Because it was just too nice to stay inside...

...Aiden & I played outside a bit when we got home today. Enjoy!

Good Times :)

So yesterday we actually celebrated my birthday. The day began with Mike & I going to the OSU vs. Minnesota game. After last week's meltdown against Purdue, it was nice to see my Buckeyes get back on track for a 38-7 win (though if you watched the game, you know that we should have had at least 10 more points; the Gophers are lucky that the blowout wasn't worse). It was great to go to a game, but it was pretty cold! Luckily, our seats were covered, so we weren't affected by the showers that fell in the fourth quarter.
After a few hours at home to rest up, we headed out to the bowling alley for some more post-birthday fun. We had quite the crowd show up! I'm a big fan of Gahanna lanes--it's so laid back and comfortable. We bowled, we laughed, we wore mullet wigs, we drank beer and ate sketchy bowling alley pizza--we had a great time! I'm so thankful for everyone that game out to help me celebrate. Now, though, it's back to real life, and accepting that I'm older.

Three Decades Down...

Today is my birthday. My 30th birthday. I'm trying to be positive about it, but it does bother me on some levels. It's hard to let go of my 20s--I did SO MUCH in the past ten years! I graduated from THE Ohio State University, I moved to Indiana (and back) for my first full-time job, I met THE man of my dreams, married him, had a baby with him, and bought a house with him...I got a lot done. Hopefully the next 10 years also have a lot of positive milestones.
I'm including photos of my cubicle at work, decorated lovingly yesterday by Angie (despite her denials) and Ginger. I am lucky to have such silly, caring folks in my life! Today I'm kind of lying low with Aiden--it's really rainy & nasty outside, so I just threw together some potato soup in the crock pot for dinner. Tomorrow promises to be more exciting, as we'll off to celebrate my milestone by going to the OSU vs. Minnesota game, followed later in the evening by a bowling bash. Should be good times--stay tuned for pictures!

A Week Down South

Let me start out by stating the obvious: Hilton Head--actually, southern South Carolina in general--is a beautiful place, even in the darkening season of fall. We had a great time, despite a few drawbacks (chilly weather, a jerk living in the condo below us, Aiden's new-found love of temper tantrums, etc.). Here's the day-by-day scoop:
Saturday, 10/10: A LONG drive through Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and finally South Carolina. Aiden actually handled it okay, considering he had to sit in that car seat for 12 hours. We were stunned by how warm it actually was when we finally stopped; it had been in the 50s when we left Ohio, but we were greeted by a humid 87 degrees in HH!
Sunday, 10/11: After dropping Mimi & Grandpa off in Savannah to spend the week with Jeff, Sara, & Christopher, we headed back to the condo and enjoyed some time on the beach. Joel, Heidi, & Gary arrived later, so we walked out on the beach some more and then went to a great pizza place for dinner. Aiden was happy to have someone closer to his age around!
Monday, 10/12: After a morning swim in the pool (which Aiden LOVED), we took another stroll on the beach and then headed to Harbor Town to look at the lighthouses and the big yachts. It was HOT, but then a storm rolled through and cooled things off. We were sad to see the Vegas leave that evening.
Tuesday, 10/13: Aiden turned 19 months old today! The weather was supposed to be yucky, but it was actually a very pretty, mild day. We headed to the outlet mall in the morning, then had THE BEST BBQ EVER at Jim N Nick's Southern Kitchen (we liked it so much, we had it twice more during the week). We spent the rest of the day just relaxing.
Wednesday, 10/14: It rained. Hard. All day. But no big deal. We were lucky enough to head to Beaufort, SC to visit my Aunt Kitty. We got to see her beautiful house, and then we got a quick if soggy tour of the city's new waterfront. We also headed to Dockside for a delicious dinner of fresh seafood. It was so fun to visit with Aunt Kitty, and we hope to head back down soon!
Thursday, 10/15: We headed back to Savannah to help Christopher celebrate his 1st birthday. We ended up getting to GA early, though, so we headed over to Tybee Island to see the lighthouse, and then we VERY quickly visited Fort Pulaski. Then it was off for birthday fun at the Cotter's! What a fun birthday party :)
Friday, 10/16: With Mimi & Grandpa back with us for another rainy day, we headed up to Charleston, SC so that Mike & Grandpa could visit the Yorktown. Mimi, Aiden & I drove around the city, and we hope to go back someday since there was a lot of historical stuff to look at (though it would have been too hard to do with a stoller and the rain).
Saturday 10/17: The long drive back to a very cold Ohio. Aiden didn't do too bad this trip either, but I was in a rather foul mood after hearing my Buckeyes blew it against an inferior team.
So now we're back, and I've got a rather annoying milestone staring me in the face at the end of this week. Not going to think about that, though--I've got some seashells to clean and some sand to shake out of our suitcases.

I'm An Aunt AGAIN!!!

Check out the stats for my newest nephew, Finnian Miles. We are sooooooo excited for the Dill family, and we can't wait to meet this little punkin at Christmas!!!