Wild, Wild West.

When I told my sister that I was coming to Tucson, she knew exactly what she was in for - a long weekend with a Grade A tourist. No matter where I go, I try to do any and everything that makes that place unique, whether it's an attraction, food, etc. In typical fashion, I did copious amounts of research before my trip out west and came armed with plans for every day.

I'm a complete sucker for all things history and movies, so our plan for my second day in Arizona was probably my favorite: Tombstone.

Before setting off on the hour-long journey to Tombstone, my sister and I went for breakfast at Little Anthony's Diner, a precious '50s-style diner near her apartment. By happy accident, the restaurant happened to be hosting an antique car show that day, so we checked out the sweet rides and took some hilarious pictures in front of the Gaslight Theater next door before eating.

The ride to Tombstone was about what you'd expect - lots of cacti, open sky, adobe buildings, and border patrol cars. Upon arrival, we parked in the overflow lot and made our way to Allen Street, the main drag in town. For me, it was love at first sight. Sure, Tombstone is a tourist trap, but the shtick is everywhere and it's pretty darn good. If it weren't for the occasional car driving by on the cross streets (Allen is a pedestrian- and horse-only thoroughfare), I absolutely would have felt transported back to the silver boom of the late 1800s. Costumed characters roam the streets, enticing tourists to come in for food, ghost tours, or mining trips. Horses pull stagecoaches past the famous Bird Cage Theater while the sound of distant gunfire rings out across the town.

I searched everywhere for Val Kilmer, but to no avail.





We did, however, find another Doc Holliday impersonator (as well as Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan Earp) at the site of the O.K. Corral. After paying a small entrance fee ($10/person), we walked through a museum of sorts that included props from Tombstone (the movie), exhibits on life in the Old West, and explanations of the events leading up to the infamous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. We watched a 30-minute reenactment of the shootout and I couldn't help myself - I had to get a picture with the actors.

By this point, it was really threatening to rain, so we stopped for lunch at Big Nose Kate's Saloon, which was originally the Grand Hotel built in 1881. (If you're curious, "Big Nose" Kate was a prostitute and Doc Holliday's girlfriend). The western decor and live music set the perfect saloon-like vibe in the place. Tombstone was playing on repeat and an older gentleman, who played both keyboard and saxophone, had us cracking up with his cussing and banter with the waitstaff between songs. When I asked our waiter if they had Dr. Pepper, he said, "Nope, but we have Doc Holliday," which ended up being the same thing. Denny and I both ordered their famous reuben and fries and it was honestly one of the best I've ever had.

After lunch, we made our way down a spiral staircase to the basement, where a vendor was selling ladies' period clothing. More interestingly, the basement, which is supposedly haunted, is home to the opening of a tunnel that an old miner dug into a nearby mineshaft back in the 1800s. Next, we stopped by the home of the Tombstone Epitaph, the most famous newspaper in the Old West, to collect our souvenir reprint of the 1881 paper that detailed the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. It was fascinating to hear the story of the founder and see original articles about the capture and death of Geronimo.

Sadly, the rain had become more of a storm by the time we left the Epitaph museum, so we decided to call it a day. I could have easily spent several more hours exploring the town and checking out Boothill Graveyard (where the three men who were killed at the O.K. Corral are buried). It's always nice to have a good excuse to go back, right?

Mountain photo shoots. You know, the usual.

Truth be told, I'm still recovering from my whirlwind trip to Arizona this weekend. I had an absolute blast with my sister, her fiance, and their precious dog (Ollie), but as expected, it went by way too quickly. I somehow chose the worst weather weekend to visit, thanks to rain and temperatures in the 50s, but we didn't let that slow us down. Oh, and just to be sure, calories don't count on vacation, right? That's a thing, yeah? I may or may not have had In-N-Out immediately upon arrival.

We actually had gorgeous weather on my first full day in Tucson, so we took the opportunity to head up Mount Lemmon in nearby Coronado National Forest and take some engagement photos. I'm really not that skilled a photographer, but fortunately for me, my camera and the gorgeous landscape did most of the heavy lifting. I was absolutely blown away by our changing surroundings during the ascent, as they slowly transitioned from cacti in the desert to pine trees in the forest. We stopped for pictures at Windy Point, which complicated things a bit with its very fitting name, but I still can't get over the gorgeous view of the mountains and the city below.

After a quick outfit change, we hopped back in the car until we found a nice forest setting for more pictures. I have to say - I'm seriously impressed by photographers who actually get paid to do this. It's much more difficult than it looks...and takes longer, too.

By this point, we were absolutely starving, so we rewarded ourselves for our hard work with some Mexican food. You can't be this close to the Mexican border and not have guacamole. We stopped at Guadalajara, a great local place with made-to-order salsa that the waiters prepare right at your table. Just to be clear - my version of heaven definitely includes something like this.

The rest of the night was filled with movies, strawberry-piña colada slushies from Eegee's, and lots of laughter. Is there anything better than your sister doubling as your best friend?

Tombstone and the rodeo coming tomorrow!

Happy Thoughts Thursday

I've found that Happy Thoughts Thursday posts are the perfect way for this disorganized blogger to pretend to have some kind of order in her life. Spoiler alert: I don't. Here goes!

+ Arizona weekend. I'm ashamed to admit this, but my sister has lived in Tucson for three years and I've yet to visit her. However, that all changes tonight when I set off for a long weekend of girl talk, wedding dress shopping, engagement photos, plenty of tacos, and general Southwest tourism. I cannot wait to finally meet her precious dog, Ollie, and Instagram the crap out of some cacti. Does anyone have any touristy suggestions or must do's while in Tucson?

+ My niece. I mean, is she kidding me with that face? Her bottom teeth are poking through, she has a little mullet going on in the back, and I'm basically worthless when she's around. Oh, and she's crawling now. How is it possible to be so in love with a person who can't even talk to you yet?

+ Pigs on the canal. Over the course of my time in Indy, I've seen some very strange things on the canal. Pacers players on segways, insanely dedicated Pokemon Go hunters, people sleeping in tents, tightrope walkers. But this week, I came across a Vietnamese potbelly pig that was being walked on a leash. His name was Hoggle and, like my childhood pet pig, he is a member of the family and lives inside their house. After talking with the owner for a bit, she informed me that earlier in the walk, a dog snapped at Hoggle, which scared him out of his harness, and he promptly jumped into the canal. I would have given almost anything to see him swimming around in the canal like those famous swimming pigs in the Bahamas.

+ Jack's Donuts. I have no data to back this up, but I think Indianapolis probably has the most donuts per capita of any city in the U.S. Between Long's Bakery, Rocket 88, General American Donut Company, Square Donuts, and the Dancing Donut, it seems that the sugary breakfast pastry market would be entirely over-saturated. However, Jack's Donuts just opened downtown (near the Circle) and I believe we've found a new go-to spot. Not only is this place open until midnight on the weekends, but the donuts are absolutely delicious. They even make them covered in Cookie Crisp and Fruity Pebbles because gluttony.

+ Valentine's Day. Wheat and I have an agreement that Valentine's Day shouldn't be a big event with lavish gifts and big plans. I know it's cheesy, but he really does make me feel cherished and special every single day of the year. So, our Valentine's Day consisted of dinner cooked at home, candy for him, and pink tulips for me. We also saw 50 Shades Darker because I'm a woman with hormones, a serious case of FOMO, and a crush on Jamie Dornan.

+ "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" by ZAYN and Taylor Swift. Speaking of 50 Shades, this song is a total banger. Can ZAYN do no wrong?



Did you do something special for Valentine's Day?
Have you forgiven ZAYN for what he did to One Direction?
What's making YOU happy this week?

When hometown friends make new city memories.

These posts may come few and far between, but I'm bound and determined to keep this blog sputtering along. Fortunately for me, I have plenty of source material for posts...like last weekend when my dear friend and her boyfriend (Sib and Cody) came to visit us in Indy. Have I mentioned how much I love visitors?

Shortly after they arrived on Friday night, we headed to the restaurant where we take all of our guests - Bru Burger on Mass Ave. Sib had been before, but Cody hadn't, so it was the perfect excuse to order these guilt-free barbecue nachos. Just look at those things.

After dinner, we decided to check out Tappers Arcade Bar for the first time. It was a little crowded (with it being Friday), but we had an absolute blast playing Dig Dug, Paper Boy, The Simpsons, Mortal Kombat II, and Michael Jackson's Moonwalker for free. The square-shaped bar sells craft beer and the '80s decor and wall paintings set the perfect vibe for the place. Wheat and I will definitely be back on a week night so we can play some Ms. Pac-Man and NBA Jam.

The rest of the night was spent playing Heads Up and staying up later than I have in quite some time. After lunch at Scotty's Brewhouse the next afternoon, we made our way to Sun King Brewery for some beer tasting. I'm not a drinker, but I absolutely love this place. Inside, it has a warehouse feel with tables, a couch, and video games. Outside, a patio sits in front of an impressive mural that blends the Sun King logo with images from the city.

Since the weather was absolutely perfect (the groundhog must have hallucinated his shadow), we decided to take a stroll along the canal. I absolutely love showing it off and I really still can't believe it's in our backyard. So dreamy.

After killing about an hour, we made our way to Bankers Life Fieldhouse to watch the Pacers take on the Milwaukee Bucks. This is the 50th season for the Pacers and all season long, they've been honoring each decade in franchise history with special themed games. Saturday happened to be the '90s decade game, which featured a Reggie Miller bobblehead and a halftime ceremony that recognized Rik Smits, Larry Bird, Travis Best, and other significant players from the '90s. Thanks to the bobblehead (and Miller's legendary status in this city), it was practically a sellout crowd for the game.

The Pacers ended up losing, 116-100, but we still had an awesome time. Usually, I show up for games right before they begin, so I've never really taken the opportunity to explore the arena. This time, we showed up early and took advantage of the extra time. We took pictures in a photo booth, spun a wheel for prizes, and did a couple laps around the place. We also got to see the Greek Freak (Giannis Antetokounmpo) do his best Michael Jordan impression and dunk from the free throw line.

Looks like #Giannis watched Space Jam before his game today! pic.twitter.com/OWgWEalxtw

— NBA (@NBA) February 12, 2017

After the game, we got a late dinner at Bazbeaux and it took us so long to get out of the parking garage and into the restaurant that Wheat was actually able to join us. Sib and Cody left early the next morning (as in, before we were even awake - are we awful hosts?!), so we had a comparatively tame Sunday. We soaked up the weather and walked downtown for lunch before I caught a wild hair (or became a masochist) and decided we should walk to the top of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on the Circle.

This picture was taken a week ago when I briefly lived in Gotham.

The famous landmark, which is featured in every montage of the city, has an observation room at the top that is accessible by elevator (for $2) or by climbing 330 steep stairs. I've taken the elevator before, but I decided it was time to check an item off my Indy bucket list and climb to the top. It was rough and my calves are still aching today, but it was worth it to get that congratulatory kiss at the top and see the views of downtown from up there.

So, I guess the moral of the story is that you should visit Indianapolis. If you had asked me ten years ago where I thought I'd be right now, I never would have guessed Indiana, but man, I can't believe how much this city has and continues to enthrall me.