Cleveland [days 3 & 4]

So you didn't get enough excitement from my post yesterday? Well, today's installment is the second half of my trip to Cleveland with Lauren. Since we didn't go to sleep until really late after the wedding (I think I finally crawled in bed at about 2:30 or 3:00am), we slept in pretty late. Then at about noon, we all headed up to the church to watch Laura and Jason open their wedding presents. I spent the afternoon with a friend I hadn't seen in years and when I got back, Lauren, Dad and I went sailing again. It was really windy. We only put up the front sail and it was still really tippy. Lauren was a little scared at first but then got used to it.

We sailed out pretty far and watched the sun set. This reminded me of all of the summers I spent at my grandparent's cottage in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I used to always go down to the boat and watch the sun set. This trip really reminded me how much I love being around the water.

After the sun went down, we sailed to a little cove where the water was more calm and dropped the anchor and went swimming. The water actually wasn't as bad as the last time we went swimming. I think it was because it was getting dark and the air was cooler so the water felt warmer.

After our quick swim, we needed to head to the marina because it was getting pretty dark. Lauren steered the boat all the way in. She really is a natural at boats. It was fun to watch her and she was so proud of herself. We were the last boat to come in for the night.

We left the marina at about 10:30 and went and got a pizza. Lauren thought it was pretty cool that we were eating pizza so late at night.

The following day was Monday and our plane didn't leave until 4:50pm so we had some time to kill. We went to a park close to my dad's house. Let me tell you ... Ohio has some really cool parks! There is so much to do at the parks. Anyway, this particular park was a nature trail and instead of staying on the trail, we decided to wade through the stream. It was fun. My other sister, Jenna, came with us so it was nice to get a chance to talk to her. And Lauren thought it was neat that we could walk right through the water.

After wading through the water, we went up to the nature center and my step-mom met us there. But we couldn't stay long because it was time to head home and to the airport. I had to get a picture of Lauren in Dad's car. She LOVED it because it is a convertible. She told me that Cleveland had more convertibles than she had ever seen! I think I know what she will be asking for on her 16th birthday!

The last picture is Lauren on the plane. This was actually our worst experience of the whole trip. The plane was overbooked and they had Lauren sitting in the seat in front of me instead of next to me. She was really scared and neither of the people we were sitting next to would switch. I couldn't believe it! I finally threw a fit with the stewardess and she let us sit in the back row which was normally reserved for the flight attendants.

Marty and the boys were waiting for us when we pulled up in the driveway. Nick gave me the biggest hug I've ever had. He would not let go! And then when we got inside, there was an awesome surprise ... the whole house was clean and organized! Marty is just the opposite as me. When I'm gone, he stays busy constantly. I become a slob when he's gone! But the good news is that my house is finally presentable so maybe I can do a few posts soon with pictures of the inside of my house.

And, as always, I'll leave you with some music. Here's one of my favorite artists singing one of my favorite songs ... Keith Urban performing You'll Think of Me. It's the live version and it's great! Make sure you watch the last minute of the song. It's the best part. Keith is hot!