Functionality in Indy... but missing the flavors

One of the things that drove me crazy while living in South Carolina was the overwhelming panic at the mere mention of the word snow. Currently, Greenville is under a snow & ice advisory for the next 48 hours, which has already closed businesses/schools for Monday morning. I would rather live where we have the proper equipment to handle the elements without life coming to a standstill just for a few flakes. It's only comical for so long before it's annoying. I understand it's not everyone's 'norm'... I'm just thankful I'm living back in my norm.

What I do miss about Greenville, aside from my friends, is the food. The wonderful, delicious, tasty, succulent, I still drool when I think about it- food. Drew & I had a few favorites and thankfully, we aligned in most of our tastes to pick the same places. Tonight we went to one of Drew's favorite sushi restaurants in Indy and while we're both thankful for the blessing of being full, we both agreed: It's not our beloved Tsunami- Greenville, SC 

Nicole's standard steak meal

Drew's sushi celebration

We lost track how many times we visited this delicious establishment- I was able to go more often since it was downtown Greenville and so easy to get to. I would take photos of my food and text the pictures to Drew. I look back through the photos now and smile because I remember how happy I was when I snapped the pic. Very good memories of one of my favorite places during my time in the SC. After stuffing ourselves, we'd walk downtown in Falls Park, check out the scenery and soak in the South as much as possible. 

Falls Park

Falls Park is also where we took our engagement pictures. We have so many great memories of this place. Right after our engagement session, we ate at another one of our favorite spots: The Lazy Goat. They have the best paninis on the planet! I ordered the same Chicken Parm panini every time I visited and I cannot wait until I get to order one again (hopefully sometime in 2011).

One of Drew's favorites is also in my top 5 overall however, it takes the cake for two specific dishes. During our first visit to Soby's New South Cuisine, I ordered the Fried Chicken and Drew ordered Seafood Gumbo. We barely said anything while we savored our supper except to compliment our dishes. I remember Drew calling his dad afterward to tell him that he 'must visit Greenville' to try to dish.

Rick Erwins Steak & potatoes

The "Best Steak" award belongs to Rick Erwins, in my opinion, with Larkins on the River in a very close second. Both have beautiful scenery and great ambiance for social or business gatherings. Drew missed out on Rick's but loved Larkins as much as I did. I also had the pleasure of dining at both with my dear friend and colleague Ann on several occasions. I loved having a friend 'from home' that also visited in Greenville. Ann was one of my first visitors the month after I moved to SC and it felt so good to see familiar faces who knew me without any introduction. Over the next few years, I looked forward to her visits so we could girl talk, drink wine and laugh.

On our last weekend in Greenville, Drew & I hit up our favorite places (several listed above) and I finally took Drew to one of my first loves to have the long awaited crab cake at Northampton Wines. It was very worth the wait but we wish we would have had the chance to visit more often (*Drew would usually arrive late on Friday and we seemed to always miss out on Saturday). I look at this photo now and begin to salivate thinking about each bite, so tasty & so worth the wait. They serve some tasty french bread, too.

Most delicious crabcake

Dessert? There's always room for gelato... (or jello) but Greenville has the best gelato at Luna Rosa Cafe. I would always sample a few flavors then usually pick between Godiva Chocolate or Butter Pecan, pending which was available that day. They rotate flavors but they are all artistic masterpieces in the display case. You can mix and match flavors but I learned my lesson during my first visit and decided to enjoy only one flavor at a time from then on.

Delicious chocolate gelato

We can't wait to visit our beloved GSP again, to see people we miss and eat where we always left full and happy. Until then, I'll think of the yummy memories and smile as the snow plows clear our streets so we can keep on keepin on without interruption.

Happy Friday indeed

The first full week of work after the holidays always seems to take longer. Holiday hangover till mid-January for this girl and even though I'm not currently working, it's been a long week. I know it's been a long week for Drew, too. Add in a few snow flakes that fell today and I cannot wait for him to get home safely tonight. 

Snow love on our driveway

We plan to have a restful weekend, some chores to do around the house, take Drew's parents to the airport and watch some football. When it comes to sports, we are truly house divided.  Still we manage to tolerate the other as each of us yells for their team on the tv. Even though it does no good, yelling at the tv seems to go hand in hand with watching a game, at least in my world. Any idea why? 

Nicole's teams: 

Drew's teams:  

*The logo size does not reflect the love for the team, just how they downloaded from the web.

No better time

Drew & Nicole his first visit to SC

No better time than the New Year to accomplish a goal so I can scratch it off my list. Isn't the first step always the hardest? I remember back to Drew's first visit to South Carolina, how quickly the weekend went and how hard it was to see him go. We knew we would make it work but it took everything in us to make it to the next visit, which was usually 4 weeks later. Our longest time without seeing one another was 7 weeks... and we won't revisit that.

Steve & Julie came from PA

So far, 2011 has been chilly and has already had a few twists up its sleeve. The fun part is we celebrated in Cincinnati with Steve & Julie Forde (Drew's college friends from Xavier) then we were lazy bums the rest of the glorious weekend. Drew & I rarely stay in all weekend (my doing) but it was nice to stay put. 

Indiana = HOME

On Monday, I woke up sick to my stomach so I waited a while before going out on errands. Then (the downside of the year so far) I got in a fender bender at the bank, nothing major just irritated. Today I will buy a lotto ticket and pray my luck turns around quickly. I don't need the whole jackpot, just a portion to help with my current unemployed (but happier than I've been in years) status. I am so thankful that I've had time to detox, renew, refocus and recharge my spirit. I felt beat up and I needed time to find me again. I'm so thankful I'm here now, wholly, and that I can fully appreciate being home in Indiana.

Drew & Nicole on our honeymoon in Jamaica

So, today I start our Blochblog, keeping track of year one together: in our marriage, being in the same state & living under the same roof. I hope that our first year leads us to our 50th with as many smiles as possible and only a few bumps and bruises along the way. Cheers to a great year ahead! ~N