Memorial Day weekend was a weekend she knew she wanted to get out of town. Her city was always overrun with tourists (especially on holiday weekends), so getting out was the best way to ensure a restful weekend. Unsure of where to go, she suddenly remembered that her coworker and his wife live in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. "I've never been to OKC!" she thought. A few weeks passed and a couple of phone calls and text conversations later, she bought her tickets. She was going to get to cross another state off of her list!

Cassidy Rich

The sweet thing about this couple is that they treat her like another one of their daughters. Spending a weekend with them wasn't weird or awkward at all. It was like staying with family. Now, you might be thinking, "Who would want to spend Memorial Day weekend in the middle of America, in tornado alley, with a couple that aren't even relatives?" Well, she wanted to, and so she did.

Cassidy Rich

You might also be thinking, "Is there even anything to do in OKC?" Oh, yes, there is. On Saturday, we went to the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, remembering the 168 lives lost on April 19, 1995, when a bomb went off in the front o the Alfred P. Murrah building. Before 9/11 in 2001, this was the worst terror attack in U.S. history. She especially felt a connection to the bombing because it happened on the day she was born. Granted, she was born almost 500 miles away in a small southwestern town, but still, it was special to see the memorial. Besides the tornado warnings and the torrential amounts of rain that Oklahoma was getting that weekend, she was there, it was so much fun to see a part of the country that most people don't give a second thought towards.

Cassidy Rich

What else is there to do in Oklahoma City? Well, there is a Ferris wheel in Wheeler Park that overlooks the river that connects to Lake Hefner. Lake Hefner has a beautiful shoreline dotted with restaurants and a little yacht club. Eating dinner on the lake and watching the boats and sailors go by was so relaxing and enjoyable. Oh, and believe it or not, OKC has a lighthouse! That's right, there is a lighthouse in middle America on Lake Hefner. Feeling all nautical and summery on the weekend that notoriously kicks off summer, she decided to take J. Crew models pics out by the lake. She believes her modeling career is just beginning (just kidding, that lifestyle is so not for her). Being silly in photos, though? That definitely is for her.

Cassidy Rich

So, are you planning a weekend getaway somewhere? Want to go somewhere that is not a popular destination, but has a ton of heart and feels like 'merica? Go to the Midwest, middle America, the flyover country. Go where the wheat is grown, where the beating heart of America resides. Where people are truly friendly to strangers and they don't honk at you the moment the light turns green. Go where there are tornado warnings. It'll put an extra "adventure" additive in your weekend getaway. Going to the place where most people just flyover will make you appreciate America more. She knows it for sure did that for her.

Cassidy Rich