A New Van....errrr MPV!

Well unfortunately Violet the Pilot broke and was too costly to repair considering her age. It was finally time for her to go to that big garage in the sky, and time for us to get a larger, more family-friendly vehicle.

Meet Betty Pearl!

She is a Kia Carnival MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle) and can seat up to 8 people with plenty of room in the back.

Thanksgiving 2021

This year we did Thanksgiving at my mom and dad's house. Teresa was able to come home also, and the kids had a blast. I was lucky enough to get the day off as well. Here are some pictures from that day.

Baby Michael taking a nap.

It's Been Awhile

Well this is awkward. I'm sorry I abandoned you (I'm talking to myself mostly). This year has been busy to say the least and I would be lying if I said the blog was not at the top of my priority list. I was even uncertain if I would continue at all, but alas, here I am. Looking back at all the adventures we have gone through thus far has reignited an interest to push on. So, as the first blog post in almost a year I will start off by announcing that Lorain County Life has reached 8 years as of last week. Woohoo!

Notable things that have happened in 2021: 

- We had another baby boy! His name is Michael Vincent Davis.

- Elizabeth started preschool.

- Maggie unfortunately passed away.

- Coronavirus still exists.

....there is probably more that we will explore in pictures!

In February Elizabeth moved into a "big girl bed".

Christmas 2020

I'd like to start off by saying yes, I know this post is extremely late. I'm going to blame it on Coronavirus. This Christmas was definitely a different one to say the least. It was smaller and more closed off than normal due to the pandemic, but we were able to still see immediate family.

The Homestead

Christmas Lights at the Zoo!

Tonight we went to the Cleveland Metro Parks Zoo with my friends Brian and Samantha (who I apparently did not get any pictures of). Every year they have Christmas lights and the displays are pretty amazing. Here are some pictures that I got of the fam.

Big present at the entrance.

7 Year Blog-iversary!

Last Monday marked 7 years of Lorain County Life. Recently due to the Covid-19 Pandemic and just having to work more hours I haven't been able to post much here. Do not worry (I know I'm not). Once this whole thing passes I'm sure the posts will pick back up. Anyway, here are a few recent pictures from the last couple of months.

Our new blue house!

Camping in Pennsylvania

Last weekend we took a trip to Pennsylvania to go camping. We picked the Mountain Top Campground because of how close it was to Teresa's apartment, but also the views were incredible. Here are some photos from the trip.

Olive's glamour shot. We got in really late so I didn't get any pictures of the first night, besides this one.

Elizabeth and William's Birthday

This year we decided to do a combined 3rd and 1st birthday for the kids, mainly due to the Coronavirus. We had it outdoors at the French Creek Picnic Area, the same place we had Elizabeth's last year. These accidentally uploaded out of order.

William with his new fire truck!

Independence Day Camping Trip

This 4th of July we went camping down at Twin Lakes Campground (formerly Clare-Mar Lakes) down in Huntington Township. It went a lot smoother than our last camping trip (no poop problems) and the kids had a blast swimming in the lake. 

Our campsite was much more graded than last time. Had to use all our stabilizing and leveling equipment. 

Our First Camping Trip!

So in case you have been living under a rock...or Antarctica, there has been a pandemic. Coronavirus had basically shut down the entire world and therefore we really haven't done too much over the past few months, but that all changed a couple of days ago. The ban was lifted on campgrounds and we took our first camping trip with our newest family member, Maggie! Maggie is a 6 year old English Mastiff, and yes, she is huge! Here are some pictures of our trip to Mohican State Park.

Meet Maggie!

It's Been a While/We Bought a Camper!

Yeah, yeah, I know. It's been quite some time since I have posted on here. I have been severely neglecting my duties and I would like to apologize to all my adoring fans....anyway, we bought a camper! It is a 2013 Highland Ridge Open Range Roamer 303BHS, whew. Here are some pictures of our new home away from home.

Meet Bandit!

Christmas 2019

This year's Christmas was an interesting one, at least it was for me. This year I had to work both Christmas Eve night and Christmas night, so we kind of had to work around my schedule a bit. On Christmas Eve we went over to my parent's house and Santa came to visit! Then on Christmas morning, after I got off work we woke up the kids and opened presents at home. Then we headed over to Sarah's Grandma's house to open some more gifts there. Finally after being awake for about 26 hours I went home to go to bed while Sarah continued the festivities. Here are the pictures I took from the holidays. But first, the Santas!

Santa 1.

Decorating for the Holidays

This year we had a little bit of "help" putting up the Christmas decorations. Elizabeth assisted in decorating the tree and only broke like 6 ornaments in the process. Luckily Sarah is very handy with a hot glue gun. We watched a few Christmas movies and a few hours later we were 90% set up. We Just have to do the village and I have to put up the outdoor lights.

Lets do this! (She spilled ice cream on her pants)

Thanksgiving 2019

This year Thanksgiving spanned 3 days. We had Sarah's mom's side of the family over on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Then we went to her dad's side on Thursday, and finally had my parent's on Friday. Let's just say we've had a lot of turkey.

Elizabeth helping Mom with the prep.

End of the Ride

Today marks the end of my motorcycle riding days. At 2pm Vito from Michigan came and took possession of my Moto Guzzi 1400. It was a bittersweet moment as I hadn't really had time to ride it recently and he was so excited to receive it.

Vito on the bike looking bad ass.

Six Years of Lorain County Life!

It's hard to believe that this blog was started six years ago as a simple cycling blog and has turned into a commentary on my life. I never thought that I would still be posting all these years later, but I'm glad people still read them and I enjoy looking back on all the events that have occurred during those six years. Sometimes I forget details of trips or events and this blog has proven to be somewhat of a second memory for me.

So here is the very first post from this blog, back in 2013 when it was called Mike on a Bike. The context may have changed, but the words still fit...

"Sometimes I like to just go for bike rides. It is relaxing. It is quiet. It is the exact opposite of my job. This blog will mostly comprise of pictures from my rides as well as stories or even possibly some motivational quotes and other nonsense. So lets go for a ride shall we?"

Here is to many more years of Lorain County Life, and as always, 

Thanks for reading.

Halloween 2019

I know, I know, this is a little bit late, but better late then never. Here are some photos of the multiple Halloween events that took place this year. Due to time constraints Elizabeth's costume alternated between a Martian and a Princess.

Family photo first. Sarah is space. Will is an Astronaut. Elizabeth is a Martian, and I am a NASA guy.

Back to Niagara (Part 2)

On our second day we headed to the Butterfly Conservatory and then on to the American side of the falls.

Will was ready with his ticket.

Back to Niagara (Part 1)

Three years ago we went to Niagara Falls, Ontario and had a blast. We decided that it was time to take our first family vacation and return to the falls. It was close enough to drive with a 2 year old and a 6 week old and it was relatively cheap compared to other locations. Let me start off by saying that this trip was a lot of work and was not as laid back as our previous vacations (which we expected). Never-the-less we had a good time and Elizabeth enjoyed the new experience. Here are pictures from the first part of our trip!

Elizabeth is ready to go!

Paternity/Maternity Leave (Part 2)

Sarah, baby, wiener.