Eric and I have finally gotten over the hump of multiple weddings a year. It's kind of nice. What's even cooler is the fact that the weddings we do go to tend to be more unique and memorable than ones of our younger years. Maybe that's just the way of weddings now... or maybe it's just because we're older. Either way, it seems like we've been to some good wedding the past few years... not to say weddings early on in our lives weren't good. The realm of possibilities has just expanded so much. 
Ten years ago, if you would told me you were invited to a wedding on a farm, I would've through it was some sort of redneck wedding. But no... nowadays, that's the setting of a vintage wedding.
Today's wedding was just that. With the couple getting married, Tim and Josie, it did not surprise me. This is the same couple we like to go to the Symphony Happy Hours with. So this theme fit them well, I thought. It wasn't so vintage that is was weird... just enough to add that something special. You know... simple decor, mason jar glasses, the bride had a net veil, and the groomsmen wore suspenders with no jacket. Sweet and Simple.
So unfortunately, right as all the guest were arriving, it started raining. Like, pouring! But no one was really complaining, because we haven't ha rain in a month! But it put a damper on actually having the ceremony outside. 
But that didn't even really cause a glitch in anything, so if you didn't know any better, you would've never known! And in the big scheme of thing, I'm glad the rain came to cool things off, because it was dreadfully hot earlier in the day, and even still as the rain started to fall. And we were in a barn. Which means no A/C.
They had some really fun things throughout their wedding and just set up around the barn. Like, the unity candle involved everyone there... the dads lit their candles, then each family there had a candle, 
which lit off of each other, and the last candles lit on each side went and lit the mother's candles... a unique twist on the tradition. They had a quilt to have people sign... individual squares were cut for people to sign or draw a picture on... very cute idea. And there was even a kids table with coloring books pages and smores.
All in all, it was beautiful wedding. And fun, of course. It was a great way to kick off the long Labor Day weekend. For which I now need to go to bed... today was just the beginning of quite a busy weekend!! (Consider this a prelude of a blog to come)
So with Eric's new job, comes new responsibilities. Like running an annual meeting. Normally, this is not something I would blog about. But it was his first one, so I feel it's blog worthy.
So as the Executive Director, Eric has become quite the popular guy. Since he came in with the background he did, it has intrigued people and re-energized partnerships. 
So for the annual meeting, he was very in demand and made the rounds to all the tables. I got to witness it all from behind the camera... he recruited me to take pictures. He had to give his Executive Director's report, which was interesting, since he really wasn't the director for most of the report's time frame. But he had everything pulled together to report and, for lack of knowledge and experience, gave the report well.
As this organization becomes 'his' and he's the leader and initiator of lots of these projects, I have no doubt his reports will come across that way. And he'll look up more. But I have to say, I was quite proud of him. I'm so happy this is all coming together for him. It really nice to have him around more and in a better mood (less stressed). Let's just hope it keeps going in this direction.
Growing up, I had baby fine, straight hair that wouldn't hold a curl worth a damn for longer than 5 minutes. It drove me nuts through high school, when I actually want to do things to my hair. Even all the hairspray that was used through the 80's and 90's didn't do much for me - I never could get 'the big hair' that was so in style. So I finally gave up, let me hair all grow out long, including my bangs, and just went with it... simple and straight.
Still drove me nuts, though.
Fast forward to now... my hair has decided it wants to be wavy, now. WTH? And not a good kind of wavy that you can work with... oh, no! It's the kind that if you don't touch your hair with product or a flat iron, it looks like you've been sleeping on it! Or it flips out in a weird way. I seriously cannot leave the house now without using a flat iron now! Now that I want my hair straight, it won't stay straight!
Initially, I chalked it up as 'fro-out' due to humidity. But I've since learned that it doesn't matter what the weather is doing... my hair has just decided to be wavy! I have this one weird, loose wave across the back, and then the hair that frames my face it practically a ringlet if I don't touch it! But again, not a good kind... it ends up sticking out!
*sigh*
I just have hair woes. I've tried different shampoos, different products, washing my hair at night, washing it in the morning... it has just changed characteristics. And now I have to learn how to work with my hair all over again.
Have I mentioned that I really like going to Chicago?
So Eric and I headed to Chicago yesterday morning for yet another baseball game (this is #3 for the summer, if you're counting). It was another Cubs game, this time. So this trip was obviously my doing. But Eric got his time in, too. Before the game, we drove just north of Wrigleyville to an area known as Andersonville. With Eric's new job, he's privy to all these little neighborhoods and their CDC's... and he always wants to learn more about what others are doing. So on this trip, it worked well that the game start time got pushed back three hours. We found a local restaurant to have lunch and walked around the neighborhood a bit.
Then is was back down Clark to park and head to the game. We got there a little early, but surprisingly, not early enough for that game's giveaway. The shirt giveaways are always the popular one. But I guess in the scheme of things, we really didn't need more t-shirts. We were in the upper deck for this game, which, if you know Wrigley Field, means limited concessions. 
So we grabbed some drinks on the lower level and made out way up. Since we just ate lunch, we weren't hungry... so that was one less thing to buy and carry. It's been a few years since I sat in the upper deck, so I forgot about the expansive view you get! But more importantly, we were in the shade. Weather wise, it couldn't have been more perfect... but sitting in the sun for a few hours can still drain you.
Ultimately, the Cubbies lost to the Cardinals. Boo! But then, it is the Cubbies late in the season, so it's to be expected, unfortunately. We still had a good time... I always have a good time at Cubs Games!
Since the game was a later game, we were able to head to the hotel, check-in, freshen up, and just head to dinner! We went to The Local, which is Eric's cousin's other restaurant. The menu is full of gourmet comfort food - I had a fluffy topped chicken pot pie that was the epitome of comfort food! Not that we were looking for comfort food... but it was quite good.
The next morning, we grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel, and then we were off. but we weren't going straight home. It was time for a trip over to Redamak's! but to get there, we decided to take the backroads (except for a short part on the interstate through Gary). So we drove through part of the Dunes State park, and followed the South Shoreline rail a good part of the way through Indiana. 
It was a really nice drive. We even stopped at the Beverly Shores station to take some pictures (it's a cute little historic station). But finally, we made it to Redamak's... right at the peak of lunchtime. but as we've learned, try to go to the bar - we can usually snag two seats there and make it a much quicker lunch. Which was quite yummy, as always.
Finally, we were back on the road. Since we had lunch at Redamak's, though, meant there would be no grilled cheeses at Fair Oaks. But we still made a stop there - it's just a good stopping point. But I'm glad we had no intent to eat there, because it was packed! So we definitely just made it a quick stop.
We got home with plenty of time to unwind after all the driving. Last Cubs (or White Sox) game until next year. That doesn't mean we won't go to Chicago until next year... just no more baseball.
This past weekend was full of fun tidbits... nothing that could fill a whole blog, but there were some things worth chatting about.
Friday night, Eric and I had a little date night and went to a place that is apparently becoming nationally known... but we just know it as out local nosh joint, Bluebeard. A friend of ours from Eric's longtime ties with neighborhood in Indy owns the place. It's named after the book by the same name, authored by Kurt Vonnegut. The interior is full of old typewriter, tables made from the trunks of trees, and more character (naturally) than any restaurant that tries to have character could ever get. It's a fun place. We honestly don't get there as much as we'd like, but it's usually slammed... so we get there when we can. On that fine evening, we chose to sit on the wonderful patio. We couldn't have asked for a nicer night and went home very content with full bellies and a relaxed frame of mind.
Saturday was a typical day at the house on any given weekend... some work n the house, some laundry, a bout of laziness, and running some errands. Until the evening hours, at least. A good friend of mine, Erica, is moving to Detroit this fall. This make me very sad, along with many others. Her husband, Brian, also was turning 40. So it was time to have a party! Nothing crazy like we used to do, but everyone wanted to get together and, in case we don't get a chance closer to the moving date, get to say good luck to them. They're moving for good reason... Brian got a promotion. Erica's company has an office there, so she's just transferring. So all that's left is finding a house (they sold their house in Indy in 10 days!). They will both be missed.
After the party, we drove through Eric's new (old) stomping grounds along Mass Ave. The annual Mass Ave. Criterium was happening, and they even had a night race that we got to have a glimpse of. It was kind of cool, actually. I've never seen a bike race, let alone one through an urban area at night.
Today has been much of nothing. Well, for me, anyway. Slept in a bit and then made a good breakfast for Eric and I. Eric's running around, getting some tile down in the bathroom, and, in general, being way more productive than me. But I'm okay with that.
Eric and I made our annual trip to the State Fair tonight, though we felt a little more lost than usual... we normally have a purpose to go. Like an exhibition or event we want to see. But this time, we just decided to go because it was nice out and it was Two-Dollar Tuesday. Not the best reason to decide to go. But we went.
They were calling this year a transition year, as they had no concerts, nor a 'signature dish' like in years past. The signature dish always features the 'agricultural byproduct' of focus for the fair that year... the theme, if you will. You know, pork, tomatoes, soy beans, etc... But this year it was popcorn... while, yes, it is a derivative of corn, it's not really a 'straight from the farm' type of food you'd typically think of. But it worked, I guess. They did have fun with it, at least.
So we just did our normal lap around the fair grounds, with the sole goal to eat some fair food. And people watch. It's always fun to people watch. And the nice weather made the people watching spectacular this year - the fair was packed! But after we had our ribeye sandwiches, we were ready to go. We finished our lap with a walk through the farm vehicles - the size of some of those things amaze me, especially the combines! And then we were off.
All in all, a nice time. Wish we were there for more of a reason, though... which we didn't even realize that we were there for no reason until we sat down to eat. I guess we'll just have to put more thought into next year.
Eric and I had a pretty cool opportunity this morning. US Senator Joe Donnelly hosted a "Coffee and Common Sense" open house for regular Joans and Joes to come voice their concerns. Pretty cool, we thought.
Going into it, we weren't sure what to expect. We honestly thought it might just be a town hall style approach, where anyone could just ask questions. Basically, just an open forum where the senator would actually be there. But to our surprise when we got there, everyone was actually given a number and you got a few minutes, one on one, with the senator. How cool is that??
So to start, you write all your information out on a questionnaire, and then wrote your question(s) out on the back of it. Then you gave your sheet to an aide to keep things in order. Of course there were numerous aides on hand - Eric even knew one of them. But you talked face-to-face with Senator Donnelly. The paper just gave him a chance to read the question and not get blindsided, which is understandable.
They weren't expecting quite he turnout they got, so they ended up having to keep the face-to-face time down to just a few minutes. But in that few minutes, if felt like he was really there listening. Eric had the upper hand on me in that he could talk non-profit with him, and even invite him to something where federal dollars were used. But I think at the end of it all, this is probably something that some good will come out of. They might even do it again, sometime.
Here's something you won't hear everyday... "I'm going to watch an international soccer game in Indy."
The Guinness Internationals Champions Cup had a stop in Indianapolis - Chelsea FC vs. Inter Milan FC. Granted, this is kind of like preseason tournament play for these European teams, it was still something to be able to see in Indy!
Thanks to Eric and his continued connections, we were offered (and took) seats in one of the suites. Well, to be frank, it was technically one of the suites of Indy's new pro soccer franchise, the Indy Eleven. Yes... you read that right. Indy now has a pro soccer team. It's Division II Pro Soccer, and I can tell you, it's already got quite a following in Indy! Proof that soccer is finally getting more of a stronghold on America.
Anyway... back to the game we actually went to last night. I'll be the first to admit, I don't follow soccer, nor do I know much about it. I've tried to learn more about it with both my niece and nephew playing soccer, and I know enough to have heard of both Chelsea and Inter Milan before the game last night. But that's about where the knowledge ends, unfortunately. Which is kind of sad since this is The World's Game. I think I need to delve in and learn more about the game. We'll probably even go to some Indy Eleven games.
The first half of the game was really exciting, though you could tell that we, the people of Indy (and most like much of America), aren't really sure how to cheer on a soccer team. You see the videos from games in Europe - fans really get into it. But here, there were moments of almost eerie silence. But we'll learn. The second half, much like pre-season football in America, was far less exciting because much of the second string was put in to play. But, as a whole, it was pretty cool to see these two teams play live. Just Futball. No Friendlies.
Chelsea beat Inter Milan, 2-0.
Ten years ago, if you would told me you were invited to a wedding on a farm, I would've through it was some sort of redneck wedding. But no... nowadays, that's the setting of a vintage wedding.
But that didn't even really cause a glitch in anything, so if you didn't know any better, you would've never known! And in the big scheme of thing, I'm glad the rain came to cool things off, because it was dreadfully hot earlier in the day, and even still as the rain started to fall. And we were in a barn. Which means no A/C.
which lit off of each other, and the last candles lit on each side went and lit the mother's candles... a unique twist on the tradition. They had a quilt to have people sign... individual squares were cut for people to sign or draw a picture on... very cute idea. And there was even a kids table with coloring books pages and smores.
