Flies as Big as a House!

Today the biggest bug ever flew into my car! It was either a Horsefly or a Deerfly. Totally gross! The worst part is, he never left my car. He crawled in between the soft top of my car and the hard part of the roof. I tried to get him out but he just went in further. Derrick told me the heat should have killed him but I'm still way paranoid that he's gonna fly out while I'm driving and attack me. I may sound retarded but if you saw a fly the size of a quarter flying by your head you would freak out too! Yes, they bite.

Look Close or You'll Miss It

Today I concentrated on photographing the small details of the park. Most of the people passing by me thought I was crazy because they didn't see what I was photographing. Plus, it was pretty hot today so I was sweating while staring into the plants. It was totally worth it though because I captured some awesome insects and plants!

Glow in the Dark Mini Golf

If I was a little kid and went to Firefly's in the Strongsville Mall I would have been terrified. The giant gorilla startled me and I'm 26 years old! Slight creepiness aside, Firefly's is a lot of fun. The whole course is under black lights and the most amazing murals are painted on the walls. They even have themes throughout the course like jungle, under the sea, space and the Antarctic. I had a total blast even though Derrick won. Considering the employees were teenagers, I was very impressed with how nice they were. If you're ever in the area and you like mini golf, it's a definite must. $7.00 a person for adults and they have coupons on their website.

I'm Not the Only Mexican in Cleveland

Derrick's coworkers told him about a Mexican Restaurant for us to try. We both were skeptical since our last new Mexican Restaurant we tried, El Rodeo, was a total bust. It was worth a few laughs since the menu had definitions of the different food items like, Tortilla (tour-tea-ya)- A Mexican Flat Bread, but the food and service wasn't very impressive. This time we went to Nuevo Acapulco which was much, much better! The food was tasty and not overpriced. The service was also great. What really gave us a glimmer of hope was when we walked in and saw not only Mexican employees, but Mexican customers. Amazing! We asked our server if he knew where to get sweet bread from and he said it was really hard to find it in Cleveland because there is only 1 Mexican store in the area and it's really small.

After our large and tasty meal, we went to the little store he was talking about and actually found the Mexican Community of Cleveland. I was really excited and wanted to explore but a big storm blew in (lightening, thunder, rain, severe thunderstorm warnings, you know, the usual) so we checked out the store and then headed back towards home. They only had prepackaged sweet bread that was imported from Illinois. Total bummer. A road trip to Chicago might be in my near future.

As Seen on UnWrapped

Last night I had my first taste of Frozen Custard. It was incredible! I didn't think I would like it because I thought it would be like eating frozen vanilla pudding but I was totally wrong. It's more like super thick, creamy ice cream. I had chocolate and I'm hooked. It's cheap too! I think my single scoop cone was just under $1.50. The show UnWrapped on the Food Network did a show on the Frozen Custard place in Cleveland which is what gave Derrick the idea to take me there. I will definetely be going back!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July everyone! Today I went with Derrick's Mom to her parents house out in the middle of the country. We were out in the rolling hills of Ohio where the nearest city, and by city I mean general store and little shops, was about a 20 minute drive away. It was absolutely beautiful. I think Derrick's Grandpa said the backyard was 2 1/2 acres. Yes, the backyard, not the property. He took me for a ride on the lawn mower. lol. Derrick's Mom took pictures so hopefully I'll have some copies to upload soon so you can see. I also learned I am really good at playing Corn Hole. As one of the girls told me, "It's a hillbilly game." It's like beanbag toss meets horseshoes. Everyone was impressed with my skills. We had a "cookout" and played Corn Hole all day. Once the sun went down we all went out to the backyard in the middle of a field and sat in lawn chairs to watch the fireworks Derrick's cousin brought. These weren't just any fireworks. These where the huge sky fireworks that you see at the fancy shows. When the fireworks were done we watched the fireflies in the woods. It looked like someone set up Christmas lights in the trees. I wish I could photograph it for you guys so you could see it but it's something you just have to see in person. Here's a picture of me in Derrick's Dad's front yard with my Patriotic Cake. Hope you had as fun of a day as I did!

Cleveland Rocks!

On July 2nd I went Downtown to attend a free concert given by the Cleveland Orchestra. It was totally awesome! They blocked off the center of Downtown and set up a stage in front of Tower City (the building to the left). While the concert was going on they lit up the building to match the theme of the song they were playing. There were thousands of people siting in the streets in lawn chairs. Since it was just me (Derrick was working) I was able to squeeze in between all the people that had been waiting for hours to get primo seats. After the concert was over, they lit off fireworks from the top of the skyscrapers. What was really entertaining was as soon as the fireworks started, it started to rain. The bigger the fireworks got, the harder the rain fell. By the end, it was a total downpour and all the people where running for cover. I was soaking wet but I had a great time.