These are a few of my favorite things…

Since moving back to Tulsa, Steve and I have gotten to sneak out for two dates. As parents know, it’s not an easy task to go on a date. First, we need to find a babysitter. Next, we need our parent-loving-children to be okay when Mom and Dad are away. This time they had a full team on board to watch them. My brother, his girlfriend and their “cousins” were there to provide endless fun.

On both occasions we stopped at Elote. Not only is it my favorite local restaurant, it also kept me alive for a year. Literally, the first year it opened I ate there everyday. Elote catered our wedding and I craved it the entire time we lived in Dallas. Now that we live back in the 918, I sneak down as often as possible.

During this date, we went to a gorgeous downtown wedding. Sometimes you go to weddings and you just know in your gut something is right. I was literally crying and, no, I hadn’t had a margarita…yet, I just really love this duo. In between the wedding and the reception, we just had to get appetizers and margaritas. Talking to the bartenders we discovered something new to us at Elote – the Luchador Tequila Club

Each week they offer discounted tequila to taste and once you have sampled 30 tequilas, you will get your name and your very own Luchador name on our wall.

My husband is already going through ideas for his own Luchador name. He signed up and tried his first one there. Just 29 to go until his name is on the wall. This is also an amazing opportunity to go there for at least one meal a week, so he can get on the wall more quickly. And cheers to hopefully more dates in the upcoming weeks!  

The date night was a success but my Blythe was extra excited to see me.

In Dallas our favorite place to shop was Trader Joe’s. The grocery gods must have known we were moving back to Tulsa. Now that Trader Joe’s has opened its first location in Oklahoma in Tulsa, it is perfection. I always love when something new opens because it feels like the entire city is there. In seven days I have gone to Trader Joe’s three times. Their produce and cheese are easy go-to items. There is a pre-made area where you can grab salads, sushi and soups for lunch or a quick dinner. The best part for me is that they have little grocery carts for the girls. It makes them very proud to push it around the entire store and grab our groceries by themselves. I have to thank the staff and the fellow patrons who just smiled and kindly moved the hell out of their way! There is also a sampling area and it was cookie and pastry day. Blythe’s favorite items are the avocados and bars. Reese prefers the cheese sticks and pretzels filled with peanut butter.

This is a great store to take kids. Besides the carts it is not too large, so shopping does not take too long. When we checked out they even gave the girls stickers.

I get asked a lot what my favorite Trader Joe’s go-to items are. Here is a photo of everything. The olives, nuts and crackers are addicting. As you can see some of the items in this photo have been opened. The bars are easy snacks for the girls. Everything is so affordable, so it is worth a shot to throw it in your cart and give it a taste for yourself. I have put a request in for two items that have not made it to the Tulsa location yet.

Lastly, I have to say that it breaks my heart the state of the school system in Oklahoma. May all of us do our part to help the future of the children. We live in a state filled with smart, kind and imaginative individuals. If only everyone in state capital can get their crisis hats on and start making education in the state a priority!