Indiana

Neil had training in Indianapolis two weeks ago, and Chloe and I tagged along for two reasons. #1: our friends, the Roberts just moved there and #2: there's a good chance we'll be living there someday (most promotions with Neil's company lead to Indiana), so we found this to be a perfect opportunity for me to explore the area a bit. Despite 32 hours of driving (round trip), and not seeing Neil the majority of week, I am so glad Chloe and I decided to go. Thanks again, Brett and Leslie for your hospitality!

We left on a Saturday morning and drove nine hours before stopping in Columbia, MO for the night. Chloe was oh-so-glad to be out of the car, as you can see!

Sunday we made it to Indianapolis by 3pm, unloaded, and spent the rest of the day relaxing with the Roberts. The kids were happy to be reunited. Monday evening I dropped Neil off at his hotel, where he stayed until Friday. The rest of the week was spent exploring the various suburbs of Indianapolis, keeping the kids entertained, and enjoying a break for the everyday craziness of life (while Neil sat in classes all day).

Friday was my favorite day! Not only were Neil and I reunited, but we spent the afternoon in beautiful downtown Indianapolis, child-free! It was glorious! We had lunch at Harry and Izzy's, a restaurant co-owned by Peyton Manning, and absolutely stuffed ourselves! Our waiter told us that Peyton comes into the restaurant all the time. Unfortunately that didn't happen to be one of those days. The food was so incredible that I dreaded the thought of getting full. Shrimp cocktail, a yummy green salad with slivered apples, toasted walnuts, blue cheese and a creamy vinaigrette dressing, prime rib sandwich, onion rings, and the best creme brulee I've ever tasted in my life! Old Blue Eyes and Lady Day played in the background, which made this candle light lunch even more memorable. It was a combination of perfect and romantic!

Here is the shrimp cocktail we devoured. This is what St. Elmo (Harry and Izzy's sister restaurant, located next door, is famous for). The picture really does it no justice. What makes this unique from the others out there is the cocktail sauce, specifically the amount of chili sauce and horseradish they put in the cocktail sauce. It's through-your-nose spicy, but I was able to handle it with no trouble. Must be that Halliday blood in me.

After lunch we explored downtown. Indianapolis is quite honestly the most beautiful city I've ever seen. The architecture is amazing, with a real European feel, and it's very very clean!

Monument Circle

The Indianapolis Arts Garden (& Circle Centre Mall)

We circled a few blocks and then decided to head to the RCA Dome.They are in the process of building a new stadium for the Colts, scheduled to be finished this year.

RCA Dome

Lucas Oil Stadium (a work in progress)

Saturday we were up at 5am sharp (3am MST) and on the road by 5:42. 16 hours and 4 state lines later (IL, MO, KS, & CO), we arrived home sweet home. I have never driven that long in a 24 hour period! Ugh! Vacations are certainly enjoyable, but in my opinion it's just as wonderful to come home. Chloe did amazingly well on the drive. I was actually shocked that she lasted as long as she did. Thank goodness for portable DVD players, headphones and snacks!