Turkey Run State Park - Oct 2009 Camping Trip

This past weekend, Oct 16-18, Brian and I joined 4 other couples for a fun (and chilly) weekend camping at Turkey Run State Park.

The state park is located west of Indianapolis in the town of Marshall, Indiana.  The Tanner Family used to go to Turkey Run State Park on several group camping trips in year’s past.  One of my favorite parts of the park is their hiking trails. Unlike many of the state parks in Indiana, Turkey Run had ravines, ladders and LOTS of stairs to climb.  You actually have to think while you hike.  :)  We were thankful that our friends were able to join us for the trip:  Jamie & Chuck, Torrey & Chris, Amy & Steve, and Lindsay & Todd.  There was a constant fire burning to keep us all warm as the temperatures dipped down to the upper 20’s and lower 30’s at night.  One of the main reasons to camp this time of year was to see the amazing fall colors.

But as you can see from the picture above, the leaves were definately not in peak color.  But that means we have more beautiful colors to look forward to this fall.  This past weekend was also the last weekend of the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival.  We ventured out a little to see a couple of bridges, but it was cold out and we wanted to get back to that campfire!

Hopefully the fall colors will improve as we make our next road trip to Gatlinburg, TN in November!  Till then….

It’s Alive!!!!!

We had our first dose of spring 2 weeks ago.  That gave me the opportunity to perform my highly anticipated Springtime Ritual…

The Result: What a Glorious Sound!!!

Busy week of extra curriculars….

It is Thursday evening and it is nice to be home after work and not have a major agenda (except to clean).  Brian and I have had a busy week.  I had a meeting in Warsaw on Monday after work to discuss some new personal training options locally with Lou at Positive Fitness and while I was doing that, Brian was changing the oil in his truck.

Tuesday, we had our second round of Swing Dancing lessons with Ray and Barb Gsell.  The first week was a little rough for me personally because I have never taken dance lessons before.  I just usually take a little more time to mentally process things prior to trying them and the pace of the lessons was not very conducive to my dysfunctional learning style.  But, the second week went MUCH MUCH better as I had a whole week to process.  It is very enjoyable, but I can also see how it would be easy to forget if you don’t practice.

Wednesday we had our second meeting with George, the minister and family friend of Brian’s, that will be marrying us on July 4th.  George came through North Webster and it was good to share and dinner with him and visit.  He has given us some great ideas about the ceremony.  I am personally very thankful because I think I have my hands full in the other areas.  Thanks George!

Tonight, Brian gets to change the oil in my truck (Have I mentioned how wonderful of a guy he is?)  Then it is all about clean clean clean.  Our great friends. Torrey and Chris Ray are coming up for a visit tomorrow after work and we are all going to head up to Bittersweet Ski Resort to go skiing this weekend (providing that the snow didn’t all melt).  We always have a great time with them, so I can definitely say we are looking forward to the weekend.

What are your plans for the weekend?

Have you ever tried a restaurant just to be adventurous?

Tonight Brian and I tried a local restaurant, call Jimmy’s. We drive by it ALL the time. They have nightly specials such as Mexican night and Steak night. Well, it is Friday night and we didn’t want to cook. Rather, we didn’t have groceries. So, we said “Why go to someplace we always go to…let’s try something new….let’s try Jimmy’s.”

I should have noted that something about the experience would not be the greatest when we thought we saw a restaurant patron (a significantly older man)…relieving himself in the parking lot. Hum…interesting I say.

Still on the quest for adventure, Brian had the Rib Eye special and I had the Mostacolli. To make a long story short….we are going to stick with our local favorites from now on. We didn’t die or have tummy aches, but we were also glad to not have invited out of town guests to join us. We LOVE Huntington Street Bar and Grill in Syracuse, IN and Danny’s Sports Bar by the Barbee Chain Lakes. Nothing wrong with sticking with what you love! And…those places come highly recommended by KT and Brian. Tell them we sent you…maybe we will get a free pizza or hamburger!

Any stories out there of bad restaurants you have tried on a whim?

Why “KT?”

Many of you know that KT is actually my (Karen) nickname.  In fact, so is “Tanner.”  Whether I tell people that KT is a nickname or not, somehow that is what I end up being called.  Some of my girlfriends (Erin Wise and Torrey Ray) will not even know who you are referring to if you don’t use the name “Tanner.”

So, as you can imagine, Brian has caught onto this and very often calls me “KT.”  Futhermore, we continue to use the name “KT” because we don’t want to confuse the family tree.  You see…Brian’s mom has the name Karen Elaine Byrd.  What many of you don’t know is that my middle name is also Elaine.  Karen Elaine Tanner.  So upon our wedding on July 4, 2009, I would legally also have the name Karen Elaine Byrd.  Hum…can you see where this might get a little complicated?

So, I have decided to add the name Tanner as one of my middle names.  Karen Elaine Tanner Byrd or Karen E. Tanner Byrd.  As a result, I can still keep my wonderous nicknames of “KT” and “Tanner.”  Who knows…after the wedding I may adopt a new nickname:  “T-Byrd!”  Ha ha!