I apologise for the delay. A few things prevented me from posting last week's blog: I was restricted to typing on an iPad which significantly increases my composition time; it was time to begin packing and organising our things to return to England which took more time and thought than I anticipated; and I only had two days left in America to enjoy with my family and friends and I did not want to spend that time behind a tablet screen. But I am back in full swing now with my laptop in tow, ready to relay all of my favourite travel stories and photographs from the past two weeks.
Family and Friends
I felt so much love and happiness surrounded by all of my family and friends over the last couple of weeks. It was incredibly fulfilling to see everyone--some of whom I haven't seen in six months and some of whom I haven't seen in over twenty years! I'm sure that Jackson wasn't fully aware of who he was meeting, but he could feel their love and attention surrounding him.
In our first week back in Ohio, I had a meet-and-greet session at the local park. It was a very informal gathering where, for a few hours, we would be stationed if any of my old friends wanted to come along to meet Jackson and catch-up, sharing stories and memories. Luckily, people showed-up and it was a great success! We will definitely be doing it again in the future. We were awarded fantastic weather too, and since it was a week day, we didn't have many other groups of people around.
Something that I forgot about living in Ashland is that everywhere you go, you see someone you know. I kept getting surprised by this when I went to the cashier to pay or ordered food from the waitress or even while I waited to be seated at the Cracker Barrel--who did I see there, but my professor Dr. Ellis who helped me with my senior thesis at A.U.! I really enjoyed running in to old classmates and friends by chance and I am really grateful for all of them who made the effort to give up their time to come and visit with us.
Hostage Situation
Let's jump right into it: one of the most memorable nights of the past two weeks would have to be the night that our neighbourhood, namely our street, was on lockdown because of a new neighbour who decided to have a bit of a domestic disturbance. On Wednesday, August 9th, our family had gone to the Cleveland Indians game. When we returned to Ashland, I called my professor Mrs. Rinehart because I had heard she wanted to visit with me and I was so honoured! She said that she was just about to go to dinner with a friend, but should be back in Ashland at about eight o'clock and that we could visit at her house at that time.
So after about an hour, Lee and I left in one car and my mom, sister, and Jackson left in another car. We went to Mrs. Rinehart's house in two cars so that she could meet Jackson, but then he could get dinner and go back home to have an evening of play with his grandparents and aunt while Lee and I could visit with one of the most amazing people I have ever met.
Low and behold, six hours later, we ended our conversation and headed back to my quiet, little, childhood neighbourhood where nothing ever really happens. When we got in the car, my sister had left a note saying to go home by one of the three roads that leads to our house because of 'an incident' on the other roads. I assumed it was a gas leak or a water main break; something serious, but not to the extent that awaited us.
When we arrived on the road she said to take, we saw three police cars barricading the entrance. I felt like I needed to explain why I was coming home at such a late hour, but the State Trooper wasn't really interested in that. Then I moved on to asking what was happening, where my family was, and when we would be able to get back home. He said that there was an "active situation" on my street (whatever that means), my family was okay (but didn't know about my dad), and he couldn't give me an estimation as to what time the roads would be back open.
Since we didn't have a U.S. phone, we needed to get somewhere that had Internet access so that we could message my sister using Facebook. Lee and I drove to McDonald's (always open), ordered fries and caramel frappes, and made contact with my mom and sister, who soon drove to meet us there. They told us that my dad was fine, but that he was still in our house. The houses were supposed to be evacuated, but he might have slept through the doorbell. Apparently, my mom, sister, and Jackson had never been back home after driving briefly to Mrs. Rinehart's house because when they tried to return home after buying some dinner, the roads were already blocked by the police. At this time, Jackson woke up and we had to go to a gas station to buy milk.
We kept checking throughout the night, but by 6:30 in the morning, when the roads were still barricaded and the police had no news or updates, we found out that the American Red Cross had set-up a 'safe zone' for evacuated families to go so they could have somewhere to sleep--other than their cars! My sister only found out about this from Facebook, but we wished the police could have alerted us to this option especially when they saw a little toddler in the car.
For three more hours, we waited at this shelter--which was just the school administrative offices--with other neighbours who were befuddled as to who the person was that did this, why it was taking so long, and how something like this could happen on our street. The Red Cross volunteers were really kind and had snacks and McDonald's breakfasts for everyone. When Jackson got really upset at one point, they even tried to calm him down with a Mickey Mouse toy.
All-in-all, the stand-off lasted a little over 13 hours and there were multiple policemen, State Troopers, sheriffs, and a SWAT team with their headquarters on quaint, quiet Cooper. The next day, we caught up on our sleep and also enjoyed seeing the parade of cars from other parts of town driving by to see if there was any aftermath from the 'active situation.'
Idlewild Park
On Monday and Tuesday, August 7th and 8th, we travelled to Ligonier, Pennsylvania to a place called Idlewild Park. I went there a couple of times as a child, but I think the last time I visited this theme park was over 20 years ago. Thankfully, it hasn't changed a bit. It looks and feels exactly the same. The prices may have gone up for food and drinks, but other than that, it was just what I expected it to be. It was a perfect place for a toddler to safely explore and since it is tailored to littler ones, it wasn't overrun with teenagers. Yeah! Lee and I were also able to enjoy the water park, carnival games, and bigger rides since our adult to child ratio was 5:1. And with a low turn-out on the first day (less than 200 other park-goers), we got to ride all of the rides by ourselves and Jackson got the full attention of the staff--including Red Riding Hood and Mother Goose! He even put on a dance show alongside the Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood performance.
Food
Fried dill pickles, Mountain Dew, Hawkins' cake and I See You cookies, Sunkist, Cracker Barrel chicken and dumplings, Bob Evans' chicken noodles and dinner rolls, Olive Garden, Lyn-Way, Wendy's, Auntie Anne's pretzels, Chex Mix, and BW3's wings. Enough said.
Birthday
On Sunday, August 13th, I turned 30-years-old. I have come to the conclusion that the only people who think this is 'old' are all of the people who haven't turned 30 yet. I used to be one of the these people, but as the day neared, and I didn't feel any different, I realised that the thirties aren't such a big deal. I also feel the same as I did when I left high school, so as long as I feel young, I must be! It was great to spend my birthday with my family, too. We played cornhole, had Bob Evans' blueberry pancakes and Olive Garden fettuccine alfredo with Hawkins' sheet cake so it was basically the best birthday ever.
Cleveland Indians
As mentioned before, on Wednesday, August 9th, we went to a baseball game. I love baseball and going to the ballpark is magical! Jackson never actually sat down--even though it was a 12-inning game--so Lee, my dad, and I spent the whole game in the Kids' Clubhouse. It turned out for the best because it was air-conditioned, had outdoor seating with a netting to block any foul balls and any children from leaning over and giving their parents heart attacks, and a snack bar with classic baseball treats. Also, there were two floors of incredible toys that held Jackson's attention including multiple ride-on cars, two mini roller coasters, tons of playhouses, and a tunnel slide. Whomever planned-out that Clubhouse definitely took parents' and possibly teachers' opinions as to what their children would like to play with because it was wonderful.
The Farm at Walnut Creek
During the first week, we travelled to Amish Country to what I thought was going to be a petting zoo. Boy, were we in for a surprise. A team of Amish people have set-up a 60-acre farm with truly exotic animals for what one expects to see in mid-Ohio. When we went on a wagon ride to see the free-range animals, I was so used to England's 'health and safety' protection everywhere we go that I wasn't prepared for the face-to-face safari that ensued. Eli Yoder, our straw hat wearing wagoner, instructed us very quickly how to administer the food pellets to the various animals we would see, but we didn't pay too much attention since we were focused on Jackson's safety. And, we also thought, "How hard can it be to feed some farm animals?" Within the first minute of our trip, there were cow tongues, longhorn cows' pointy horns, and slobbering cow teeth in our faces, searching for the dusty brown pellets that we had in our buckets. Eli stopped the wagon for everyone to enjoy the experience. My body shut down. I knew that I needed to stay strong for Jackson's sake, but I went through stages of cold sweats, blackouts, and silent, hot tears streaming down my cheeks. What kind of farm was this? Everywhere I tried to turn, there were more images of horror and getting off of the wagon was not an option. Lee obviously wasn't paying attention during the feeding instructions either because at one point, when I dared to open my eyes, his bucket was halfway inside a longhorn's mouth and he was wrestling with it to get it back. I shouted, "Let him have it! Just let him have it!" and we never saw that bucket again. After that episode, Eli thankfully started the horses plodding on their way.
I rode the rest of that journey in fear because I thought that surely they wouldn't start this ride with the worst part, but luckily, they did. The rest of the safari adventure was pleasant and we saw zebras, elk, deer, water buffalo, bison, and giraffes (my favourite) up-close.
There were many more memorable experiences from this trip, but those were the ones that made the blog for now. And again, I want to thank all of my family and friends who made the time to come and visit us during our short stay. It was really nice to see all of you again and you are what made the trip back home so special.
Jackson 'Jason Mraz' McRae
Driving his Hot Wheels Jeep
Staying cool at the 'car wash'
Visiting the spray park
Even though it was hot out, Jackson wanted to climb up the steep, slippery slide three times! This kid has Hulk-like strength.
Looking at the animals around the farm before our wagon ride
Before the farm safari (the little girl beside me and I were the only ones who cried before it was over).
Within arm's reach of a zebra
Gorgeous giraffes
Playing with one of his new Ohio friends
Driving a fire truck at the 'Touch-a-Truck' event
Playing with family
Showing off his skills
Entering Storybook Forest in Idlewild Park
Excitedly driving the 'choo choo'
Pulling the sword from the stone
The trolley operator said that Jackson was 'the best kid she had all summer.' He broke down in tears shortly after that, but she didn't take back her statement.
The opening act
An old favourite
Dean's Diner in Pennsylvania
Cheering on the team--Go tribe!
Developmental updates: Jackson has grown-up a lot in the past couple of weeks. We have found the trick to getting him to sit in restaurants until we have finished our meals: an iPad with Netflix. It works like a dream. And although it is not what we ever wanted to resort to, it made all of the meals on this trip possible. He willingly gets into his car seat now with the help of the iPad, too. We try other means of making him happy, but if need be, we resort to the tablet for easier travelling.
If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.
