We have had an awesome 2 days (actually, more like 1.5 days) with Joshua's grandparents. They are on a 2-week road trip across the country (they live in Washington state) and made it all the way to Ohio! (I believe this is as far east as they are traveling, but they were as far south as Arkansas!)

Yesterday they arrived at our house in the afternoon. Joshua had done some much-needed grocery shopping in the morning, and took Yehoshua along (so I could get some work done around the house before our guests arrived). Have I mentioned lately how awesome Joshua is?!! He takes Yehoshua grocery shopping, helps cook meals, built me a website (actually, two websites!), drove us all over Amish Country today... :) I am really blessed, and he treats me like a queen!! Okay, back on track now...

We visited a little, and then Joshua and his grandparents drove off to Aldi to pick up some steaks for Joshua to grill. (They had said they wanted to get steaks for him to grill.) They came home with four HUGE t-bone steaks. We had steaks, garlic bread, salad, fresh grapes, and peas (which I forgot about until we were ready to eat, so I warmed them up but we filled up on steak anyway). The steaks were really, really, really good. They were SO tender!! Joshua grilled them perfectly, and you could eat them without a steak knife, even. The next time we have the money to just go out and get nice steaks for dinner, we're definitely going to Aldi's!

So, we ate dinner, I played piano for them, we played with the children, and Joshua's grandma helped me with dishes. We talked about our plans for the next day (today) and decided on Amish Country. I spent the late evening looking up places and mapping out our trip. It had been over 4 years since I had been over to that part of Ohio, so although I knew of where we wanted to go, I needed to refresh my memory on how exactly to get there and what route to take. :)

This morning we left our house before 7, and went to my aunt and uncle's house to borrow their mini-van for the trip (so we could all go in one vehicle). We transferred our things, and set off! It was about a 2 hour drive, and Yehoshua and Eliyahu did fairly well. Actually, they did well all day, but I still think it's stressful to travel with children. :) Everyone is just so much happier at home... when naps are taken on schedule, and the day is interspersed with trips outside to the clothesline or mailbox, washing dishes, or playing. :)

Our first stop was a neat place called "Yoder's Bargain Store". Amish-owned and operated, it had outhouses for restrooms and gas lights inside the building. They had so many neat things. I loved the stainless steel bakeware and cookware they had! I even found a really nice stainless steel teapot, just the size I want, which I will someday go back and purchase. :D Joshua's grandma got a black Amish-looking bonnet that will fit one of her dolls, and found a little second-hand Amish girl's dress to use for her dolls (which was only 1.50!). She also bought Yehoshua a coloring book full of ABC's, an animal board book, and another coloring book of animals, gardens, and other such country things. It was a neat store... I think I could have looked all day... and furnished a kitchen and schoolroom from there :D

Our next stop was Ashery Country Store, a nice bulk foods store that my parents took me to when I was a child (we would go there about twice a year). Joshua and I actually got some groceries there, including some almond flavoring/extract, which was much, much cheaper than what we can get here. I got other things like clear jel, arrowroot, whole cumin, granulated tapioca, vanilla flavoring, several kinds of dried beans, etc.

Our third stop was at Heini's Cheese, a cheese factory with yummy cheese and lots of free samples. Yum! Yehoshua loved that, too. Our fourth stop was for lunch, at the Dutch Heart Restaurant. Grandma and Gary treated us to lunch, and by the time we finished we were all quite tired and exhausted--and no wonder, because it was already 3 pm! All those diaper changes, feedings, and scenic routes really take time! :D

We made time for one last stop, which was at Lehman's Hardware, a really great (and increasingly large) hardware store -- another place where I could have spent all day and furnished a big kitchen. ;) I just love looking at kitchen utensils. They had the neatest farm animals and little toy tractors and things, too! Yehoshua wanted everything! :) We only bought one thing, though: a potato masher, for the people who were letting us borrow their van.

YHWH really blessed us with a nice day. The weather wasn't as hot as it had been, which was great since the van's a/c didn't work. Yehoshua and Eliyahu really were well-behaved, even though the day was so long! And we made it home safely. I'm so thankful!

We didn't get back until almost 7 pm, and we made a quick stop at my parents' house so everyone could meet (since my parents had never met Joshua's grandma). We ate ice cream, talked, and looked at the garden. Then we said our goodbyes, and headed back; Grandma to the motel, and us to our house. I got Yehoshua and Eliyahu off to bed. I'm pretty tired myself, but wanted to update since I skipped yesterday. ;) Tomorrow is my cousin's wedding, so we'll be gone all afternoon. We have yummy leftover steak to eat tomorrow... I think we're going to make some pepper steak or something. :D

Here's a sweet picture of Eliyahu with Grandma. Aren't they cute together? :) Eliyahu was still smiley, even after a day of travels. This photo was taken in front of my parents' garden. We sure do miss you, Grandma. Thanks for visiting us. [This morning (Saturday) Yehoshua woke up and said "Grandma L__ come?" :)]

Today was laundry day in Amish Country. I never really noticed before, but everyone there hangs out lots of clothes. There were clotheslines three times the size of mine, and all loaded down with laundry. Around here, I'm one of the few people who actually hangs out their clothes. It was fun to see everyone else doing it :).

Being around all the Amish people and their homes caused me, as usual, to reflect on their religion. One of my main impressions from yesterday was what hard workers the Amish are. Their homes, lawns, and gardens were for the most part neatly kept. There were many people outside working in the heat. Lots of young children working at various things, too. Their children are also (for the most part) very well-behaved, like when we saw them at stores and such. It reminded me of how diligently we need to train Yehoshua, and also of how lazy I am compared to them. Isn't it interesting how in one culture I might be considered hard-working, but in another, lazy?

I know the Amish have a "simple life" but boy, it's all just a lot of hard work. Sometimes "simpler" means "easier" or "restful" but I think most of the time it just means a lot of work. I certainly don't wish I were living without electricity and most of my modern conveniences.

And I just don't understand the "why" behind some of their practices. Why is some technology/inventions wrong, and others not? Why are wheels okay, just not rubber tires? If it's wrong to own a car, why isn't it wrong to pay someone for a ride somewhere? Maybe I need to talk personally to someone who is Amish and just ask them, to understand better. I'm just used to (what seems to me) more black-and-white faith. It was nice to see so many modestly-dressed ladies... our area doesn't have many it seems (from going to the grocery stores or churches).

I can see that there are benefits from the Amish way of life (or certain aspects of their way of life) but I don't think that living like that is the only route, or the best route, to those ends. But, many of them seem well-adjusted... I just can't imagine willingly using a horse and a one-blade plow to plow a whole field. :)