Jeff and Becky's Reunion Tour

Finally, after 2-3 years away from central Indiana, my good friends Jeff and Becky (former IFSAns) returned to Indy for a long-awaited reunion. Jeff flew in from D.C., and Becky came from Washington state. We had a busy weekend hitting up some of their favorite spots in the city and seeing lots of friends.

Friday we kicked off the weekend with a show in Broadripple. Johnny Socko, a ska band from the early '90s, was doing a reunion show, and oddly enough we used to work with some of the guys in the band! So the whole IFSA crew trekked out to the show. I think we were the youngest people there, and I have to say it was quite a sight to see a venue full of 40-somethings rocking out to a ska band. Very interesting.

The band!


Me and Jeff.


Me, Becky, and Treva.


The IFSA gang: Becky C., me, Jeff, Marie, Treva, and Becky M.


On Saturday, after recovering from our 3 a.m. bedtime from the night before, we had lunch at our favorite Mexican place then headed downtown for pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks and a stroll through the city.



The public library downtown -- one of my and David's favorite reading places. Becky used to live directly across from the library, and the renovation on the new addition (the glass structure behind the columned building) was in place the entire time she lived there. I took them inside for a little tour. It's quite impressive.


We also stopped by an open house for a new luxury condo building, just for kicks and because it was a little chilly outside. We toured the apartment, which was being sold by the owner of all the Qdobas in town. The realtor/salesman said whoever buys the apartment would also get a year's worth of free burritos! ha! The apartment was about 1100 sq. ft. and was listed for $499,000. Um, yeah, guess I'm not in the market for a luxury apartment downtown.

We also drove by Lucas Oil Stadium. I didn't realize how huge it was! It's massive, even compared to the RCA Dome.

That night we headed out for dinner at McNiven's, a Scottish pub downtown. Then it was on to the Rathskeller for drinks, a German restaurant downtown and a favorite bar among all my friends. I think it's the 32 oz. beers that they like so much. :)

Me and Becky at McNivens: it's Miller time!


Me and Jeff at McNiven's.


Drinking beer at the Rathskeller: Kirk, Treva, Becky, and Jeff. You'll notice I'm the one taking the picture because I was not partaking in the drinking festivities. The luxury of being a DD.


Me, Becky, and Jeff at the Rathskeller.


I'm not even sure what this is about. For some reason there is this sign downtown with a dancing girl. She just dances away, night and day. I have no idea what that's about. So Becky and I decide to join her; this was after a long night mind you.

Jeff and Chase bonded. Chase really took to him.


And that pretty much concludes the Jeff and Becky Reunion Tour. It was a great weekend. Miss them already!

Let's Have a Shower

Two weekends ago the Stelsels (ahem, me, David, and Chase) and the Stelsel Jrs (as we refer to Kirk and Laura) headed up to the great (cold) state of Wisconsin for some gift giving and family time. Connie and her sister Sharon hosted a really nice bridal shower for Laura, who Kirk has somehow managed to convince to marry him in April. (I’m kidding, Kirk! You are quite a catch.)

The shower was lovely, and the bride-to-be was sent home with a load of loot. Of course I wasn’t the one getting showered with gifts, so for me the best part of the weekend was spending time with Laura’s family. Her mom and dad (from Evansville) and sister (who lives in D.C.) made the haul to Waupun for the weekend. They were such a hoot, and we had such a good time. I can tell you, it’s gonna be a fun wedding. Congratulations, Kirk and Laura! Looking forward to the big day!

Check out the pictures from our trip.

Leaving the rain in Indy for the snow in Wisconsin. Yep, that's right; it snowed.


At the shower (from left to right): Laura's sister Emily, mom Debbie, and Laura


Laura and her mom(s)


No games at this shower (whew!). But we did win take-home gifts when our name was drawn out of the basket. Laura draws out a name....


...and it's her mom!


She won a turkey made by Boppa.


Laura opens lots of gifts...

...while her sister makes the ribbon bouquet for the rehearsal.

Later we all had dinner together. The Kassenbrocks and Stelsels, together at last!

On This Day...

As I sit here and write this on a cold, rainy day in Indy, I am reminded of the beautiful day we had 4 years ago. The weather was perfect. David and I got to spend the day with all our family and friends. Oh yeah, and we made a lifelong commitment to spend our lives together.

It seems like only yesterday I was walking down that aisle, but a lot has happened since that day. The church we were married in is no longer there. In its place is a bulldozer and a pile of dirt. Our career paths are on a different track, with David doing the CFA program and me back in school and at a new job. Our home is far more lively with a little Chaser running the roost. Our friends are married and having babies, and I have two new nephews to spoil myself.

It's been a good 4 years. Thank you to all our family and friends for sharing that day with us in 2005. We look forward to the many years and changes that await us, and look forward to sharing all of them with you.

In D.C. for our 2nd anniversary.

It's official -- I've been published!

I finally wrangled a copy of that wedding magazine I told you about in May. They only published my honeymoon story and not the Ed Carpenter story, so I don't know if that story will be included in another issue or what. Either way, I'm still excited to see one of my stories in print!

Read my story here!

Viewing tips: When you click on the link above, you can zoom in and out by clicking on the + or - signs on the right side of the page.

Going for the Gold

Today was Butler's Homecoming (Mom and Dad's 5-year reunion, believe it or not). I don't think they really cared anything about going, but I really wanted to compete in the annual Bulldog Beauty Contest. And since I'm the baby, they let me. I practiced really hard for two weeks before the big day. I practiced all my tricks. I practiced prancing down a runway with my leash. I was about as prepared as I could've been. What I didn't expect, and what I couldn't prepare for, however, was the nerves!

There were 93 dogs in the competition today, most of whom were far bigger (and uglier) than me. I sniffed (and was sniffed by) a fair share of bulldogs today, but I wasn't interested in playing with any of them. Something about them kinda made me nervous. Fortunately, they only seemed to care about two things: 1) drooling, and 2) bullying each other. I was glad they just left me out of it; apparently I don't come off as much of a threat.

Anyway, back to the contest. I competed in two categories. First was Best Trick. Dad took me up on stage to show the judges 'Play Dead.' I was all ready for it, but when I got up there all I wanted to do was clean up the crumbs from the others dogs' treats. Needless to say, I was too distracted to do my trick.



Next up was Best Wannabe Bulldog. I was pretty sure I had this one in the bag, not only cuz I'm just so darn cute, but because I was rockin' a new football uniform. What better way to win a contest on Homecoming than to dress up as a football player, right?

Well, I didn't win either category. :( But I did my best, and everyone commented on how cute I was and what a good dog I was. So my ego is still intact.

After the contest, we ran into a lot of college friends. We spent a few more hours on campus just hanging out with friends, which included a trip to Dad's old fraternity house. I'm a legacy, you know. And I left my mark on the shrub by the front door to prove it.

It was a good day. I hope we can go back next year. Until then, though, it's going to be practice, practice, practice. Next year, victory will be mine.