Fun and Friends in Ohio

We have been in Ohio for almost a week. We drove up with the Trimble's last Monday (2nd)....stayed overnight in St Louis, and then after a trip to their zoo, went the rest of the way to Lima, OH to see where Kelly grew up. Jeff and Dail and the bigger boys went in one van and Kelly and I and the youngest kids went in the other van...for most of the trip anyway. It was great fun to have 12 hours of time in the car to talk! We never ran out of things to say either....which is probably no surprise for anyone who knows the two of us. We all had an incredible time at Kelly's parents' home. We spent most of our time eating, visiting, and watching our boys swing on their tree swing. The day after the fourth, we drove to Wooster, OH to visit our friends, the Welkers. We are still here, and will be leaving Tuesday morning. We've been deep in Amish land here...and even had an amazing evening at an Amish farm. The people who built Rodd and Martha's new house are Amish, and invited us out for a wagon ride. It was like taking a step back in time in another culture. Uriah's beautiful daughter, Regina, gave Aidan his own buggy ride as she led their pony and cart. Oh what I would have given to be brave enough to ask to take a photo!!! Then he gave all of us a ride in his wagon, pulled by two large draft looking horses. As we rode, Rodd asked questions of Uri about his Amish life, his work, and what he does for leisure. It was simply facinating! At the end, Rodd asked if they would mind if we took any photos - and he said that it was fine. They don't want "portraits" taken, but a few shots of their wagon was acceptable. I left there honestly thinking we are crazy for all the amenities we think we *need* in life, and how fortunate they are that they spend their time together as family, not being interrupted by cell phones, computers, emails, etc.

I will post pictures of our trip after I get home, as I can't figure out how to reduce a picture on Rodd's computer. For now, from Ohio - we'll return to Texas soon if we don't decide to give up everything and start a simple life here! :) Oh! And PLEASE write a comment if you are the 1000th person to visit my blog!! I'm on 995 right now!