They say that the road ain't no place to start a family.

Part of the reason the blog has been in hiatus for 3 summers is that I was in school, and it was not the kind of school that features a summer break. But during that time we also had a baby, and she isn't particularly good company on long drives. We've been able to join Matt for the puppet tour this time around because the summer features a lot of block bookings, long stretches in a single city, and short driving distances between locations. That means we can spend the summer together as a family, but it also means we end up spending 10 days in a place like Tulsa.

Tulsa isn't usually the first city that comes to mind when I think of cities where I'd like to wile away the summer. It is more likely to be conjured up when I'm trying to recall places that are flat or places that use the grid system. As one librarian put it, "the city has no pulse," but the library system is incredible. They have something like a million library branches and they hire Matt every year, so Tulsa it is.

So what do you do when you're spending 10 days in Tulsa with a baby? First, you book the hotel with the indoor water park so that you can take her "winning" in her "baby suit" every day. Ignore the heavy smell of chlorine that fills your lungs even hours later, and pretend it is totally fun to wade in an ankle-deep pool for an hour.

 

Second, make a list of all of the local museums and attractions and visit them one by one. Quiet museums filled with priceless art may be a poor choice for a loud baby that likes to touch things, but museum gardens can be a great place for a baby to wander aimlessly blabbering about flowers and tire herself out.

 

Tulsa also has an incredible aquarium, which features many obscure and large fish. Try to hide the fear in your voice when you walk through a dark tunnel and watch sharks swim overhead. While some might argue it is appropriate for the baby to learn that sharks are dangerous, you will have to leave the aquarium if she starts crying because her parents can't keep it together.

 

Finally, tie that baby into the car seat, head to the nearest drive-in movie theater, and pray she falls asleep before sundown. This is hit or miss and you may end up paying $14 to completely miss Jurassic World because your baby is most definitely not sleeping, but if you keep trying you might catch the latest pixar flick.

Ready to see Jurassic World, unaware that we would see exactly none of it.

Hoping to see Inside Out and prove to ourselves that we are capable of "crushing it" parent-wise.

Tune in next week for a blog that might actually feature puppets!