Local Love – Jammy Buggars

| The Bee Life

It’s been awhile since I’ve shared some local love, so I’m going to highlight one of our favorite spots, Jammy Buggars. Or as we like to call it, Jammys or JB’s.

Jammy Buggar: British slang for a lucky individual, charmed, blessed, favored, serendipitous.

For as long as I could remember B and I have gone to JB’s for date nights especially on Thursday’s for their 25-cent wing night. Yum! It’s the perfect place for a cheap date, good food and a fun atmosphere and perfect for viewing games on the big screen.  We go on streaks of consecutive wing nights and like to get the loaded fries (definitely a splurge) to accompany our wings with blue cheese! Beers usually flow and the waitresses always remember us, which makes it more of a neighborhood vibe, where everyone knows your name. *winks*

Our friends also have a soft spot for JB’s which has also kept us going back.  Not to mention when we were painting and working on the our house (aka eating out a lot) JB’s take out was our jam.  Not only do they slay up some mean wings, they also have amazing burgers, juicy with a wide variety of toppings and the ability to customize as you please. Their salads are awesome too when you are feeling the need to eat healthier, you really can’t go wrong.

Within the last year or so, JB’s started offering brunch on Sunday’s… oh. my. god. It was like a win-win in our opinion, one of our favorite spots was now offering one of our favorite meals! Again, they knocked it out of the park with their brunch menu, you truly can’t pick out a bad dish. B and I definitely have our go too’s.  For me it’s either the Breakfast Burrito or Sausage & Gravy Benny with a bloody mary. Their potatoes are cooked to perfection.

Jammys is definitely our go-to place when we are itching to get out and have a nice little date night to chat about our wedding plans, catching up on the day, celebrating milestones and sharing with our friends and family. If you’re ever in the neighborhood or haven’t been it should definitely be on your list!

 

#EmnBWed – The Date

| The Bee Life

Woah, it’s August 1st!  Where has the summer gone? Where has 2016 gone? I can’t believe it!

It was late-May that B and I decided on a date, August XX 2017, and it seemed like a long ways away, but now that it’s August 1st, we are inching closer to the year-mark. Ah!  It always seemed like we had more than enough time to plan and figure things out.  But now it definitely feels like it’s go time. I know this next year is going to fly by.  The good news is we’ve made some, in my opinion, serious progress over this past weekend!  Go us!

IMG_1882_TLO_CCweb
Photo cred: Timothy Logan Photography

Now, I’m not going to give out specifics because that would be too easy, I need to build the suspense for all of you.  But things are definitely cranking and over this next month I know a few other details and specifics will be finalized.  B and I are both getting excited, and I love that B is getting excited, involved and helping make decisions.

As we’ve started figuring out a few details, a million other little ones seem to pop up in it’s path… and as I start exploring those little paths the price tags keep adding up, a couple grand here, a couple more over there… there are a few things we will definitely need to be creative with and already have some ideas on how to do just that.  I can’t wait to share those little details once we get a few more of the bigger ones finalized.

Part of me, is ready to get this done and marry B, and just elope.  Another part of me is so excited to see our dreams come to life for our special day. So I think I’m going to wait and take the ladder.

Cheers to August!

Fitness Friday no. 18

| The Bee Life

Hello gems! It’s Friday again, oh sweet, Friday.

I’m writing today feeling defeated, overweight and discouraged.  Which I will admit doesn’t happen too often since I’m pretty darn stubborn and relentlessness when it comes to personal goals and keep pushing forward. It’s not saying I’ve given up, I just need some different… better inspiration, maybe even some tough love… I need to take my fitness from average and inconsistent to kicking ass and not wanting to miss a day of sweat. 16One thing that has been pushing me through, especially this week, is my silly little fitbit. I am new to fitbit’s, and received one at my new company since health and wellness is ingrained into the culture with fitbit challenges and quarterly fitness outings, along with some other cool perks! It wasn’t until I had a fitbit that I realized how little I actually walk throughout the day. Getting to 10,000 steps without consciously making decisions to be active or go for a walk is hard when you’re mostly confined in an office from 8:30 – 5:30. I’ve realized I need to get a walk in the morning, a longer walk at lunch and then a medium-to-long walk in the afternoon/evening to hit 10k. Regardless of how ugly the fitbit is *giggles* it has definitely made me more aware to take advantage of the little opportunities and get up and walk more. I’ve hit 10k steps 3 of the 5 days so far this week! Which is a significant upgrade from my previous weeks.

Although walking isn’t my workout of choice, with busy night plans and hot humid summery days (and nights), small walks throughout the day have been all I’ve been able to squeeze in. Knowing I’ve even been doing more of that, it’s still not enough so here are a few things starting August 1st (Monday) I am going to start doing … I’m hoping B will help me along the way too.

  1. No eating out Monday – Friday
  2. Limit the snacking between meals
  3. Buy spin classes or gym membership
  4. Run 2x a week in the morning
  5. Boot camp 2x a week
  6. Barre 2x a week
  7. No beers with weeknight dinners
  8. No breads/bagels/pastas
  9. Weekend workouts are not an option, they’re a must.
  10. Take 1-hour of me time, work towards goals each weekend

I really need a full makeover of eating, working out, and my health life. August is going to be a big month (news to come) and other milestones in months to come that don’t allow for lazy, average, trying to figure it out attitudes. It’s time to not only start but continuing doing and always doing more!

Wednesday Reminders – Friends

| The Bee Life

One of the hardest parts of starting my new job, one-month in to the date, is not spending the entire day with my best friends. Yes, that’s right, one of the things I am most grateful for from my previous job (besides all of the experience) is the friendships I made. I truly think that was the greater purpose of me working there for the years that I did and starting when I did.
Wednesday Reminders - Friends - the bee lifeIf it weren’t for the amazing people I met,  life would be very different, my career would be very different.  Dramatic? No. These people have inspired me to dream bigger, work harder and fight for what I want.  They’ve also helped me laugh when I did not want to laugh, to take the lunch break to walk and gossip instead of stewing at my desk over an email. Sneak away for impromptu drinks “after work”, doggy play dates and team lunches.  They were my sounding board for life and professionally encouraging me to ask hard questions, dig deeper of myself and want more.

I was so hesitant to leave my job because I loved so many of the people I had gotten to know over three years and spent all my days with.  But I knew I had to make a change for me, and that they would still be up the street (literally).  I was also partially afraid that I would never see some of them again, other people I was close with have moved on or got new jobs and it just wasn’t the same. But since I left, not a whole lot has changed, lunch walks and coffee dates still happen, team lunches and happy hours, group texts and bitmoji’s and now even some snapchat fun.

We help inspire each other, learn and grow from each other, build each other up and laugh at each other, cry with each other and even borrow sneakers.  We help each other to try not to take life so seriously, give the hard truths when it’s needed and just listen to each other.

I have realized (especially) lately how lucky I am to have so many strong fierce women around me, (you all know who you are!) thank you!

XO

Weekend Highlight: Kayaking

| The Bee Life

It has been toasty toasty this past week, but I know we haven’t been the only ones roasting.  Our humidity was nearly 80% on Friday. Gross! Not to mention, we don’t have AC … *smiles* … so it’s been even more unbearable, we broke down and bought a window AC unit for our bedroom, so we at least can sleep at night, after sweating all day! So a little mission this weekend was to ‘beat the heat’ whether it was going out to eat at a restaurant to cool down or hanging out at our neighbors to soak up some cool air!

Saturday morning we headed to the Metroparks with some friends and rented kayaks!! Living close to a large lake, I often take for granted the amenities or extracurricular activities that’re available to us within minutes from our house. So I was happy when some friends recommended we go kayaking.

It got off to a little rough start, with the oh so friendly woman at the kayak rental.  We luckily were able to rent kayaks for 1-hour, after she scolded us to make reservations and how you have to make reservations, especially on the weekend, oh and if we were even 5-minutes late coming back we would be significantly up-charged and it would throw off the rest of the day because they were so booked. She was so nice.IMG_4555So after we got through that, we were able to jump in two tandem kayaks and head out on the river with sights of the lake! It was relaxing after B and I got into our grove and  were able to enjoy the scenic views along the river of the private yacht club and large beautiful homes flanking the river. We were able to make it out to the lake with plenty of time, after the fear of god was instilled in us to not be a single minute late back to the rental area. So it was just enough time to paddle around the lake, enjoy the view and then head back down the river. IMG_4537FullSizeRender

The water and breeze from the lake was refreshing, while still being able to soak up some of the hot summer sun! After we dried off a bit, we headed for some bottomless mimosas and brunch at a nearby spot – yum!

Safe to say, B and I will definitely be doing this again before the summers end! We might just try out another rental spot and will definitely make reservations ahead of time, regardless of where we go! *winks*

Christmas in July Party

| The Bee Life

Confession! I love Christmas!! And what better than to have an excuse to pull out some decorations, drink some Christmas Ale and have a bunch of your friends over, than Christmas in July!  This upcoming Monday is officially 6-months until Christmas, so next week and weekend are an excuse to throw a party. If you haven’t made this a tradition yet, I highly recommend it, regardless of how all out you go!

Here is your go-to guide for everything you’ll need to throw an epic Christmas in July party this year!

Food/Snacks:  The best part about all of these ideas is that they’re easy, a little healthy and super cute! You can also do a cheese spread in the shape of a tree or a wreath. Also bust out those Christmas cookie receipts and make some good ol’ cut outs or peanut butter cup cookies, they’ll be a hit.

http://www.cleanandscentsible.com/2013/11/grinch-party.html
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/christmas-tree-vegetable-platter/652abef8-2f37-4200-8dc6-c38a4350ba96?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=09_2015_standard&crlt.pid=camp.oSrDgIEfBM88
http://fantabulosity.com/christmas-play-date/

Drinks: Our local breweries always release some of their Christmas Ale’s around this time, so it’s definitely a treat and fun to snag a glass or 6-pack. Add a cinnamon sugar rim to your glasses for an extra treat for you and your guests! Next up, red and green jello shots – yup! It’s a must, not to mention easy and refreshing, and perfect for your Christmas in July festivities. I like to serve with pop-rocks poured on top, so yummy.  Last but not least, find a punch that is both refreshing and light but still hits those Christmas sentiments you love – like this Cranberry Orange Punch, make in bulk and you’re ready for a fun night.

http://www.thegunnysack.com/cranberry-orange-holiday-punch/

Decor: Have some old Christmas wrapping paper that you’re sick of seeing every year? Wrap some empty boxes as accents around your space.  Pull out some colored lights and string them up in the back yard, garage, or shrubbery.  No need to go crazy here, any other lawn ornaments that’re sitting around put them on prime display!

Dress Code: Asking that your guests dress in red and green or even throwing on an ugly Christmas sweater helps make this party an event.  If it’s mostly couples you can request that each couple comes as a “Christmas Couple” an excuse to get creative!

Details: This is when Pandora really comes in handy, click on your favorite holiday tunes station (mine is, Mariah Carey Christmas) and the mood will truly be set! You can also play a favorite Christmas movie on repeat, either in the house or out in the garage – Elf and Home Alone never get old.  Finally, napkins, plates, and cups that are red and green help add to the theme without breaking the bank – check the Dollar Tree!

Remember all of these things will really bring your Christmas in July theme to life while being able to enjoy a cold Christmas Ale on a hot summer day and all your nearest and dearest by starting a new tradition!

Happy Christmas in July!!

DIY – Window Side Table

| The Bee Life

I am excited to share my latest project with all of you; a window table.  Once you have the materials, this project is pretty easy and low cost! It’s a win-win when it comes to creating a cool piece that’s custom to your needs, whether it be a coffee table, plant stand, or a side table the options are endless.

What You’ll Need;

  • Window (of your choice) – I used an original window from our basement, since they were pulled out when we had glass block put in. Total cost; $0
    • Don’t have any old windows laying around? Check garbage day, it’s amazing what people will put on the curb!
  • 4-Legs; length and style of your choosing. I used: Waddell Ash End Table Leg from Lowes. Total cost; $16
    • NOTE: I bought legs with pre-installed hanger bolts that allowed for a clean smooth finish without needing extra hardware to attach the legs
  • Wood Glue
  • Paint – color of your choice & paint brush
  • Drill and drill bit to predrill holes for legs
  • Blade to scrape off excess paint on windows
  • Timing; finished within a weekend

From there you can prep your window by cleaning it up and sanding if you’d like. I opted to keep the hinges and some of the other rustic elements since I was working with a 100-year old window.

Next, flip over and mark out where you’d like to place your legs – as you can see with the window I was working with the spacing and exterior width was inconsistent and not much to work with so I eyed about an inch from the edges. Once I had those marked, we pre-drilled a hole, although we didn’t go deep enough a few times so we had to go back over the holes.

Before screwing the legs in we added wood glue in the hole and around the bolt on the leg. Make sure your legs get all the way in and are secure, some of ours were wobbly, so we had to re-drill new holes and start over. But once they were in and secure you definitely knew it. The wood glue required about 12-hours to dry, so day one was finished.

After the wood glue was dried, I flipped the table over and began to paint! I opted to use a primer over the preexisting brown, and also did the legs in the same color.  I had to do 3-coats before this beauty was looking clean.

I let B do the fun stuff and scrape the paint I’d gotten on the window.  This really cleaned up the piece to give it that finished look. From there it was just giving it a good clean with some Windex and setting it up in place – we added this gem as an accent in our sun room. The light and airy of the white and windows ties into the space perfectly.IMG_4428IMG_4430IMG_4432Using most of what we already had, the main expense was buying the legs for $16 – you can’t even get a coffee table for that!  I love the way it turned out, it still has a vintage and rustic flare to it. Not to mention it has multiple purposes and I am sure it will change overtime for us!

Happy DIYing!

Fitness Friday no. 17

| The Bee Life

Food.

What you eat is a huge part of your fitness and how successful you are… or aren’t. Maintaining a good, balanced diet will not only help you flourish with your workouts and overall goals but will also come in huge when your workouts aren’t happening as much as you’d like. 15So while you might not be hitting the pavement or working up a sweat as much as you’d like to be, remember these things;

  1. Always have breakfast – this will help you from snacking or overeating at other meals throughout the day.
  2. Drink water – drinking water throughout the day will help you stay hydrated and is also tied to a number of other benefits including skin health, maintaining calories, and even energizes muscles!
  3. Eat greens – But be careful, overloading your salads with extra goodies and cheese and quickly make this not healthy! Even watch that salad dressing. Eating greens have lasting health benefits including reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer while fueling your body.
  4. Remember Protein – Fish, Chicken, Avocados, those are the good proteins that contain the good fats for your body, make sure to maintain balance when eating these!
  5. Get to the grocery store – This will help you pick the good foods while also saving you from those last minute pizza orders when the fridge and cupboards are empty! Stock up on frozen foods too; it will save you in the long run.
  6. Limit lunches/dinners out – Hopefully if you’ve grocery shopped your house should be stocked, now just pack a lunch! The less we eat out, the more control we have over how our food is prepared and what we’re knowingly putting in our bodies.

Eating crap tastes good in the moment, but will have bad effects not only overall but on that workout you’re trying to accomplish.  It’s good to maintain balance and enjoy the good with the bad, but if you’re not counteracting the bad with exercise and other balanced meals, the cons will ultimately outweigh the pros.

Happy Friday!!

 

Travel: Denver Recap – Part 3

| The Bee Life

The true reason for our long weekend trip to Denver was to celebrate B’s cousin’s wedding! The bride, Lauren is from the Denver area, and they recently moved there within the last 2-years, so most of B’s family had to travel in for the nuptials.

Wedding festivities kicked off with a welcome reception hosted at Tivoli Brewing Co. the outdoor patio space was the perfect spot for a warm night with gorgeous views of the city. This was the first time we got to see a lot of B’s family since arriving Thursday morning.  So it was good to see everyone and start celebrating Lauren and Jensen. The food and beverages were flowing and we easily helped shut the night down, being literally the last two to leave. *smiles*

Saturday, July 9 – the big day was finally here! We were taken to the ceremony location by commercial buses from the main hotel.  The setting for the ceremony was a beautiful, Grecian Parthenon found surrounded by trees in a park in the center of the urban setting, in Cheesman Park. It was a toasty afternoon and the sun was shining bright by the time the ceremony was supposed to start. The setting was beautiful and the decor elements were simple yet made a statement. Their officiant was a close family friend, which made the ceremony personal and unique to Lauren and Jensen’s relationship.  They also shared their own vows, with a blubbering groom. You could see how happy they both were.

The reception was at a venue called Mile High Station. It was an old warehouse/depot like place that was refurbished with a modern industrial feel. The introduction of the parents, bridal party, and newlyweds was a unique one – allowing the guests to get a birds-eye view of everything from the happy hour space above the main reception area. Dinner was family style BBQ, mac n’ cheese, beans, salad, and portabella mushrooms. Desserts were mini cheesecakes, a salted caramel brownie and an original strawberry flavor and a doughnut wall I resisted! Pretty soon the dancing commenced! B was showing off his dance moves, apparently his family hasn’t seen him dance much! Luckily he danced the night away with me!!

Lauren was a beautiful bride, there was so much love not only between Lauren and Jensen but all of their friends and family that supported and were involved in their special day. This was our last wedding of 2016 and it sure was a good one, it was a reminder that our planning is going to start kicking up soon, and it’ll be B and I on our big day before we know it! (crazy!!)