House Party

Our house was officially broken-in since we hosted our house warming party on Saturday!  I would say the party was a success overall.  The weather of course wasn’t as warm as I had hoped, in fact it was almost chilly, a cool 60-degrees, it would’ve been perfect had it been October. We had plenty of food and plenty of alcohol… we have so many leftovers, but I am not complaining about that! A lot of friends came that we hadn’t seen in awhile, that meant a lot and it was great catching up with them.

It was nice to be able to share our home with some many people who are near and dear to us, the first of many parties, I am sure.  I will hopefully get the food/drink portions down a little better and also try and be a little less stressed pre-party. We could probably have a second party with all the beer and left overs we have!

Wednesday Reminders – Gratitude

With the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow, there is no doubt that everyone is thinking about all of the wonderful things in their life. For me it’s simple. I am thankful for the wonderful people in my life; family and friends, co-workers and furry friends. No one big thing stands out, but it’s all of the small ones.

“Sometimes, the Best Way to Make a Big Difference is Adding Up Lots of Small Ones.”  – Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan

This time of the year is always fun, family comes together because of tradition, and with tradition new memories are made. For my family, the tradition is as simple as getting together, and as I’ve gotten older, traditions are starting to change. People can’t always make a weekend, too many things are going on, the weather prohibits travel, work isn’t as flexible…  I am not always a fan of change, especially when it comes to traditions and holidays, but I’m trying to look at it as an opportunities for new memories and traditions. With all the change, it reminds me to be more thankful for the time I do get to spend with my family and friends.

I think we all need to remember to be grateful, around this time of the year… but even more importantly always.

Four Weddings.

The wedding season is officially over for 2014. We attended four beautiful weddings over the past seven months, each couple different and each wedding beautiful in its own way. The bride’s were gorgeous and the drinks were a plenty…And no, I am not going to judge these on, dress, venue, food, and overall experience… but I did think about it!

Wedding #1 – 5.23.14
The Bridal Party

Location: Silver Lakes Country Club, Stow, OH
Colors: Navy + Grey
Hashtag: #ChechakWedding
Standout: The Steak! YUM

Our first wedding for the season was our dear friends, and B and I were both lucky enough to be in the bridal party! The day was special, and a long time coming for these two high school sweethearts. The night was beautiful and we sent the couple away with a sparkler send off.

Wedding #2 – 8.30.14
Vermilion Getaway”

Location: The Rose Cafe, Lorain, OH
Colors: Navy + Seersucker
Hashtag: #IdTrappThat
Standout: Campbell’s Popcorn at the end of the night

Next on the tour was B’s coworker and now friend’s wedding. This may have taken place on one of the hottest days of the year, but we were excited for a little getaway in Vermilion, a cute little water town.  With views of the lake at the venue and a DJ crankin’ up the tunes, we helped shut down the reception.

Wedding #3 – 10.18.14
“A Hampel Wedding

Location: Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, Fairport, NY
Colors: Navy + Grey
Hashtag: #allyouneedisloveSC
Standout: Pumpkin Centerpieces + Homemade Chocolate Covered Apples

This was my cousins wedding… and my Hampel family weddings are always a crazy good time. And this wedding did not disappoint.  The ceremony was heartfelt and tear-jerking and the reception was full of drinks and dancing, it was an awesome time (not to mention my whole family was there and they are pretty fun!)… we definitely paid for it the next day.

Wedding #4 – 11.1.14
“East Side Wedding

Location: Nighttown, Cleveland, OH
Colors: Navy
Hastag: #TheyDidntHaveAHashtag *frown face*
Standout: Carmel Apple Cupcakes

My brother’s best friend from high school and also best man tied the knot this past weekend.  He was also a second brother to me growing up, and ironically we both moved out to Cleveland the same year for school.  This wedding was not your traditional wedding, but was effortlessly sweet with touches of fall throughout.  It was nice seeing old friends, plus my brother and sister-in-law for the weekend!

Wedding season is always a fun and busy time, but I am happy to have the 2014 wrapped-up, with the next wedding season already in sight.  My best friend since freshman year in high school got engaged last week and asked me to be her Maid of Honor this weekend! I am so excited and happy to be able to be by her side on such a special day, like we’ve both been for each other, for over a decade now. It will be a bit of a long distance, but that just means more weekend trips in to see her and help plan her big day!

The Heart of Summer.

I feel like we are in the heart of summer… even though it seems like it’s just about over (as my coworkers so graciously remind me!)  This past weekend, felt like the stereotypical summer weekend, and it was so much fun! It started on Thursday night when a friend invited us out on her boyfriends boat. A bunch of us loaded up with yummy hors d’oeuvre, some drinks of choice, and then we cruised along the coast, singing, talking, and watching the sunset!  Not to mention the weather was perfect. It was nice to socialize with everyone outside of the office, and with our significant others!


Friday evening we went out with my aunts.  We have a recent tradition were we try and go out to dinner whenever they are about to go out of town, which is about once or twice a month (esp. over the summer)! We had happy hour dinner and drinks at Georgetown in Lakewood.  They have a great happy hour!  I would highly recommend the “One Drop” Martini – Vodka, Olive Juice, Tabasco Sauce, and Blue Cheese Stuffed Hot Pepper… it was so good!  I also had the Mushroom Pizza, which had Wild Mushrooms, Prosciutto, Basil, Parmesan, balsamic and olive oil drizzle, amazing!

Saturday, I road tripped up to Vermilion, OH with a bunch of girls for our friend Erika’s bachelorette party! Our days itinerary started with brunch on the beach followed by a winery tour via limo bus to a few different wineries in the Vermilion area.  We went to; Quarry Hill Winery, Vermilion Valley Vineyards, Matus Winery, and Paper Moon Winery.  I was very impressed with the wineries, although they were very spread out, so the limo bus was a smart move! The tour was an all day event! The boy came out and picked me up and we grabbed a later dinner at a local brew-pub.

Sunday, we got our morning workouts in and then headed to his parents house for a classic pool day, lounging out and cooling off in the pool when needed!  Plus we brought Moz and she went for a swim a few times (even though she is not a fan!) when she wasn’t playing with Haywood, his parents labradoodle.

The weekend was full of sunshine, good friends and family and good times!  It was definitely your typical summer weekend.  I can’t wait for more warm, sunny days!

Signature

 

3-Season Hibernation

Where to begin?

A part of one of my latest posts – back in February – eeek. I ranted on about my pathetic unemployment scare, fearing I wouldn’t get a job, especially before my 23rd birthday on March 16th.

Well… I didn’t get a job before my birthday, but I got the offer I had been waiting for, the first week in April. I landed my starting dream job at a local ad agency, as an Assistant Account Executive. I tell you I waited over a month because I had my first interview on March 1st… second one on March 6th… third one on March 7th… and then my fourth interview right after Easter when I was offered the position. Full-time employed, ladies and gents.

I was so excited I bought cake pops!

Here are some more highlights since then:

Christmas in July!

So this past December a group of our friends decided to have a Couple’s Costume Christmas Party. Yes I know what you’re thinking… THAT SOUNDS LIKE SO MUCH FUN. Well it was. So to keep with the tradition, I thought, why not celebrate Christmas in July?

Not to mention I was staying at my aunt’s house while they were on vacation, dogsitting, so I could truly entertain!  I made one of our party favorites, festive red and green jell-o shots. But here is the kicker, with pop rocks – best idea ever, thank you pinterest. I also made a killer beer cheese dip and brownie kabobs. We played plenty of rounds of beer pong.

I can’t wait till our December Christmas Party!

Half-Marathons. Yes. Plural.

Me and Bentley trained for and ran two half-marathons, four weeks apart from each other. Our first race was September 8th, The River Run through the Metroparks.  We started training end of July so that we could get a full 12-weeks in before.

The morning of the race, the weather was perfect, cool with a gentle mist falling.  We ran together the whole way until about Mile 11, then I cranked up the pace to try and beat my 2 hour mark.  I finished in 2:00:54. Bentley finished shortly after at 2:05:18. Both VERY respectable times if you ask me!

Our second race was in the beginning of October, on the 6th – the Inaugural Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon. I was really excited for this one.  There is just something about running through the city and the surrounding suburbs with crowds cheering you on along the way, a band rocking out at every mile, and cheerleader squads too!

My parents came into town to walk the ‘Mini Marathon’ which was a nice 5k – a few of my aunts and uncles accompanied them.

Bentley and I had a great pace in the beginning, we were killing it. And then at mile 10, there was a 80 degree angled hill that just about everyone walks on.  I was bull-headed and wanted to run the whole thing, only to look back to see Bentley walking.  I was bound and determined to finish this race with Bentley, as so many races we have run together – one of us usually ends up leaving the other behind.

We trained together. So we were going to finish together – despite Bentley’s immediate wishes. He wanted me to keep running, but I stuck with him to keep him motivated and rocking through.  Running 13.1 miles is no easy feat, even when you have trained for 16 weeks.

We ended up crossing the finish line, hand-in-hand and finished at 2:04:16. It is always the best feeling of accomplishment when you finish a race. Just need to figure out which race to sign up for next…

Weekend’s in NY

Bentley and I got away for a weekend at my aunt’s cabin, in the middle of nowhere just as you enter NY from PA.  It’s the perfect retreat.  We brought their dogs, Opa (the puggle) and Maya (a black lab) with us too!  We played corn hole outside, went for a run in town, got amazing and cheap homemade local ice cream.  We also drove a short distance to nearby Lakewood, NY – to go to Southern Tier Brewery.  We got a head start on some Pumking, fresh! It was so good, and the brewery was beautiful.  Unfortunately we missed out on a tour, as they were all booked by the time we got there. We can’t wait to go back and visit next time we are in the area.

We were lucky enough to get a few “Weekend Getaways” by going to visit my parents in Upstate New York.  We were able to be in town for my Mom’s birthday weekend – which meant that we went to a local brewery for some beer tasting with a bunch of friends/family! We went to Honeoye Falls Brewery, they had a lot of beers on tap to sample!  My brother and his wife came into town from the DC area that weekend also, so it was so great seeing them.  My Aunt Laurie, my bff from high school Katie and her boyfriend came, and then three of my brother’s high school friends came to the brewery.  It was so great catching up and seeing everyone!

Weekend’s in NY are always a whirl wind, always so much to do and go by so quickly! But always so much fun.

Thanks for reading my nonsense.