What a great zoo we have here in Cincy. You should check it out. Anyone got any good zoo stories?

Okay...so round two attempting to write this weekend's message was a success.

I'd say it didn't have anything to do with Chipotle, but I'd be lying.

And I'd say it didn't have anything to do with copious amounts of coffee, but I'd be lying too.

Jungle Jim's of course. For those of you who haven't experienced the greatness that is Jungle Jim's...I am truly sorry. It is the cheese to my macaroni. The Simon to my Garfunkel. Jungle Jim's is the epitome of foodie-land. You just can't beat six acres of food under one roof.



I haven't been out there in a few months so I decided to make some time for a trip. I needed several ingredients that are hard to find in common grocery stores...good ole' JJ's never has a problem filling my cart. Part of the experience is sight-seeing and part of it is out of necessity.



As far as necessities go; I was out of salt. Kosher salt that is...this clearly falls into the necessity category as I am a huge proponent for properly seasoning some grub. I'm not entirely sure anything else I bought would be considered a necessity however. Maybe the Scotch Bonnets?
Nah. Hmm...what about the High Mountain Midnight Popcorn...or the Hank's Vanilla Cream Soda? I guess it depends on your definition of necessity.





Mostly I love the atmosphere of Jungle Jim's. It's like a melting pot of cultures and smells and sights...onto the sightseeing part:

Mmm...Pork Snout.


Mary had a little...


Oh, don't be so pig-headed.


You know what they say...4 heads are better than one.

Allison and I traveled downtown on Friday to see the Bodies Exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center. It was simply incredible. There's no other way to say it. Controversy is abounding with this display. Maybe that's what drew me towards it?

$23 per person seemed pretty steep as we waited in line...it seemed inexpensive as we walked towards the exit doors. I cannot begin to describe the experience. It was sobering.


Probably the most sobering part for me was the display of disease. We hear about cancer. We know people with cancer...people who have died from cancer. There's nothing like seeing cancer though.


Huge disclaimers were printed everywhere giving us the opportunity to skip past a tough section of the display. We went in anyway. It was babies of course. All stages of life development.


Never have I seen something so real. Textbooks can only teach us so much. God's unimaginable creativity was shown to me as we studied blood vessels and bones.


So...are you going to go see it?

I've been trying to make an intentional effort to spend more time with my family doing activities together. It's always a blast and I'd just be missing out to do otherwise.

Ava likes going to the play area at Northgate Mall. We took her up there a couple times this week. She has a blast and we reap the benefits of her spending up energy and going to bed earlier. Then Allison and I can make sweet love watch TV together.



This little girl kept coming up to Ava and wanted to play with her. As I prayed for God to heal whatever she had going on my heart was continually breaking and I was overcome by the feelings of good favor we have in our lives. We are so healthy. We are so rich. We are so spoiled and all we want is more. Ugh.


This photo sums up most of what my life consists of. I love this picture.


If you're not completely sick of us yet, check out some more photos from the mall excursion.

What are some of the ways you've been spending quality and quantity time lately?

After locking myself down for about 6 straight hours of administrative work, I needed to remove myself from the home office. I still had a good bit of work ahead of me, but I knew I wasn't going to be very productive if I didn't get some fresh air.

So I headed downtown to see what kind of trouble I could get into. I've been thinking of swinging by Findlay Market recently so I decided to take myself up on the offer.

Outside it was bright and vibrant, but the outside shops and stands were not to be found. I guess they're only out there on the weekends.


Inside was a bit dismal and empty as well...I must be in the wrong place.


Ahh...the middle section...that's where the action is.


My first stop was at the Herbs and Spice and Everything Nice shop. Picked out some excellent stuff for a great price.




They had cool stuff all over the place. It was a nice little photo excursion for me.



I picked up some Spanish Chorizo while I was there. Little did those sausages know they would be made into an amazing Hispanic rice and vegetable dish later. Mmm...it was good.


Does a bear poop in the woods? Of course I picked up some cheese.


I thought this guy was pretty cool. He tasted himself a piece of Pastrami every 3 or 4 slices as he cut them for me.


One of the coolest things was the sign I saw on a ghetto street near the market. It speaks volumes for/to our city.

I’m almost home. It’ll only be a few more hours and I can finally see my babies. I can’t wait to hug and kiss them until it’s annoying. I can’t wait to spend as much time as possible with them until they’re totally sick of me.

This last week has been fairly incredible. I was able to see so many things for the first time and I was also reminded of so many things that I needed to be reminded of. I’m going to miss the Doan’s and all the new people that I met. It’s truly something amazing when you let down your guard and you invite people into your life. If you do it right and you are able to make a connection, they just might invite you into theirs.

Cheers Vancouver. It was fun while it lasted. I’m pretty sure you’re not for me but, I know you’re totally right for so many who call you home.

I’m so glad that I took this week to do something different. I don’t want to be that guy from Cincinnati who has never traveled outside of the tri-state. It’s so funny to think about so many people I know who have never really gone anywhere, never really done anything. I don’t want to be locked away in a little box.

While I am a homebody, I think I have found that I can adapt really quickly to whatever is thrown at me. I can make a home out of a strange place pretty quickly. There are a lot of strange places out there...so I guess I never have to worry about feeling too far from home.

Please do not let me forget the things that I’ve learned and seen. Use me.