The Friendliest State

Do you know where I have been? I've been in the friendliest state in the country! O-HI-O! Get it?? I was visiting friends and family in Norwalk (my hometown) for a while. Until I just went back to Norwalk, I hadn't been home since Francis and I got married, and I was getting a little homesick. Frank decided to stay home so that he wouldn't miss out on work, so I went back to Ohio by myself. It was a lovely mini vacation, of four days, with time spent with my family and friends.

I went to Lakeside (where my husband and I got married) and spent the afternoon with my sister and aunt walking around, reliving old memories while dreaming of perhaps taking my future family there for family vacations.

Ceramic Mushrooms for sale

Half Blue Rasberry, Half lime Manhattan ices

The pier

I, of course, spent lots of time with the Clayton Dwyer Walter. We partook in our traditional lunch date at Peking House--only the best sesame chicken in America. Seriously. Clayton and I always get the exact same thing every time we go to Peking. We split the dinner portion of the sesame chicken with white rice. Clayton and I haven't been to Peking in a year, but the owner remembered us and our order. So sweet.

At Peking!

One of the highlights of my trip was Thursday, when Clayton took me with him down to Columbus to spend the evening with his home church. I spent the evening praying, worshipping, learning, and having fun with a big group of Christians. It was exactly the kind of thing I needed. It was intensely refreshing for me to be around a community of authentic, loving people who were so welcoming and open. I wish I had that  kind of community here in Elgin. That night, I saw a bunch of my good friends from high school (Lizzie, Ben, Madeline, Alaina, Emily, William) and I met some super awesome new people as well. I laughed, I joked, I cried, I sang. It was seriously SO good. Clayton, thank you for taking me.

I also had lunch with Kimberly, went swimming at Madeline's, had dinner with Madeline and her parents, watched Harry Potter with my mom, saw Larry Crowne, and had Toft's ice cream (the best ice cream in the US).

One of the main reasons for going to Ohio was so that I could take some pictures of my pregnant sister and her husband before she has the baby next month. Here is just a little appetizer of some of the pictures I took of them:

I'm trying to build up my photography portfolio, so if you know anyone who needs family/senior/maternity/wedding/engagement/anything-at-all pictures taken, let me know. I'm your woman.

The only way this weekend could have been any better was if my husband was there. And even though it was so good to get back to my Norwalkian roots, it feels even better to back at my real home, with my husband, in Elgin.

-Sar