Dixie's new friend

Dixie was really happy to be back home with her mom. While we were away in Ohio, Billy took care of her for us. Billy got a new addition to his family earlier this month. He adopted our big baby named Joe. I swear, he is one of the best dogs I have ever met. He is so happy and full of love. It makes me wonder how he ended up in the shelter. 

When Billy wanted to go to the shelter, he asked us to go with him to help pick one out. Joe was the last dog we came across and we instantly fell in love. I told Billy that if he didn't adopt him, then I would!

We're not exactly sure what Joe's breed is. He is definitely a mix but we're not really sure of what. But either way, him and Dixie get along great and are already friends. They play with the tug of war rope and have fun with the few squeaky toys Dixie has. 

This pretty boy got a bath today. He had a typical boy smell haha. But he now smells like peaches now! It took him a little convincing to get into the tub. I had to get in there with him to assure him it wasn't bad at all. I'm excited to see how he will do with the pool this coming summer. 

I've enjoyed having him around. I think I might dognap him from Billy. I don't know if I can give him back after this week is up! He is such a sweet boy, but Sterling doesn't want a 4th animal in the house. I guess I can see why...…. but still. 

Kirtland

Saturday the 28th we made the trip to Kirtland for Sterling's first time. It was a little chilly that day, but it was still fun walking around. We started at the temple and worked our way over to the Church's site. 

We got there about 30 minutes before the tours started, so we walked around on our own to take some pictures. Sterling was admiring the architecture of the temple and asked me to take a couple of extra pictures. 

It's nice to see a pop of red with all of the earthy colors of winter. Dad thought it was funny that I wanted to stop for this picture. I enjoy looking at vibrant colors. 

Sterling got an extra treat on our tour. Our tour guide allowed him to play the piano inside the temple on two different occasions. There is an old pump organ on the third floor that they played a few notes on. So that was really cool. Sterling's cousin Billy has one out at the farmhouse, so we already knew how those worked. Then when we came down to the first floor, the tour guide asked if anyone knew how to play they piano. I volunteered Sterling because he was being modest. But I had a feeling he would really enjoy having that opportunity. So he got up and played for us and I was able to record it on my phone. That was a unique experience for us all, because usually they don't allow photography inside the temple. 

More pictures of the berries. 

And some more.....

The next stop was the Church's tour site. The Elder that showed us around had a fun personality and we learned a lot with him. 

The N. K. Whitney store is always my favorite spot. I like looking at all of the things they would have sold in the store part. I always get a special feeling walking in here. 

One thing I missed with this tour was singing The Spirit of God in this room. I'm not sure if it was because of our tour guide, or if they just don't do it anymore. But the school of the Prophets room is always a spiritual room. Even without the song. 

It was a really pretty drive on the way home. I wish I would have gotten my camera out a little sooner. I missed some good photo opportunities. But between the pink and the blue skies, it was really pretty to look at. 

I was surprised I could get such a clear picture of the moon with my camera. It was hard to get it to focus with the movements of the car, but this turned out really good. My dad and I used to take walks around Hayesville at night to star gaze. We had some good talks doing that. Seeing the moon like this reminded me of those good times. 

This was the last full day of our Ohio trip. We left to go home on Sunday after visiting my great grandma Beninghof. We ended up getting home between 10 and 11pm. 

What's next with the Carters? Well when we got home we cranked up my equinox and found it smoking under the hood. So off to the mechanic we go. We always like to end things with a bang.  ;)

Fun in Amish Country

Today was a fun day. It was Dakota and Erica's last day here in Ohio. We decided to make our Amish Country rounds so Erica could experience it for the first time. This would be Sterling's second time there. We started off at the Miller's Bakery (not pictured) for their famous tarts. I always enjoy the plain tarts and the red raspberry tarts. I haven't decided if I'm going to share yet ;)

After our tart needs were met, we made our way over to the Antique Mall. They always have a ton of cool stuff to look at. Erica and Dakota found some burlap they can use for their wedding. Sterling found a vintage camera that still works. He was pretty excited about that. He is actually watching videos on how to use it as we speak. 

We didn't get to look at Kaufman's Kountry Accents this time around. We were on a slight time crunch since Dakota and Erica had to head back home this afternoon. But this store looked like it has some cute lawn ornaments and such. I saw this concrete elephant that I just had to have. Maybe next time I can talk my honey into letting me get it. 

I have always admired the Amish horse and buggies. They probably think I was weird for taking pictures of them. Maybe they are used to it by now? 

We were driving in the car when I tried to get this picture. I was so close! But I still think it turned out okay. Just a head short haha. 

If we weren't so stuffed, maybe we would have stopped at this bakery too. But we usually have a routine of places we know we want to stop and look. Someday we will break the mold and try some of these other stores too. I'm sure there is a whole other world we have yet to see! 

Another Amish man out and about with his beautiful horse. I think it would be fun to take a horse and buggy out for a day. Just for a day though. I enjoy my warm and toasty vehicles. 

One of my favorite places to stop is the cheese factory called Heini's. They have a bunch of samples that you can take. There are a ton of different cheeses, beef jerky, beef sticks, dips, fudge and more. My favorites are straight swiss cheese, butter cheese and smoked cheddar cheese. Now for the dips I always go for the bacon and scallion dip and the garlic and herb dip. Sterling got a few others he wanted and I also got a new flavor. I think it was sun dried tomato dip. I'm excited to dig into them. I believe they are a cream cheese based dip. 

I think this was my best photo of the day. Once again the horse is so pretty! But then again, check out the sky. It was so blue in this picture. I thought it was neat. The weather was really nice today. If I had to guess, it was probably around 50F. 

Sterling begged me to get a picture of these corn shocks. He says he doesn't know why, but he always thought they were neat. Being from Caswell County North Carolina, there aren't too many Amish or Mennonite communities around. So Amish Country is always a treat for him.  

The last stop of the day was Lehman's. I think we all enjoy walking around this maze of a store. It doesn't look very big from the outside, but it is massive on the inside. You name it, they have it. One of the reasons we went was because Sterling got a tree tapping kit for maple syrup. He wanted to see if there were any other things he could get to help him get started. I think he is going to have a field day with his dad trying that for the first time. 

Christmas in Ohio

So far it has been a really fun visit to my childhood home. We made it in from North Carolina yesterday around 6:30. Just in time for Christmas Eve. This will be the first Christmas in five years that we all have been together as a family. And this year we have been blessed with two extra people. Sterling has been a part of the family since April and Erica is officially joining the family as well. Dakota and Erica got engaged this morning! Yay! 

This afternoon after a lovely lunch, we went on a walk at Mohican State Park. We started at the covered bridge and made our way to the dam. It was a beautiful day, but just a tad chilly so close to the water. 

This view was so beautiful! I had to climb what felt like a mountain to get this picture. It was probably more like 75 to 100 steps...… but no one has to know that ;)

Mom and Sterling opted out and waited for us at the bottom, but Dad, Dakota, Erica and I decided we wanted to tackle the mountain. I regretted it very much afterwards. My legs were so shaky walking back to our car, but it was still enjoyable. 

On the way back to the car, we had one more good view of the covered bridge. It was a good end to the afternoon. Now we are looking forward to an evening filled with games and good laughs. Merry Christmas!