Back Home Again in Indiana

Last month, Kyle and I were very blessed to be able to take a trip home to visit family and friends in Indianapolis.  We hadn't been in the States since April of 2012, so it was really nice to be back for a short two weeks that absolutely flew by!

Goodbye Stuttgart...

Hello, Indy!

It was a little bit weird being back after having been gone for so long.  There were a few things that really stuck out to us.  The first thing we noticed up in the airplane on our flight as we were nearing Indy was how long and straight the roads are!  I don't think any of the roads in Germany are straight for longer than 200 meters in one stretch!  Leaving the airport on the interstate, we felt like we were driving really slow, and we couldn't believe how many pick up trucks we saw!  You just don't see those around here!

Whoah!  Free water...with ice!

We stayed back and forth between our parents' houses most of the time.  At Kyle's parents' house, we loved having coffee in the morning outside with Kyle's mom while chatting and checking out the birds and squirrels.

Sadie enjoyed morning coffee too!

We were really happy that we caught the tail end of the State Fair!  We hadn't been there in a few years, so it was a lot of fun to walk around and eat some tasty fair food. It was a beautiful evening with great company!

World's biggest hog

Very long line for deep fried treats.  Deep fried butter, anyone?

We loved checking out all of the updates and new stuff that Indy has to offer.   It's awesome to see everything that they've done.  It really is a great city!  We were even lucky enough to check out all of the people in town for Gen Con.  That's people watching at it's best!

We didn't have a big list of things to see for this trip.  Our list of what we wanted to do mainly consisted of things we wanted to eat!  Mexican food was at the top of the list!  Germany (and Europe in general) just doesn't do Mexican the right way.  We also were craving American steak, sweet corn, micro brews, and deep dish pizza.  We managed to take care of all of those cravings!  Were were also lucky to hit Indy during Devour Downtown, when a lot of restaurants offer a special 3 course menu at a lower price.  We made it to two places for Devour Downtown:  St. Elmo's, which is an old city favorite, and Bluebeard, which is an awesome new place for foodies.  They were both excellent, and the best thing about them was eating with great company!

An aperitif with my sis!

Just looking at this is making me hungry!

The shrimp at St. Elmo's is drenched with horseradish cocktail sauce!

Mmmmmm, crabby mac!

Perfection on a plate

I stole these St. Elmo pics from Mary, Amy, and Lydia.  Thanks guys :-)

The horseradish is getting to my hubby!

While we really enjoyed seeing the city and eating our favorite foods, the whole purpose of the trip was to catch up with the people that we miss so much over here!  Our great friends Jason and Lydia were kind enough to host a party for us so that we could have some fun with long lost friends!  As usual, the food and drinks were spectacular, as was catching up with everyone! (Sorry, we didn't end up with any good people pics!)

A delicious spread!

Kyle's Aunt and Uncle, the Wilson's, hosted a lunch for us and our families.  We had a wonderful time relaxing, eating an amazing home cooked meal (with our favorite Delicious Potatoes!), and visiting with family.  They are such wonderful hosts, and we're so thankful for their hospitality!

Jim is almost finished building the incredible Wilson Theater!

The guys are ready for the show!

We got to catch up with my extended family at Kari's very belated birthday party!  My mom made an amazing dinner, as usual, and we had a great visit.

Kari and I trying our hand at decorating...it wasn't one of our better ones!

Luckily, the timing of our trip was absolutely perfect.  We were so blessed to meet our new nephew, Kristin and Richie's son, Isaac, when he was just a couple of weeks old.  He is such a perfect little thing, and I can't get enough of him!  I'm so excited to see him again in December!

A little 5 pound bundle of preciousness!

Checking out baby surprises from Germany!

Uncle Kyle and Isaac!

Isaac is checking out Aunt Kari!

We had such a fabulous time, and we are so thankful that we were able to take the trip home.  There are a few people that we didn't get to see, but the good thing is we'll be back at the end of December!  Putting together the blog, I also realized we didn't have any good pics with our parents, so we'll have to get some good ones next trip!  Our time in Indy flew by quickly, so we're definitely excited for our trip back in a few months.  Thanks to our family and friends for all of the Hoosier hospitality, and we'll see you again soon!  Next up: the Romantic Rhine, Berlin, Paris, and London!