I'm bacon myself hungry.

Guys, you aren't going to believe it, but I'm alive. I'm not entirely sure what happened back in September, but apparently, I decided that blogging was too much of a drain on my already limited supply of energy and creativity. Now, of course, I regret that because I haven't documented so many important things that have happened between now and then.

Like what, you ask?

Well, my best friend got married. My sister got engaged. My mom's latest scan was completely clear and showed no signs of cancer. My amazing Grandmom passed away. I completed another trip around the sun and turned 29. My greatest fear came true when Donald Trump was elected president. Wheat and I celebrated one year of marriage and spent our first Christmas together. You know, life.

Wheat mentioned this abandoned space yesterday and I suddenly felt a longing to return. So, here I am again with no promises. And what better way to dive headfirst into blogging again than by sharing my experience at Indy Bacon Fest this weekend? You're welcome, carnivores.

On a whim, Wheat and I decided to attend the third annual event, which was held this year at Pan Am Plaza downtown, and it was exactly as dreamy as it sounds. For $30/person, we were given a drink ticket and four food tickets that we could use to exchange for bacon- or pork-inspired creations from local restaurants and vendors. We were a little worried that the samples might not be big enough to fill us, but we were very wrong. We ended up mostly sharing each sample, so we were able to try a wide variety of dishes.

Some highlights? Wheat and I agreed that the thick strips of seasoned bacon from the Pint Room might have won the day simply because the focus was the bacon and it practically melted in your mouth. However, I also really loved the bacon corn chowder from Sysco Indianapolis and the bacon ball donuts from Jack's Donuts.

Clockwise from top left: Crispy pork belly with pickles and BBQ sauce from North End BBQ; chocolate bacon pot au creme with chocolate and marshmallow ganache from Three Sisters Cafe; chocolate fountain for bacon dipping from Kroger; Wolf Pack Bacon Mac from Wolfie's Grill

A couple local radio stations emceed the event, there were plenty of giveaways (including the little flying pig key chain I won in the picture above), and a massive pig ice sculpture from Hardee's served as the centerpiece of the room. I should also mention that as we were leaving, we passed a guy protesting the event by handing out free samples of veggie bacon outside. Mark my words: I would have tried it if I wasn't already filled to the brim. Wheat and I are huge fans of Top Chef and this felt about as close as we're going to get to attending one of those awesome tasting events on the show. In other words, we're definitely on board for going again next year. Any takers?

From top to bottom, left to right: Seasoned bacon slices from Pint Room; Bacon Fest signage; bacon ball donuts from Jack's Donuts; bacon corn chowder from Sysco Indianapolis

After catching our breath and recuperating for a couple hours at home, we headed to the Murat for a Coen Brothers double feature. I won a pair of tickets to the event the day before and since we'd never been to a Murat Movie Night, we decided to check it out. The movies are projected onto a screen in one of their concert halls and attendees are welcome to bring blankets and chairs to spread out. In other words, it's the winter equivalent of a drive-in theater. We enjoyed The Big Lebowski followed by O Brother, Where Art Thou? and somehow found room to split a pretzel and popcorn. Unfortunately, I couldn't convince Wheat to buy the specialty drink of the night: The Dude's White Russian.

I promise I'll step up my picture-taking game.

...and so, I'm already counting down to next weekend and Super Bowl Sunday. Remind me again why the day after the Super Bowl hasn't been declared a national holiday yet?