family

Weekend Recap – Birthday Fun

| The Bee Life

These past two weekends have been full of birthday celebrations! It was great being able to celebrate my birthday two weekends in a row with family and dear friends, sweet treats and lots of bubbles… all of my favorite things!
21Weekend Recap - Birthday Fun - the bee life
When my family was in town we headed to Bar 32, a newer hot spot with awesome views of the city.  It’s a ‘rooftop’ bar on the 32nd floor with views for miles right along the lake, with a bit higher end menu of drink options. We enjoyed a few drinks here, the views and ordered a gigantic pretzel to share with the table, everything was so delicious!  From there we headed home grabbed some pizza, blew out some candles.

Perhaps one of my favorite parts of my birthday celebrations was the night before, B and I went out to dinner to one of our favorite spots in town and had some bubbles and a great meal.  It was nice spending uninterrupted time as just the two of us, and a great way to really kickoff my actual birthday weekend.
20Weekend Recap - Birthday Fun - the bee life I took my birthday off and enjoyed a three day weekend!  Started the day with an early morning workout with B, my birthday workout – and honestly the perfect way to start the day! From there I ran a bunch of errands and got some things ready as we hosted a bunch of our friends over for an informal birthday party. It was fun having our nearest and dearest friends over for more celebrations, and a great excuse to have everyone over.

This past birthday, I truly felt so special and spoiled by all of our friends and the family, it’s been so great to bring in another year without focusing on the actual number!

Cheers for another year!

 

2017 Recap

| The Bee Life

I thought 2016 was epic… but 2017 was pretty epic, too! Especially since WE GOT MARRIED! On top of getting married we went on four amazing trips, celebrated four other weddings for dear friends, conquered some house projects, got my butt into gear with my health, and created a ton of other awesome memories!
2017 - Recap - the bee life
This whole year seemed like a constant celebration for our wedding, or our dear friends weddings from bridal showers to bachelorette parties to planning for all the events, let alone the big day.  Every time we saw family or friends, dinners and happy hours turned into wedding planning filled with laughs and good company.

We traveled to DC, Myrtle Beach, St. Louis/Ozarks, and Palm Desert – all of these being firsts together and perfect getaways from all the wedding crazy filled with more family fun. We are so fortunate to be able to travel like we do, and can’t wait for all our future trips together.

We have been so blessed this entire year and I can’t believe it’s nearly over!

Happy New Year!

Weekend Recap – Annual Clam Bake

| The Bee Life

As the last weekend of October is behind us, it ended with another busy weekend full of friends, family and fun! The weather is finally feeling like fall too, I know I was complaining of not being in the fall spirit early in the month because it was so sunny and warm – definitely in the fall spirit now with the rain and chilly weekend we had.  It made for a cold clam bake, but that didn’t keep the party away.
2017 Clam Bake - the bee life
The clam bake is pretty much the same every year, with a few exceptions; like who is there, the sporting events being televised, and the weather.   Some years more family is able to join, while in other years it’s a smaller crowd.  We were hopeful that we might be doing some World Series watch parties at this year’s clam bake, but no dice – although the OSU vs. Penn State game made up for it. And although the rain cleared before the fun started, it was still a cool night which made for a lot of crowding around outdoor heaters and fires or frequent trips inside to warm up!

It’s always a fun time, an October tradition that I love – and this year it was essentially the last hurrah before our big day! Eek!

My Bridal Shower – Part 1

| The Bee Life

This past weekend our wedding festivities officially kicked off!  We kicked it off with my bridal shower, and it was absolutely amazing! So where to even begin? My shower was hosted by my mom, my MIL and my MOH and we were able to have it at our house, as many people had to travel anywhere from 5-minutes to 4-hours, so I was very grateful to everyone who made the journey!  So bare with me through the upcoming sap…
My Bridal Shower P1 - the bee life
Family and friends are so important, and you truly learn who your friends are as you grow older in life – whether they’re new or old, it’s the bonds that keep you together. From our amazing neighbors, to a group of former co-workers, to B’s amazing family, to my best friend/MOH from high school and her amazing mom, to my incredible family, it was all the people who matter – just like our wedding will be one night with all the people who B and I love, and have seen us grow and become us.

The one game we played was called Who Am I? which allowed me to have a special moment to connect with everyone there, shower guests wrote a memory on a card, and Katie read them for me to guess who the memory was with!  I was definitely stumped a bunch, only because there were multiple shower guests at the same event/memory – but it was fun and funny to see what most people wrote about or remembered about me, (and maybe even a little embarrassing!).  The note cards will be a nice keepsake to have as part of our wedding memories!
Bridal Shower P2 - the bee life (2)
I’m just grateful for all of the love, plus the shower wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be (the attention, and being on display opening presents!) … haha, I was a bit anti-shower for awhile.  It went so quick, that I wish I would’ve been able to socialize a bit more with everyone but I got hugs from everyone so that itself was a success!

I’ll be sharing part two featuring all the perfect details and decor, tomorrow!

Travel: Lake of the Ozarks

| The Bee Life

B and I were lucky enough to take another awesome vacation this past week.  We headed west-ish for my aunt’s belated 60th birthday trip to the Lake of the Ozarks.  A first for B and I, it was a treasured childhood spot for my mom and her family growing up, with lots of memories in and around the lake!

Days consisted of bikinis, sunshine, pool gossip sessions, corn hole tournaments, cold beers, fishing and ski-dos.  One day the ladies went hiking and explored around Ha Ha Tonka State Park, climbing 317 stairs both ways, while exploring old castle ruins, breath-taking water spots and the natural bridge.
Travel - Ozarks - the bee life
Night’s consisted of large family dinners with St. Louis style ribs paired with incredible spreads of fresh salads, fruit, lots of beverages, including of course, Manhattans.  There were also many family stories shared, reminisced of old times, and lots of laughs.  We celebrated my Aunt’s 60th our last night at the lake, and her gratitude for everyone making the trip there, was exactly the reason we went, to create and share in family memories.

It was a great vacation, full of sunshine, awesome weather and even better company.  We can’t wait to get back to the lake!

Weekend Recap – Now This Is Summer.

| The Bee Life

The weather this past weekend was quintessential summer; sunshine, cloudless skies with a mix of patio drinks, a summer festival and friends. Friday night was a late one, celebrating a much needed Cavs win in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. But we will leave it at that.

Saturday was spent doing things around the house, and then dinner and drinks on the impressively large patio at Collision Bend Brewery – the latest hot spot in CLE.  With a well known chef, like Zack Bruell behind the business, this place was bumping. We had a great spot outside, but under the awning, perfect views of the river and the warm night.  We ordered a mixture of food to share with the table, but the standouts were the roasted brussels sprouts, oven roasted mixed olives, and the salami and green olive pizza. They had a great selection of beers and cocktails, although I opted for some Rose.  We will definitely be going back to soak in more drinks and the fabulous patio.

Sunday we enjoyed some more local food at the Taste of Lakewood, an annual event that has transformed over the years, and is now a free event to the public offering tasty snacks at affordable prices to sample. We had VIP tickets, which for a toasty sunny day was the perfect way to enjoy the festival feel, without fighting the lines, sore feet and the glaring sun. With VIP we were in a private tent, with plenty of tables and able to order 2-different food vendors, that volunteers would run and cut the lines to collect! Not to mention, 2-drink tickets with our own private bar. Our neighbors joined us, so it was a nice little outing to break up our Sunday afternoon.

Beyond the summer cold, I’ve been fighting off it was a pretty great weekend with lots of sunshine, friends/family, and just enough nap time in between all of that!

Cheers to the first real summer weekend!

Travel: #EmnBtoMB

| The Bee Life

B and I were lucky enough to get away for a few days over Memorial Day weekend with my parents in Myrtle Beach.  The main reason for the trip was to visit my grandma.  She lives down there in a nursing home, and my aunt and cousins also live in the general area. So the goal of the trip was to get my grandma out of that nursing home and spend as much time as possible with her!

Our first full day there was a beach day! Yes, we took my grandma to the pier and got her onto the beach. We avoided the more touristy part of the beach, and went to Myrtle Beach State Park – it was a perfect spot with not too many people. A storm rolled in, but we waited it out and the sun came out, the clouds went away and it was beautiful.  B and I got to stroll down the beach, had some fun in the water and snapped some pictures, while my parents walked the boardwalk with my Grandma.
Myrtle Beach - the bee life
The next day we did some outlet shopping, and then made our way to the community pool where we were staying with a pitcher full of Whiskey Sours (recipe coming soon!),  so music, swimming and a little cat nap in the sun, was the perfect afternoon.  Saturday was a morning workout day and another pool day, and then family time with your standard picnic feast! It had been a bit too long since I’d seen everybody, and B’s first time meeting the cousins – so it was a much needed trip and visit.

Although the trip felt quick, the sunshine was needed and it was great to get out of town for a few days. This trip was also special, because this was B and I’s first “beach” vacation – as we’re used to heading out west, or weekends away at the cabin.

Check back in tomorrow, I’m sharing our Myrtle Beach eats!

Weekend Recap – Dresses & Cake

| The Bee Life

This past weekend was a whirlwind, but boy was it fun.

Friday started with an early AM workout, even though I took the day off.  It was good to get the day kick started on the right track.  From there, made a quick Starbucks run and then home to take Moz for a walk with the neighbors.  It was 50’s and sunny, so it was perfect to get Moz out and tired before we hit the road! Just before one, we were on the road headed to Mom & Dad’s house for the weekend.  We arrived just in time for dinner!

Saturday, Mom and I got an early start to meet up with Kates to go dress shopping! We had three places lined up, so we had a full day ahead of us.  The first shop ended up being a dud. The second place, was a dud.  And finally the third place, I felt like we were getting somewhere, but still no real luck. But it was good to see what was out there and start figuring out what looked good as far as color and style.  My mom also got a feel for what style she might like. It wasn’t as successful as we had all hoped, but we definitely made progress! So after all the appointments were finished, we stopped for a drink and some snacks to detox from all the dresses.

That night, we had a little birthday party at my parents! Kates & Travis came over, along with my brother and sister-in-law.  We had pizza and salad, plenty of Moscato D’Asti and Champagne and of course homemade spice cake wit’s cream cheese frosting, YUM! We played some games and caught up with everyone, it was fun having my favorite people in one place.

I think it’s safe to say, that the birthday celebrating is officially over, but it was nice to do it with the family.  I can’t believe that was the last full weekend in March, this month has flown by. Here’s to another fun weekend full of friends and family!

XO –

Weekend Recap – First of March

| The Bee Life

Happy March! For avid Bee readers, you know it’s my favorite month *smiles* and the first weekend of March was a busy but good one.

It started out Friday afternoon, volunteering with my company at a local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. If you’ve never been or heard of one of these, see if you have one near by and check it out. As they explained it, it’s like a Home Depot meets Goodwill store. They offer way more than your typical thrift store; it’s a DIYers dream or perfect for furnishing your first apartment. Not to mention you help the greater cause shopping in these stores! It was a nice way to kick off the weekend.

Momma Bee came into town, so she was at the house by the time I got done volunteering! We were in the mood for meatless tacos for the first Friday of Lent, so we ended up at a nearby spot and ordered a tray full of tacos and a few mojitos. It hit the spot!

Tacos!
At our wedding venue
Saturday dinner & drinks!

Saturday morning we got a jump start on some wedding activities. First and foremost on our agenda was seeing our finished venue.  We first saw it in September, under construction, dusty with no walls or electric and we fell in love. Seeing it again brought back all the feels. It’s so stunning, I can’t imagine a place more perfect! From there we headed to see the hotel and met with a DJ! It was a very productive morning.  After church we headed to one of our favorite spots for all night happy hour, yup, all night. We enjoyed cosmos, dirty martinis, and more delicious food.

Sunday’s highlight was celebrating a dear friend’s baby shower! It was a beautiful afternoon celebrating with her family and friends, and seeing all the adorable little boy outfits and stuffed animals. I can’t wait to meet her little boy.

Celebrating Bekah!
Great friends<3

It’s always hard when these fantastic weekends come to an end, but it’s these fantastic weekends that get me through the work week for more!