French Lick, Indiana

Travel blog entry!  For our 5th anniversary this year, we crossed French Lick off of our Indiana bucket list.  There are two historic grand hotels there: French Lick Springs Hotel and West Baden Springs Hotel.  Hank, Sadie, and I packed up and drove about an hour south from Bloomington down Hwy 37 through beautiful farm land and small Indiana towns, past Paoli Peaks, until we could spy the huge dome of the West Baden Resort peaking out through the trees.  I didn't expect the sheer magnificence of seeing this hotel after driving through such small towns.  It's crazy big!

We drove past West Baden on to the elegant French Lick Springs Hotel, and I think elegant is the best way to describe this resort.  It was beautiful and just gorgeous with all of their Christmas decorations still up.

There are mineral springs that run through this area, and these resorts were first founded back in 1845 as health spas.

Yes, the pond is totally frozen.  January 2014 was a super cold one!

Located in the Hoosier National Forest.

Indiana limestone tunnel they used in the construction of the hotel.

The ceilings were incredible!

Sadie was so tiny here!  She's twice as big now.  That's what I get for taking months to post this;)

French Lick has such an awesome candy store!

The pool:)

A beautiful anniversary gift in our room from the hotel:)  

The hotel also has some amazing restaurants.  We ate at the famous 1875:The Steakhouse for our anniversary dinner.  It was so fancy and delicious.  Then we had an awesome breakfast at The Grand Colonnade Family Restaurant, which is the former ballroom where FDR received the nomination to run for President in 1932!

It was a great way to celebrate 5 years married to my dream cowboy:)

Our Year:)

What an amazing year.  Full of ups and downs, laughs and tears, lots of sleep deprivation.  But the one consistent this year has been the above ray of sunshine!  It has been pure joy watching her grow into the beautiful little girl she is.  Each month has brought a whole new level of fun to our household!  Sadie is full of energy; quick to laugh, always chatting away about something adorable;)  She loves books, loves "reading" to us, playing peek a boo, "walking" around outside, being the center of attention, playing with other kids, cuddling with us.  My favorite part of this year has been watching her heart for other people develop.  She loves people.  Her heart is huge, sympathetic, and sensitive to others' emotions.  She is concerned when someone is hurt, sad when they cry, happy when they smile, and quick to hug no matter what.  I'm so impressed by the little person she's become, and I learn so much about Christ's love from her every day.  Excited to see her grow even more over this next year!  Happy one year, baby girl:)  We love you more than we can express.