What a FLAVULOUS Trip to London!!!

Is it gone already?! Ahh, it was so great. Great indeed. Here are the details about all the wonderfulness that was our November trip to London:

I love London. It loves me. That's all you need to know. But I'll share all the intimate details anyway. We arrived Thursday, Nov. 11th in the afternoon, found our way to our lovely hotel near Wembley Stadium, took a nap, showered (I probably would have held out for one more day, but Ben made me do it)and then went down to Covent Gardens to see all the Christmas decorations and grab a bite to eat at a local pub
Ben at the pub


One new thing I learned about London which makes me love it even more than before -- since they don't have Thanksgiving (not that I DON'T love that holiday), they start decorating and prepping and celebrating the Christmas Season right after Veteran's Day. AWESOME. Can't we Americans just skip the turkey decor and go for the glitter and lights? We could still celebrate Turkey Day, just forgo all the gourds. Right?!?!? Anyone else in on this?

Anywho, after the pub, we went to visit my brother Gerry and his family at their flat in London. Sadly, all the kiddies were in bed, but it was great to hang out with them. Laurent and Kerrie were already there as well. Good times. Traveling is great. Traveling with family is even better.

On Friday, we slept in. Ahhh. I LOVE vacation. And then we met up with Gerry & Rachel and Laurent & Kerrie at a fancy shmancy french restaurant named Pied a Terre. Yum. The amuse bouches at this restaurant were divine. They trumped some of the menu items I'd ordered (which could be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it). Carrot mousse, Foie Gras between sesame wafers.... what's not to like? I still dream about that soup.

Then we took a walk over to my favorite museum in London -- the Tate Britain. Tragically the Lady of Shalott (my favorite there) was not on display, nor was April in Love and all of my other damsels in distress from the pre-raphaelite artists.

Lady of Shalott












April in Love

But I made friends with several other lovely paintings, so it's ok.













This picture, which is incredibly detailed, is actually this small:




















This is one of two large, decommissioned planes on display. This one, though you can't tell, had the painted pattern of feathers all over (very cool). But my biggest question was, "How on earth did they get it inside the museum?"

That night we went back to the flat and played Wii until more of the clan arrived. In came Jon & Anne and Emilie & Dustin (along with baby Camille) at last. Yeah!! We ordered Indian food and fried chicken and hung out till we were in danger of missing the last tube ride back to the hotel (around 12).

Saturday -- Th WEDDING DAY!!! I woke up incredibly early. I got up with inexplicable amounts of energy and went running around Wembley Stadium. Then we got ready. Subsequently, numerous hilarious events occurred that could have prevented many of us from making it to anywhere we needed to be. Miraculously, everyone made it to the hotel near Victoria Station for lunch (except the wedding couple, who were out taking pictures). New additions to the party who arrived that morning: Bob, my parents and Erika's parents. Lunch was lovely -- even though the hot chocolate was luke warm. I had a ravioli dish and other people had some kind of a filet mignon kind of dish. Yum.:)
Pictures of Lunch:

A few of my very good-looking brothers


More of the party


Camille, the little food thief under the table

Off to the train we went after lunch and traveled out to Surrey, where the London Temple is. At the temple we waited. And waited. We took an informal (and incomplete) family photo while we waited:


At last the lovely couple arrived and we took some pictures. Erika and Jeff looked cute and lovey. Camille took a special liking to me, for some reason, so I got to carry her around for a while as everyone posed for the photographers. Adorable and endearing. Except less adorable in the 4+ inch most painful and sparkly pair of shoes I've ever owned.See below (mine are the silver one's and Rachel's are the very sassy animal print -- almost as uncomfortable as far as I could tell, but just as fabulous).



Finally, the wedding ceremony! The temple ceremony was the shortest ceremony we have ever witnessed. It took all of 15 minutes. Talk about a quickie wedding! :) And suddenly, they were married. Tada!




Then back to the train to go to the fancy hotel for the wedding dinner/reception. A couple of Jeff's friends from law school arrived, which was delightful. And the food, as you can probably guess, was amazing. As Ben likes to remind me, when my family gets together it's all about the food. Jeff & Erika had a very pretty cake made with a Tiffany's box on top and cute little mini cakes all around.









By the end of the night I was completely crippled by my shoes and my family tortured me unduly by encouraging me to travel with them on the tube to get back to the hotel instead of taking a very civil taxi ride. I was convinced by them, for some unknown reason, and hobbled all the way home. And yes, despite this, I still really like those shoes. Boots are made for walking. Sparkly 4" heels are made for taxi rides.

Sunday, we walked to the church, stayed for sacrament meeting at Gerry's ward and then those of us that were staying at the hotel high-tailed it back so we could grab our bags from our rooms and check out before noon. Off to Gerry's flat we went to eat, nap and play for the rest of the day. Everyone else arrived and joined in too, of course-- just a little later. Then off to Gerry's rental flat, where we stayed for the rest of our trip.

On Monday, Ben & I went to the Tower of London to see all kinds of things. Among them -- the fancy crown jewels, the lawn where Ann Boleyn was beheaded (along with a host of other unlucky people) and the inside of a proper old church. You can't go to Europe and not step inside an old church.

Panorama of the Tower of London from the outside


A memorial at the tower green for everyone who'd lost their head there.




carvings made by the prisoners locked inside the towers.


Ben looking handsome at the Tower of London (he dressed up so we would be allowed in to the restaurant for lunch afterwards)

Then we met some family for lunch at Claridge's Gordon Ramsay restaurant. All about the food, all about the food. I ate pork belly and cheek for the first time.. and LIKED IT. Weird, I know. The rest of the meal wasn't so bad either. And the toilets were very pretty. If you ever go, don't miss visiting the loo. Later, we went shopping around Covent Gardens again with Jon & Anne and I bought a delightful knock-off Armani handbag. Yeah for useful & good-looking souvenirs!

I forgot to mention before, but we also went to go see Wicked that night. What a show!! Loved it. I want to see it again. Not just because it was good, but also because everyone we went with was comparing the cast we saw to previous casts they had seen. They made me incredibly curious about all these other casts they were talking about. Loved, loved, loved it though -- I'm more than happy to "need" to see it again. :)




Tuesday Ben and I went to Bath. William Wilberforce and Jane Austen used to live there (not together). We saw the roman baths (quite incredible).





This was over the temple inside the grounds of the Roman Baths; a tribute to Minerva.


Steam rising up from the baths below


Ben & I having a lovely time


These bricks were constructed like so underneath the floors to allow steam to pass through and heat the floor that would have been placed right overtop of the piles of brick.


One last look at the naturally steamy baths


A video of me giving an educational tutorial about the drain at the roman baths. I should be an educator. I'm so good at video tutorials.

We also ate soup & sandwiches in the Pump Room. And I had Egyptian peppermint tea. Mmmm.

Ben in the Pump Room

We also napped at the library (we were tired). We shopped. It was all very lovely. But then we realized we should have booked our departure train much earlier. We were done by 5 and couldn't leave until 8:30. And the shops were all closed by 6pm. What to do, what to do. We milled around and then got dinner. And then we at last went back. Not the best way to spend your last night in England, but oh well.

Wednesday -- you guessed it -- we traveled home. I got to see the movie, "Temple Grandin" on the flight home -- SO GOOD!! I also sat next to an older missionary lady who was traveling back from Africa. She was very nice. Unfortunately, she also smelled like old lady, so it took me the first couple hours of our 8 hour flight to stop noticing. Not so nice. You win some, you lose some.

And then we were back at work on Thursday. How quickly it comes and goes. It was so fun to see everyone. So nice to have a break. So nice to be back in London. I can't wait till we do it again!

Of course, I would have expected my co-blogger to post something on HIS trip to London, being that it WAS his wedding and all. However, he seems to be otherwise occupied. Go figure.

Update for October

Ok, I have been chastised for not updating. It's not going to be pretty or poignant, but since my blog posts are neither of those things typically, I won't feel bad about that.

Happenings Over the Last Month:

1) I took a blast class. It was a 4 credit class in marketing and I had to go to school from 8-5pm on Friday & Saturday, two weeks in a row, and then finish a somewhat large, consuming marketing plan project by the end of the following week. It really wasn't so bad and I liked studying marketing. Of course, it's easier to say it wasn't so bad now that it's over.

2) I went to SLC on a whirlwind tour for my soon-to-be sister-in-law's bridal shower. It was a very quick trip. Sorry for not seeing anybody. I flew into SLC at 12am Sat. morning & went to my parents' house and went to bed, woke up at a more reasonable hour, got supplies, set up for the party, visited my in-laws for a 1/2 hour, came back, hosted the party (with my family, of course,who helped out immensely), went to my already-sister-in-law's house for family dinner, went to bed, woke up on Sunday, went to church and then flew home. it was fun to see everyone and, believe it or not, I felt like that was more of a weekend than a lot of other weekends (see prior happenings for the month for reference).

3) I got a job offer from another department at UC. It was the position that I had originally applied for when I first interviewed here -- grant administrator 2. Glamorous, no? I was very excited about the offer. Unfortunately, they made a dismally LOW offer and I decided that I would turn it down and stay in my lowly position of program coordinator for now. What can I say? I've had better offers. I anticipate I will have better offers in the future. So, yes HR. You can keep your ever-so-generous, mandatory 5% raise and give it to somebody else who values themselves as little as you do. Good luck with that(Me, bitter? NOooooo. Ok, maybe a little. but I really was glad to get offered the job. I swear.).

4) I am still in an accounting class. I have a midterm tomorrow and while I have studied for it somewhat, I have been spending exponentially more time procrastinating my studying. I can't wait till tomorrow night when it's over, stress goes away and I can go back to not procrastinating until my next test/project.

5) I am still totally stoked to be going to London in less than a month. Jefe and Erika are getting married! And we are going on VACATION!!! :) I need silver close-toed pumps, however, and am having the hardest time finding a cute pair that is reasonably priced. Dilemmas, dilemmas. Finding the dress was so much easier. Funny -- I encountered the same exact problem before MY wedding. It seems apparent that I am, most definitely, a shoe girl. (in case anyone was doubting that fact)

6) Ben's parents have bought tickets and they are, for SURE, coming out to visit us for Thanksgiving!!!! I am SO stoked. We hardly ever get visitors. And for Thanksgiving! I've never really had to prepare a Thanksgiving meal before, so it should be interesting. I find it all very exciting -- the turkey, the stuffing, gravy. Oh, and having Ben's parents around to hang out with. JUST kidding - that's actually the best part. I think it's going to be totally fun. Can't wait!

7) I had a birthday and, lucky enough for Ben, my favorite present is to go shopping. I know, I know. I require so little thought & effort from my husband. What can I say? I want what I want. And I happen to believe there's a 99% chance no one else knows exactly what I want better than I do. I went shopping last week and victoriously came home with more than I should have. I heart successful shopping trips. Now I just have to return half of it. :) (Oh, and thank you for all the happy birthdays. If you texted me or called, I'm sorry not to have gotten back to you in a more timely manner. I left my cell phone at the store during said shopping trip and didn't have it around for two days).

8) I drove up to Granville, Ohio last Friday to promote our graduate program at a grad fair. it is one of the most beautiful, sleepy towns and it has AMAZING fall colors. It's much more drabby down here in Cincinnati, so the drive up there was a great treat.

9) Okay, so this isn't something that's "happened" really, but I'm still excited about it. Ben & I have been doubling down on our car payments ( I took out a 60 month loan on my Subaru when I bought it in 2008) and we are now only 7.3 months away from being car loan free! I love, love, love this prospect and I can hardly wait.

10) My dear renter, Earvin, decided he was leaving me last month after his lease expired. It kinda stressed me out a little because I was afraid we wouldn't get another renter right away. And I was afraid we would go back to doing shortterm rentals, which is a lot more to manage. Good news -- we found a new renter and with multi-year renting potential and the rental periods are seamlessly close. I love it when things work out this way. Whenever stuff like this works out this well, I can't help thinking, " I'm so glad I pay tithing." It may not be a direct blessing of tithing, but you never know. It just might be. And, in any case, I'm very grateful that investment hasn't blown up in my face quite yet. :)

If I Just Talk Enough You Will Give In And Agree With Me

Dan Gaffney Audio: Christine O’Donnell for Senate Interview

Making the Most of It

This week, I had the honor of hearing a presentation from Julie Isphording. She was a marathon runner in the Olympics. Her life story was one of perseverance, hard work, optimism, tragecy, struggle and victory. Her overall message was one of taking risks, accepting reality, changing, finding new goals and living a life that accommodates your need for happiness and passion in life. It was INCREDIBLY cool. It's nice to encounter inspiring people who show you how it's done. Thanks for that.

Life Lessons From a Very Crappy Week

Things have been very tumultuous at my job lately. And they have been tumultuous before (I'm starting to notice a pattern). And as I'm sure you can understand, frequent episodes of upheaval and personal attack seem to cause me...mmm, distress. Regardless, I get up every day, put on my big girl panties, and go to my job to face the day. So far, it hasn't killed me and, shockingly enough, I have not yet run out of "big girl panties" (as a faithful Mormon, I try to keep a healthy stock of all emergency needs, including the panties.)

I've mostly felt frustrated, battered, angry, let down, sad, threatened and unjustifiably persecuted (if I thought it was justified then I'd be in REALLY bad shape). I was feeling pretty pit-poor yesterday. Probably the worst thus far. And I was feeling shocked and pit-poor the day before (though I'm not sure why I was shocked. As I mentioned, this happens at my job frequently enough that I should see it coming by now). I don't like being treated in this manner for the simple crime of having done my job. Dealing with people's egos appears to be akin to walking through a minefield. You can inadvertently step on one at any time, and when you do it will blow up all over you.

Today, I went to the gym for my lunch break, which I have not done in a couple weeks. I wasn't sure what I was doing there because I did not have any mojo in me to run or work out. But I knew I needed to get out of my office. And I figured, even if I didn't feel like it, I could walk. And as I pressed the button to accelerate my walking speed to "actually moving", I figured I could just TRY to run. I ran for 20 minutes at a nice light pace. And it felt good. I spent the whole time day-dreaming about my accuser being in a court room on the stand and me lambasting them for their foolish and incorrect arguments and accusations. I probably could have gone for a lot longer than 20 minutes. But, as I mentioned, I hadn't been running for two weeks. No need to get carried away. It was a refreshing run. Sometimes it's nice to know that even if you don't think you have it in you, if you try, you just might surprise yourself. I was grateful to find that.

Another thing I'm grateful for -- emotional exhaustion. I was really upset Wednesday. And quite demoralized yesterday. But today -- I'm really just too tired to care all that much. Subsequently, I feel a bit of relief. On occasion, a little bit of apathy can go a long way.

Tomorrow morning I am going to a rhythm & motion class at the Cincinnati Ballet with my friend Bette. I am going to salsa, leap and swing my hips. It's my effort to put an end to what has heretofore been a very crappy week. Goodbye week. Thank you for the survival lessons. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Perspective

Very recently, I have been approaching life experiences as something to be endured and trudged through. And then, after I have "survived" or "gotten through it", I will then emerge on the other end with a notch on my belt or a check on my list. I have just realized how incredibly, unbelievably inaccurate this view is.

While I do hope to "survive", it is not me that will emerge on the other end -- at least not me as I am right now. And a life experience isn't just endured (even if it's one you'd rather forgo). It is, ironically, to be experienced. It is something that at least should, and probably will, change you. And at the other end of the experience, while you will emerge, it will be a different you. One that will never be the same.

So, I guess what that means is I should choose my experiences carefully. While I can probably endure anything, and the experience will end, I will still have to live with whatever me emerges at the end of it.

Moving Towards an End

I am dutifully,
sometimes mechanically, working
moving towards
the welcome end of an age
waiting for it to be easier
waiting for the sunshine to be brighter
for my sown seeds to show better promise
even if it is September

Unsettling to know
this is an easy road.
Easy for someone else
so absurd that I am so ill-suited
for my own tasks
why don't I find my way
to some other road
full of daisies and sweet smells

I don't think I am here
only for daisies and sweet smells
and I've heard it said that
things smell sweeter
when you know what it is
to be without their perfume
for me, when I reach that road
the daisies will be glorious and the smell very sweet

Trying to Find the Right Words

Sometimes I find myself in conversation with friends and need to explain something about my religion. And I find myself, in these moments, fumbling for verbiage that people not familiar with the mormon faith might be accustomed to. The problem is, I'm not sure what their lingo is. And I'm quite certain it's not mormon lingo.

For example, I'm pretty sure that only in mormon circles is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints synonymous with "The Church". I think saying that in other places could be odd (if not downright offensive).

And what about "callings". Do other churches have callings? I DO try to refer to my "ward" as my "congregation" or "church". But that one is easier than other translations. Most translations really aren't very easy. I know there are other people who go to church and they can relate to my involvement with my faith because they are also involved with churches and faiths of their very own. But they all seem to understand each other, even if they're not of the same faith. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like our terminology is a lot funkier. And more prolific.

Who came up with all these funny names and terms anyway? Wards, stakes, branches, callings, endowments, high counselors, home teachers, FHE. Somebody was just saying to me the other day that they thought it was odd that we (us mormon folk) always refer to kids as "young men" and "young women". And I hadn't even thought of that one! But once they mentioned it, I had to admit, it's a kind of dated terminology. And yet, I almost can't NOT use it. It's so familiar, so ingrained. But if I think about it, it's kind of a silly thing to call 15 year old boys, "young men". I mean, they GO to "Young Men's", but can't they just be teenagers, kids, adolescents... something? Why do I not use these words? Okay, maybe it's not silly to use that phrase. And it does describe the name of the actual organization. But when speaking about teenage boys from church in general terms, do I have to refer to them as, "one of the young men?" (because apparently I do.) It just sounds a little stuffy, perhaps.

We have a lot of terms. All things considered, I'm surprised we didn't come up with another name for baptism and the sacrament. Then we could really be hard to understand. Maybe I will get together with someone of another religious persuasion and they can help me develop a guidebook with phrases and terms that other faiths are familiar with that we could use as substitutes. This would make it a lot easier to communicate and speak matter-of-factly about day-to-day religious topics without confusing people of other faiths with our odd terminology. And I do mean odd.

I know we're supposed to be a peculiar people and all, but did we HAVE to take it so far? I'm just sayin....

Don't get me wrong. I'm not really upset about all the terminology. I'm just somewhat challenged in my efforts to talk with greater ease about church matters as I talk in passing with non-mormon friends and colleagues. And I notice, often, that what I was about to say was something that would make absolutely no sense to anyone who doesn't attend my church.

Uncharted Waters

Life is always changing. I love it for that. And sometimes I hate it for that. As I grow older, and try to grow a little wiser, I try to make sense of where I'm going and where I've been. Of course, where I am is also a good place to look.

I'm working away at school and work. I'd like to finish my MBA. I think it's a good thing to do. And Ben and I are working on building up savings and paying off debts ( my car loan is the big ticket right now).

I still consider myself as being in an adjustment period, despite the fact that I have now lived in Cincinnati and been married for almost 2 years. I think I will always be in an adjustment period, no matter how long I'm married for or where I live.

My independent streak doesn't die easy. There are some things I love about the single life. I lived it for so long. By its very nature, it lends itself to a lot of personal indulgence and even decadence. Married life has its own decadence, but there's no question that you give up some personal freedoms and, for me, a certain amount of irresponsibility that I felt entitled to while single. I'm so much more responsible when married. It's by all measures a good thing, but it's still different. I haven't gotten a speeding ticket married -- good thing. I haven't gone on an unplanned, unfettered or unrestrained shopping spree either -- probably also good but much less fun. I haven't gone missing for an entire Saturday, doing whatever I fancied and telling no one, since married. I will cease and desist in the things I miss about my life as a single girl. Suffice it to say, a few past indulgences are missed.

Now that I have my own family, my place at church has also changed. Before, I was single and I dwelt in a realm of singles at church. Now I am a married. And while I dwell among married people, I also dwell (pretty exclusively) around married's who have children. Ah, yes.... children.

I was in a gospel doctrine class in my home ward in NJ last week and heard a poignant comment made by my old YW President, "we tend to think of ourselves as exceptions to the rule." I could be a little paranoid, but some things I've read in the Ensign and church lesson plans, and things mentioned in conversations I've had with close friends and family, were ringing in my ears when I heard that. Most notably:

"you shouldn't put off having children."
"Don't wait to have children until you think you can afford them".
"You shouldn't put your career before children."

Are you noticing a theme? People haven't necessarily said it just like that, and for the most part my family has been very unjudgmental (at least to my face) about our not having children yet. But advice is advice and the Apostles of the Church tend not to mince words. And in one way or another, It's obvious that I am guilty of all of these things. Up until about 2 years ago, I waited to have kids because I wasn't married. That's a really good reason, in my opinion. And by the time I got married, I had at least a couple of things I wouldn't have had if I'd gotten married earlier (mostly, I think of my car loan and mortgage). So, I tend to think of myself as a little bit of an exception. But I have other friends who were married around my age. And I am hard-pressed not to notice that they have children or/and are pregnant. Their reality is proof -- I COULD go ahead and have a kid. The real crux of the matter -- I don't think I want to yet. And I admit to wanting things to be, "just so" before I have children. I don't know if it's really ok or if it sets me off as going on a path that would be better diverted. But I find myself on this path all the same.

Here I am, 30, married, acquiring my 3rd degree, working full-time and still marveling at, learning from and watching the morphing of this thing called marriage. I have hopes of being a working mom, and of having adorable children to cart off to Primary on Sunday who cling to me for comfort, like I see children do with their parents. It all looks very appealing in my daydreams.

But in the literal, less day-dreamy, version, it is a very binding thing to become a mother. And in consideration of how responsible I've become since I got married, there's only one direction I can go with the gravitas of motherhood. I don't know how much more responsible I can stand to be. I fear I might get lost somewhere along the way. Moms do that. And I really like me, meaty thighs and all... as egotistical as that sounds. As far as I can tell, I'm the best me I've ever had.

And then, even aside from whether I'd be a happy mom, there's the other end of it: would I be a good mom? I know I'd get the kids clothed. I'm pretty sure I'd bathe them regularly, make them brush their teeth and make sure they're fed healthy food and are educated. But those are all task-oriented things. I'm good at check-lists. There is more than check-lists to parenthood.

I have lost a lot of my playfulness in my embracing of adulthood, and, admittedly, I lack understanding for the unreasonable things that children do. I think I will not be the most empathetic or fun mother. I will probably be a party pooper and sometimes stern. I may even be impatient. For some reason, I have an overarching fear that I will be like my grandmother. I feared my grandmother. My most clear recollection of her is having her reprimand me for whispering in the back seat of her car shortly after she had reprimanded me for talking... in the back seat of her car. Ok, so I don't think I'd do that. And I know I can be a fun adult. But I'm not sure I'm much of a fun mom. I suppose I can relinquish funness to Ben. Is it ok for a kid to only have one fun parent?

My past years have brought me many opportunities. For the last 10 years, I was left with the task of being a responsible, independent, self-sufficient, happy adult. I already started to wend my way through this life. I am no blank slate. I take ownership of that path and I have appreciated who it has helped me become. But what about this new job? Admittedly, I'm a little timid and reticent to totally let go of what I know. I'm fumbling and procrastinating the inevitability of my retirement. I'm bracing myself before relinquishing my past career as an unfettered female. I suppose you could fault me for wanting to leave things "just so" before I start on this next journey. But part of me think it's fair that after all those years, I should be able to leave things neatly and finish a few things up. After all, I didn't exactly choose to be single all those years. And that time wasn't a little part of me. Right now, although I know it's temporary, it seems like it's a whole lot of me. I marvel most at how free-wheeling my friends are in letting go of it. I don't know how they do it.

I'd like my life to be moving in a happy direction. And as I walk this path, I hope, above all else, that it is the right direction. It's anybody's guess. I haven't wended this way before and it's nobody else's way but my own. It could be alright. It could be all wrong. But note taken -- I'll try not to take exception to too many rules.

Plastic Surgery -- Should It Be So Taboo?

I was just looking at a gleaming photo of Chelsea Clinton and I noticed her perfect smile, obtained by painstaking years of braces. Suddenly, I had a question come to mind that I'd never really thought of before, but which suddenly seemed relevant.

What is the difference between braces and plastic surgery? Of course, I realize lipo can be life-threatening. But both are, for most people, done purely for aesthetic preference. And both cost a lot. But tell me truly -- what is the difference between getting braces versus any other single procedure aimed at altering your physical appearance?

And, no, I'm not actually looking into getting plastic surgery. I just like to ask these kinds of questions.

Hiking in the Ohio

Ben and I have gone hiking twice this year, so far. Both times, we were happily surprised to find impressive scenery. One of the great things about Ohio is that the landscape is so GREEN!!! Humidity only has a few perks -- 1) you don't need as much lotion. 2) moss grows everywhere and makes for very colorful and vibrant landscapes. Our first hike was back in April to a place called Bryant Park.

(Ben hiking through the mossy rocks)

I really loved taking pictures of a lot of the things that grew there


Here's me at the beginning of our trek

Here is a cool picture of a rock that looks like it was split by the trees growing in between:


WE most recently went to Hocking Hills State Park for July 4th Weekend. We actually camped out, thanks to our new fabulous tent (we forgot to take a picture of that). We made eggs for breakfast that morning. And here is one happy camper:


We started out that morning with a 6 mile hike from Old Man's Cave to Cedar Falls and then came back again via the Upper Falls Trail. The difference in landscape is so dramatic from anywhere else we've seen out here! Here's the start where it opens up into Old Man's Cave (named so because a reclusive old man made this place his home in the 1800's)


There were trees growing upside down in the canyon. It was cool to see how they maneuvered and found their way to the sun:




























The trees also liked to grow right over the rocks. It was really cool to see their rootwork:








Crazy, right!?! There were also a lot of butterflies flying through the gorge. One of them sat down on the ground for some cameo close-ups:




I couldn't control my urge to want to get some tall landscapes in this place It was just such a deep place, and the trees were so tall and cool. I wanted to try to capture that. (Besides, I love the stitch feature on my camera. I think it's cool.):
























Another remarkable feature of this hike: how well groomed and carefully crafted it was. The stonework made me feel like I was visiting Helms Deep from Lord of the Rings (I know, I'm a total nerd).









There was a whole lot of green, as you can tell. But there was also some amazing contrast in color in some of the rocks. We wondered how on earth those colors got there.







An indispensable feature for any awesome hike is WATERFALLS! This hike did not disappoint. Here is what they called Lower Falls:



Here's a video of us at Whispering Falls (sorry that it's sidewise. I thought I'd be able to flip it later just like a photo. Apparently not.)


And here's Cedar Falls (fun fact: there are no cedar trees here. They are hemlock trees. But the people who got here first and named the place didn't know that)



Ben found a tree he wanted to hang out it. We recommend, if you try the same thing, to bring something to brush away the spiderwebs first; :)



All that hiking made us very hungry. Ben was especially hungry. Here's a picture of his perfectly-cooked hobo meal (he was very proud):


It was huge. If you need a proportional comparison, here's a picture of Ben's HUGE hobo meal next to my normal-sized hobo meal:



We finished the day with exploring the area by car (one can only hike for so long) and then heading into Logan, Ohio to watch the fireworks. I was grateful for many things that July 4th. I am grateful for a country that preserves cool places like this. I am also grateful for the small towns who live near them so I can buy an Icee on a hot day. I am grateful for fireworks ( they were totally cool. Sorry we forgot to take pic's of that!). And I am incredibly grateful I do not live way out there and that there are places like Cincinnati to return to. You know, places with shopping and fancy restaurants and shows to go see. What can I say? You can take the girl out of the city, but.....