IL part 2

Saturday afternoon we drove over to Chillicothe to spend some time with the Baker side (Mom's family). We took some girl cousin pictures, since we have not been able to for 4 years and just hung out. Jazz was very tired from trying to play with Corky (Gparent's dog) and Cookie (Aunt's fam dog). Her legs were just hanging off mom's lap.
Aunt Diane also had very pretty flowers, so I took pictures of them as well before we left on Sunday to head back to Ohio.

IL part 1

On Friday, Dad got off work early, he and I picked up Mom from work and we drove to IL. Jazz enjoyed laying on my lap while I read. We stopped by a candle store in Indiana (see huge candle).
First stop was the Curtis' we stayed there Friday night and Grandpa made his [somewhat] famous pancakes...he's always made the best that I can remember and I enjoyed them for the first time in 4 years. Grandma also has very beautiful flowers in the back yard, so I took advantage and took pictures of a few.

the 8th and 9th.

On Wednesday and Thursday we did a few things just so we could rest up a little for the IL weekend.
Wednesday Mom and I went to Carriage Hill Metropark and took Jazz again with us for about a mile walk. She was so funny, especially when she got tired and started panting a lot...it was quite dramatic actually. That night Mom, Dad and I went to this really need mongolian bbq place called "bd's Mongolian Grill". It's like a make your own stir-fry kind of place. You pick from a buffet the ingredients you want as well as the sauce and they cook everything on this donut-shaped flat grill (like at a Japanese place). It's such a unique place...too bad the closest one to me is in Kentucky...anyone up for a road trip. =P
Thursday I picked Mom up after she got off work and we went to an outdoor mall called The Greene. Ate at a cute little place called Mimi's Cafe, had a great salad (plus they give you a huge muffin before they bring the salad out). We walked around a little, picked up a slice of Kaluha Cocoa Coffee Cheesecake and a slice of White Macadamia Chocolate Carmel Cheesecake to take home and share with Dad. (They were both very very delicious!) Dad took us to a trail that he usually rides his bike at for our evening walk.

July 7th

Mom and I went to Cox Arboretum because there was supposed to be this awesome butterfly house and we were very very excited to go. Well, when we go there...we found 8 butterflies...I think I may have even counted a few twice. No lie. I did get some great flower pictures though.
So after being disappointed, we stopped by the house and got Jazz (she wasn't allowed at the Arboretum) and went to Charleston Falls. There was about a mile trail that lead to the falls. There were more butterflies on the trail than at the "butterfly house". It was a lot of fun and a great work out for Jazz. =)

Tipp City

So Tipp City is a charming little town about 30 minutes away from my parent's house. There were a bunch of cute little shops (that were all closed becuase it was Monday) that we just window shopped and some randoms stuff as well...a drinking fountain on a street corner, flowers painted on the sidewalks all over town and just some random signs. It was a lot of fun just walking around with Mom and doing one of our favorite hobbies...taking pictures =D

Columbus Zoo

My Parents and I went to the Columbus Zoo on Sunday the 5th because it was military appreciation weekend (so we all got in for free!) =D It wasn't as great as the zoo in Abq in my opinion, but it was a lot of fun hanging out with my parents for the day.

July 4th

We celebrated July 4th at the National Museum of the Air Force. We basically spent a couple of hours walking around 3 HUGE plane hangers filled with planes. I must say that the best part is being able to walk around my Dad in his element...having a personal guide who knows what they're talking about from personal experience is pretty awesome. The plane he's standing by below is one that he worked with in Desert Storm. Also, there was this really cool "50th Anniversary" blanket that had all the AF bases that were open at the 50th anniversary mark. 3 of the 5 bases that Dad was stationed at while he was active duty were on it.

Some pics of me & Jazz the first few days I was in Ohio. =) I love my new sister.

Ohio Caverns

First Trip: Ohio Caverns. Largest caverns in the state. The tour took about a hour. Very cool down there, both in temp and surroundings.

Baker Family Fun!

Some of my favorites of me and the Baker Girls. I must say...we are definitely her Granddaughters =D
More pictures from my Ohio adventures to come.