Sharing stories across Carmel, IN
What made you smile today?
"The wonderful weather. (I love) coming out, walking, and playing (tennis). Unfortunately, we couldn't play today, but it's the perfect weather for playing as well. (The weather's) much better than last year, and the weather is becoming warmer and warmer every year."
the "what made you smile today" series
What made you smile today?
"This guy. So, just picking up my son and deciding we were going to go be outside in the sunshine—(that) made me smile. The best part about being a mother is getting to see the world through his eyes and getting to be playful again."
the "what made you smile today?" series
also, this is the same little boy who made the woman in the previous post smile :)
What made you smile today?
"That little boy that I just passed. I was going to tell her, 'I'll give you one of (my dogs) if you give me that cute little toddler. (My son is) 28. He's adopted; he's my miracle. I would've had many more if it was possible. Babies and critters are my thing. They're what makes the world a better place. I think it's just their pure love. I mean, that's the only hope we have for the world is to put good people into it—so they can clean up what we've messed up."
the "what made you smile today?" series
"My favorite quote at the moment is, 'Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.' It's from a pretty famous movie (Ferris Bueller's Day Off). In the context of our busy academic schedules, we tend to forget the most mundane, heck, just human aspects of what makes us us. So many times in (class) in the morning I'll be stressing over something, and then just look around the room and just realize how lucky I am to have so many friends I can just walk up to and start a long conversation with."
"Growing up in Chicago and taking trips in the nearby forest reserve. Thanksgiving in Chicago. Playing touch football when you're little in the playground. I love the beauty of (fall) and I love the weather."
What is your favorite fall memory?
"We took a trip overseas and it was a biking trip with some family members. I didn't really bike, but I took it up because of that and...I've kept it up. (I loved) biking overseas and seeing all the little towns in Italy as we biked through the back roads of Italy. I'm new to Carmel. I've only been here six weeks or so, so I guess I'd say (my favorite place to bike here is) the Monon."
"My first son (was born in the fall). He was born October 5th, 1983. I was a late-blooming father. I didn't get married until (later), and I had my first child when I was almost 40. (Being a father) was harder than expected, but I found out that it never ends. I have a 40-year-old son now, and I'm still fathering him and my daughter. It's ongoing, and it probably will be for the rest of my life."
What is your favorite fall memory?
the spookiest race of the year
"I started trying (in high school) super late. I didn't care about my future until last year while the people I surround myself with started caring from the beginning. They have a plan (for college and their future) and know exactly what they have and what they can do while I'm still in the process of figuring that out myself. But, like, I've reached a point where it's like, 'I'm where I'm at because of what I've done.' The mistakes I've made have put me in my position and you just accept it eventually and you try to make do with what you have. It might be too late for some things but it's never too late to try your best with what you have. People end up where they are meant to (be). Things may not go the way you want but whatever happens happens for a reason, and you just have to trust the process."
"(My dog) is very sweet. We have a kid and we have a cat, and she is very nice to both of them even when they are in her personal space. One time, when she was pretty young—she was less than a year (old)—my husband was outside with her on a leash, and my son was inside. He was being rambunctious. He was only like four or five. He got excited about something and he was screaming his head off. And, she actually slipped her leash and ran and threw herself against the door to get inside because she was so worried about what he was screaming about. She's always been very protective of him."
"(I'm scared of) mice because they creep around. My son lived in Bloomington because he went to IU and apparently, there's a mice problem there because all the students are so, kind of, not the cleanest, I guess. He came in late one night, and there was a huge—it was actually a rat that was in his kitchen. I always think about that. I'm afraid of rodents...and bats and stuff like that. I guess I'm afraid of Halloween. I love all the decorations and I love Halloween, but like, you know when you see the big plastic rats? I'm really afraid of those. Those really freak me out even though I know they're not real."
"I think you can have love at first sight or you can grow to love someone. I think nothing is the same for each person, but I think it's both beautiful each way. I met my boyfriend when we were in our class one day. A couple weeks later, a little lie about having a class where I was walking, and now we're here. Now, he's visiting me. He's from Australia originally, so he's visiting me from across the world to Carmel, Indiana."
"I'm a dad. (My best quality as a dad) is listening. I think you always have to be listening whether it's being a dad or just being part of society. You need to listen more than you talk. I think I've always been a good listener—I think my parents taught me that, but I think as you become a parent, you need to refine those skills or remember those skills a little bit more."
"We met in February of 2020. We met and we were at a bar listening to a band, and I actually work with my husband's brother. And so, he invited his brother to this concert and we just hit it off. It was a lot of fun. We had some drinks, we had some food, we exchanged numbers, and we had a lot of fun."
What is your favorite thing about each other?
"My favorite thing is how caring and kind—I can start listing off things. Just how compassionate she is."
"My favorite thing about (him) is how genuine he is. He is so honest and true to himself. He couldn't fake it if he tried. You get what you get, and I like how real he is."
"My wife's the love of my life. I've been married (for) 40 years. (We met when) I was actually at a firefighter training when I was a recruit. I looked across the parking lot and saw her and fell in love with her right away. She put a bag of Hershey Kisses on my truck, and what she didn't know is I kept the bag of Hershey Kisses. We still have them today. It's 40 years later. I retired from suppression from the fire department, like riding on the trucks, and now I'm in administration. When I retired from suppression, I presented her with that bag of Hershey Kisses at 36.5 years (when) I retired from suppression. The last thing I said at the podium was, 'This is what you gave me 36.5 years ago.' And I gave her the Hershey Kisses. Everybody in the room was crying; it was really emotional. It's neat because that's how much it meant to me; that was the first thing she's ever given to me, and I held onto it all these years. Now, we have them in a case in our china cabinet."
Carmel Fire Department
"My proudest moment was when all my children graduated from high school and college. I had six. It was really a big deal for everybody, you know, for that young one (to graduate) because he had lots of support from the older children. It was a big day. It was a milestone, you know when you have a big family like that and the youngest one graduates or leaves home. (I didn't miss having kids at home) because I had grandchildren coming too, so then that was fun. It was a whole new generation, so that was fun."
If you could say anything to your younger self, what would you say?
"Don't take your opportunities for granted because they don't come back, so everything that you are offered, (you should) at least try it. Anything that you learn take from those experiences what you can. All the life lessons you learn from every other person are going to influence you down the road in ways you wouldn't expect."
My Sugar Pie at Carmel Farmers Markets
"I attempted su***de like three years ago, and I think for me, (my proudest moment is when) I realized how impactful that actually would be. I kind of woke up one day and realized that I didn't want to die like a year and a half ago. I was just so happy, like, I never thought I'd reach that point as a person. I don't know; I was just so happy that I had grown so much. I felt really proud of that."
"When we took (our dog) to the Indiana State Dunes and (he) got to swim in Lake Michigan for the first time, (that was my favorite moment with him). He was having a lot of fun, and it was his first time so it was fun to see him experience the water. (His name is) Toby. We were watching a TV show that had (the name Toby) in it, and we thought it was a good dog name."
"She's so energetic that it is very contagious. She's very outgoing too. She talks a lot with the customers. It is so entertaining to be with her."
Aahaa Chai
"Most influence on my life—of course, I think it'd be my mother. She primarily raised me for the majority of my years by herself. She taught me values and just growing up, giving me fundamentals of things I would need throughout life. (She'd) give me (a) push any time I would need a push to do whatever it may be that I, you know, maybe look into—whether it be school, type of work, or whatever."
Generations Pie Company at Carmel Farmers Market
"(My favorite smell is) probably sugar cookies. I love sugar cookies. I think it's just that nostalgic, like, growing-up-and-mom-in-the-kitchen-making-cookies feeling. (The smell) brings that (feeling) back."
Second Act Sweets
"Well, I actually love working here since I'm a volunteer. I've been working with them for many, many years. I'm in charge of the music, and I love listening to the music and seeing everyone sitting around it, you know, eating and listening to music. I had a friend who was a volunteer. She suggested (I try volunteering) and once I tried it, I just fell in love with the people—both the vendors and the other volunteers."
Carmel Farmers Markets
"Obviously, (flowers are) beautiful and appealing to the eye, but there's (also) an energy about them that is just very uplifting to the soul—that speaks to the soul. That's what I think is beautiful about flowers."
JP Parker Flowers at Carmel Farmers Market
"One of my favorite smells is newborn babies. That's a favorite smell or like (a) new car. Those are smells I've had recently in my life, so those are good ones. They kind of signify a new beginning. A newborn baby or young baby or toddler—they just smell so innocent. A lot of people just love smells of newborns. They're just delicious. New car is fun. (It represents) a new beginning; you get to start a new adventure."
Carmel Farmers Market Series
"My dad (has had the most influence on my life). Just giving me a lot of good direction, and he always told me, 'Always do the right thing and things work out.' That's what I try to live by."
"(The lessons I've learned) are to be patient and kind. If you're patient to people, you give them a chance to show what good side of them they have and also what they have good to offer. If you're kind, you're giving them a chance to show the good in them. I just love our Carmel community. It's been growing and growing, and we have a very diverse community, and we have a lot of nice people. The more you talk to people and tell them good things are possible, maybe it's going to be, and maybe it's going to be from you guys."
Midtown Carmel Series
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