Indiana Days (8-11)

He Said:

I know, I know, it's been a few days since we last blogged. I am sure you have all been on the edge of your seats since you last read, so I will now fill you in on the actual events that took place in Indiana. I have no idea what She might say, but just remember that what I write is what really happened. (Fyi-this post may be longer, as it discusses four days)

After arriving to the open arms of Her fantastic family, we proceeded to enter one of the family's favorite restaurants, McAllisters (not sure of the spelling here?). Don't worry about the spelling, all you need to know is that the family is obsessed with this place and the sweet tea that they consume in abundance. Every time anyone in the family is visiting Her sister and her family (which is often), they always make the trek to this particular establishment. It has delicious food and a great atmosphere. If you are ever in Carmel, IN, check it out and tell them that the Simpson/Kaopuiki clans sent you and you might get a meal on the house!

We ate too much and She and I settled back onto our iron horse and followed the family back to their house. We all relaxed and She and I told stories of the road and played with the kids. They are great! I feel so lucky to be so welcomed by such a wonderful group of people. Went to bed around midnight with the promise of another relaxing day OFF the bike on Thursday.

Woke up on Thursday very late. Now, Her sister claims that they never sleep in, but every time I have been there, they sleep til at least ten or so. Is this not sleeping in in Indiana? The funniest thing is that their youngest son sleeps in the longest. This blows me away, as I used to wake up with the sun when I was a kid (and still do-except in Indiana).

When we are in Indiana, we generally just hang out and chill with the family. This day was no different. We headed to a lovely park for a picnic and a nature walk. I played tag on the playground. I lost. She lost. The kids won. It was a good time.

After the park we headed to the downtown area of Indianapolis to meet up with Her sister's husband for some dinner at the Spagehtti Factory. Before we ate, we went to one of the kid's favorite places, the mall (I will leave it up to you to decide which kid. Let me just tell you that their is only one daughter in their family). It's always interesting to be at the mall with four kids. I will stop here. Just know that I love it. It's fun to be with other people's kids so that you can spoil them (with cookies before dinner) and not have to deal with the consequences. I am sure this will be paid back at some point. Oh well. Sorry M.

After a wonderful meal at one of the family's other hot spots, we headed home and had another relaxing evening just talking and playing with the kids. Again, I love it.

Friday was the big day for the 3rd of July fireworks event held in their neighborhood. It rivals any fireworks display I have ever seen. In fact, it is better than any other one, as you sit right underneath them. Thanks to Her sister's husband, I have a ton of pics of this amazing event. I will try to post some of those here soon. After the fantastic display, I went to bed.

Saturday was to be a sad day for me. It was the day we were to depart for home. The original plan was to leave on Sunday, but we needed to get a move on, as we decided to head home via a new southern route. It's always tough saying goodbye to everyone. The kids are great. Their parents are great. Her parent's are great. Can't wait to see them again!

Our new route would lead us first to Nashville, TN and a night of amazing music and great beer. More to come on that.

She Said:

I must first celebrate that I am all caught up on the She Said portion of days 1-7. Yippee!! Also, we are having trouble posting pictures. Arg...maybe next stop.

Now on to Indiana... I love Indiana and I especially love the four little munchkins that are sure to show me a good time there (not to mention my sister, Ryon, and my parents who pretty much live there part time : ). This is the second time Travis and I have been to Indiana. The kids have definitely spent time with Travis- they met him last spring, spent the summer with him, and a very compact two weeks of togetherness at Christmas time. My point is, they have known Trav for a little while. They have known me all their lives. This is why when Kyron, my sister's youngest, said "Travis and um.." (pointing at me) clearly struggling to recall my name I was a little shocked. What???? I know Travis is cool, but I am FAMILY!!! We cleared this right up and quizzed him throughout the rest of our trip. Luckily, he passed each time. I should take this opportunity to say how incredibly lucky I am to have a partner that is so great with my family. Travis fits right in the kids. They seem to find him a good time. I particularly enjoyed when Travis jumped on the rip stick (like a kid) and fell onto the pavement. To set a good example (and just because he thinks it's fun) He spent the next few days perfecting his moves. A little stiff in the hips if you ask me, but staying upright.

We spent some very relaxing time in Indiana. Yes there was nature hiking, shopping, and of course a few dinners out (we are the Simpsons after all), but I mostly remember just hanging out at home. We did attempt a visit to the pool since my mom really wanted to go in :) , but ended up all sitting in lounge chairs watching Makela swim under the clouds of the overcast sky. Kyron spent the pool time snuggling up to Travis in a lounge chair making my heart melt. I know I have a terrific guy, but it is so nice to see the decision seconded by the important people in my life. This kind of relaxation in Indiana enjoying the kiddos and family is just what I was looking for.

We also had a wonderful "cookout" and fireworks show the night of the 3rd. The fireworks were just as spectacular as I remembered them last year. My evening was complete with my bag of popcorn in hand. Thanks Ryon, you are one terrific host. No one makes popcorn like you do :)

I am certain we will have at least a few photos to share of this event.

We knew changing our route would cut short our visit by one day. We hated doing this, but were pulled by the fact we were so far east and had such a nice opportunity to revisit one of my favorite places, Nashville, TN. Coupled with the fact that we will see the family again in Portland the day after we return, we decided to push south. It is always hard to say goodbye and at the rate these kids are sprouting you never know what they will look like next. It is very likely both Trav and I will be looking up into the eyes of Makela soon :) Can't wait to see you soon my little buddies!

On to Nashville! We ate delicious BBQ at Jack's Bar-B-Q on Broadway. We were lucky to get a seat. I am sure walking away from the fireworks helped that fate. The rest of the evening was spent listening to some great hits at the world famous Tootsies. We didn't leave until the last fiddle string of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," my favorite!