Fall Festival and Weekend in Ohio

Jake and I had a great time last weekend at the "Fuse Fall Festival". Our Sunday School class (called Fuse) got together and enjoyed some fall themed foods and great fellowship. Jake dressed up as a redneck and I was supposed to be a cowgirl.

This weekend Jake went on the annual Men's Retreat with the church to Spruce Lake in the Poconos. He had a great time with the guys...it sounds like they had great fellowship and worship, played volleyball and other games, hiked, ate lots of food, and did other manly activities. The theme for the retreat was "Standing Firm". When I got home on Sunday, Jake was already home from the retreat and had put a card and some chocolate on the counter for me! What a sweet husband!

While Jake was at the retreat, I drove over to Lucasville, OH to visit with Grandma and Grandpa! When I was in college I only lived an hour and a half away from them...I really miss being that close! I had the day off of work on Friday so I made the 7 1/2 hour road trip and got there by 5:00 pm. Mom and Dad also came up from Tennessee, so it was great seeing them. Grandpa just had a knee replacement surgery and is starting to get around pretty well. 

I love visiting them. They still live in the house my mom grew up in...the house my grandpa built. I have lots of great memories there with my family. 

The weather was perfect on Saturday. We spent the afternoon visiting with each other and enjoying the day. 

We also enjoyed the murals that were painted on the flood walls in Portsmouth, which is right on the Ohio river. The tall flood walls were built after the great flood of 1937, which practically destroyed the city.

The murals are huge!

Timken Bearings?

This is what Portsmouth, OH used to look like...

All the paintings describe the history of the area...

The building with the columns in this painting on the left is the same building on the right...

This one looked like a real window...this was the flood of 1937

 These paintings look so life-like!

The picture below is of me and my brothers posing in front of a mural several years ago...I don't know how old we were, but I was in middle school at the time!