Last Monday in Indy!

Happy Monday to all! Today marks my last Monday in the office and in Indiana until mid November.
As my time in Indiana comes to a pause, I have started thinking back on my favorite moments here. I have had such a great time here so it is hard to choose, but here are my top five activities.

1. EATING- People, I'm being honest here, I have not had a bad meal at any restaurant in Indianapolis. I have eaten so much good food and I have barely tipped the scale of the cuisine located here in Indy. My three favorite restaurants have been:

• Bakersfield-A higher scale Mexican restaurant. They have great sangria and an amazing southwest salad. The atmosphere is fun and there is indoor and outdoor seating! This is a great place to take a small group of people and enjoy a drink and some good food. Their guac and queso is also so so good! 
• Scotty's Brewhouse-I have been here for appetizers and again for dinner and trivia! They also have a brother company called Three Wise Men Brewing Co. BOTH DELICIOUS. The pulled pork nachos are to die for and I am obsessed with their chicken bacon ranch sandwich, which is on PRETZEL BREAD. Ranch, bacon, pretzel bread-my perfect meal. The atmosphere is super fun and friendly. Any group of people can find something they like and they are super accommodating.
• Bub's Cafe-If you like brunch like I do, Bub's is the place for you. Everything you get there is absolutely delicious. You always eat more than you should and you always love/hate yourself after doing it. The "donut holes" are actually giant donuts so if you are expecting a cute bowl of tiny donut holes, you are wrong. These have got to be the biggest and most delicious donuts I've ever eaten, but there is absolutely no way you can get away with finishing them all without a large and hungry group. They are famous for their breakfast bread bowl and have a variety of drinks to enjoy, including my personal fave, an iced chai latte. 

2.  MOVIES-One of the most enjoyable things we've done together as an LC group is go to the movies. There is a place called Studio Movie Grill, about 20 minutes away from the Staybridge that we have gone to a couple times. The theater is super nice, with comfortable chairs and a full kitchen and bar. If you have never experienced this kind of movie theater, I suggest you find one near you and go immediately. It is so fun and the food is actually really good! The prices are reasonable and if you keep your student ID like we all have, you get a nice discount! I love watching movies so adding the food and spacious seating is just an awesome cherry on top!

3.  DOWNTOWN- As someone who really enjoys traveling, one of my favorite things to do is go to the downtown of a big city. I love to see the hustle and bustle of the streets and look at all the touristy stuff to do. I also like hearing from locals to see what their favorite part of the city is. We spent quite a bit of time downtown when we were at the FEA Field Staff conference in July. There is a lot of restaurants downtown as well as a huge conference center and a few different stadiums including where the Colts play!! We also spent a half day at IUPUI campus, which was really awesome! I love walking around campus and that was the day we shot a video so it was a really cool experience.

4.  WINE TOUR- This past weekend, a few of the LC's and I went on a "wine tour." We first stopped at Easley Winery, where we paid $5.00 to get a tour and tasting! I have been to Tuscany and Napa so I was very intrigued to go to a winery inside a city! They obviously didn't have the actual vineyard on site but they had all the wine making machinery to look at. The winery was really interactive and the $5.00 you paid came with 7 tastings but we also were given two extra special tastings while we were there. If you go in with a group that is okay with sharing, you can try even more as there is always two types to pick from each round. The vibe of Easley is so much fun and super friendly. They had a live band outside with lots of tables and chairs, corn hole, and giant wine bottles that were perfect for an impromptu photo shoot. 

After this we went to Tastings, a wine experience. I have been to somewhere similar in Boise but this one was on a whole notha' level. It had over 70 bottles of wine "on tap" to try and amazingly delicious food. We each spent $15.00 on a prepaid card and tasted around 5 different types of wine. It was awesome to get to choose what type of wine we wanted and there was options for any type of budget. All in all, our self made wine tour made for a perfect Saturday afternoon/evening. 

5.  Hanging out with the LC's- The great thing about number 5 is that it includes numbers 1-4. Everything that I have done in Indy to make it so great has been with the LC's. I would not have had such an amazing experience in Indy if it wasn't for these 7 women. We have had so much fun trying new restaurants, exploring the city or just vegging out at the Staybridge. Some of my favorite memories of this summer have been from all of us having our "family" dinners and just sharing stories and getting to know each other. Aubrey asks us often what our "peaks and pits" were for that day, week, weekend etc. It is always nice to hear what each one of us has struggled with or has really loved throughout this experience. It is also a good reminder that even if we have a bad day, there is ALWAYS something good from it to think about. I have learned so much about myself from getting to know these women and I have laughed so hard at the most ridiculous things and I wouldn't have had it any other way. They say you become like the 5 people you spend the most time with, and if that is true I count myself completely lucky and #blessed to be equated similar to any of these awesome women. 

So there are MY top 5 favorite things I have experienced in Indy this summer. 

This week is going to be super exciting and super sad at the same time! We have lots of fun plans for our last few days together before we go our separate ways including another trip to the fair for a concert, another stab at trivia, and a "Bub's big ugly challenge" to attempt. 

Ciao ciao for now!

xoxo

Taryn