Our wedding is drawing ever closer. I had better post some quick updates on recent happenings before things get so busy that I don't have time to. Post one of two:

• 2009 July 3rd: We joined my family for a patriotic concert at Conner Prairie. The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performs their Symphony on the Prairie series every year. Everyone made delicious food and there was lots and lots of fried chicken. My Photoset is here.
  
  
• 2009 July 15th: Sara and I joined Chelsea and her crew for a midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Everyone went in costume. Sara went as Nymphadora Tonks, and I went as Remus Lupin. I have a few photos.
  
  
• 2009 July 24th: We traveled to beautiful Lima, Ohio to witness the nuptials of Jessica and Jon. Jessica and her family threw a fantastic wedding that really accentuated her wonderfully quirky personality and diverse interests. Check out the photos to see for yourself.
  
  
• 2009 July 25th: After a quick drive back from Ohio we attended our own wedding shower. My Aunt Mary and Uncle Mike very generously hosted a "couple's shower" for us at their beautiful house in Tipton. We received so many wonderful gifts; I am embarrassed by the generosity of our friends and family. Pictures of us opening packages are available for those that are interested.
  
  
• 2009 July 27th: We spent the evening hanging out with John over at Andrew and Elissa's house. It was a low key evening, but we wanted to say farewell to John before he set off on his great adventure in Portland the next day.
  
  
• 2009 July 31st: I had the day off in anticipation of heading to Lehmann's wedding early. Instead we headed to the car dealership early and purchased a new Nisan Versa. We took advantage of the Car Allowance Rebate System (a.k.a Cash for Clunkers) by surrendering Sara's 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee to the trash heap.
  
  We are very happy with our new little car, and especially glad that we now have a vehicle that can reliably take us on trip outside the greater Lafayette area. It has also forced Sara to learn how to operate a manual transmission. She has taken to it like a duck to water and is quite good at it now.
  
  We got everything worked out at the dealership and were on the road to Lehmann's wedding by about noon.
  
  

Our wedding is drawing ever closer. I had better post some quick updates on recent happenings before things get so busy that I don't have time to. Post two of two:

• 2009 August 1st: After a long, and somewhat harrowing, drive to Fredericksburg, Virginia we were fortunate enough to see our good friend Lehmann get married to the lovely and kind Tara. We thank them for inviting us and wish him and his bride a lifetime of happiness. I took some photos which can be found here.
  
  
• 2009 August 2nd: At the wedding I mentioned that I had half a mind to get up early and explore the historical stuff in the Fredericksburg area before our drive back. Castor also expressed and interest and mentioned that he had never been to Washington D.C. That could not stand, so we picked up the Showalters who were bumming a ride with Castor to BWI and headed out.
  
  It was grey and overcast as we explored the National Mall. We didn't have much time, so we just hit the major spots: Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial. We were constantly bothered by intermittent rain, but I got some photos of our Sterling. After our quick loop around the mall we got the Showalters dropped off at BWI and were back on the road by about noon once again.
  
  
• 2009 August 8th: Brad, Sara, and looked around the Indiana State Fair after grabbing a few brewing supplies at Great Fermentations. We saw a lumberjack competition and ate bad food including fried Oreos.
  
  
• 2009 August 13th - 16th: Castor and I were the only two to attend GenCon this year. I spent a sizable portion of my time with the independent game designers taking part in their Games on Demand events. I played:
  • Godlike - A game about superheros in WWII
  • Story Cards - A game that attempts to fit any genre. Our group came up with a post-apocalyptic zombie storyline.
  • Kobolds ate my baby! - A fantastically silly game which is about trying to accomplish anything when you are a pathetic Kobold. The game suffered from too many players (11).
  • Don't Rest Your Head - A game about being a crazy insomniac.
  • My Life with Master - A game about being the self-loathing henchmen of an evil mad scientist.
  • Call of Cthulhu - A game based on the horror stories of H.P. Lovecraft. This particular scenario was set in the South Pacific circa 1944.
  • The Committee for the Exploration of Mysteries - A RPG without a GM. The genre is pulp action/adventure.
  • Danger Patrol - A game where you get to play characters from the terrible early days of Science Fiction. Think Buck Rogers, Lost in Space, etc.
  • Dogs in the Vineyard - A game where you play religious gunslingers trying to set things right in small towns in the old west. This is an older game designed by Vincent Baker. I have been meaning to play it for a long time, and I am glad I got the chance.
  
  I was also fortunate to be able have drinks with Jeff and his lovely wife Katie while I was downtown Indianapolis for the con.
  
  
• 2009 August 23rd: We took a detour because a portion of I-65 was closed and stumbled upon the Grand Kankekee Marsh County Park in Lake County, Indiana. We decided to stop, look around, and take some pictures.
  
  I didn't know anything about it at the time, but my research indicates that the marsh once covered more than half a million acres before the Kankekee river was straightened and had its grade increased from 5 inches per mile to 14 inches per mile in the first part of the 20th century. Interesting historical note: in the 1870s timber from the marsh was used extensively to rebuild Chicago after the great fire.
  
  
• 2009 August 25th: My little sister Chrissy is still working up here in the greater Lafayette area even though she is now a homeowner in Anderson. As a result she is living in our spare bedroom during the week. She moved in on the 25th and we are glad to have her.
  
  
• 2009 August 29th: Sara and I took a break from the wedding-planning related tasks. We tried Adelino's, the new tapas place in downtown Lafayette. The food was good and the sangria packed a pleasant punch.
  
  After dinner we walked up Main Street in time to catch the end of Lafayette Outfest. We watched the drag show and played with the hula-hoops. We even got our picture taken with Sylvia. There were lots of people there and everyone was having a good time. It made for a nice diversion from our stressful schedule.