I should probably start blogging about my wedding.

Guys, I think I've committed the ultimate blogging sin.

I haven't blogged about my wedding yet...and I've officially let five months pass. Yikes.

Unfortunately, this means I've already forgotten some of the special details of the week's events. However, it also means that I have my professional photos back and can talk about the weekend with some hindsight and perhaps even a little wedding wisdom. So, without further ado, I'll start at the beginning.

Wheat and I left Indianapolis after work on the Wednesday before our Saturday nuptials. We somehow packed everything we needed into one car and headed to Ohio, where I spent the evening with my family while Wheat worked the Pacers' season opener. On Thursday, we ran some wedding-related errands, including picking up tuxes and getting our marriage license at the gorgeous Butler County Courthouse in Hamilton.

The process was pretty quick and painless, but I did cringe a bit when the probate court clerk asked us if we were first cousins. Apparently, you're allowed to marry your second cousin in Ohio. Inquiring minds wanted to know. She also told us some interesting stories about people applying for marriage licenses when they are clearly out of their minds on drugs. I don't envy her the job of turning those people away one bit.

From there, we stopped at the Hampton Inn (the hotel where we blocked rooms) to spend some time with Wheat's family. That night, we got dinner at a nearby Rooster's with some of my extended family members who were in town early. Oh, and my Grandmom and Grandpop officially welcomed Wheat into the family with some old-school Bengals helmet hats. Who-Dey?!

On Friday afternoon, my mom and I met my six bridesmaids at Eden Nails (which has sadly since closed due to a fire) to get manicures and pedicures as part of their gift from me. I also gave them the other part of their gift, matching pink-and-white striped flip-flops with their name and role in the wedding emblazoned on them. It was so great to spend some quality time with my best friends before the chaos began and I can't recommend a pedicure enough as the perfect way to relax before your wedding.

In an effort to make these recaps a little easier, I'm going to break here.

Next Up: Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner!

Drop down and get your Eagle on.

It's very unblogger-like of me to admit this, but I had a rare, awful weekend - one unworthy of sharing here, one I'd rather forget than dwell on. So, instead of giving you the miserable blow-by-blow, I've decided to focus exclusively on the positive things that happened this weekend. It's amazing how your perspective can change when you choose to adjust your focus.

My beautiful best friend came to visit on Friday. She picked me up from work and we spent the next eight hours watching college basketball and barhopping in downtown Indy. It reminded me of our college days when we'd procrastinate by gabbing over dinner after class and it was nothing short of glorious. We started at Kilroy's, where we discussed all things wedding and devoured their infamous breadsticks and tachos (tater tots with traditional nacho toppings AKA heaven), then moved to Tin Roof, where we cashed in some of our trivia earnings for free drinks. Wheat met us along the way and our merry party of three headed to Scotty's for fried pickles, more basketball, and quality time. Once we tired of our bar seats, we moved on to Tiki Bob's, a revolting dive bar with an island theme, before making our final stop at The Eagle on Mass Ave.

The Eagle, a Cincinnati-based fried chicken joint, completely lived up to the hype. I've heard people raving about this place ever since it opened in OTR and I was thrilled to finally check it out. The hip, swanky industrial atmosphere was strangely juxtaposed with communal seating and down-home southern comfort food, but we didn't mind once the food finally made it to the table. Between the three of us, we ordered a half chicken, mac & cheese, horseradish mashed potatoes, biscuits with blackberry jam and honey butter, and french fries with garlic aioli. I'm not sure if we ordered that much food because we love ourselves or we hate ourselves. I'll let you decide.

I thought the star of the show would undoubtedly be the juicy fried chicken. Don't get me wrong - it was absolutely delicious. But for me, the best part of the meal was the horseradish mashed potatoes. I could have single-handedly crushed our entire serving, but my hippie parents taught me to share. Ugh. All of the food had a nice, smoky kick to it and I can't wait to go back and try the other sides we skipped. I'm looking at you, spoonbread and sweet potatoes.

Wheat and I are headed to Dallas this weekend to celebrate his mom's birthday, so I'll see if I can top this southern food with some actual food from the South. Don't worry - I'll take plenty of pictures. I mean, if you don't Instagram your food, did you actually eat it?

...the answer, unfortunately, is yes. Just ask my waistline.

I know it's not Thursday, but...

I'm long overdue for some happy thoughts, right? There's never a wrong time to focus on all the good things in your life, so here goes:

- My awesome new blog design! My dear blog friend Erin at Love, Fun & Football created this beautiful new design for me as a wedding gift! I seriously couldn't believe my eyes when she first offered to revamp my blog, especially because I've seen how talented she is through some of her other work. I'm absolutely obsessed with the new look (look at those colors!) and really could not recommend her design business any higher. She absolutely nailed the look on the first try and couldn't have made the process any easier on me, either. Seriously, she's the best...and I thought that well before she recharged my blogging batteries.

- The Rhythm! Discovery Center. I wish I was paid to be a professional tourist because no matter where I am, I'm constantly looking for new, unique things to do. This weekend, that meant that Wheat and I spent an hour at the Rhythm! Discovery Center in downtown Indianapolis. The museum, which houses thousands of percussion instruments from different cultures and time periods, was super interactive. We spent most of our visit darting from instrument to instrument, banging on bongos and bass drums, striking the cowbells and gongs, and rocking out on the drum sets in the soundproof rooms. Wheat did his best Miles Teller Whiplash impression and I relived my glory days as the eighth grade timpani player. If you're even remotely interested in percussion, I highly recommend the museum, if for no other reason than to relieve some stress.

- College basketball. Since I don't live under a rock, I've been following March Madness pretty closely. Like every good American, I filled out a bracket and all of my Final Four teams are still hanging in there - UVA, UNC, Kansas, and Oklahoma. I don't think there has ever been a more accurate nickname for a tournament than March Madness. Between the buzzer beaters, half-court shots, and unbelievable upsets, I've been gasping and shrieking like every game is a new episode of The Walking Dead. Speaking of...

- The Walking Dead. Is Scott Gimple trying to kill me? More importantly, is Scott Gimple going to kill Daryl? Guys, everyone thinks Daryl is getting the ax (or the bat) in the season finale and I'm terrified that it might be true. Am I the only one who would rather see Rick go than Daryl? I can't handle losing Maggie, Glenn, Daryl, Carol, Michonne, or Morgan. Prayer circles might be in order, friends.

- Indianapolis. I know you're probably sick of me talking about it, but I really love Indianapolis, especially during this time of year. The Indy 500 is right around the corner, spring is starting to make its long-awaited appearance on the canal, and I'm just ready for warmer temperatures. The annual greening of the canal for St. Patrick's Day was absolutely breathtaking and I spent my lunch break admiring my backyard view. Indianapolis recently played host to the Big 10 Men's Basketball tournament (and the Women's Final Four will be here in a couple weeks) and the decorations make me so happy. The Pacers are making their final push for the playoffs and Monument Circle is busy making every other city's downtown pale in comparison. Come visit.

- "Pillowtalk" by Zayn Malik. I feel like I'm cheating on One Direction because I love this song so much, but who am I to deprive my ears of their innermost desires and natural yearnings? I can't be the only conflicted teenybopper 28-year-old fangirl out there, right?



Who do you have in your Final Four?
Is bereavement a valid excuse to miss work when mourning a fictional character?
What's making YOU smile this week?

A baby is coming and I can't contain myself.

As usual, Wheat and I spent our weekend in the state of Ohio. Maybe we should just move there and make things easier on our ourselves. Aside from the boring commute, we had a wonderful time indulging in all things home. Friday night, we decided to take it easy and enjoyed pizza, college basketball, and a bonfire at my brother's place. In full disclosure, I probably spent more time in the nursery, tearing up over all the baby shoes and onesies. How am I expected to handle the cuteness?

For Christmas, my brother gave me a coupon for four tickets to a Cyclones game. So, when Wheat finished working his away game, we piled in the car and headed down to US Bank Arena for their matchup against the Quad City Mallards. If you're confused about where Quad Cities is, you're not alone (it's Illinois and Iowa for the record). It was the first time I've been to a Cyclones game since I interned there a couple seasons ago and I'll be honest - it felt nice not to have a deadline after the final buzzer. It also happened to be Pucks and Pups night, so we had the added bonus of giggling over dogs between periods of play.

Somehow, we nabbed seats in the lower level and our ticket package even came with free t-shirts. Although the Cyclones lost, 3-2, we still had an awesome time. There was a wiener dog race during the first intermission and the only thing I can think of that's cuter than dogs desperately sliding on ice is a baby taking a short snooze during a baby race. If you're having a bad day, watch this video.



The next afternoon, my mom and I attended Elizabeth's second baby shower, which was hosted by her cousin and aunt. It was held upstairs at Royce Cafe, a precious, quaint cafe that I'd never noticed before in my hometown. The space was gorgeous - decorated with bright colors, antique furniture, and upside-down umbrellas hanging from the ceiling. The light appetizers, which included chicken salad in croissant boats, meatballs, and strawberry and cream cheese bites, were only surpassed by the cupcakes and cookies for dessert. We received incredible-smelling, locally made bars of soap as party favors and played baby-themed bingo.

We also played a few awesome guessing games - one where we had to guess the baby food flavor (Jenn won that, even though I taste-tested them) and another where we had to guess which melted candy bar made the mess in the diaper. I'm only slighted ashamed to admit that I got all of those right. It was wonderful to meet so many of Elizabeth's family members and watch her open such great gifts for Scarlett. They're going to have to change her five times a day in order for her to wear every outfit she has received. Of course, I contributed to the problem, but I couldn't stop myself from buying her a shirt that says 'The COOL AUNT gave me this.' Sorry I'm not sorry, Jamie.

As we get closer and closer to the due date, I get more and more excited. I absolutely cannot wait to be aunt (and Wheat's going to make a pretty killer uncle, by the way) and I feel so very lucky to have Elizabeth in my life. Over the last couple years, she has honestly become like a sister to me. Whether it's a heated text conversation about The Bachelor, a quick trim of my bangs, or ziplining in Las Vegas, we've already made some special memories together and I can't wait to share in the next exciting chapter. LP sure knows how to pick 'em...

We do more than eat. I promise.

Last weekend, Wheat and I traveled to Columbus for a housewarming party of sorts for our dear friends, TJ and Tasha. Eric and CJ also made the trip down from northern Ohio, so it felt like a mini-college reunion, albeit with some of our favorite people missing. Friday was spent checking out their incredible new house (I'm seriously so happy for them!), catching up with each other, and taking turns stomaching Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Unfortunately, this Muggle was on the receiving end of soap, black pepper, earthworm, grass, and rotten egg, the latter of which nearly made me vomit (which ironically is also a flavor of Bertie Bott's Beans).

Saturday, we woke up bright and early in order to eat what everyone wants for breakfast - massive burgers. I've been pining after Thurman's Cafe, a popular bar and restaurant in the German Village, ever since I saw it on Man vs. Food years ago. However, every time I've tried to eat there, the wait time has been over two hours. The weekend of our visit happened to coincide with the Arnold Classic, so I was a little worried that the bodybuilders and gorilla juice heads would pack the place, making it impossible yet again. So, we showed up 15 minutes before the doors opened, stood in line with the rest of the crazies (yes, there was already a decent-sized line), and got seated right away.

Although I desperately wanted to order the $22 Thurmanator (for blogging purposes, of course), I opted with the Western Burger, which was still entirely too big to finish in one sitting. The Thurmanator, which consists of 24 ounces of beef, bacon, ham, and more, was actually named in honor of the annual Arnold Classic held in Columbus, so it was a fitting time to visit. I was worried that I'd find the place to be overrated after all the hype over the years, but I can honestly say it was awesome. Something about the meat, the barbecue sauce, the cramped, divey interior, and the company made it the perfect first stop to our busy day.

After lunch, we headed to The Book Loft, the dreamiest bookstore in history. I could have easily spent all afternoon there, meandering through the narrow aisles and crowded rooms, but fortunately, I was pried away with only a few books in tow. From there, we walked to Pistacia Vera for a dozen macarons. I still can't get over the unbearable cuteness of the Buckeye one.

Next up was a stop at Brothers Drake, a craft meadery and hipster haven where my friends imbibed the sampler. They kindly let me taste the Apple Pie flavor, which left me wondering why all alcoholic beverages aren't made from honey and apple cider. Yum. On our way back to home base, we decided to stop at Ohio Stadium (the Shoe) in hopes of getting in for a picture of the football field. We were in luck because the OSU women's lacrosse team happened to be playing, so we ventured in and took our pictures while I dreamed it was actually a football game going on behind me.

The next few hours were spent at TJ and Tasha's, playing Catchphrase, eating charcuterie, and relaxing before dinner. We opted for Irish food, so we drove to Dublin (sadly not the one in Ireland) for some shepherd's pie and reubens at the Dublin Village Tavern. The best part? Chasing it with some delicious ice cream from Jeni's. There's just something about that brambleberry crisp and black & white cookies.

The next morning, Tasha did what she does best: hostess the crap out of us. She made us a veritable breakfast feast complete with pancakes, cinnamon rolls, macarons, bacon, eggs, and orange juice. Then, before we knew it, it was time for our goodbyes. This time, however, we already have set plans to see each other again, so that makes it a little easier. But only a little...

An Evening with my Boo Radley.

Mondays call for weekend recaps, so how about I give you one from three weekends ago?

For Christmas, I told Wheat that we'd stay a night of his choosing at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis. The Saturday after Valentine's day, he decided to cash in on the gift in part because we were in town that weekend, but also because we had tickets to see To Kill a Mockingbird that night. So, with bags packed, we strolled along the canal, enjoying the 60º day, until we reached the hotel.

During last year's Final Four, there was a massive bracket on the front.

Our room, which faced downtown, was super fancy. Not only did the TV graciously greet me by name, but the shower had three shower heads, which made it feel like you were simultaneously getting a back massage while washing your hair. Nothing, however, could beat the incredible view from bed.

After changing into nicer clothes, we set off for the play at the Indiana Repertory Theater. Wheat and I had just finished re-reading To Kill a Mockingbird, so we thought the play would make a perfect date. Oddly enough, Harper Lee passed away one day earlier, so it also felt like a fitting tribute to be enjoying her 56-year-old masterpiece on stage. I'd never seen a production at the IRT before and was really impressed by what they were able to do with a limited set and cast. Aside from Scout's borderline-incomprehensible southern accent, the acting was great and, of course, the story is timeless, heart-wrenching, and provocative. A member of the cast (the actor who played Bob Ewell, ironically enough) stayed afterward to host a discussion on race, justice, morality, and other themes from the novel, but we had to leave in order to make it to dinner.

For dinner, we decided to finally check out Osteria Pronto, the Italian restaurant in the lobby of the JW. With an open kitchen, wine bottles on display in brightly lit glass cases, and candles burning on every table, the atmosphere set the tone for our romantic dinner date and the food didn't disappoint, either. I ordered the capricciosa pizza (prosciutto, mushrooms, artichokes, and onions) while Wheat devoured the branzino (sea bass), the house favorite. We followed that with the tortelli, which was basically powdered-sugar-covered beignets with chocolate and honey dipping sauces. Our waiter must have been feeling particularly nice because he convinced the chef to throw in a scoop of vanilla bean gelato, too.

After dinner, we returned to our room only to find that six chocolate-covered strawberries and a bottle of champagne had been delivered in our absence (as part of the romance package that we had booked). We weren't hungry, so we decided to take a quick, late-night dip in the pool and hot tub first. We also checked out the incredible workout facility at the hotel, which offered refrigerated towels to guests and put most gyms I've ever seen to shame. Once we were sufficiently pruney, we retired to our room where we enjoyed the strawberries and champagne, admired the beautiful view of downtown Indy, and watched Aladdin and Mulan because #adulthood.

The next morning, we were in no particular hurry due to our late check-out time (game changer). So, we leisurely made our way to the breakfast buffet at Osteria Pronto (also part of the Romance Package) and had our minds absolutely blown by the offerings. In addition to your typical breakfast food (eggs, bacon, sausage, cereal, muffins, pastries, biscuits and gravy, etc.), the buffet also featured salmon, prime rib, asparagus, and potatoes. There was also a made-to-order omelette and waffle station, which produced possibly the best waffle I've ever had. The normal price tag for the breakfast buffet is a little steep, but it's completely worth it if you're a brunch aficionado.

When checkout time finally rolled around, we waddled home with full bellies and happy hearts. I might have to make this an annual staycation...I mean, look at that breakfast.