Ohio

"Ohio has the flavor of a watered chesnut. It's not too crazy and it's not the best, but we're not setting forest fires just out of boredom. I'd rather see a movie if in fact I can afford one... Cause they always say in Canton you can't enjoy yourself. Well, there's truth to that, but may I add it's not half bad and never less than that." ~ Relient K: Hoopes I Did It Again

"The state that is round at the ends and high in the middle"

I don't really agree with Relient K's description of Ohio because I have a blast whenever I go there, but I thought I'd post the quote because it's a funny song.
We went to Ohio to visit my grandpa for his 76th birthday! I personally had a good time! Everytime I get to see my extended family I get to have a good time. Some of my aunts and uncles and cousins who live near my grandma came down to visit too. However, instead of just describing everything that went on, I would like to talk about three specific things that I love about Ohio:

Shot Through the Heart:
First of all, I clearly remembered I was in the Bible belt one Sunday night. Our family went to one church which started at 6 and then went to another church which started at 7 for Sunday night. (We were a little late for the 7 0'clock one). The message at the first church was very good, but the one at the second church is the one I would like to tell everyone about. There is a guy who is a youth pastor at Mamre Baptist Church in Ohio who my family has known for a long time. The night we went to Mamre, he was speaking. Let me tell you something... That was an amazing message. I chose the title of this section as Shot Through the Heart because that night, when he preached that message, it was as if he just loaded the gospel into a shotgun and blasted the congregation through the heart. God is using this man to do great things! The message was about prayer and how most people take it for granted. However, prayer should be something we should LOVE to do because it is a great privelige to come before the throne of the Almighty and speak directly to Him. Back in the Old Testement times, people couldn't communicate directly with God. They had to go through the priest. When Jesus came, he became the new mediator and we have direct access to God! We should be extremely greatful for this!

"Have a pizza paaaarttyyyy!" ~ One of the pizza gremlins from The Logical Journey of the Zombinis:
Okay... I will admit that my favorite food is cheeseburgers, but way up there close is pizza. I LOVE a good pizza, but most of the time I just have to settle for something like Little Ceasars or Pizza Hut. There are other better pizza places around here, but none compare with the smaller chain that they have in Ohio and the surrounding cities. I'm talking about Giovanni's pizza. I looked for a website, but was unable to locate one. The logo for the store is a waiter holding a pizza with a napkin on his arms while skating on roller skates. Anyway, this pizza is, in my opinion at least, the best stinking pizza in the ENTIRE WORLD! It is soooooooooooooooo good! Everytime we got to Ohio it is a tradition that we get Giovanni's at least once (Though usually we get it every night for dinner after we have a church service). I wish there was some way all my friend could try it, but I can't think of any. If you're ever in southern Ohio or the surrounding area, try getting pizza from Giovanni's. It may be a little on the expensive side (And I'm usually a cheapskate), but this pizza is definately worth it!

Sonic the Hedgehog's Favorite Food:
For those of you who don't know, (Which I'm guessing would be everyone... Except Jared Willaims... Lol) Sonic the Hedgehog's favorite food are chilli dogs. Well let me tell you something... The best hot dog place that I know of is also based near my grandparents house. Stewars Hot Dogs is the best place to meet your hot dog needs. Known for their special chilli sauce and serving a lot of my favorite drink, everyone should try going to this restaurant if they get a chance! Usually when my family gets together for what we call "Buckeye Christmas" (We celebrate during Thanksgiving) we will see a movie and then go right across the parking lot to Stewarts for a great meal. Though we didn't see a movie, we were able to go after going shopping at the mall this trip to Ohio. It was excellent as always! It makes it so much better when it's a family tradition!

A lot of what I like about Ohio is visiting family and doing all the family traditions that we have. I had a great time (As always) last trip and I look forward to going again this fall! I love my family!