Party in the USA: Part I

Cliffs: I couldn't have had a better time in Ohio.

The first major stop on my mini tour was Columbus, Ohio. But in order to get there, I had to stop in DFW for a 3-hour layover. Pommel couldn't let anyone else see Babe-A before her, so she woke up early and drove all the way up to the airport to bring me breakfast and meet her new granddaughter. A lovely, last-minute surprise.

Once in Columbus, the BFF picked me up and took me straight to The North Star Cafe where I drank a Shooting Star and we split the North Star Burger and the Sweet Basil Burrito. If I lived near this place, I would rarely eat anywhere else. Well, except for the next place she took me, which was Jeni's, where I had the Salty Caramel, Gravel Road, Queen City Cayenne, and Goat Cheese with Cognac Fig Sauce ice cream. (They were small scoops--though bigger ones still wouldn't've slowed me down.)

And the rest of the trip was equally wonderful:

The BFF has an apartment that feels like a spa, and I was pampered with a gift basket that sat atop the softest guest bed ever.

We went to the grocery store where I discovered these delicious chipotle sweet potato fries.

I got to meet and play Bananagrams with three delightful new people.

Mr. BFF has got mad kitchen skills and cooked meals that included grilled pizza, picante pesto penne, and a caesar salad with avocados and homemade croutons.

BFF and I worked off some of the aforementioned calories on the trails at Battelle-Darby Creek Park.

We met one of the new friends and one of the old friends for lunch at La Chatelaine and dessert at Graeter's in the quaint town of Worthington.

I got to spend time with another old friend and her three friendly kids.

I was (re)introduced to Dr. Dog and Mommy Laid An Egg: Or, Where Do Babies Come From?

• The BFF and I got to fly together from Columbus to Dallas, where we were picked up by the parents and taken to good Mexican food. (But now I'm getting into the topic of another post.)