I don’t know who would have thought it, but two and a half weeks in Ohio was not nearly enough.  I’m so happy we were able to visit, even briefly, with so many important people, but I’m sad there were others we missed.  Below are some of the highlights from my home state.

These were the first friends I got to see in Ohio. Ally (in the middle) and I have been friends since we were five.

We got to hang out with my grandma a few times while we were there. She's great:)

My parents live in Wayne Lakes a little village outside of a little city.  There are maybe twenty or so small lakes so most of the houses there are directly on the lake.  That generally means that you can see a variety of animals out your window at any given time.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t very warm while we were there so we didn’t see the turtles lined up on logs sunbathing, but we did see plenty of geese families.

One of my favorite things to see when I go home.

I was SO happy to see all of these girls:) Maybe you recognize them from our wedding photos?

Another one of the things I noticed the most about being in Ohio was how friendly people were.  I remember the one time during my two years in Slovakia that a lady passing by on the street actually smiled back at me, but I didn’t realize that this would create a strange transition when readjusting to a friendlier nation.  Several times while we were in Greenville I thought my smile was sufficient or even a quick “hello,” but I was continually creeped out by the lingering smiles of people who were certainly just trying to be friendly.

The first and last day of our Ohiocation undoubtedly had the nicest weather.

Although my alma mater, Grove City College, is not actually in Ohio, no trip to my home state will ever be complete without a visit with some of my college friends.  It was so great to see my four-year college roommate JoLyn (aka Joro), our wedding photographer-friend Shaun and several of my favorite D’Phi girls.

It appears that Becca (on the right) said something funny. She's hilarious. Photo credit to Shaun.

Our visit with the girls was cut short because they were going to visit my Little, Michelle, who is getting married this weekend!  Congratulations Michelle and Joe!

Niči settling in at his new home. He's allowed to go outside, but he still loves windowsills.

Thank you to everyone who we were able to spend time with, and I’m sorry if we weren’t able to get together.  It was so amazing to experience just being at home.  Not only was it refreshing to be in a place were people are openly Christian and happy about it, but we were also able to experience God’s creation in new, yet old and familiar ways.  Some of my favorites included: vast farmland, rolling hills (sometimes no hills at all), plush green leaves everywhere, myriads of animals, and lightning bugs to look forward to every evening.