DaaaaayTON.

The main reason for our mini vacation last week was to get the down low on Dayton. I wanted to see the city, check out some neighborhoods, and ward shop.  I know everybody does it when they move- don't act like you don't.  Moving into the right ward can make or break a move.  Kent tried to ward shop as much as possible in Texas because I didn't make it down there- but luckily Dayton is close enough that I could get a look for myself!

The verdict is in. I ♥ Dayton.  It is such an easy place to live when it's between 50 and 75 degrees, the leaves are beautiful, and somebody else (the AF) is paying for your hotel room :)  Winter with -20 wind chills and summer with 90% humidity would have possibly left me with a somewhat different opinion I'm sure- but luckily I got to see it at the peak of fall and I'm in love.

This is on base- right across the street from Kent's guest quarters.  It's a golf course. I don't even golf and I love it.

And, in fact, every picture posted with this post are ON base.

We visited the air force museum and it was HUGE and amazing. Oh, and FREE.  It would be a great place to take visitors. The kiddos loved seeing all of the ginormous planes and swinging from the rails.

Zeb has been reading words all over the place lately but we decided to have him NOT sound out this one.  I did take a picture, though.

They also loved the airplane.cockpit playground outside.  We walked out of the museum thinking we'd seen almost all of it only to realize we'd actually only been in ONE of the three giant hangars.  This place is humongous.

We were going to go to two wards on Sunday- but the kiddos were crabby cranky- so we just did one and then took a drive to put them to sleep and check out neighborhoods.  There are a lot of great areas in Dayton to live- which stresses me out a little bit.  I like Toledo where there's really only one or two great parts of town and the decision was obvious of where to live.  It's going to be really hard to make a decision if we end up in Dayton.

After a good long drive we went back to base and walked around for a bit.

Zeb loved the golf course.  He thought for sure there should should have been golf balls in every hole and kept asking "why isn't there a ball in here, mom?"

I couldn't even get Ike to stand still long enough to get a picture that wasn't blurry.  Mostly the two of them just threw rocks into this pond. 

This is the main road leading onto this portion of the base. It's right in front of Kent's 'hotel'.  Wright Patterson is so so big.

The only way I could get Zeb to turn and look at the camera was to make 'crazy faces'. I look insane, I know. Plus, the two boys are really hard to hold at once.  Behind us is Kent's place where we spent the night. 

 

And here's another funny Zeb face.  He loves making weird faces lately.

The boys LOVED staying in a hotel. Zeb set up all sorts of obstacle courses and places to jump and hide.  He was obsessed with the fact that the couch turned into a bed.

Ike spent the majority of our time inside scooting chairs over to light switches.

I really do love Ohio and I'd be so happy to stay- but I do realize it isn't a guarantee.  I try not to make Kent feel all pressured to feel like this is the only place I could live- because I can be happy ANYWHERE.  If we decide that another program is better or that we are supposed to be elsewhere- I'd be totally happy with anything.  I just really like Dayton :) A lot.