Happy Friday, folks!  I'm back from an extended and much-needed vacation with my family.  We enjoyed an Indianapolis stay-cation and visited lots of our local attractions: The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, Holliday Park with its incredible playgrounds and the ever-popular Central Library, among others.  It was great fun and the weather was fantastic, but now it's back into the swing of things...and by things, I mean blogging.

This week's trip idea is for anyone who doesn't like basketball - and more specifically, college hoops.  Are there any of you out there?!?  I know, I know I'm from Indiana and should love basketball at any level.  But alas, this girl does not (I'm more of a football gal myself!).  So, after what felt like the 583rd televised game I was forced to sit through (or at least listen to) last weekend, I'm getting out this weekend and away from the television...most likely without my husband!

So - what's to do?  Lots!  First on my list is to check out the new "European Design Since 1985: Shaping a New Century" exhibition at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.  Organized by the IMA Design Curator is the first critical survey of contemporary Western European decorative and industrial design. The exhibition presents 250 works including furniture, ceramics, metalwork, glass and product design that reveal the extraordinary creativity of two generations of designers in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Scandinavia, Spain and the United Kingdom. The show will travel to a number of American museums and potentially to Europe and Asia after this exhibition closes in late June at the IMA.  Don't forget that the IMA is also home to sprawling, manicured grounds and gorgeous gardens, so stop to appreciate the al fresco "art," too. 

Speaking of gardens and flowers, the annual "Butterflies in Bloom" exhibit is going on now at White River Gardens at the Indianapolis Zoo.  For the first time ever, the exhibit will showcase species from Asia in addition to those from the United States, Central America and Africa.  Discover a wide variety of beautiful butterfly species.  The Conservatory is filled with bright flowers to satisfy the nectar-feeding butterflies, but there's lots of interesting information available so visitors can learn how to attract butterflies to their own yards.  Look for new features, too, including a running stream, tranquil pond and rain wall.

Oh and p.s. - there is a little thing called the NCAA Men's Regional Basketball tournament going on at Lucas Oil Stadium this weekend in downtown Indianapolis, in case you just have to have your hoops fix.  Those games are sure to be a slam dunk (haha)!