Our Black Friday Tradition

I think that I've mentioned a few times on this blog that I hate lines. And crowds.
I also hate shopping (gift giving is not my love language).

I do enjoy getting outdoors, away from randos yet still with my family.

Last year we went to Red River Gorge. I have yet to post about it BUT it was AMAZING.
The drive was a bit long (from where we live) and we haven't been back since (because of the drive) but when debating where to go this year we held it in serious consideration.

We ended up going to Hocking Hills.
Which, ironically, is about the same distance from our home as The Gorge. Go figure.

Link is horrible at posing for pictures 😡

We went on four short hikes - all of the hikes are fairly short, you do have the option of extending them by connecting different scenic views or walking along the road. Since we have small kids, and with the eldest being bed ridden with a cold all week (seriously, him being sick is getting old #GetOverItAlready #NoSympathyFromMe) we decided to not try to go longer than a mile at a time.

We visited the Rock House, Cedar Falls, Old Man's Cave, and Ash Cave. In that order.

JC said he liked Hocking Hills more than he liked The Gorge. Hocking Hills has more water fall views, which he likes whereas The Gorge has more panoramic valley views.

I thought Hocking Hills was beautiful, I liked that the hikes were easy for small kids, I would love to go running there if we lived closer (it would be the perfect place to do long runs). But it was very built up - meaning that it had a lot of paved trails, railings, built in stairs. It was an area in nature that sees a high volume of visitors and so it has been built up to with stand the corrosion that comes with that level of foot traffic. We were also never alone; every place we visited had several other people there as well. So for those reasons I enjoyed The Gorge more.

After we went hiking we went to this place called JimBo's Burgers and Beer. It was ok. 
However, for a $9 burger I want more than ok.
I did really like our waitress.

Hulk had a great time exploring the caves. Despite being sick he showed enthusiasm and energy, which I appreciated. The first hike we was very grumpy and JC actually had to carry him for a bit. But by the fourth hike he was running ahead and jumping off of rocks. He just needed to warm up to the idea that this was how we were going to spend our day ;)

We had a great time and would really recommend going. It is beautiful and the cave and rock formations are *insert synonym for beautiful* and, as I mentioned, JC really enjoyed the water falls. They weren't every big (maybe they're bigger in the spring?) but they were impressive. If we lived closer I could see us going regularly (especially for long runs 😉).

The Potato Peeler (or a very non-thought provoking post)

It's the most wonderful time of the year because I get to do one of my favorite things: cook lots of food.

J hates it. But it makes me happy so he only grumbles instead of trying to talk me out of it.

It's also the only time of year that I peel potatoes and apples. I feel that peeling fruits and vegetables is a waste of my time. What's the point? There are a lot of nutrients and fiber in the peel and it's liking throwing food away - something I am strongly against.

I asked around - why people peel their fruits and vegetables? Some people felt the skin had a tart flavor they didn't like, others didn't like the texture, and some people said that they peeled their fruits and vegetables because that's what they saw their moms do growing up.

The first two answers I can live with (but personally disagree with).

The third answer I don't like. Doing something because that's what you saw someone else do growing up is no way to live your life.

I have spent some time justifying to myself how this tradition began. I'm linking it to a subtle display of wealth. It takes time to peel and there is a portion of the food that is either tossed or composted (but not eaten). Taking the time to peel or paying someone to peel the food for you would indicate that you have the money to spend the time to do that (or pay someone to do it for you) and that you are well enough off that you don't mind the portion of lost food. Bind blowing thought, I know.

When my mother and mother-in-law were here after Baby #3 was born they helped with the cooking. They both asked, at different times, where my potato peeler was. My mother almost seemed offended when I said that I didn't have one.

I did have one, at one point. And they're pretty cheap (I saw one for $1 but I doubt it is very durable). But in my mind I wouldn't use it often enough to justify spending that $1 and it would just be taking up space the rest of the year. Which is kind of hypocritical since I have a potato masher and an apple slicer that I never use and they take up way more space.

So why do I peel potatoes and apples at this time of year?

The potatoes are to make mashed potatoes which then go into the dinner roll dough. The mashed potatoes make the rolls soft and moist (for dayz). And no one wants potato skins in their dinner rolls.

The apples are for Apple Bundt Cake. And no one wants apple skins in their cake.

Pre-Thanksgiving Festivity

I mentioned to Hulk last week that we would make a gingerbread house sometime before Christmas.
He took that to mean that we would be making a gingerbread house RIGHT NOW.
And from scratch.

I've tried making gingerbread houses from scratch before - and they have been classic fails.
But I had recently seen this buzzfeed video (which provided a recipe and clear instructions) and was willing to give it a try.

There was still a learning curve, I still had to improvise (example: I don't have a stove top dutch oven), and I still made mistakes that I am going to try to not repeat next year.

Rolling out the dough

That being said - I would totally try making a gingerbread house from scratch next year. There are a lot of perks to it: it's larger than a cheap store bought kit (because you know that I am going to buy the cheapest one), we made it together from start to finish so my kids will have those memories and that learning experience, and we dictated the candy that went on the gingerbread house (because you know those kits always have some gross candy that no one is going to touch).

It did take us three days to make. Not "three whole days" more of we started it Saturday morning but royal icing takes A LOT longer to harden than I thought because I never work with it and then I tried to use parchment paper instead of newspaper to hold the shape of the roof (spoiler: it didn't work, use newspaper), Hulk was sick all day Sunday and today was a school day so after school we finished it.

Little Viking Girl's contribution to the whole thing was candy quality control. She ate so much, became offended when I told her she couldn't eat the candy on the house, and was possessive of the candy that hadn't been used yet.

The candy queen

It was an experience. But a good one :)

And there was only one casualty sacrificed to the candy gods.

The Cone

When we were living in West Chester we discovered The Cone.

J and I aren't super fond of Graeter's Ice Cream (and we seem to be unique in that choice) but we enjoy taking the kids to The Cone.

For Hulk's third birthday we took him to the zoo. While there we let him pick out an ice cream cone (we never buy things while at the zoo but we figured his birthday should be special). He picked out this neon blue soft serve. I didn't think much of it at the time (it's just a blueberry ice cream, right?). But it turns out that it's a Cincinnati original that was introduced at King's Island in 1987 to promote one of their new rides. Go figure.

The Cone also has Hulk's favorite blue soft serve and we are willing to drive the 20 minutes north to West Chester each summer when it opens for him to get it.

The Cone also serves hot dogs and has coin rides - we've never paid for the rides but the kids enjoy climbing around the machines.

It's one of our favorite summer traditions :)

Cubscouts

Hulk's cub scout pack has a face painting ceremony for when the boys earn their bobcat badge and "officially" join the pack as a Tiger scout.

He loved the pomp, painting my face too, and the American flag another boy in the pack gave him. 🇺🇲

My brothers and parents were active in scouts growing up and I swore that I would never be involved but then I had a little boy who dreamed of wearing that blue uniform.

He wanted to be a scout.

I am happy he has something that he's excited about and enjoys doing each week and it helps reinforce what we teach at home (honesty, kindness, and service). 

On our walks home from school he will pick up the garbage on the side of the street to throw away when we get home and fix yard signs that have fallen over. What six year old does that without being asked?

We have our hard days, and ever our good days have some level of whining. But I am still grateful to be his mom.

Here are some of the fun activities he did last year as a Lion:

Homecoming parade

Toured the fire station

Hiked in Red River Gorge

Cincinnati Museum Center

Pinewood Derby Race

The National Air Force Museum

Last March we went to the National Air Force Museum.
To say that place is huge is an understatement. It's expansive.

There are four large galleries that house the airplanes (and helicopters and rockets and everything else). Each of the galleries has a theme to their exhibit and is further subdivided. Walking through it is like walking through the history of aviation. There is also a cafeteria between galleries two and three.

Part of the Berlin Wall

The galleries are all connected by a tunnel in a linear design which requires you to pass through each one. There is a lot of good to be said about the Museum: it's free, parking is free, Hulk loved it, it's informative and interesting, has a wide selection and variety. They also offer free strollers for the kids.

But it is BIG. And you have to walk through each gallery to get to the end and then walk back to exit. And you can't take food or drinks. Which I didn't know about ahead of time so I had a diaper bag full of snacks for the kids. Fortunately, the guard at the entrance took pity on me and said that I could take the food in but the kids couldn't eat anything outside of the cafeteria.

Flying saucer prototype

We spent five hours there and only saw half of the museum. Hulk was exhausted by the time we left. He also took approximately 120,948,109,284,192 photos because he wanted a picture of each plane. And they're all still on my phone...

Future astronaut

We really liked the museum but it's not something you should try to accomplish all in one day. With small kids I would recommend a gallery or two per day that you are there. There are a lot of informative plaques (which hold no interest to kids) but several of the planes you can walk through (like the retired presidential Air Force Ones) or sit in. I think there are two virtual reality machines you could do but we didn't want to pay for them. 'Cus we're cheap.

Testing out the flight landing simulator

There are two types of maps offered by the museum: a complementary one and one that you can get for a "suggested donation" of $6. I suggest the $6 map as it is much more informative and detailed.

Standing next to a model of a rocket while standing next to a life sized model of a rocket #meta

It's on our bucket list to go back but with the hour drive to Dayton from Cincinnati finding time is difficult.

Until then - here are more pictures of my kids with the planes:

Maverick and Goose

Air Force One (one of them)

101 posts

I wanted to have some revolutional, mind-blowing, emotionally inspiring blog post as our 100th but then I wasn't keeping track and posted a blog comparing aquariums instead.

Super riveting.

I guess it doesn't really matter since no one reads these anyways. o.O?

We started blogging (as a couple) in August of 2011. At the time blogging was having a revolution and my extended family would update blogs on a semi-regular basis as a way of keeping people up to date on their activities. JC and I never really jumped on the "blog train". I would read my families' blogs and update JC if there was something interesting but how often a new blog was posted varied widely between family members. My grandma posted weekly, my aunt posted daily, and then you had JC and I who posted bi-monthly for 2011 and only five times the entire year of 2012.

Flash forward to 2019 I have two cousins that will put out an occasional post but JC and I (but mostly me) are the only ones that blog semi-consistently. My grandma sends out a weekly email to the entire family that gets an occasional reply all but that's the extent of our communication nowadays.

We're super tight.

Our blog hasn't changed much since 2011. I've changed our domain name from longdistancesprinter to jcandeo to match what was already our blog header, I've updated the pictures of the kids and the "Our Profile" page, and added a "Cincinnati" page.

Our lives have changed a lot:
We're no longer in school
I have a master's degree
J has a good job
We bought a house
We have a dog
We have three kids
We've moved 2,000+ miles from family

Here's to another 100 posts over the next ten(ish) years #cheers

The Newport Aquarium - a tale of two aquariums

Just over the Ohio River from Cincinnati is Newport, Kentucky.
We also have a Newport in Oregon. It's one of the biggest coastal towns and a big tourist hub. If going to the coast from Corvallis (where I went to school and J grew up) the most direct way leads you through Newport.

So when we think of Newport we think of cold and salty wind, the smell of sea and fish, beautiful views of the ocean.

There is also an aquarium in Newport. We called it the Newport Aquarium. Until we moved here, I never realized that its actual name was the Oregon Coast Aquarium. The aquarium also works with the research department at Oregon State University. The way that the aquarium is set up, it is mostly outside. There's a play area, small pools to touch tide-pool critters, a passage way that goes through a tank, and a short nature trail by the estuary to view wildlife where it belongs - in the wild. There are also indoor places that provide an educational experience for visitors. One of the outdoor areas that I remember loving as a kid was this area that simulated the tide coming in. Every once in a while a huge wave would come through and if you were standing close enough you'd get wet.

We love the Oregon Coast Aquarium, it's simple, it's educational, it's fun, and it lets you control your experience.

Hulk visiting the Oregon Coast Aquarium

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is also the aquarium that hosted Keiko (for you Free Willy loving fans) before he was released back into the wild. I don't remember going to visit him but I have seen pictures of me looking into a tank at an orca and my mom claims it was Keiko - so...

Picture of a picture from my baby book (when I was around 7)

The first thing I want to mention about the Newport Aquarium in Kentucky is that it is all indoors - where it is dimly lit. So when you have someone who is horrible at taking pictures (me) and put them into a poorly lit environment that equals bad quality photos. #sorrynotsorry

The Newport Aquarium is nice, it has a lot more variety than the Oregon Coast Aquarium as far as wild life goes. It doesn't have any seals, sea lions, or otters. But it has penguins (one of Hulk's favorites) and a lot more sharks, crustaceans, fish, and sea horses (it has a whole room dedicated to several different sea horse species, it's kinda cool).

Baby shark do doo...

There's a lot more to see with a lot more variety. There's an indoor play area for kids that is really nice and there's the shark bridge that is highly advertised. Hulk enjoys the bridge but I feel that once you've walked over one rope bridge you've walked over them all. And you can't really see the sharks when you're on the bridge.

The shark bridge

My biggest complaint about the Newport Aquarium is that it is set up like Ikea - meaning that you have to walk through the whole thing. It's one big loop and there is no cutting corners. This can lead to a lot of congestion at the beginning and people just rushing at the end because at that point you just want to get out. There's also a restaurant that you have to walk through about two thirds of the way through - you know, that prime spot where your kids are getting tired and hungry. But I refuse to be pray to their marketing techniques. Having a restaurant part way through your exhibit is like having to walk through the gift shop to get to the exit (another thing you have to do at the Newport Aquarium). It's good marketing on their part but I hate it and I will not be a part of it.

Japanese Crab

The aquarium is big enough that you could easily spend over an hour there and still feel like there were things you missed. Around Christmas time they have scuba divers dress up as Santa Claus and his elves in the shark tank and they'll interact with kids on the outside of the tank. If you use the Newport on the Levee parking garage between 11am-2pm Mon-Thurs the parking is free (which I am all for). Newport Levee itself is a neat experience. We usually just walk around the patio area and along the waterfront.

Petting sharks

It might be childhood nostalgia, it might be cultural, but I enjoy the feel of the Oregon Coast Aquarium more. I enjoy picking the order of the exhibits and wondering around outside. But I appreciate being able to visit the Newport Aquarium and the kids enjoy it too. Just be prepared for a lot of people to try to maneuver a stroller around and bring plenty of snacks because you may be there awhile.

Art on Fire

Just before we married JC and I started painting a pottery bowl. It has seen some good use and has somehow survived over eight years of marriage when, at this point, things we received as wedding gifts are starting to break down or show significant wear. We love it (the bowl, not that our things are breaking).

When we came to Cincinnati we were hoping to find a similar place for our date nights - a small shop that lets you paint pottery and then fires it for you. Simple, right? For whatever reason my google searches came up empty.

For my birthday in 2017 we went biking around Miami Whitewater Forest. On our way back we stopped at Graeter's. As we were heading to our car I noticed a sign that read "Pottery Painting Walk-Ins Welcome". And that is how we found Art on Fire.

We love going there for dates, Hulk loves going there to paint, Little Viking Girl is going to learn to love going there, and Baby #3 still sleeps through it.













JC and I have decided that we're going to create a set of plates for our family. So far the themes have been locations around Oregon (Mt. Hood, the Table Rocks, and we have one of Crater Lake that we hope to finish by the end of the year).

It's our happy place and we love it.

Even if you don't consider yourself artistically inclined you should still indulge in the experience. The owner and staff are friendly, it's never too crowded, the pottery is reasonably priced, and it's fun to have something of your own that's unique and created by you.

Brand Ambassador

I have my instagram set to public (as well as this blog).

Which is ironic because I am very protective of my facebook profile. I keep a strict limit of less than 250 friends who are all either family or people I interact with on a regular basis in real life. So when we move, you are dead to me. Figuratively ;)

Anyways, I figure on instagram (and this blog) I am not posting too much about our day to day nor am I divulging exactly where we live thus providing some anonymity and protecting my kids a bit (because, let's be honest most of my posts are of them). But I am sure if someone really wanted to find us they could. So my rationalization isn't totally logical.

Our church leaders have encouraged members to share the gospel over social media which is the reason I live my instagram (and this blog) public. I don't directly share about our beliefs but I give a small picture into our lives and if you want to find out more the link is in my profile. Which is the equivalent of your mom asking you to clean your room and so you shove everything under your bed.

Technically your room is clean but is it really?
Technically I am sharing the gospel because the symbol of our church has been described as the light of its members - but am I really?

Every once in a while someone will post on my instagram page suggesting that I could be an ambassador for their brand.

And by "every once in a while" I mean literally three times in the almost six years I've been on instagram.

As you can see, I am very popular 😘

At first I am excited and flattered, I check out their profile (which I am sure is part of the reason that they post on my profile, to get my interest), and then I move on with my life. Usually.

Today's post was a little different.

The profile has several thousand followers (12.5 thousand to be exact), the other times the profiles had a couple hundred posts - like a business that was just starting and was looking to get their brand out.

And then they mention my "vibe and style". This isn't too unusual because the other posts have mentioned liking my feed but I'm always like, "did you even look at my feed?" Half of my posts are grainy or blurred pictures with horrible lighting because I am essentially a boomer with a smart phone (not really but ya get my point?). My hashtags and comments aren't super original and my posts are all over the place ranging from (mostly) my kids, to my dog, to the scenery, to extended family. It's not a curated feed. At all. There's certainly no vibe or style. And if there is, it's purely serendipitous.

I have no idea how being a brand ambassador works but I would assume that who ever is searching for ambassadors is asking several people so I shouldn't feel like it's a compliment when they ask me to contact them. I am just a tiny fish in a big pond. Also by just posting on my feed they are promoting their brand because who ever looks at my photo can see the comment as well.

I have no intention of becoming a brand ambassador. Ever. I am flattered by the supposed interest and I would appreciate feeling like I am contributing to my family monetarily but in reality I am just a well educated mother who is not mentally stimulated enough so I am trying to find a new outlet.

The end. ✌

ps. Isn't being a brand ambassador the modern day equivalent of being a door-to-door salesman anyways?

Cincinnati Cyclones

This time last year the Campbell family went to their first (and only) hockey game. 

None of us had ever been before (and none of us has been back, which says more about us and the complete lack of excitement in our lives).

Visiting the water front pre-game

J gets the occasional perk through work and last year included family tickets to see the Cyclones play. 

After the game Hulk was convinced that he wanted to be a professional hockey player. 

I am convinced that his mom will never let him. ;)

My favorite part of the game was when the players came out. The music was predictably loud but there was FIRE. It was really cool. They had a system they brought out that shot flames up with the music. 

And then I went back to my book.

Yup, I am the kind of person that brings a book to a sporting event.

That's how much fun I am.

Happy boys :)

We brought headphones for Little Viking Girl because we predicted hockey = loud

She predictably wore them for this picture and then refused to wear them again.

It was a fun family outing. I don't remember who one but J and Hulk had a lot of fun. 

I've served my time and have no desire to go back but I can see J taking the kids again.