Oliver, Gracie, and I

Mr. Lubie

Me With a Bear

Me With Some Dude

Indiana University

The IU campus was so beautiful!  I loved it so much because it looked like Hogwarts!  It looked like a castle, with towers and turrets and pointy tops.  We walked around the campus for a while.  All of the students were home for the holidays, so it was empty.  We sat on the benches and talked for a while. taking in how cool everything was.  We walked through a park on campus, and played with Oliver.  There were some homeless people there that looked like they wanted to eat him.  We saw some greenhouses on our way out, and I wanted to go inside and see if Professor Sprout was in there de-potting Madrakes, but I guess the Hogwarts students were home for the holidays too.


While my dad went to get the car, my sister and I went inside one of the little coffee shops to get something to drink.  There were some Indian people in there talking in another language, very loudly.  We ordered some pomegranate tea, and sat down in some comfy chairs and read magazines.  Soon, our dad arrived.  We left the coffee shop, then Bloomington, and we were on our way home.  It was such a fun time.  I had a really great time with my family.  We don't get to spend a lot of time with my dad, so this was a very special experience.

Bloomington

My dad wanted to show us Bloomington, Indiana because Gracie is looking for colleges and it is just a cute collage town!  When we first got there, my dad took us to this place called BEARS ALE HOUSE AND EATERY.  He told us that he used to do comedy shows there when he was younger.  We snapped a picture and we were on our way.  We   parked a few blocks away from the university so we walked there and got to see the college atmosphere.  We got to see all of the fraternity houses.  I don't know why, but I love looking at the houses.  I think some of them are really pretty.  I have heard that they are not so pretty inside though.


My sister's favorite part about Bloomington was that her favorite store, Urban Outfiters.  We don't have one in Louisville, so she was very exited when she found it.  We were in there for about an hour, because it's a really cool store.  Gracie and I both got a new pair of sunglasses!  As we were walking to IU, a man stopped us and told us that we had the most beautiful dog ever.  We continued walking and we saw cute little coffee shops and book stores.  The collegeness of everything was palpable.        

Nashville, 3

We walked from store to store, looking for the perfect gifts for our cousins.  We didn't see anything that was amazing.  We walked around an art store for a while; it had paintings and colorful vases in it.  It also had a rocking horse out front! That was fun to play on.  I was trying really hard not to break it though.  We eventually came to a sign that told all about the history of Nashville, Indiana.  It said that there was a house built in 1827 in the center of the village.  It burned down in 1843 and the new one was built in 1848.  Soon, a village was built around it.  And that is how the village was made.


We went into an ornament store, and a creepy lady was watching our every move.  I don't blame her, my sister and I are always stealing ornaments.  We didn't think our cousins would want ornaments, with them being 15 and 19 and all.  We then went into this really creepy store that had hunting clothes in it.  We contemplated getting one of my cousins some camo boxers, but we changed our minds.  We found a sports merchandise store that had all kinds of stuff.  We got my older cousin some U of L stuff because he goes there.  My sister said we should just get them some candy from one of the many candy shops in the village.  I didn't think they would want any.  So we began to argue about what to get them.  We eventually just decided to get them gift card to Gamestop.  Everyone loves gift cards so we were satisfied.  We left Nashville, Indiana exited for our next adventure of the day.  

Nashville, 2

Christmas cheer was not the only reason we were there.  We were also there to look for Christmas presents for our cousins.  The next store we went into was a clothing store.  What made us want to go in, was what we saw in the window. The sign out front read PITBULL LEATHER COMPANY.  It was a biker store.  Not the kind of biker that wears tight pants and has toned legs.  When we walked in we saw racks lined with leather jackets, and shelves with big black boots all over the place. There were also cowboy boots and leather cowboy hats.  I didnt think this would be the right place to get christmas presents so we moved on to the next store.  

As we were walking down the street, we got a ton of complements on Oliver from all the people in the village.  He is the cutest dog ever, so it didn't surprise me.  Little girls ran up and asked to pet him, old men said, "that is a nice dog you have there."  Everyone was in a great mood and we were all so cheerful!  We continued to walk around, occasionally stopping, and looking around stores.  It was a really cool experience.    

Nashville

Nashville, Indiana is located in Brown County, just south of Indianapolis.  The little village that we visited was an excellent get away for us!.  It was decorated for the holidays in a very lovely way.  Red bows tied to everything, Christmas wreaths nailed to every door and street lamp.  There were lights in every shop window and little angel figurines everywhere.  We had visited a place like this in Georgia when I was little.  I thought it was the coolest thing ever! That is what made my dad want to take us there.

We drove around the village looking for a parking lot.  We saw all kinds of cute little stores. Finally, we parked behind a wood-carving store.  The ground was very slippery with ice.  We started to walk around and look inside all of the shops.  We had Oliver on his I LOVE SNOW leash and he was so exited. The first store we saw was a figurine store.  The walls were lined with tiny fairies, dolphins, elves, frogs, chipmunks, mermaids, and even more.  It was a tad creepy because there were a thousand little eyes staring at us.  Oliver wasn't allowed to inside the stores because he would probably poop on everything.  So my dad waited outside with him.  We continued to walk around all of the shops with so much anticipation for the rest of the day!    

In the Car, 3

After the fun, but creepy stop at the Sorghum Mill, we got back on the road.  My dad and I began to talk for a while, about everything.  I told him about everything that was going on in my life, like my preteen troubles and issues.  He told me about his current job at Home Depot and old, funny stories about being a comedian.  Gracie was still engrossed in her own world of books, and Oliver was sitting quietly on the floor.  Christmas music was blasting on the radio.

We passed a little roadside shop selling garden gnomes and gravestones.  This place was just so stereotypical.  Just like you would picture a country road.  Picket fences, cows, horses, tobacco farms, everything.  Tons of snow colored hills everywhere.  Everything was so quiet and peaceful.  It was cheerful at the same time.  That's why I love the Christmas season so much.  It's so dang cheerful!

The Sorghum Mill

After driving for a while, we came across a town called Gnawbone.  Great name, right?  I could live in a town called Gnawbone any day.  It was a quaint place, an excellent place to stop and look around. It  wasn't long until we saw a sign that said, PAT'S GNAWBONE SORGHUM MILL AND FLEA MARKET. Of course we had to stop.  Sorghum is like syrup, or molasses.  It is a traditional thing in Appalachia.  We pulled in the parking lot. 
 
   In the front was a bunch of statues and wood carvings of bears.  Inside, it smelled like apple pie.  There were little figurines of animals and creatures lined up on shelves.  Gnawbone T-shirts were on racks everywhere.  There were about a billion shelves of Sorghum syrup lining the walls.  In another room there were a bunch of creepy dolls and Disney movies. We were the only one in there.  That place probably doesn't get very much business.  It was fun to stop there though.

In the Car, 2

    We went to the gas station to get something for my stomach.  My head hurt and I felt sick, but I wasn't going to let it ruin my day. Oliver was sleeping now, and his drool was all over the car floor.  I opened the window and let the cold wind blow on my face.  It made me feel better.  I looked out the window and watched all that was happening in Indiana.

   There was still snow covering the ground and the whole atmosphere was full of Christmas cheer.  No one was out, so I didn't get to people watch.  I enjoyed closing my eyes and feeling the cool Christmas air  on my hot face.  My sister was reading the first Harry Potter book and she was obviously not able to talk.  I can understand not wanting to be disturbed though.  Those books suck a reader in, really fast.  I patted my dogs head and I pressed my nose againt his cold, wet one.  Even though it was quiet, It was nice to get away from my busy life and have a nice relaxing day with the people I loved the most.