a long-awaited visit

Last week, my parents finally came for a visit! We've been trying to schedule a time for them to come ever since we moved, so we'd been looking forward to this for quite a while! My mom had been here once (she helped us moved in), but during that time the house was in disarray and we were using our GPS everywhere we went. We were SO excited to show Mom and Dad around and introduce them to some favorite places that we have discovered during the past year.

Our first morning started out with a bang. Literally. While backing out of the garage, I was blabbing about something and ran the front of my car into the edge of the garage door. Uh oh. Thankfully, the guy who was riding in my backseat is the ultimate fix-it man and the problem was resolved by the end of the day. Seriously, he can fix ANYTHING, even a huge dent and a big white paint smear on the side of a black jeep. And he did it with only a 2x4, some goo gone and a little bit of polish. Thanks, Dad. :)

Some highlights from their trip:

- Our first stop, which was the Fresh Market in our neighborhood. I know it's ridiculous that I take pretty much all of our visitors to a GROCERY STORE, but it's just an amazing place! It's so beautiful and relaxing (sadly, I rarely walk out with a purchase because their prices are pretty high, but it's still fun to look)!

- Bub's Burgers and Ice Cream. Friday night we enjoyed gorgeous weather as we sampled Bub's famous burgers and shakes on their outdoor patio. Mmmhhmmm...

- We spent all day Saturday at Ken Ham's Creation Museum, which is about 2 hours south of Indy. After hearing rave reviews since it opened a few years ago, we had high expectations for our visit. We were not disappointed! From the planetarium to the dinosaur models, to the recreation of the Garden of Eden and Noah's Ark, the museum was filled with top of the line exhibits and fascinating displays that gave glory to God, Creator and Designer of the Universe. We would recommend the museum to anyone (especially families with kids)!

- Ambrosia. Our FAVORITE restaurant in Indy, hands down. Authentic, old country Italian. The type of place where all of the dishes are secret family recipes and made from scratch (even the pasta). Chances are if you have visited us over the past year, we have taken you here. You might notice that our plates in these pictures are practically licked clean.

- Our tour of the Indianapolis Speedway. Coincidentally, this year marks the 100th anniversary of the racetrack that hosts the Indy 500 race every year! We got to drive the 2.5 mile track and visit a museum that houses many of the winning vehicles, some of which date back to the late 1800's! For my sweet Dad who was a bit obsessed with cars in his "BC days" (as he refers to his life before Christ), the museum was a special walk down memory lane. We loved hearing him tell stories from his childhood and provide unique insights into the development of racing cars.

- Riding bikes on the Monon. After hearing about this trail that runs straight through the entire city (with an entry point just a couple blocks from our house), my mom has been DYING to ride a bike on it. She finally got her wish! We were blessed with cool fall temps and spent several hours enjoying a peaceful ride. Now, Mom is on a mission to see that Wichita builds a trail just like it... :)

- BRICS (Broad Ripple Ice Cream Station). Oh wow, this neighborhood ice cream shop is good. It opened just a few months ago in a 100 year old railway station - it's right off the Monon, so close that we can walk to it any time that we want to. All of the ice cream is made in Indiana and it is simply delicious. So delicious that we had to visit twice. :)

- Zionsville (an adorable suburb of Indy). Note to self: don't visit here on a Monday. Everything is closed. Oh well. We have a memory, a very short one, that will make us smile and remind me to always check store hours before making plans.

- Our welcoming committee. Every time we came back to the house, Stryder and Annabelle were at the window, beyond anxious to greet us. As you can imagine, they were spoiled with love and attention by the grandparents. For days after my parents left, the dogs would run down to the guest room in the morning, to check and see if they were there. Awww.

Well, that probably sums up their visit pretty well! Thanks for the great memories, Mom and Dad! Love you!