I know, I know, Thanksgiving was weeks ago. But we had a fantastic trip to Indiana and Illinois so I had to share some of our photos. On Thanksgiving Day, we flew from LA to Indianapolis where Irving’s sister picked us up and brought us to their gorgeous new house. We arrived just an hour before dinner was served (good timing, right?!) We all got straight to work preparing the remaining side dishes. It was so fun to chat, cook and catch up since we don’t get to see them often! 
They went all out with the most amazing, unique dishes. My favorite was the corn bread stuffing (amazing)! Per usual, there was not enough room on our plates for everything. They even had homemade pies with matching homemade whipped cream on top. I die. 
We dined in their new formal dining room that was so welcoming, homey and filled with family. It was the perfect setting for a Thanksgiving celebration. 
We spent the night cleaning up, hanging out and relaxing all together. And there was LOTS of playing with the kitties involved too. This little one slept with us each night all cuddled up close. It was adorable. We miss her! 
The next day, forget Black Friday, we spent our time sightseeing around Indianapolis instead. We stopped at the Lily Estate, which is an Americana mansion built in the 1920s. We visited the Newport Mansions over the summer and were excited to see some more. 
There were a lot of similarities, but the Lily estate seemed more like a home rather than an entertaining venue, which was nice. 
Then we hopped over to the Indianapolis Museum of Art right next door. 
We were so impressed by the exhibits they had inside. It was mostly contemporary art, but some really cool stuff. Lots of interactive displays and art that utilized unique mediums. Afterwards, we stopped to enjoy some beer, hot cocoa (for me!) and some hot pretzels in the museum café. And then we were just in time to see a gorgeous sunset off the balcony. 
As we walked back to the car, we stopped to look at some outdoor displays as well. This one was meant to represent a basketball court and the motion of the ball when it bounces. So creative! 
We ended the night at a craft beer bar. Everyone else had a flight of their signature brews while we played a bunch of games at the table. 
I might be getting my days mixed up now, but I think we then stopped at a fro-yo place right after this too. We had excellent hosts while we were there!
Saturday morning, we woke up to do a tour of the downtown area. Starting with a stop at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (home of the Indy 500). 
We didn’t stop in the museum, but it’s definitely a place I’d like to visit next time! 
From there, we parked the car and took a long walk along the canals. So pretty! I bet it’s really hopping in the summer time too. 
We ended our day at the Soldiers and Sailors monument, which was decked out for the holidays. 
We could have taken the elevator up to the top…. but instead, being the bunch of athletes that we are, we hoofed it to the top! 
Great views of the city, and good exercise too. So fun.
For the last part of our trip, we drove a couple of hours to Chicago to see my sister. 
It was fun to have everyone together! We played games all afternoon. Loved it! 
We did explore downtown Chicago for an afternoon, but it was cooold! 
Baby’s first trip to the bean. =) 
Thanks EJ and Sarah for the wonderful time in Indy! 
And to Laurie and Jim for entertaining us too! 
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