Indianapolis!

My awesome family.  Thanks Lissy for the great pic!

Adorable cousins :)

playing at the park

Bright eyed girl

This dock was part of the walking trail!  Loved it

Eating at Zest, the famous restaurant

My jogging buddy

    

Violet and I made an adventurous trip to Indianapolis all by ourselves!  I was a wreck before we left, but we were missing Jeff bad enough to conquer that fear and make the trip.  I had a few things to fear; 1.  I am a terrible driver.  Everyone knows it, I will just accept it now.    When I actually got my license, I realized I did not know how to drive!  My friends have many stories about me backing into bushes, getting stuck in a  car wash, stopping on exit ramps (I still do that some).  Anyway, I am a terrible driver and really don't like driving in a city let alone a new one!  Second think to fear, Violet awake and unhappy in the back and nothing I can do about it.  I don't like to hear her cry!  I called my friend Allison and in an anxious state and she gave me a few pointers.  I needed to get a DVD player and I needed to stop at a Crackle Barrel.  The best advice I have ever gotten!  Violet was a champ and either slept or sang in the back.  All my energy was focused on getting to Crackle Barrel and I have never felt more relieved than when I finally arrived three hours into my trip.  It was when I left Crackle Barrel that I realized I hadn't really thought about Indianapolis yet.  I hoped for the best.
     One thing I learned about Violet in our trip is that she is a three hour traveler.  No more.   Indianapolis is 3 1/2 hours from my Crackle Barrel.  Violet let me know her three hours were up right as we entered the city.  The interstate I was supposed to exit onto was under major construction.  they actually had the signs covered up!  My GPS was telling me to exit, but I couldn't tell if it was the exit I was almost to or the next!  I decided to go with my gut and exit on the signless exit.  Never go with my gut.  7 lane traffic bumper to bumper and I am going the wrong direction!  People are honking at me because I am stopped on the exit lane, again.  Finally some man waves me on, not so nicely, and the skies open up and it is pouring!  Raining so hard you can hardly see!  I called Jeff, mad as a hornet at this moment.  He got me turned around and about 1/2 hour later we arrived.  Our wonderful visit could finally begin. 
     We had so much fun in Indianapolis!  We got to go to the zoo and feed the giraffes!  We loved the animals and Violet loved all the people.  We also found an amazing park that we visited everyday.  It was beautiful with a pond and a dock that went all around the pond!  It had walking trails and amazing play structures.  We got a lot of use out of the swings and walking trails.  School had started so during the afternoon the park was full of moms and young children.  I was so proud to be a part of that group.
      Living in a hotel for awhile is interesting with a rolling infant.  I didn't want her to be on the floor so she played on the bed while we were at the hotel.  She actually loved it and learned to flap her arms and bounce.  We became good friends with the housekeepers and swam everyday!  She is a fish!  She actually sticks her face in the water.  She lays on her belly and kicks her feet and splashes her arms.  One of the best parts of the trip was eating at a restaurant called Zest.  We love the Food Network and saw it featured on Diners Drive-In's and Dives the night before Jeff left.  We had to try it!  It was amazing and had a fun city like atmosphere with a cute outside dining area, perfect for Violet.  We may have to do a cross country vacation and eat all those featured restaurants!  The whole trip was an adventure but so worth it to see Violet with her Daddy.  We can't wait to go back; I just wish we could teleport there!