The Before

In the week before JET-MIP started, my parents came up with the idea that we should take a trip up the Eastern US and end up in Maine for a wedding. And so on June 28th, we left town and headed North. My very own East Coast Odyssey...

Here I am the morning we left. Sleep deprived and glamorous. 

First, we went here.

You probably can't tell, but this is Canton, Ohio. Also known as where I resided from ages 7-9. If I'm not mistaken (and I could be), I hadn't actually been back to the city of Canton since the day we left. The last picture was of the sign for a mall we used to shop at. We ate dinner at a restaurant right next to it. We met a friend we hadn't seen in 8 or 9 years.Walking around was kind of nostalgic in a hard to describe way, cause suddenly I was that little girl with a long braid and light up sneakers again. 

Our brief tour of Northeastern Ohio concluded the next morning with breakfast with my Aunt Me, who my dad says is "half crazy" (Don't worry Aunt Me, I still love you!). But that's probably why she's so much fun. We ran back down to Ravenna (one of the many towns in Northeastern Ohio my people hail from) and saw my dad's high school principle and his wife. There's some of the sweetest old folks I've ever met. 

And then, we went here. 

 This is Lake Chautauqua. Or in the words of Aunt Me "a little slice of heaven!"  It was pretty spectacular. Those delightful senior citizens you're looking at are Uncle Chuck and Aunt Rosie. It's their lake-house. They rock, particularly because Uncle Chuck took me out on a jet-ski. 

After that, we went here.

Thanks for the photos, Mother!

This is Rangeley, Maine, as you might have inferred from the sign. It has a population of about 1000. It rained basically the whole time we were there. We had to switch cabins after the first night because the rental agency said we had wifi when they actually meant "Sometimes you can hook off the neighbors!" But then they moved us to a bigger cabin, with wifi. And I got my own room, which was a step up from the futon I slept on in the first cabin. That was nice. Mom never got to accomplish her mission to see a moose. That sucked. 

Finally, we went here. 

Thanks again for the photos I'm stealing, Mother!

This is Naples, Maine. We went to a wedding. I met quite possibly the cutest dog ever. His name is Mr. Moby Man. He weighs three pounds and wears a tux. He should be king of the world. 

Also, the wedding itself was awesome. Mom got to see one of her best college buddies after 30 years. There were chickens walking around observing everything. That was pretty cool. And we cheered and we clapped and we danced in the driveway.