13th Anniversary Getaway - Day One

 

We had aspirations of going somewhere very warm and very new-to-us this year for our anniversary, but alas, I only had three days of vacation left before the end of the year, and none of them included a Sunday. So we decided to spend a few days in Indianapolis, a location familiar to us, and decidedly not a warm destination in December! Today I’ll tell you about the first part of our trip!

                We planned to leave after church on Sunday, and of course, Indiana was hit with a major snowstorm on Saturday. We weren’t even sure if we’d have church on Sunday morning. Back roads were not great and many churches in our area closed. But we did get to have church, so we were awfully glad we did not ignore the 5 a.m. alarm. We were up scrambling to finish packing all the last-minute things you can’t pack until the day you leave, and then we had to allow extra time to get to church.

                We tiptoed out right before the last song, hurried home as quickly as we safely could, and packed the vehicle with our luggage. We dropped Lexi off for boarding, and then we made our way to Subway for some lunch. DID YOU KNOW that Subway no longer offers flatbread? I’m so sad. I think I might be done with Subway. I got a wrap, but it’s not the same, and it was just a sad little start to the trip. We ate in the car so we could get on our way, and we stopped for coffee about halfway through our trip.

                Our first stop was a redo of something we’ve done before: The Christkindlmarkt in Carmel! The last time we went, we lived in Kokomo, and Ryan’s mom had just lived with us for a couple of weeks following her brain surgery. We’d been running ragged, dividing and conquering, and that date was so needed and so sweet. (Fun fact: the boots I blogged about buying for ten bucks? I still wear them, seven years later.)

                Parking and admission to this Christkindlmarkt are still free, just like they were seven years ago, and the skating rink was still full. We walked around, got some pictures, shared a hot chocolate, and people-watched. Maybe it’s because we have been here before, maybe it was because it was SO COLD, or maybe it’s because we don’t eat as much as we used to, but it just didn’t feel as fun this time, I don’t think. I’m still glad we went, and it was a fun adventure for a Sunday afternoon, but I don’t know that we would go back a third time.

                When we left there, we headed to our home away from home for this trip. We looked at Airbnbs, but anymore they just don’t feel like the bargain they used to be. We looked at the JW Marriott, because it’s on my 50 Before 50 list, but we could not justify the price. Paying for parking and internet and breakfast is just not our jam. So Ryan looked and looked and found the perfect spot. Check out what was in our backyard!!

                There actually was a home game that day, but it was an afternoon game, so there was no way we could get there without missing church. (And they lost, so there’s that…)

                I adored our room. We were able to get a whole suite at a better rate than a regular room other places, and it was the perfect fit for our stay.

                I spent quite a bit of time imagining how I would outfit that suite as a full-time apartment. The Pinterest lover in me always likes to design a tiny apartment for full-time living.

                After we settled in, we decided to take in the sights downtown. We knew more snow was coming, so even though it was cold and windy, it felt like the best day to look around. We walked about 4 miles that night. (We didn’t see the virtue in driving two miles and paying for more parking when we could just walk.)

                Ryan found a Shake Shack downtown and had always wanted to eat there, so we did! I haven’t had a proper hamburger in months, so this was a special treat for me! I sneaked a few of the fries and shared the shake with Ryan. The place was nearly empty, and we enjoyed our meal!

                On our way home, we had to pause and pose with the hotel where we stayed on our first anniversary. You remember it, right? The one where we found a bite taken out of our donut?? That absolutely kept this one out of contention for a redo!

                (Ryan wore his new heated vest gift for this walking adventure and reported that it kept him quite toasty!)

                Thanks for coming along on the first day of our anniversary trip!