Indiana's a trip.

Introduction
This blog will consist of an account of Jonathan and Kristine's visit in Indiana. It will therefore be quite lengthy, so proceed with caution. It is not for the faint of heart. Some of the material may cause tears, laughter, or other possible results. This blog is not responsible for any of them. Also, pictures will be provided for your viewing pleasure. The pictures posted will also be able to be viewed in the near future on the website along with many others. And now, without further ado, the blog.

Thanksgiving (11/23/2006)
Kristine and I arrived at her parents house Wednesday night at about 8:30 pm. Her parents and brother had not yet returned home, so the two of us took the time to kick our feet up and relax after the long drive. Her parents arrived soon after, and following a bit of reacquainting, we started off for bed. But not before Grandparent Greggs got a chance to feel Niah moving. The following morning, Kristine's Dad and brother took me with them to check traps they had set the previous day. We set out on the lake and returned with eight muskrats and a racoon. It was definitely a memorable experience. Upon reaching the fifth trap or so, Mike (Kristine's dad) had a fun time trying to kill a muskrat that had happened to survive the night caught in a leg trap. After shooting it once and beating it profusely, he handed the rat to me as he tried to reset the trap. As I held the thing halfway in the water by the tail, I felt a slight wiggle. The muskrat he had so desperately tried to kill had refused to die. As I looked in awe I told him the mangy thing was still alive. After asking if I would like to give it back I said, "well, won't it just drown with me holding it in the water like this?" In response he stated, "maybe, or it might try to run its way up your arm." Upon hearing that, I handed it back to him without hesitation.
After returning back to the house, The three of us cleaned up and went with Shawn (Kristine's mom) to Thanksgiving Dinner at Kristi's grandparents'. She had left early to help out with things. The meal was delightful, as was the time with family. We were able to see people we hadn't seen in over a year. That alone made the trip quite worth it.

Pacers vs. Cavs (11/24/2006)

Friday morning Mike, Dave, and I went to check traps again while Kristine and her mom went shopping with Shawn's sisters. Sadly, the previous day's catch was not to be repeated. We left with but one muskrat. We then returned to the house and had a bit of fun riding around on Mike's Rhino™, which is basically a mini tank. I then packed up a majority of Kristine's and my belongings and headed off to Anderson to see my parents and meet David Story for the ever-anticipated basketball game. I arrived at about 4:00 pm and spent some quality time with Mom and Dad. We talked about various things, like Thanksgiving and school. Then at about 5:20, David Story rang the doorbell. He came in and we chatted for a few minutes, and then the two of us headed to Conseco Fieldhouse to watch the Indiana Pacers battle it out with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
We got there about an hour and 45 minutes early and went as quickly as possible to find our seats. We were on the middle level, club seats with catering. It's the best seating I've ever had at a professional game. We watched the warmups in awe as LeBron James threw down a couple of pre-game dunks. We then watched in even more awe as he sped down the court on a fast break and flew through the air to slam down a ferocious double pump. Amazing. After a lazy first half by the Pacers, Sarunas Jasikivicius and Jermaine O'Neal seemed to jump start a huge run with some defensive help from Darrel Armstrong. They held the Cavs to just 9 points in the third. They followed it up with a strong fourth quarter finish, causing the Cavs to start fouling in desperation. As a result, James fouled out of the game, but not before dishing out 30 points, 7 boards, and 5 assists. Jermaine finished with 29 points and 6 rebounds as he led the Pacers to a 10 point victory, 97-87. David and I celebrated on the ride home by recapping the game and praising the Pacers for their second half efforts. Afterwards, we stopped by Steak n' Shake for a couple of delicious milkshakes.

Baby Showers of blessing (11/25/2006)
Saturday started off with waking up early and making another trip back to Bloomfield for the baby shower. My mom drove me and my brother the two hours where she then attended the shower while my brother and I kept Josh Allen, Dave Gregg, and my brother-in-law Andy company (my sister, Amanda, was also at the shower). I can't say much concerning the shower since I wasn't there, but I'm told it was a lot of fun. Kristine did tell me about a couple of games they played that seemed rather interesting. There were 17 that showed, which was more than was expected. I must say, it does look like it was fun. Thanks to all who participated and graciously gave. We love you all.

My mom's van was then packed with all the gifts we had been given. Following the shower and some casual conversation, Kristine, Timothy, Mom, and I all headed back to Anderson. The trip was fun with the exception of some disgusting beef jerky. I think it was still alive. Anywho, we arrived in Anderson at about 5:30 and took the rest of the evening spending time with my family.

Family Ties (11/26/2006)
Sunday my family got up (some of us a bit late) to get ready for church. I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but my brother, dad, and I all managed to coordinate our clothes. We were men in black....with ties. Sunday morning went well, and Sunday School turned out to be quite interesting. We talked about the various names of God. The services were also good, and Dad preached a great message on the blessings God gives us, whether as the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. After services, Mom, Dad, and Kristine returned home to prepare for lunch while Timothy and I went to pick up his girlfriend, Morgan. When the three of us got home we were greeted with, "Don't change, Mom wants pictures." So, here they are.
After lunch, Dad offered me the opportunity to preach Sunday night. I graciously accepted and got to work. It was nice to be in front of some familiar faces, and afterward everyone commented on how well I had done and how much I've improved. We then went home and watched some of the Colts game. They overcame Philadelphia 45-21, much thanks to Joseph Addai. He had four touchdowns on the night and Manning threw 14/20 for 183 yards, breaking 3,000 yards in his career and doing it faster than anyone else in league history.

Tripped up (11/27/2006)

On Monday, Kristine and I woke up early to say our goodbyes to my mom and dad, and after getting a couple more hours sleep, got back up to pack our things for the drive home. The car was already tightly packed with baby gifts, but we somehow managed to get our other belongings in. As we drove down Jeffrey Drive we met Timothy coming back from class. We stopped long enough to say goodbye and headed off. Before taking the long trip to Little Rock, Kristine and I made our customary stop at the Allen household. Erin and Camrynne were there to greet us. We talked for a while and then, upon Josh's return from work, we all went to Penn Station for lunch. Ah, Penn Station. Naturally, I ordered a Philly Cheesesteak and Kristine got the Chicken Terriyaki. We left from there, and headed for Arkansas. The trip was nothing more than exhausting, with the exception of our car not starting after we had stopped for a rest. We gave it a bit of time and it started right up. The trip itself, as I've already stated, was exhausting. We almost instantly began to miss people, but were glad when we arrived back at our dinky little apartment.

Well, that's it for my Indiana trip blog. We do miss those whom we've just recently left. You're always in our hearts. With that, I should think this should do my reader's for a good week or so. As always, stay tuned.