (again, in Ohio)

So basically we averaged Mexican food three times a week. And we're not complaining.

We spent our final week in Oklahoma and the trip home enjoying family and friends. On Monday, August 1, we drove to Altus, OK, to visit Tabitha and Ben's former foster family. We have kept in touch with them over the years and we always try to see them when we're in the area. They took great care of Tabitha and Ben, and we are grateful to them for providing the kids with a stable, loving home.

With Grandma Georgia and Papa Kenneth in Altus, OK

More of the Dempsey and Sparks families

(Shortly after I wrote this post, Grandma Georgia passed away unexpectedly after complications from heart surgery. She will be sorely missed.)

When we lived in OKC in 2014-2015, our kids made some sweet friends at the Academy of Classical Christian Studies, and their families have been kind enough to remember us and make time to see us when we come back to visit. So on Wednesday of that final week, two of Gracie's friends from the Academy (and their moms and siblings) came over to swim at my in-laws' house. I'm grateful to them, because I know it makes Gracie feel special that her friends would remember her and want to spend time with her a year after we moved away. She doesn't have those kinds of close friends in DC, so that was a huge blessing.

Swim date with Academy friends

Judah with her buddy Pita

That night we drove to Norman to meet some friends of ours from Immanuel Baptist Church when Harvey was youth pastor there more than ten years ago. We had a fun dinner with them and their kids (at a Mexican restaurant!).

Our final day in OKC was dedicated to family. We had lunch with Harvey's sister, Summer, and her boys, along with Harvey's parents. At this point we said our goodbyes to them. 

With my lovely sister-in-law, Summer

With Sherri and Summer

Proud grandparents!

That night my mom hosted a dinner for my aunt and uncle and cousins on my dad's side. My cousin Cari just had a baby, so it was fun to meet precious little Ava Bea (after my grandmother Mema Beatrice Schantz) and see the rest of the cousins and kids.

With my cousin Cari's girls at Oma's house

My cousin Cari

The next morning we headed off to Troy, Ohio, to see some friends we met when they came to stay and work with us for a few weeks in Mozambique. We hadn't seen them in more than ten years, but we picked right back up with them and enjoyed meeting their kids and staying in their home a couple nights. Johnathan is a pastor, and we attended their church, Koinos, Sunday morning.

A new friend: Julia Newman in Troy, Ohio

We made one last stop before returning to DC: Pittsburgh. I always assumed Pittsburgh was a drab industrial city (it is nicknamed the "Steel City," after all), but it was a lovely surprise to find that instead it was green, beautiful, and interesting. After we arrived, we had dinner at Primanti Brothers in Market Square, and then we walked down by the river, where a huge crowd had gathered. We asked someone what was going on, and they said there would be fireworks soon. So we planted ourselves on the pavement by the water and enjoyed the show. 

Judah relaxin' in downtown Pittsburgh

Waiting for the fireworks

Glad we caught this show!

The next morning we went to the Strip District and browsed through the shops and markets. We ate lunch on the patio of an Italian restaurant, munching pizza and enjoying the weather, the sights, and the people passing by. 

Enjoying lunch in the Strip District

The view from our lunch table

This girl loves mushrooms.

Getting creative with the pizza toppings

Finally we drove up to Mount Washington to see stunning views of the city. 

And then ... we came home. Back to good old DC, a world not so teeming with Mexican food but full of so many other delights, including the breakfast strata our neighbors left in our fridge for us to enjoy the next morning. 

And so much has happened in the month or so since we returned--more on that in upcoming posts!

Thanks for taking the journey to Oklahoma with us, and I would love for you to continue to keep up with our family here at A Sparks Story!

To read about the first two weeks of our OK trip, see "The Ferris Wheel" and "The Farmers."