Ohio

Well, the day finally arrived! Time to head to Ohio and check out the future :) We decided to break up the very long drive into three- and eight-hour segments, more or less. Driving through the Midwest at harvest is quite lovely, especially when a massive rainbow appears in the clouds and allows you to chase it for longer than seems possible. I do love rainbows!

Our first stop was a college town hotel that had cool artwork. The kids were maybe not as excited to take pictures by it as I thought they should be . . . also, they clearly didn't read the sign on the breakfast table (hee-hee). They don't look very happy! But the breakfast was pretty crappy, so maybe that's why, ha!

We were VERY happy to see this exit sign appear above the interstate!

The roads to Cedarville itself are pretty narrow and very rural, but we all were instantly charmed with the wee little campus town. It felt safe and historic. More on that in a minute . . .

Noah and his mom flew in and then rented a vehicle to get around. They arrived at the only hotel in town just a bit ahead of us. We decided we all wanted to stretch our legs and see the area, so we went for a wander. It is filled with coffee and cookie shops, just what you'd want to find in a college town. But guess what we didn't see any of? Bars or clubs! From my own college experience these were in more abundance than necessary, so what a refreshing change! The Mexican restaurant was on point, and the mom-and-pop ice cream shop was just as swarmed with happy customers as it should be.

Back at the hotel, the teens enjoyed the game room for a while, but we all decided we were tired and ready for bed early. We made plans to meet Noah and his mom at *gasp* 7:45 a.m. for breakfast. Our goal was to arrive on campus by 8:15 . . . which was no problem, because we were a five-minute drive away. Buck and the boys were up and moving early, too. They were heading three hours north to Canton to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame! The last time we were there, Brennen was one and Graysen was in my belly. They enjoyed the experience more this visit. Here are a few pictures they shared of their fun day in Canton . . .

Back to us: from the very start of our time on the Cedarville campus, I was super impressed. The students were so friendly, even the ones who were not on the greeting committee :) The information packets were very well organized and detailed, the schedules planned out well, a campus map, name badges to wear (which Noah declined :), and photos with the mascot (which Noah tried to decline). We began in the chapel, just past a table absolutely loaded with donuts--and not lame donuts, really good ones! Noah's mom grabbed a treat, Caelan grabbed a hot cocoa, and we all headed in to find seats. There are five worship bands and a traveling worship team. Music, and teaching kids to incorporate such into their lives and careers, is highly supported and encouraged at CU. In fact, when we toured the music building, Caelan saw a room filled--not with desks--but with rows and rows of pianos for group piano class!

Back to chapel . . . after the orientation meeting, the president of the school welcomed ALL the students (from the whole campus, like 3,000 students!) in for their morning message and time of music. It was awesome to see a young man in full fatigues, stretching both arms to heaven during worship. Makes me teary-eyed even now! That was my favorite thing about Cedarville. They are a high-level education, top of your field type training center, BUT the primary focus is to make sure that students in all their chosen fields of study are well-equipped with Bible knowledge, how to share the reality of their faith, and how to make God known no matter what industry they are in . . . and mission trips! They encourage all students to take mission trips, but in a way and a place that fits their career path--so pharmaceutical students help people who need medications, engineering students and architectural students go where things need to be built, nursing students do medical clinics, music students do musical missions. I love it! I want to go back to college and experience school like this. I feel like every Christian kid should go to this school. Amazing!

And expensive, SO expensive. We dropped by the married student housing (which is under renovation) for a tour. The rent is incredibly affordable and the buildings are maintained by the university. The only problem (besides no laundry facilities) is, the student population is booming, and housing is very limited. So limited, in fact, that Caelan and Noah's original plan of attending in 2023 is looking impossible, because housing isn't available until 2024--at which point, they are guaranteed, because they put their names on the waiting list now. However, there are many steps (like applying and getting accepted) that must still take place. Figuring out the new and unexpected timing is the challenge. I wish we could buy a property in Cedarville and let Noah and Caelan rent from us. Oh, to have some extra moola laying around :) I don't think the property would ever be empty, and with the school's core value of integrity, I don't think future renters would ever be a problem. I just don't know how to manage a property from a distance. Guess we'll just have to move there, too, hee hee :)

Back at the U, we toured the amazing sports and health facilities, the very thoughtfully designed buildings (one in the middle is designed to reflect the light of Christ: all the windows face campus, so it literally shines light from the center of campus, which also happens to be where all the students earn their Bible minor). Everywhere there were piles of backpacks, completely unattended, bikes unchained, racks of skateboards . . . the students trust each other to an amazing extent! No crazy hair, no skimpy outfits, no angry words, cursing or the smell of drugs lingering in the air (like on C&N's current campus). Other interesting things we noticed: the library is not only filled with books, bursting with books, it also has a Chik-Fil-A attached to it, and to Graysen's delight--a Panda Express is being installed next year. Other than that, though, this is still a small town without a lot of chain businesses, Subway and Dollar General were the only two we saw.

Let's see, what else? Noah's mom bought us all coffee or chai at the cute coffee shop in the student center. We enjoyed lunch in the really nice cafeteria. It was a really good day! There were 150 prospective students in attendance with about 400 additional guests; and they do these CU Fridays every month. I could go on and on, but I can only type so much. Maybe I'll think of more and add in the most important parts--like everyone seems to know someone who goes or has gone to Cedarville! We are amazed at the connections, near and far, to CU! I've already got dinners, weekends away, and "spoiling with love," set up with family friends less than two hours from campus whenever Caelan and Noah need it :)

So, after speaking with every advisor, major faculty member, transfer coordinator, financial advisor, etc. etc. that we could, and after chasing down some potential alternative housing options before leaving town, the four of us headed south to Cincinatti to check in to the next hotel. Buck and the boys announced they were wrapping up their day and driving four hours south (through SO much traffic) to meet us (so much driving!)

Our next hotel was really nice! We realized it was Caelan and Noah's 7-month anniversary on October 7th, and they'd spent it touring the school they hope to get their future degrees from--maybe even graduate degrees?

Early the next morning, Noah and his mom flew home while we continued our journey to the Ark--I know, I know, we wanted to bring our own Noah to the Ark, but it didn't work out this time :) We were a little awestruck by the sheer enormity of that big boat! It is like seeing a Bible miracle come to life--well, I guess that's really kind of what it is! Graysen spent his birthday with about 8,000 other visitors; who knew such a spacious ship could feel so crowded?! We missed some of the exhibits, but got a good feel for the marvel of the Ark. The designers, of course, had to make some guesses as to how the animal cages, feeding and watering systems, food storage, and human habitation might have looked . . . but it all seemed reasonable and wise given the tools and materials of the time. Here are lots of pictures, because my mother-in-law said to post a bunch :)

It was nice to walk around outside and to visit the little zoo on the Ark Encounter grounds. We also got fudge and cookies for snacks--birthdays are for treats! I think Graysen had a good day, even if there was a lot of driving involved (have I mentioned there was a lot of driving involved? :)

The next day, we finally arrived home . . . and found this adorable chicken pumpkin that Gabby and Chase made for me while we were gone. Awww! Love it!