The Ups(ide Down)

Oh, hello there.

Did you think I'd forgotten about my little corner of the Internet? Or that so much time had passed since our trip to Spain that I couldn't possibly remember the details? Or that I'd gotten stuck in the upside down with Eleven and the gang?

Well, the truth is somewhere in the middle - I haven't forgotten about my blog, though I have lost a lot of details about our Spanish adventure, and yeah, I can't get enough Stranger Things.

A lot has happened in the past couple months and not all of it is good. Fortunately, I have editorial control over this here blog and today, I choose to focus on the awesome things. Things like:

---Being married to Wheat for two years. Our second anniversary came and went without much fanfare, but I have to say - being married to him is the easiest thing I've ever done. You know how people always talk about how difficult it is to have a happy, healthy marriage/relationship? Not for us. Not yet, anyway. Maybe we're still in the "honeymoon phase" and maybe things will be harder once we have kids running around, but man - loving and being loved by him just comes so naturally.

Wheat had a game on our actual anniversary, so we went to dinner at Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian steakhouse downtown, the day before. You can't go wrong with dressing up to eat unlimited meat, right?

---Winning a contest for haunted house tickets. Do317, my favorite Indianapolis event website, ran an Instagram contest asking users to write a scary story in 10 words or less. The winner of the contest won four tickets to two different haunted houses downtown - Nightmare on Edgewood and House of Trepidation. Guess who won. My story: "I woke up to someone knocking...on the closet door."

Although Wheat hates all things scary and haunted, he agreed to accompany me to the haunted trails. **see item above about how easy it is to love him** We had an absolute blast. House of Trepidation was a lot tamer than Nightmare on Edgewood (where the actors could actually touch and grab you), but we thoroughly enjoyed both. We attended Nightmare on Edgewood on "Lights Out" weekend, so we made our way through the trails with only a glow stick to light the way...and they definitely grabbed us. The highlight for me was the Midnight Double Feature section, where the props and sets were designed to look like memorable scary movie scenes and the actors were dressed as iconic villains (Michael Myers, Jason, Freddy Krueger, Jigsaw, Pennywise, the guy from Jeepers Creepers).

---All the Halloween things. Have I mentioned how much I love Halloween? Over the course of the last month, we have indulged in all things related to my favorite holiday. We picked a pumpkin and did a corn maze at Russell Farms. We sat on hay bales and listened to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in Irvington (a neighborhood named after Washington Irving himself) before being visited by the Headless Horseman. We took a chilly haunted tour of downtown Indianapolis where the guide regaled us with stories of supernatural occurrences at the Soldiers and Sailors' Monument, Slippery Noodle Inn, Union Station, and more. Of course, I wouldn't let Halloween pass without making Wheat dress up in a couples costume. This year, we went with Tommy Pickles and Chuckie Finster from Rugrats.

We wore our costumes to Irvington's annual Halloween festival, which completely blew my mind with its cuteness. The main street was filled with vendors and food trucks. Every storefront had its windows painted with Halloween- and autumn-themed images. Bands played while a costume parade (that included toy soldiers, Beetlejuice, the Sanderson sisters, Hillary Clinton, and more) ambled by. For a small donation, we spun a prize wheel and walked away with an issue of The Walking Dead comic book. It was basically my very own Halloween dream world.

---A trip to Baltimore for my cousin's wedding. Over a month ago, Wheat and I traveled to Baltimore to watch my cousin Cody marry Alyssa in a gorgeous wedding at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. The views of the Inner Harbor were spectacular, little touches of Baltimore charm were everywhere (from the National Bohemian cake to the Orange Crush signature drink), and oh yeah - THE ORIOLES BIRD SHOWED UP! We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing with family and exploring Fells Point and Federal Hill. Did I mention ridiculous views?

---All the other happy odds and ends. Birthday celebrations at a cabin deep in the woods with friends, a fire pit, and lots of food. Warm chili with crackers and sour cream. Exploring new places in our city. Brilliant red, yellow, and orange leaves. A house in Greenwood that the owner decorated with mannequins and props to look like the set of The Walking Dead. Apple fritters and cinnamon cider donuts. Long-overdue lunch dates with a couple of my best friends. Oktoberfest celebrations in my Ohio hometown. Kisses and giggles from my niece. Cuddling on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket. And, of course, Stranger Things bingefests.

So yeah, it hasn't been all bad.

A St. Louis Wedding.

Can you really complain about being busy when all the things you're busy doing are awesome? I think not, but man, I'm tired. In the last few weeks, I've gone to a wedding in St. Louis, had my in-laws visit, tried a new dinner theater and saw Shrek the Musical, hosted my brother and his girlfriend for the Indy 500 festivities, and attended Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Unbelievably grateful is one way I'm feeling. Exhausted is another.

So, let me start from the beginning...

A few weeks ago, Wheat and I drove to St. Louis to celebrate the marriage of our good friends Hannah and Connor. We spent the night before the wedding at the swankiest bar I've ever seen, Three Sixty on the rooftop of the Hilton at the Ballpark. With the famous Gateway Arch on one side and Busch Stadium on the other, the views were unbeatable and the ambience was perfect with couches and fireplaces all over the place. Pictures do not do it justice, but it was such a wonderful spot to wind down and catch up with all of our friends in town for the weekend's festivities.

We may look like it, but we aren't your college English professors.

The next morning, Wheat, Jenn, Paul, and I decided to venture over to the Delmar Loop for lunch at Blueberry Hill. The restaurant/bar has become an institution in St. Louis and not only because Chuck Berry used to perform there on a monthly basis. The place is filled to the brim with an eclectic collection of memorabilia and boasts a truly impressive 'Wall of Fame' filled with pictures of celebrities that have visited in the past. They also earn bonus points with me because they have an entire room dedicated to Elvis. The Delmar Loop area is filled with trendy restaurants, bars, and shops, as well as the St. Louis Walk of Fame, sidewalks filled with stars that highlight notable Missouri natives (heck yeah that includes Nelly).

After lunch, we rushed back to the hotel to get ready before heading to Kuhs Estate and Farm for the wedding. The ceremony was held outside underneath a gorgeous tree and fortunately, the weather was absolutely flawless for the occasion. I couldn't stop myself from admiring the pristine countryside and kept soaking in the hilltop view of a massive river. Again, pictures don't do it justice.

The reception, which took place in a tent on the farm, was a blast and Hannah covered everything imaginable with her planning. There were hors d'ouevres (including toasted ravioli, a St. Louis favorite) in a gazebo overlooking the river, a photo booth and a fire pit, and a variety of petting zoo animals, which entertained me far more than they should have. The rustic, country decor was the perfect match for the venue and Hannah (and her bridesmaids) looked absolutely gorgeous. Mostly, we loved dancing and hanging out with some of my very best friends. In other words, it was a dreamy, dreamy night.

The next morning, we woke up early to check out of the hotel and get brunch at The Wheelhouse with some of our friends. Although St. Louis had experienced flooding earlier in the week, the weather continued to be perfect during our visit, so we decided to check out the St. Louis Zoo before heading back home. Surprisingly, the zoo offers free admission (aside from $15 for parking) and we were totally blown away by the quality. We spent the next several hours wandering around its grounds, snapping pictures, and laughing at the chimpanzees as they were fed. We also got to see a baby kangaroo in its mother's pouch! I'd highly recommend checking out the zoo (and Forest Park where it is located) if you're town, especially given its lack of a price tag.

...and just like that, the weekend was over. I'm still trying to figure out how to enjoy the weekdays as much as the weekend. Let me in on your secret if you do. Until next time, St. Louis.

Another Wedding and Giraffe Hangs

Serious question: Will I ever have time to blog again?

As much as I love this space, it always seems to be the first thing to go when life gets crazy. Between hectic work weeks, weekend trips, and normal chores, I simply don't have the time (or energy) to write when I'm finally done with my day. How do working moms do it?! At any rate, I'm back with a post from THREE weekends ago. Oops. Allow me to switch gears from my own wedding and tell you about someone else's...

At the end of April, I traveled down to Evansville to watch my dear college friend Nick get married. Although Wheat couldn't attend due to the Pacers playoffs, I had a wonderful time with some of my very best friends and, as always, loved seeing the little details of someone else's special day. For instance, look at the contents of the precious welcome bag I received when I checked into my hotel.

It was raining on the wedding day, so the ceremony was held inside at the Evansville Country Club. The space, which was later converted for the reception, was really gorgeous with an expansive outdoor patio that we took full advantage of. The cocktail hour was filled with a slideshow, lots of group picture-taking, and more than a few stuffed mushrooms on my part. The mothers of the bride and groom baked hundreds of different cookies for the reception, which was a heartfelt touch that perfectly complimented the wedding cake that was also served.

Nick and his bride, Kelsi, met at YoungLife camp, so they incorporated some cool camp traditions into their reception. A couple guys taught the group two different line dances to get everyone involved on the dance floor. If you know me at all, you know I don't need any persuasion to start grooving, which is evidenced by the individual lap dance I received from the groom. It may or may not have cost $20 (thanks, Tasha!), but it was performed to Ginuwine's "Pony," so it was worth every cent. Sorry, I'm not sorry.

At the end of the night, we bid farewell to the couple with a beautiful sparkler send-off and I questioned why Wheat and I didn't decide to do that, too.

The next morning, everyone else headed home relatively early, but with Wheat in Canada, I was in no rush to get back. So, I decided to postpone the three-hour drive and take myself on a date to the Mesker Park Zoo. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the zoo, the beautiful weather, and the small amount of people on the grounds. I spent a couple hours traipsing through the exhibits, admiring the gorgeous, humid greenhouse, taking selfies with the giraffes, and walking around the lake that serves as the zoo's centerpiece. There weren't a ton of animals (which I expected from a smaller zoo), but I particularly loved the red panda, the jaguar, and the otters.

Once I'd covered every square-inch of the zoo, I forced myself into the car...but not without stopping for a McDonald's ice cream cone first.

Maybe one of these days I'll get back to blogging about my own wedding...

Omaha! Blue 42! Hike!

I'll be totally honest. From here on out, my emotional stability decided to check itself at the door. I went from laughing hysterically one moment to sobbing uncontrollably the next. Wedding day jitters, coupled with generally being a crybaby anyway, made for some pretty unpredictable mood swings. After all the finishing touches were completed, my photographer ushered me out onto the balcony at the Oscar for our first look.

I stood there thinking about how excited I was to see my handsome groom, then suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and instantly burst into tears. Face-to-face with the love of my life, I felt so calm, so happy, and so excited. My mom couldn't help but share the moment with us, too.

Once I'd somewhat composed myself, we joined our bridal party downstairs for transportation to Winton Woods, a nearby park where we took our outdoor photos. In hindsight, the van we hired for transportation was one of my biggest regrets of the day. In an effort to save money, we opted with a small passenger van over a comfortable limo or bus...and I assure you, it made a difference. Somehow, we all crammed into the bus and made our way to Parky's Farm, a beautiful educational farm within Winton Woods.

Wheat gave those personalized Louisville Slugger bats to his groomsmen as gifts.

As can often be expected in Ohio in late October, it was a bit chilly that day. It also started to sprinkle rain on us during the outdoor shoot, so our photographer decided to close up shop a little early. I know the bridal party was relieved, but these are honestly my favorite shots of the entire day.

I especially love these pictures with the white picket fence in the background. I'm not country by any means, but I did grow up in rural Ohio, so these pictures really remind me of home. Plus, that type of posing (in the picture below) reminds me of a Kardashian Christmas card, which I count as a major victory.

With time ticking away and rain starting to fall, the photographers decided to head back to the Oscar early to start our bridal portraits. This would have been absolutely fine had the van driver not abandoned us. Cue my first real panic of the day. Wheat and I hopped in our photographers' car while the rest of the bridal party waited in the cold rain for our MIA van driver. I. Felt. Awful. As I tried my hardest not to cry, we set up shop in Jungle Jim's gorgeous, private wine cellar for photos.

Thoughts: Don't touch anything. How does a bottle of wine cost $3,000?

Once those pictures were done, the bridal party arrived at the Oscar and since we have amazing, supportive friends, they even acted as though that wasn't the most annoying inconvenience in the history of weddings. Relief. For good measure, we took some more group shots on the staircase and in the bar before heading in for formal pictures. Yes, my face was beginning to hurt.

Next Up: Family Photos and Portraits