My Trip to Cincinnati, Ohio

I left last Thursday for a quick trip to Cincinnati to visit my girlfriend, Christy. Unfortunately though I shot 150+ pics, I have to keep this REALLY short (okay, it probably won't feel short to you) or I won't get it done. We have a crazy week ahead of us.

First, I have to say two things.

1. I am SO VERY GRATEFUL that Will supported my doing this trip and hanging back with the kids. I had one of the best weekends of my life and I feel like my bucket got so full while I was gone. Now my plan is to be the best wife and mother ever! (any bets on how long that feeling will last?)

2. I have to say really quickly how much I adore my friend Christy. We have been friends since we were 12 and I'm coming to realize what a treat it is to have a friend for that long that you truly WANT to be friends with still. Christy is amazing. She's the type friend that when you are in her presence, you feel more beautiful, more smart, more funny and generally better than you really are. She makes you feel like you have all the potential you need to conquer the world, and boy, does that girl keep me laughing. When you have 18 years of history, there are definitely some good stories to tell. Her and her husband were amazing hosts........It was an honor to be in their home.
Here is there beautiful family. Roy and Christy, plus Lauren (8), Ava (4), and Ethan (3). I absolutely adore their kids. They are so much fun!
Here is Christy's house. Their neighborhood was beautiful. The weather was amazing the whole trip.

Roy cooked a fantastic dinner for me when I got there.
Then we hit Graeter's, possibly the worlds best ice cream (apparently even Oprah has it flown in to her house). The Black Chocolate Raspberry was pretty dang good. Yes, we hit Graeter's TWICE in 4 days. Actually, we tried for three times, but it didn't work out. Long story.
Christy lovin' on Ethan after a nap.
Miss Ava and I after a family walk.
Lauren and Deaven are only 10 months apart and played together a lot when they were younger and we lived closer.
Friday morning we woke up and headed to King's Island, the 2nd largest Amusement Park in the country......and it totally lives up to it's reputation. So fun to scream and laugh like little girls on all the big rides.
I LOVE rides. They are never fast enough or crazy enough for me, but these were pretty good!
They live only 10 minutes away, so we went home, took a break, and then went back that night with Roy and Lauren.
We had some good times!
Funny how long lines never seem boring when you are with a great friend. We NEVER run out of things to talk about.
Saturday we went onto the Kentucky side to do a city tour.
This was on one of those vehicles that can also go into the water, but the river was too high.........
This is the largest free-swinging bell in the world. When it first came, they rang it, and it totally shattered the glass around it. Now the glass is bullet proof. :)
This was Ulysses S. Grant's house. We saw and heard TONS of Civil War history, including the Carnegie house, which is where there was the under ground slave tunnel to the Cincinnati side, where slaves were set free. Crazy!
Had to shoot this sign for an Izzy's. NOT the same chain as ours.
Little Ava and I. Ava makes this face a lot, especially when she doesn't like the answers her parents give her.
Mister Ethan just cracked me up. He is a total Calvin, from Calvin and Hobbes.
After our tour, I had set up to play a bit of racquetball with Kerri Wachtel, who is the current #5 player in the world and resides in Cincinnati. She generously killed me, but was very kind with her praise of my game. She said that she hoped I started playing more Women's Pro Racquetball events and thought my game would improve quickly if I did. We had a good time.
We played two games to 11 and I scored 3 and 5 against her. I THINK she was playing her pretty full game, so I was TOTALLY happy with scoring even that much.
After Racquetball, we cleaned up and got ready for dinner at China Gourmet, which was fantastic.
This completely crazy house was right near the restaurant. The picture does not do it justice.
Sunday morning, Christy and I upheld a long standing tradition from when we were 12. She used to live near a cemetery, and we loved to go walking through it. It just so happens that there is an INCREDIBLY beautiful (and old) cemetery near her house now, so we went for a walk.
Is that totally crazy, but we really enjoyed ourselves as we roamed in and out of these beautiful headstones and talked about the different lives these people might have lived.
It was definitely sacred ground and there was a beautiful spirit on the grounds.
Of course, a few were more creepy than others, such as the ones with the HUGE locks on the gates leading into them.
Before I knew it, it was time to head home. I absolutely LOVED my time with this family. They ARE family to me. I ached for Will and the kids to have been able to enjoy all the things I enjoyed, but it was also great for me to live a totally stress free life for 4 days. I do hope to some day head back with the family in tow. It was a beautiful place with TONS to do for families.

Thank you again to Christy and Roy for making such a wonderful visit for me. You treated me like royalty (even if that came in the form of calories most the time) and I can't wait to return the favor. Love you guys!