Our Anniversary!!!

It is amazing that we have been married for an entire year!  We clearly remember the details leading up to our wedding day, the many people who journeyed to Montana to celebrate with us, and the wedding itself where we said our vows in front of God and many witnesses.  Our year has been one of many changes and decisions but throughout the year we have grown even closer together.  Thank you all for your love, friendship, and prayers.  We love you!

This year for our anniversary, we were able to take a trip to Indianapolis, IN.  Chelsea had never been there before and Jon was anxious to show her some of his favorite spots he had found.  Since February, Jon had been coming to Indy for classes at Indiana University's Center on Philanthropy about every two months or so.

We flew to Indy on Sunday, June 24 and arrived in time to change and walk to dinner.  Jon took Chelsea to an old steakhouse called, St. Elmo.  It is the oldest steakhouse in downtown Indy and has won many awards for its service and dishes.  It was a VERY nice restaurant and on the wall opposite from where we were seated was pictures of many famous people who had also dined there.  The food was delicious!  Chelsea's portion of chicken and green beans was huge and so we were also able to give a man on the street a nice dinner as well.

After dinner, we walked around downtown to an old Civil War monument.  It is built in the middle of the road so it makes a natural roundabout.  The monument has a small museum inside and you can climb to the top and look out.  Outside there are inscriptions of the number of men from Indiana who served and died in the Civil War, along with scenes of men leaving their families.  Chelsea thought this monument was one of the coolest things she saw on the trip :)

On Monday morning, Jon started his next class.  While he was in class learning all about developing major gifts, Chelsea spent the morning enjoying a book.  What a great amount of time to freely read undisturbed!  She also enjoyed walking around downtown Indy.  The university is about a ten minute walk from downtown, so Chelsea walked the streets of the old city.  She revisited the war monument, found a WWII monument, an old train station, and many very cool old churches.
On Tuesday, we were invited to lunch with one of the other members of Jon's class.  He and his co-worker work for the Wounded Warrior Project.  They help veterans who come back from combat with whatever they may need to get readjusted to life.  He was wounded in Afghanistan so he has a guide dog to help him with stability, crowds, and a million other tasks if he needed to.  The dog decided that he really enjoyed Chelsea's head rubs.

Chelsea's friend, Sarah Wilkinson, came up to Indianapolis to visit us on Tuesday afternoon.  Sarah was Chelsea's roommate for a year and sang in our wedding last summer.  She is living in Columbus, IN which is about an hour away from Indy.

It was so fun to see her and catch up a little bit.  We obviously also enjoyed some good pizza and being a little silly.

After dinner, we took a walk along the "Canal Walk" in downtown Indy.    The canal was built in the 1800's but was not used for very long because the railroad tracks were built about a mile away from the canal.  However, today the canal is an extremely popular spot for walks, runs, and bike rides.  You can also rent paddle boats or take a ride in a gondola.  We simply walked but it was a beautiful place to visit.

Jon finished up his class Wednesday afternoon and we flew home that evening.  It was such a wonderful, relaxing trip that will have a special place in our hearts.

Our first anniversary will also be remembered for one more reason...

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!

On Sunday after we landed in Indianapolis, (after having time to think and pray about the decision to buy our first house while on the plane) we called our realtor and told her that we wanted to make an offer.  The next day, Monday, after class, we signed the papers and faxed them back to Nebraska!

It is a split level home with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a double garage.  We are so excited to move in on July 30.  More pictures to follow, after we get moved in and situated of course.  :)