NashVegas

It's official - after two bachelorette parties in Nashville, I can confidently declare it the Vegas of the Midwest. If Nashville's tourism office hasn't jumped on that marketing ploy, they are seriously missing out.

My dear friend Ally - who got married yesterday!! - decided Nashville was the perfect place for us to celebrate her impending nuptials, and surrounded by sorority sisters, we had a blast. Here's a brief look at our weekend in country music's home.

The Lone Lauren Rapp

My beautiful sister-in-law is married! And has been for a month - I'm just super behind!  I still hope to share pictures from their adorable rehearsal dinner, but we shall see at this rate. Yeesh!

However, her wedding means I am now the sole Lauren Rapp, a very strange place to be in! For the past three years, Lauren graciously shared her name with me everywhere - home, family events, CVS, doctor offices, you name it. I'm sure that's not every sister-in-law's dream, but I couldn't have shared it with anyone better.

The wedding was absolutely gorgeous and a complete blast. The entire day and evening was so filled with love and joy, and it was beautiful to behold. Lauren and Ryan are such a wonderful couple, and everything about their big day was elegant and stunning! Since I'm so behind, I won't get into too much description, but I'm sharing a few pictures from her big day.

Congratulations, Lauren! And, welcome to the family, Ryan!

See some of my favorite photos from the wedding, below!

Indy 500 Fun

Hey there, friends! It's almost the end of the school year, and I'm feeling my usual sadness at getting ready to say goodbye to my little ones. I have so many new posts and recipes to share, yet I am completely distracted by needing bid farewell to my students.  It still amazes me how each class is so different, yet beautiful in its own way.

Anyhoo...after an awesome field day, I came home and needed some quiet time to process. John graciously gave it to me, and I felt inspired to finally finish and publish a new post. So, here's a quick recap of our Indy 500 weekend!

Saturday began with a mini Alpha Phi reunion. Our dear friend and sorority sister, Annie, was in town from Colorado, and we all got together for a brunch that lasted until nearly 7 p.m.  It was just too hard to part sooner!

Ally, Rachael, Annie, Me, Swade and Linds

After our late brunch, John and I drove Annie back to the 500 lots, where she was camping out with her dad and older brothers. It was her dad's 50th race in a row (!), and we stayed to enjoy some quality time around their campfire. I hadn't been in that lot since I camped out for the 500 in 2006, when it was a record-high temperature and unbearably hot. This time I was able to enjoy the night and atmosphere!

Race day was cool, yet oh-so-refreshing! I spent time with John's family, as well as with Annie, and I couldn't have been happier.

It's "Christmas" for this handsome guy!

Annie and I for a mid-race meet up outside the Pagoda

Race fun

Kisses for my love

To top it off, our favorite driver, Tony Kanaan, won the race! Little bit of a "toot-toot", a couple years ago TK actually replied to some of my tweets! John was so impressed, and I think it earned me wife points for years to come. I dug through to find the tweets, and put the screen shots together as proof.

{My lawyer-filled family and justice-seeking first graders have clearly rubbed off on me.}

Fuchsia Flash at Bluebeard

Happy Monday! I have a feeling this month will FLY by, thanks to several events planned for each weekend of the month. It will be June before I know it!

John and I had such a fun weekend! We had friends over Friday, tried a new restaurant, saw Iron Man 3, caught up on much-needed sleep, and ended the weekend with a great dinner with John's family. Instead of sharing every detail, I want to make sure you know about a fun new-to-us restaurant in Fountain Square (for you Indy people!).

John and I had about eight friends over Friday night for a few beverages and appetizers. It was a nice way to start our evening, while waiting for our table to be ready! From our apartment downtown, we headed to Bluebeard, a unique and fun restaurant in Fountain Square. According to this Indy Star piece, it's one of Indy's top 50 restaurants to try!

The restaurant had a great vibe and a very eclectic menu. John and I opted to share the mussels and scallops. At $16 each, the dishes are a bit pricey. I would highly recommend the mussels if you're looking for a good "bang for your buck." John and I easily could have split them, though I highly enjoyed my {2} scallops.

Mussels | Scallops (only 2!)

Our table was filled with laughs, stories, and debates about the best shows on TV currently. {No clear winner!}

Linds and I even discovered we had the same lipstick {Fuchsia Flash by Maybeline}, and we even got Swade in on the party. We had some major photo issues, and fortunately for me, John has learned to take several shots to ensure there's at least one I like. I married a smart one!

John and I had a wonderful evening with friends, and I'd highly recommend the restaurant to anyone looking for an eclectic menu, relaxed atmosphere and excellent service. Thanks to Moyer for coordinating this wonderful night! Cheers!

Shopping for a Cause

John woke me up Saturday morning with a proposition I never thought possible: shopping. What, pray tell, inspired my sweet hubby to eagerly offer to accompany and encourage this trip? A great event, with a truly wonderful cause: Pink Label event.

John read an Indy Star article about the Pink Label event, learning it offers designer and popular name designs at significant discounts during a 2-day event, with all proceeds benefiting the Caroline Symmes Endowment for Pediatric Cancer Research through the Riley’s Children’s Foundation. And, with that, we headed out for a bit of Saturday shopping.

While I'm sure most of the big-ticket items were grabbed the first day, we managed to snag some amazing deals during our little trip. I stopped at the accessories table almost immediately. I snagged a bangle bracelet I spied at Nordstrom recently, and it was a steal at $8. I also grabbed a four-piece bangle set for a whopping $2.

As we walked around the space, I spotted some great Cole Haan shoes for John. While they were a tad bit big, John was happy to get a deal ($20!) on some comfy - and quality! - shoes that will be perfect for summer.

I'm a big hat lover. A table full of adorable caps drew my attention. Especially, this sassy number. At retail, the hat values at $150. However, thanks to this event, I walked away with it for $15. That, I can do!

Before leaving, John and I returned to the accessories table. I picked up a lovely turquoise cross necklace for $5, and a pair of gold and peach earrings for $5.

In total, we spent $55. We walked away with some steals and deals, but we also left feeling really good about the money spent and the cause it served.

NashBash

Also known as, my sister-in-law Lauren's bachelorette party in Nashville!

This weekend was an absolute blast! I could not have had a better time celebrating the beautiful bride-to-be with her aunts, my mother-in-law and fellow bridesmaids. Here's a glimpse into our fabulous bachelorette weekend. Congrats, Lauren!!

After a long drive from Indy, we arrived at our hotel and quickly went for dinner.

Bride and her bridesmaids!

We opted to stay in Friday night, as we had a very busy day Saturday, beginning with a tour of the Grand Ole Opry. I really enjoyed the tour, and that's coming from someone who doesn't listen to country music regularly. Though I do love the show Nashville!

Name twins!

The gang (minus Leslie, who graciously took the picture!)

The famous circle!

Bridesmaids and Bride on stage

Rayna's dressing room on Nashville! Loved seeing this one!

After the tour we went on a historic Nashville pub crawl, complete with trivia, ghost stories, fun facts and history about the city. It was a great way to see more of Nashville and actually learn a few things too!

First stop!

The bachelorette with her special hat and veil!

End of the pub crawl (and with the other group of girls who went on it with us)!

We returned to the hotel after our pub crawl to get ready for the evening. We played bachelorette games, ate tons of food and snacks, and then went out to celebrate our bride. Lots of dancing and laughing ensued, and it was a perfect way to round out our day. 

Beautiful bride with beautiful mom and aunts!

Rapp ladies!

Maid of Honor, Bride and Matron of Honor

"Love" it!

Dancing queens!

After breakfast Sunday morning we journeyed back to Indy. It was a perfect weekend, and I can't wait for Lauren's wedding in less than two months! We love you!


On a side note, I have to give a HUGE shout out to my sweet hubby who has been beyond thoughtful this week. He ran all my errands and picked up dinner Monday night so that I could focus on unpacking and getting the house back in order (I'm a spaz!). Then I came home yesterday from a long day, and he had cleaned the entire kitchen, including hand-washing all the pots and pans that I'd neglected for a few days. To top it off, he went out last night and got me a McFlurry because my heartburn was unusually bad. Very blessed girl over here, who is oh-so-thankful for her hubby. Men...take note! :)

Spring Break in Sanibel!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter, rejoicing that He is risen! John and I just got back from a fun and relaxing vacation on Sanibel Island. We spent five days with John's grandparents and had an absolute blast. I've shared some highlights of our trip below, and I wish we were back there already. Here's hoping for warm, spring-like weather in April!

Weekend Update

Happy Monday!

I hope you've all had a wonderful day and even better weekends. I was beyond busy Saturday, but actually managed to REST and relax Sunday. Even better? I had Monday off, and not only did I catch up on laundry, but I cleaned the apartment and made John one of his favorite meals - Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Lasagna! After I finish this post I plan to enjoy the evening with my hubby and pup and watch The Bachelor finale - judge away!

Friday night John and I met up with his siblings, Lauren and JB, and enjoyed some steamed mussels, delicious fries and lots of laughter at Brugge Brasserie in Broadripple. We had a blast, and it was so nice to spend time together while JB was home from IU and Lauren is still an Indy resident!

JB is happy to cheese for the camera but John wasn't feeling it :)

Brothers and sisters!

Devour Downtown Date Night!

Well what do you know, I'm actually writing a post today! No one is more surprised than I am, but John and I had such a fun date night Friday, that I just had to share. Especially because it involves a great deal for any of you living in or visiting Indy this week!

Devour Downtown occurs twice a year in Indianapolis, usually once in the winter and once in the summer. For two weeks, almost every downtown restaurant offers special menus and significantly discounted rates. It's such a great time to try out new restaurants, especially ones that might normally be too pricey. Plus, I'll take any excuse to dress up for a night out!

Top: Forever 21 (Christmas gift from my mom)
Pants: Zara (from my 2008 trip to Tokyo!)
Shoes: Target
Pearl Necklace: Reis-Nichols (my wedding gift from John)
Bracelet: Brighton (Christmas gift from John's aunt Linda)
Clutch: Hand-me-down from my mom

 

Sapphire and diamond earrings: Reis-Nichols (my Christmas gift from John!)

Enter: St. Elmo's. St. Elmo's is a pretty famous steakhouse in Indy. It serves some of the best cuts of meat, plus its famous shrimp cocktail. It was even featured on a recent episode of Parks and Recreation!

This fantastic food comes with a hefty price tag, so John and I had never been before. However, during Devour Downtown, it offers a menu for $35 a person. Included was an appetizer (salad or shrimp cocktail - which normally costs $16!), an entree (salmon, chicken or filet mignon) with smashed potatoes and green beans on the side, and a dessert (creme brulee, bread pudding or cheesecake).

Shrimp cocktail, Filet (with blue cheese topping) and creme brulee for this happy girl!
Forgive the pictures...dim lighting in the restaurant and I didn't want to use my flash.

Our meal was absolutely delicious, and John and I had the best time. I left feeling very appreciative of John's little surprise idea, and it kicked of a great weekend filled with redecorating our apartment a bit, an impromptu dinner date with my good friend Ally (another Devour Downtown host - Scotty's Brewhouse), brunch with one of my favorite journalism professors in Bloomington, and a big IU basketball victory. 

post-dinner self portrait - never the best!

Enough about me...

How was your weekend? 
Do any of your cities or towns offer events like Devour Downtown?

2nd Anniversary Trip to Disney

Happy Monday! 

Today is a big day. Today marks three weeks until work/school resumes. It really hit me today, and I ended up spending several hours today running errands, working out and enjoying my last bit of unstructured free time. I have a feeling these next weeks will fly by, and I want to be sure to enjoy this time.

Tomorrow is an even bigger day. Tomorrow is our 2nd wedding anniversary. It still feels like yesterday that I was reading John's letters to me on our wedding day. They made my heart swell with love as I prepared to do the best thing I've ever done - marry John. I'm grateful for my handsome, considerate, intelligent, funny husband, and I can't wait to make more memories with him.

Some of my favorite memories from this year included our trip to Disney World. We ran around like crazy all day, every day - including the park's extended hours (the app I told you about was the best tool, thank goodness we had it!)! I don't remember the last time my legs hurt that bad, but it was worth it for all we did and saw. The weather was more bipolar than Indiana, which I never knew to be possible. Thanks to a certain tropical storm, we were in hot sun and complete downpours within seconds of one another.

We laughed, relaxed, and enjoyed being big kids. The next time we go will be kiddos, so now we have a special time, too. This trip was our anniversary gift to each other, so I thought this was a fitting time to share some of my favorites. (Last year we went to Universal Studios!)

Inside our beautiful hotel...We loved The Grand Floridian!

Being a bit silly

Waiting in line for Winne the Pooh ride

Pirates

Beautiful breakfast

Some of the weather we experienced

Don't get splashed!

Had to show the castle!

Self-portraits, most often in line :)

Last picture of the whole trip...wiped.