What Brought You To Oklahoma?

Being someone who considers himself an "Okie" (Oklahoman), I am constantly asked what brought me to the metro of Oklahoma City. I've answered this question so much over the past two years that I've created my basic answer of: "warm weather and large city in the Midwest." However, there is so much more to the answer that it requires an amount of detail I rarely care to get into unless prompted... Truthfully, only the closest people to me in my Oklahoma circle truly understand the reason.

Before I explain why I came here, you have to understand where I was before I came. I was a 27 year old Computer/Health teacher at Whittier Middle School (my alma mater) and coaching at Washington (also my alma mater) and being part of an extremely successful program. I was paying off school loan debt at a blistering pace and was thrilled to be teaching where I was. I had what I still feel today was my favorite teaching job, amazing coworkers and students and was able to give back to the same system that did so much for me. One of my favorite memories of that year was letting my 8th graders shave my head however they chose... And boy, they didn't disappoint....

However, even with the perfect job, I realized true happiness isn't predicated solely on career happiness. I wanted to live in a metropolitan area that was still safe. I wanted to live someplace warm because I was fed up with the plethora of blizzards and sub arctic temperatures a South Dakota winter brings. I wanted to make more money (South Dakota teacher pay is the worst in the US) I wanted to bring all of my friends and family wherever I went, but I knew that that was obviously not plausible. I was 27, no girlfriend/wife, no kids, virtually no student loan debt or debt of any other kind. I was a free 27 year old man "settling" for less than my perfect. 

Up to that point, I'd said advice my best friend Mitch's mother, Linda, had given me, but never actually lived it. Linda said, "Don't ever settle, or you'll never be happy." (Side note: she told me this in 2007, it's crazy how sometimes the most unsuspecting people can make a profound impact on your life with one statement) 

With this in mind, an old college friend of mine, Nick, had been chatting back and forth about all things under the sun. One of these was the idea of coming to visit Oklahoma City. At first, it was just an afterthought, but the more he encouraged me to visit, the more intrigued I became. I devised a plan. When school finished in mid-May, I would tie up a few loose ends in Sioux Falls and take a summer vacation in Oklahoma. Nick told me I could stay there rent free for a month and experience Oklahoma City.

The night I arrived in Oklahoma City, I could feel electricity in the air. The Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team was battling San Antonio in the Western Conf. finals of the NBA playoffs. Nick and one of his friends Alexis took me to a local spot. A projector screen about 20' playing on the wall and a now-closed bar by the name of Dan O'Briens packed with people watching the game. Seeing the way this place exploded as the Thunder closed the Spurs out was invigorating. It was a great "nice to meet you" along with the plethora of incredibly friendly people I met through Nick that night.

As the days became weeks and my one month stay quickly approached, I fell in love with the idea of Oklahoma City. A metropolitan area, much warmer weather, and incredibly friendly people. I came to the conclusion that I wanted to try and see what the job market was here. In doing some research, I found that Oklahoma City teacher pay is 48th in the US (which is still awful), but almost $5k more. Before you detractors point at "cost of living," look it up. OKC and Sioux Falls COL is virtually identical, and in Oklahoma gas is consistently and significantly less. It only made sense to take a stab at the job market here I found a place to land. It was official, I was moving to Oklahoma City.

The decision to move here was not an easy one. The stress level I had of giving up everything I'd built was something I fought with for several days. Thankfully, I had the full support of my parents, the rest of my family, my close friends and coworkers. I think what sealed the deal of support and logic was when my dad said, "If you leave and you don't like it, you can always come back. Trust me, Sioux Falls won't change much. Your family and friends will all still be here." And you know what? Not only did he make sense, two years later I've realized he was right. Not a whole lot has changed when I go back.

However, a lot has changed for me. I've been able to find a great teaching job in the city, coached with some great coaches that have challenged me and pushed me in ways I never thought possible, grown some friendships into lifelong friendships, and made new friendships of some amazing people. I have even been fortunate to have met someone truly special to me by age 29 when I was starting to wonder if this sort of thing just isn't for me. Am I completely, 100% happy? No. I still have personal goals that I want to achieve in life, but those goals are something I can certainly achieve here.

So, at eh end of the day I am a Libertarian living in a Red State. I'm a product of Blizzards, Taco Johns, and a hard "O" sound when I pronounce my home state. But I'm now living where there is blistering heat, oil is king and everyone says y'all. I'm an Okie. But I also understand my roots of where I've come from and those people who have helped make me who I am. That's why I'm not just an Okie, I'm a "Northern Okie."