43 - 0

That was the score yesterday for the Buckeye's season opener against Youngstown State. For the most part it was an awesome game minus the few files goals that should have been touchdowns and Beanie's injury. It was nice to see Beanie walk back into the stadium after being carted out. Hopefully that means the injury isn't to serious and he will be back soon.

Now that is all I am going to say about yesterday's game because honestly there wasn't a whole lot to talk about. The kids and I watched the game at my good friend Shanna (nana as the kids would call her) house. She was having a first game party with lots of good food and fun. So here are a few pictures of the kids and some friends at the party.

Emma with her Brutus tattoo

Ian with his buddy in the kid size Buckeye's chair

Emma pouting because the boys are in the chair (the person behind her is Nana who is expecting her first child this winter. The kid chair is for him)

The three of them all happy and sitting in the chair

The back of Ian playing Candy Land. He refused to have is picture taken.

Before I leave you today I thought I would share another video with you. After each home game the Buckeye football team gathers in front of Block "O" and sings the schools alma mater Carmen Ohio to the fans. It's really cool to see. Now while I was searching for a video of this to share with you I came across the video of Cie Grant singing Carmen Ohio at the pep rally after we they won the National Championship Game in 2002. In case you don't know Cie Grant was a Linebacker on that team and he has an amazing voice. So here it is, I hope you enjoy it!

Friday's Foto Finish Fiesta

It's Friday, It's Friday, It's Friday!!!!

Ok so I know I sound a little bit more happy than normal for a Friday but there is a really good reason for my super excitement.

Today leaves only ONE more day until the Kickoff of the 2008 Buckeye's Football Season. I can not wait for Game Day to arrive. I remember the first Buckeye Game that I was not in Columbus for. I had moved to Dayton to go to college and it just wasn't the same. There is this amazing buzz in the air here in Columbus on Game Days. If you are out running some errands before the game starts and you pass someone else in there OSU gear you or they yell the O-H, I-O cheer. If you are outside of Columbus you wont feel that excitement and you probably wont hear a Go Bucks, or O-H, I-O. So I'm glad I will be here in C-bus spending it with some good friends and hopefully watching a good game.

First up you have to listen to some Mandatory Mood Music. My favorite part starts around the 3 minute mark so make sure you stay till then or skip straight to it.



In case you don't know this is The Ohio State Univeristy Marching Band performing one of the oldest and best traditions od Script Ohio. A senior suzaphone player is lead by the Drum Majior out of line to dot the "i". It's a huge honor for those choosen and a once in a lifetime experience.

Now that the mood is set here is my picture of the week.



In honor of the first game I picked this picture of Emma and Ian after the first game last year. Remember how we go shopping and get new shirts each year? Well last year the kids had matching jerseys and they were so cute in them. Ian actually can wear Emma's from last year which is a nice bonus.

Do you have a picture to share with us? If so head on over to that wacky Badger lover Candid Carries and join the fun, it's really easy just click the cute picture below. Oh and GO BUCKS

Remembering Katrina

Three years ago tomorrow Hurricane Katrina hit the Golf Coast killing thousands of people with the destruction it caused.

While I did not live there or even know anyone that did Katrina played a big part in my life.

Dave has always had a love for all aspects of Law Enforcement. He has tried to go through a police academy but because he is not a runner he was unable to pass the physical assessment. One of his buddies from the Academy was working for a Loss Prevention company when Katrina hit. His company was contracted to go to New Orleans and under Marshall Law guard some of the buildings throughout the city and they needed guys willing to go down there. Dave's friend Bill immediately contacted him and a couple other guys from the academy to see if they were interested.

Dave and I threw the idea back and forth for a few days and in the end we decided that the experience and the pay was worth it. We were told that the guys would be leaving at the end of that week and they needed to have certain things with them. For whatever reason Dave and I decided to go to the store the next evening and buy some supplies for him like toothpaste, deodorant, extra underwear and socks, and lots of non perishable foods and bottled water. It was a really good thing we did because Dave came flying into the bedroom around 2:30 that morning because Bill called him to say they would be leaving at 9 am the next morning. For whatever reason the company that contracted them needed men ASAP.

I took the morning off work partly because I was so tired from being up helping Dave pack and because I was sad. At the time Emma was a few months shy of 2 and I was 6 months pregnant with Ian. My hormones were in full swing and this was the first time since Dave and I had moved in together that we would be spending more than a weekend apart. His contract was for 3 months putting him home the week of Christmas and just a few days short of my scheduled c-section.

Because of how badly things had flooded they had to stay at a hotel in a suburb about 30 minutes outside of downtown. The hotels first 4 floors had actually flooded but the top few floors were fine so the company put them up there. They also provide three meals a day and tons of MRE's for them to eat. They were bussed to there post every day or night depending on which shift they worked. They all worked 12 hour shifts 7 days a week. When Dave first left no one knew what to expect. We weren't sure if he would be able to get cell phone service or not. The few things we did know where there was no power in the city, and they were having problems with people trying to get back into the city. Luckily Dave's cell phone worked most of the time so I was able to talk to throughout the day and in the evenings once he was back at the hotel. I don't think I would have made it through without those calls.

Dave was one of the lucky ones and was stationed at a Hotel in the French Quarter on Toulouse St. less than a block from Bourbon. They had no power and no generators for the first three weeks they were there. There uniform consisted of black cargo pants, black polo's that said police, army boots, and all there guns, cuffs, amo, etc. The temperatures were in the upper 90's and the 100's during the day with very high humidity. Dave hated this part and was so happy when they finally brought in the generators and started hauling away the massive dumpsters that had rotting food in them.

I was lucky enough to be able to fly down and spend a long weekend with Dave in late October. By this time the city had been opened back up. I had never been to New Orleans before and I wasn't sure what to expect. I remember flying into the airport and being able to see all the areas still underwater. Seeing it on TV was nothing compared to seeing it in person. It was truly amazing how much land was cove rd with this water and very sad to think of all the people that had lost everything. Once we left the airport I was noticing all kinds of cars on the sides of the roads. Dave said that people abandoned their cars in an effort to get out of the city and most of them had been flooded so people weren't coming back for them.

The first day Dave and I stayed at the Hotel and just spent time together. Dave also sleep some because he had started working the night shift. He had to work that night but one of his buddies was in the room next to him and he worked day shifts so he checked in on me a few times but I just went to sleep that night. The next day Dave and I did some touring of the city. Are first stop was to a mall in the same suburb of the hotel. This mall had a Super Target in it. Now I love Target but up here we don't have the Super ones so I had to see this. It was amazing. Then we headed for the French Quarter.

I don't remember the name of the highway we took to get there but you could see the water lines on some of the overpasses. In some areas I think we could have stacked four cars on top of each other in order to be above where the water was. As we approached the city I could see the Superdome. It was kind of cool because there were men working on the roof and we could see them. It was also amazing to see how well the French Quarter held up compared to other areas. Most of the damage in the FQ was from the wind. If you have never been there before and you love architecture I really suggest you go. The buildings were amazing and there is soooo much history there. I must say my favorite thing was the church in Jackson Square. It was truly a breathtaking experience for me.

I am very proud of Dave for everything he did in the weeks and months after Katrina. It may not seem like much to some of you but for those the lived or owned business in that area it meant allot. He kept lutors out and allowed the construction crews to work in a safe environment therefore getting these business's back up and running.

I hope all of you take a moment this weekend to remember all of those that lost their lives or loved ones during Hurricane Katrina and it's aftermath.

Bloody, Hamburgers, & Tampons

So I have been trying all night to come up with something for my post tomorrow. Nothing was coming to me and I was really starting to worry!

Then it happened, but I have to take you back just a few minutes to how it started.

My mom and sister came over for dinner tonight and brought some awesome pizza from the shop around the corner. So when Dave got home a little while ago he asked if there was a plate for him to eat. See I usually fix him a plate of whatever it is the kids and I ate for dinner. Tonight however there wasn't one because we ate the entire pizza.

Being the awesome, lovely wife that I am I offered to make him a couple of hamburgers. I always keep a bag of the frozen patties on hand for Dave to eat as lunches or sometimes dinner when he doesn't have a plate because he can make them himself.

So I put a couple of Hamburgers in the skillet and after the first side browned I flipped them over to let the other side cook. While they were cooking Dave and I were talking about some things going on at his work so I was paying attention to how long the burgers had been cooking. Both sides appeared to be done, actually a little more done than Dave normally likes them so I fixed the buns and took the burgers out of the skillet. Dave was in his office working on his homework by this time so I took his plate into him and I came into the living room.

The next thing I know the the office door is flying open and Dave is yelling something about how the burgers aren't cooked. I of course am completely confused so I get up to see what is going on. As I walk into the kitchen Dave holds up a blood soaked bun and says to me.

** Now would be a really good time to eat anything you have in front of you, and/or swallow your drink.**

Ok ready? He said;

"These burgers aren't even cooked. I bit into one and blood came guessing out of it. It was like squeezing a bloody tampon!"

That's my husband ladies and he's all mine. I know you are so jealous but I'm sure you will find some way to move on.

Let's take a walk shall we

Well it's going to be more of a ride but you get my point.

I had such a good time having all the Campers from Camp Candid Carrie visit me yesterday that I thought I would share the love and host a field trip for Carrie.

I have only known this person for about 4 years but you would never know it if you heard us. She is one of those people that you feel like you have known all your life.

It's kind of funny how we came to know each other. One evening my husband Dave went over to his friend Dave's (who we we will call Big D) to watch an OSU Buckeye's football game with the guys. This lady lived across the hall from Big D and got brave enough to go over and ask to watch the game with all the guys because she didn't have cable at the time. I remember my Dave coming home that night and telling me that They all met this girl and Big D really liked her. Now if you knew Big D back then this didn't mean a whole lot because he didn't have a very good track record with the ladies. A short time later I got to met this during a birthday party at a bar and I was pleasantly surprised. She was beautiful and nice. It wasn't much longer before I saw her again at Big D's Purple Heart Ceremony (yep she got a war hero) and I thought man I really like this one and she is so normal.

Before I knew it these two were engaged, married, and having a baby. I am so glad she was brave enough to walk into that room full of guys to watch the Buckeye's game because my life just wouldn't be the same without her in it.

Oh and one more thing before you go but it's because of this person that you all know me. She started blogging long before I did and frankly she is much better than I am. She was a journalism major after all.

are you dying yet? Do you want to know who it is that I love so much?

If the answers is yes than you have to go through the Badger State and Camp Candid Carries to come back to the wonderful Buckeye State and my awesome friend.

As Carries always says.....

No pushing, no shoving, and keep your arms inside the link at all times!

Drunken Swimming

Hello all you campers from Camp Candid Carrie. I’m so glad to have you all hear so come on in, take your coats off and stay a while.

When Carrie asked me if she could send all of you to me for the day I was so excited and obviously said yes. Then it hit me, what the heck am I going to talk about and entertain you with. A good hostess always entertains her guest you know. I thought about talking about Dave, or the kids, maybe Ohio, there is always the option of my Buckeyes. I ultimately decided I was going to take you back in time and tell you about my first drinking experience.

So hold on tight, here we go……

The year is 1996 and I was fifteen. Fifteen was a very big year for me, I got drunk for the first time and I lost my virginity at 15. (Stop, it’s not as bad as it sounds, the guy I lost my virginity to lost his to me and we are married now.) Anyway, it was Labor Day weekend and I was going up to Lake Erie to spend the weekend with my best friend, who we will call “B” and her family at the Marina where their boat was. B was always a wild child who would try anything once so before we left she asked me if I was going to be ok with all the parties we would be at that weekend. She knew that I was not one to be pressured into anything and up until then I never did anything wrong or bad. I actually told her I was looking forward to the parties because I wanted to get drunk for the first time. B was so excited about this, don’t ask me why but she was.

So the first night the Marina had a big catered dinner, an open bar, and a DJ. Let’s just say the adults were all really distracted and drunk including B’s parents. This meant all the teens were throwing parties of their own. B and I walked onto the first boat and she introduced me to the guy throwing the party. For the life of me I can’t remember his real name but he was a Lifeguard so that’s what we will be calling him. Lifeguard was 19; blond hair, blue eyed, and drop dead gorgeous! The boat we were on was his, his parents bought it for him as a high school graduation present so there was no chance of any adults coming back to it. B told him that I had never drank before but I wanted to. Lifeguard said he would take good care of me so off B went to find another guy to do god knows what with him. (I know this probably sounds really dangerous but I promise Lifeguard was a really nice guy and he didn’t try anything I didn’t want him to, but that comes later.)

Since I had never drank anything before, Lifeguard got me a beer and said that I was sticking to that for the night because he didn’t need me getting alcohol poisoning. So I stuck to beer and I drank a lot of it. Lifeguard stuck to his word and stayed with me the whole night. I would love to know what he thought about my crazy young self but he must have liked something about it.

Once the alcohol kicked in things got interesting. Anyone that has seen me truly drunk (especially Tif and Lindsay) knows that I like to dance, I laugh at everything, and I am not shy at all. This night was no different. I danced my little booty off and it was a blast. I’m sure we all want to forget this song but back then The Macarena was huge and when it came on I HAD to dance to it. I even made Lifeguard do it with me. Let’s just say it’s a good thing there weren’t cameras on cell phones because it was one big mess but I thought I was hot stuff.


At one point in the night B, some guy she found, Lifeguard and I decided to take a walk out to the rocks to look at the water. This was not an easy task for me because of how drunk I was. Walking in a straight line was just not possible. Now remember I was at a Marina which meant DOCKS people!! There is only so much room on each side that you can sway. I managed to sway a little too far to one side and off I went into Lake Erie. Lifeguard immediately kicked into work mode and jumped in after me because he was worried I was too drunk to swim and I would drown. I was able to swim just fine but I let he swim me back to shore and help me out.

Hello HOT college boy!

I must say that this was one of the most embarrassing moments of my entire life but the embarrassment didn’t last long. Once we finally made it to the Rocks, which were more like cliffs, B and the guy she was with disappeared leaving Lifeguard and I alone. At first we just talked about all kinds of things then it happened. Lifeguard leaned in and kissed me. We spent the next hour or so kissing and making out. Up until I met him I had only kissed three guys and only made out with one so this was not something I did. I can remember my heart racing the entire time. (Just in case anyone is wondering this all happened 3 months before I met Dave.)

We spent the rest of that weekend together. He even came to Cedar Point with B and me the next day and helped me cover up my major hangover from B’s mom. It was not easy to get on those roller coasters already feeling like I was going to spew all over the place. I think the only thing that helped me was him being there. I had already done one embarrassing thing in front of him and I was not about to do something else.

I have always wondered if Lifeguard liked me or if he was after something from me, and if he did like me why? There were so many beautiful college age girls there that weekend that would have done anything to get his attention but he never seemed to care. He also never tried anything that I was uncomfortable with; he truly was a nice guy.

Well I hope you’ve had a good time visiting me today, I have really enjoyed your company. Feel free to drop by whenever you’re in the neighborhood. Unless of course it’s Game Day and you’re rooting for the team my Buckeye’s are playing or you’re a Michigan fan. Sorry Carrie I couldn’t resist, you had to know the one little mention of my Buckeyes just wouldn’t be enough.

Teardrops, Slides, & Swings

I have a few things I wanted to talk about and I couldn't decide which to use so I'm going to talk about both.First off I had my biopsy yesterday afternoon and holly cow did it hurt! The needle and medication they used to numb me burned really bad. Once that wore off the whole right side of my face felt like someone had took a bat to it. It still hurts today and it's swollen and starting to bruise. On a good note they were able to get the whole mole to send in and instead of using stitches they used silver nitrate. Hopefully this means no scar or a vary little one. The bad thing about the silver nitrate is it leaves a black burn like mark on your face that will take days to wear off on it's own. Dave keeps teasing me because mine kind of looks like one of those gang tattoo's of a teardrop. What do you think???Of course I have a million things to do this weekend with this mark on my face. Which brings me to the other topic.Today the kids, my mom, my brother KJ, and I drove an hour and a half to Troy, Ohio for my cousins son Dominic's 6th birthday party. The party was at a very nice city park which meant tons of playground playing for the kids. They loved every minute of this. They had two favorites though.#1: The SwingsIan did a combination of the baby swings and he got to sit on my lap and swing on the big kid swings.Emma was such a big girl and swung on the big kid swing all by herself.I also HAVE to share the following picture with you. This is my Aunt Pat who is over 50, has knee problems, and had multiple back surgeries. She is crazy but that's why I love her.#2: The SlidesThis park had a number of different slides big, small, twisty, bumpy, or covered.First up is Emma and Aunt Pat coming down the very tall twisted slide that had been at this park since I was a little girl.This next one is of Ian and KJ coming down the same slide.The kids had such a good time today and were so good even in the car.

Friday's Foto Finish Fiesta

I had no idea what picture I was going to use for this weeks post so I decided to go through the box of old pictures and I came across this one. As soon as I saw it I started laughing and I knew this was the picture to use.



This picture by itself is not very good but the story behind it makes it all worth while. Anyone who knows me knows I don't like to go camping. I used to as a kid but I never really liked it. My final straw was a camping trip Dave and I took with our friends Rob & Lindsay and Butch & Tiffany.

This trip was one bad thing after another but it started with canoeing down a large creek that was mostly dried up. The employee's failed to tell us this when we were paying for the boats so about 1/4 of the way in we all started getting stuck on the rocks. Now I had never been canoeing before so I had no clue what I was doing. Dave and I were in a boat together and he was so frustrated with the no water situation that he wasn't taking the time to explain what I should be doing. Pretty soon Dave and I were fighting no stop with each other. I was so glad when we finally reached the end of that trail. By that time though Dave and I were not speaking to each other. Of course out friend Tiffany wanted to take a picture of the group. This is why Dave and I are standing as far apart as possible and we both have sour looks on our faces.

Have no fear, it wasn't long before we made up with each other. Actually shortly after that picture was taken Butch received a call that his grandfather had been killed. So instead of camping near the creek we canoed in we took a road trip to Kentucky to get Butch's dad and we camped on their family farm that night. They still had an outhouse that had to be used anytime someone had to take a dump because you couldn't flush anything other than liquids down the toilet.

Do you have a picture you want to share, then hurry over to Candid Carries and join in the phun!

Holey Moley

I've shared with all of you a few times that my dad died when I was 5 but I don't think I have shared how he died.

In the early 80's my dad was diagnosed with Skin Cancer, Melanoma to be specific. The cancer started with a mole on his back so by the time he knew something was wrong with the mole and went to the doctor the cancer had already spread. Top that with their limited knowledge on this form of Cancer and it wasn't good for him.

My mother was always very careful with us as kids and made sure we did not step a single foot out the door without sunblock on. I am very grateful to her for doing this because since my dad died they have learned a great deal about Skin Cancer including the fact that the majority of people who get skin cancer get it because of a sunburn they received as a child. This doesn't mean that's the only way you can get skin cancer.

About two weeks ago I noticed a tiny little bump under my right eye. The first couple of days I thought it was a pimple but it wasn't coming to head just getting bigger. I finally examined it really close and realized it was the mole under my eye that used to be completely flat. Over the last two weeks it has grown allot which has been really scary for me. At first I was too scared to call the doctors office and set an appointment but I finally did it.

Yesterday afternoon I had that appointment and the doctor wants to do a biopsy on my mole. My doctor told me not worry and that it probably isn't anything but with the location and how quickly it has changed in size she is concerned by it. So I go back on Friday afternoon to have my biopsy and I am scared out of my mind. My doctor says the procedure should be easy as long as there are no nerves underneath the mole. If there are no nerves they will take the whole thing off and send it to the lad. If there is a nerve to close they will only be able to take a portion off to send to the lab and then I would have to go to a specialist to have the rest of it removed. She also said that I will have a few stitches and it will leave a very tiny scare. The kicker here is once they take the mole off and send it to the lab I will have to wait a week or two to get the results back. Can you say torture, I am already a mess and I have to wait two more weeks!

I was hoping to go into the doctors today and have her tell me just by looking at it that it was no big deal no way could that be cancer but she didn't say that. What she said to me was it probably wasn't anything. I also noticed that for the rest of my check-up while we discussed some other things she kept looking at it more. At one point after she had finished checking my breathing she got real close and was toughing but she didn't say anything and I was to much of a chicken to ask any questions.

As I m sitting here typing this I am on the verge of tears. I can't even begin to explain how scared I am right now. I remember watching everything my dad went through and I don't want that. I don't want to have Cancer!

I am going to try not to talk about this much until I have the results back. I promise as soon as I know I will post something on here. I just needed to get all of this out so thank you all for listening to me ramble a little today.

Young Mama

Why is it these days that society looks down on young mothers?

I'm not talking about teenage mothers here but young mothers in there early 20's even if they are married. My Grandma was 19 when she had her first child and barley married a full year. Both my mom and Dave's mom were 21 when they had us. So what has changed? Why do people treat me like I'm not capable to be a good parent?

By the time Dave and I were married we had been together for almost 6 years so we knew we wanted to have children and we both wanted to have them while we were young. So thats what we did, we started trying a month before our wedding. One miscarrage and 7 months later we found out I was pregnant. By the time I had Emma I was 22 and Dave and I had been married a little over a year. I don't see anything wrong with this senerio so I'm confused about why I have to hear women, particularlly women in their 30's, make comments about 20 somethings not being ready to raise children.

I'm sure not all women in their 30's feel this way, just like not all women in their early or even late 20's make good parents but for cryin out loud some of us are and were ready to be parents.

I'm sure this is obvious but I have been dealing with a few older women at work who continue to make comments around me about this topic. These women know my age, and they know I have two kids but that doesn't seem to matter. At first I tried to tell myself they weren't talking about me but the more they say the more personally I take it. To top it off both of these women are not married and they don't have children of their own. I know they want children and I'm sure it's hard for them to see younger women with husbands and children but that is not my fault and that certanily doesn't make me a bad mom.

For those of you women who waited to have kids until you were older great I'm sure you made the descisson to suit what was best for you. For Dave and I the life we wanted meant kids in our 20's. We are the ones that take care of them, cloth them, feed them, out a roof over their heads, and teach them things just like all those 30 something parents do. Yes we may have struggled financially for a few years and maybe had we waited to ahve kids until we were older we wouldn't have gone through that, but our children never wanted for anything so why does it matter.

I just don't get what age has to do with being a good mother or not that's all.

Tastefully Simple

If you've never heard of Tastefully Simple I suggest you click the link now (just make sure you come back). If you have heard of it then you know what I am about say.

There products are truly awesome!

I had my first taste a few years ago when a friend of mine had a party and I was instantly hooked. I have yet to taste one of their products that I didn't like and that's saying allot because I am very picky eater. The other thing that makes these products so good is how simple they are to prepare. They only require two or three ingredients and very little time to make.

For instance when you make there Bountiful Beer Bread you add a can of beer (or soda), some water and some butter, then bake. It can't get much easier than that and it taste amazing by itself or with any of their dips. My favorite being the Bacon Bacon dip which is also great in salads, baked potatoes and in Hamburgers.

So why am I sharing all of this with you. Simple, I went to a friends party a few weeks ago and ordered my usual Beer Bread and Bacon Bacon but I also picked up a few of there summer products of Mango Margarita Slush, and Samba Sangria Slush. I had tasted the Mango Margarita at a Purse Party the weekend before so I knew that was awesome but I had not tried the Sangria.

Again these drinks are so easy to make, all you have to do is add some water and alchol with the mix they provide. The original recipe for the Sangria is 2 750 ml bottles of any red wine and 1 1/2 cups of warm water. If you noticed on Tastefully Simples website they have a recipe tab where they give you ideas on how to use their products. While I was on there the other day I noticed an alternative recipe that used two bottles of Arbor Mist Blackberry Merlot and at the party the consultant said it was really good if you used one bottle of wine and one bottle of champagne. Well I took both those ideas and used a bottle of Arbor Mist and a bottle of champagne. Once it was all mixed together I stuck in the freezer so it was all frozen and slushy by the time Dave and I got home form seeing the Dark Knight and we opened it up.

One word for you AAAAAAmazing!!!!

This stuff tasted so amazingly good, you can't taste the alchol in it at all but let me tell you you can feel it after a few glasses. Dave and I really enjoyed this and it certainly made the coin counting fun.

The only problem here is this is a Summer product and is about to be discontinued so if you trust my word hurry and order it now before it's to late.

What is it???? **Updated**

Today when I picked the kids up from the sitter's I found Emma with this on her face,



this on her wrist,



and this on her underarm.



So what the heck is it? It doesn't look like her normal eczema to me and if it is I don't understand why it's flaring up now. It's been so cool compared to past summers and extreme heat and extreme cold are the things that bring hers on. The sitter says she has been itching at it all off and on today and she has a stuffy nose and a low grade fever. Of course I called the doctor and we have an appointment in about 1 hour.

I really hope this is nothing and I'm over reacting but I'd rather be safe than sorry. See 2 weeks ago we had an outbreak of MRSA in my office so I'm not taking any chances with this stuff.

** We went to the Doctor and it's Poison Ivy. I've never had it, actually I don't think I can get it, so I didn't know what it was. They did give her an oral steroid because of the place on her face and how it was starting to swell. Thank God it's nothing too serious. **

I do!

I said those words six years ago today.

Dave purposed to me in October of 1999 and we weren't married until August 17, 2002. This was all my choice, I had this silly idea that I had to be 21 before I got married so almost 3 years after we were engaged and almost 6 years after we started dating we finally said those two little words. It was wonderful and perfect and the three years of planning were well worth it.

I woke up the morning of my wedding at my mom's house. Since it was about 6 am the sun wasn't quiet out and I could hear the rain coming down on the roof. This made me a little sad because I was really hoping to have some pictures taken in the garden at my reception site, but I had hope that it was just a small early morning storm and it would move off fairly quickly. Around 8 my Bridesmaids all showed up along with my hair stylist to do our hair. It was still raining but I hadn't lost hope yet. It was so nice to have my hair done at home where I could relax and we could all eat breakfast and lunch.

At noon we all left for the church to get dressed and do our make-up. August in Ohio is synonymous with upper 90's and 100% humidity so I was not about to have my make-up melt off my face. Just as I stepped outside the sun came out from behind a cloud and the rain stopped. I swear to God, it was like a movie but I was so happy.

The girls and I got to the church shortly before the guys did so we rushed off to our side of the church. I was not going to have Dave see me before the ceremony, it's bad luck you know. So us girls stayed in our room and finished getting ready. In the meantime the guys arrived and had their pictures taken first.



Starting from left to right we have Butch, then Dave, the Best Man Robbie, my brother Nick, and Joe. The little guy in the front is my brother KJ who was the Ring Bearer. Once the guys were done with their pictures they went back to their room and all of them but my two brothers fell asleep. It seems the older three spent the night with Dave at our apartment and they didn't get much sleep. I will say that Dave stayed true to his word and he was not hung over for our wedding.

While the guys slept us girls had our pictures taken which of course took a lot longer. You saw my favorite picture of myself on Friday but here is a full length one of me and one of all my girls.






Left to right, Me, Maid of Honor & my sister Steph, Lindsay, and Tiffany (not Tif Carrie). The Flower Girl is my step cousins daughter Mariah.

After our pictures were done it was back to our room so that all the guest wouldn't see me before I walked down the aisle. I had been so calm and stable all that day. My bridesmaids were all more nervous than I was and amazed that I wasn't nervous. I guess when you know you've made the right decision there's nothing to be nervous about.

Finally it was time for the ceremony to start. All my bridesmaids walked out and I was left by myself. Once the Flower girl and Ring Bearer were down the isle they closed the doors and I walked out. As I turned to position myself in front of them I started crying. I'm not talking watery eyes, I'm talked full on crying with a smile on my face. Since my father died when I was 5 I decided that no one could take his place that day and I walked myself down but standing there I thought of him and how much I wanted him there. I know this may sound weird to some of you but I truly believe that my dad walked me down that isle, I could just feel it!

If you read the first chapter in my Biological Father story then you may remember me talking about gluing the beads onto my veil so here is a picture that shows off that veil. All those sparkles are the candle light bouncing off the beads.



Dave and I were very lucky to have his Grandfather who is a minister marry us. I think this added to the pure raw emotion that was expressed during our ceremony. I cried the entire time not because I was sad but because I was HAPPY. Dave even cried and got a little chocked up during his vows which sent all the guest into tears.

The next few pictures are of us during the ceremony and I'm including them because the show off all my decorations. I knew from the time I was a little girl that I wanted to get married in candle light. So I bought 100 candles of different shapes and sizes and they were placed along the baptistery. I also had 4 candelabras on the stage and candelabras down the aisle. Along the side walls of the church were white Christmas lights and lavender tulle and there were white Christmas lights strung in all the plants. It was truly beautiful.





This next picture is of the full Bridal Party and the one after that is of Dave and my hands with our rings. A little story about the hand picture before you see it. I knew that I had to have that traditional picture so I had my nails done specifically for it. Every nail had hand glued rhinestones across the French Manicure. I'm pretty sure my nail tech hated me that day but I just had to have them done that way. Oh and see Dave's ring, that bad boy was Platinum and Diamonds and about 11 months after that day he lost the thing at work. He now has a sterling silver band from Walmart that he can't seem loose if he tries to.





Finally it was time to head to the reception which was about 20 minutes from the church out in the country. I choose this place because of the beautiful grounds and gardens. I would have loved an outdoor wedding but I also knew I wanted to be married in the church and there is no way I could have handled the stress of what will the weather be so I got my outdoors this way. The first two pictures are my two favorites of just Dave and I, the first being my absolute favorite. The third picture here is my favorite of just Dave. I know he isn't smiling but the way he is standing is just him. Actually he was standing like that waiting for them to finish taking my picture dying for a Jack and Coke when the photographer saw him he told him not to move and snapped this.







The picture of Dave was the last one of the posed pictures so it meant it was time to go and get the Reception started. Dave and I were starving by this time but the guest had devoured the crudities. Our meal was a Pasta Bar where 3 chefs set up cook stations and everyone had there choice of 4 different kinds of pasta, beef, chicken, or shrimp, tons of different veggies, and then ab Alfredo, or marinara sauce. Back then this was a new thing so our guest were blown away by it. It also made my life allot easier, I mean everyone could find something to make with this which was important to me since there were kids and vegetarians there. My Aunt Nan made my 4 tired cake and it was beautiful and delicious. Thanks to two of Dave's uncles our guest were able to enjoy a full open bar, talk about a great wedding present that everyone enjoyed. I will tell you that the only people who left our wedding sober were the ones over 60, the ones under 18, and the DD's, so not that many!

When Dave and I first started dating in high school the popular thing to do was pick a song. So like everyone else we picked Nothing Else Matters by Metalica. Dave is a HUGE Metalica fan and I must say that I do enjoy some of their music. I had never really heard them until I met Dave and the first song I liked was Nothing Else Matters so it just made sense. Of course Dave and I used this as our wedding song and I'm really glad I did. If you don't know it or are thinking this is a strange choice just listen to the words. My Uncle Ed did the Father Daughter dance with me and we danced to my mom and dad's wedding song by John Denver (I can never remember the name of it), and I'm sorry to say I can't remember what song Dave and his mom danced to either.

Ok I think I have covered everything about my wedding. It was an amazing day and I don't think I would change a thing. Dave and I both had a wonderful time and our guest enjoyed themselves to.

Friday's Foto Finish Fiesta

This Sunday will be Dave and my 6th Wedding Anniversary. So in honor of that I decided to post my favorite picture of myself from our wedding day.



I truly love this picture for many reasons. First it shows the BEAUTIFUL flowers. The ones in the right bottom corner are mine the other ones are from the Bridesmaid's bouquets.

The second reason I love this picture is because I think it's so cool that the white background is actually the train of my dress that my bridesmaids were holding up.

The third and final reason I love this picture is because of how happy and relaxed I looked. I was truly relaxed that day which was a shock to everyone including myself. No I didn't have cold feet I just have a control issue and I'm a perfectionist so after the hectic rehearsal we all thought I would be a mess.

If you liked this one be sure to come back for many more on Sunday. If you have your own picture you want to share head on over to Candid Carries and join us.

I'm It!!!

Tabi over at Tabi Rambles on has just tagged me and since I haven't been tagged in a while I thought I would go for it.

Now here is how this works:

Link the person who tagged you
Mention the rules on your blog
Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them & leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

#1. I can not work unless my desk and it's drawers are completely organized. It's that OCD of mine but I straighten up every morning and evening and sometimes in the middle of the day. Going into my boss's office makes my heart race because it's so unorganized.

#2. My grocery list are written in order of the aisles and the coupons I use are in the same order. Again folks OCD.

#3. I twirl my hair all the time. As a kid I would twirl my hair in one hand and suck my thumb on the other hand. I stopped sucking my thumb but not playing with my hair.

#4. I hate to Bake. The only time I bake anything is the one day that my mom and I bake Christmas cookies.

#5. I hate cats. Sorry Carrie, I know you have like a zillion but I don't like them and they don't like me. It doesn't help that I am severely allergic to them.

#6. I can not fall asleep with out the TV on. If it's off I hear things and get scared.

Now I'm supposed to Tag six people and I can't come up with six that I haven't tagged in the past so if you want to play go for it just let me know so I can come see what you have.

Two, Two, TWO!

That is how old Ian is if you didn't already know. What is is with boys and two? The day, no the minute that Ian turned two all hell seemed to break loose. He started doing all those things you see in the movies.

Kicking and Screaming throw yourself on the floor fits

Not listening

"I do it" and "Let me do it" phase

Make as big of a mess as I possibly can before I get caught.

Emma never really did these things. Sure she went through a phase, and still is in it of not listening to me but she never got into things she shouldn't and she never threw those crazy temper tantrums so all this stuff is new to me and I hate it!!!

This week has been exceptionally bad. Sunday afternoon while Dave was napping on the couch and I was in the bathroom Ian came downstairs (he was supposed to be napping) and he pulled a chair in from the dinning room, climbed up on the counters then proceeded to shake out all the salt and peeper onto my flat top stove then he turned the water on and used the dish towel to try and wipe it up. He also was able to pull the lid off the cooking spray and spray the counters and stove. This in itself would have been all that bad because it was easily cleaned up. However Monday evening while I was cooking dinner Ian went into the office and pulled all the shredded papers out of the shredder and throw them all over the office floor. Once that was done he got a pen off the desk and wrote all over the walls. So I had to spend that evening sweeping the floors and scrubbing the walls. Thank God for the Magic Eraser.

Moving onto yesterday Ian found a bottle of purple nail polish and dumped the whole thing out onto the 147 year old painted hard wood floors. Of course I didn't discover this until long after it had dried. I tried using baby wipes to get it up but that just wasn't cutting it. I knew if I used nail polish remover it would ruin the floors so thanks to Tif and her wonderful comment I found that Murphy's Oil Soap and allot of muscle will get it up.

This brings us to today. It has been extremely nice all this week so I had the windows down on the way home. As I'm driving 55 down a back road Emma starts screaming "PULL OVER, PULL OVER" Of course this scares the crap out of me so I start to pull over. Once I'm safely off the side of the road I turn around in a bit of a panic to find out what was wrong only to be told that Ian had just thrown his shoe out the window. Can we say pissed???? For a split second I considered going back for it but I decided that searching the side of the road for a camouflage croc was just not worth it. Ian was going to learn this lesson the hard way. For the rest of the summer and fall he will be wearing the sandals he hates because I am not buying new ones just so he can throw them out the window.

So I ask again what is it with Boys???

As bad an ornery has Ian has been this week I just can't seem to stay mad at him for long. All it takes his for and I love you mommy, or a simple smile and giggle out of him and I'm over whatever it is he has done. Thank god he hasn't figured this out yet or I would truly be screwed.

Biological Father: Chapter 8

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

I’m not sure if I went about that conversation the right way, is there even a right way to do that. I do know that when he said to me “she wasn’t KNOCKED UP” I became very angry. What kind of jerk would make that statement? I also know that it is possible he was in shock; I mean it can’t be easy to receive a phone call like that. So I tried to let the rude comment go and I had a little bit of hope that once he had a chance to digest things and think he would call me back. I purposely did not block our phone number so if he had Caller ID he would have my #.

Weeks went by and I heard nothing. I wasn’t really sure where to go from here. Do I call him again, do I want to? I sat down and tried to write him a letter but it just sounded so stupid.

About two months after all of this my mom and I were in the car on the way to Jo Ann Fabrics and my mom turns to me and says that she needs to tell me something. She says that my Aunt told her that I asked who my father was. She goes on to say that she wished I would have come to her and that John is my true father. She then tells me that shortly before she left Mike she had come home and ran into my dad, he started coming up to see her and they were having an affair when she became pregnant. She knew she couldn’t get a divorce pregnant, and she knew that she couldn’t move back home with my Grandma if she told her it was my dad’s and not Mikes so she lied to my Grandma and said that it was Mike’s so she could move home. The last thing she says to me is that she never told the truth because she was ashamed of what she had done. I should inform you that when my Aunt told my mom I asked her she also told my mom that she didn’t tell me but said that I needed to ask my mom so my mom had no clue all the information I had.

Could this be the truth and the way things really happen? Sure it COULD be, but I didn’t buy it. Over the years I have learned a lot from Dave as far as how to read people and my mom had every single sign of a person lying. Not to mention there were things that still didn’t add up, like why I look nothing like Steph and Nick who look like each other. Of course as soon as I got home I called my Aunt to get her opinion on all of what my mom had told me earlier that day. My Aunt agreed with me that my mom was lying and the reason she knew she was lying to me was because my mom had told her during their conversation about my question that and I quote “She would go to the grave with the secret that Mike was my father”

I could have screamed in that moment. My mother had been given the chance to come clean and instead she chooses to continue the lie. I can completely understand not wanting to tell me as a child, but as an adult who is wondering this, why lie? Some people may say that she has her reason and it may be too hard for her to talk about or deal with but that’s not ok with me. This is who I am and I have the right to know the truth. If she would have said to me that yes my dad adopted me and that Mike was my father but she wasn’t strong enough to talk about it I would have understood. Remember I wasn’t asking her because I knew she couldn’t handle it. The last thing I wanted to do was upset my mom because of everything going on in her life because I Love her. Even though I was so angry, and still am, I still love her. She is my mother and the only parent that raised me. She gave me a good life and taught me to be a good person so I will never stop loving her. I do have a lot of problems trusting her and respecting her after all of this and this is something I am working on changing. I’ve never brought this subject back up with her partly because I don’t know how and partly because I think she will just lie again.

I have also not tried to contact Mike since that day last July. Numerous times I have typed a letter but every time I delete it. I’m not sure what to say or how to say it. I also am not sure that I want to contact him. Up until a few days ago I thought the only thing I truly wanted from him was to know his medical history for myself and my children but a very wise lady who has adopted children said that if that’s all I was looking for than it wasn’t worth it. I’ve made it 27 years without needing his medical history or an organ so why would I need at this point. I had never looked at it like that but she is right I don’t need that information to live my life. So do I need his acknowledgement, or am I just fine with the way things are?

The one thing I have always been sure of through this entire process is that my father was and will always be John William Jurden and I am so grateful to him for loving me so much he adopted me and made me his daughter. I always knew he was a special, wonderful, kind man from the way his family and friends talked about him but knowing what I know now just proves that to me.

When I started writing my story I had been holding a lot in for a long time and as I finished each chapter of this story I felt a little weight being lifted off my shoulders. Sitting here writing this last paragraph I feel like I am finally ready to move into the next chapter of my life whatever that may be. I have also come to realize while I may never know where I came from I still know who I am now and what I want out of life. I just hope I can teach my children how to find themselves and be happy with who they are.

HELP!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!

If anyone knows how to get purple fingernail polish off of 147 year old painted hard wood floors PLEASE OH PLEASE tell me!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Biological Father: Chapter 7

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

That second day after finding out happen to be my Birthday which meant I would have to see my mother. I hadn’t spoken to her since I got back from my Grandma’s and I really wasn’t ready to but I didn’t have a choice. Dave had already prearranged for her to watch the kids while he took me out to dinner and a movie. When she arrived at our house I said as little as possible. I couldn’t act like nothing was wrong but I didn’t want her to start questioning my mood. Thankfully we left right after she arrived. My Aunt made it very clear that she knew 100% if I confronted my mom she would flat out lie.

I had decided that I was not going to confront my mom until after I had made contact with Mike. For some reason I felt that if I talked to her first she would spin something or do something to keep me from contacting him and I didn’t want that. I just hadn’t figured out how to go about contacting him. I could write him a letter, but how would I know if he got it or not and what if one of his kids opened it, that just seemed to risky. I could show up at his house, but then that seemed too aggressive. This man had no idea I existed and I was not out to ruin his life. I finally decided the best course of action was a phone call. Now I just had to figure out when I was going to make that call and what I was going to say. I knew I needed to do it fairly soon before I lost all my nerve.

The day after my birthday was a Saturday so I decided that would be the best. Most likely he would be home, not working. So at 10 that morning I grabbed the phone and headed into Dave's office for some quiet. I dialed the number with shaking hands and rehearsed lines. The phone begins to ring and all I wanted to do was hang up. I pushed through the fear and let it continue to ring. Finally after what seemed like an eternity a female answers the phone. If I had to guess I would say it was his daughter because the voice was too young to be a 40 something women. I asked for Mike in my most adult, professional, in control voice I could and the girl says hang on.

After another eternity he gets on the phone:

Him: This is Mike

Me: Hello Mike my name is Jessica Wilson and you don’t know me but I believe you know my mother.

Him: Who is your mother?

Me: Donna

Him: Yeah, I used to know her.

Me: Were you the Mike that was married to her?

Him: Yes

Me: I have recently been informed that I was adopted and I’m trying to find my biological father. I’ve been told that is you.

Him: (very quickly) NO

Me: Can I ask how you are so sure?

Him: It’s not possible

Me: How do you know it’s not?

Him: Because she wasn't knocked up when I left!

Me (a little angry) Are you sure? When did you leave?

Him: I’m not going to have this conversation.

Me: Like I said before I am just trying to figure all of this out, is there a better time we could talk about this?

Him: NO

And he hung up.

Happy Kiddo's

Yesterday was an unseasonably beautiful day in these parts. The highs were in the upper 70's and there was a nice breeze so after dinner Dave and I took the kids to the park at the end of our street.

The kids had a blast and Dave and I had some fun to. We were the only ones there so the kids had free rein to play on whatever they wanted without having to share or wait in line. I realized that my baby boy isn't quite a baby anymore and in fact he may be part monkey. He was climbing everything he could and of course all he said was " I do it" or "Let me do it".

We taught both the kids how to swing in the big kid swings on there own so Dave and I were able to swing ourselves which was a nice treat. Ok enough talk here are some of the pictures I took while we were there to share with all of you.

Dave and the kids walking to the park

Emma waiting for Daddy to help her on the Monkey Bars

Ian going down the little slide

My favorite Picture of Emma

Ian going down the big slide head first

Emma going down the bog slide head first

Emma swinging

Ian swinging

Ian hanging from the Monkey Bars all by himself

*** Warning the next picture is a little on the gross side***

Dead Squirrel that the kids found

Walking Home

Biological Father: Chapter 6

Chapter 1 Chapter 4

Chapter 2 Chapter 5

Chapter 3

Chapter 6

The hour and a half long car ride home was a very long one that night. The kids feel asleep fairly quickly into it so I was left with the silence of the road and the thoughts in my head. It had been five years since I had the first thought of being adopted. I knew from the minute I thought it that I was right; I also thought that after five years of knowing I was ok with it and that it wouldn’t bother me to hear someone else tell me. I couldn’t have been more wrong!

The first emotion I remember feeling was shock. Then came curiosity, what did he look like now, where did he live, was he even still alive, was he a nice man or a mean one, was he stilled married to the lady my Aunt saw him with that day at the mall, did he have other kids, would I ever be able to find him with just his name, did I want to find him, if I found him what would I say? By the time I made it home the shock had started to wear off and the anger was setting in. Why did my mom never tell me? Why did she make everyone lie? Would my parents have told me if my dad hadn’t died? Why, why, why?

Dave was in his office when I finally got home. I walked into the room and handed him a Polaroid that my Aunt had given me. Of course Dave asked who it was and I just replied with “It’s my father”. Really Dave said?? Cause it doesn’t look like the one of him in the living room. “Not that father this is my Biological one” I suspect I looked something like Dave did in that moment when my Aunt told me. Dave had that look of a deer in the headlights.

We decided to put the kids to bed and then we sat down and talked. I told him everything my Aunt had told me. I also told him that I thought I wanted to find him. I didn’t know what I would say but I wanted to try. Once I found him, if I found him, I would decide if I wanted to contact him or not. Dave was working for a Repo company so he had membership with some skip tracing companies. It only took him 5 minutes to find Mike. He was still alive and still married living in Mansfield Ohio. Dave wrote down his phone number and address and left the rest up to.

I spent the next two days as a stalker. I was constantly on the Internet trying to find out anything I could about him. I was able to find out that he had an 18 (now 19) year old son that was a very good Basketball player and a 15 (now 16) year old daughter with the most cruel name a parent could give a girl. She had made a video for geometry class with 4 other girls and it was posted on U-tube. I must have watched that video a million times to try and figure out which one was her. I wanted to know if I looked like her or him. I also spent those two days doing a lot of thinking. I had conversations in my head pretending I was talking to him. In some of the conversations he was nice, in others he wasn’t.

Annual Shopping Event

Fall is fastly approaching and with that comes football. Specifically Buckeye Football! Buckeye Football is HUGE for us and we can't wait for those Saturday's on the banks of the Olentangy to come.

When Emma was born it was only natural to Dave and I that she have something Buckeye. So we found this cute little OSU dress for her. She actually wore that dress home from the hospital and then again that Saturday and every Saturday after. As the next fall approached we realized she didn't have anything OSU that fit so we went on a special trip to find her something to wear for that season. This is where the tradition started.

Every year since then Dave, the kids, and I make a special shopping trip just to get new OSU Buckeye gear for the upcoming season. This year was no different. Last night w went to Easton Town Center to the Buckeye Corner Store. Buckeye Corner has anything and everything you could ever want and more and it's all OSU. They have everything from furniture, to kitchen items, to clothes for all family members including your pests. For me it's a little like heaven.

We started off finding shirts for the kids which was fairly easy. Then we looked at some of the automotive accessories and the framed pictures. Then we went to Dave's section and he couldn't decide what he wanted this year so we looked at everything from Jersey's, then t-shirts, then the Polo's. He finally picked a very nice and simple polo shirt. Last up it was my turn, I was on the hunt for the cute Baby-T I had seen online but I couldn't find it. I was a little bummed by that because I really liked it. I kept looking though and eventually found a polo for myself that is super soft and different than anything I have. I also found and AWESOME and expensive jacket that I had better get for Christmas.

Of course I took some pictures to share with all of you. I can guarantee you will be seeing these allot in the next few months.



White Polo= Dave's
Red Polo= Mine
Red T-shirt w/ White Ohio State= Emma's
Red T-shirt w/ Black Football= Ian's
Red Bag= Free with $30.00 purchase

Now one of the best parts of the kids t-shirts is that they both have something on the backs of them. I should also point out that that kids each picked out there own without our imput. I wanted Ian to get this really cute gray one. Anyway here are the backs of the kids shirts.



Ian's is the one with the football and Emma's has one of the Block O logos.

I would say that it was a very successful trip and a fun evening. Of course we all worked up an appetite from all the shopping so we went to dinner before running a few other errands.

P.S. Today is my MIL's birthday. Happy Birthday Sharon!

Friday's Foto Finish Fiesta

Oh I am so glad it's Friday, what a week I've had.

So my pictures today are going to take you back to my story. Since it's been a few days since I posted the last chapter you may need to refresh your memory or if you haven't read it you should. Click here, here, here, here, and here. I promise Monday you will get the next chapter in this story of mine and by the end of next week I should be completely done.



This is Mike my biological father. This is the very first picture I ever saw of him. this was taken in the late 70's if you couldn't already tell by the outfit he has on. Notice the curly hair, that was the first thing I noticed about him. Finally my curls made sense to me. See no one on either sides of my family has curly hair, no one going back three generations.



This picture was taken the first Christmas my mom and Mike were married, notice again the curls. I know these are the greatest picture but my Aunt didn't have any close up pictures so this is the best I have.



The final picture is of the entire is of my mom and Mike at their wedding.


Alright, you know the drill!
Go to Candid Carrie's right now and join in the Phun!!!!! You'll be sorry if you don't, Trust Me!

The Heart Of It All....

That's my state! Good ole' Ohio. We are also known as the Buckeye State because of the large number of Buckeye Tress.

I am telling you all this because Camp Candid Carrie has been featuring bloggers from her state of Wisconsin all this week, if you haven't checked it out you really should. I have learned alot about Wisconsin this week. Yesterday's featured blogger was Outnumbered 2 to 1 and she did a top ten list of loves and hates of her state. I thought this was an awesome idea so I'm stealing it to give you my top 10 list of things I love about Ohio.

Before I give you my list I want to share some facts about my great state. Ohio means "great river" in Iroquois. On February 19, 1803 Ohio became the 17th state in the union. Our capital is Columbus with over 700,000 people, the state bird is the Cardinal, the state flower is the Red Carnation, and the state tree is the Buckeye. Ohio has also been home to a few famous people like Bob Hope and Clark Gabel as well ask famous astronauts Neil Armstrong and John Glenn. We have had 8 presidents come from our state and some famous inventors like The Wright Brothers and Thomas Edison. Then you have all the professional athletes like Labron James, Eddie George, two time Heisman trophy winner Archie Griffin, and Jack Nicklaus just to name a few. Just for you Mrs. Stuckmann most of the famous athletes played for the Buckeyes.

Ok that's enough fun facts for now it's time for my list of favorite things so without farther ado here it is.

Top 10 things I Love about Ohio

10.) If you like the outdoors there are quite a few state parks including Hocking Hills which is part of Wayne National Forest and it’s one of the largest state parks. You can fish, camp, bike, ride horses, and bird watch but the most common activity in Hocking Hills is probably the hunting. I love Hocking Hills in the fall when all the trees are changing their colors.

9.) I love Lake Erie! At one point many years ago Lake Erie was a very dirty lake that no one wanted to go to but the state has put a lot of money and time into cleaning it up and it’s now one of the cleanest. There are a ton of things to do from boating and fishing to your different Islands like Put-in- Bay which is known for a great party atmosphere. In High School I would go up to Lake Erie with my best friend’s family because they had a boat at a Marina. I got drunk for the first time at Lake Erie and fell off the docks into the lake only to have a very hot 19 year old lifeguard jump in after me. We made out later that night. Oh I should mention I had just turned 15.

8.) I love all the farmers markets that open up in the spring and stay through the fall. My favorite item to buy is hands down the Sweet Corn.






7.) I love the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium. I know that all states have zoos but I really do enjoy the Columbus Zoo. Famous zoologist Jack Hannah came from Columbus and still plays a big role in the zoo.



6.) Ohio is also home to two Amusement Parks that are both awesome. In Cincinnati you have Paramount Kings Island with the best wooden roller coaster. My favorite however is Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio. Cedar Point sits on Lake Erie and has some of the biggest and best roller coasters in the world.





5.) Ohio has been home to 8 U.S. Presidents over the years and I love this. I love politics and I love that Ohio plays such an important role in elections. (President Grant)







4.) I love that in Ohio we have so many options for sporting events. If you want NFL Football we have the Cleveland Browns or the Cincinnati Bengals. Don’t like football well what about Baseball. There is the Cleveland Indian’s or the Cincinnati Reds. Then there are the odd ball kinds of sports with the Columbus Blue Jackets Hockey team or the Columbus Crew Soccer team. Most people in this state are into the college sports but I will touch on that a little later. For us Wilson’s we are Browns and Indian’s supporters. (Browns Blizzard game against teh Bills last December, my brother and sister were at that game)

3.) I love the variety in regions within the state. We have the bigger cities like Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Toledo that offer your more urban activities and atmospheres. We also have a lot of small towns and pure country. In the north there is a large Amish community that is great for antique shopping and awesome homemade foods. In the south you have the hills and begin your entrance into the southern states. I think Ohio has a great mix of urban and rural areas giving you the best of both worlds. (Picture of Columbus skyline)

2.) I love that we have 4 seasons in Ohio; my favorites being summer and fall. I love the heat and humidity of our summers and the Falls are those warm days and cool crisp nights that are perfect for sleeping with the windows open. I like the winter and the snow between Thanksgiving and Christmas then I’m done. The problem with that is we tend to get most of our snow between January and March.

1.) My Absolute favorite thing about Ohio is that we are home to THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY and the BUCKEYE’S. Specifically I love Buckeye football. We also have TBDBITL (the best damn band in the land) the Ohio State University Marching Band. The picture is of the band performing Script Ohio which they do at the begining of every home game. It gives me chills everytime! Go Bucks!!!!!