Great weekend :)

This weekend, Jeff and I (and Jill of course!) got to go to Indianapolis to see my family. My brother-in-law Devin ran in the Indy Marathon, so Amy and her family would be there. Danny and Pete and their families live near there, so they're already in town. I had been dreaming of getting to see Amy in October, so when I learned she would be in Indy (which is about three hours closer to me than where she lives), I couldn't pass up that opportunity.

Then, of course, when my parents heard that all of their grandchildren and children would be in one city for the weekend that was something they couldn't pass up.

So, it pretty much ended up like this . . .

The time to get there . . . about 3 hours.
The cost to drive there . . . about 50 dollars.
Seeing everyone in my family . . . priceless.

Okay, that was a bit corny, but if you're reading this, then you probably like me, and you'll put up with the corn. ;)

And there he is! The main event people! My brother-in-law is a marathon runner. I can't handle it! :) I'm mostly just really impressed. I think his time ended up being around 3 1/2 hours for the 26.2 miles. It wasn't his best time. Actually, I think it was his second worst time, but I was amazed.

Do you remember a few posts back where I mentioned that I called any race a marathon? Those days are gone. Respect for the true marathon has been born, and I will never again refer to a 5K as a marathon. I've been educated! Reformed! . . . awed, really. I can't imagine running straight for that long. I mean, back in the day, I would go to all day soccer camps and what not, but we had breaks. We would stop and huddle and listen to the coach talk. Even in track, I am positive that I have never run straight for that amount of time. I don't even think I've walked straight for that amount of time. (Been on my feet for that long, yes, but never stopping and only walking, I don't think so.)

A side note, as a plus to watching Devin run, I randomly saw one of my best friend's dads running. Wow. So, I'm 24, and I can't run that long. A 55-year old runs past me. For shame. New goal: to run a 5K. Once Jeff gets a job, I will look for runs in the vicinity of where we are moving. I should probably also start running again.

The happy Rose family

Another fun event of the weekend was going to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Wonderfully, there was free admission. What a blessing! The museum was really cool. I don't know much about art, other than the snippets that I remember from art history in college, but I really enjoyed my time there. The plaques were very informative, and the displays were incredible. They spent a lot of time and money to make the different exhibits unique and special. A highlight was the special exhibit, Sacred Spain. They were really considerate of children, too. They didn't make me feel bad about how loud Jill sounded when her babbles echoed in the large, spacious rooms. I recommend a visit if you're near.

Mom and Dad sure enjoyed their time with all the granddaughters: Hallie, Annibelle, Emily, and Jill. We're all very excited to see the new granddaughter coming soon to a city near me in January 2010! :)

Although, it will be weird for Jill not to be the littlest anymore, but hey I knew that wouldn't last. ;)

Another activity was eating lunch at Circle Centre Mall downtown and playing some mall games that Amy and Devin created for us. I hadn't been to that mall in a while, but there were some good memories of when my family had been there back in the day when we were living in good ol' Muncie.

The games were fun, and no wheelchairs were necessary! ;)

We were able to see Chelle and Shane while we were there; they were kind enough to let us crash at their place during the weekend. We also stopped by at Kevin's house on the way back to Cincy. (That's one of Jeff's brothers.)

The weekend festivities seemed to go on until Monday, when we celebrated Kyle's birthday. Laurie and Daryl treated everyone to dinner at O'Charley's. I had never eaten there before, but it was delicious. I recommend the Southwest Chicken Tacos and the Spinach and Artichoke Dip. Delicious! Everyone enjoyed what they ordered though, so I suppose you're safe with anything. :)

Earlier that day I was chatting with Laurie, and I commented on how big my baby was getting. She looked at Kyle and responded, "well look how big my baby has gotten." (Kyle just turned 17.) Sigh. Time will fly, won't it?

There are more pictures on facebook, but sadly while I got at least one picture of all the nieces, I didn't manage to get any of Rachel, Dan, or Mindee. :( It looks like I'll just have to visit again!! Thank you for your love and hospitality! :)

Jill trying to be warm.

Sweet Hallie loves her cousin Jill