Speedway Sparkplugs are the Best!

Last weekend we ventured back to Indianapolis for my big 10 year high school reunion.  I honestly wasn't super pumped about going but it turned out to be an incredibly fun day.  It was fantastic to see all of my high school buddies again and it made me miss them terribly when I left.  I really need to keep in better touch with these people because I remembered just how fabulous they all are.

The weekend started off with a picnic lunch where we could bring our families.  We took some pics before we left my parents' house that afternoon.

Natalie napped through almost the whole picnic so I had a chance to chat and catch up with some friends.  But when she woke up, she got to go in the swing at the park for the first time and she LOVED it.  It was pretty much the cutest thing ever.  She got this huge smile on her face when she was flying through the air.  Priceless.

We spent the rest of the day with Matt's parents and then the two of us headed out to the main event.

It was a little awkward at first seeing everyone and going through the whole...where do you work, how old are your kids, what's new in your life...sort of conversation.  Plus, Matt and I both completely suck at making small talk.  So we started playing a game where he would pick out someone in the class and then try to guess the type of person they were in high school.  You know, jock, band geek, smarty pants?  And you know what?  He guessed it right every time.  Ha!

But as you might expect, once the booze got to flowing, we were all best friends again!  Funny how that works, huh?  But it was so great because it was as if all of the cliques just faded away and we were all friends just dancing and having a great time.  I wish high school would've been like that all the time.

Let's just ignore the fact that you can see my bra in practically every picture, shall we?  

Here's a pic of our whole class.  There were only 88 of us so I think we had a pretty good turn out.  

And no party would be complete without a picture of me doing this.

And scene.

Back Home Again...In Indiana

A few weekends ago, Natalie and I made our very first trip home to Indianapolis to visit family.  Since Matt happened to be in Hong Kong for work, it was up to me to take command of the first long road trip with an infant.

And can I just brag on my little girl for a second and say that it went so well?  I mean, I woke her up at the butt crack of dawn, she was fussy for maybe 2 minutes in the car, and then she slept for 3 hours straight without making a sound.  She then got a little fussy...but as you might expect, the drive from Northeast Ohio to Central Indiana has some stretches of road where there is no civilization in sight.  Weird.  I know.  So we went about 10 more minutes and when I was about to pull over, Natalie fell back asleep.  Score!

I had about 40 minutes left in the drive before I had to stop to feed/change her.  Perfect.  She was not at all pleased when I put her back into the car seat for the remainder of the trip, but 20 minutes of screaming on a 5 hour trip I can handle.

We stayed at my parents' house that evening.  Natalie did beautifully in the pack 'n play and only woke up once during the night because she is freaking houdini and escaped from the baby straight jacket (aka:  sleep sack).  It was actually welcomed, though, as I had picked up Matt from the airport that evening so she got to see him sooner than expected.

Natalie with my brother!

The next day, we traveled to Bloomington for a wedding.  But beforehand, we were able to catch a quick bite with Miss Shaina and her husband.  The visit went so quickly and by the time I knew it we had to go.  We had the best time and I cannot wait to make it down to visit her again.  Plus, Natalie keeps asking me when she gets to see that pretty lady again....

The wedding was so beautiful!  It was outside at the bride's parents' house which was so gorgeous.  Unfortunately it rained that day...but the bridal party was so easy going about the whole event.  Check out my sweet friend Mallorey and her rain boots she sported for the ceremony.  So her.  Just perfect.

The next day I hosted a small get together for my friends and family to come over and meet Natalie.  It went so well and for the most part....Natalie was a peach.  I'm so proud of her.  She had a very full weekend and was really well behaved.  But you could tell on Monday she was happy to be home and in her own crib. 

The whole trip did leave me feeling very confident in our ability to travel together...and I cannot wait to make it back home again!

Back Home Again, in Indiana

It's Friday!!

I'm so excited for the long weekend, aren't you?  Matt and I are heading home to Indy tonight after work.  I'm ridiculously happy because my entire family will be home, including my brother who lives in Colorado...who I have not seen since Christmas.  It's going to be a memorable weekend for sure!

I am swamped with plans on Saturday but I am most looking forward to Sunday.  I'm from Speedway...and it's Indy 500 weekend people! 

 source

There is no bigger event in the life of a Speedway resident than this race.  The traffic is insane, the weather is hot, there are thousands of people walking the streets, and the beer is a flowin'.  I am looking forward to spending the race at home with my mom and perhaps getting in a walk with her.  We can hear the cars from our house and that is enough race experience for me.  The rest of our family will be at the race.  Then we're meeting up for a rousing night of family games which always proves to be just the best time!

I hope everyone has a fabulous Memorial Day weekend!!

XOXO

Just a Little Taste

Y'all know I'm doing the 3-Day, right??

Well, I went home to Indiana last weekend for a quick trip to investigate some spots for fundraising events.  Although it was just for a few days, I think I made a lot of progress on nailing down some leads!

And while I was there I got to spend some much needed time with my family.  I hardly ever come home without Matt so it was really nice to stay in my own house with my parents and spend all the time I wanted to with just them.  We visited my grandpa, grandma, and an aunt all in one day...which let me tell you...never happens!  I even got in some training walks with my BFF when I was there.  Simply put, it was just the weekend I needed.  (Besides the 5 hour drive of course...but that clearly goes without saying.)

On Saturday night, BFF Jill, her SIL Melissa, and I went to Tastings.  It's a really cool concept for a wine bar in downtown Indianapolis.  It has tasting stations of wine set up with a brief description of each wine listed.  When you find a wine you want to try, you insert your pre-paid Tasting's card (which is basically like a credit card you put any amount of money on you want) and out comes a taste!  The prices vary...but shockingly I stuck to the $2.50 wines instead of venturing over to the more expensive kind!

It was a super fun night...and we got cheese!

Overall, the weekend was a blast and I cannot wait to make another visit!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend (and since I'm so far behind...and it's already Wednesday...) hope everyone is having a great week!!

A Christmas to Remember

Because Matt and I were leaving for Indianapolis on Wednesday afternoon, we decided to do our Christmas on Tuesday evening. This year we opted for just stockings. Here is my sweetie with his goodies:

Check out all of my loot!

Every year my two best friends and I go out for a fancy shmancy Christmas dinner to celebrate the holidays. It's become a tradition to get our picture taken in front of the Christmas tree as a little memento.

Jill, AJ, and I

Seriously delicious dessert! Carrot cake, Cheesecake, and a Chocolate Truffle that was to die for.

Jill and me

Matt and I stayed Wednesday evening with my parents. When we woke up, my sister and her husband were there. We spent the morning chatting and decorating sugar cookies. So fun! Well, for a little while :)

Jessi was really, really good. I was okay...and then I sucked. Those cookies take so long to decorate!

Here is her cookie of her husband. Absolutely hilarious. He's even holding candy. Love it.

So, of course, I had to make a cookie that looked like Matt. This is what I came up with. What do you think? He was not impressed.

Jessi's Santa

Matt and I headed over to his parents' house to visit for a few hours and to do some last minute wrapping. Then we went to Mass with my family and headed out to Chili's for our annual Christmas Eve meal with my dad's side of the family as well as Matt's parents. After dinner, everyone came back to my parents' house for a gift exchange and family game night.

Mom's Christmas Eve spread

Me, my brother, and my sister

Action shots during the gift exchange: FIL, cousin, grandma, aunt, and grandpa. I took away two board games and Matt came home with a dirt devil. Great. I know who that gift is really for.

Let the games begin! Here is my BIL in action. It was boys vs. girls in a game of Funglish. I had never played this game before and it was super fun. Great game for a party!

Matt and I stayed another night with my parents and woke up Christmas morning to find this:

Clearly Mom went a little nut-so with the large gifts this year! We could hardly walk in the room! But what a beautiful tree!

Every year we get lotteries in our stockings. Here is my BIL, sister, Mom, and brother scratching them off. Matt was actually the big winner with $10 :)

My BIL decided to wrap himself up as a present with the excess wrapping paper. Oh dear.

Highlights of my gifts include some cake decorating supplies, a new sweater, a leopard Snuggie!, a dutch oven, a new stock pot, several books, and a few kitchen gadgets. Matt got a lot of Colts gear, a Brooks Brothers gift card, an outdoor smoker/grill, and a shop vac. My family was so generous with all of their gifts and we were so thankful!

We played a few games and then bid farewell to my sister and her husband who headed up to Fort Wayne to spend the rest of the weekend with Dave's family. Matt and I went over to his parents' house around 12:30 p.m. and spent the rest of Christmas with them. It is there that I received my new Chi straightener!! I'm super stoked about this! I have already used it and it is just fabulous. I could not love it more! Matt cleaned up with every tool you can imagine. Now, what can I make him build me?? Hm.

Saturday some of Matt's extended family came up from the Louisville area and we walked away with a few more board games. Later in the afternoon, Matt and I left for our final Christmas celebration with my mom's side of the family. She is one of seven so it is always a houseful no matter where we go.

After the gift exchange there, we had the joy of watching my brother participate in a pick up game of football. Oh how the mighty have fallen...

For some reason, Mook had tucked his jeans into his boots whilst playing. I guess they were too long?? Who knows...but it was hilarious.

We had an amazing Christmas with family and friends and I am so sad to see the season ending. But I am looking forward to the New Year with much anticipation for new adventures to come!

Summer Wedding!

Ah...how the weekends fly by, don't they? At least it's a short week though!

Friday, Matt and I headed back to Indianapolis for our first wedding weekend of the summer. We got in late and rested up for our big day on Saturday. We started early with one of my little cousin's baseball games and a visit with my mama. Then we got ourselves all cleaned up and headed out the door for the hour drive to Bloomington for the wedding. On the way, we stopped at Oliver Winery! Um, did you know they had FREE wine tastings? Yeah. You read that right. I said free! Best. idea. ever. Credit goes to hubs on that one.









They had a gorgeous outdoor area where you could picnic! We are definitely doing that next time we are in town. Oh, it was just perfect there!! I could've stayed all day.








But we had to get a move on! We stopped for a late lunch on campus, had to change in the car (ha!), but we made it to the wedding on time. And what a beautiful wedding it was! It was held in the lobby of IU Auditorium and it was such a perfect spot for the amount of people they had. Here are a few shots from the ceremony.

The beautiful bride walking down the aisle


Married!

They had a cocktail hour outside while the couple finished up their pictures. Sounds like a great idea...not so much. It was over 90 degrees outside and everyone was melting. Matt spotted a shaded area which was much cooler...so we parked it there until the reception.

The reception was super fun and I got to see a few friends from high school that I haven't seen in years! I drank way too much wine, danced way too much as well (the three blisters on my feet can attest), completely passed out the entire drive home, but I had the best time with my long lost friends.

This is the bridal party as they were being announced at the reception. They came out like they were in a band with blow up guitars, wigs, and sunglasses. It was awesome!


Matt and our friend Jill...who literally makes ALL weddings 10X more fun


Love him!

I will, however, not be drinking even a sip of wine this weekend at our next wedding. Apparently the recovery time for such evenings has quadrupled since I turned 26 and I am honestly STILL not feeling 100%. Crap.

So what did I miss!?! How was your weekend??