Cincinnati!

Back in June we found some $60 airline tickets to Cincinnati! So we figured, why not?!?! We just got back from Cincinnati and it was a total blast!! Since my family moved from Cincinnati a few years ago, we don't make it back very often. We hadn't been there for 6 years! So it was great to be back!

We met up with my sister Kaylyn, my brother Kip and his wife Bridget, and my brother Kody and his wife Brandy and three cute kids, who all flew in for some fun! And thanks to you guys for making our trip so fun!!

Here is a glimpse of our trip:

Sadly, a dear friend of my family, Carol Thompson, passed away shortly before our trip. Although we did not arrive in time to make the funeral, it was nice to be able to visit with her family and see her grave site. Thank you to the Thompson family for the mementos and for the time you spent with us!

On a lighter note, we got to eat at a few of our favorite Cincinnati places. I was in serious withdrawal!! Here are a few of our favorite places that we were able to hit:

Skyline Chili (it's a kind of chili that is hard to describe...it isn't really like anything else. But you eat it over spaghetti noodles with lots of cheese and it is simply yummy!)



Larosas Pizza (Certifiably the best pizza on the planet...:)

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White Castle (ok, not my favorite. In fact, I don't like it at all. It tastes like nasty meatloaf on a bun. But Chris wanted to try it to see what all the fuss was about. I don't think it was his favorite either).



Busken Bakery (good cookies) & Dunkin Donuts (not necessarily better than Krispy Kreme...just different)



UDF (chocolate malts...YUMMMMMMY!)




We didn't get to see everyone that we wanted to , but it was so fun to visit friends and neighbors who we haven't seen in sooooooooo long!! Thanks for taking the time to visit with us! We even got to tour our old house and see what the new owners have done with it. We also took Caleb to play at the park by our old house where I used to play.



As a side note...dad, do you know why they didn't put this helicopter down on the ground so kids can play in it? :) It looks like it is about ready to take off, huh? :)



We were able to go to a Bengals Game. And they actually won! :) Caleb had a blast! He entertained everyone around us. He was cheering and clapping and yelling and dancing and just having a good old time! And of course he needed to give the rock to all those around us. Unfortunately, we didn't begin filming until most of the people had left. But here is a sample.... :)








Cincinnati has the coolest fireworks for Labor Day weekend! They have them on the river and shoot them off the bridges and from barges below. I've been wanting to take Chris to them since we got married, and we finally made it! They are definitely the best fireworks I've ever seen!



We hit my favorite amusement park, Kings Island. It has the best roller coasters!! They have some that you stand up on, some where the track is above you, an indoor one that goes from zero to sixty in 4 seconds, and lots that just have tons of twists and loops and cork screws. They have a new one this year that is my new favorite. You are actually laying down through the ride and alternate from facing the ground to facing the sky. It's awesome!!! (These pictures are from the Eiffel Tower at King's Island--they're not in jail...even it if appears that way. Notice Kip D does not know how to smile without being sarcastic).



Shopping! Cincinnati has a lot of great places to shop. They have this awesome place that is like the outlet for where stuff goes from the old navy and gap outlet stores. You can get some awesome deals!! Gap/Old Navy shirts for kids for 99 cents, etc. etc. Here is Caleb sporting his new Bengals jersey that Aunt Brandy bought him.



And of course there was some down time for some r&r, including sleeping, swimming and games!