Here's a bit of fun we've had the last few days with my mom visiting.
Day 1 we went to a pumpkin patch/petting farm, it was sooooo cute! There were tons of good pictures to be had, but of course I forgot to charge my camera battery, dang!
Day 2 we went to Amish country. Ohio has the largest number of Amish people in the world (supposedly they just passed the number of Amish in PA, Wikepedia would tell you PA is still ahead). Though the Amish roots originated in Switzerland, there are no longer any in Europe. Today, there are 228,000 residing in the US and Canada. I found it interesting that there are certain sects of the Amish that are more strict than others, depending on the 'ordnung', or individual Amish leader of that particular district. The Amish are baptized between the ages of 18-21. Once baptized, you are required to marry within the faith. You may have heard about a period known as the 'Rumspringa', which means 'running around' where Amish adolescents are free to try out the world around them in all forms. It is after those experimental years they decide whether or no they want to be baptized into the church. It was fascinating to learn about them and see their way of life. We tried lots of yummy cheese at Heini's Cheese factory, ate some traditional Amish home cooking, pastries and bought a few souvenirs. It was a fun day.
(We saw these buggies everywhere!)
Look closely at the picture below, you can see a mom with all her children playing volleyball, all playing in Amish clothing. I tried to take the picture discreetly, which is why it's so far away.
Caleb saw this horse across from the cheese factory and couldn't resist giving him a kiss. There are more horses in Amish country than the 44,000 Amish people who live there! Need the horses to pull the wagons and buggies!
Day 3 we went to a Colonial festival. Caleb got his face painted and had a great time petting the animals. As always he can't get enough of them!
Day 4 we all went to visit church history sites in Kirtland, Ohio. We watched General Conference at the Visitor's Center (or some of conference, Caleb was impossible to keep still!) We toured the surrounding areas of the Newel K. Whitney store, the Whitney's house, a mill used to help build the Kirtland temple, the Johnson hotel, the Isaac Morely farm and the Kirtland temple, which is not owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sunday was my favorite of all three days. The feeling felt at the LDS visitor center and corresponding sites can not be described, except that my heart and mind came away with a renewed conviction that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true. We'll hopefully make it to Palmyra, New York come spring to see a bit more of the church history sites!
