Todd Family Blog

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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

The Jetta, 1998-2009




This month we bid farewell to an old and faithful friend, The Jetta. My (Meagan's) graduation present from Butler 10 1/2 years ago just barely made it to Tom Wood Toyota on the west side of Indy to be "traded in" for a Scion. The Jetta safely carted me literally all over this country. It was a bittersweet moment for all of us as Brad drove it out of the drive for the last time. We always knew the Jetta would let us know when it was time, and it definitely did.

I know many people picture me and my black '98 Jetta GLS as a unit, so I had to give it its due on the blog. While I had that car I graduated from college, moved to Texas, graduated from graduate school, moved to Indy, dated Brad, got married, moved to California, had my first professional jobs, moved back to Indy, and bought our first home. Pretty much my entire adult life was racked up in those 180,000 miles. Below are some of the Jetta's greatest hits and our farewell pictures. Jetta: Thanks for a good ride.

Just some of our many trips:
Twice from Indy to California
Florida to California
Countless trips between Dallas and Indy
Dallas to Mexico
Many trips between Indianapolis and New York
Indy to Amarillo
Indy to the Grand Canyon
Many trips between Indy and Florida
And all over the Midwest!





The dogs watched as we said our goodbyes. They all had many rides in The Jetta, especially Gracie. I'm sure there is still sand from San Francisco's Crissy Field in that car.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Rock Stars

Apparently, these past few weeks Brad and I thought that we were rock stars. The downside to that thought is that you are bound to prove yourself wrong. The upside is that you spend lots of time having fun with friends. (Until, that is, you prove yourself wrong and learn that you are in no way a rock star. Then you become a hermit for a week or two in an effort to recover.)

Below are some pictures of the fun we had over a couple weekends at the end of March. Up until 3 a.m. both Friday and Saturday over two weekends definitely catches up with a 30-something, we discovered. But it was a lot of fun! Unfortunately, I didn't manage to capture a great night we had with Miriam and Tim over at our house. We snacked on a bunch of appetizers and dessert along with some good wine and chatted until we had exhausted our greatest hits (a.k.a. our funniest stories). It was really great to get to know Tim a lot better. We're looking forward to more get togethers soon!

Elizabeth and Keith (who are now Indiana residents again!) came down from Crown Point for a weekend. What fun! They lived in New York for quite a while, and much of that time we were in California. I felt totally spoiled to have them here in my house in Indiana. We just HAD to stay up until 3 both nights to make the most of it!




Enjoying one of our favorite treats - the huge cone of fries at Brugge with all the dipping sauces. Yum!


Drinks afterwards in Broad Ripple




Opening a great bottle of wine from Long Island which Keith and Elizabeth gave us as a house warming present. What a perfect opportunity to use it, celebrating their return to Indiana.


We are all Ben Folds' fans and have been looking forward to going to his concert in Indy for a long time. It was my first time to see him live. So fun! If you get a chance, definitely catch a show.






And after that, yummy German beer at the Rathskellar. (And after THAT, burritos at La Bamba, which I didn't manage to capture. Too busy eating.)


The following weekend we got a message from two friends, Marilyn and Steve, who live in Fort Wayne. They were going to be in Indy for a shopping day and wanted to grab some dim sum. (Shanghai Lil's is fabulous, by the way.) Though we had just enjoyed our late night with Miriam and Tim, who could pass up a dim sum lunch, some plum wine, and a chance to catch up? It was fun to see their little guy, Davin, too.


Later that day we were expecting a fun group at our house. Louis and Heather were going to be in town with their new baby, Connor. Amazingly, a lot of our other friends were able to come into town too! We all met early for drinks at our place and then went just down the road to our favorite Italian spot, Delullo's. (Seriously, the best pizza I have ever had!) Then back to our place for dessert and coffee. It is so rare that we all get together, we had to make the most of it. We sat around chatting and listening to funny, old, Brad and Louis stories until the morning. We've heard them 100 times, but they still make us die laughing.
Nate, Brad, Me, Tyler, Adrienne and Amanda

Amanda and Brad road in the back of Nate and Amanda's car where their dogs usually hang out. Brad did his best impression. Doesn't Amanda have the best smile?

Louis and Heather then arrived with Connor, who is a perfect little guy.

Tyler was very good at bouncing Connor.

We did a lot of standing in circles and staring at sweet Connor. For some of us, it was our first meeting!

We don't have much furniture in our pool room yet, so we ended up crashing on the floor for a while. Nate had us dying laughing.



Preparing for our guest takes a bit of effort. We all have to be freshly scrubbed, that's for sure. If I've learned only one thing the past year it is this: after you wash and brush three large dogs on a sunny day, you take a picture. Lord knows they won't stay that way for long.

Gracie, Luke, Cal

Cal being serious - a rarity

Luke working hard on a toy

Beautiful Gracie


Clean Dogs, Clean kitchen - Ready for guests!