A Day at the Indiana State Fair

Have you attended a State Fair Before?  Why did/do you go?

My top four reasons for going this year:

1. Seeing my little cousin show her Alpaca. (Not going to lie I want one)
2. The exercise you get walking around. (remember I am on a mission to lose weight)
3. Getting a funnel cake (not a part of #2)
4. Getting out and doing something fun

The Husband’s top four reasons for going this year:

1. Food
2. Food
3. Food
4. Food

Yeah, he gets a little expensive at the fair.  At least it is only once a year.

Overall I had a great time and I was definitely worn out by the end of the day.  Making a mental note to myself here that we will go back during the day on a week day again.  Lines are not as long and there are a lot less people there.  You are not competing to see things with people and can move along at leisure.  Plus you get a sweet parking spot.  We literally walked right in.
If you plan on attending the State Fair in Indiana there are some discounted days that you can check out, just be aware that there will be a lot of people on those days.  If you decide to go on a day that is not discounted you can still buy discounted tickets for $7.00 at CVS.  Just remember you will still also need to pay $5.00 for parking.

So if you are looking for something to do, then go and check out a state fair this summer!
Stay tuned for my future adventures.  I see painting pottery, a trip to Bloomington and a trip to Las Vegas in my future.  What kind of adventures are in your future?

Things That Go Bump In The Night

Are you afraid of the dark?  Boo!

As Halloween is fast approaching there are so many activities and things that you can go and do.  Have you visited a haunted house this year?  I did.  My friend  Turtle and I went to visit one on Friday.

I saw a deal on MyPerks for multiple haunted houses one day and asked the Husband if he wanted to go and he said no, why don't you ask Turtle.  So I asked Turtle and she was in!

Friday we decided to have a girl's night out and go and visit FEARgrounds.  It is located at the Hendricks County 4-H fairgrounds in Danville, IN.  Now I was not sure how scary or great this haunted house would be but I figured why not give it a try.  Turtle and I were not disappointed!  This thing was huge and was scary.  They did an awesome job!  There was some hand holding, some screaming and a little dance (sorry Turtle).

So are you up to the challenge?  Are you afraid of things that go bump in the night?  Will you be visiting a haunted house this season?  I dare you!

Awesome Weekend

This weekend was awesome!  I really had a great weekend!  Lately I have been feeling stressed with work, things that I need to get done and just life in general.  I am not sure why I have been feeling this way but this weekend I enjoyed myself and tried to relax.

It was a busy and fulfilling weekend.  I will break it down for you.

Friday - My parents and I bought a DealChicken for $23.00 per person to go and see the Fever (Indiana's WNBA team) play at Conseco Field house in their third game of the playoffs against the Lynx.  The deal included tickets, a hot dog, Pepsi and a t-shirt.  Not a bad deal!  The Husband is not really a basketball fan and since he had an all day class the next day, which was a 2 1/2 hr. drive away, he decided not to join us.  So off my parents and I went on Friday night to attend the game.  And what an awesome game it was.  The Fever slaughtered the Lynx!  Our seats were fantastic!  I really enjoyed going to the game.  If you have never been to a Fever game or a WNBA game, I suggest you go.  These ladies are really good and I think I enjoy watching them more then I do the men!  Since I knew the game would end late I had already decided that I would stay at my parents house that night.  After the game we headed home to their house and then watched and episode of Law and Order: SVU.

Saturday:  Since the Husband had class on Saturday and my mom was off of work we had decided to have a mother/daughter day.  Originally we had thought about going to one of the covered bridge festivals but since the weather was crummy and we knew that it would be super busy on Saturday we decided to forgo that plan.  Instead we went to a small craft fair (it was not that great) and then headed to my place to work on some things.  Yes, I am still unpacking some boxes!  We got a couple of misc. boxes unpacked and some stuff put away.  We actually had a very productive day and I felt so much better about getting some things done.

Sunday:  Originally I was going to babysit for some friend's two little girls but they ended up not needing me to watch them.  So I ended up making spaghetti with my husband for lunch and watching a bit of tv with him. I was going to do some more housework but since he was working on some homework I actually ended up falling asleep and taking a nap.  It was nice to be able to relax and do that!  When I woke up he was still working on homework so I decided to leave him in peace and head over to my friend's house (where I was originally going to babysit) and hand out with her and Ladybug (her three year old daughter).  Ladybug is so adorable and entertaining.  We planted rocks, yes I typed rocks, drew on the driveway with chalk and blew bubbles.  After that I met the Husband at my parents house and we went with my parents to dinner at Apezza, we had purchased a Groupon. The food was excellent there, no complaints.  It is somewhere that we would go back to.  Then it was back to my parents house.  The Husband headed home and I stayed to watch the fourth fever game with my parents.  Hoping that they would win.  It was a close game, I think my blood pressure spiked but the ladies did not disappoint and it was a win!  They won the playoffs.  Then it was back home.

So I am glad that I am feeling very relaxed, even though it was a busy weekend!  Of course I am sure you noticed there were some deals in there.  You know how I love my deal sites!

Watch for a post soon about our Cincinnati trip from a couple of weekends ago.  I am falling a bit behind on my blog posts. :-)

Hope that everyone else had a wonderful weekend!

Weekend Recovery, Please Apply Here

Whew!  I think that I am still recovering from the weekend.  I believe that I need a weekend of relaxation after the busy weekend that we had.

First I am going to start off by saying I had an awesome weekend, even though I am still recovering.

I started Saturday off by picking up my mom at her house and driving over to my grandmother’s retirement community.  You see it was family day at her retirement community.  Now often, in a loving way I refer to my husband as a five year old.  That afternoon was my day to act like a child, I mean after all I do not have kids to do some of these things with so why not do them on my own.  I guess I should explain.  For family day there were many activities going on, some of which I did not get a chance to partake in.  My highlight of the afternoon was the balloon lady who was making different balloon items like Elmo, Cookie Monster, flowers, ect.  My choice, yes I wanted something, was a flower corsage.  And a flower wrist corsage I got and I wore it proudly on my wrist.  My next favorite thing was the photo booth they had there, once I discovered the photo booth I promptly took pictures with both my mother and my grandmother.  Yes, I did stick my tongue out in some of the pictures and I might have given them bunny ears too!   

Fun times were had by all, including my aunt, uncle, cousin, cousin’s wife and their two little ones.  Then around 2:00 p.m. it was time to leave, I needed to take mom home so I could get home and get ready for our next event.

On my way home the Husband called and said he had a surprise for me. He had booked a hotel room downtown Indianapolis at the Omni Sevrin .  Sweet!  I could get ready at the hotel and then we could walk over to the Gleaner’s Food Bank Fall Harvest Gala.  

When I got home we quickly packed a bag and we were on our way downtown.  We checked in and got ready.  Man, does the Husband look good in a suit!

Every year one of my good friends purchases a table at this event.  Gleaner’s Food Bank is a wonderful resource for those that need food in the state of Indiana.  Not only do they support food pantries, but they are also very involved in having food pantries in the schools and a backsack program for students.  Words really cannot describe how awesome they are and how awesome their volunteers are.

We had a wonderful time there and it was so nice to catch up with my friend, as it had been awhile since I had seen her.  We really appreciated her inviting us to attend with her. 

Then it was time to go back to the hotel.  Did I mention the fact that my shoes were KILLING me?  I was not sure how much farther I was going to be able to walk.  So the Husband, being the awesome man that he is, walked back to our hotel, waited to get the car out of valet and drove over to get me.  I love this man!  Afterwards, we decided to change, me in to some more comfortable shoes and we took a walk over to Buffalo Wild Wings.  The Husband was like, there are all of these places downtown and you choose to go to Buffalo Wild Wings.  <Shrug> what can I say, I really wanted some popcorn shrimp and it was 11:30 p.m.

The next morning, Sunday, we decided on checking out later to avoid all of the Colts game traffic.  So we were able to relax for a bit.  It really is a beautiful hotel!

After that, it was not home bound we were headed.  Nope, we were headed over to mom and dad’s to pick them up to go and use our Groupon to get some pizza, tokens and to miniature golf at Ben & Ari’s in Fishers.  We all had a great time; you would have thought that we were a bunch of teenagers.  Mom ended up winning by one point, Dad and I tied and the Husband lost.  He kept saying that he won because he had the highest score.  Ha!  I actually think his golf lessons hurt his miniature golf game.

So do you see now why I said I need a weekend after the weekend? 

The Night The Lights Went Out...

So a couple of weeks ago the Husband decided that he wanted to get away for a night.  He didn't want to go far, he just wanted a night away.

So he planned a last minute get away for a Saturday night and decided that we would go to Merrillville, IN. Since we are still disgusted with Holiday Inn (see a previous post) we decided to use our points to stay at the Residence Inn, which had great reviews and was recently renovated at the beginning of this year. Of course his selection of the area and hotel had nothing to do with the fact that Portillo's is across the street.

So we took off on Saturday morning for our nice relaxing and romantic weekend.

We stopped in Lafayette on the way up.  First stop was Rural King, which we do not have near us anymore, since we have moved and this is the place that they sell the jeans at, that the Husband wears to work.  Lucky for us, it was buy two pairs, get one free.  We had to dig for his sizes to find the 2nd and then the 3rd pair but alas we were successful.  Our second stop was at Four Guns, a gun shop.  I had purchased a Deal Chicken for my husband to use there, on accessories, ect.  Honestly, I was kind of disappointed in the store, they did not have a lot of inventory.  So it is not somewhere you want to make a special trip to but he was able to use his coupon.  Third and final stop was at Game Stop, are you getting the picture yet that the Husband is spoiled?  Notice none of these stops were for me?  You would think that HE was an only child and not the other way around, where I am the only child.  I digress, so he had a couple of old games to trade in and you got more money towards a game for the weekend, plus he had received a coupon for his birthday.  I kept telling him that this was not an authorized purchase (smiling as I type this).  He said it was his birthday.  Dude your birthday was like three weeks ago! Anyways, he purchased a game and we were on our way.  Final destination, Merrillville, IN.

So we had arrived and upon check-in there were flowers waiting for me.  Isn't the Husband so sweet, maybe I should take back the spoiled comment.  Nah!  We went up to the room to relax for awhile.  Which by the way the room was super nice!  Upgrades/renovations they made were wonderful.

So around 4:30 p.m. we were getting ready to head over to Portillio's to grab some food to bring back to the room, then we thought that we might go for a swim and if it cooled off maybe miniature golfing.  THAT IS WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT.  A big storm and I mean big rolled through and we lost power, in fact much of Merrillville and Northern Indiana were without power.

Of course this happens to us.  We plan a night away and the power goes out!  It is always an adventure with us.  However, I was optimistic, maybe the power would be back on shortly, no reason to worry.  So we went downstairs to hang out, talk to some other guests and the hotel staff.  We finally decided to see if we could go and eat dinner somewhere, as we suspected that Portillo's had lost power as well.  We spoke with the manager and asked if we decided to leave would our points be refunded.  He said no problem, just let us know.

So off we went. We drove over to Portillio's and of course they were the only place without power right there.  Go figure!  One of the employees was outside though and told us that the Portillio's in Crestwood, IL had power and it was only about 45 min. away.  We thought why not?  Let's drive on over to Illinois.  $1.50 later we were over the border and had located Portillios, we enjoyed our dinner and then decided to head to Hammond, IN to Cabella's, again for the Husband, since he, nor I had been there before.  It was a neat store but I think Bass Pro is better.

Back at the hotel, the power was still off, it was around 10:00 p.m.  The manager called us over and told us that we could stay the night and he would refund our points.  I thought that was super nice of him since the storm was not his fault.  We will stay there again for sure!!!

The next morning the power had come back on.  We checked out and headed to Michigan City, to the outlets there.  I sure do love it there.  I like Edinburgh as well, in Columbus, IN.  I kind of like the Coach store better in Edinburgh but overall I like Michigan City better.  We will not discuss how much was spent there and do not fret ladies, of course I treated myself to a new Coach purse!  Now who is the spoiled one? Let's just say we were both happy with our purchases for the day.  The weather was also nice, so it was a great day to walk around.

It was time to leave.  Goodbye outlets, until next time.  We were headed back home and of course we had to stop in Merrillville on our way back home to eat at Portillo's again!  On our way back there, in Hobart, IN I made the mistake of pointing out a candy factory.  The Husband made a quick u-turn.  Was that legal?  And pulled in to the lot.  I had no idea that place was even there.  In case you are interested the name of it is Albanese and they have a HUGE candy store.  I made the mistake of walking away from the Husband when I was looking for some candy for my parents and he had a handful of chocolate candy, ect.  when I found him.  As we were checking out, I heard a mother telling her son only two items.  Next time I am going to tell this to the Husband.  <Sigh>

So it may not have been the romantic night we originally planned on but it was still romantic and it was an adventure, that is for sure!  It is one of those stories we will be telling in our old age, about the night the lights went out...So we are planning a new adventure somewhere else, to use our hotel points at.  Keep watching for that adventure and hopefully the lights will not go out!

Did We Just Have a Holiday????

Wait a minute was that the Fourth of July that just passed us by?  Hmmmm...it did not feel like a holiday, partly because it was smack in the middle of the week on a Wednesday and then because it was SO HOT out.  Seriously, I wonder if this is what Hell feels like?

Usually the Fourth of July is spent doing things like going to a cook out and watching fireworks.  Not this year though.  Nope this year we spent the day inside, relaxing in the nice air conditioned house.  I am not saying that I had a bad holiday, it was just different.

Sadly the fireworks in town were cancelled (dry conditions) and in all honestly we did not feel like cooking out, as previously mentioned it was HOT out.  I did however catch the fireworks that were set off downtown Indy on the TV.  So I felt a little bit like I was celebrating the Fourth of July.

Hopefully this heat will dissipate some soon and I will feel like adventuring a little more.  So if you are brave enough to brave the heat then keep on adventuring.  I meanwhile will keep the adventuring outside to a minimum and will try to come up with some neat and interesting things to do indoors.  Adventures in the Family Room?  Adventures in the Kitchen?

Until next time!  Make sure to hydrate and stay cool.

Feeling Very Relaxed

Your body is a temple and you should treat it right.  Unfortunately I do not always do this.  I do not always eat healthy and do not exercise like I should.  However, when it comes to de-stressing and relaxing I know how to treat myself.

While living in Southern Indiana I found a Spa, CC Spa, which I miss very much.  It was just across the street from where we lived and I was a VIP member, which meant I received 50% off of services.  Because of this I usually would go and get a massage every other week and occasionally would throw in some other services as well.  I learned that massages really relaxed me and I also felt and still do feel that it has helped to increase my platelet levels.

The relationship with your therapist is very personal, they come to know you and your body.  They know where you knot up the most and what needs to be worked on.  So when you move away it is one of those things, like finding a doctor (on my list of things to do), a new hairstylist,ect. that is hard to do.

Yesterday my back and neck was killing me.  I tried treating it with Tylenol and heat, it helped some but by the morning and this afternoon I was in so much pain.  I knew that I needed a massage and I needed one stat.  However, I was not sure who to call or where to go and I had not seen any Groupons, ect. that interested me.  Plus I did not really want to part with $65 - $75 plus tip to get a massage.  You know me, I like my deals and I had become accustomed to paying much less.

I could not ignore the pain, so I hopped on the internet to try to locate somewhere that I could go.  I found Lumiere du corps Resort in Lebanon, IN.  I called and explained my situation and they were able to fit me in.   I was so relieved.

Meanwhile, my mom was like, you need to find a doctor too, remember I have that whole platelet issue.  Relaxation first!  In my defense I did try to call a doctor today to try to schedule an appointment in the near future but they were closed.

So off to the spa I went tonight, to be pampered and to heal this terrible pain.  They were super friendly there and give you a complimentary foot soak when you arrive.  Then it was time for my massage. Ahhhhh...it was very relaxing and afterwards I could actually move.  I felt so much better.  At the end of it she recommended that I come back soon.  You think?  Poor lady had a lot of work to do on my back and all of the kinks are still not out, not her fault.  She did a very good job and I enjoyed it but I do miss my old massage therapist.

I did schedule another appointment because if I scheduled one I could receive a 90 minute massage for the price of the 60 minute massage.  So of course I had to schedule one!

I am not sure how often I will go in the future or if that is where I will end up going but for now I am one happy and relaxed lady.

So I will continue to watch for Groupons, ect. for massages and will remember to de-stress more often not necessarily with a massage but just by relaxing.

Always remember it is good to treat your body right and if you can treat yourself to a massage, facial, manicure or whatever relaxes you then do it.

Until next time try to relax and enjoy life and some adventures!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game...

Ahhh summer...brings the joy of being able to go to a baseball game, minor league that is.  I am not a huge baseball fan, never really found the game all that exciting but I do enjoy going to a minor league game every once and awhile.  It is great for people watching and enjoying the outdoors.

Tuesday night the Husband and I went to an Indianapolis Indians game, at Victory Field with my parents.  You know how I love a deal and my parents had picked up some coupons for a Tuesday night game, where you could buy one ticket and get one free.  Even better they paid for ours!  Now if the food was not so expensive at games it would have been perfect.  However, I did promise the husband if we went we could eat there, so that he could get a hot dog.  I can always lure the Husband anywhere with the promise of food.

So we went and enjoyed the game.  The weather was perfect and you could feel a breeze.  It was definitely a great middle of the week outing or I guess beginning of the week.  I have always enjoyed going to a game at Victory field but I do have to admit that the Slugger Stadium in Louisville is a bit nicer.

So if you are looking for something to do this summer either while in Indianapolis or Louisville think about going to see a minor league game.

Worse Hotel Ever!!!

Traveler beware.  Do not, I repeat do not ever book a room at the Holiday Inn in Clarksville, IN.  I would have to say this is by far the worst hotel I have ever checked in to and by checked in I mean, we checked out right away.


I guess I should start at the beginning.  The Husband's birthday is coming up soon and he decided that for his birthday gift this year he would like to attend the KYSCCA Autocross Driving School in Louisville.  The cost would also include the entry fee for the autocross event the next day. So I thought to myself, well why not make a weekend out of it.  So I contacted my BF, I Miss Your Face, to see what her plans were for that weekend.  I Miss Your Face was available so I decided to search and book a hotel room.  I scored the rates, ect. to see what our best option would be and wouldn't you know, there was a point break for the Holiday Inn in Clarksville, IN.  This meant it was only going to cost me 10,000 points for two nights.  I was super excited and quickly booked a room for two nights.  BIG MISTAKE!


So off we went on the Husband's birthday adventure.  We arrived there probably a little after 10:00 p.m., he ran in to check in and then we darted over to Chuy's for dinner before they closed.  When we got back I stopped in the lobby to see if we could get a tube of toothpaste, since I did not bring any.  Now keep in mind we had not seen our hotel room.  As I am standing in line, in the lobby, I am trying really hard not to stare at the two ladies in front of me, that are checking in.  It was really hard not to stare, I am 98% positive that they were hookers, prostitutes, working girls, what ever you want to call them.  I was beginning to wonder what I had gotten us in to.  However, I just rolled with it, I mean I guess working girls have to stay somewhere too.  So I got our toothpaste, hopped back in our car and we drove around to the back of the hotel.   Gulp, it looked really run down, the lighting was terrible and I am not going to lie it was a bit scary.  I thought to myself, appearances can be deceiving, everything will be just fine.  Finally, we have made it to our room, we our both so tired, all we want to do is fall asleep, especially since the husband was going to have to be at the driving school at 8:00 a.m. the next morning.  We walk in and there is this overpowering flowery perfume smell, you can't breathe...These type of scents really effect my asthma and it was so strong that it was even bothering the Husband.  So he called down to the front desk, they said they would check to see if there was another room available and would call us right back.  Five minutes goes by...then ten minutes...finally they called back.  They only had one more room available, it was a handicap accessible room, so it would not have a tub.  Whatever, no problem, we will take it, maybe we will be able to finally breathe.  They told him that someone would be up to bring us our new room keys shortly.  Five minutes...ten minutes...fifteen minutes...come on, how long does it take to bring us a new room key.  They call and say that someone is on their way now with the key.  Finally it arrives, we grab our stuff and head to the new room.  Ewwww...this one smells like mildew, musty and a strong minty smell (like they were trying to cover something up.  The Husband says he wants to leave, I say let's deal with it tomorrow.  Then I look at the bed...gross!!!!  We will not discuss what type of stains are on the blanket but let's just say not the type of stains you want to see.  That is it we are leaving.  We grabbed our stuff, hopped in the car, pull around to the lobby and the Husband calls Priority Club.  He had to explain the issue to two people, they wanted us to check out and call back.  He refuses and says that he will check out while on the phone with them.  We check out, the points are refunded and they have found us the last hotel room at Candlewood Suites, in Clarksville, IN.  The hitch is, I now have to use 30,000 points <sigh> and someone else wants the room but if we can get there in 20 min.  it is ours.  I get on the phone with the woman to confirm we want to reserve the room, of course her accent is strong (really it is after midnight, I am exhausted and I have to deal with this), I am having a hard time understanding her but I get the gist that the 30,000 points have been used to reserve the room but if we don't arrive by 12:45 a.m. we will lose it, since someone else wants it.  SERIOUSLY???!!!???  We arrive in time and the front desk clerk was so nice and understanding.  Apparently this is a common issue that they have, with individuals flocking from that Holiday Inn.  We get checked in and in to our room.  Of course the only one available was a handicap access room with a queen bed, so no bathtub for me and no king bed but at least we had a room and it was clean and wonderful. So I highly recommend this hotel to anyone who will be in the area, Candlewood Suites that is, not Holiday Inn in Clarksville.


The rest of the weekend was wonderful!  The Husband enjoyed his lesson on Saturday and took 2nd place in his class in the autocross race on Sunday.  I got to see I Miss Your Face on Saturday and Sunday, which was great because I missed her face.  Then on the way home we stopped at Edinburgh outlets and went shopping.  So over all the weekend was great, except for the scary hotel.


So that was our adventure for the weekend.  I think I am done with hotel adventures for awhile or at least bad hotel adventures.

Three States, One Weekend!

So this weekend we visited three states.  I know, I know that is not always an accomplishment, especially if you live on the east coast or if you are taking a road trip.  However, it can be an accomplishment in the mid-west. Right?  Maybe?  Okay, we do live in one of the states but we did actually do activities in all three states.

What states did we visit this weekend?  Well we visited Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. It was a very busy weekend!

It is always nice to take a mini vacation and get away for a little bit.  This weekend the Husband had something to do for work on Saturday afternoon in Covington, KY. Please note this is not something that his company was paying for us to stay overnight, ect. and  we had already been planning on visiting the Cincinnati area sometime in the near future since, 1.  We had been wanting to take a trip to Cincinnati (I have not been since I was little and went to Kings Island.) 2. We had purchased two admissions to the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY off of DealChicken (I know, I know, me and my deals right?  Seriously this was a good deal!) And since we had not seen my parents in a little bit we decided to invite them along for one of the nights that we would be staying there.

Since the Husband's work thing was being held at the Holiday Inn (Cincinnati-Riverfront) hotel in Covington, KY, we decided to go ahead and book our rooms there.  Which worked for me because if you have read any of my past posts then you will know that I am a Priority Club Member (I love to earn points) or we have a friends and family discount that we can use for the Holiday Inn family brand.  Of course, you can not use both. :-)  This time since there was a points promotion going on and the friends and family discount would only save me about $30.00 w/taxes included in this figure for two nights, so $15.00 a night, I decided to spend the extra money so I could get the points.  This was a much better deal for us.  The Holiday Inn that we stayed at was on the older side and in an older section of town, maybe a little rougher at night but it was not to bad.  The rooms were updated and clean, the staff was friendly and we had a view of the river.  So I was a happy camper.

We arrived later on Friday night, checked in and then headed across the street to try out Skyline Chili.  Yuck!  That is what I have to say about that.  Sorry to all of you Cincinnati folks who love this place but I thought it was disgusting.  I will stick to Steak N' Shake's chili in the future.

The next morning we slept in a little bit and took our time getting ready, you can do this when you do not have children. Well I do have the Husband and he can be very difficult to get up in the mornings, on the weekend.  However, we were up and ready and decided to grab an early lunch before his work thing, which was at one.  We walked across the street to try out Riverfront Pizza, oh urbanspoon, you let me down.  This place had good reviews and was cheap so we figured we would give it a try.  I think I will use the phrase I used above, Yuck!  Their meatball sub was pretty good but their pizza was terrible.  It tasted like a cheap tombstone to me.  At this point in time we were batting a zero on the restaurant front. After lunch it was back to our room while the Husband prepared for his work thing and I waited for my parents to arrive.

The Husband went off to his work thing and my parents arrived.  Now, if you have ever vacationed with my Father, you would know that you need a vacation after the vacation.  He will wear you out!  First stop was the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption.  It is free to tour but donations are accepted.  I was very impressed.  The pictures we took do not do the stained glassed windows or the church justice.  I think that this Catholic Church was even more beautiful then many of the Churches that I saw in France.  It was breathtaking.

Next, were were off to Loveland, OH to visit the Chateau Laroche (Castle).  Now, I admit I was not very impressed with this destination.  I just did not think that it was that neat but it was only $3.00 dollars to get in so at least there was not a lot of money spent.  You tour yourself and there is not really that much to see.  The story surrounding it is neat but that is about the only thing I thought was impressive about it. So moving on.

The next destination was to Graeter's Ice Cream shop.  Now, I had been to a Graeter's Ice Cream shop around where I live and I had not been impressed but my parents had been to one in Cincinnati before and wanted to go and get a snack. Well, I am glad we went, I got a frozen coffee drink that was to die for, so maybe it is just the Graeter's around me that is not that great.

Now the time to meet back up with the Husband had come.  Did I mention the fact that his work thing had finished while we were gone, so he went over to Cincinnati to visit a computer store and a couple of gun shops?  How did he get out of sightseeing with my parents?

We had reservations that night to eat at the Bonefish Grill.  Now, I realize this is a chain but I have to admit I love their fish.  If you can't have fresh fish on the east coast, then I am happy with the Bonefish.  This worked out perfectly because my parents had a gift card and we did too!  So all we basically owed at the end of our meal was the tip.  What a way to save money and have a nice and enjoyable meal!

The night was over and it was time to retire to our rooms for the night.  I knew my Dad would be up early in the morning and ready to go and do things.  So early we rose and packed our stuff.  It was time for breakfast, we can't miss the most important meal of the day can we?  The Husband got to pick where we went.  Mom and I were really hoping he would choose well or Dad would take his choosing privileges away in the future. So his choice, drum roll please...First Watch.  Phew, he picked a good one, Dad will let him choose places in the future. Urbanspoon, you did not let us down this time!  After breakfast was done we killed a little time before heading to the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY.  This is where my DealChicken coupon comes in to play. DealChicken was doing a promotion that if some one signed up from your link they would get $5.00 of their purchase and once they made their purchase $10.00 would be deposited in to your account.  Since the Husband did not have an account I made him sign up so we would get $5.00 off the tickets and $10.00 in my account.  So total purchase price $20.00, not to bad!  Since the tickets are usually $25.00 a person, I think we got a good deal.

So we arrived at the Creation Museum.  The staff there is super friendly, I was very impressed.  The exhibits were interesting but I am not sure I would want to spend $50.00 for the both of us to go.  The tour of the museum took about 2 1/2 - 3 hrs.  I think The Husband and Dad enjoyed it more than my mom and I did. :) Unfortunately we did not get a chance to go to the petting zoo, I know I am such a kid at heart or to tour the beautiful gardens.  I was really sad about this but everyone was getting hungry and we did not want to eat there, so maybe another time.  The gardens really did look amazing!

So our next stop was how we ended up in Indiana, the closest town with some restaurants was Lawrenceburg, Indiana.  So we headed over the state line to grab something to eat.  We ended up eating at this place called Lawrenceburger.  It was a really small hamburger place and it was pretty good, if I was in the area I would eat there again.  Ironically I did not order a hamburger but I did take a bite of the Husband's burger and it was good.  I would not order the chili cheese fries again though because they were kind of watery.

Well our weekend adventure had come to an end.  It was time for my parents and the Husband and I to go our separate ways.  Them back to their home and us back to ours. It is always sad when a vacation has to come to an end, of course that is if you are enjoying your vacation and we were enjoying ours.

So until next time, when I post again!

Squire Boone Who?

I didn't know anything about Squire Boone before Sunday.  Maybe it is because I am not from the area originally or maybe I did learn something about him in school but have since forgotten.  Either way, we set out on Sunday to learn a little more about him.

First let me start off by saying you all know how I love my deals.  I have people ask me all the time, how did you find out about that, where did you get that coupon, ect.  This adventure was no exception.  I happened to learn about Squire Boone Cavern on the Louisville Mega Cavern's FB page, so I decided to like it.  That is when I discovered that for the month of February they were doing a promotion.  If you brought you sweetie and mentioned the post, it was buy one admission get one free.  What a deal right?

So off we went on Sunday to visit Squire Boone Cavern.  Admission price total for the two of us $14.50.

What did I learn about Squire Boone?  I learned that he was a jack of all trades, and he excelled at everything.  Long story short, when he went to Virginia, where he was a Statesman, he had been living in KY and owned a lot of land.  When he returned two years later he had been cheated out of his land by his business partners and there were some tax issues with Virginia as well.  He vowed never to step foot in KY again and ended up settling in Indiana, where he had discovered the cavern when he was hiding from Indians, earlier in life.  When he discovered it because he had survived, he felt blessed and blessed the land as sacred ground.  So this is where he returned to live out the rest of his life.

On our visit we toured the cavern with a guide, who was very knowledgeable, I really enjoyed listening to what he had to say.  The coolest part about the cavern for me was that you stand over a waterfall that is underground.  That was awesome!  A little scary as well because you think to yourself what if the grate falls. The other interesting part was when the guide talked about Squire Boone and who he was, what he did in life and how he discovered the cavern.  Some of his bones are actually down there in a casket.

Unfortunately, since it is winter, the village was not open because it is only open during the summer months, so this is something that we will have to go back and see. The village looked neat, it has a little bakery, a grist mill, candle shop and soap shop.

So we enjoyed our little adventure to Squire Boone Cavern in Mauckport, IN.  If you are looking for something different to do I definitely recommend checking it out. Just a quick little warning though there are over 70 something steps on your way up and down.  My thighs are definitely feeling the burn today but I also wore my sketcher shape ups during the tour.

Happy adventuring!