Circle the City with Lisa Whitman

Autumnal Renewal

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:35:08 -0500

I rarely make New Year's resolutions; too many holiday goodies cloud my thinking.

For me, new beginnings commence when our giant poplar shrugs off it's first leaves.

Mother Nature breezes in; crisp, cool and brilliantly efficient. She claps her hands and says, "Let's make a to-do list!"

Never Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:39:34 -0500

My friend Kerry is a gorgeous, fiery, energetic redhead.
She's a single mother of six, that's right, six kids...and she is, hands down, the best baker I've ever met.
When she was 8-years-old, she would get up early and make breakfast for her siblings...and I'm not talking about Captain Crunch.
Egg strata, fresh juice and the most amazing coffee cakes.
She's ridiculously talented. It's kind of depressing.

WAMMfest

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 09:11:59 -0500

You've taken the kids to the waterpark, visited your relatives at the family reunion and now, it's time for you to relax, unwind and enjoy the best event of the summer.

Picture yourself sipping wine, sharing a meal with friends and listening to amazing live music.

Make a Splash

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:14:32 -0500

When we were kids, summers were punctuated by two distinct memories: oppressive Indiana heat, and the Elk's Club Pool in Vincennes. My grandparents belonged to "the Elk's" which afforded them golf privileges (they didn't golf), dining privileges (Friday night fried chicken), and a pool membership. The pool was a highly chlorinated, peeling, cinder block facility with a small snack bar serving orange Fanta and The Bee Gees serenading us through loud, raspy speakers...it was absolute heaven.

Question, Quiz, Q-factor....

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:37:27 -0500

What restaurant was originally named after a cat and then changed it's name to mean absolutely nothing?

It's one of the fastest growing restaurant chains in the nation and it has a completely made-up name!

Here's another hint: it started in Colorado, inspired by San Francisco cuisine, and is the home of a burrito almost as big as your head...

cap, cover, lid, bonnet, chapeau. hat.

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:06:22 -0500

I have a friend who laughs hysterically at me whenever we go to a pool or beach.
Everyone around us is lying face-up or face down trying to capture every last molecule of the sun's rays, while I am wrapped in a full-length sarong applying 70 SPF.
And I always, always wear a huge hat.
Amidst the chuckles, I tell my friend that I am fashionable. In 1940's society.

Hooves & Hogs

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:17:59 -0500

Saddle up the horses, pull on your boots, throw the kids in the wagon and come on up to Spyke's Harley Davidson's 2nd annual trick-riding, barrel racing, bronco buckin' real-life Rodeo Stampede in Frankfort on July 30th and 31st!

Dinner and a Show

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:00:37 -0500

Here's the challenge: Feed, entertain AND have 'quality time' with four children.
Wait. Not so fast. Here's the catch: all the kids have vastly different ages, interests and varying levels of "coolness".

Path of Least Resistance

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 09:51:37 -0500

Living in Indy makes me feel a little sorry for other cities.

We have a veritable buffet of art, music, culture, museums, and, despite the 'cows and corn' reputation, Indianapolis also invites us to explore it's beauty in nature, woods and trails.

A Bountiful Boutique

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 15:05:44 -0500

I really dislike shopping. (I'd use stronger language, but we don't use "hate" in our family as my children would be quick to point out.)

I tolerate shopping for groceries, but I get positively anxious when shopping for clothes, shoes or handbags.
I know. I'm strange.

My sister considers shopping malls a 'spa-like' experience, and my husband could spend all day at the Apple store. But me? Not so much.

Wedding (Giveaway) Day!

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 21:53:15 -0500

I kept shaking my head.
Here was this gorgeous couple, Ja'Rell and Zsaranet, getting ready to get married...
on LIVE TV!

I would have been a lunatic. A complete disaster.
Most likely huddled in the fetal position.

Instead, Zsaranet looked like a queen. She had some wedding jitters, but was gracious, lovely and had the most radiant smile I have ever seen. Truly.

Love of Libraries

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:18:31 -0500

"Perhaps no place in any community is so totally democratic as the town library. The only entrance requirement is interest." ~Lady Bird Johnson

Blame my mother. She started it; this love of libraries.
It's where she would take us as a treat in the summer.
Our library was cool and quiet; we kids were hot and loud.
The library was her sanctuary.

Nothing rhymes with orange; but pink looks good with it.

Sun, 30 May 2010 22:50:55 -0500

I've never considered myself a fashion diva, but I can find my way around a great pair of shoes and a handbag or two.
So when my seven year old daughter came downstairs wearing her favorite orange sundress and a bright pink cardigan, I said, "Um honey, I'm not sure those two things look very good together."
Hands on hips, she struck a pose and said, "Mommy, these two colors TOTALLY go together!"
Turns out, she is absolutely right.

my kds & i(Phone)

Wed, 19 May 2010 21:09:48 -0500

I've lrnd 2 txt.
?
b/c I luv my kds.

Fit To Be Thai-ed

Tue, 11 May 2010 14:39:52 -0500

I've eaten Thai food exactly three times.
I know.
Don't scoff.
I don't get out much.