Okay... so to wrap up with Bubba's trip up here... we went down to ISU to pick him up from his 'week in college' yesterday. Wow! What a week he had!
To start, we could tell he made a lot a great friends in that short week. Within a week, his whole aviation group had their own inside jokes they'd say to each other. Can't help but laugh with some of the things they'd say. Boys bond so easily! It helped that they were together 24/7... they kept all the guys in aviation on the same floor in rooms next to each other. So even his roommate was in the aviation class with him. But more importantly, he really got a lot out of the week! He was so excited about the idea of going to college, now, and even going into aviation, if possible. He even liked ISU enough to say he might make his way back there for school. But that's a few years off, so we'll see.
And he did, indeed, get to fly a plane. Of course he didn't get any pictures of him flying the plane, but he took one of the plane, and one of his view from the air. I guess it's something... no one is a photo crazy person like me. That's something neither my niece or nephew take after me on... Ha! I just like having the photographic evidence, I guess...
I actually got to take him shopping when we got back to Indy. He went willingly. I was very excited about that, as only I could get. Well, my mom might get excited about that, as well. But we wrapped it up at the grocery store, getting grilling goods for burgers on the grill for dinner. Yum!
This morning, there wasn't much for us to worry about doing. Eric and I got up around 8am, and just let Bubba sleep in. You could tell the week away at college wore him out. But when he did get up, he made us some yummy pancakes for a nice brunch! That was much appreciated... and it really was some good pancakes!
But alas, the time had to come to take him to the airport. The one bummer about him coming up was that he didn't really stay with us... but we were more than thrilled to spend what time we did with him! And we were even happier that he got as much out of the ISU program as he did.
Eric and I have found something we enjoy doing, locally, that we kind f stumbled on a few years ago. The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra stared doing this "Happy Hour" on certain Thursday evenings during their season. It's kind of a dress rehearsal for them, where they pick a few of their performances from the upcoming series to play. We decided to go to one a few years back, which is when we were introduced to their first ever Artists-in-Residence, Time for Three. They are this really cool trio of guys that play more contemporary music... even Daft Punk. From that first time we saw them, we knew they were a group we wanted to catch as often as possible. Lucky for us, they play at most of the Happy Hours that ISO have during the season.
Tonight was the last Happy Hour of the season, and since the Hilbert Circle Theatre is under renovation this summer, they had this Happy Hour at the Anthenaeum, another historical theatre. Neither Eric or I had been here, so it was a nice change of pace. And it turns out, it's a beautiful theatre, as well! But we were there for Time for Three. And on this particular night, they even had a guest artist, a cellist, Ben Sollee. He was quite good, as well... had a bit of a bluegrass vibe to him. It actually went well with Time for Three's contemporary vibe, and the four of them played quite well off of each other during a jam session. it was very entertaining!
I'm a bit bummed that we don't get to see them again for awhile... but we've been busy this year and missed a few Happy Hours anyway. So long as they're not leaving the ISO anytime soon, I'm good. But I have to say, if I saw them playing somewhere else I was visiting, I'd likely try to see them. That's how cool they are!
My job doesn't really require travel. At least not in a plane. Some of my new responsibilities, though, require some drive time to do some due diligence for projects. Ideally, you can just do day trips, driving to where you need to go and back. Luckily, Indiana is a pretty small state, so this is pretty doable if it's a 'local' project.
Today was one of those days. I've had a few projects pop up in southern Indiana in recent weeks, and finally, it was time to both see the sites in person, and talk to the City personal that could answer my questions. I drug Eric around a few weeks ago to see a couple of sites when we were in the area, anyway... but the needs had grown.
So I started my journey on I-65 South, heading towards Seymour, IN. It was going to be a beautiful day, weather wise. This made me happy. A lot of people still don't know I have a cell phone for work, so I'm lucky not to get too many calls on it yet. I'm sure that'll change. But the bluetooth in my Armada had me covered if I did get a call. It was about an hour drive to the City Engineer's office... almost all interstate. But it was beautiful out, so I didn't mind.
After a super productive meeting, I was back on the road, heading a little bit deeper in the the farmlands of Indiana. One of my newer projects was between my two meetings, in the middle of nowhere. But it was, again, quite a peaceful drive. But, boy, was it in the middle of nowhere!
My second meeting was in Columbus, IN - an area I'm a little more familiar with from my past work with the airport there. But interestingly enough, I never had to go to the City offices before... yet I was down there every month for about 2 years! This was another productive meeting. And my last 'scheduled' time for anything. From here, it was site visits, which were my own time to schedule.
It was starting to warm up a little, at this point, so I was more than happy to start wrapping up time walking around sites. So after a quick lunch at a Panera in Columbus, I was back onto I-65 North, heading back to Indy. I had one more site to go by, but I literally just had to drive by it to know the status of it. So it was an easy 'stop' before finally going into the office.
Funny thing about driving around for work... it's almost relaxing, in that you don't have the constant drone of computers and 'blah' office noise. I'm almost looking forward to my next day out in my mobile office.
Last summer, I got to spend a week with my niece, Darian, when she came up for an art camp. This year, I get to spend some time with my nephew, Kristopher (Bubba), when he came up for a Summer Honors Program and Indiana State University. So much fun!
Bubba got here on Thursday night. He flew by himself, for the first time - thankfully,it was a direct flight! We picked him up and just called it a night since it was nearly 10:30pm before we got back to the house. Plus, we had a long day ahead of us on Friday... Chicago! At this point, though, we were just really glad he made it up to Indiana.
Friday morning, we left in the late morning. We made a last minute decision to change up our itinerary a bit because of the weather - it was just going to be too hot to be outside on Friday, like we initially planned. So we'd do the Museum of Science and Industry, first! We did this museum with Darian last year, too, and all had a blast, so we knew it'd be a great time again. Shoot... Eric and I have gone by ourselves and had a great time! It's just one of those places.
After the Museum of Science and Industry, we headed up Lakeshore Drive, making a stop along the way for a skyline view. And then we ended up at the hotel for a little bit of down time before our next excursion... a White Sox game. 
This also meant the fist time on a subway for Kris. Wish it could've been up to Wrigley for Cubs game, but Cellular Field isn't horrible, I guess. Sadly, it was only at about half capacity. And it was a beautiful Friday night! Well, it was until about the end of the game. And then the skies really broke loose... we got on the 'L' right when it started to pour! So we started to plot how to get from the Red Line station to our hotel using one of the bus routes. We didn't end up needing that much coordination... well, Bubba and I didn't. But Eric, who made a quick stop at Walgreens and told us to catch the bus if it came... well, he got caught in the second round of downpours. Oops!
Saturday morning we woke up and decided to use the Divvy bikeshare and go for a bike ride. We started with a bike for each of us as we went to Millennium Park to see The Bean, but then the system 'cracked down' and didn't let us get the third one out for the second leg of the trip. So just Bubba and I went down to Buckingham Fountain
and back up to meet Eric at the Park. From there, we jumped on 'L' and went over to Willis Tower. We got there right as it opened (literally) and were able to sneak to the top before it got super busy. We went at dusk with Darian... but the daylight/morning view gave a whole other perspective. It was cool to see again.
Finally, it was back to the hotel for breakfast, showers, and checkout. We were back on the road around noon, with a slight detour as Eric searched to see if Gonnella Bread had an outlet (they don't). Then we were on the way back to Indy! Of course, we had to make a stop at Fair Oaks Farm for some grilled cheese. That's a stop no matter who's with us! And then a close up view of the wind farm, as well. Those things still amaze me!
We got home and just chilled out. We call Eric's parents and met up with them to do dinner - South of Chicago Pizza (to get that taste of Chicago we didn't do). Then we walked down to grab some frozen yogurt. We just took it easy.
Today was 'drop-off day' at Indiana State University for Kris... the big reason he came to visit was to attend the summer honors program at ISU. He's going to spend a week of 'intense' college-like life as an aviation student. He's pretty excited. I'm excited for him - it sounds like an cool program! Eric actually did the ISU summer program when he was in high school, so he was just as excited, too! So we dropped off our college kid and left him to get to college experience. Can't wait till we hear all about it next weekend! He actually gets to fly a plane!!
Today is my birthday! Happy Birthday to me!
Normally, I don't post about my own birthday. But this year, it hit me... I get a lot of free (or discounted) stuff! So I wanted to share. Just because I am quite excited about free stuff. So here just some of the stuff... I know I'll miss stuff.
We'll do the easy stuff first. The $$$ off of a purchase, usually with no minimum attached (so, free money). This year, I got $40 off at Express, $15 off at The Limited, $10 off at VS, Godiva, and Macy's, and $5 off at DSW. I think there were a few more that were a certain percentage off, as well... but they all come in near the first of the month, and I know I miss some.
Straight up freebies aren't as numerous, but they're out there. The obvious one is at Starbucks. I don't need to tell you that I took advantage of that! I also have a certificate for a freebie at Aveda, and a couple of freebies with purchase at Sephora and Smashbox.
Now, I know I've missed stuff, and some stuff I know I can't take advantage of just because of local or availability. At one time, I know I saw a website with a whole list of freebies on your birthday. I mean, who doesn't love free stuff, no matter how old you are??
Anyways... I just wanted to share my excitement. Sometimes it just the little things. :)
Tose who know me well enough know that my true philanthropy, the one that is truly close to my hear, is Make-A-Wish. I 'discovered it' on my own with no other reason than I liked their mission and I wanted to be a part of that organization. It started with a small donation during their requestathon on WZPL, and grew from there into volunteering as a wish grantor - I get to go meet these amazing kids and help grant their wish! These kids just inspire you!
Needless to say, I do whatever I can to help out. I volunteer, I donate myself, and I try to fundraise during events. And I still wish I could do more.
This morning was one of their annual events - Walk for Wishes. It's a 5k-ish walk through a state park to raise money. Leading up to the even, I tried to raise as much money as I could. My friends and family came through, as always. But, for those who missed my original pleas, you can still go here to donate - it's always appreciated! During the event, I volunteered my time instead of walking this year. They needed a lot of help, as this event has continued to grow each year (this was year eight)!
The day, itself, turned our pretty mush perfect, weather wise. I got to see a beautiful sunrise on my way over to Ft. Ben - I don't catch sunrises too often. And the weather couldn't have been better - just cool enough in the morning and never got too hot!
And the turn-out was pretty great, too, since the weather was so nice. They did reach their initial goal of $100k, but even that barely scratches the surface of how many kids they need to grant wishes for! (hint, hint)
Needless to say, came home from this event in a great mood. Make-A-Wish always makes me smile when I'm done volunteering... it's just such a magical cause. That might sound corny... but it's so true.
It seems in life, with every high comes a low. It the ebb and tide of what makes the world go around.
So after the high point of Eric's sister getting remarried last weekend, we were hit with the low of my sister's father-in-law passing away. While his health hasn't been too well the past few years, I don't think anyone was really expecting this. No one was ready for it, that's for sure. When my mom called me, I was in shock!
This is where it's interesting to watch as an outsider, though. While I've known my sister's in-laws for 15 years or so, and have spent various holidays at there house, I'm still not immediate family, so the impact to me kind of stays at shock. I get it, I see it, I feel a heaviness in my heart... but since I'm not down there, it ends at this point. But I'm witnessing, through phone calls and emails, the emotional route everyone else is going. At least to an extent.
There's always the calm one. The one who can seemingly go un-phased and make any kind of arrangements that need to be made, all while staying very rational, calm, and collected. Sure, there's grieving going on under all of that exterior, but for the purposes of those around, they keep the strong exterior.
There's the one who continues on, like it never happened. Not necessarily in denial, but not wanting the deal with it or make any admission that it's affected them in any way. People around them may even be baffled by their behavior of normalcy and either be concerned or mistake them for the calm one.
You always have a few that get very emotional, which is well within the boundaries of acceptable when a loved one dies. Unfortunately, with the emotional state comes a lot of irrationality. And assumptions everyone else should be as emotional as them (ie, further irrationality). The don't seem to understand that some people can't heal or grieve in that state.
To counter the calm one, you always have the panicker. Much like the emotional one, they seem to lose common sense and any rational thought process. They're freaking out about the details and are actually causing more problems in the process. They are the reason you need to 'plan your own funeral' before you die.
Then you have the one who seemingly goes into a depression state. Don't mistake this as the over emotional one... this is the one who essentially curls into a ball and doesn't come out for who knows how long. These are the people you should actually be a little concerned about and make sure it doesn't get too bad. But give them some space and time to heal.
I don't think you will know how you, or anyone else, will react - it could be any of these five ways, or even some other form of grief. I wonder if any one of these ways is better than the other? I would like to think staying strong is the best way to go... but maybe getting emotional is good, so it all comes out. Who knows.
RIP Larry. You will be missed.
To start off the long holiday weekend, Eric and I headed down to Kentucky after work to see his sister, Kelly, in a very simple poolside wedding ceremony. It was kept very casual (as in, bathing suits) and the guest list was short and simple, with just family and some friends.
When we got there around 7:30pm, the kids were still playing in the pool and the adults were still chatting poolside. They kind of did the reverse of a typical wedding (since this was NOT the first for either) and have the reception, of sorts, first, and then had the ceremony as the last item on the agenda. 
They initially planned it this way to make sure it was cool enough and to give the kids some 'free time' to just play since it was the beginning of the July 4th weekend. It also worked out well for those of us who still had to work that day.
The ceremony, itself, was short and simple. Kelly and Kimber stood with the army chaplain (dressed casually in shorts, as well) at the corner of the pool, and their four kids stood with them as their bridal party. The chaplain performed the perfect ceremony and had the perfect guiding words for this now blended family. In a word, it was 'perfect' for them. And after the vows, exchange of rings, and kissing of the bride, they all jumped into the pool with a big splash!
They still had a few of the traditions after the "I do's" were said. They had a small cake, which they cut, and then a toast, in which Kimber told the story of how they came together and how the timing of it all was how he knew it was meant to be. It was very sweet, actually, and a story I had not heard since they've been together. It's amazing how fate works sometimes... that's all I'm going to say.
Finally, when all was said and done, some of us had to get on the road to go home... or to hotels, at least. So as the kids started roasting marshmallows and shooting off fireworks, we headed out. Eric and I stayed at a historic hotel in Louisville called 'The Brown'. 
It reminded me a bit of the Davenport Hotel in Spokane that we stayed at last year, but on a slightly smaller scale. The room was quite big, though, for a historic hotel... and then we learned that it was once owned by Hilton. It explained a few things (though not in a bad way).
This morning, we got on the road as soon as we woke up. We have a busy weekend ahead of us... working on the still not complete master bath. But we're getting there. And we're hoping this weekend gets us a lot closer!
To start, we could tell he made a lot a great friends in that short week. Within a week, his whole aviation group had their own inside jokes they'd say to each other. Can't help but laugh with some of the things they'd say. Boys bond so easily! It helped that they were together 24/7... they kept all the guys in aviation on the same floor in rooms next to each other. So even his roommate was in the aviation class with him. But more importantly, he really got a lot out of the week! He was so excited about the idea of going to college, now, and even going into aviation, if possible. He even liked ISU enough to say he might make his way back there for school. But that's a few years off, so we'll see.
And he did, indeed, get to fly a plane. Of course he didn't get any pictures of him flying the plane, but he took one of the plane, and one of his view from the air. I guess it's something... no one is a photo crazy person like me. That's something neither my niece or nephew take after me on... Ha! I just like having the photographic evidence, I guess...
This morning, there wasn't much for us to worry about doing. Eric and I got up around 8am, and just let Bubba sleep in. You could tell the week away at college wore him out. But when he did get up, he made us some yummy pancakes for a nice brunch! That was much appreciated... and it really was some good pancakes!
