Good 'Ol Family Time in Ohio

Charlie's grandmother is 96 years old and she is an amazingly bright woman for her age (nice! super-hubby comes from good, healthy genes). We drove up north to Toledo (164 miles from Charlie's parents house in Dayton) to visit her and I have to say I was quite taken with her gentle demeanor and sharp mind; she makes growing older look like a cake walk. She keeps her minds stimulated by sewing. While we were visiting her in the retirement home, an employee knocked on her door and asked if she could fix a clothing item for him. She looked at it and said, "Why yes, I can fix this...come back before you leave for work." She showed us her sewing room/bedroom, with hundreds of spools of thread hanging on her wall, and she gave us a few baby blankets she had hand-sewn (to be cherished by us and the little girl that will soon be dancing in our arms).


We also made time to meet Charlie's uncle Joel and aunt Sally in Toledo and the BIG doggy...Dane.

Ohio Wedding Celebration

Charlie and his Ohio boys!

Another wedding cake...another messy face.

After Christmas in Colorado, we packed our bags and flew to Ohio for quality time with Charlie's family and another wedding celebration. The best way to get married is to go international and then you have the excuse of having more parties at home. We decided to have not one, but two wedding celebrations to make travel easier for all of our friends and family. The Ohio wedding celebration was held in a wooden barn turned into a cozy party venue at Benham's Grove. The Christmas tree was still sparkling and an amazing spread of food (thanks Bonnie & Bill) took center stage. Highlights of the intimate evening included meeting all of Charlie's relatives, eating the delicious food (and not feeling like I was going to toss my cookies), and seeing Charlie so happy and at peace in "his" element.

Road Trip to Ohio.

In the U.S., Martin Luther King is celebrated every year with a three-day weekend. This year, King's birthday weekend, January 14-18, consisted of an 8 hour drive up north to visit Charlie's homeland...Ohio. I always love a good road trip with good music, good conversation, and the lovely country side and this trip did not disappoint. The drive up to Ohio takes you through the beautiful national forest in Tennessee and Kentucky before arriving in Cincinnati. Charlie had the drive all planned out, including where we would stop for dinner. The problem was that he had never been on a road trip with me. Thus, he quickly found out NOT to buy me tea or let me drink any sort of liquid beverage, otherwise we would be stopping every 45 minutes to visit the local toilets. Oh, the joys of having a bladder of a small dove! Despite numerous stops, we arrived at a yummy dinner location in Lexington, Kentucky, Alfalfa's. A delicious veggie plate, salad, and soup (woohoo, for a plants-based diet) filled our bellies and we were ready for Ohio.

The trip was great; I got a glimpse into the real Charlie as I met all of his childhood buddies and saw where he grew up. We spent a few days with his parents and I even managed to put in a few hours of writing.

Ever since I have known Charlie...he has talked up this amazing "international market", a.k.a. Jungle Jim's, in Ohio. Of course I had to see it with my own eyes. What an experience...food from around the world, bathrooms made of port-a-potties, singing (plastic) pirates, and a produce section that would make any vegetarian foam at the mouth. We left with goodies from around the world and some homemade salsa that was out-of-this-world-delicious!