Two of my nephews had birthday parties the first weekend we were there, which was a great way to start the trip. I was also able to go to a wedding reception for a friend from high school and visit with some friends I hadn't seen in years. The girls had a great time just hanging out with the cousins at Grandma's house and swimming in the pool. We also spent a couple of days visiting with my grandmother, aunts and other family members in a nearby city, which was very nice.
Two highlights of our trip were excursions to the zoo and to Kings Island. It's been very hot there, as it has been in most places, but we had a great day for our visit to the zoo. It was cloudy and a bit drizzly, but with no significant rain. It was a perfect summer day for walking around, and nearly all the animals were out and moving around, since the weather was comfortable. The girls especially enjoyed watching the polar bears eating and swimming and the chimpanzees playing around. I thought the manatees were pretty cool. It's one of two zoos outside of Florida that has manatees.
I admit I wasn't sure how everyone would do at Kings Island, but I was pleased with what a great time the girls had. At the zoo, Eliza started to melt after walking for an hour, and I decided to rent a stroller for the rest of the day. She shocked me at Kings Island, though, and except for a couple of minor episodes, she went ALL DAY long - and we stayed until 11:30 that night! I guess the constant stream of new experiences kept her going. She loved the rides - there wasn't a single one (that she was tall enough to ride) that she didn't like. We all had a lot of fun. The weather was not too hot that day either, which was a great blessing. (I didn't want to carry my camera all day, so I'm afraid I don't have any pictures.)
Another trip highlight for me was that I finally made some significant progress on the family heritage albums I've been working on for a couple of years now. I copied and collected many old pictures from all the branches of my family and researched and collected dates, stories, etc. My grandmother's brother came to visit her while we were there, and they came to mom's one day to see us.
It was wonderful to hear stories from when they were kids as they looked at old pictures. I now have pictures of nearly all my grandparent's grandparents, and in a couple of cases, my great-great-great grandparents. I'm looking forward to assembling everything!
(My Great-Great-Great Grandmother Kate)
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