Home Again

We spent the last two weeks in a whirlwind visit to family. We began our vacation by heading to Berkley, West Virginia. We went hiking and spent the night there. We had a great time, but it was really cold! We went the next morning to Salt Forks Park in Ohio. That was a very nice park as well. We enjoyed our hiking there as well. From there we went to Dover, Ohio in Holmes County. There we visited our favorite cheese factory: Heini's Cheese Chalet. We enjoy it there, as we can sample over 30 kinds of cheese and see how the cheese is made.

We visited with our family in Ohio, and that was a very busy fun time! Dan's dad, brother, sister-in-law, and niece were there, along with all the aunts and uncles, so we stayed very busy and spoiled! I think I gained 10 pounds while there, as the food was excellent as were all the treats! From there we headed to Michigan to visit my sister Bess and her family. We enjoyed our time with them and learned how to make grilled pizzas! We were also able to hand deliver birthday gifts (that were on time) to my niece and nephew. That night it snowed, making our trip the next day a little slushy. We drove to Chambersburg, PA in the hope that we could go hiking on the Appalachian Trail, but the snow and cold weather followed us, so we weren't able to do that. Abby's house was next, but we had a few hours before her family would be home, so we ate at a small deli called Dutch's and then took the UTZ Chip Trip. This was great fun and the kids were amazed to see how chips were made and packaged. The kids loved seeing all the huge machines and enjoyed the free chip samples after. Dan and I decided that from now on, we're going to look for factories to tour to see how things are made. Sometimes we take things for granted and don't appreciate the work or people that provide us with so much!

We spent the night with Abby and her family, and of course, the snow followed us. The next day was bright and beautiful. Abby shooed Dan and I off, so we could enjoy a day together before he leaves. We enjoyed our time, we walked through Gettysburg and enjoyed a nice quiet lunch at one of the small restaurants. After Abby's we headed to Sarah's, where we just relaxed and enjoyed meeting Finnlee, my new niece.

From Sarah's we headed to a day in DC. It was so fun. It turned out to be a beautiful warm day and we enjoyed our walk around the mall. Soon we were on the road home. It was so fun, because when we drove up, all of the irises we'd been waiting to see were in bloom, and they were beautiful.

All in all in was a fun and eventful trip. We loved seeing our family and are grateful for the time they took to spend with us.