Ohio Trip, Part 2 (Dayton)

Part 2 of summer vacation.

The second half of our vacation was spent in Dayton with the Utz clan.

Events to note include another parade and fireworks show. This one for the fourth of July.

After the parade, there was a street festival, with plenty of activities for the kids, including a petting zoo, pony rides, and lots of bounce houses.

After the street fair, we came home and took naps because there was a fourth of july party at my parents' later in the evening. Everything is BIG at the Utz's, and this party was no exception. Thanks to a wedding they hosted the weekend before, there was a huge party tent set-up. And that made for a huge party, where we got to see so much family and lots of friends.

Our visit to Ohio was more than just the 4th of July, though that was worth the price of admission in and of itself. A big thank you to Kristin Kuehn, who made the trip from Chicago to see us. She and I met Gretchen in Oxford, and reminisced about our college years. Miami is truly a beautiful campus.

Also, a thank you to Joerg and Ann Berger who made the trip from Ann Arbor to spend some time with us. Oliver and Carolyn enjoyed a day of fishing together, and there was a serious cornhole tournament that happened too.

We even got to see the other Kristin, who stopped in with her family too. The kids enjoyed playing together.

One night, we camped out in my parents' backyard. We set-up tents, went on snipe hunts, and cooked s'mores over a campfire.

We got to spend a lot of time with Jason, Heather, Addie, and Emerson. One night, the adults even went out for dinner by ourselves. A highlight was seeing Addie and Emerson at their swim and dive meets, and to swim with them at Dunsinane.

The other day, I asked Carolyn what she liked about our trip to Dayton. She said she loved Grandma Lynn & Grandpa Mike's bed with all of the pillows, and the big white swing. Oh yeah, and "Sadie the Licker" too.

ALTOGETHER (PARTS 1 & 2), IT WAS AN AWESOME TRIP. WE ABSOLUTELY CHERISH OUR TIMES WITH FAMILY. SAYING GOODBYE IS HARD. WE MISS YOU ALL MORE THAN WE CAN EVEN EXPRESS.