Adventures, Pancakes and Pickled Okra

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been trying to beat the Oklahoma heat any way you can. I hope you and your family still found a way to enjoy the weekend despite temperatures that made simply walking to the mailbox feel like an endurance event.

Atticus and I managed to do just that.

One of our adventures took us outdoors on Saturday morning to Tulsa’s Farmers’ Market in the Kendall-Whittier District. The other happened Sunday afternoon in the comfort of some much-appreciated air conditioning, but it ended up warming my heart in a way I never expected.

One outing filled our grocery bag.

The other filled my soul.

And both reminded me that some of life’s greatest adventures aren’t the ones we spend months planning. They’re the ordinary moments that somehow become unforgettable.

Every dad of a teenager knows negotiations are simply part of the job. Mine went something like this:

“I’ll buy you some pastries.”

That seemed to seal the deal.

We made our way through the Tulsa Farmers’ Market, spending our market tokens on onions, eggplant and a few other fresh vegetables. And because every teenager has priorities, Atticus absolutely had to leave with a jar of pickled okra.

It wasn’t an epic father-son adventure.

We didn’t climb a mountain.

We didn’t spend all day together.

It was simply a hot Saturday morning at the Farmers’ Market.

Before heading home, we wandered over to the Meadow Gold District’s Christmas in July celebration. The event celebrated the unveiling of the official poster for Tulsa’s 100th Tulsa Christmas Parade and honored one of Tulsa’s biggest cheerleaders, Mary Beth Babcock, owner of Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on Route 66, who has been selected as this year’s Grand Marshal.

Congratulations, Mary Beth!

It was a fun excuse to celebrate Christmas in July—even if we were all sweating instead of shoveling snow.

The next morning we attended Life.Church Midtown for the final weekend of its annual At the Movies series.

If you’ve never experienced it, put it on your family’s calendar for next July. Every Life.Church campus transforms its lobby into an elaborate movie-themed set, and every location creates something different. The creativity and craftsmanship are incredible. Families arrive early just to explore the displays, take pictures and soak it all in before the service even begins. I missed the first few weeks this year, but you can bet it’s already on my calendar for next July.

Even if you don’t consider yourself a particularly religious person, if you enjoy a great movie with a happy ending, you’ll probably love At the Movies. Pastor Craig Groeschel has an incredible ability to connect timeless movie themes with timeless biblical truths in a way that’s both entertaining and thought-provoking.

I don’t have many hobbies, but one of my absolute favorites is going to see a movie in a theater.

There’s just something magical about the lights dimming, the previews beginning and, yes, that unmistakable smell of movie theater popcorn.

I’m not even a huge popcorn fan.

But the moment I walk through those theater doors, all my good intentions disappear. I know movie theater concessions are outrageously expensive these days, but somehow I always find myself walking away with a giant bucket of popcorn and a box of Peanut M&M’s.

Pro Dad Tip: Grab a handful of popcorn, toss a few Peanut M&M’s into the same handful, and eat them together.

Trust me.

Maybe that’s one of the reasons I love the At the Movies series so much. It combines two of my favorite things—going to church and going to the movies.

This year’s message centered around Disney and Pixar’s Up.

Pastor Craig returned several times to one simple thought that I haven’t been able to shake. He said that as adults, we often worry about so many things at once. Sometimes we simply need to close our eyes, take a deep breath, open them again and be grateful for whoever is sitting beside us.

I’ll admit something.

Before I knew it, I found myself quietly wiping tears from my eyes throughout much of the sermon.

The reason was sitting right beside me.

My son.

Like a lot of dads, getting him to church occasionally comes with another subtle negotiation.

“So…where do you want to eat after church?”

It’s a tradition I happily inherited from my own dad.

After church, Dad would usually load us into the car and take us to either Golden Nugget or Pepito’s. Looking back, I suspect he knew pancakes—and maybe a breakfast taco or two—made an hour-long sermon a little easier to sell to a couple of energetic kids.

I also remember sitting beside my twin sister, Lynda. We’d exchange grins, giggle at exactly the wrong time and almost inevitably earn “the look” from Mom and Dad.

Dad always seemed to know when my attention was drifting. If he noticed my eyes glazing over or that I looked completely lost, he’d quietly grab the back of the offering envelope and start drawing little cartoons. One of my favorites was always a stack of pancakes with a giant question mark beside it.

It never failed.

I’d smile.

He’d smile back.

I doubt Dad had any idea those little drawings would become one of my favorite childhood memories.

Now, decades later, I’m the dad sitting next to my own son in church.

When Pastor Craig encouraged us to simply close our eyes, take a deep breath, open them again and be grateful for the person sitting beside us, I looked over at Atticus and realized I already had everything I needed.

In Up, Carl spends much of the movie believing the great adventure of his life is somewhere far away. By the end, he discovers it was that persistent little Wilderness Explorer who wouldn’t stop trying to earn his “Assisting the Elderly” badge that changed his life forever.

I think that’s true for us as parents.

We spend so much time chasing the next milestone, the next vacation, the next accomplishment, that we sometimes overlook the quiet Saturdays, the simple conversations and the ordinary moments that are quietly becoming our children’s favorite memories.

One day they’ll probably forget the errands we ran.

They may forget what we bought at the Farmers’ Market.

They might even forget where we went to lunch after church.

But they’ll remember how we made them feel.

They’ll remember that we showed up.

Maybe one day Atticus will tell his own kids about the Saturday Dad bribed him with pastries and somehow we came home with onions, eggplant…and a jar of pickled okra.

Maybe that’s why this month’s title came so easily.

Adventures.

Pancakes.

Pickled Okra.

Three generations.

Three ordinary things.

Three reminders that the greatest adventures aren’t usually the ones we plan.

They’re the ones we don’t realize we’re having until they become memories.

Thanks for the adventure, Dad.

Tulsa Rocks Update

Every July, Tulsa celebrates Tulsa Music Month, and on July 19—officially proclaimed Tulsa Rocks Day by the City of Tulsa—we host our annual Tulsa Rocks concert.

This year’s Tulsa Rocks Concert No. 6 brought together local musicians, volunteers, sponsors and music lovers for another unforgettable evening celebrating Oklahoma music.

Together, we raised approximately $1,000, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Red Dirt Relief Fund, which provides assistance to Oklahoma musicians in times of need.

Thank you to everyone who attended, volunteered, performed and supported another wonderful year. Your support continues to help local musicians while celebrating the incredible music community we have right here in Oklahoma.

 Be sure to check out FOX23’s coverage of Tulsa Rocks Concert No. 6 at the link below.

fox23.com/news/local/tulsa-rocks-day-celebration-raises-funds-for-red-dirt-relief-fund-07-20-2026