2013 Year In Review

We're saying good bye to 2013. Let's take a look back over the year, shall we?

 

January

 

Rick worked hard overhauling our basement 1/2 bath, with a bit of help from Jake. He took it down to studs, knocked out a wall to make room for a tub/shower, and converted it to a more functional, 4-piece bathroom.

 

We got a kitty for Rick that he named Seamus McCalico.

  

 

February

 

Emma danced her heart out in the Perrysburg Junior High production of Guys and Dolls. She was darling in the role of Mimi. Jake finished his string of Winter One Act performances at Perrysburg High School. He played a serious role in The Lockdown.

 

March

 

The whole family auditioned for Perrysburg Musical Theatre's production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Rick was cast in the lead as Joseph. Audrey landed various small roles, including Mrs. Potiphar. Jacob was given the part of Issachar and Emma was cast as Levi's wife.

 

 

 

April

 

Jacob took us back to 1984 with his performance in Footloose.

 

 

 Our dear doggy of 16 years, Shelby, passed away.

We took a Spring Break trip to Branson, MO and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We played hard at Silver Dollar City and saw many fantastic performances along "the strip".

 

May

 

Jake got his temps and Rick and Audrey got more gray hair.

 

Rehearsals for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat began in earnest. We spent many of our evenings and Saturdays working hard on the show.

 

 

 

 

June

 

Performance time! Our wonderfully supportive family travelled from afar to come see us in Joseph. We hosted Rick's parents, Audrey's parents, and Audrey's sister and nephews. It was THE major highlight of our year to have so many loved ones in our home.

 

 

 

July

 

We traveled west to attend family reunions in Utah and Arizona. Crazy times...

 

 

 

July

 

The kids went off to camp. Emma enjoyed Girl's Camp at the John Johnson farm in Hiram, OH. Jake went to EFY down by Cincinnati.

 

  

 

 August

 

We fostered a litter of kittens for the Toledo Area Humane Society and we started training an assistance dog named Reese.

 

 

School began, and with it, football season!

 

 

 

September

 

September was a blur of driving between school, cheerleading, football, choir, theater, dog training sessions, and church. Audrey had to take a TIME OUT with her sister Sheila.

 

 

 

 

 

October

 

Rick's parents were kind enough to come out and visit for a couple of weeks. In the middle of their stay, Rick and Audrey got to take the camper down to Hocking Hills (without the kids).

 

 

 

November

 

Audrey was extra busy with her church responsibilities as she helped put together Young Women In Excellence.

 

Jake got his driver's license and finished up his Eagle Project benefiting the Wood County Humane Society.

 

Emma continued cheerleading, this time for basketball.

 

 

December

 

Rick and Audrey took a quick trip to Arizona.

 

We said goodbye to our foster dog Reese when we realized we weren't cut out for serious dog training.

 

 

 

And that, my faithful readers, was 2013 for the Saunders family! Thanks for tuning in. Come back soon, as it's Audrey's resolution to be a better blogger!

 

 

 

I'm back

I've humbled myself and joined a gym. After two years away from teaching aerobics, I've realized I need a kick in the pants in order to see a change in my current level of fatness, er, fitness. I haven't had to pay for a membership in over a decade. It's hard to shell out money to do something I don't particularly enjoy anymore. It's a necessary evil I suppose.

Crossfit recently opened up in Perrysburg a couple miles from my house. I've seen how it helped some friends and family members, so I checked it out. I wasn't excited to work out in a warehouse with no a/c, especially in the summer months. I also felt a bit intimidated by the people. I passed.

I tried out L.A. Fitness in Maumee and loved it. The gym was huge, clean, and full of top of the line machines. The staff was really great and flexible about me coming in to try classes for a week. I enjoyed going to someplace where no one knew me too.

The Y.M.C.A. is a mile from my house. I used to work there, so it felt funny going back. Plus, I know a lot of people from my church and community work out there. I felt self-conscious. Ultimately, I decided it was the best option of the 3 because it offers a myriad of classes and it's just so convenient. I would have no excuses not to get a workout in sometime during my day.

I treated myself to some new exercise gear last night and attended some classes this morning. I had fun, though I was embarrassed to see my visiting teacher waving at me while I was jammin' out in Zumba. I'm sure I looked ridiculous.

Midwest Bucket List

Time is running out! Jake will only be with us another 2.8 years before he leaves for a mission. Emma graduates in 4.8 years. I have so much left to teach them and I feel so behind. I also keep thinking about all the places I want to show the kids before they leave the nest. Let me tell ya...it's quite a list! So here, in no particular order, are many of the places I dream of visiting while we're all still here in Ohio:

Anywhere in Canada

We live something like an hour from Canada. Why have we not driven there yet, just to say we've been to another country besides Mexico? Perhaps we could roll a trip to Niagara Falls and Toronto into one, although my deepest desire is to visit Prince Edward Island (I'm an Anne of Green Gables fan).

 

 

Palmyra, NY

 

I wince a little when I think of this important church history site. The youth in our church took a long weekend trip there this summer, but our family was involved in a play at the time and had to miss it. We must see Palmyra in order to round out our church history tour. We've already been to Salt Lake, Kirtland, and Nauvoo.

 

 

Williamsburg, VA

 

Jake loves history, as do I. Williamsburg seems to be a good jumping off place for more than one adventure into our country's past. This vacation spot is also close to where my sister Sheila lives...win-win!

 

 

The Atlantic Coast

 

This one could actually happen! My dear friend Emily moved to Savannah, GA a couple years ago and promised I could come visit when the winter grey of Ohio got to be too much. I also think it would be amazing to rent a beach house along the Outer Banks or Hilton Head. I hear both spots are lovely.

 

 

New York City

 

We have a family full of theater lovers. We have to go to New York and see a show! Rick has a friend with some connections in the city, so hopefully that could defray some of the costs. Ouch! It's expensive there...



 





 

 

Tennessee

 

There are several stops to choose from in this great state: Nashville, Memphis, Dollywood, the Smoky Mountains, to name a few. I think we could strike a great balance between the outdoorsy stuff I like to do and the entertainment stuff the kids like to do.

 

 

Anywhere in New England

 

I vaguely remember a grand family trip to the New England coast when I was 6. Maine sticks out in my mind. We camped there and we tried to "swim". It was freezing cold, but beautiful.

 

 

Mackinac Island, MI

 

Rick and I love the classic movie Somewhere In Time. We might need a romantic getaway to this film's location before we move back west someday. In fact, any visit to the Upper Peninsula would be fine by me!

 

 

 

All 5 Great Lakes

 

Erie and Michigan are already done. Is there a way for us to squeeze in Huron, Ontario, and even Superior? It's unlikely we'll get that far north.

 

 

Anywhere north of Detroit

 

We've lived in Ohio 5+ years and have never been north of Detroit. Shameful. I hear Michigan is a really great state, at least Tim Allen thinks so.  We should really take our little camper up there...

 

 

 

It's not an exhaustive list, but it's an ambitious one anyway. It's too bad we're short on time and money for such things. Whatever we can't check off while the kids are with us, Rick and I will see to it in our retirement years. I envision us tooling around the country with a 5th wheel and a dog someday. Between visits to see our grandkids, we'll hit every state in the continental U.S.



"Falling" for Hocking Hills

Rick’s parents came out to visit for a couple of weeks this fall. They wanted to see the grandkids and the autumn color. I’m afraid they didn’t get to see too much of either. Jake and Emma have been busier than ever with school, sports, and church. And, the unusually warm season hasn’t yet delivered its promised autumnal brilliance. That didn’t stop us from our annual apple picking trip at MacQueen’s Orchard though!

 

 

Right in the middle of Grandma and Grandpa’s stay, Rick and I took our very first trip to the Hocking Hills region of southeastern Ohio. Our Chevy surprised us as it pulled our little camper through the beautiful back woods of Appalachia, though it cost us in gas. We set up camp at a KOA set at the top of a hill. By far, we were the youngest couple there.

 

We arrived late enough in the day that we weren’t able to hit the trails or explore any of the local caves. Instead, we made a simple meal in our camper’s kitchen and settled in for a long evening of reading and relaxing.  Rick treated us to a Dutch oven dump cake for a late dessert. We enjoyed our treat by a cheerful fire and talked about other trips we should add to our “campering” bucket list. At bedtime we discovered that after 18 years of marriage, our newlywed days are over. Apparently, we are no longer able to share a double bed. It is an understatement to say we both had a rough night of sleep.

Late the next morning, we pulled ourselves out of bed and prepared for the day’s adventures. Our first stop was Old Man’s Cave. The warm but pleasant temperatures at the start of our trail gave way to the cool and damp down into the bottom of the rocks. It was an easy path to Old Man’s Cave, with many bridges and manmade staircases. Nature certainly created an ideal spot to set up house. It was easy to see why so many had taken shelter there over the centuries.

 

 

 

On we hiked toward Cedar Falls. This more challenging trail took us through a canopy of trees that often followed a clear stream. Wonderful earthy smells accompanied us as we climbed over rocks and peered over the edges of cliffs. I was in heaven! After the flatness of Northwest Ohio, it was good to be in such a place. Once at the falls, we paused to rest and take some pictures. On our way back, we walked along Rose Lake and stopped to make a friend.

 

 

The 6-mile trek made us thirsty for a fountain drink, but shockingly, no Circle K was to be found. Instead we found a little roadside store called Grandma Faye’s. This store sold a little bit of everything as it was the only thing for many miles. We treated ourselves to a Diet Cherry Pepsi to enjoy with our picnic lunch of peanut butter and honey sandwiches. Tired, we drove back to camp for showers and more reading by the fire.

 

On our second full day in Hocking, we hiked a few more notable spots. The first was Conkle’s Hollow. This hike was shorter but more challenging. We had a lot of climbing along narrow paths overlooking steep drops. The day was more humid and we were glistening by the time we finished. We cooled off with an ice cream cone and set our sights on Rock House. Talk about awesome! I wouldn’t mind living in such a place, though I’d have to evict the many birds that perch inside. I particularly enjoyed sitting on a ledge and watching the wind persuade the yellow leaves to abandon their branches.

 

Almost as an afterthought, we drove to Ash Cave. Rumored to be haunted, Ash Cave reminded me of someplace you’d see in Zion National Park. The floor was sandy and a trickle of water dropped from the ceiling high above. We chose not to hike further back into the woods so that we would have time and energy for our next challenge: Hocking Peaks Adventure Park.

We had the place to ourselves. No one else seemed to be in the mood for zip lining, I suppose. Our guide, Aaron, took us through a course that had us balancing high above the ground and swinging through the canopy. The time flew by because we were having so much fun. And, I only double unclipped 3 times. Airhead.

 

 

For dinner, we opted to head into town on a recommendation from a veggie we met while zip lining. The Olde Dutch Restaurant boasts the finest buffet in town. How could that go wrong? We ate ourselves silly and gorged ourselves on the many varieties of Amish pie. (It was hard to choose just one). We were so uncomfortable from all the eating that we walked around a craft mall and fed some deer and goats at a nearby petting zoo. We hit the local Wal-Mart and were not surprised to see great quantities of Duck Dynasty themed merchandise throughout the store. What is it with that show?

On our last full day, we took to the river for some canoeing. We opted for the shorter 5-mile trip since the canoe rental agent reported it took about an hour per mile to paddle along Logan River. Well, she must have misunderstood or something. We finished in an hour and a half. However, it was just the right amount of time on the river for us to see a soft-shelled turtle, eat our picnic lunch, and paddle through a light sprinkling of rain. The rain picked up a bit more once we arrived back at camp. We sat under the protection of our awning and read the rest of the afternoon. It was perfect.

 

Neither of us had ever been to Athens, Ohio (a.k.a. Hippie town, Ohio). We found a popular spot called Casa Nueva for dinner that caters to patrons who appreciate locally-sourced food. We waited some time for our seats, so we did some people watching. Tattoos were abundant, as were beards, scraggly ponytails, and clothing made of hemp. Our waiter, Tobias Funke’s twin brother, recommended a delicious veggie dish for me and mahi mahi for Rick. We were more than pleased with our meals. Rick was so insistent that I’d like his meal that I tried my first bite of fish in 4 years. I was repulsed, so we can all put that question to rest.

We drove around the campus of Ohio University and searched in vain for a movie theater playing some of the new movies out right now. All they were showing were some indie films we weren’t sure we wanted to take a chance on seeing. Instead we went back to the camper and snuggled up with Aaron Cross on our laptop.

All in all, our getaway was the perfect balance between adventure and relaxation. The only thing we would have changed was our sleeping arrangement. (I suppose we’ve become persnickety in our old age). We are truly grateful that our kids were in the capable hands of Grandma and Grandpa Saunders while were away. Now we have to decide where we’re going next!