To Do....

It's almost 4:00 p.m. and my to-do list is seriously daunting.  I've already been to the orthodontist today and taken the kiddos to lunch at First Watch (our fave!!!)...and then I rushed home to quickly pick  up the house, make the beds and get the fire revived.  I've made another batch of Reindeer Munchies and a batch of Peanut Blossoms (they're in the oven right now).  I still have to roll out the sugar cookies and bake them, get my turkey in the brine, and make 2 pans of make-ahead mashed potatoes a la The Pioneer Woman.  Yep, I'm certainly on my way, but...

I still need to clean my bathrooms.  Anytime you're having company, your bathrooms HAVE to be cleaned.

I need to find some clothes, toys, and shoes for a family who lost everything to a fire this past week.  These items need to be donated by tomorrow, so I've got to pull down those tubs and find some things tonight! 

As I said before, I need to get the mashed potatoes made and in the fridge, as well as get the turkey into the brine. 

And of course, I have to make dinner yet!  Sounds like it might be a good night for leftovers or chicken from Der Dutchman!  :)

Luckily, I already have all of my gifts bought and wrapped.  The decorating is finished, the tree looks gorgeous, and my baking is almost complete.  Looking for that silver lining...  :)

Only 3 more sleeps 'til Christmas!  Are YOU ready?!?!

Tired

I'm tired. 

There I said it.  Sometimes I am so full of boundless energy, and I can go, go, go, go, go for weeks on end...and then I hit the wall.  I think this past weekend did me in.  The past two weeks have been insane around here for various reasons...taekwondo testing, swimming lessons, Noah being sick, Christmas shopping/baking/wrapping, and to top it off, we had two family Christmases this weekend, out of town...of course.  The weekend was gone before I could blink my eyes...and while it was great to see everyone, last night went much longer than I expected and we still had an hour and a half drive home afterward.  AND it was a school night.  AND my kids had been up until at least 10:00 both nights...couldn't be helped.  So you can just imagine what bedtime was like last night, can't you?  Lots of whining, crying, over-tiredness, and lots of "I don't WANT to go to school tomorrow!!!"

That being said, once they were out...they were OUT.  Same goes for me...but I still feel like I didn't get enough sleep.  I spent the majority of my day today cleaning and catching up on laundry so that tomorrow and Wednesday the kids and I can finish up some holiday baking and wrapping.  I'm making my lists of things that need done and my schedule for the food on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (as well as appetizers and snacks in between...)!  I have a plan, and that is the important thing, right? 

How is your holiday prep shaping up?  What do you do to keep in the Spirit of Christmas while dealing with the stress of getting it all done?  I keep my tree lit as much as possible, try to do something 'Christmas-y" every day, and play endless Christmas music.  My favorite is Harry Connick Jr.'s Harry for the Holidays, but I really like my Michael Buble Christmas cd as well. 

I'm going to try to get some pics tonight of the cool little teacher gifts I picked up this year, so I can post tomorrow.  I think you'll love them...I sure do!

Only 5 more sleeps 'til Christmas!!!!  :)

Shutterfly, baby!!

Hey folks!  This is the beginning of a few posts I'm going to write on some great gift ideas I'm finding, or have found in the past.  We can all use some good ideas, right?  So why not share them and we can all give gifts that make the people who receive them smile their brightest smile?? 

First up...SHUTTERFLY!!!

You all know I love to take pictures, right?  I mean, I'm pretty sure we've established that by now.  Digital photography is awesome because we can take so many pictures and see them before we print them!  How cool is that?!  Although many people are quick to point out that with digital photography comes the caveat that most people don't print their pictures anymore.  We're all sharing them through our blogs, Facebook, emails, and various other mediums.  And I agree!  I rarely print many pictures anymore because there are so many cool things out there to do with them digitally!  And of all the companies I've used, Shutterfly remains one of my favorites.  They have a great selection, are easy to use, and their customer service is actually helpful! What a concept!  So of course, being that the Christmas season is upon us, I thought I'd share with you why Shutterfly is a favorite of mine at the holidays.

Over the past few years, I've made my Christmas cards on Shutterfly, created a few photobooks, which are ALWAYS a hit (check out this one!), had ornaments made with a favorite picture to give away at Christmastime, designed my own mousepad, and of course, I've also had pictures actually PRINTED!!!  And you know the best part?  Those are just a few of the things you can do at Shutterfly!  A few years ago, my sister 'pirated' some of my favorite pictures I had taken and made them into a photo calendar for me for Christmas.  I loved it!  Check out their designs, peeps!  The grandparents LOVE these.

I've already made my Christmas card for this year too, and I must say, it's a keeper.  I had it done in under 15 minutes, and I do believe it's my best ever!  I'm not going to link to it though, because I don't want to ruin the surprise to all who will be receiving one!  But I AM going to link to Shutterfly's holiday card designs so you can check them out for yourselves!  It's so easy and they look great!  Maybe you've already bought your Christmas cards, or you're one of those awesome scrapbookers who makes her own cards...well, guess what?  You can also create birthday cards and thank you cards on Shutterfly, as well as invitations, blank note cards, address labels, announcements...you name it, they've got it!

I typically give most of my Shutterfly purchases away, but here are a few photobooks that I made for myself...aren't they cute?

 So head on over to Shutterfly if you're having a hard time buying a gift for someone.  I guarantee you'll feel inspired to make something personal and creative!  I'm giving photobooks, photo tiles, and blank notecards to some special people this Christmas...what will you create?  Leave a comment and let me know...I love to be inspired!

Just a few random pictures...

For lack of time to do a complete rundown of what's going on around here, I thought maybe I'd just share a few pictures I've taken in the past few months.  Looking back through my old pictures, I can definitely see that I'm getting a little bit better at this photography thing, and I'm really happy about that!  Maybe all that aperture/shutter speed/ISO stuff is sinking in after all!!  Let's hope so!

This first one was taken in Savannah in October.  We were walking through Colonial Park cemetery, reading the gravestones that had been knocked over by Sherman's army in the Civil War.  When they couldn't figure out where the various stones went, they hung them on the wall of the cemetery.  It was eerie and cool all at the same time...they were all dated in the 1700 and 1800's!

 

Here are a few of Noah playing soccer this fall.  He really had a good time and worked hard!

Me and my grandma at my cousin's wedding...(my sis took this one!)

This is another picture from Savannah.  All of the downspouts in the historic district were very decorative, and I LOVED the ones like this that looked like big fish.  Isn't it neat?

And here's Noah and his best little buddy, Alex.  These two have so much fun together!

Just a random pic from out around our property...

Me and my little guy...so sweet! (Sheri took this one for me!)

And finally...Kendall Bug and my mom.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!  Blogger just gave me a message that I have just exceeded my alotted space, so I have to figure out how to proceed from here.  It may be a couple of days until I can get it figured out and post again, so bear with me.  Have a great week y'all!!!   

Nikon School and a Few Other Things

Well, since I forgot to set the clocks back last night before I went to bed (even though I told Barry before we went to bed "Hey, we don't want to forget to set the clocks back!"), I am up an entire hour earlier than I should be. 

On a Sunday morning.

When my entire family is still sleeping in nice, cozy beds.

Oh well...nothing to be done about it now.  To make myself feel better, I had apple crisp with ice cream for breakfast.  These are the things you can do when you're up before everyone else!!! Another thing you can do when you're up first is to sit down and update your blog, which you've been sorely neglecting.  This is just some advice for all of you out there, because I would NEVER neglect my blog!  hahahaha.....

This weekend, I am attending Nikon School over at Easton.  Yesterday was all about basic digital photography (aperture, shutter speed, exposure, white balance, RAW vs. JPEG, etc.).  Today we're covering color, light, and technology.  Should be interesting, and I'm hoping to come away with some new information that can help me make some better pictures!  Yesterday, Deetra and I went to the class and then thought we'd do a little shopping over at Easton...what a joke!  Easton was totally packed, and there were no parking spaces anywhere.  We kept getting stuck in the traffic that runs through the shopping district, and it ended up being almost an hour before we got out of there...crazy!!!  We decided to stop on the way home and grab dinner at Barley's Smokehouse, which was pretty good...but then we needed to get home because Deetra's son Will was having a conniption fit that she was gone.  He's such a little cutie!

Soccer is over for Noah, and although he enjoyed it, we are all enjoying one last place to run on Sundays.

 Kendall's piano lessons have been moved to Mondays, so we have one less place to run on Saturdays too...this is a very good thing!  Of course, the holidays are right around the corner, so our schedule is bound to get crazy real quick...in fact, next weekend just might be our last free weekend until after Christmas...isn't that crazy?!?

Let's see...what else?  Oh yes...Halloween!  We had a fun trick-or-treat night, as our friends, the Saltsmans, had their annual pre-trick-or-treat pizza party.  Of course, we all dressed up in theme again this year...

Star Wars has ruled this house for the past year, and we've known we were going with this theme since last Christmas.  The kids were really into it, especially Kendall, who kept her royal attitude all night, and Noah, who reveled in being the Prince of Darkness...

 Well folks, that's all I have time for today...gotta get to class!  Hope you  are enjoying your weekend, and I hope to see you all back here sometime this week!  :)

My Grandma Made Me Do It

So, we were home for my cousin's wedding this past weekend, and the first thing my grandma says to me is, "It's still on Threadless!"  I had no idea what that meant, so I asked her what the heck she was talking about!


"Your blog!  It's still on 'Threadless'.  When are you going to write something?"

Well to be honest, I wasn't sure anyone was still reading (although she assured me that she reads every single day)...AND, my life has been so utterly crazy that taking a few minutes to sit down and write, no matter how cathartic it may be, seems SO out of the question.  But you know what?  My grandma asked, and I love her, so I'm going to get my butt busy writing.

Things have been busy, and I'm coming to accept the fact that this may very well be just the way it is.  I've gone over things time an again, tried to simplify and condense trips in and out of Hilliard, made meal plans ahead of time to assist in the 'regular good eating' department, and scheduled days to do laundry and other cleaning tasks that I will put off as long as possible every single time.  But here's the dealio...no matter how much I simplify and organize, there is still too much to do in the time I have.  So...all I can do is my best.  The kids are happy, the hubby is happy, and I'm happy, even though my house is rarely as clean as I'd like it and a lot of times I'm running late.

Of course, I'm still trying to make my life as efficient and productive as possible, because let's be real here...I have a lot of things I like to do.  I like to dabble in photography, I like to cook, I like to write on my blogs (even though I've slipped there considerably this year), I like to do crafts and read with the kids, I like to make jewelry and photo books, and knit scarves.  I'm committed to being at the gym 3 mornings per week while Noah's at preschool. I have friends that I like to spend time with, and a husband who actually likes to spend time with me!  Haha!!  All of these things have to find a space in my life, and I know I'm no different than any other mom out there when I say "It's a challenge!!"

So this week, I am doing some cooking.  It's good for my soul and helps me to not feel so anxious.  When I can't get in my kitchen and make some comfort food to sit down and enjoy with my family, I get anxious. And if I'm going to be honest with you (and I am!)...I get a little bitchy too. It's not so good for my reputation!  I'm also going to try to get in at least one other blog post in the next few days.  Wow...won't I feel productive?  LOL!  Today I helped Noah and his buddy Alex paint pictures and play with play-doh.  Yep, it sure makes a mess, but they had a great time...and I had fun too!

Trick or Treat is Thursday night, so we'll be heading in to our friends, the Saltsman's, for their annual Trick or Treat party, which is always a lot of fun because we adults enjoy dressing up too.  And if you really don't think it's fun, you can't be my friend anymore!   I'm serious!  :)

Here are a couple of things that have happened around here lately that I haven't had the chance to write about:

1.)  Kendall just received her green belt and Noah received his junior yellow belt in TKD.  I'm so proud of these two!  They are working really hard.

2.)  Kendall got glasses!  She looks so cute in them, but I have to tell you...I'm not so cracked up about how grown-up she's looking lately!  She got 2 pair, since Sears was having a BOGO offer...and we figured two pair were probably not a bad idea anyway, since she IS a kid!

3.)  My brother has a new girlfriend!  Praise the Lord! I've only just met her at the wedding this weekend, but she seems pretty awesome, and he seems pretty happy, so there you go!

4.)  Luke finally shot the leader of the coyote mafia that was systematically taking out our hens.  He ran off after the shooting, but confirmation was made when Scout drug the half-decayed coyote head up to the house.  What a lovely sight first thing in the morning.  NOT.

5.)  Jessie and I made applesauce again this year.  I really need to make some more, but finding the time is going to be difficult.  Our next few weekends are booked!

6.)  Next weekend I'm taking two photography classes with Nikon...I am VERY excited.  VERY.  Let's just hope I learn something.

7.)  Barry and I celebrated our 15th anniversary with a trip to Savannah.  It was awesome!  I'll do a post  soon with pics of the trip!

7.)  I've had two people tell me I look like I'm getting younger.  SERIOUSLY?!?!?  Man, that sure made my day!  Yeah, maybe I do need to keep it up at the gym...

And I'm going to end on that good note, folks.  Have a nice night!!

Threadless

Are you one of those lucky souls that wins every contest you enter?  Do you always come away from Vegas with more money than you went with?

Not me.

But a few weeks ago, I won a $100 gift certificate to Threadless from The Great Walls of Balitmore.  Head on over there to check her out...you'll like her blog!  Kayris talks about parenting techniques, menu plans, and her cute little family.  It's always a good read.  Anyway, she was hosting a giveaway, and somehow I was the lucky winner!  Threadless has all kinds of quirky and artsy tees, tanks, and hoodies for kids and adults alike.  I had no problem finding enough to spend my gift certificate!  Thanks Kayris!!!!  Here are a few that I picked up for the kiddos for Christmas...

I love that "Dog Ate My Homework" one...too cute!  And here are the ones I have my eye on for me (but in tank-tops, for the gym!)...

 Head on over to Threadless and check out their adult AND kids collections!  Right now, they are offering free shipping on any order that contains a hoodie...through the end of September.  Check 'em out, peeps!

You want a piece of me?

You may remember me mentioning that Kendall started doing taekwondo back in early spring. We decided to start out on a 6 week trial run to make sure she liked it before we made a commitment. Well, that turned out to be a non-issue...she LOVED it. By the time summer hit, she was at the gym 4 times per week. Midway through the summer, Noah decided he wanted to join too...and that made sense, since we were there anyway! Both kids really enjoy it, and we never get complaints that they don't want to go. Kendall competed in her first tournament this summer and received a 4th place medal. Of course, she was disappointed she didn't do better, but she got to see the competition that was out there and that she was going to have to "bring it" if she wants to place first! She is now a senior orange belt, and will be testing in October for her green belt. Students start sparring at senior orange belt, so that has been fun for her as well. The owners of the school do a lot of really fun activities, such as picnics, water gun wars, and lock-ins. Kendall LOVES the lock-ins. Pizza, video games, crafts, friends, and NO PARENTS...what kid wouldn't like that? It's been a positive experience all the way around so far!

Noah's class is called the Little Dragons, because he is under 7. They focus on basic moves, dealing with bullying, and stranger danger. He is still in his white belt, but will be testing in October with Kendall for his yellow belt. He's really looking forward to being old enough to be in class with the "big kids". I just think he is so cute in his little uniform!

Are you intimidated yet? How about now...

I'm sorry, but that face just cracks me up! And so does this one from Kendall...always trying to look like some big scary fighter...

Shoot, I'd better skedaddle! Looks like the kicks are starting!If you are looking for an activity for your kids, I really do recommend TKD. It is fun, physical, and demands some focus. And the kids love it! Have a great day, peeps!

Back to School!

I can't believe it's September! And while I DO love having both kids at home every day and the lack of a confining schedule during the summer, I also love getting back into the school year routine when fall does roll around. Too much of a good thing, I guess. But is it just me, or did the summer go incredibly fast this year? I know we packed as much as possible into our summer, with trips to Niagara Falls, Mohican State Park, and the roadtrip to Arkansas...but geesh, it still felt like the summer blew by. Before I knew it, we were buying school supplies and making sure the kids' socks and underwear still fit.

Kendall is always very excited for school to start. We don't live in the same school district where she attends school, so she doesn't see many of her school friends during the summer months. She's usually rearin' to go, and get in there and see everyone! This year, however, she was quite apprehensive...teary even. We'd found out that she was placed in the class with "the meanest teacher in the school" and to make matters even worse, all of her really good friends were placed in the other class. She felt that this did not bode well for a good school year. We had a week or two to digest this information and talk through it, and by the time the first day of school came, she was feeling ok...not great, but ok.By the end of breakfast that morning, she was feeling much better about things...she even gave me a cheer for starting school! Now the day was looking up! After all, she is now a fourth-grader. The fourth-graders rule the school at Monroe.I am happy to report that after 2 full weeks, things are looking so much better. It seems that Kendall's teacher is not nearly as bad as she had heard. I don't think she'll ever be Kendall's favorite, but that's ok. We have to deal with a lot of people in our lives that won't be our favorites. The important thing is that she is still looking forward to going to school most every day.

Noah didn't start until this week. He is attending a 5-day per week Pre-K class at a nearby church, and was VERY excited to start. He did great this week, only complaining once on Friday morning that he wanted to stay home and build with Legos. He's having a great time at his new school, and always has so much to tell me when I pick him up!As for me, I am enjoying the start of a new routine. I get up and get myself and the kids up, dressed, and fed. We leave the house at 8:15-ish, pick up Shea, and head to Monroe to drop the girls off...then straight to Noah's school to drop him off. (I only have a 15 minute window here, and I need every single second of it!) AND as an added bonus, Noah's school is only like 5 minutes away from my gym, so I have 2.5 hours every morning to work out and hit the grocery, or Target, or whatever else I need to do. This week I took a spinning class, had a massage, and took a Piyo class. Can't wait to see what next week will bring!

My boys

Look at these two handsome fellas...I just love 'em. Love, love, LOVE.

The End.

Friends, photos and online dating...

So I'm loving my 55-200 mm lens. It's taking some getting used to, as I'm not used to being able to zoom in from so far away...and of course, being a longer lens, I have to account for lighting...which I still have to really think through in my head. UGH! But I've been having a little bit of fun, when time permits! And there hasn't been much of it this week...that's for sure!

This weekend, my friend Priscilla came out to the cabin for a (much overdue) trip to have her picture taken. I suspect that the reason this trip has taken so long to come to fruition is that while she WANTS to have her photo taken, the reason behind it having it done is causing just a tad bit of anxiety. Ladies and gentlemen, Priscilla is about to venture into the world of online dating.

At the age of 63.

And while she's totally committed to giving it a shot, who in their right mind wouldn't have a little anxiety over it?!? The thought of dating again makes my stomach churn. Unless I could just date Barry again...that might be fun!

But I digress. So Priscilla called Friday night to say she was coming out on Saturday afternoon to finally have the photos done. This has been going on for a year, so I didn't hold my breath, but she sounded serious this time! Wahoo! She even volunteered to bring a big pot of chili so I didn't have to cook. EVEN BETTER! When she finally got here, we sat and chatted, had dinner with the fam, and basically waited around until the sun was just right for good lighting. And then, after practicing her 'Jackie O' pose, we got to work. And here's what we came up with...Good, but not the great. I am a sucker for a big, heartfelt smile though, and that one certainly has it! This next one though, I really do like. It is very 'Priscilla'. I have seen that look a time or two, let me tell ya. Usually when I say something crass or silly...not that I would ever do such a thing. I'm just sayin'.
We both liked this next one, just because it's a different look. She liked it because her eyes are wide open...see, she squints when she smiles, and it really annoys her. I do the same thing, and it really annoys me too! But darn it, it's HARD to smile with your eyes big and wide when you're not used to doing it! Plus, then you feel like you look all surprised in the picture. Weird.

And this last one? Yeah, it's pretty much everyone's favorite. I'm tellin' ya...there's a very small window at the end of the day when the light is perfect...and this was it. The Perfect Priscilla Portrait. I just love alliterations, don't you?Lookin' good Priscilla!!! You're gonna knock 'em dead! I wonder how many 'winks' or 'pokes' or whatever it is that you get on eharmony she has already? I think I'm gonna go call her and find out...

15

Yesterday was our 15th anniversary! Where did the time go? How can I be old enough to have been married 15 years???

We are going on a trip to Savannah in October to celebrate, but felt like we should do a little something on our actual anniversary...so last minute plans were thrown together!!! I had a $25 gift card to Smith & Wollensky that was getting ready to expire, so we decided to go there for dinner. A quick call to one of our favorite babysitters sealed the deal. She was so excited to see Kendall and Noah that she changed her plans so she could come over! Now that doesn't happen every day!
We had a fantastic dinner...a goat cheese & heirloom tomato tart, gorgonzola topped filets, and green beans pan fried with ham and sea salt (OMG!). They treated us to a complimentary champagne toast, which was a really nice surprise...and after dinner, when we refused dessert (we were stuffed!), our server insisted and bought us a dessert to share...complete with a candle. Wasn't that sweet? And of course, the bonus was that we could see the tv in the bar, where the OSU game was playing...so we didn't miss a thing! What a perfect night out!!!

And how can I not share with you the gift my sweetie gave me? Isn't she beautiful? I love it, and am hoping to get the chance to play with it this weekend! I can't share what I got him, however...at least, not yet. It still hasn't arrived and I don't want to spoil the surprise!

So...in honor of our 15 years, here are 15 things I love about my sweetie:

1.) His quick wit. He's actually really funny when he gets on a roll!

2.) How calm he is when it feels like everything is going wrong. Oh, how I wish I could be more like him in this way!

3.) His crooked smile. Love it.

4.) The way he is very frugal and smart with money, but not necessarily cheap. He'll spend the money where he needs to, and saves when he can. And for some reason, he never has a problem spending it on me...case in point, my new 55-200 mm lens for my camera! Thanks honey!

5.) How he takes the time to explain all kinds of details to the kids...what causes thunder, how an engine works, how to shoot a bb gun and all the safety rules that come along with it, how the pressure system in the chicken waterer works...basically all the stuff I don't (or can't) explain. LOL!

6.) The fact that the man NEEDS me to help pick out his clothes. Seriously. He NEEDS me.

7.) That he's willing to put up with my craziness and my moodiness and all my hair-brained ideas. And that he always gives me credit for the good ones!

8.) That he can change my oil and my brakes. This is very important! HA!

9.) The man will eat anything I make, as long as I don't put nuts in it. And most of the time, he likes it! Ok, ok...he eats just about everything anyway...whether I make it or not. But still. :)

10.) He thinks everything through...all the time. All the little details are present and accounted for. And budgeted for. LOL!

11.) His forearms.

12.) Oh, and his hands. I love his hands.

13.) The way he calls me Jenny... rarely Jen. Only my family and the people I grew up with call me Jenny. It feels weird when anyone from my "adult" life calls me Jenny, but I like it when he does. :)

14.) His supportive nature...he supports anything I want to do, and of course, helps me think it through...detail upon detail. It's a darn good thing he's around, I tell ya!

15.) The way he loves us. It's easy, laid-back, and unquestionable.

Every girl should have a Barry!! :)

The End of the Trip

Sorry for the delay in posting, peeps! My laptop is finally all fixed up and I am ready to burn this blog up! I have so many things to post about!

So let me just finish off our little roadtrip first. The day after we checked out the Daisy Airgun Museum, we had plans to go to Devil's Den state park. Unfortunately, we got a late start to the day and it was farther away than we had bargained for, so we decided instead to go to Pea Ridge National Military Park. The Battle of Pea Ridge was a land battle of the Civil War, fought March 6–8, 1862, at Pea Ridge in northwest Arkansas. In the battle, Union forces defeated Confederate troops, the outcome of which essentially cemented Union control of Missouri. The battlefield itself was unbelievable to look at...of course, it was a beautiful day and all, but the vastness of it and the cannons set up really helped you to see what it must have been like. The kids had fun, but you know how that goes...they're interested in a few high level facts and then they're on to the next thing. But Barry LOVES this kind of stuff. He just walked around reading everything and soaking it all up. I take in things that are interesting to me and take pictures. That's how we roll. :)

After visiting Pea Ridge, we were hot and sweaty and ready to cool off, so Amy took us to the pool. It felt AWESOME. The kids played and played until they were ready for ice cream, and then we headed out. The next morning it was time to hit the road. We wanted to make it all the way to St. Louis so we could spend some time at Cabela's. Yes, Cabela's was a highlight of our trip!

We got moving early and stopped at an IHOP for brunch...Barry and the kids LOVE IHOP. I would have rather gone to Panera, but I was outnumbered. Bummer. Anyway, we scarfed down pancakes, eggs, bacon, and fruit, and then headed out to St. Louis! We went to Cabela's first and spent a few hours there. Yes, I said HOURS!!! Who knew you could spend hours in that store?? We had so much fun, checking out all the hunting, camping, & fishing supplies. We got some great deals too. Of course we still helped stimulate the economy! Hahaha. After we were done stocking up on safety glasses, hunting boots, and the like, we headed out to find our hotel and ordered a pizza. We were hungry, and the kids were itchin' to swim, so we decided to keep it simple. After a good night's sleep, it was time to hit the road. Our plan was to make it into Ohio and just over the border to my Mom's house, where we would spend the night before making the rest of the trip back to Columbus. We had had such a good time, but of course, there's no place like home! Everything was going according to schedule...we had seen the arch in St. Louis, made it through the traffic in Indianapolis, and then about 20 minutes from my Mom's, we hit a detour that took us completely out of our way on a bunch of little country roads. Ugh! But we did eventually make it, and the kids had lots of stories for Grandma Cindy!