Christmas in Tucson 2009

I made my first trip to visit Mike's parents this most recent Christmas. We were there for a week and had a great time.

I think this is the best photo of Mike and me yet.

From left to right: Chris, Jeanne, Michael Sr., Jen, Mike, and Heather

Christmas Tree 2009

Since I have most of the ornaments and a nice tree, I've taken all of my decorations for the last two years to Mike's house. We decorated the weekend of Thanksgiving so we can enjoy them for a solid month. It seems funny to post this in March, as Christmas was such a while ago. Oh well; I should keep up with this next year!

Columbus Zoo -- November 2009

Around Christmas time, the Columbus Zoo stays open at night to showcase its Christmas lights. Mike's parents were still in town, and we all bundled up to walk around in the cold. Mike's dad bought a hat in the gift shop, and he got lots of cute comments on it. He was easy to find, too. :-)

One of the highlights -- for me, at least -- was seeing the baby elephant that was only months old. He was adorable as he played with this 35-pound ball.

It was pretty cold out, and hot tea and hot cocoa were definitely needed.

Thanksgiving 2009

For the third year in a row, Mike's parents braved the cold to come visit him for Thanksgiving. They're very brave, particularly since retiring to Arizona some five years ago. Although I'm an avid cook, I like it when Mike's parents take over the holiday cooking. At some point, though, I should really cook for them. Maybe once Mike gets his kitchen renovated. :-)

Besides, I couldn't do much better than this yummy one!

Mike's brother, Steven, and his girlfriend, Haley, also joined us.

Hiking and Pumpkin Carving -- October 2009

Mike and I woke up early one brisk October morning and went hiking in a park near Dayton, Ohio. The fall colors were just starting to make an appearance.

Fall colors can be really pretty in the midwest, and it's a shame I didn't get more photos when the colors were really vibrant. We'll have to settle for these.

Surprisingly, this is our first pumpkin that we've carved together. We've got to do that every year! :-)

Art Prize -- October 2009

Last year, Grand Rapids held its first Art Prize competition, which effectively turned the city into an art gallery of sorts. See the following site for next year's Art Prize competition: http://www.artprize.org/home. It was actually really cool and attracted thousands to the downtown area. Mike and I took the Heritage Hill tour, which is when various homeowners living in the historic district open their homes to visitors. Here's information for next year's tour: http://www.heritagehillweb.org/tours.htm. What's neat is that you can go on the tour every year, as you will see some different houses. I hadn't gone on it for several years, and Mike had never gone, so we picked this year to do it, especially since we could make a day of seeing historic houses as well as art.
After seeing various houses, we stopped at the Voigt House (http://www.grmuseum.org/voigt_house) for some German food. It was a cold and rainy day, so we were in definite need of some hot, mould wine (Glühwein).

These flowers were one of the Art Prize exhibits.

Nessie was one of the most popular exhibits. I think she's in the pond outside the John Ball Park Zoo.

If I remember correctly, this sculpture was made by melting plastic toy soldiers together.

Here's a close-up.

This one on the right was interesting because it was made entirely of cake frosting. Once you walked in this room, you could smell it, and it was a pleasant, homey smell. I don't think we saw many of the winners up close, and you can view them at the Art Prize website.

Kings Island -- September 2009

The company picnic for Limited Brands -- where Mike works -- was held in Kings Island, which is toward Cincinnati from Columbus. Although we didn't see anyone from his work there, it was nice because Mike and I got free tickets, and two of my friends, Jason and Brandon, got a really good reduced price on their tickets. Here are photos of our fun amusement park day. I do have to say, though, that I've become less brave when it comes to roller coasters; I couldn't go on any of those that go upside down. Strange thing is that I used to LOVE that kind of roller coaster! Age, I guess, or I have a better sense of my own mortality. Jason and Brandon went on them, and Mike and I waited for them.

Here are Brandon and Jason (left to right).

Mike and I went to the top of the 1/3-sized replica of the Eiffel Tower. It gives you a nice view of the park.

I did go on the Beast, which I remember hearing about when I was a kid living in Celina, Ohio.

It was a great day -- the weather was perfect, and the company was super-fun!