My Brother Brandon

Brandon demonstrated some of his Disc jockey talent for me on Christmas morning. He's a lot of fun to hang around.

Cincinnati, Ohio

John came with me to visit my hometown of Cincinnati for a few days before Christmas, and we had so much fun! On Saturday, we took a tour of the Historic Taft Museum of Art, and also enjoyed a nice view overlooking the Ohio River off of Main Street. The Taft home was occupied by Charles Phelps Taft and his wife Anna Sinton Taft from 1873-1931. Charles was the older half-brother of President William Howard Taft.

Congratulations to Kiev!

John's doctoral student and friend Kiev Gracias graduated on the 15th of December from Ball State University. I feel very fortunate to get to spend time with such smart, fun, and genuine people like John, Kiev, and Robin.

Piney Acres Farm

John and I headed out to Piney Acres Farm in Fortville, Indiana to cut down a Christmas tree this year. The weather was cold and snowy, but very pretty. The tractor ride out was one of best parts!

Pokagon State Park

John and I visited Pokagon State Park in Angola, Indiana during the very beginning of December. Angola is located in northern Indiana, and Pokagon state park is located on the shores of Lake James and Snow Lake. The park has a beautiful, historic inn and dining room for guests, as well as one of the longest refrigerated toboggan slides in the country. John and I really enjoyed the Toboggan Slide- our record run was 33 mph! We're definitely going to come back for more tobogganing and cross country skiing too.

Halloween in Muncie

John and I carved some great pumpkins. He is so much fun to be with!

Raleigh, North Carolina

John and I visited Raleigh, NC at the end of October. After John gave a great presentation on food microbiology research at North Carolina State University, we took a historical tour of Raleigh. The "Raleigh Trolley" took us all around the historic parts of downtown. Our favorite part of the trolley tour was a stop at the historic state capitol building. It was built in 1840, and most rooms have been restored to their original appearance. The House of Representatives and Senate chambers were really beautiful rooms. Later, John even gave me a lecture in the geologist's office!

Mordecai Historic Park: Raleigh, NC

These pictures are from Mordecai Historical Park in Raleigh, which had a number of 19th century buildings moved onto the grounds of the former Mordecai family plantation. The Mordecai home is the oldest home still standing in it's original location in the city of Raleigh.

Hot Air Ballooning

John and I went on a Hot Air Balloon Ride over Carmel. It was so fun; especially when making our bumpy landing in the wicker basket!

Spring Mill State Park

John and I headed down to southern Indiana for some time at Spring Mill State Park. The weather was beautiful, and we had a great time visiting all of the historic buildings in the pioneer village. They even had a real working grist mill and saw mill!

Benjamin Harrison Home

The Benjamin Harrison Home in Indianapolis was a nice stop before our visit to Spring Mill. Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd president of the United States (1889-1893).