Around the Yard

Mallorie's Wedding

This weekend I made the trek back down to Cincinnati for Mallorie's wedding. It was an awesome and fun weekend. It made me really miss being down there and actually having friends. I am so thankful for Haley too for letting me crash at her place for the entire weekend!

Friday, August 24: I arrived in Cincinnati around 5, and Haley and I went to Target so I could pick up one more thing for Mallorie. Then when her friend, Margaret, got off work we headed over to the dreaded Clifton to get Indian! I really miss Indian food. That is one thing Cleveland lacks. We hung out for the rest of the night and watched, "Wish Upon a Star" before going to bed. Do you remember that movie? It's great and so 90s.

Saturday, August 25: Haley and I got up and headed over to the dog park to give her dog a chance to run around. I love seeing all the dogs. I'm a dog lover for sure, although I could do without some of the owners. Haha. Then we went back to her place and made crafts, ate leftover Indian, and watched "RuPaul's Drag Race." Oh, and I cuddled with Clove, her dog.

Later, Haley and her boyfriend left for her high school's 5 year reunion. I finished getting ready and headed over the Laura's. Around 6:20 we left and headed over to the reception. It was a fun evening, and I'm really glad I got to see my friends I haven't seen in a while! Mallorie looked so pretty and the reception was so beautiful.

Sunday, August 26: I was planning on just leaving right away, but instead I decided I would rather kill another hour hanging out with Haley in Cincinnati than come home early and be bored all day. We went to iHop for breakfast, and then I left right from there.

I really miss my friends in Cincinnati. It was so great to spend the weekend with them because I've just been dragging since I've been home. I really really miss them and I hope I can make another trip down there soon! I'm also bummed Mackenzie couldn't make it back for her sister's reception. I miss her!

My Dog

I've been really busy lately working and filling out paper work for new jobs. I haven't had the energy to play with Photoshop or my camera, which also stems from the fact that my computer battery doesn't work anymore and every time I want to move my computer I have to restart it again. I wish I was better at Photoshop and I get frustrated a lot because I just wish my pictures magically turned out well.

The last few days I've been out in the yard taking pictures of random things, including my dog. She's a very pretty dog and very photogenic (sometimes). 

Cleveland Parks: Wildwood

If I know any park like the back of my hand it's this one. Wildwood is right next to my parents house, so we grew up exploring it. How many kids can say they had a park next to their house? Of course we weren't always allowed to go there by ourselves when we were younger, but we were able to go enough to leave me with a magical feeling every time I go back.

This park is actually property from a family that used to live here. Obviously, the land they owned was much larger than the park now, but the mansion is still on the property and is used as a cultural center. We used to go to the camp there when I was about 6. There used to be a small building in the back that was built as a play house for the girls that lived there. Apparently, there used to be an oven and everything in it. Growing up the only thing that stood were the walls. Eventually, it was torn down because people used to always graffiti weed leaves and stuff on the walls. I tried to find where it stood but I couldn't. I wish I did, but I also didn't want to go to close to the house because I had my dog and there were too many people!

The park is really small, but every time I walk through it I am reminded of my childhood. So many times we would ride our bikes down the large hills. You can't even do that anymore because the ground is too sandy now. I remember the park feeling so big. It was exciting to walk across one of those small wooden bridges because it seemed like a lifetime to find. Now, I can walk along all those bridges on a short walk with my dog. If you ever come to Mentor you have to go. If anything just to see the house! It's beautiful. I tried to take a picture, but again, I felt kind of weird because there were people inside!

Cleveland Parks: Penitentiary Glen

Yesterday my dog and I headed over to Penitentiary Glen. This park is also located in Kirtland and is really close to Chapin Forest and Holden Arboretum. I loved this park as a kid. I think it was one of my favorites. There used to be a bridge near the gorge that was torn down, but the pieces were always in the river. For some reason I loved that torn down bridge. I'm not sure if it's still around because that was a long time ago. I tried to look for it, so if it's still there there is too much foliage right now to be able to see it.

Anyways, this park is really cute. It has a small train system that gives train rides. There is also a meadow path and a gorge path. I like going the wooded route because I love trees and walking in shade. Plus, you can see the river down below. I wish I would have taken pictures of the river, but when my dog and I made it down there was a couple sitting on the benches. It would have been awkward for me to take pictures while they were there.

A note on the pictures: This was the first time I used photoshop on all my pictures. I have always been nervous about using it, but I went crazy with the clarity and contrast and I really like how much better they came out compared to the originals. The first picture of the sign I took as I was leaving and I had to do it quickly because there were a lot of cops around. So, it's a terrible picture, but I don't care. Also, the picture of the back of a bench I took because it made me laugh. It's just some random bench that looks like someone turned around because it's not facing anything.