Cincinnati area, OH June 27--30, 2008

On Friday morning, we got ready to go south to Cincinnati for Dave and Marcia's wedding. First at 9:30 am, Eva got her hair done at Lisa G's in Mentor. Then we drove southwest and stopped in Ashland for a late breakfast/lunch at a Perkins restaurant and to get gas. We arrived in time to film/photograph the wedding rehearsal at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Montgomery. I served as the "official" videographer for their wedding. After the rehearsal, Dave and Marcia hosted a pizza party at their recently built home in Maineville, OH. Lots of guests attended the party. During this long weekend, we stayed at the home of Carol and Dick Walker in Oxford, OH (home of Miami University, yes, Miami is a famous name also in OH, named after the Miami Native Americans). The next day, we arrived at the church early so that I could set up my camcorder and tripod. Unfortunately, I think my new wireless microphone ran low on batteries so I could not record the vows clearly. Later this summer, I will edit the wedding video for them. After the ceremony, the official photographer photographed everyone at the church formally. Then they went to a local park for an outdoor photo shoot but a giant rainstorm came and everyone had to get back in the limo. Meanwhile, Mark and I went to a local Staples store to get more blank dvds for my camcorder (I had forgotten them at the Walkers' home!) and went on to the reception at Maggiano's restaurant, right across the street in a mall from the church. The menu was excellent! There were buffet appetizers (stuffed mushrooms, raviolis, artichoke dip(?)), 2 kinds of salads, 4 family-style entrees (salmon, 3-cheese raviolis, lasagna, chicken parmesan) and 2 kinds of desserts: tiramisu (yummy!) and apple crostadas with vanilla ice cream. Everyone also danced the night away until about 9:30 pm. The adult children of Dave and Marcia (Brent+Noelle, Cindy+Mike) served as wedding attendants and gave heartwarming speeches about their parents. At the end of the evening, we drove back to Oxford, tired and exhausted but very happy for the bride and groom.
On Sunday, we hung out at the Walkers' home and ate delicious meals (homemade blueberry scones for breakfast, grilled mushroom/cheese sandwiches for lunch and grilled shrimp/scallops for dinner). We also hiked a little in Hueston Woods State Park and played a form of dominoes game called "Mexican Train". Carol also showed us her bonanza of first-place/Best of Show ribbons that she had won at the Butler County Fair in 2002. She is an excellent quilter/fiber artist and is currently showing with Mark at The Story exhibit at the FSU Museum of Fine Arts.