Introduction to the 2015 State Parks Adventure

Over the course of 2015, our family of 7 will be visiting all 83 Ohio State Parks! No beach house, no Stonehenge, not even a major home renovation. (Gasp!) Just a seasoned married couple, their 5 attaches, and the exploration of the many gems of our home territory. 

We've chosen to embark on this multi-legged adventure - for so many reasons - but mostly because we're proud of the place where the last several generations of our families have chosen to live. We believe that God has created each of us at a specific time and place for a unique and meaningful purpose, and are confident that our Ohio home has so much to do with that. We desire to live more deeply the beauty, history, and rich culture that we've discovered in our home state. 

As a preparation for this grand excursion, over the last several months, every dinner included time when Joe would read aloud to our family about each of the parks' significance. (The kids now know and remember way more about Ohio than I ever could have hoped to as a kid!) And now, as Christmas approaches, we find ourselves purchasing camp and travel supplies as gifts for beneath the tree. We're planning our routes, and getting ready to hit our first park on January 1, 2015. Our excitement and joy at the prospect are continuing to build!

We want to inspire other people to see and live our awesome state of Ohio, and that's the reason why we're choosing to log it publicly. Hopefully, everyone will enjoy reading about our trips. And even more hopefully, our shared reflections will serve as that encouraging "wink" that might be all someone needs to leave behind that desktop computer or mobile device and venture out into the forgotten beauty of the land they call home. Even if it's just for an afternoon. 

I tease him about it, but if it weren't for Joe's chronic case of That Schmiesing Wanderlust, he'd probably fall victim to the phrase, "All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy." And if you know Joe, you know he loves to work. I mean, do you pay attention to the kinds of houses he makes me buy? Projects galore! Thankfully, he boasts a healthy dose of leisure and exploration. We hope to share a little of that with you here on this blog, aptly dubbed Seven Thru the State. Feel free to subscribe via email or to check back often!