Christmas lights and orangutans.

I think I probably drive my mom insane. The instant we're apart, I'm calling her, missing her like crazy, and begging her to come visit. Sometimes, I can actually come up with a good enough reason for her to make the trek to Indy between chemo sessions and life in Ohio. Thanks to our wedding pictures, this weekend was one of them.

Our photographers unveiled them to us on Sunday morning during a wonderful photo party at their house, complete with drinks, snacks, and a slideshow of their favorite shots from the day. More to come on that later, but I'm obsessed.

Wheat had a Pacers game on Friday night, so Mommles and I filled our evening with dinner at Slippery Noodle, random TV, and lots of girl talk. Saturday, we decided to check out the Christmas light display at the zoo because a) my mom has been wanting to see the incredible orangutan exhibit for over a year and b) the weather was unreal. By unreal, I mean 70º in December. It didn't exactly help usher in the Christmas spirit, but it sure made walking around without a coat nice. Seriously, we opted with ice cream cones over hot chocolate at one point.

Thanks to the high temperatures, most of the animals were out and playing around (with the exception of the plains animals). My personal favorites were the tigers, the penguins, and of course, the orangutans. We spent most of our visit in and around the Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center, admiring and interacting with these incredible animals. While we watched Rocky (the one in the picture below) play, he built a bed for himself by dragging a platform over, creating a stack of hay, and covering it with a blanket. They seriously blow my mind with their intelligence. One of the orangutans is pregnant(!), so I'm currently planning a return trip to the zoo in the spring to see the baby!

Indianapolis was the first zoo in the country to do a Christmastime light display, so I wasn't surprised to see that they do it right. There were so many gorgeous lights - some in the shapes of various animals and plants, others that looked like dripping icicles. Christmas trees, completely decked out in entrancing lights and ornaments, filled every corner. Local school choirs sang Christmas carols by a bonfire. Santa and Mrs. Claus posed for pictures with children while a live reindeer stood on display nearby. Even the conservatory was transformed into a yuletide retreat where children could do a holiday-themed scavenger hunt.

I'm notoriously not much of a Christmas person (will you still be my friend?), but watching all the lights set to music made me feel like a kid again. I mean, I didn't feel as much like a kid as my mom did while watching the orangutans, but still...

After the zoo, we ordered some Bazbeaux pizza and watched Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer because Christmas. Maybe I am getting into the holiday spirit, slowly by surely. Now, if only these presents would buy and wrap themselves...

An Ode to Lebanon

I'm sure I've mentioned this at least a dozen times on my blog, but I'm from a super dreamy midwestern town. The kind of town that decorates for every holiday, holds seasonal festivals and homecoming parades, and smacks you in the face with charm when you walk along the main drag's antique storefronts. Last weekend, my mom begged me to come home to celebrate my belated birthday and when I realized the historic horse-drawn carriage parade was Saturday, it was a done deal.

In hopes of avoiding crowds and traffic, we decided to attend the afternoon parade instead of the gorgeous night parade and I think we made the right decision. It was an overcast day, but the temperature was perfect and the sun even peeked through the clouds for a bit. We posted up along a side street and spent an hour admiring the gorgeous carriages, costumes, Christmas decorations, and horses. Since I have a pulse, my favorites were the precious miniature horses (that pulled our town mayor and my neighbor) and the incredible Clydesdales. You can actually feel the ground rumbling as they pass.

The parade also served as the perfect excuse to use my new camera. I'm obsessed, guys. Since most of my blog friends are camera wizards, does anyone have any easy DSLR tips for night pictures?

After the parade, we went to Bob Evan's for lunch, where I ran into my favorite teacher from high school. It was wonderful to see him again after nearly a decade and I finally got to meet his precious daughter. He was having lunch with my recorder teacher from fourth grade and I was reminded yet again what a cozy, small town we live in.

That night, Wheat, Mommles, and I decided to check out Mad Potter, a paint-your-own-pottery place that we've been meaning to try for months. The pottery selection was overwhelming, but we eventually settled on a dog treat jar, a Buckeyes-themed snowman light, and a little ceramic bear. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so crafts like this can be a challenge for me (especially the paw prints), but we had a great time. I can't wait to see the finished products.

The rest of the weekend included the Bengals dominating the Browns (WHO-DEY?!), a pumpkin caramel upside-down cake (my blowing-out-the-candles game is strong), some college basketball, and more quality time with my guy and parents. Some things just never get old.

Friends, turkey, and suddenly, I'm 28

Whoa, guys.

Between Thanksgiving, my birthday, illness, and general life goings-on, blogging has clearly been on the back burner for me lately. Admittedly, I also really want to blog about my wedding, but can't because I still don't have any pictures. The last few weeks have been both awesome and weird around here. Let me try to explain.

I don't really feel well - physically or emotionally. Aside from a cold that won't go away (despite two courses of different antibiotics), I've also been battling some severe anxiety and an unexpected jump in my blood pressure. So, I'm officially a 28-year-old girl who takes blood pressure medication every morning. I also asked my doctor to restart my antidepressants, but I've been feeling awful ever since. I'm not sure if I'm experiencing side effects from the Zoloft or something else, but it certainly doesn't help my anxiety.

Aside from that (and a Buckeyes loss and two Bengals losses - boo!), life has been really great. Even through my ever-present cloud of fear and sickness, I can see that. The weekend before Thanksgiving, my parents came to visit so that Wheat and I could properly thank them for everything they did for our wedding. We watched the Pacers trounce the Milwaukee Bucks and enjoyed an incredibly delicious dinner at St. Elmo Steakhouse. In full disclosure, Wheat and I had been searching for a good excuse to go back ever since our first visit and this seemed like a more-than-worthy reason.

 

As it should, Thanksgiving break filled both my heart and belly. We spent time with my amazing friends from high school at a local bar, enjoyed two delicious feasts (beef wellington and turkey), and rested. We watched CNN documentaries on the '60s and '70s, I saw the final installment of the Hunger Games saga with my mom, and met with some dear friends over a delicious Gold Star lunch. We watched the Bengals beat the Rams at my brother's new house and I got to see Jenn's extended family during their Thanksgiving dinner. My mom and I laughed over the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the National Dog Show and it felt wonderful to saunter out to the living room in my pajamas at 11:00 AM.

 

Then, on Tuesday, I turned 28. We didn't do anything too special for my birthday, but Wheat spoiled me as he always does. He came home from work early with a dozen pink roses and an ice cream cake and serenaded me with the birthday song. He took me to dinner at my favorite Indy restaurant, Bru Burger, and oh yeah - bought me a Canon Rebel DSLR camera. The kind with multiple lenses and a legitimate camera bag. The kind I've been wanting for ages. Needless to say, I was thrilled. I have a lot to learn (understatement), but I'm excited to finally capture some high-quality photos for this blog.

 

I also received tons of love in the form of texts, e-mails, calls, and Facebook messages from the best friends and family a girl could ever imagine. My awesome boss not only brought in doughnuts and danishes to celebrate, but she also treated me to lunch at Qdoba and made me a birthday crown. So yeah, life has been good lately.

I feel pretty behind in some things - laundry, this blog, Thank You cards, changing my name, combining bank accounts, Christmas shopping - but ultimately, I'm just taking some necessary time to ground myself, soak in these moments, and be thankful for this ridiculously full life I'm living.