indy food tour 2012, part two

After deciding to start Indy Food Tour 2012, Avery and I decided we needed to go out with a bang on the last weekend of our time in Indianapolis. Which is why we chose to do a special edition. The Broad Ripple Walking Tour version. It was a one-time, only on television special. All for the pleasure of our stomachs.

We decided to go to several different restaurants and only order one thing to split at each. Get more bang for our buck. And to make a night of it. And to experience as many restaurants as we could. And to just eat lot. Which is really the whole purpose of the whole Food Tour. We gave our obsession with eating a name and so it sounds like there is more of a purpose than just getting fat on...well....lots of fats & sugars & deliciousness.

The Indy Food Tour 2012: Broad Ripple Walking Tour Special Edition was extra special because two great people, Jessica & Mary Ellen joined us. We started at a Greek restaurant called Canal Bistro where we got feta cheese fries. Let me repeat that...fries covered in feta cheese, the cheese from the gods. They were delicious. I don't even know if I tasted them, I ate them so fast.

The second restaurant was Broad Ripple Brew Pub. We ordered beer cheese. Yes, more cheese. Except this one we ate with bread. Totally different. And just as delicious.

Our third stop was called 10-01, pronounced ten-oh-one. Very fancy. Most expensive one of the night. But you could totally tell. The food was DELICIOUS. Even though I've used that word like twelve times already. I'm just really passionate about food, okay? We ordered some salmon. The picture speaks for itself. It's making me hungry just looking at it.

Our food tour was interrupted for a short commercial break shopping at a cute boutique store. Where they were giving away free cupcakes. So that counts as a stop on the food tour. We all tried on fun outfits & I really just loved their decorations. I will definitely be going back there. Maybe not to purchase, but just to hang out.

Our last stop was for ice cream. Of course. The night wouldn't be complete without it. Don't mind the fact that we eat had already eaten three cupcakes. Brics, also known as Broad Ripple Ice Cream Station, might be my favorite restaurant in Indy. I'm serious. I would eat their ice cream for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And then probably a late night dessert.

All in all, the food tour went out with a lot of food on the last weekend. I mean, Avery and I had to sustain ourselves on Indy food until we get back in the fall. Until then, the Indy Food Tour 2012 is on summer hiatus.

the end of an era

This semester, my roommates, Meredith & Brady, and I decided to watch all the seasons of the TV show, Friends. Wow! That was such a good choice!

We watched the finale last week. We ended our time together as roommates at the same time we ended the tenth season. So perfect.

Such a great goal! I love things like this. And, for the record, we watched over 100 hours of Friends this semester.

shredding dreams

Way back in January, I started the semester long journey towards one of my first official art projects. My friend, Kodi and I ended up collaborating on a project. And it's all done.

And you know what, it feels good. It felt good to make something, to use my creative brain, to put something that I've been thinking about in physical form, to let other people know what's going on in my head.

Here's my artist statement that went along with my art. Kind of long, but it describes the whole process.

Abby Miller and Kodi Colip embarked on a journey with an unknown end. We each began the artistic process with differing statements of inquiry. While Abby had hoped to explore handwritten communication, Kodi wanted to examine transitions through life. Together, our powers combined, to create an art force to be reckoned with. Who knew handwritten communication and transitions in life could become the most dynamic of duos? Through much deliberation, we developed a process in which we would ask different questions to a variety of people at different stages of life. Using the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” for younger children; “Where do you see yourself after college? What do you hope to accomplish?” for college students; and “If you could go back and change anything in your life, what would it be and why?” for adults, we were able to track transitions through handwritten communication. Participants were asked to interpret these questions by writing or drawing their responses on a blank sheet of computer paper with their choice of colored markers. We kept the responses anonymous and asked each participant to exclude their name. After gathering approximately 300 responses, we then took a picture of each to document their initial form. After documenting each response, we then placed the paper into a shredder. Despite belief that we were intending to crush people’s dreams by shredding their responses, we hoped to form our own interpretive art reaction to each of our individual inquiries. From here we invite you to view our individual works that stemmed from the same beginning process. 

Going to college so far away from home, I have tried to stay in touch with my friends and family. Sometimes phone calls, text messages, and emails seem too impersonal. I started writing letters. However, this year, as my course load and co-curricular activities increased, I felt like I had less time to dedicate to staying in touch that way. Through this class, I wanted to reexamine the disparity between handwritten communication and the current technology that we use. In my artwork, I wanted to explore how we connect through handwritten communication, based on my previous experiences. In today’s society, I think that we are too often looking at a screen or sending messages through a phone. I wanted to see how people interact when they must stop, think, and concentrate on the words they are writing. In the collection process, people interacted with their own thoughts and that experience itself was part of my work of art. Their experiences told a story and their reflection papers are just the evidence of this. Their reflections were shredded and encased in wax to symbolize the collectiveness of dreams, regrets, and hopes. I chose to use encaustic art processes to show that people’s reflections are true for this time, but might be different tomorrow. 

It may not have turned out as great as I wanted it to, but it was the process that was important. Art is something different to everyone. It doesn't have to look beautiful and put together for it to be important to someone. It's more important for me to make something than to have people like it. And I can call myself an artist because of that. 

one for one

Sometimes spontaneity is a great thing. I think my best friend, Ellen agrees with me. 

So, yesterday, instead of forcing myself to sit in a room and pretend to work on a paper that I knew I wasn't going to work on, I spontaneously went downtown to hear the founder of Toms Shoes, Blake Mycoskie. 

FUN! 

He was a really cool dude. Here's his blog...

ole ole!

Last week was my sorority, Alpha Phi's spring philanthropy event, Phiesta. As in PHI-esta.

We volunteer all week to try to get 500 hours of service. We do projects all around the city every day.
We kept track throughout the week by putting #10 signs in the yard to document each 10 hours we complete.

Our big one this year was a Zumba night. We invited the Girl Scouts and our alumni to participate in an hour long Zumba session taught by one of the girls in Alpha Phi. Except, Mother Nature had different plans. It rained all day before hand, so instead, we did Plan B and had a movie night while coloring pictures. I loved it because I got to see three of the girls who are in the 2nd grade class that I work in: Mayan, Grace, & Maggie. They are the cutest things ever!

My other volunteer project of the week was going to Thrifty Threads, which is kind of like Goodwill. Our group sorted through clothes and hung them up in preparation for them to go on the floor to be sold. We had fun singing, asking each other random questions, and laughing at the totally random things that were in the bins.

The finale of the week was an all-campus soccer tournament followed by a taco bar dinner. It was fun to hang out with everyone and eat. Duh.

It was a fun week. I'm proud of what my sorority does. I enjoy getting a new cute shirt.

But, dang, I'm so glad that I can focus on studying for finals now.

indy food tour 2012, part one

"Hi, our names are Avery Volz and Abby Miller and we are addicted to food."

The first step is admitting, right? The second step is....continuing the addiction. Like when I was obsessed with food trucks. It's one and the same.

Here's some news: Indianapolis, Indiana is a hotbed of really, really great food. Who knew? 

But, because of this....I'm pleased to announce....

Avery & Abby's Indy Food Tour 2012!!!!

We made a list of all of the really great places that we want to eat. And we are going to try to eat at everyone in the year 2012. We have already made a pretty big dent in the list (because we like to eat so much) and we will continue in the fall. It makes it fun because every time we go out to eat, we try something new! We are just SO adventurous.

The first few great eats...


ROOM FOUR.

This restaurant is a secret room attached to a really fancy restaurant in Indy called Recess. Room Four is the cheaper version, but from the same chef. Who is a rockstar. It's the kind of place where there are only five options on the menu and it changes every day. SO FUN!

Avery and I loved the cool lights and wall decorations. And that we felt so hip ordering off such a short menu. Avery ordered fried fish tacos and I got a meatloaf sandwich. Yum.

FIRE BY THE MONON. 

This is in Broad Ripple, where the majority of our "to be eaten" restaurants are located. Fire By The Monon was rustic and artsy and really unique. We had been hearing great things about it for awhile.

Avery got a burger and I got a roasted veggie pizza with goat cheese. Mainly because I could eat goat cheese by the spoonful. Seriously.

RENE'S BAKERY.

This cute bakery is in an even cuter blue building. They have everything you would ever want in there: croissants, cakes, cookies, bread, pie, other sweet things that I don't know about. This is somewhere I could totally see myself wanting to go all the time and buy delicious things.

Avery got a piece of cake and I got some sweet French madeleines. So worth the extra calories.

My mouth is already drooling for the next restaurant on the list. 

sorority life

After a year and a half of being a part of Greek life at Butler, I sometimes forget that some of the things we do are totally foreign and weird to the outside community.

candlelight ceremony.   When two people are dating for a really long time, they can choose to "lavaliere" each other. Pretty much means that the girl is now allowed to wear the boys' letters officially and is kind of considered a member of the fraternity. As weird as it sounds, it's actually just so great. It's like the college version of a wedding or engagement, which college girls are obsessed with...(check out our Pinterest pages).

We all stand in a circle, pass around a candle, and sing a really pretty song about sisterhood.

Then, the best friends of the girl being "lavaliered" slowly step out of the circle and led up to the girl. It's supposed to be a surprise, so when the candle finally stops in front of her, it's such a great emotional reaction. All of the sorority may or may not end up screaming and cheering. Then, the boyfriend and his fraternity brothers come walk over and usually sing a song, tell their love story, and kiss.

It is just too precious. Young love.


serenades.   Another Greek life tradition at Butler. Every time an organization has some sort of event to promote, they go around to all of the houses and sing songs, usually popular ones that they've changed the words to.

Last week was the Number One Serenade Of Them All. Our men's acappela group called Out Of The Dawg House...(get it? we're the Butler Bulldogs!) They are all beautiful people and we love to watch them and have them sing to us.

So, we all sit around the foyer in every available space. I'm pretty sure that every single girl in that room was googly-eyed and drooling a little bit.  

And then they sing. And we listen. And it's a wonderful way to end our Wednesday night. Their concert is on Saturday and you can bet that I'll be in the front row doing the same thing.