More RELAXING

After we left Michigan on July 20th, we drove a few hours to Sandusky, Ohio to Cedar Point Amusement Park. Mike went to Cedar Point when he was a kid, so he wanted to take our kids. We were able to meet up with Jenny and her kids and Larry and Carla (Jenny's parents). We stayed at a hotel and let the kids swim in the pool and jump on the beds. The next morning, bright and early, we headed to the Park. Everyone had a great time. Mike and I were interested to see how Adam did at the Amusement park. You might remember Adam's first roller coaster experience last summer at Sea World, San Diego--"That was a lot scary!" Here are some photos from the day.

Amanda's favorite ride. The Kite Eating Tree insides Camp Snoopy. I loved that they had multiple kid areas throughout the park. I wish you could have seen the smile on her face. She even had her hands up in the air. She is fearless.
Adam and Mitsy tearing it up! I wonder if they know they are betrothed to each other?
Carla, Mitsy, Tyler and the Mike and Amanda. They got caught in a rain storm on the ride.
What is an amusement park without a ride on the Carousel?


This was the roller coaster Adam and Mike rode together. The Woodstock Express in "Camp Snoopy." A maximum height of 38 feet and a top speed of 25 mph. Just perfect for Adam.
This was my favorite ride--maXair. From the website:
Riders on the super-sized maXair will sit in outward-facing suspended seats and their legs will dangle freely. maXair will let loose by swinging riders back and forth in a seemingly out of control pendulum motion while spinning in a clockwise rotation and reaching a maximum speed of 70 mph. When the pendulum movement reaches its peak, riders will be 140 feet high and experience that coveted feeling of airtime.

Cedar Point is know for its Roller Coasters--17 in all. We didn't get to ride all of them, but we did ride a few. Mike made me ride in the front car of the Magnum XL-200. YIKES!! It has only been about 9 years since the last time I rode a roller coaster.

From the website: A true legend! The Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point didn't just break world records when it opened in 1989 - it shattered them! Standing an amazing 205 feet above the Earth below and cruising at a top speed of 72 mph, this scream machine was the tallest and fastest roller coaster ever created when it debuted in 1989. As impressive as those statistics are, coaster enthusiasts will tell you the element that makes Magnum truly a coaster king is its "airtime!" That feeling of floating over each of the ride’s intense hills helps make Magnum one of the greatest coasters of all time.

That is Lake Erie in the back ground. If I hadn't had my eyes closed, I am sure I would have enjoyed the view. Here is a video clip of the ride, just so you get the picture.

The last Roller Coaster we rode on was the Gemini. To get the full affect, Mike had me ride in the VERY last car. As far as roller coasters go, if one CAN feel "safe," I prefer the tubular steel construction. The Gemini is made of wood. As we waited in line, I tried not to think about all of the humidity (it is right on Lake Erie) and the freezing cold winters that had probably weakened the timbers . Mike tells a story about when he was a boy on one of his visits to Cedar Point, it wasn't very crowded. He rode the Gemini something like 30 times in one day! From the website:
On your mark ... get set ... GO! The Gemini roller coaster at Cedar Point gives riders an opportunity for bragging rights to the fastest train, as not one, but two trains run simultaneously on parallel tracks and race for a first-place finish. Guests cheer on either the red or blue train down the mammoth first hill, around wide bends and down the famous "low beam" hill that you must experience to believe. Even those who have ridden Gemini 100 times in one day say that no two rides are ever the same.Gemini has given more rides than any other operating roller coaster at Cedar Point. Since 1978, the twin tracks have taken nearly 82 million guests on the ride of their lifetime.


By they way, we were in the blue train, and we won! I hope you aren't bored with the videos, but I thought they were cool.



I hope you don't mind that I am about 4 weeks late posting this, but when Mike was home, as you can see, there wasn't a lot of time to blog.

Ready, Set.... RELAX

I don't know who decided that if you were deployed for 15 months that it made sense to have 18 days for R&R. This is my fourth deployment and I still don't get it. But I am AMAZED at how full 4 people can pack 18 days.

A few days after Mike got home (and a little more than a week after my Cross Country trip) we got back in the car and drove 9 hours to Ann Arbor, Michigan for the annual Art Fair. As long as I have know Mike, he has talked about the Art Fair. He has always wanted to go back for the Fair, but it was never possible. This summer, it was perfect. We had a great time walking up and down the streets looking at art--pottery, water color, sculpture, crafts, jewelry, photography, anything and everything.

All of us Down Town Ann Arbor. Tons of People

Who needs a double stroller?!?

Taking a break from the heat. We went early, so it wasn't too bad. Mike said, "This isn't HOT!"

Another great thing about Ann Arbor is that Marjorie and Fred (Mike's mom and husband) still live there. Mom and Fred offered to take the kids for a night so Mike and I could go on a date. We happily accepted the offer. The next morning, Mike and I went back to the Art Fair and out to breakfast. We got to talk to several artists and we found a few pieces we liked. Here are some of the artists we liked:
Carl R Sams II
Nature photographer and children's book author. We were able to visit with him. He had some AMAZING pictures of Eagles. Since Mike is part of 101st Airborne Division--Screaming Eagles, we have developed in interest in Bald Eagles.


John Gaps III
All of Mr. Gaps photos are taken in natural light--no Photoshop AND he took all of the pictures with a camera like mine!! Every photograph I asked him about, he told me how he took it and where he was. He gave me tons of pointers and lots of encouragement to keep taking photos.
Greg Johnson and Donna Gilbert
Mike and I really wanted to bring back SOMETHING from the Art Fair. There were tons of pottery to choose from, but this one caught our eye and spoke to us. A large circular casserole dish/deep serving platter. We could almost taste the yummy lasagna we were going to make.

After a relaxing day of strolling around the Art Fair without children, we headed back to Mom's house to make a "Thank You" Dinner. Mike wanted to make stuffed Fillet Mignon for Mom and Fred. They were SOOOO good. We also made fresh pesto with the basil we bought at the farmer's market.

Cooking at Mom's house Saturday night

Sunday dinner before we headed off to Sandusky, Ohio for more "Relaxing."