?!

I’m the first person to admit that I get stir crazy after sitting for about an hour, or sometimes two hours. So why, exactly, did I volunteer to drive for SIX hours to visit a friend in Columbus, Ohio?

Well, that’s because I knew that it was going to be a good time.

After hurrying to get laundry done after my luggage arrived, I jumped into the car and started booking it for Ohio. And, even though I was suffering from “baby bladder,” I still managed to make it to Columbus in about six hours. My hostess said that it should take just over six, and Google Maps said it should be about five and a half, so I think that I did okay overall. The way there was mostly uneventful – I talked on the phone, listened to music, yelled at crappy drivers, and shot dirty looks at people that I had to pass on the right-hand side. I did encounter a bit of rain, but that only lasted for about a mile, so it wasn’t anything to report on.

The first item of business was to attend a surprise birthday party for a guy named John (or perhaps Jon, I have no idea). Although I had never met the guy before, I found it to be an enjoyable time. I was able to meet a handful of peeps from this area and discovered that the people here, for the most part, are extremely lively and entertaining.

After chillin’ at the birthday boy’s house for a bit, and after eating more than my share of made-from-scratch strawberry shortcake, we headed out to sample Columbus’ very best pizza at a dive called Hound Dogs. Aside from cars being towed (that’s another story) it was a fun night. The pizza doesn’t compare to Arturo’s, but that’s’ only because it was a different kind of pizza entirely. It was definitely delicious in it’s own right.

The next day was Sunday, which meant that we got up and went to church at the crack of dawn. I realize that I get to the church building in P-town by 9am, but it really seemed to be quite a bit earlier than that when we arrived today at 9am. I must have just been a bit tired still from the excitement the night before, but it took quite a bit of effort to stay upright and alert through the whole thing. As with the birthday party, I found more people that are extremely lively and full of energy/fun, which is really different from people back home. Since I’m accustomed to people that are a bit more low-key, I think it would take me a while to adjust to the people here. That’s not to say that the people here are any worse or better, but it’s just different. Fun, funny, and exciting, but still different.

After church was a full-on chill-out session. We sat around the house, watched a couple movies, watched some telly, dozed in and out, and just relaxed. It was beautiful outside, so we decided to go play in a nearby park. It was more than just a city park – it was like a huge STATE park, with trails, large grassy areas, swing sets, and so much more. We were planning to enjoy the swings, so we found a set that wasn’t in use and claimed it as our own. I don’t remember the last time I swung on a swing, but it was just as fun as I remember. Ahhhh, Childhood: how I fondly remember thee.

On Monday, we took it easy and didn’t get ready to leave the house until about 10:30, which was also very relaxing. We went around to some kitschy-type shopping spots to find gifts for friends and family and then went to a place called The Book Loft. This was a book store, but to the EXTREME! It was an old house that had undergone much expansion to the point that they had 32 rooms of books. The entire place was filled with books. And by “filled,” I mean that I could barely walk through the place because the shelves were so close together. It was quite a site to see.

After a break for lunch, we went to a mall to wander some more and to see Hancock. Hancock is an interesting movie, to say the least, and I was entertained. I can’t say that it was my favorite movie, but it was decent enough. As the previews imply, it is much different than any other superhero movie out there, and I’m not convinced that it was necessarily a good thing. But it’s good enought that I would sit through it again if my peeps wanted to see it. We finished off the day with some more chillin’ at the pad, and ended up watching more TV and a movie: Transformers. Again, not the greatest movie in the world, but it was interesting.

Well, tomorrow we’re heading off to Sandusky, Ohio, to experience Cedar Point. I’m really stoked, as it’s been a few years since I’ve been on ANY rollercoasters. And if that wasn’t enough, Cedar Point is one the the premier theme parks when it comes to rollercoaster goodness. I hope I get at least some sleep tonight so that I have enough energy to have fun tomorrow!