O-H-I-O

If you had asked me if Ohio was ever going to be on my list of places to live, I would have given you a quick "No!". With the exclamation mark and all.

Well, there is a saying, isn't there: never say never.

This is my second visit to this Buckeye State where people take their sports (very) seriously, the locals are proud of their heritage, and the notorious midwestern hospitality lives strong.

I am also finding that it can be livable, even when the closest coastline is a thousand miles away (with the great lakes a bit closer). There are some lovely neighborhoods with character, and charm, and good schools. I think I even spotted a natural food store in a street corner somewhere along my outing today.

There is a reason we are not in New Zealand anymore. Professional opportunity has led us this way, and I think we would be silly not to give it a go.

Still early in the game, but we are finding our way through this maze called life. I will keep you posted!

Springtime at the farm

One of my favorite places to go with the kids. It's in full bloom right now. If I were a painter, I would bring up my brushes and canvases and spend a late afternoon capturing the beauty of springtime.

When life gives you lemons and horses. (in L.A.!)

Amazing how much one can do in Los Angeles in 48 hours. And that includes sleeping and driving to and from. Just 6 hours south of where we live, L.A. is in a completely different climate zone. It felt like Thailand (in the winter), actually, with hot sunny days and delicious Thai food everywhere you go.

Thanks to Case and Maude, we had a wonderful time eating, riding Rayo, squeezing lemons, and finding duck eggs -- all in the city of angels.

Egg-time

No Easter Bunny around our house (still not really sure what that is, but I don't think I want to really go there), although we do like to color some eggs since it's the thing to do around this time of year. Plus, it actually is rather fun to see the transformation of an ordinary egg into something a little extraordinary.

And oh, can I just say how wonderful it is that our children can read now? Not only can they read to themselves, they can also read to each other! Splendid.

We still like to read to them, though, so we won't let that go for hopefully a long time yet.