I give thanks...

First of all I would like to say that Erin taught me how to post things in the future... and I am just so pumped. Apologies for the posts that have been coming up on the same day!

But anywho, I wanted to post about Thanksgiving. This year the family was healthy enough to travel, so we went to Cleveland, Ohio to see my mom's parents. (I know right, so tropical!) I had friends going to Florida, California... but I had no problem traveling to Ohio to see my grandparents. It had been more than a year for me!

We left Tuesday morning of break and were on the road around 7am. (Not too bad, but dont forget my dad had said "6:30am" the night before.) Anyway, we got on the road, and I promptly fell asleep after a few texts to friends who had class still. :-P I woke up somewhere around the end of Indiana and dozed on and off in Ohio. I had no idea where we were until I started seeing landmarks that were familiar... At this point we had been in the car straight for 7 hours - and my dad did not stop for lunch.

Did not stop for LUNCH?

Cardinal rule: not feeding Amy results in bad news bears.

We pulled into my grandparent's driveway and I was as cranky as can be. Dad claims no one answered him when he asked about stopping - although I know he probably never asked. ;-) We settled into the house and I quickly downed 1/4 of the banana bread my mom baked for my grandparents. Haha hey, I had to do something or heads were going to roll!

Anyway, the trip was fantastic. My grandmother is a FABULOUS cook, and my grandpa had fun catching up with my dad and us kids. Doug and I took a lot of time to relax and decompress before finals started, it was really nice. We played our traditional game of Shanghii - and Doug won!!!! (This normally never happens.) I think we ruined Grandma's winning streak.

I was itchy to be active, however. So I hounded and begged for information about the arboretum and greenhouse they have in their area. Cant keep me away from the plants - even in November! I think everyone felt bad for me, so my dad came with me to the arboretum on Wednesday. Here a few fun pictures:

Dad and I walked around the Visitor Center and the skies opened up. I stood looking out the window like a sad puppy while we waited for it to clear up. This shot was from the window of the Center

It took Dad and me like 15 minutes to find the path we wanted to take... but we saw this on our way. I realized it was a reflecting pool, and I got excited. :)

I have no interest in conifers, so I took dad on a traditional woodlands path. This was sort of dumb because all the trees were bare... but along the path, we saw this little guy. All bright green and with leaves! We both stopped and admired its burst of color.

Dad was joking around about visiting Blueberry Pond (he loves blueberries). We luckily were able to pass it on our walk. It was breathtaking on the gloomy day to see the burning bush with a little yellow and some evergreen. We enjoyed that peaceful moment. :)

At the end of the trip - the sun came out and we read about redwood forests. I wanted to compare my height to this 200 year old tree. :) Too bad I didnt notice the bird poop until after we left :-P

I loved going out hiking with Dad, it was fun to hang out with him, doing something I really love - being outside with trees! We went back to the Center to return our umbrellas and he bought me a hat. I love that hat and every time I wear it, I think about our afternoon together. (Especially when we got lost on the way home hehe)

On Thursday, Thanksgiving!, my mom and grandpa went with me to a greenhouse!!! What a treat! It was completely free and beautiful. I was excited to go some place with Grandpa... and my mom knows my nutty passion for plants. They had themed rooms, so here a few pictures of the time there:

There was a whole room dedicated to orhcids!! Mom and I foudn these spider-y ones very interesting!

The next room is usually something else, but starting on Thanksgiving they transform it into a Pointsettia room! It was breathtaking to see so many beautiful flowers.

Another room was all cacti! I was so enthralled in all the different kinds all at once. Nice and tropical for a really cool day!

My grandpa recalled that there was a small garden outside. I ran ahead (like a kid in a candy store) and discovered a Sensory Garden for the blind and a cute pathway. I found an American Beech and took a picture for my dad. My plan is to get this tree in our yard by the time I move out ;-)

Thanksgiving dinner was AMAZINGLY delicious as always when Grandma cooks. I absolutely ate too much. I think I had enough saurkraut to last me until next year! We enjoyed some stories and laughter before wrapping up the night with some pie and icecream. We hit the road on Friday morning around 9am. I was really choked up with emotion... I certainly do not want to wait another year to see them again. It made me so happy when Grandpa hugged me - he said, "Come back in summer and we'll bring you back to Holden's [arboretum] and Rockefeller's [greenhouse]. You'll love it summer."

I think that means he'll join me :) And that makes me so excited!!!!