A Winter Trip Recall #2

Welcome to the 2nd part of our Winter Trip to Indiana from December 11 to January 7, 2026.

This post will share with you how we spent our New Year's '26.

A couple of days before New Year's, we drove down to Indy to spend a few nights with Savannah and Reis.  As I mentioned in my last post, they have recently purchased their first home and have made it so warm and welcoming.  It is a lovely combination of both their tastes. 

Mine and Ollie the cat's favorite room is the glassed-in sunroom, which adjoins the primary bedroom as well as the den area.  This was the perfect place for their beautifully decorated Christmas tree.

Savannah found the green velvet sofa when she moved into her first apartment after college.  I love it!  It has such character and is so her.  They added additional pieces of furniture and made this room warm even in the dead of winter.

Even the neighborhood squirrels enjoy looking inside while appreciating the food in Vannah's Christmas gift bird feeder.  By the way, these were the largest, healthiest squirrels with the fuzziest tails that we had ever seen. 

Reis had to work on New Year's Eve, so Savannah had planned a road trip to a couple small, quaint towns in the area.  She said her goal for the day was to visit several coffee shops so that she and her mom could find the best latte.  And sure enough, we started our tasting test in the town of Franklin.  It is a delightful little town that is built around the most beautiful old courthouse I have ever seen.  So, while they ordered their lattes, I took pictures.

I love finding old courthouses, and this is the prettiest I have ever seen.  I found the millwork and details to resemble an overly decorated dollhouse. How would you like the job of stringing the lights from the top of the clock tower?

This was the first coffeehouse and for some reason, the test tasters decided to share a cup. The rest of us enjoyed a full cup of our own, and it was the last time they shared.

We explored several shops around the square and were amazed at the variety and quality of these locally owned businesses.  

We found a second coffeehouse to try, and their lunch menu was exactly what we wanted.  Evidently, the locals thought it was the place to eat as well.

After looking and shopping in the cutest little toy store, we enjoyed browsing in an interesting vintage store, The Vintage Market.  We left empty-handed, but not because we didn't find things we liked.

  

Before leaving town, we found a third coffee shop.  I don't know about the lattes, but I can testify that the German Chocolate Brownies were on the top of my list.  If you should ever find yourself in the area, I highly recommend Franklin, Indiana.

From Franklin, we drove to Nashville, IN.  Savannah had described it as a "Hallmark" village, and it truly was.

Our latte tasters decided to test the ice cream in Nashville instead.  I asked Savannah which of the lattes was her favorite, and she honestly said that Starbucks will always be her favorite.

On the way back, we spotted a sign pointing to a covered bridge somewhere nearby. Being the adventurous people we are, we decided to see if we could find it.

After a few doubts as to the wisdom of our decision, we found it.

As there was no turnaround room, we crossed the bridge and continued on the very narrow road over hill and dale until finally we reached a highway.  I told them that that was the kind of road one would expect to find an overalled clad person with a shotgun around any curve.  That was exciting enough, so home we went, but so glad we had that fun adventure.

We left the next morning before the predicted snow started up in Granger.  There had been a bit of snow overnight north of Indy, but nothing like we would have up north.

I was honored to hold Skye all the way home, even if she would have much preferred her mother's lap.

Along the open fields of Indiana

What awaited us.  After we got back to Granger on New Year's Day, the snow had already started.  We got home just in time.

The next day, we were blessed with another visit from "The Little Days," as the Big Days refer to their family.  We enjoyed being with them so much, and have already made plans to go again in July.  This time we will fly.

Come Sunday morning, it was time for us to head south toward home.  It is always so hard to leave our family, knowing it will be months before we see each other again.  We are always so blessed by them, and time is always too short.

We left on very icy streets, but thankfully the roads were clear and our trip to our first stop, Nashville, TN was smooth and uneventful.

 

I look forward to sharing about that part of our trip in my next post - Belmont Mansion.

A Winter Trip Recall #1

Dick and I left on Thursday morning, Dec. 11, headed to Atlanta with an overnight stop in Birmingham, AL.  

While in Atlanta, we stayed at the new AC Hotel by Marriott in Dunwoody, Georgia. Its location was perfect, as it’s close to our granddaughter’s apartment. Mary-Elizabeth works nights as a nurse, so we were able to meet her for breakfast after her shift. It was wonderful to spend that time together, especially since it had been a year since we last saw her.

Afterward, we drove north to Cornelia, GA, to spend a few days with friends, Randy and Cele.

They have a lovely home on a mountain top overlooking a beautiful mountain range with the most spectacular sunsets.  Their house was beautifully decorated for Christmas, and their company is always enjoyable. Spending time with them is something we look forward to when we travel north.  This trip was especially nice, sitting by the fire, driving around the interesting countryside of North Georgia, eating in and out, and seeing the wonderful Christmas lighting of the area.  Thank you Randy and Cele.

On Tuesday morning, we left, heading toward Indianapolis with an overnight stop in Lexington, KY.  Wednesday, we arrived at our other granddaughter, Savannah and her husband, Reis's new home in Indy.

  

They have only been married for a year and have recently bought their first home on the outskirts of Indianapolis.  I was so delighted to see how she displayed the Christmas village I had passed down to her mother years ago.  Savannah had asked for it since she now has a place to display it. She and I both love traditions.  It will be a joy to help her expand it in the years to come.  She and Reis have done a beautiful job of making this home theirs, and it thrilled us to share their love and pride in their new place.

On Thursday morning, we headed toward our final destination, Granger in North Central Indiana.   We traditionally spend Christmas with our son and his family there. This was the first year their nest was completely empty, thus our stops on the way up to see our girls.

After experiencing major snowstorms just a few weeks earlier, this was all the snow left on the ground when we arrived—and none was forecast for the near future, much to my dismay. However, the next morning, God surprised me in the most wonderful way: snow!

Of course, the highlight of being there, besides seeing our grown kids, was getting reacquainted with the little ones, Jax, 3 1/2, and Navy Grace, 15 months.

It had been a year since we had seen them, but Michelle shared them with us through Snapchat and FaceTime, so we weren't strangers, thankfully.  This little guy is Mister Personality for sure.

One day between snow showers, Dick and I took a short road trip into downtown Mishawaka. We love the historic buildings and enjoy seeing the St. Joseph River as it winds through town.

This was once a home and I can only imagine what it must been like at that time, but now is an event center

There are several other beautiful old churches that I was not able to photograph while driving.

We agreed this would be a perfect house for a thriller film.

The St. Joseph River flows from this dam northeast of the town center, (two of the large churches can be seen on the horizon)

over these terraced pools between beautifully designed walking paths,

until it reaches the full-flowing river.

There is an outdoor ice skating rink wedged between the river and a new complex featuring apartments, condos, and restaurants.  It was quite busy on this day with families and people of all ages eager to be outdoors while the sun was shinning.

On Christmas Eve, we met our grandson Jackson and his family for an afternoon service at their home church. The children loved it, and Jax especially enjoyed the candlelight portion of the service.

Afterward, the four of us went out for dinner at a lovely local restaurant. We always treasure these evenings spent with our kids.

Christmas morning was filled with time with the grandchildren—Jax and Navy Grace—and, of course, their parents. Unfortunately, I don’t have photos of them opening their many gifts, but I can say they had a wonderful time. It didn’t take Navy Grace, at just 15 months old, long to discover the fun of playing with all the wrapping paper!

Jax enjoyed playing with Navy Grace's present as much as she did.

And little Miss Pris was happy to strut her stuff, showing off her new hat and first pair of jean shorts.  It looks like she is going to be a perfect combination of a feminine tomboy.

The next day, John, Michelle, Dick, and I hit the road early to enjoy breakfast at our favorite place to eat—and shop—in Elkhart, Indiana, "Birds Gotta Fly."  It is an old warehouse that now houses the most clever collection of vintage items. 

 

We even had Savannah along via FaceTime.

We love shopping in boutiques and Vintage/Christmas stores.  This one was new to me, and I actually found the neatest long sweater cardigan - perfect for Texas winters.  We also found another place that was new to all of us.

The men folk were happy to stay in the Tesla and watch a movie.  Michelle and I didn't mind that a bit.

This is an overview of a portion of this delightful Christmas store.  It will definitely be on the agenda next year.

Happy gals!

And this was the upcoming forecast!

And this was the Monday radar!

In the middle of a gorgeous snowstorm!

After the storm passes by and the sun creates glistening diamonds on the undisturbed snow 

So what did we do in the middle of a snowstorm in north Indiana?  John works because a hospital never closes; Dick reads and works Cross Word puzzles; Michelle and I water paint.  Neither of us had ever water-painted before, but these precious little books were great for beginners.  We actually enjoyed doing several of the seasonal designs.

This covers Christmas 2025 in Granger, Indiana and the largest portion of our visit.  

In my next post, I will tell you about our New Year's trip, so stay tuned.