The Pursuit of Happiness

Connecticut

2008-07-26T17:54:00.001-07:00

Today was the Connecticut day. Most of which consisted of a town called Mystic. Here they a recreated Seaport village along with a history of different types of boats and ships. We spent about 5 hours walking around taking in all it had to offer. We started with the boat yard where we learned how they make wooden ships. Then we saw them in the process of putting one together in their workshop. Then we toured the waters edge where private owners dock their extravagant boat and yachts for display. We weren't able to board any of them but they were beautiful to look at. They also had large ships that were used a couple hundred years ago that we were able to board and toured. It was fun to walk down the main street and take a look at the old school house, blacksmith, copper smith, drugery, clock maker, rope maker, figurehead carver and the church amongst other things. They also had small museums that you could tour as well. We were really pleased to spend the day here. From here we took a short ferry ride and headed for Gillete's Castle. Gillete was a famous actor in the early 1900s for his multiple portrayals of Sherlock Holmes. He also made money with a small time railroad he created. With his fortune he built himself a fake medieval stone castle. He had a sense of humor that can be seen throughout the castle's puzzle lock doors. None of the 47 doors in the home are the same. He also had an elaborate mirror system that allowed him to see who was visiting. After we left we continued down the coast to a state park where we got out and walked down the beach for a bit. it was a nice warm afternoon and the sun was on its way down. We have now found ourselves in our last hotel room of the trip. It is a little sad that tomorrow will be our last full day of East Coast touring but Claire and I both agree that not only are our bodies tired of all the walking we have done but are brains are starting to turn to mush from all the history and sites that we have been absorbing. This might be the last entry until we get home. We are back to Becky's tomorrow night and then back to Indiana the next day.

The picture for today are in the East Coast 2 link.

Newport Rhode Island

2008-07-25T18:33:00.000-07:00

After breakfast today we headed for our next state, Rhode Island. We were to spend half the day in Newport and the second half in Providence. However, we liked what Newport had to offer so much we decided to spend the day. It all started with a walk around the downtown area. We few of the highlights along the way were Trinity Church, the Harbor, and the Redwood library. From here we drove to the edge of town to the Cliff Walk. The Cliff Walk is a 3 mile path that runs along the coast. If that weren't enough the Cliff Walk is also lined with huge mansions and other large homes. A lot of these are private residences but there are also a handful of them that are available to tour. We choose to tour The Breakers, which is the largest and most popular stop along the walk. It is 138,000 square foot home that the Vanderbilt family built and summered in for a few years. We found it funny that the guide mentioned the exterior was made of Indiana limestone. The center of the home was where the grand hall was located and the was 50 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 50 feet tall. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the homes but I managed to sneak a few. The other home that we toured was called Rosecliff. This home has been owned by many different families in the last hundred years. It has also been used in a variety of movies such as the Great Gatsby, True Lies, and 27 Dresses. After walking most of the day we decided to take the scenic drive that extended past the Cliff Walk. We ended up eating lunch while overlooking the ocean. We ended our day by walking another mile or so down a different section of the Cliff Walk. After a long day and a lot of walking we were content with finding our hotel and calling it a day. The last picture is a shot of restaurant next to the hotel where we enjoyed a steak and some ribs. Tomorrow we are off to explore Connecticut.

Slightly different site for the new pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/john23r/EastCoast2

Cape Cod

2008-07-24T19:31:00.000-07:00

Here we go again. The day started off with breakfast at the Bate's.... I mean Scholar Hotel. and then it was off to explore the Cape. We started with some beaches and lighthouses along the east coast of the Cape. It was really foggy and windy but the coast still provided some beautiful views. Later in the afternoon it started to rain but it didn't last long and luckily for us we were able to drive during most of it. We made it all the way to the most northern point of the Cape before driving all the way back down. (It only takes an hour to drive from north to south) We had a great day having lunch by the coast, seeing windmills, taking a walk down a cedar swamp path, climbing a lighthouse, and seeing great coast and other lighthouse views. We are now just west of the Cape and ready to take in Newport and Providence in Rhode Island.

More pictures up on the Picasa site. Check the link below.

Here We Go

2008-07-23T17:08:00.000-07:00

Now for some details....
It all started Saturday night as we landed in Manchester New Hampshire around 1:00 in the morning and headed to Becky's apartment about an hour away. With a fresh start in the morning we were ready to tour the nearby area. Our day started with a tour of Portsmouth. We had lunch/brunch at The Friendly Toast, visited the harbor, and checked out some of the downtown shops. After a quick drive down the coast and a few quick stops at some local parks to snap some senic pictures we headed for Maine. Becky knows of a little town on the coast called Perkins Cove. We drove into this cove where we had a cup of coffee along the coast before taking a walk along the Marginal Way. The Marginal Way is a paved path along the rocky coast.

I won't give you a play by play of our trip so far because there is just too much... but these are some of the highlights. We had a fabulous time walking the Freedom Trail in Boston - we were surprised to see that there is a red brick line in the sidewalk thoughout the entire Freedom Trail. We saw all kinds of historic buildings and got to hang out with Becky's dad and her boyfriend, Matt. We took the "T" (subway) to Fenway Park to have a look, and it was great! We even stopped to have a drink and the Green Dragon, a pub where fathers of the American Revolution formulated their plans to become a country of thier own.

Our first day on our own, we went to Newburyport, Mass. where we took a tour of a very old captain's house. The lady who gave us the tour was over 75 years old herself and couldn't hear anything we said. It was very fitting and funny to have her as a tour guide.

Later that day, we headed to Salem, Mass. We got there a little too late in the day to visit most of the museums, but we did get to tour the House of Seven Gables and Nathaniel Hawthorne's birthplace. We decided that to hang out in Salem, you have to be into goth and witches. Weird.

Today, we went to Plymouth, and it was amazing! We toured the Mayfower II, which is an exact replica of the original Mayflower and then went to Plymouth Plantation, a reenactment of the English settlement from the 1620s. Then we headed for Cape Cod. So far, Cape Cod is not our favorite. It's over crowed and overpriced in every way. We did try clam chowder (or "chowdah" here) for the first time, and we are staying in a very old bed and breakfast with a slightly strange but well-meaning concierge. We'll see what tomorrow brings...

You can see our pictures of Plymouth and Cape Cod on John's Picasa site which is listed in the post below.

East Coast

2008-07-22T19:55:00.000-07:00

We did indeed make it to the east coast on Saturday night. In our short time so far we have had coffee on the coast of Maine, walked the Freedom Trail, ridden the Boston subway, checked out Fenway, cooked and eaten a couple of lobsters, seen a variety of beautiful little coastal cities, toured Nathanial Hawthorns' house, and managed to squeeze in some witches in Salem. All this being said I am sitting here in a hotel room typing this with only one eye open because I am just too tired to give the details at this time. But since we promised to update and we never disappoint here are some picture to hold you over. How can I see them you might ask. Well it's easy. All you have to do is click on the link and enjoy.

http://picasaweb.google.com/john23r/EastCoast

More details to come.

Goodbye Bloom

2008-07-18T10:48:00.000-07:00

I know we haven't blogged in forever... probably because we've been too busy with life in general, but this coming week, we will have something special to blog about: a vacation! You can follow us in our east coast vacation by checking the blog regularly.

Today was a bittersweet day for me (Claire) as I said goodbye to my place of employment for the past eleven months. I decided to resign from Bloom Marketing Group because I hope to go back to teaching in the fall, and today was my last day. I said sad goodbyes to my close coworkers and tomorrow we take off for out east coast vacation. Below, you can see pictures of my office mates and me and the HR team from Bloom.

A Long Time Coming

2008-06-12T16:19:00.000-07:00

So yeah it has been about 6 months since the last time we have posted anything. Since this time we have bought our first house and have been busy settling in. It was in good shape when we moved in and after we spent the first month painting the majority of the rooms we began to feel like it was home. Since then we have been busy with other minor upgrades or repairs. The lastest has been the landscape. We are diligently trying to get our yard to grow as we are quickly becoming "those neighbors." You can check out a few pictures by clicking on the link below. These shots were taken during the move in and the weeks soon after. A few things have changed since and I will try and get the newer pictures up soon.

http://picasaweb.google.com/john23r/OurNewHouse

Other news besides the house include me finishing up my 4th year of teaching. I was in a 5/6 split class this year which presented all sort of new challenges. After 4 years of teaching I am yet to do the same thing twice. This has lead to all new learning experiences for me. Next year, however, I will be teaching just 5th grade which is what I did my second year teaching. I am excited at the thought of honing my skills in one grade level.

Claire has been working in a Human Resource Department at a company in town. She is a teacher at heart but has made the most of the job she is in. She knows that what she has been doing these last 10 months is where she needed to be. She has been an inspiration to many of her coworkers and has learned to do things she never thought she could.

We are still attending Exodus church and have found our nitch there as well. I have been meeting biweekly with a group of guys and Claire and I have developed great relationships with many of the other married couples. We feel very blessed to have found Exodus.

That about sums it up in three paragraphs. Now that the summer is upon us and I have a little more time on my hands I will try to stay a little more updated on the blog.

Until next time.

Our New House

2008-03-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

Claire and I have purchased our first house together. The Picasa site below has pictures if you care to check it out.

http://picasaweb.google.com/john23r/OurNewHouse

I hope you enjoy.

Its Been Awhile

2008-01-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

Ok both Claire and I know that is has been quite some time since the last time we posted anything on this blog. We are sorry if you are one of those people who continues to check it only to be hit with the same old pumpkin carving story. At least they were nice pumpkins.

Alot has happened since the last time we posted. I guess that is partially to blame for the new material. We have been very busy mostly with work, but other highlights include building relationships with friends, church league basketball, a new found luxury in the Bookmobile, exploring the town we live in, IU basketball games, enjoying those little things, and our favorite spending time with our families.

We had a great Thanksgiving this year. As we flash back a year ago we reflect on the fact that I had been deathly sick the entire Thanksgiving week. Also the fact that our Thanksgiving dinner happened at a resort where faux turkey and not so pumpkin pie was served. Even though lounging on the beach sounds nice we were happy to be home with loved ones.

For us, like many holidays, Thanksgiving was a multiple day affair. The fist of three feast took place a couple weeks before with Claire's family when we took advantage of Joel and Laura being in town. It was a nice meal that consisted of many kinds of meat: deer, turkey, and elk.

The second meal was with on Thanksgiving day with my family in Angola. It was the first holiday that we got to spend together where all of us were officially coupled with a significant other. The final meal was the next day in Van Wert with Claire's extended family. Lets just say that by the weekend sweat pants were a real good idea.

The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are always a crazy time. When you go a year having missed all of that it seems even busier. We were going every which way those few weeks enjoying the ride the entire way. If I were to guess I think Claire would choose the decorating of the tree and the carols as her favorite part of the season. I was just happy to survive another semester of 6th grade.

We enjoyed Christmas Eve with a service at the church followed by dinner and stories at the Dolby house. The next morning Claire and I got up and opened present we had gotten for each other before heading over to her parents house for the rest of the day. In the afternoon Joel and Laura came over along with Claire's Gramps and Granny and we all celebrated together. The next day Claire and I again headed north to Angola where we enjoyed a few days with my family. Now as we bring in another new year we are getting ready for a whole new adventure but that story will have to wait for next time. Stay turned.

Halloween

2007-11-03T09:33:00.001-07:00

Halloween makes the first official celebrated holiday that we missed last year being in the Dominican and we were really excited to get to do all the fun things that go along with it. We started the celebrations by carving pumpkins. I decided to go with something a little different this year so I carved the logo to Exodus church. It turned out pretty well and when we took it to church with us last weekend everyone got a kick out of it. Claire also decided to change it up from the traditional Jack O Lantern and went with a scarecrow. It also turned out really well. The other group of pumpkins that are pictured were carved by our neighbors. For those of you that don't recognize them they are the four main characters from the TV show The Office. Claire and I thought that they were really funny so we took the picture.

On Halloween Claire and I dressed up and headed over to a friends place for a small party. We went as a tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush. It has always been a dream of Claire's to go as toothpaste. It was a good time. A couple other costumes pictured are Mr. Clean, Rosie the Riviter, and Mother Nature. It was nice to get back to some normal holiday traditions. Up next, Thanksgiving, and we are really looking forward to that.

Joe and Narissa's Wedding

2007-11-03T08:25:00.000-07:00

Well this post is a little overdue but late is better than ever. The weekend of October 20 my brother got married. Claire and I drove up on Friday to help mom set up for the rehearsal dinner. Everything went very well at the rehearsal and we all left feeling like we were ready. At the dinner that night we all enjoyed pizza, ice cream, and a couple fun stories about the bride and groom.
That night Hank, another of Joe's groomsmen, and I headed back to Joe's place while Claire stayed at my parents house. We stayed up talking and watching a movie. It was early the next morning that we woke up and made a trip out to pick up the hog for the reception. Then it was back to the house to clean up and get ready for the wedding.
Pictures were first. We started the wedding by getting all the photos of the family and wedding party out of the way. With the exception of a few squirrely kids everything got finished up and some pretty good pictures should be on there way. Then it was time to get hitched.

Dad and another pastor that Narissa and Joe grew up with helped perform the ceremony. It was a nice ceremony. It was up to me, as the best man, to hold onto the ring. I think I did a good job. I couldn't let that responsibility pass by without a little fun. So I held a penny in one hand and the ring in the other. When it was time to hand the ring to the pastor I pretended to reach into my pocket and when I pulled my hand out I dropped the penny on the hardwood floor. It made a loud clanking sound and a few people gasped. Then I opened my other hand where I had the rings. Joe and Narissa thought it was funny and everyone else got a good kick out of it.
Afterward we all headed to the reception for some delicious pulled pork, cake, and dancing. It was a lot of fun. The toast went great and yes that is a picture of me handing Narissa a BB gun. I told the story about how one day when Joe and I were younger mom and dad left us alone for the day. I took it upon myself as the big brother to watch over Joe. So I held him hostage on the couch with the BB gun. Then I explained that as of that day Narissa was now there to help shoulder the burden. The cake that is pictured was not the official wedding cake. This was the grooms cake. My mom made it to commemorate the first time Joe and Narissa met. It all boiled back to a girl who wanted a ride in the cool Jeep in the parking lot. Then we danced before all calling it a night. Congrats Joe and Narissa on the big day and Narissa welcome to the family.

A Day At The Park

2007-10-14T18:10:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Claire and I decided to go for a walk in a nearby park, Karts Farm Park. It is a popular disc golf spot here in Bloomington but is best known for its soccer fields. I would guess that there are close 10 fields in all. It is about a mile from our place and each Saturday it is loaded down with kids off all ages playing soccer. We decided to take the tail less traveled. Along our way we came to a patch of area that was covered with flowers. We took our time walking through, looking, smelling, and taking pictures. Here are a few pictures that I took while we were there.

It was a very nice fall day to be outside. We are both loving the cooler weather. We both remember last year not getting to experience a fall season or any of the fall treats that come along with it. That must be why we have been to the local orchard twice already this year, have gone through a few gallons of apple cider, countless bushels of apples, a couple pumpkin pies, a few batches of applesauce, and tried a couple different recipes involving acorn squash. What can I say, just making up for lost times. We have also recently discovered our winter wardrobe again. After wearing our summer gear for about two years now, it is nice to put on a light jacket or a sweater and mix it up a little.

A Visit to Chicago and A Tribute

2007-10-08T18:50:00.000-07:00

We've been busy, obviously, and our lives are simply not as interesting as they were last year in the DR; however, we are really enjoying our non-interesting, stable, convenient, and fairly predictable lives.

A few weekends ago, we took a trip up to Chicago to visit my (Claire) Grandpa Verch and his wife Jan. My mom's side of the family all resides in Chicago, so we made a few other stops, too.
We really enjoyed spending time with Grandpa - we don't get to

spend much time with him because of the distance, so we tried to pack in as much quality time as possible. We played a few games, went to a park, relaxed at home, and went out to eat while we were there, and it was so nice to just talk and catch up. Of course, we talked about our experience last year, but Grandpa and Jan already knew a whole lot about what we did since they're avid blog-readers.

While we were there, we also went to visit Aunt Irma, who is 103
and just as spunky as she was at 25 - or maybe moreso. In fact, while we were sitting with her in her room, she brought up politics, which is always a dangerous subject, and in the course of the conversation, she said that she doesn't vote anymore, and when asked why, she said, "Well, I stopped voting when I was 100," like that was the most natural explanation possible. We got a kick out of that for a long time after we left.

As for other news in our lives, we're getting more and more involved in our church, which is so great since last year we were pretty much churchless. That was one of the biggest holes in our lives, and now it's filled and wonderful. We're also really enjoying hanging out with friends, new and old. I (Claire) am still working at the office in Human Resources which has proved to be an experience I will never forget, but one thing that has made the schedule a little more enjoyable for me is that I've begun walking to work on a daily basis. It's two miles one way, and the quiet time in the morning is one of my favorite times of the day. On the way home, I have the chance to de-stress from the day and wind down in a healthy and constructive way before I get home to enjoy my evening. Life is good.

A Tribute
Last week, our family friend Galen Dolby passed away. He was an incredible man who lived life with passion and purpose all the way down to the last day. He passed away at home with his wife and two daughters nearby. Galen was my dad's best friend for 35 years, and his family has been practically like family to us ever since I can remember. We will really miss him, but we know where he is, and we'll see him again soon. If you are a praying person, please pray for his wife Laura, and his children, Liz, Adrianne, and Ike as they try to adjust to living life without Galen.

John's Birthday and a Full Life

2007-09-17T17:32:00.000-07:00

Our lives have been so full that we haven't had time to blog. We're not even sure if anyone still checks our blog since we aren't doing anything out of the ordinary anymore. Our lives are much less interesting, but also much less stressful and also quite a bit happier. I (Claire) have been working hard at my new and different job in the Human Resources department at a large insurance sales company, and John has been trying to figure out how to manage his fifth/sixth split class. He's so happy to be back at Lakeview where he was before we left the country.

John's birthday was this past Friday (th 14th) and we went to Outback Steakhouse for his birthday dinner, to follow tradition. We reminisced about what we were doing last year at this time - going to the Outback in Santo Domingo for a completely different expercience. We're so glad to be home. Saturday morning, we took off for Angola to visit John's family. Mom Roth's specialty is making creative cakes for birthdays - and this year was no exception! She decided to go with a Dominican theme considering how the last year of our lives was spent, and she recreated one of the carnival masks from La Vega for John's cake. It was incredible!

Then, on Sunday, we stopped in Ft. Wayne on our way home to attend the Johnny Appleseed Festival that we talked about all year long since we missed it last year. We met my friend Jamie there and walked around soaking up the smells and sounds of autumn and enjoying the classic fall festival foods like apples and carmel and chicken and dumplings. Yum! We're so excited about fall this year! I'm going to make my first applie pie of the season tomorrow!

In other news, Gramma Verch gave us a quilt as a housewarming present. Here it is pictured in our living area. It's a quilt made of hundreds of different green material. It fits perfectly in our green themed spare bedroom. It took her years to collect the hundreds of materials for the quilt, so we feel lucky to have such a labor of love and family heirloom in our posession.

No Time to Rest (or Blog)

2007-08-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

We have been INSANELY busy! We've moved into our apartment, and since we both work full time, we haven't had adequate time to unpack. It looks like a tornado went through our place, and every night after work and all weekend, we've been trying to find places for everything. It's very slowly starting to look like a home, but there are still boxes all over the place with towels, spatulas, purses, and random household items hanging out of them. We've got a long way to go.

Our new address:

1023 Persimmon Tree Circle

Bloomington, Indiana

47403

We've been so consumed with moving and unpacking that we haven't been eating dinner until 9:30 or 10:00 at night. We know that's normal dinner time for Dominicans, but it's never been normal for us. Yesterday, we finally got our Internet and cable hooked up, so we should be more active on the world wide web.

With the help of my younger brother, Jesse, we built our own entertainment center. Jesse welded the metal frame together, and we stained, sanded, and assembled the wood part. It was a lot more work than we expected, but now we feel like we've really invested in that particular piece of furniture.

A Job for Claire and a Few Other Tidbits

2007-08-20T17:58:00.000-07:00

So, we've been really busy! All of a sudden, John had a job, then I got a job, and now we're moving into an apartment. I didn't get a teaching job this year, which made me so sad (and still does) that I can't really think about it for very long. I do, however, have a different kind of job than I have ever had before. I'm working for a company called Bloom Marketing Group in the human resources department. My official title is "recruitment specialist" which really means that I screen and interview candidates for the hundreds of open positions at Bloom MG. I hired my first person today.

Even though it's not teaching, I think this job will provide me with a different kind of experience that will ultimately be valuable. Working in a human resources department, I'll get lots of experience dealing with people, which can only be good. So far, the office is a pleasant place to work, even though things are kind of crazy right now because next week, Bloom is moving to a new building.

We're moving into our apartment on Wednesday, and we decided we would drive up to John's parent's house this past weekend to get all of the things we stored there last year. John's parents were flying into Indianapolis really late Friday night, and we decided to surprise them by meeting them at the airport and then continuing up to Angola with them. We made signs that said "Mom" and "Dad" so we could stand there and hold the signs while they were walking down the long hallway.... they saw us from pretty far down the hall and laughed all the way. It was great, and they said it was a much needed perk after a not-so-smooth trip.

John's brother Joe and his fiancee Narissa bought their first house, and we got to see it while we were visiting. We had some family fun at their house before they came to help us load the truck with all our stuff. Then, John decided to try something totally weird: an ear wax candle. This hollow candle is supposed to draw the wax out of your ears while it burns - but you have to stick the non-burning end into your ear. As it turns out, it works. If you would like photographic proof, email me and I'll send you a picture. That's just too gross to put on a blog!

In other news, my brother, Jesse has left for college, but before he left, he gave some rides in his sandrail. Believe it or not, my grandmother (Gramma Verch) wanted to take a spin in Jesse's sporty vehicle. She had a great time tooling around with him with the wind whipping her hair around. I got to take a ride, too. It was fun, and we really miss having Jesse around.

A Job for John!

2007-08-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

Good News!!! Last Thursday at noon, John got a call from the principal of Lakeview Elementary, the school John had to leave when we moved to the Dominican Republic. The new principal, Tommy Richardson, asked John if he would be ready at a moment's notice to teach a 5th/6th split class. An older teacher at Lakeview might retire this year, but we're not sure yet, he told John. By Thursday night, it was a sure thing, and John was welcomed back to the school he was so sad to leave a year ago.

John will be on a temporary sub contract until November when the teacher whose place he is taking officially retires. We are so happy and grateful to God for this miracle. We really feel like it's a miracle. John has spent the last few days frantically trying to get a barren classroom ready for the first day of school (Wednesday). We figured out that (in spite of the fact we thought we were so smart when we packed all of our stuff up) half of the stuff John needs for his classroom is in storage in Angola... bad news. We think we might take an emergency trip up there this coming weekend to pick it up. We're just so thrilled that he has a job!

I, however, am still unemployed. Today, I applied for an editing job at a local marketing agency. We'll see how that goes. I've been spending my time helping my parents fix up their house. This week is official "Home Improvement Project" week, and today we put down a new floor in the laundry room. Pictures are forthcoming. Jesse, my brother, has made us a really cool frame for a TV table, and tomorrow, I'll most likely stain the wood for it. Also, last week, I got to spend the day with Jamie, my best friend, at the Indianapolis Art Museum and an old mansion/museum that belonged to the Lily family in the 1920s. We had a fantastic time, and that was the day John got the call from Lakeview, so I might say it was the best day so far this summer.

Coming shortly will be pictures of John in his classroom (that amazingly includes a TV, an LCD projector in the ceiling, five computers, and three printers not to mention all the paper, scissors, pencils, markers, etc. that a teacher could want) at school. Hoorah for the U.S. public school system! We certainly appreciate it a whole lot more after last year.

Our Third Anniversary

2007-08-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

Man how time flies. Claire and I celebrated our wedding anniversary yesterday, August 7, making it 3 years now. It was a year ago to the day that we moved to the Dominican Republic to start our time there so we both figured no matter how we spent the day this year nothing could be as nerve racking and scary as that.

I started the celebration by telling Claire to pack an overnight bag the morning of the 6th. She had no idea where we were going but was forewarned that I had planned an activity for that day. After I ran some earrands in the morning we loaded our things and headed north to Indianapolis. It wasn't until we checked into the room that Claire discovered the first part of the surprise: a desert themed room. I had done some research online and found a hotel that had theme suites. Such themes included: Arabian Nights, Cesar's Court, Cupids Corner, Pharaoh's Chamber, Jungle Safari, and a few others. I choose the Desert Nights room for the large whirlpool and the octagonal bed. The rooms and the hotel probably aren't the most romantic setting in the world, you wouldn't want to honeymoon in a place like this, but it was a fun-something-different-kind-of-thing to do for a night. After we reached our room I revealed the second half of my surprise to Claire: I had packed a picnic for us to enjoy that night in our Dessert suite along with bringing along some games and the laptop with some DVDs to watch.

After a quick snack on the picnic items which included a couple different types of cheese, bread, crackers, strawberries, and blueberries, we decided that we were going to need some bubbles in our whirlpool later on that night. So we found a Wal Mart and picked up the necessary items. Then it was off for dinner at a local brewery that we spotted on our way into town. We decided it would be better to eat at a local place then to settle for a place we have been to before. It was fun try a new place and a few different tastes.

After dinner it was back to the room for the night. Our first order of business was filling the whirlpool up and putting in the bubbles. Once the water was just above the jets, we turned it on. In a matter of seconds we had more bubbles than either of us had ever seen coming out of a tub. When the bubbles started piling higher than the tub and started creeping up the mirror nearby we decided to shut off the jets. I would guess the bubbles were about 3 or 4 feet deep at one point. We had a great time playing around with the bubbles for the next hour or so designing all sorts of hats, facial hair, and clothing.

Afterward we set up the laptop and spent the rest of the night watching movies, playing Scrabble, and snacking out of the picnic basket.

In the morning, our anniversary, we decided to head to the Indianapolis Zoo and spend the day there. We saw all kinds of fun animals and a couple shows. My personal favorite was the Ocean exhibit. It might have partially been due to the fact that it was in an air conditioned building. During the day the temperature reached triple digits. Inside the Ocean building we had the opportunity to pet some sharks, watch a swimming polar bear, and see the penguins. After catching the dolphin show we getting up close with a bear we headed out to the Plains where we saw rhinos, giraffes, elephants, and the king of the jungle. After a picnic outside the park and our final stop before heading back to Bloomington we visited the White River Gardens. This is located next to the zoo and is included in the price of admission. Inside they have a butterfly room and an outdoor garden area. Despite the heat we had a great time together.

After getting cleaned up back home we finished off the night with dinner at Red Lobster and a stroll through leisurely Borders. The book store was a popular date spot for us while in college. It was just about the only place away from Huntington that we could go and spend time together.

Throughout the day we made reference to the fact that we would be landing in the D.R. or we would be getting into our apartment for the first time, or trying to settle our nerves enough to have dinner. Each time we talked about "this time last year," we were glad to be spending another year together back home.

Enjoying the Remainder of the Summer

2007-08-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

The title of this post should really be Trying to Enjoy the Remainder of the Summer. We still don't have jobs - and it's a little difficult to enjoy yourself when you know there is no income on its way.

We attended the Demolition Derby again this summer, and I (Claire) have come to the realization that it has officially become a tradition. We attended the event with our friends Mark and Andrea and had about as good of a time as you can have at events like that. We had a hard time watching all of those running cars get smashed up since one of our cars was no longer running. If you want my complete (and unchanged since last year) opinion on the county fair, check out our first post on our other blog, Stepping Out of the Boat.

We've just been waiting around for some one to hire us as teachers, and we've been trying to entertain ourselves. Jesse, my brother, turned 21 on August 4th, and we had a little cook-out for him. He spent his real birthday out in Wyoming with Joel and Laura, but we celebrated early with family and friends.

We also had a great time teaching my mom and my Aunt Debbie (who stopped by to visit on her way home) how to Salsa and Merengue. We had lots of laughs together as we tried to teach them the steps and the proper hip movements. I think we spent the most energy laughing.

In other news, we bought another car from our friends Jason and Amy Lanham. They were gracious enough to give us a good deal, and now we are the proud owners of two old Hondas.

Harry Potter, the Pearl of Southern Indiana, and Bad Luck

2007-07-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter

I (Claire) must admit that I am slightly obsessed with the Harry Potter books. That was a gross understatement. I am obsessed with them to an almost unhealthy level. In fact, it almost disturbs me because of how much I love the books. Don't worry - I'm not going to spoil the end of the whole story for those of you who have not yet read the book. I will simply say that as I approached the end of the book, I got simultaneously sad and happy because I knew when I would finish the book, that would be the end of the end, and also because I really wanted to know how the whole thing ended up. I laughed and cried as I read the book (the crying while reading thing is unusual for me), and I absolutely loved it. Let's just say that the end is fitting.

We made it back from our road trip in enough time to attend the Harry Potter party in the middle of the night at Borders when the book was released. I have never seen so many people in a bookstore in my life! I can honestly say that every piece of floor space was occupied by some one's feet from about 11:45 pm until 1:00 am. It was CRAZY! I was expecting it to be fun, but what really happened was that I had to stand so close to strangers that my personal space was seriously invaded. I was socially uncomfortable, and it was hot in there, too. But, I'm glad we went because that meant that we could start reading the book first thing in the morning.

John got the privilege of reading it first because I wanted to read the last one again before I read the new one. The deal was (since I'm a faster reader) that John could read the new one until I was finished with the 6th one, then I would get to catch up with him wherever in the story he was. He would get to finish from that point, and then I could finish second. This turned out to be a great plan since I have a hard time masking my reaction to what I read. In fact, John watched me read the last 150 pages or so because he was so entertained by my reactions. He even took video of me reading. I'm so sad that it's over, and it almost bothers me how affected I've been by the whole thing, but I think the reason I love it so much is that I've been following and loving all the characters for so long that I can hardly stand to know I'll never read more of their stories. I'm crazy for a good story, you know, especially one that involves the eternal struggle between good and evil represented by colorful and interesting characters. I guess I still have the movies to look forward to, but I'm always disappointed at how much they have to leave out. John loved the book, too, but he managed to read it with a straight face.

The Pearl of Southern Indiana

We went down to French Lick, Indiana today to visit the recently renovated West Baden Hotel. It was most popular, I think, during the roaring 20s when the rich and famous went there to enjoy the hot springs nearby. Now, this amazingly beautiful hotel is nestled (or hidden) in the run-down town of French Lick and the surrounding farms. When we rounded the corner in the road so we had a nice view of the hotel, I could hardly believe it. It is so glamorous and richly ornate that it looks like it doesn't fit or belong anywhere near French Lick. It's like accidentally finding the Pearl of the World in an oyster you're eating at a backyard barbecue.

Mom and Dad Pontius, John, and I made the trip to see the hotel (and to have lunch at a roadside BBQ place Dad has been raving about for weeks). We had a great time, although it rained much of the time we were there. If you want to see some professional pictures of the outside of the hotel (definitely worth it), click here: http://www.cookgroup.com/historic_landmarks/

First, we went to lunch at the famous BBQ place, and it was great. Then, we went to see the hotels. It was a great time, and the beauty of the decor and architecture was almost overwhelming. I found a chaise lounge that I loved in the dome room of the West Baden Hotel. We took turns sitting in it.

Bad Luck
We have bad luck when it comes to cars. We thought that we were great with the car situation - two somewhat old but smooth-running cars that are completely paid for... well, the green car went capootz. We have to buy a new car, and we were not planning on that. I would write the stuff that the mechanic said went wrong with the motor, but I don't speak gobbledegook. If you want the details, call my dad. So- we're on the lookout for another somewhat old but smooth-running car.

Shopping Anyone

2007-07-22T20:20:00.000-07:00

The day that Claire had been waiting for had finally arrived. Our first stop of the day was IKEA. We arrived as the door opened to ensure ourselves enough time for this and the Mall Of America. I had never been to IKEA before and by the excitement in Claire's actions I was afraid for our bank account. For those of you that have never been to and IKEA before let me run you through a basic operation of the entire deal.

When you enter the store you grab a big yellow bag to carry around on your shoulder, an IKEA pencil, and a shopping list. You then are directed upstairs where you start your shopping experience to work your way down. The store has a path that winds its way through different types of home furnishing areas. From kitchen, living room, bathroom, home decor, lighting, on and on anything is available. Along the way they also have entire show rooms from houses set up with different types and sizes of rooms. Here they display all the things that the store has to offer. If you like something that you see on the show room floor or in one of these houses you write down what it is on your shopping list. Then after you have walked though the few levels of the store you enter the warehouse where you are directed to the shelf your item is on. After picking it up the cashiers are waiting just beyond the warehouse. It is a pretty smooth process and I have to admit it was fun to walk through and see all the different styles and designs for the many rooms of a house. Claire ended up taking it easy on the pocketbook. We ended up getting a couple odd and end things. Because we are in a transition stage as far as our living is concerned we don't really have anywhere to put furniture type things, which I had to remind Claire of on multiple occasions. If we did have an apartment or house we would have probably come home with a chair and a table if not more. After shopping at IKEA which was about 3 hours we dropped our things off in the car and headed back in to have a brunch in the food court. We were able to have a couple Swedish dishes in the meatballs and the Linginberry dessert they had.

Now it was off to the mall. Neither of us are huge shoppers so we were more curious of the variety of things the mall had to offer and not so much the browsing through the stores looking for the best deals. Again for those of you that have never been to the Mall of America it is set up in a square with all the stores located on the outer part of the square. Then in the middle is the amusement park. Claire and I started on the first floor, there are three floors with a movie theatre on the fourth by the way, and just started walking around. We went in and out of a few stores but like I said we were just looking. About half way around we headed into the amusement park to get a closer look on the rides and games that were offered. We were shocked to see that just about any kind of ride or game you can think of is in the mall. They have roller coasters, log rides, Ferris wheels, swings, fun houses, and much more. We had a good time walking around watching all the kids having a great time. We also walked in a place called Lego Land where everything was made entirely of Legos. The highlights of Lego land included a beach ball size Death Star from Star Wars, a larger than life Batman, our personal favorite a two story grandfather clock. After many ows and ahs we decided to by a key chain that looked like a Lego man because we needed a key chain and it was something fun to remember the mall. We decided on a Lego man that looks like Harry Potter. From here we simply walked around and browsed the stores along the way. After another quick bite, the final store on the third floor behind us, and 4 and a half hours later we were ready to call it a day.

By now it was around 5 in the afternoon and we were wondering how far away from the city we should go before finding a hotel for the night. It was sometime around here when the idea of driving through the night and just getting home hit me. After a quick search online curiously of a nearby hotel we found that we were 10 hours from home, we could do it. So jumped in the car and headed home. We wanted to avoid the craziness of Chicago so we headed south into Iowa where we then cut our way back towards Indiana. After a late dinner in the car and some direction navigation, Claire went to sleep around 12:30. I plugged in my IPod and headed for home. For the next 4 hours it was nothing but semis and headlights. After crossing the Indiana line while stopping for gas Claire woke up and kept me company for breakfast at McDonalds and the rest of the ride home. By the time we arrived in Bloomington I had been awake for about 23 hours. We went straight to bed. Hey we needed our sleep we had a Harry Potter date at midnight that night.

Day 3: In The Car

2007-07-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

We started day three on the west side of South Dakota and were hoping to make it to the corn palace and Cabellas on the east side on our way to Minneapolis. By the end of the day we thought that maybe we would have some time to shop a little before spending the night there to finish in the morning. We were wrong again. We were really bad at estimating how long it took us to get somewhere.

We spent the entire morning in the car before finally arriving in Mitchell in time for a later lunch. We visited the Corn Palace first. For those of you that have never heard of the Corn Palace it is a building that has been decorated entirely of corn. Every year at the start of the summer they strip the old corn and local grass and create a brand new design for the next year. It was quit the site to see an entire building made of corn. Inside the Corn Palace they have a large basketball arena which is used by the local college and high school teams. I thought it would have been really funny to play my basketball games in a Corn Palace. During the off seasons they set up a souvenir shop on the floor where you can find any thing corn related item editable or not.

After leaving the corn palace we headed over to Cabellas. We weren't looking to buy anything we just wanted to get a few pictures and see the mounts that were all over the store. This isn't exactly the type of store for Claire or I and we were anxious to get back on the road so we didn't stick around to long.

It didn't take riding in the car very long before we realized that we weren't going to make it in time for shopping but we were determined to get there and find a place to sleep so that in the morning we could sleep in a little and then head over to IKEA. So that is what we did. We spent most of the after noon and early evening in the car pushing to make it to Minneapolis at a decent time. When we finally arrived we took a relaxing dip in the hot tub and then ordered a pizza before calling it a day. Now with the excitement of going to IKEA the next day we will see if Claire can get any sleep? By the looks of this last picture, I think so.

Devil's Tower and Mount Rushmore

2007-07-20T16:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry we haven't blogged about our progress across the country in a couple days. We had good intentions of blogging while in the car and then posting when we get to our hotel room. It wasn't for lack of time in the car because we had plenty of that. Never the less here is the next stage of our trip back home.

Our plan was to visit Devil's Tower, cross the state line and see Mt. Rushmore, and then make it half way across the state of South Dakota to a town called Marshall. We really didn't make it close. It took a lot longer to cross Wyoming and get to Devil Towers. Once we drove over the ridge and saw it off in the distance it made the slight detour all worth it. We took some pictures as we drove towards the base of it and then were able to get a good close of look once we got there. Because we were on a little bit of a time crunch we didn't take the hike around the entire tower although we were able to drive around and see it from all sides. According to the Indian legend the sides of the tower were clawed by a bear trying to reach the tribe on the top. It was a tremendous sight to see and we are glad that we made the trip over to see it.

Our next stop was to head just over the boarder and see Mt. Rushmore. Again it took a little longer than we thought to get there. But after driving south of Rapid City into Keystone we rounded that mountain and were amazed by the sight we saw. Both Claire and I had been to Mt. Rushmore in the past but it had been years for the both of us. When we got there we were surprised to see how it had changed. The first thing we noticed was the parking garage we parked in and then the enormous stone entrance that had flags representing each of the 50 states. There is also a large amphitheatre located at the base of the mountain. Our favorite change that was made was a presidential walk that took you around the base of the mountain and gave you multiple views of the faces. After taking the walking tour, browsing through the museum, watching a quick video about the design and construction of the faces we grabbed some ice cream and headed back out on the rode. By now it was getting late and we were still 3 or 4 hours from where we wanted to be by days end.

After driving a couple hours we decided to stay in a town called Wall South Dakota. For any of you who have traveled interstate 90 know what a Wall Drug sign is. For hundreds of mile in both directions you will see signs for this little tourist trap. They offer funny things like free ice water, fun for kids, 5 cent coffee, and free doughnuts for hunters. I had also been through this town on the same family vacation we went on to see Mt. Rushmore. It again peeked our curiosity and decided to stop there for the night. After some silly pictures in Wall Drug we found a grocery store and picked up somethings to take back for dinner.

It was a long day but the opportunity to see a couple national monuments was great. It was only day two and we had already seen a trips worth of sights. We still had a corn palace, and IKEA, and a Mall of America yet to visit. Stay tuned for those stories.

Our Yellowstone Visit

2007-07-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

On our way out of Wyoming, we decided to do a quick trip through Yellowstone National Park. We had an absolutely fabulous time driving around and looking at all the bubbling mud pots and geysers. We could only really spend one day there, and it was a day jam-packed with amazing sights, sounds, and smells.

If you haven’t been to Yellowstone, you need to know right now that it is no state park. It is absolutely HUGE! We could only drive around the southern loop (over 100 miles, I think) and look at the things along the way. We went to two different Visitor’s Centers where we learned about the fact that Yellowstone is sitting on top of a gigantic bubbling underground volcano, which is what makes the geysers and hot springs boil and bubble. We agreed that if we had come upon some of the sights and sounds at Yellowstone a few hundred years ago, we would have sworn there were witches muttering, “Bubble, bubble, toil, and trouble, fire burn and caldron bubble,” somewhere around the hissing and bubbling springs. We would also have assumed that the witches were filthy and on a diet existing only of hard boiled eggs due to the nasty smells. The sulfuric stench was almost too much to bear at times, and after we had left the park, it lingered in our nostrils for quite some time.

The first thing we did was to drive to Old Faithful to see it spew steamy water into the sky. We got a front row seat and waited for it to erupt. When it finally did, our view of the spout of water was obscured by the steam due to the direction the wind was blowing. It was still really magnificent, but not what we had hoped. So, we took about 80 minutes and walked around the loop behind Old Faithful to look at tons of other smaller geysers and hot springs. By the time we were finished, Old Faithful was about ready to blow again, so we went around to the other side and got a much better view for our second showing of Old Faithful. The place was packed with other tourists, but we didn’t mind. We were glad to see so many people interested in nature.

We spent most of the day in amazement of the awesome (and here, I mean the original, although less frequently used, meaning of the word “awesome” – awe-inspiring) natural wonders of Yellowstone. The rivers running through the canyons create beautiful picture opportunities, and the short “hikes” that we took to view the numerous geysers and boiling lakes were refreshing. I (Claire) still had incredibly sore muscles from our ten mile hike with Joel and Laura and from our float down Flat Creek (most of which I spent frantically paddling with my hands to try to keep up with the others), so John listened to me moan and groan about how much it hurt to walk up and down hill. But, I think the stretching and walking turned out to be a good thing for my sore muscles. Today, I’m feeling pretty good.

While we were in the park, we also learned about how the wildfires of 1988 had affected the ecosystem of the park, which was especially interesting because the little documentary movie we watched about it was made in 1998 – ten years after the fire, and ten years (almost) ago. We noticed the changes in the park from when the movie was made until today. We also got to see some wildlife. When we came back from a little hike, we walked up to our car only to find several people standing in close proximity to the car with cameras. As it turned out, while we were away, a gigantic 12-point buck elk had decided to come and graze in the ditch right by our car. We felt the situation was a little dangerous because the elk was only about fifteen feet from the car and ten feet from us – and from other idiotic tourists with cameras who think it’s okay to shout and wave at the elk to get it to look up at the camera. We left before any unfortunate incidents occurred. We also got a picture of a Bison who was munching away at grass right by the side of the road.

After a full tiring day, we drove out of the park and through some mountains (about two hours due to ups, downs, weavings, and windings) to Cody, Wyoming, where we stayed in a cute (although a little tacky) locally owned hotel called Buffalo Bill’s Village. All the material in the little cabins actually had prints of cowboys riding and lassoing cows. It grew on me. We had a good night’s sleep and got up fairly early to start today, which is fodder for a different blog post scheduled for tomorrow night.

Our Visit With Joel and Laura Part 2

2007-07-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

I am writing this blog post from Buffalo Bill's Village which is a cabin located in Cody Wyoming. We have just spent the day at Yellowstone National Park and are on our way home, but I will write more about that later. I need to fill you in with all the adventure that happened our last couple days with Joel and Laura.

To pick up where the last post ended, we loaded up our backpacks on Saturday and head for the Teton National park for a day hike up to a place called Amphitheater Lake. It was a five mile hike up 3,000 feet so all four of us were sure to take a lunch and plenty of water. It was a beautiful hike that rose higher and higher above the tree line. Along the way Joel stopped and showed us how to use his water filter as we needed to refill our water bottles from a mountain creek. It took us a good 3 to 4 hours to get to the top.... correction it took Claire and I a good 3 to 4 hours to get to the top. I have no doubt that Joel and Laura could have made it in better time but they were nice enough to let us stop when we needed breaks. At the top was a breath taking view of a glacier lake that had a mountain backdrop.

After getting to the top Joel and I decided that we were going to take a dip in the lake to cool ourselves off. I can tell you that there is nothing like glacial water to cool you off. After a very short swim we laid by the lakeside and took in the view. It was a nice place to relax and enjoy the day. After a few pictures we were ready for our 5 mile hike down 3,000 feet. By the end of the day we were all pretty tired. As we headed off for dinner at a local favorite of Joel and Laura there was a brief period of time where I needed to carry Claire to dinner.

The next morning was a little rough for Claire as she was feeling pretty sore from the long hike. Even today in Yellowstone walking around was a little tough for her. After church we decided that we were all going to float down the Flat River, which runs through Jackson, on inner tubes. After some digging around we were able to fine one tire tube, one inflatable plastic tube, and on 2 seater float. So we parked one car at the end of the river and got in another and took off for the start. It didn't take long down the river before we realized that the river could use about another foot of water to really make the trip a lazy one. Nonetheless we had a great time. Every so often the river would drop about a foot and navigating or large rocks and through shallow waters made the adventure a memorable one. I think Joel and Laura were the only two that didn't flip completely off their 2 man tube into the water. As we were floating past Joel and Laura's apartment we decided that we had had enough. After some warm showers Joel and I took the bus to pick up the cars. Even with a couple bumps and bruises we all had a lot of fun.

Later that night Joel had entertain some campers at his school in Jackson, so Claire and I took the opportunity to go with him while Laura lead her Bible school at home. It was a good chance for Claire and I to see Joel's school and to see him in action. He played a silly camp song that he made up for the campers and then helped them as they all wrote their own. It was a great evening to sit back and enjoy the show.

The next morning Claire and I packed our things and headed of on our road trip home. We both at the best time with Joel and Laura. We enjoyed the chances we got to spend with them, the chance to see where they live, and do the things that they do. We hope to again visit sometime real soon.

Our Trip To Wyoming Part 1

2007-07-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

We have been out here now a couple days and thought we would pass along some stories and pictures now to let you know how we are doing.

We left Bloomington for Utah on Tuesday morning at 5 to catch our plane. That doesn't sound that bad until you know that for whatever dumb reason we stayed up til 11:30 the night before watching a Harry Potter movie. Oh well - a quick snooze on the plane and some random stares sitting in the Denver airport and before we knew it we were picking up our rental car in Salt Lake.

It was a beautiful drive from Utah. It took us about 5 hours to drive because we stopped at a roadside diner and had a bite to eat and we took our time looking at the view. We made it into Jackson about 15 hours after we took off from Bloomington. After a bite to eat and a quick mini tour of downtown Jackson we were ready for bed.

While we have been here Joel and Laura have been working during the day which has given Claire and I the chance to do some exploring on our own. The first day that we were here we walked back downtown and looked through a lot of the shops that are around town. We returned home around the time Joel returned home where we packed a picnic and headed for the hills. Joel had a spot in mind that provided a fantastic view of the sunset over the Teton range. It was a great way to spend an evening.

Day two was a relaxing day. We rode along with Laura in the morning as she ran some errands around town. She took us up to a very high-end hotel that looks down onto Jackson and has a view of the Tetons as well. Claire and I have a hard time imagining what the lifestyle would be like that would allow us to stay in such a nice place. We were then able to see where Joel and Laura lived before they moved into the apartment that they have now. The plan for this evening is to head back there for a cookout and to meet their ex roommate. For the afternoon we relaxed, read, and napped. The evening's activities called for a hike up Snow King which is a mountain that is located literally in Joel and Laura's back yard. Snow king is a ski resort that in the summer time doubles as hiking trails for the locals. Then once you get to the top you can ride the ski lift down. Joel and Laura hike the trail about 2 times a week and can make it to the top in 45 minutes. We took just under 2 hours. There is certainly something to be said about the lack of oxygen in high altitude places. And once again the view from the top was a breathtaking view of all of Jackson and then on to the Tetons to Yellowstone. After some pictures, we took the chair lift down, got some ice cream, and called it a day.

This morning we woke up early and headed out on a wildlife view expedition before Joel had to head off to work. We were able to not only see some wildlife like a moose, her calf, a coyote, a mule deer, and some antelope, but the sunrise as well. We were hoping to see some elk but today wasn't the day, maybe tomorrow. Afterward we went to Bubba's , a local favorite, for breakfast.

We have plans to head back into Teton park over the weekend for some day trips which we are looking forward to. Our plans are to continue to post as we make our way back across the country. We'll be taking off from here on Monday.

Visiting Mom and Dad Roth

2007-07-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

We have made it home safely and we are certainly glad to be back. Since arriving home, Claire and I have had many people tell us how much they enjoyed reading our blog and how disappointed they were going to be now that we wouldn't be posting any more. Well not being ones to disappoint we decided to start this new adventure in our lives with a new blog for all our fans. We all hope you enjoying staying up to date with us as much as we like sharing our stories with you.

After returning home on June 23rd we had a few days in Bloomington before we were to take off for Angola to visit my side of the family. We were really busy while in Bloomington. We washed and dried, in a dryer, all of our clothes to get any last Dominican dirt off of them. We went to Wal Mart and oooohed and awwwed over comforts that we had missed. We each got new cell phones so we could communicate with all our family and friends. If you are interested in our numbers just send us an email and we will be glad to send them to you. And we each got new driver licences because our old ones expired while we were away. It was a busy couple days unpacking and getting settled in a little.

We headed to Angola just in time to catch a Ft. Wayne Wizards baseball game. Jamie (Claire's best friend from childhood) and her WBCL coworkers had set up a booth at the game so she was able to help get us a seat and then was able to watch it with us when her duties were done. It was a fun game, we all got those nice red Wizard visors when we entered the ball park, the Wizards won the game, and we got to see fireworks afterwards. Because I hadn't gotten the chance to experiment with the firework setting on our camera I thought this would be the perfect chance. I hope you like the outcome of the pictures as much as I do.

The baseball game was just the start of the very busy week and half we spent in Angola. It seemed that each day we had something else to do or someone to see. Saturday night mom, dad, Claire, and I took our camp chairs to the park to watch a concert in the park. It was put on by a local favorite group called Spike and the Bulldogs who sing songs from the 60's, 70's, and 80's. It was a great night to relax with some oldies.

Sunday we had the chance to spend some time with Joe and Narissa as well as mom and dad. After a nice brunch we went out to the yard to blow some bubbles. With mom however, they are not just any ordinary bubbles. The bubble wand was in full force. After awhile Joe and I were each trying to get inside of one of them. When we were done with the bubbles we loaded up our clubs and all headed out to the driving range to shake some of the rust off the old swing. It was a nice day to spend out side and was even better to finish it off with Ritters frozen custard.

Monday, Claire met up with Jamie in Ft. Wayne and they had a great day hanging out with each other shopping and catching up. Mom and I were on our own so we went out to lunch together and relaxed around the house.

Tuesday it was Claire's turn to relax as I went to hang out with some of my high school friends. We played basketball for 4 hours in the morning before heading back to try our skill at Tiger Woods for the Nintendo Wii. It was great to catch up with them again.

Wednesday was the 4th of July and just like every year we headed to the Nussbaum family picnic. They have held this family tradition for over 30 years and even though the location has changed several times over the years and the family seems to get larger and lager with each passing year we all have a great time together. Some of the highlights of each get together are the food, with is always delicious, yard games, swimming, within the last couple years ping pong, and of course the pictures with all mom's brothers and sisters. Later that night Claire, Jamie and my mom when off to see the local fireworks while I headed back to catch up with some of my high school friends at a party they were having. We had some fireworks of our own and again I took some pictures of them. I told you I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Thursday morning Joe and I got to spend some time just him and me out on the golf course. We had a good time hacking around out there. Later that night Claire and I headed to Goshen to catch up with Fuzzy and Amanda, a couple college friends. We usually get to see Kyle and Christy while we are there but this time we were unable to see them as they were traveling back from Wisconsin. We had fun seeing Fuzzy and Amanda again after a year. They had bought a new house and were nice enough to give us the tour before cooking us dinner. We got the chance to share some of our pictures and stories with them.

Friday Kyle made the journey to mom and dad's house to see us, unfortunately Christy had to work and was unable to join him. While he was there we went out on the lake and did some fishing. We were fairly successful as Kyle caught 7 bass and I reeled in 6. I however had the catch of the day as in one cast I was able to reel in two bass on the same hook. We were both shocked. I had one fish on the top hook and one on the bottom. Later in the day after Kyle left and dad came home from work the four of us hit the links for a round of golf. We couldn't have picked a better night to go. We were late enough to beat the crowd but not to late that we ran out of daylight. We finished it off with a nice dinner.

Saturday, our last day in town, we headed to Pokagon to meet my uncle Ted and his family. We swam in the lake, ate a great picnic, and tried to keep track of all four of Sarah's kids. Neither Claire nor I have any idea how Jeff and Sarah manage all those kids. It was fun to catch up with each of them again. We took off from the park and headed back to Bloomington.

Like I said it was a busy time but we really enjoyed the opportunity to do a little of everything while we were there. So many times when we visit things get cut short or we run out of time and are unable to do something. This time we got to do it all.