Ohio Trivia: Barns

Artist Scott Hagan, a free-lance barn painter, painted a bicentennial logo on a barn in each of Ohio's 88 counties in 2003 in honor of Ohio’s 200th birthday. This is the Lorain County barn and was the 27th barn to be painted. See more Ohio barns here.

(Photo By teacherholly on Flickr)

And the answer is...

Time spent at Cedar Point: 13 hours.

Total coasters in the park: 17. (It is the "Coaster Capital of the Planet.")

Number of coasters we didn't ride: Only 3. (They are "kiddie" coasters. We are way too mature to ride those.)

Total coaster rides for the day: 18. (We rode several coasters two times.)

We rode other rides as well as watching a few shows.

The value of spending an entire, fun-filled day with Burrito, Kat and my nephew: Truly priceless!

The answer to my other question: NO! I am NOT too old for this!!!

And now, if you'll excuse me... I'm going to soak my tired body in a hot bath and go to bed. Because if I don't, I may not be able to move tomorrow.

(Fun stories and pictures next week after we return home.)

Am I too old for this?

Thursday: Cedar Point.
How many coasters can we ride in one day? Give me your best guess and I’ll let you know if you’re right!

All my bags are packed...

All my bags are packed. I'm ready to go. I'm standing here outside your door. I hate to wake you up to say goodbye. I'm leavin' on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again.

Well, actually I do know - 10 days! (And now that song is going to be stuck in my head!)

The kiddos and I are off to Ohio this morning to visit my family. I'll be checking in throughout our time there and I'll blog if I have the opportunity. Otherwise, I'll return with lots of memories and pictures to share.

What do we have planned? Visiting relatives, playing with cousins, sleepovers with cousins, a dip in Lake Erie, flea markets, movies, all day at Cedar Point (the coaster capital of north America!), girls night out with the Queen Mum and my sister, and lots of hugs with people we love!

Blessings!

Dad, Happy Father's Day!

Dad, for the times...

… you called me Punkin. A silly name to be sure, but it made me feel loved and special.

… you worked jobs you didn’t like because you embraced your responsibility to provide for us. You instilled a strong work ethic in us because of it.

… you jumped out of the dark with that terrible mask and scared the breath out of all of us kids. (I keep telling Burrito and Kat that I survived your warped sense of humor, they’ll survive mine!)

… you woke me early on Saturday and took me for a ride on your motorcycle.

… you insisted I call everyone we’d ever known the night I accepted Christ as my Savior. (I know, I exaggerate – I only called the grandparents!) But, it reinforced the memory and importance of that decision.

… you made me do chores around the house, even mowing the grass and cleaning the windows. (Bet you never thought you'd hear thanks for that, did you?) I am a better housekeeper because of those lessons.

… you came to Career Day at school dressed in your flight suit. All the boys thought you were so cool and the girls said you were handsome. I was so proud that you were my dad!

… you remained faithful to Mom and showed your daughters your romantic side. One time you sent Mom a bouquet of flowers while you were in another country and the card that accompanied the flowers simply had your return flight info on it. I remember hoping that I’d have a husband like that some day.

… you’d light firecrackers on the 4th of July, insisted we stand with our hand on our heart for the pledge and participate in the singing of the national anthem. I think of these things almost every time I hang my American flag on the front of my house.

… you brought gifts back from foreign countries. I never doubted that you thought of me while you were away from home. Especially when you'd tell us that you had to give serious consideration to the offer of trading us for a few goats and some bright fabric while in Africa.

… you love my husband as your own son. You fill a void in his life and we both love you for it.

… you are the quintessential granddad to Burrito and Kat. I wish you could hear the love and admiration in their voice when they talk about you to their friends.

… you allowed me to go to school hundreds of miles from home. I am a stronger woman because of it.

… you bought me the awesome, metallic-yellow bicycle – the one with the little wheel on the front, larger wheel on the back and the “v” handle bars. That bike made me one of the “cool kids” in Northgate.

… and for all lessons, experiences and memories too numerous to list.

Happy Father's Day, Bud!

When I picture my Prince Charming as a father, this is the image that most often comes to my mind. I’ve made a photograph of Bud, Burrito and Kat in this same pose every year since the kiddos were toddlers. The beach is sometimes a different one from the prior year and sometimes the kiddos don’t remember on what “side” of dad they’re supposed to be. But the symbolism of this photo never changes. To me, it represents our life - Bud as an attentive father to our children, fun times, and the contentment of just being together.

Whenever I’m asked to describe Bud, I simply state that he is a man of integrity. He fulfills the admonishment given to Christian men in Titus 2. In this passage, Christian men are instructed to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience. A godly man is to be an example by doing good works of every kind. To speak the truth so that his words can’t be criticized and opponents will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say. He is to be an employee who always obeys his employer and does his best to please them. Godly men must not be quarrelsome or steal, but must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good so that they will make the teaching about God our Savior appealing in every way.

This is my Prince Charming, the father of our children.

Summer Vacation... Week One

Well, the first week of summer has been marked off the calendar. We stayed so busy that it sure didn’t feel like summer, though.

Burrito had one week of band camp. The purpose of this week was to introduce the incoming freshmen to the upper classmen and to the fundamentals of marching band – mostly teaching them the routine of practices and the different warm-ups that are used. The other highlight of this week is that all of the percussionists are assigned to their instrument for the coming fall. Burrito has been practicing and preparing his entire freshman year with one specific instrument in mind…

And we are now the proud parents of the marching band’s newest bass percussionist! Our band has five bass drums and this is the largest of them. Burrito is not the largest of the bass players.

Kat started her summer off in very girly fashion… getting her hair highlighted. It turned out very nice and she is pleased with it.

By the way, Max enjoys hanging around while I work on my blog.

Some posts just crack him up!

Others, not so much.