This summer I took a trip to Ohio, my father spent his teenage years there and believe it or not he had not been back in 20 years. At first I didn’t know what to expect, I had never been to Ohio and had not yet met some of the family that lived there. My dad was especially excited about the trip even though it had taken us three summers to convince him we should go. We packed the car and made the 16 hour drive up to Ohio. The trip was long but I did get to see some amazing scenery, I got to see mountains for the first time and it just took my breath away I never realized how beautiful nature can be. The first night we were in town my dad’s friend that he met in high school came over to the hotel with his 7 children and pretty much just made us feel at home. I learned a lot about friendship that night; I mean here we are sitting in a hotel room, talking like we have known each other for years. It was so incredible to me to see that even after time and distance that my dad and his friend Mike were still such good friends.
A couple days later we drove around the city where my dad grew up which was Newark, Ohio, I loved watching his face when he would see a place and remember that he went there and hung out with his friends or how he was surprised about how much he still remembered and when he saw houses that he grew up in, there was a certain sparkle in his eye. I don’t think my dad realized how much he missed Newark until he came back to it. He looked like a little boy winning his first trophy; it made me realize how much family means and how quickly things change.
My dad played baseball at Mound City Park. He said “it was the best time of his life, less my sister and I of course”. Dad likes to show me pictures and tell me stories of his little league days but nothing comes close to how he really felt about it until he stepped back inside the gates of that stadium. Only then could I see how happy baseball made him, but I could also hear the regret he had for not continuing to play. It just made me see my dad in a whole new way and made me realize why he encourages me to pursue my dreams and follow my heart.
Getting to spend time with my great Aunt Peggy and Uncle Joe was so much fun they showed me pictures of when they were younger and I got to learn about their family. Seeing the house that my grandpa grew up in was amazing. I loved that I got to meet cousins for the first time. They were all so loving and friendly.
There wasn’t much I didn’t like about this trip, the only thing I didn’t like was the hours spent traveling but even that taught me something, it taught me how to manage and use my time wisely. It taught me patients as well and that’s always a good trait to have. So you see I can’t even really complain about that either. So over all I had a really great trip, I learned so much and would love to go back. I hope to continue to travel and learn about the people, places, and things, of each place I visit.
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