Ohio Trip in July

In July, my brother's wife, Melissa, passed away from her difficult bout with cancer. It is especially difficult for him because he now has 3 young boys to raise on his own. We traveled home for a week to be with the family and attend the funeral. On a positive note, it is the first time all of us siblings have been together in 3 years since we all live in different states (and Karen in a different country). The kids (our 5 nephews and 4 nieces) are all growing up so fast too, so it was great to spend time with them.

hanging out at Mom and Dad's

having lunch at the Tearoom with Anna

The Carpenter kids take lessons on violin, viola, and cello so they played us a little concert out on the deck. It is awesome to see how much poise they have at such a young age!

matching dresses for cousins Anna and Abby...they seemed inseparable

Mom bought a snow cone machine, so you can only imagine how popular this was in the Midwest heat. Emily, Karen, and Kathy serve up the flavor!

snow cones = happy kids (and happy adults)

We went to the Preble County Fair to watch Logan show his cow.

the boys getting the cow ready for the show ring

the crowd

And no trip to the fair is complete without some really greasy food. One of my favorites is the Texas Tenderloin. I haven't had one of these in about 10 years.....and it was as good as I remembered. Sometimes it is the simple things in life that can bring back the most fond memories of childhood.

yes, the Texas Tenderloin is almost as big as a plate and it dwarfs the bun!

Overall the trip was great, but a mixed bag of emotions. It is always good to visit with family, however it is unfortunate that it was under such circumstances.

P.S. - I just had to throw in this pic of Mt Hood that I snapped from the plane window as we descended back home to Portland (still plenty of snow in late July).