Week 1 was Great

Last week marked the start of a new school/Young Life year. A steady flow of University of Toledo students came back from summer break to resume the college grind. It was fun seeing new students taking pictures of buildings on campus, amazed that they had finally arrived (but they stuck out like sore thumbs!) College freshmen are just so easy to spot.

With the start of the new year, anyone involved in Young Life knows that the first week of college is crucial to the growth and success of a Young Life area in a college town. With all of these new students, we know that this week is the time that college freshmen all over the U.S. will be trying to find out where they fit in on their college campus. They will be exploring life away from home without mom and dad probably for the first time. There will be no one there to wake them up for class in the morning and no one to tell them to clean their room because it is starting to smell. We feel that one of this week's major decisions is whether or not they will decide to fall into the party scene or whether they'll run from it. We decided we wanted to give college freshmen an alternative to partying. We, along with many other Young Life areas around the country, loosely ran a "Rush YL" week.

 Going into the week we had a list of college freshmen that came from local YL areas around Ohio who were attending the University of Toledo. Our plan was to target them. We wanted to make those new freshmen feel apart of our YL leadership team at UT. Monday and Tuesday we tried to connect with our current leaders while trying to "by chance" bump into the kids on our list. Wednesday was the UT activities fair. A day consisting of every campus organization setting up a table to tell new students about their group on campus. The Young Life table was hopping all day. We had tons of kids sign up, expressing interest in joining our training program for new leaders. Later that evening we had a great cookout of coney dogs from Rudy's Hot Dogs.

Jonah getting in on the Activities Fair

I mean it wouldn't have been a YL event without the catch phrase

Sean explaining Toledo YL to a new student

Thursday we got together in the middle of UT's campus to play Ultimate Frisbee and had a great turnout. Friday was a long night but a ton of fun for Young Life in Toledo. It started where our leaders can be found every Friday night--at local high schools amongst the student section, mixing it up with kids, sharing life, being a friend to the friendless. It was the Ketterman family's first opportunity to attend a Perrysburg football game. It was a little different not being in Springfield but as soon as the first kick was made, we felt right at home. When the games were finally over that night, we reconvened on Toledo's campus to have a Pizza Party and hangout with new students. When it was all said and done, I made it home around 2:00 am. A night well spent.

Perrysburg vs. Bowsher 2012
Perrysburg is now 1-0.

I was spent after that marathon night but the weekend would continue. Saturday and Sunday we had the opportunity to take all of our current Young Life leaders to a lake in Michigan. We wanted the weekend to be a time for us to be together, a time to dive into the Word, and a time to cast vision for the rest of the year. We accomplished everything we set out to do with the weekend. It was amazing! I feel like I could go on and on about how great it was but I'll let a few pictures do the talking.

The fellas fooling around on the lake.

The girls hanging out before tubing.

Danny and Sean riding on Loch Erin

Tiffany, Emily, Shana and Amy getting ready to kill Mable.

Strole tossing the old pigskin.

Please be praying for Toledo as you read this. Pray that we will love Jesus well and that well will love each other well. Pray for our new class of incoming freshmen/potential new leaders. Pray that the Lord will break their hearts for the lost adolescents of Toledo. We start First Year Fellowship tomorrow evening at 9:00 pm. If you think about it, say a prayer for us as we meet these new folks.

Top Attractions in Toledo (thus far!)

Things here in Toledo are going great so far. Tiffany, Jonah and myself are finally starting to feel at home here. We have been asking locals about the cool things to do and fun places to eat. Here is a short list of things we've found so far. Come up and enjoy them with us! If you know of more things to add to the list, let us know.

Best Thing to do on a Thursday:

The Perrysburg Farmer's Market- It runs from May 10 - October 11 from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm

There are tons of vendors set up selling everything from fresh produce and baked goods to salsa and jewelry. I think we have only missed one week since living here! 

Our Top Local Places to Eat:

Swig- Located in Downtown Perrysburg, Ohio. This is the place you want to go to if you're in the mood for a great sandwich and fries. All of the fries and the sandwich meats are fresh cut and they are very generous with their portion sizes! The soft pretzels and cheese dip appetizer is unbelievable. They also have around 30 craft beers on tap. You'll love this place, but your arteries will hate you!

Rudy's Hot Dogs- Located in Downtown Toledo. This place is a diamond in the rough. Rudy's has been around for nearly 100 years and they have been cooking up the same hot dogs with their signature coney sauce. When you walk into this place you'll feel like you've been time warped back to a 1970's diner (with a few extra taxidermy mounts for your viewing pleasure!). If you're into coney dogs you'll be happy you checked out Rudy's Hot Dogs. President Obama even came to get a few of them on a visit to Toledo last year!

Campus Pollyeyes- Located on the campus of Bowling Green State University. We were told that we had to go to this place and order their stuffed breadsticks. So, of course, we took their advice and, WOW were they good! You can watch them making everything fresh to order. Don't think you can eat more than 3 of these breadsticks! You'll be stuffed and back for more before you know it.

Our Top Dessert Places:

Mr. Freeze- Located in Perrysburg and Sylvania. If you're looking for ice cream, go to Mr. Freeze. They have close to 50 different signature sundae options on top of their lineup of shakes, yogurts and cones. If you go around dinner time, be prepared to wait for your ice cream because this place is always packed but well worth the time spent in line. And the kiddos can play at the little park out back while mom and dad enjoy their desserts!

Lola's Frozen Yogurt- Also located in Perrysburg, Lola's offers several different kinds of frozen yogurt that change on a regular basis. Some of our favorite flavors include peach, strawberry, cookies and cream, and chocolate! They also have over 50 different candy, fruit, and granola toppings to make your yogurt oh-so-sweet! Beware, though, because Lola's charges by the ounce! Definitely a must-have if you're in the mood for a sweet (semi-healthy) treat!

Best attractions for the kiddos:

The Toledo Zoo - Located in the heart of Toledo, the Toledo Zoo is ranked as one of the top Zoos in the US. Jonah and Tiffany had the opportunity to visit on Tuesday, and they had a great time. From the polar bears, to the reptile house, to the train ride around the African savannah, Jonah was entertained the whole time. And, unlike the Columbus or Cleveland Zoos, the Toledo Zoo is nice and compact. Open year-round, the Toledo Zoo offers special events all year long. 

Fort Imagination - Just over a mile from our house in Perrysburg, this park was built by the citizens of Perrysburg in 1997. The name of the park describes it perfectly--a child's wonderland! Currently, the parks district is in the process of adding a disc golf course to this park. There are also lacrosse goals and a huge, open field. Needless to say, this is definitely one of Jonah's favorite spots in his new city! 

Sports in the Area:

Toledo Mud Hens- In Toledo we have our own Fifth-Third Field. The Mud Hens are the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. Like a Dayton Dragons game, this is a great place to bring kids because there is something enjoyable for people of all ages!

Toledo Walleyes Hockey- The Walleyes are the ECHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. Hockey is probably one of the best sports to watch live. We have heard that the Walleyes games are action packed and well worth the reasonable ticket prices. Games start in October so come up and let's see a game!

University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University Football- We are diehard Ohio State fans but tickets to OSU games (on average) are the 2nd highest in price in the country. Luckily there are two Division I teams right in our backyard which are also very affordable. Both teams are predicted to do well this year, with UT predicted to win their division of the MAC Conference. We've heard that both venues provide a fun college football experience!

Top Man Attractions in the Area:

BassPro Shop- Located in Rossford, Ohio (the exit off of which we live). If you're looking for anything hunting or fishing related, you will most likely find it here. Come hunting season, it's going to get very dangerous living next to this place, but if you would like to make the trek, you are welcome to stay at our house! Here's a picture of Jonah on our last visit there. Needless to say, he was blown away!

Cabela's- Located in Dundee, Michigan. Cabela's is the place to visit if you're looking for anything outdoor related. They have a huge selection of hunting and fishing supplies but they also have tons of clothing, shoes, camping supplies, etc. Cabela's is less than an hour from our house. Come and we can make a day of BassPro and Cabela's.

So that completes our list of top attractions in Toledo thus far. We would love suggestions of other great places to see in Toledo, so be sure to leave your ideas in the comments section below! Springfield friends and family, please come up and visit whenever you would like!!