O-H-I-O!!

As usual, Ohio was an amazing week with  lots of family time.  When we first arrived we spent the weekend, Saturday and Sunday, chilling and resting and playing. The kids got reacquainted with the pool and Rosie the dog and Daisy the cat.  We kicked off the week with a big dinner at Joe and Casey's.

On our first full day of the week, we spent a lot of time at Ken and Marge's, the next door neighbors', checking out their collection of toys and assorted hobbies (antique cameras and telephones, gumball machine, mounted birds and deer, stained glass), exploring their garden (tomatoes, koi pond, homemade maple syrup), and riding their buggy across their back yard.  Lola betrayed her Hong Kong sensibilities when she asked Ken, "who owns all this space?" And when he responded, "I do " she queried again, gesturing with her arms expansively, unable to compute this concept, "but who made all this?!" 

On Tuesday we went to watch the Guardians (formerly Indians) play the Detroit Tigers in the stadium in downtown Cleveland.  It was a super cool experience as we had very comfortable seats by first base, the Guardians won, the kids got to see and hear fireworks every time there was a home run, and we won lots of things (hats, shirts, balls).

On Wednesday it was Emma's birthday, so we started off the day with their birthday tradition (numbered rainbow pancakes) and then mini golf.  Dinner was Italian - spaghetti with a delicious and great sausage and peppers tomato sauce, followed by a big group trip out to get ice cream at King Kone (must-do!).

Thursday was a huge day at the Science Center downtown, followed by couples dinner with Tommy and Jen.

And then, before we knew it, it was Friday and time to head out!  

Before we left, we managed to squeeze in a visit to pay our respect to Papa at All Saints Cemetery, try out the zipline and various outdoor challenges at Adventure Park, and then do a really lovely creek walk.

Then we were on the road, heading to the Outer Banks with a very short rest stop in Washington D.C.!  After a 5 hour drive, we pulled into Katie's apartment in Northeast and camped out in her apartment for the night.