Then on July 3, we went to visit my family in Ohio for a week. It was a busy, but great time. My sister and her son were also visiting from Florida, so it was fun to have them around and actually see them for more than just a day or two for the first time in a long time. On the 4th, my uncle every year has a picnic at his house where he invites the whole family over and we spend the day together. He actually does it on Memorial Day and Labor Day also, but since the last time I have been in the US during one of those holidays was before we moved to the Philippines, I was so excited to be able to go again. This time, he decided that he was going to make it into more of a family reunion, so not only was I able to see my grandma, aunts and uncles, cousins, and their kids, but I was also able to see some of my mom's cousins. A couple of whom I have never met and some I haven't seen since I was really young. Anyway, it was fun to see people and catch up and JoAnn loved my uncle's huge back yard with so much to do. There was a swing set, a bubble maker, a motorized tractor for the kids and a pool. We actually didn't go swimming since it seemed a little chilly to me to be swimming, but she had fun with everything else. I didn't get any pictures from the day, but I stole some from one of my cousins, so here are a few...
This is JoAnn's cousin, Ty...
I think this is everyone that was able to make it...
That night after we got back, I begged Daniel to let me keep JoAnn awake long enough to go to the Westerville fireworks. This was a big deal for me that we went, I think its because I have so many fun memories of going to the fireworks as a kid and then after we would always come home and get together with the other kids in the neighborhood and set off a few of our own. It was always such a fun day and something that I miss every summer we are in the Philippines. Anyway, it wasn't anything like Red, White and Boom (the Columbus fireworks), but it was neat to be in the US to celebrate the 4th and I think JoAnn loved her first time ever seeing fireworks. Here are a few pictures from that night...
Before it started the people next to us were kind enough to share their glow in the dark necklaces and bracelets with Ty, who was nice enough to share with JoAnn.
This was once the fireworks began...I don't think she new what to think. This was the look on her face the whole time.
The next day, we had another family get together to celebrate JoAnn's birthday. We were a couple weeks early, but I really wanted to celebrate with family while we were home. These are a few pictures that I took from other people's cameras since I once again didn't actually take any of my own. These are of JoAnn openning her presents and enjoying her birthday cake...
The rest of our time in Ohio was spent playing outside in the yard (a luxurary we don't have living in a condominium building) and one day we even went to the Columbus Zoo. It was so much fun to see JoAnn enjoying the things that I used to love doing as a kid. These are a few last pictures...This Daniel trying to learn Ty's rules for playing baseball, in the end the rule ended up being that Ty always won.
JoAnn and Ty.
Watching cartoons in the morning. This rocking chair is actually one that I was given around JoAnn's age from my grandparents. I wish there was a way for me to bring it back here with me because JoAnn loved it.
At the zoo, I didn't get a picture of them, but it was a fun day for me since we went with one of my friends from high school and her 3 kids and also another friend from growing up and her son. We were a large group, but I think everyone had fun. This was JoAnn's favorite, the lions.
This was always my favorite as a kid, but I could not get JoAnn to even think about touching anything. Its just a little place with the aquarium where you can touch a sea cucumber and a star fish.
After our week in Ohio, we spent two more days in Indiana before we flew back on Monday. While we were in Indiana, we spent Saturday with Matt, Britt and their daughter Addison. These are our good friends from college and I'm so sad we weren't able to spend more time with them. We always have so much fun together. Later that night we spent some more time with Daniel's brother and sister and their families. That was a fun night for me because after the kids went to bed, my sister-in-laws and I went out for coffee, which is something I wish I could do more often. Then on Sunday, we had one last Bucher family get together to celebrate the 5 birthdays that are in June and July. I always love it when the family gets together, it seems like there is never a dull moment. During that time we also were able to see one of Daniel's friends and his wife and one of the high school kids that Daniel knows from basketball here in Manila was in Indianapolis for some basketball camps, so he and his mom stopped by as well. Just like the rest of the trip it was a busy weekend, but I wouldn't change it and me being me, I managed to not get a single picture.
Well, all that leaves from our trip is the plane ride back. In order to keep me from getting frustrated about the trip once again, all I will say is that I think it was quite possibly one of the worst experiences with flying I have ever had. It just seemed like one thing after another went wrong including mechanical problems that kept us sitting on the plane in Detroit for almost 3 hours before we even took off, which was probably the worst that happened. So, I was beyond grateful that it was over when we landed safely in Manila.
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