Dark Skies

It seems like lately every day/week/month has some obscure celebration connected to it. It makes it very hard to keep up and I almost slipped noticing that this weekend wraps up the end of International Dark Skies Week!

Never heard of it? Well it celebrates one of my favorite things: star viewing and also fights to limit light pollution.  It's amazing how much light we emit into the night sky. It's not just places like Times Square or Vegas that blocks star viewing it's also coming from your own yard and street.  Some might say so what if you can't see big burning balls of gas trillions of miles away but light pollution also is threatening the future of some nocturnal species. Some easy things you can do to help is installing lighting fixtures that reduce skyward light emissions. 

such a difference lights make

 I'll never forget camping with my 6th graders in a ridge of the Appalachian mountains and being able to actually see the Milky Way! Most of the students living in the city had never really seen any stars. We were all in awe of how gorgeous the night sky was. It was amazing to be able to actually see the stars and planets in nature rather than having use my planetarium to show the constellations. 

Doesn't everyone have an inflatable planetarium?

Now in case you missed you missed celebrating International Dark Skies Week, fear not Clevelanders you are in luck. Did you know that just a short drive away is 1 of only 22 certified dark sky parks in the world?

Observatory Park is just about an hour east and is part of the Geauga county park system in Montville.  It's open daily 6AM-11PM with some programming throughout the week and extended hours during astronomical events. Its a green space with cute little walking trail of the solar system, telescope pads/electrical hook ups and special hooded red lights to help with night time viewing.

view of the buildings

 As you would expect since it is a sanctioned dark zone there is not much around the area. It's also a fairly small park, it's main purpose is for night viewing so there are limited picnic tables and trails.  Don't expect to find much in way of restaurants and night life in a 15 mile radius. Observatory park is conveniently located within a 20 minutes or so drive from a lot of  the wineries.

 W and I finally made the trek to the park after taking a wine trail tour. A win- win combination of daytime events.  We made it to park just near dusk with plans to stay for nighttime viewing but a massive thunderstorm cut our trip short. I will say the bathroom building was a great little place to wait out tornadic weather!

check out those angry clouds

 Every time I've attempted to make the journey to Observatory Park at night it's been cloudy or stormy weather. Kind of like this week the Lyrid meteor shower is peaking and it's expected to rain Ugh oh well I'm looking forward to the next time I can visit the park and until then I'll just have to enjoy the shows at local planetariums.

Cuyahoga Valley Train & Maple Sugar Fest

 I've had this post ready for a while but lost the camera with photos for a bit whoops!

sing it: come on ride the train choo choo

I’ve gotten a gift the past two year to ride the Cuyahoga Valley Train to various events. It has always been an adventure and great time to enjoy the sites along the Ohio canal.

Tap that

I went to the maple sugar festival at Hale Farm and Village. A friend from school tagged along on the adventure and we got to ride the train for a short while, then hop a shuttle over to Hale Farm. 

From there we got to enjoy a pancake breakfast and explore the farm. There were guides in period dress explaining the lifestyle.

There also was maple sugar tapping and boiling unfortunately with it below 20 degrees the sap was not flowing very fast. We spent most of our time in the blacksmith shop because it was the only warm place!

Bonus got a distant peek at the house my mom grew up in! 

Throughout the year there are all other different types of train rides you can do. Brunch, mystery, wine tours, and just plain educational or as regular transportation alongside the Ohio Canal.  

It’s only 3$ if you have your bike and the route is right along a fabulous path called the towpath. It was the path that canal boats were towed along way back in the day (mid 1800's) when the canal was the super highway transporting goods from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. The path is nice and flat and very well maintained. You can also hike and check out some of the locks along the way.

The valley has some awesome hiking trails as it’s part the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Summit County Metroparks

Other fun things to do in the area is check out a quaint little town called Peninsula. There are some art galleries and good burgers at Whiteys or beers at the Winking Lizard. Appalachian Outiffiters is right around the corner for great gear and rock climbing.

The Valley is a great day trip from Cleveland (only about 30-40 min) and who knows maybe you can catch a show at blossom.

All aboard!

# 25 & 29 Rock Climbing Class

I really like to try adventure sports. I've been zip lining through West Virginia and Costa Rica, ocean kayaking, cayoneering (rapeling down water falls), hiking, and climbed a mountain on a snowmobile just to name a few.

My all time favorite though is white water rafting. I took a class in college fell in love and try to go every couple of years! This was a trip where we went "surfing".  I actually managed to stay in the boat.

Kendall Cliffs

I wanted to try something new and spotted this rock gym near where I was living earlier in the year. I had been once when I was in middle school and had a blast so thought it might be fun to try again.  So headed out for a study break and met up with W for an adventure date night.

W and I took the Rock 101 course and got certified to belay so now we don't have to worry about finding someone to do it at the gym. Sweet! plus bonus another item off the list...go to a fun class!

another item completed

Rock Climbing was a great trust building date. You really have to believe your partner is there for you if you fall (which I did). You also have to support each other and solve problems together. I do think it's funny how I claim I'm not afraid of heights, yet every time I'm strapped into a harness and about 20 feet off the ground have that fleeting immobilizing fear until someone snaps me out of it. Thanks W for all the encouragement! It was nice to work together and step out of a comfort zone, plus it gave us some good memories to laugh at later together. We will definitely be going back soon...well after our muscles soreness wears off.

lots of walls to choose from

 Kendall cliffs is attached to Appalachian Back Packers store. Kendall Cliffs is the only professionally-designed and built rock gym in Ohio. The  gym has a combination of textured plywood and “natural” rock surfaces with 7,000 square feet of climbing surface with a peak height of 35 feet. The staff/instructors were super nice and it is a great facility! Lots of walls, automatic belay machines & bouldering cave. We went at 5 pm nice and slow by 7 pm the place was jam packed! There hours vary by season so check out the website for open times. 

Here are a few of the weekly specials: 
Monday Ladies Night 

Tuesday: College/Safety Forces/Active Duty Night 

Thursday: $10.00 Thursdays 

Friday: Family Night

(metro)Parks & Recreation- Lorain County Style

I wanted to get out and enjoy the rare blue skied Cleveland day and thought it might be nice to explore some parks to the West. I visited Miller Nature Preserves & Sandy Ridge Reservation, both part of the Lorain County Metro Parks. 

This is a system of over 20 different parks to explore. There are rugged trails for the tried and true hikers or asphalt for the pleasure strollers. Through out the park system there different activity for all ages, interests, and level of expertise. There is something going on almost every day! Most activities are free or reasonably priced but they do ask you RSVP online. I was pleasantly surprised how well kept both parks were kept. The trails were well maintained, staff was knowledgeable and friendly, and bathrooms and public areas were very clean.

Check out Lorain County Metro Parks park index here

Check out upcoming programs here

* Top: Miller Nature Preserve, Avon*
Bottom: Sandy Ridge Reservation, North Ridgeville

Miller Nature Preserve
It is a newer park off route 83 in Avon, Ohio. There is are gardens, an outdoor patio, conservatory, butterfly and small cafe. The building can also be rented out for private functions or keep you eye out for cooking demonstrations! You can stroll though the 5,000 square foot conservatory (the only one in Lorain county)  for a small fee.  In the evenings there is often free live music on the patio(concert season runs June-September). The Butterfly house (reopens in June) was cute to walk through and all the butterflies are collected from other parks. New this fall there will be a walking path opening up, I can't wait to try it out. 

Sandy Ridge Reservation

This park is very hard to describe in words. One minute you are driving through farm land and a housing development then turn into reservation and pass through a beautiful grassland area to park. Next the crushed stone trail winds you through the forest and opens into a nature wetland/marsh habitat. It's hard to believe you are in Ohio that point. There are no human developments in sight, I almost felt out of place and like I was invading the bird's habitat.  This park is primarily a bird sanctuary and has a few nests of bald eagles. If you are a birder or nature photographer (amateur to veterans) this is the place for you. Near the grasslands there is a playground and a party room overlooking a pond you can rent. This is a great park for all ages. There is even a tram that will drive you around the two mile wetland loop. 

Both parks are open year round and provide ample opportunities to enjoy the beauty of nature just a bit outside Cleveland. Happy adventuring!

Just Have a Little Faith

I was looking for fun and unique date ideas when I came across a Groupon for a couples massage class with a Quiet Spirit Massage. I thought "couples" massage now that could be interesting or really awkward depending how the class was set up, but I thought what's the worst that could happen. So with a little faith I bought it anyways and took our sore muscles south to explore Barberton. 

If you are looking for something to do this weekend it's Mumfest in Barberton. I'm not sure what it entails but could be a nice fall event.  There will be free chair massage with a view of the lake and mums! 

*Lake Anna, Barberton Ohio*

Our adventure started with a few directional setbacks the GPS sent me to drive into a glacier created lake. With no signs for the place we ended up circling the block over and over. All we could see was a church, houses, sketchy allies and overgrown parking lots. With 5 minutes left to our appointment I gave up and called...no answer, great. The voice mail mentioned it was in a gym but no more information. hmmm ok we decided wander up and down the street.  In front of a church was a sign: "FAITH GYM featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not"...what did I get ourselves into? 

We skeptically entered the doors and could not believe our eyes. It  was a church turned into a gym! The theme was really cute and the message throughout was all things can be done with a little faith. The choir loft is turned into a cardio room, the nave into the weight room and the narthex a smoothie bar. I'm still not sure why it's in Ripley's Believe it or Not though.  

*Faith Gym weights area, lounge, and ceiling*

 The massage class was great. It was to learn the basics of massage and techniques to work on trouble areas (phew) and was a private lesson (double phew). It was a little odd to be constantly asking is this better or this? I felt like I was in an eye exam. HA I will say this experience has ruined me for any future massages. It was heavenly to have two people giving you a hand and foot massage at once!

After the massage we attempted to geocache in a few locations nearby but failed miserably. Two separate Did Not Finds (DNFs). There was one listed on the gym property in the bushes. I spent about 15 minutes looking like I was swallowed by a bush on a street corner....nothing to see folks move along.

*I'm sure I looked at lot worse than this*

photo traveling with whippets

 The second fail was an Earthcache (a geological feature and with some education gives you a task). This one proved to be a bit more intense than the tools we had on hand so gave up.  

It was fun to learn a little bit of geological history of Barberton. Lake Anna is actually classified as a “kettle” lake. A kettle lake is a lake which is formed by a piece of glacier breaking from the front of a glacier and being covered by dirt. As the glacier melts, the sediment sinks into the water leaving a hole which is usually circular. Lake Anna is fed by a natural water spring and is about 34 feet deep. 

source: Lake Anna Earthcache

The view  of the lake was beautiful and a nice walk around the perimeter too! The local fire department was testing out their newbies and doing water rescue training today so it was fun to watch them dragging (or attempting) dummies in and out of the water. 

When I told family I had been to Barberton everyone asked if I had stopped at White House Chicken. Apparently Barberton Chicken is famous. I guess it's like KFC but better. 

White House Chicken has been around since the 1940's and claims that Barberton is the "Chicken Capital of the World serving over 7 1/2 tons of chicken per week". Hmm not being a huge fried chicken fan maybe the next time I venture to Barberton I'll check it out. 
source: White House Chicken

It was a great  unique date and we had a wonderful time exploring the area. You'll never know what you'll find on an adventure. We are looking forward to test out our newly learned massage techniques after a long day of work.

Happy adventuring!

#22 Night at Blossom x2

Enjoying Train, Gavin DeGraw, the Spirit, Phillip Phillips, & John Mayer!

To complete list item #22- attend a concert I went to not one by two concerts at Blossom! Blossom Music Center is an amphitheater  located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The pavilion seats 5,700 people, with space for about 13,500 more on the lawn. It is the summer home for the Cleveland Orchestra. 

There is something magical about seeing a concert outside and I will always prefer to be outdoors than inside in an arena. I can't put my finger on why exactly I feel much more involved in the experience. Usually I'm further away than an indoor event hmmm. Maybe it's the grass between my toes, dancing beneath the stars or the thrill of winning the lottery of good weather for the event you planned 6 months earlier. I think the main reason I enjoy  Blossom or any other outdoor venue is these events remind me of summer days gone by when I was younger. Those times when you had no cares in the world except having a great night out with friends. 

*Those were the days*

I always love live music and have the best times when listening to new or little known artists to me. Maybe it's  the thrill of recognizing a song  or greater appreciation for the artists. Or the excitement to explore their work after concert or going to a concert without heightened expectations. This certainly was the case between the two concerts I attended. 

I am all about an artist trying new things to grow, but was a bit disappointed with John Mayer. I have been to one of his concerts before and there was nonstop dancing and singing along. This time around I've never seen so many people sitting at a concert (other than an orchestra concert). Yikes, best of luck John with this new style! 

On the other hand I haven't really followed Train for years and had never heard of the Script before. As soon as songs came on I kept saying oh they do that. All three artists made it a non stop dance fest even though Train played a lot of covers...a bit odd but it worked!

Thanks to all my friends and family members that helped me complete this list item I had a blast! Here's looking forward to another season  of outdoor concerts next summer.

I Wanna Go Back to Ohio State, to Old Columbus Town...

source americanpostcards.info

I must say there is nothing like the smells, sights, and sounds of a crisp fall football Saturday at the Shoe in Columbus. Go Bucks! I am so excited to be heading down there this weekend to watch my dad march in the Alumni Band. While in school I spent 5 great years living in Columbus and it always feels a bit like a homecoming when I visit. 

Columbus has a lot to offer (besides being the state capital) if you want a night out on the town, a bit of culture, or rooting on a sports team it's here.  Here are my top not to be missed things in Columbus. 

source osu.edu

*Ohio State University
There is something magical about this place for me. Maybe it's all the traditions (who doesn't like jumping in a lake in the middle of November), the fact that myself and other 8 family members attended, or the electricity of being with  100,000+ people wearing Scarlet and Gray. The campus is beautiful just to take a stroll around. Some highlights are Mirror Lake, Wexner Center, the library (go to the top floor for a fantastic view), and my personal favorite Orton Hall (check out the geological museum). OH-IO

source experiencecolumbus.com

*Franklin Park Conservatory

This is a botanical garden and conservatory located just to the east of downtown. Chihuly glass is embedded throughout the gardens and  as you travel through each room you feel like you are transported to different lands. In the spring is the ever popular butterfly exhibit. This is a great spot for weddings and photo ops, when you visit it is easy to see why!

source en.wikipedia.org

*Sports
Blue Jackets NHL, Columbus Crew pro soccer, Columbus Clippers minor league baseball, and OSU Division I you want it they got it no matter what the season!

COSI's Ocean Exhibit
source roto.com

*COSI
Formally known as Center of Industry and Science this is a hands on science museum that is fun for all ages. I love the ocean room and walking through the halls of yesteryear. There is also Extreme Screen movie, outdoor fun park, and tons of demonstrations to keep your interest throughout the day!

source tripadvisor.com

*Schmidt's
Nestled in the heart of historic German Village is this authentic German sausage house. It's notorious for the Bahama Mama sausage and Jumbo Cream Puffs. When they say jumbo they aren't kidding each are 1/2 lb! If you walk out of here still hungry there is something wrong with you. 

*North Market
This is Columbus' only public market (think Westside Market but smaller). It hold dozens of merchants supplying fresh produce, meats seafood, ethnic specialties, and gourmet groceries on a daily basis. It's a great place to stop and get lunch or that unique ingredient or beverage for dinner later. 

source onu.edu

*Gallery Hop
The first Saturday of every month over 40 galleries and venues along the Short North strip stay open late till 10 pm and entice all  to explore new artwork. It's a great evening to enjoy the sights, maybe some wine and people. Around the holiday months there are usually a bit more to do like carolers and horse drawn carriages.   

* Comfest (Community Fest)
This annual weekdend long celebration taking place in Goodale Park and brings together hippies, potheads, music lovers, free hug givers, rights activists, and trinket sellers from all over. There's live music, crafts, yoga, arts, and demonstrations going on constantly. This event is SUPER busy and is always the last weekend in June. This is by far my favorite people watching event of the summer. I would not consider it a real family friendly outing though. For example lots of women opt to be painted insted of wearing tops and you may get hit in the head with lube being tossed from a float during the pride parade (true story). 

source tripadvisor.com

*Thurman Cafe
This restaurant is also located near German Village and is voted Best Burgers in Columbus. I couldn't agree more, make sure you are super hungry before you go because these burgers are HUGE! Be ready to wait as it is a tiny hole in the wall bar, but well worth it. You'll see this restaurant featured on many food shows for the Thurmanator, created to fuel the body builders during the Arnold Classic.

Reading Room at Columbus Commons
 source streeteatscolumbus.com

* Parks
Columbus is constantly updating it's parks and has a plethora to choose from. Some of my favorites north of campus are the Park of Roses, in Clintonville and the 14 miles of bike path called the Olentangy Trail. 

A newer park directly in downtown  is called Columbus Commons.  There is movies,  live music, yoga, food trucks, and many more events going on all the time. Check out the event calendar here  My favorite thing about this park is called the reading room. The Columbus Public Library (which is fantastic) has carts of books for children and adults that you may borrow and read outside. So cool!  

* Columbus Zoo
I know I already posted about this and didn't want to repeat too much. But it's really any awesome place to visit. My favorite event is Wildlights running Nov-Dec!


If you need any more tips check out this link before the next time you are in town: 33 things you need to know about Columbus. Happy adventuring!

#21.1 Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo...How about you?

Oops...I found this draft lost to the bottom of posts sorry for the delay in recapping my first completed list item!

*Go to a zoo... Check*

With the help of my sisters and a few friends W devised a surprise weekend getaway to celebrate my 30th birthday. I have to give them all kudos for actually keeping it a secret from me. I knew something was in the works and it was so hard for me not to go snooping. I'm glad the weekend was a complete surprise because I had a great time and it was so nice to see old friends and family!

We started the adventure by meeting everyone at Marcella's in the Short North for dinner. The atmosphere was so much fun! There were numerous bachelorette, birthday, and other celebrations all there too. The concierge at our hotel recommended the veal meatball as an appetizer. Great suggestion, it was seriously best thing I've ever tasted in my life! As a warning maybe it should be called veal meatloaf unless it's a meatball for giants. 

*The birthday conspirators*

Every birthday celebration needs a cake and my sister drove one up special from a well known Cincinnati bakery, BonBonerie. Apparently this cake had been a topic of discussion before my arrival as being "perfect" for me. If you know my family birthday cake/pie is a serious thing in our household. Offering to provide a cake is not a task to be taken lightly because getting the wrong cake design or flavor brings eternal shame.

 I really didn't know what to expect since we were at a restaurant. So when a shiny chocolate glazed cake (bleh) arrived with A LOT of decorative rainbow butterflies (double bleh) I just smiled and played along. As the brightly colored candles were quickly melting all over I heard a yelp and looked up. I noticed the look of horror on my sister's face as she repeated over and over "not the cake, not the cake".  I was so confused! Apparently the server switched the cakes..oops sorry for getting wax all over you {um interesting} cake other birthday person. 

*imagine more butterflies and chocolate glaze VS the real one*

We were relieved that the real cake was found (intact) and a cake calamity was averted. Everyone got to enjoy the well anticipated gift wrapped styled,Tiffany blue, opera cream torte. Great job S, this cake lived up to it's reputation! Hmm maybe I should plan a trip to Cincinnati soon, who's birthday is next?  

After dinner we all stopped for some drinks at a nearby pub. Next my sisters, our men and I went on to Big Bang Piano bar. You can never go wrong heading to a dueling piano bar. Later that night I lured W into sampling some street food...he didn't seem as excited by gyros at 3 am on the corner of Vine and Park as I was. The picture below of his face is just priceless! The next day W & I headed to Schmidt's for lunch and on to the zoo!

*Post Dinner Fun*

I've always loved the Columbus Zoo and don't mind going again and again. I don't know if it is Jack Hanna's influence, the variety of animals, or programs they offer that make this one of my all time favorite zoo's to visit. I must be in good company because the Columbus Zoo consistently ranks as one of the top 10 zoos in the USA (usually in the top 5).

My favorite part of the zoo is one of the smaller areas, but for me most entertaining section: the manatee aquarium. Due to the tank set up you are able to be nose to nose with the manatees as they swim right up to the glass. These guys seem to be always eating or doing something active! As a bonus it's air conditioned so it helps beat the heat on those scorching  days!

*Zoo Animals*

 In my opinion the best event(and one you should not miss) is in the winter: Wildlights. It is a nighttime event that runs a month or so prior to the holidays. The whole zoo gets transformed into a fairy land with over 3 million Christmas lights decorating the zoo. With a little snow on the ground it is pure magic! Each year they add something new, this year celebrates  their 25th. I hope to make it down to check it out this year. 

*beautiful*

#2 You want gravy with your fries?

*moose be in Canada Eh?*

This summer there was a weekend I actually didn't have a wedding event to attend and all the man wanted for his birthday was to visit his family. I thought hmmm going to Buffalo is a perfect opportunity to check an item off my list: #2 going out of the country. 

Buffalo is just a hop skip and jump away from Canada. I know, I know it's Canada and hopefully I will get a chance to go somewhere a bit more exotic later in the year, but it still counts in my book. So with a craving for maple syrup and poutine we packed our passports and hit the road for a weekend adventure.  

*View of falls from observatory tower*

I haven't been to Niagara Falls since I was a little kid. My breath was still taken away at the sight of the falls. I was amazed at the beauty and power of this natural wonder. I got a chance to finally ride Maid of the Mist, it's always been on my life bucket list.  It was very refreshing on a muggy day after hiking around the Falls Park on the USA side.  You can get a bus pass for the very efficient WeGo bus system, but it is just as nice to take in the sites of the falls and people watch by walking the whole length of the falls from Clinton Hill to Table Rock on the Canadian side. I totally felt like a little kid as I giggled from getting sprayed by the mist on table rock. The lighting of the falls at night makes them all the more magical.
   

*Maid of the Mist-presoaking*

After crossing the border which ironically enough smelled like maple syrup we checked into our hostel. W has never done one before and I had good experiences with them in Costa Rica so thought why not. Even one has to try it once. 

 I will say though I love meeting new people and don't mind the shared bathrooms or the lumpy beds, I hate others dealing with a timezone difference. Some lovely guests kept me up till 4am with music and others woke me promptly up at 630am to start the day. Ha there was a time I could function on that little sleep but not anymore. This girl can't bounce back like she  used to! Other than the night owls, the owner was a treat to talk to and we enjoyed a nice breakfast of croissants and fresh fruit on the balcony. 

*awarded official backpacker by Patrick*

While traveling internationally it's always fun to play the "where are you from?" game with fellow travelers. It's like a mini geography quiz every time. Upon checking in and talking with a charming Welsh gent who seemed pretty knowledgeable about the states the conversation went like this:
Guy: where yee from?
Me: Ohio
Guy:Ohio? Wear the fox hat? {say it out loud} 
Me:Just a few hours west, 2 states away still on Lake Erie....
Guy: isn't there a big city on lake like Detroit there?
Me: no that's Michigan, Cleveland is on the lake in Ohio
Guy:ooh Cleveland is in that state. Ok now I know it...isn't the Rock Hall there? 

Thank goodness that museum puts Ohio on the map. I guess I'll lead with Cleveland next time sorry Ohio.

*Enjoying the view of the falls*

The Niagara Falls area sure has changed. While the park near the falls is still quiet and focused on the natural beauty every where else is very touristy. I wasn't expecting the explosion of commercialism. It was nice to walk around and take in the sights and people watch. I lost count at the number of different languages spoken, it was really neat!

*you want it I'm sure it's here on the strip*

 There is something about being unplugged from your phone/email that makes vacations that much sweeter. On Fridays the park puts on a free concert and fireworks and it was a great event to end the evening.

*Fireworks, concert, & Niagara Falls view = perfect night*

The next day my super sleepy self and almost birthday boy headed to Buffalo to meet up with his family. We got to watch little league baseball tournament games and attempted to catch Hamlet in Delware park. The rain and clouds chased the actors away after scene one and we quickly changed plans of a dinner picnic in the park to an Indian restaurant a few blocks away called Taj Grill. Thank you Trip Advisor you were spot on with the ratings it was some of the best Indian I've had in a long time. 

*Shakespeare in Deleware Park, Buffalo NY*

*Hostel Buffalo Niagara image from hostelworld.com*

Due to both soccer and baseball tournaments decent hotels were scarce that night, so we opted to give hostels another go around. Hostel Buffalo Niagara was where we laid our heads that night and it was a great experience. The staff was wonderful and the building was a converted firehouse (no fireman pole left though I looked). It is located right in the heart of downtown theater district & bars. It has been a while since I"ve slept in bunk beds and it took me right back to being in Smith Hall dorms. W really seemed to enjoy his top bunk fort!  The next day after some more baseball, a pink with glitter manicure by W's niece, and birthday cupcakes we trekked back to Ohio with smiles on our faces and memories of a great trip.