Ohio

Last week I spent time back home in good ol' Westerville, Ohio. I absolutely love going home since I haven't lived there in over 6 years. No matter how long I have been away, it still just feels like home and I need that in my life. I need a place of familiarity and family. It was such a great week spending time with my family. My sister gave birth to the first grandson/nephew of the fam back in June so this makes going home even more special and exciting for me! I spent half of my nights at my sister's house getting up with Eli during the night to let my sister and her husband get some real sleep. Its such an honor for me to be able to do this for them and for Eli, I know that we bonded even more this week. Since I can't be home that often, I have started praying for God to increase the intimacy and closeness we experience while I'm there. Its a pretty heartbreaking thing to be so far away but I just have to remember that we are in the place where God wants us...and maybe some day that will be Ohio again ;)

One day of the week my mom, sister, Eli and I drove up north near Youngstown to visit my Grandma and Grandpa Gebhardt. They are both nearing 80 so I wanted to get up there during this visit and of course, they wanted to see Eli again! It was a nice trip, such a beautiful time of the year to head up north. My grandparents live on a semi-farm in a rural area across the street from cornfields. Its probably what most people who have never been to Ohio always picture when they hear that I'm from there. We spent many summers, Halloweens, Thanksgivings, Christmases, and Easters in Youngstown. I wish I could share all the stories I have tucked away in my memories of grandma and grandpa's. The sights of the seasons, the smells of burning leaves, brewing coffee, and grandpa's flowers, the sounds of the animals and my uncles' hunting stories. I'm nostalgic for those times but as my sister and I picked some of the last of grandma's raspberries of the season, we both agreed that we want to create those memories for our children. I'm all about traditions and passing down things that were special to me to my children.

All in all, it was a great trip to Ohio. Here are some pictures:





P.S. About one year ago this week my parents took a picture holding up an orange Halloween onesie that my sister gave them to tell them she was finally pregnant after 2 1/2 years of trying...this year they took the picture of them holding their first grandchild in that Halloween onesie! Such a cool moment!