Lunch with Grandma or The World's Friendliest Duck

For the first part of the year, the universe had aligned to keep us from going to Tulsa to celebrate Christmas with my grandma. From icy roads to stomach bugs to strep throat, things just kept happening, causing us to postpone and postpone our plans again and again.


Last weekend though, we finally go to make the trip.



A few months ago, my grandma and grandpa moved from their home in Bartlesville to Tulsa so that they could live with my dad. Moving in with family gave grandma the extra help she needed to take care of grandpa, whose health isn't as good as it once was.

Recently celebrating their 65th anniversary, they've been together since they were 14 - and set the bar for what a happy, dedicated relationship looks like.

Grandma Dess is one of the best people I've ever known. She's the type of person I wish more people could be like, and truly lives by a "do unto others" mentality. As a result, she's just a really good person - and a joy to be around.

She's hilarious, personable, watches R rated movies, has never met a stranger, and has personality for days. 

Time spent with her is time well spent. 

Last weekend, we had decided that while we were spending the afternoon with grandma, we'd take her - and the kids - to a restaurant they'd never been to: a Hibachi Steakhouse. 

Finding out that Shogun wasn't open until dinner time on Saturdays, we headed back up Memorial and down 81st to Osaka. Many times, we've told the kids about this restaurant - and the amazing things their cooks can do with both food and knives.

The hype was real. 

The restaurant wasn't too busy, we got seated rather quickly, and had a table entirely to ourselves. 

After a quick warning to Jaxon that anything he was about to see could not be practiced at home with real knives, our guy got to work - and it was everything we had told the kids it would be. 

He flipped the knives, he caught an egg in his pocket, he did the onion-volcano... thing. It was perfect. The kids watched with open mouths at trick after trick, Jaxon often fumbling with his phone trying to chronicle them all on video. 

Seriously, I'm a grown man and I couldn't wait for this thing... 

Jaxon watched in amazement.

Jade hid behind Shelly.  

As the meal went on, we stuffed our faces and politely laughed at the cook's well-rehearsed (and very corny) jokes about each food item. Grandma marveled at Jade's attempts to use chopsticks, and we enjoyed each others' company.

It's a fun thing, sharing my family with grandma. She's fascinated to learn about them. She asks them questions about their lives and hangs on their every word. I'm always so proud of Shelly and the kids, and love how grandma didn't skip a beat when they joined the family. She just was a great grandma - and couldn't wait to make up for lost time with her new great grandkids.


After lunch, we needed to find a nice, calm place where we could trade Christmas presents. Thankfully, there's a really fun little duck pond right next to her house.

This is where the fun really began.

Apparently this park discourages people from feeding the birds. I guess the birds get too fat, sit on the water too long, and then muck it up with all their excess poops.

Unfortunately (or fortunately if you're a duck) - I guess everyone disregards this guideline, because these ducks and geese were very used to being fed.





Enter this guy.

I've never seen a duck like this one before. I swear, somewhere in the past some kid lost his favorite dog and it got reincarnated as a duck.

He panted. He invaded our privacy. He even wagged his tail when he got excited!





It was hilarious.

All in all, it was a really wonderful day. We all ate more than we should have, marveled at a man who spun knives way too well, and made friends with a duck with severe species identity issues.

I think more than anything, days like that make me feel so very thankful.




I'm thankful for my beautiful wife, and the joy she's given me by letting me be a part of her world.

I'm thankful for my amazing kids, and getting to share experiences with them - and feeling how palpable their excitement can be when things surprise them.

I'm thankful for my grandma, and all I've learned from her.



I'm guess I'm also thankful, because now I know that if I die and come back as a duck - I know where to go to get spoiled.