She came back!

We have our girl back and while the adult only zone has been fun -- some parts admittedly a caloric-alcoholic haze -- it's good to have her energy back in the house.

Not that she's had a lot.

After retrieving her from Flat Rock River Camp Saturday, we trekked over to Cincy again so she, too, could take in the wonder of Jungle Jim's International Grocery. Excited to re-connect with the Digital Age via her phone, she quickly gave us the rundown, connected to her phone to check texts and then slept most of the way there.

I woke her when we arrived. As she fought her way back from the fog of car-ride sleeping, she said, "Is this what a hangover feels like?"

As if I would know.

Inside, she flitted from here to there. She was totally reluctant to enter the Porta-Potty doored bathroom and delighted to find a regular sized commercial bathroom inside. She oohed and ahhed over the crazy varied selection but found her way to the giant box of Coke bottles.

"Hannah can never find anything with her name on it," she said, digging in.

Jeff was immersed -- again -- in the booze collection so I joined in. Focused, I didn't hear her snicker. but when she tossed the rubber snake she'd come across at me, I might have shrieked. A little. Maybe a lot.

She cackled like a demon.

I should say a savage, which was her name at camp this year. A fan of corn-on-the-cob, they serve mini cobs. She'd apparently powered through three of them before looking up and taking a breath.  Jenna and Bre were staring at her, holding their first mini ears.

"What?" she said.

"You are disgusting," said her life-long buddy Bre. "Hungry much?" asked Jen.

Later in the week they had fried chicken. My delicate flower re-enacted her Tasmanian Devil act, leaving no shred of meat on her bones. The table had a lone piece left at the end of dinner. "Just do it, Ali," they said. "I do love fried chicken," she reported.

We spent a good long time at Jungle Jim's  but had to get home because it was Bunco night for me and another night at Fat Dan's Deli for Jeff and Ali. Jeff and I are part of a 10K step challenge so I had to walk to Annmarie's to make up my steps. I was stil 700 short when I go there, which seems really wrong.

Bunco was fun and I snagged a ride in Uncle Jeph's sex-mobile of a van. He'd claimed he was going to save it for Jenna, who loooooves it. I don't know if we convinced him it's a bad idea to give a teenager a tricked out van but I'm pretty sure Team Tokash will burn it before letting either Drew or Jenna to even drive it around the block.

I almost felt obligated to make out with him when he pulled into the drive. It's that much of a make-out-mobile.

As for the rest of our culinary journey, I can't say that we have tons to report. We saw Ted 2 and snacked a MacKenzie River, which we'll visit again.

Monday some of the Euchre Club girls and I biked to HopCat, which was super fun and has spawned what we hope to become at least a monthly Bike to Drink gathering.  Biking home with Megan and Tina down darkened Broad Ripple streets made me feel like I was in 5th grade and scooting home after curfew. None of us reported falling off our bikes as, rumor has it, at least one of us has done in the past after imbibing before biking. 

Tuesday was a dinner part at our house with Joe, Lauren, Josh and Cassie and it was also super fun and will be repeated. Wednesday was a Book Club-Bunco mash up to celebrate Bree's launch of The Joint in Zionsville. We visited the Stacked Pickel, which as far as bar food goes, was good and worth a return visit on Wednesdays, which is $3 draft night.

Thursday found Jeff out with work friends and me catching up with myself at home. Gloriously alone. I had kale, cottage cheese, pineapple and water. Man, did I need that. Seriously. My fat cells have been jumping up and down, partying it up at the return of some of their oldest friends I'd evicted years ago.

It's gonna be hell going through that again.

Friday was a lovely dinner with friends at Peterson's. We'd never been to the restaurant despite it's always being ranked as one of the best places in town. Special note to Jennifer Chase -- they offered Maine lobster tails for something like $39.

Jen will laugh because Ali wanted to cook for Jen, Peter and Grandpa one night and had her heart set on lobster tails. Jen shopped around a bunch of places trying to find just the tails, but everywhere she went she garnered funny looks. "We just don't cook lobster that way here," she said. 

Silly inlanders. They finally bought live lobsters -- which is how it's done -- and Peter chopped them up for Ali to do the tails. They cooked all the parts and made lobster rolls with the other meat. Grammie Reed would have been proud.

It's in Fishers. Sure we'll drive to Cincinnati to buy cheese, but travel 30 minutes north? No way, man.

Jeff may have had the best tiramisu of his life. If I was a betting man, I'd say we'll be trekking to Fishers before we make the next trip to Ohio....

Ali and I went to Acacia's bridal shower down home today. It was fun to see everyone and great to see Kait up and about almost back to normal. Ali goes back to summer school tomorrow and we go back to our normal routine.