Weekend Recap – Thankful

I had full intentions of getting a few posts out last week with the long weekend and holiday break; but I was enjoying my time “off” far too much.  But, I hope you all had a blessed and happy thanksgiving this past week.  B and I were lucky enough to have three thanksgivings and spend some time with friends in between too.

Our Thanksgiving was a bit reshuffled this year, we normally have two on the actual day, but one was early so we only had an evening dinner.  We had the whole day to ourselves, it was kind of amazing!  Knowing this ahead of time, we had signed up for our local Turkey Trot, which offered a 5k race or a 5-miler, of course we picked the 5-miler. *smiles* The weather was mid-40’s and a misty drizzle, but in my opinion, perfect for a run. There were 9,000 participants in this year’s Turkey Trot! B stuck it out and ran with me the whole way, not to mention we both loved the race course.

We were home by 11AM, got cleaned up and then headed over to the neighbors for some snacks and beverages before everyone had to get to their various family dinners.  It was so fun spending a quick, impromptu few hours with the crew, we’ve gotten to know them well over the last year and a half and we’re grateful to have such awesome neighbors!

We spent our Thursday night dinner with B’s family, laughing, playing games and watching football!  Friday we headed to one of my aunt’s for my family’s Thanksgiving, there was plenty of food, whiskey sours, buckeyes, stuffing, laughs and dogs to go around. But by dinner number three, we were definitely  beyond stuffed, and thankful for our thanksgiving dinners to be over!

It was great catching up with everyone and being reminded how blessed we are with all the amazing people in our lives.  This past weekend was a busy one, but the long break was definitely needed.  Now it’s an official kickoff to the Christmas season!

 

Weekend Recap – Clam Bake

This past weekend, continued the theme of our jammed packed October (fall-filled) weekends! And because of that I needed an extra day to recover since it was such a whirlwind.

It was my aunt’s annual clam bake weekend, which meant our house was full of family and friends.  The clam bake was super special this year since we celebrated my Aunt’s 60th birthday, not to mention the Indians are headed to the World Series; WOOO! So more family than usual came into town and the normal guest list was skimmed down to VIP’s only.  Although it was about 80+ VIPs. When you throw together good food, family, friends, corn hole, pumpkin beers, football pools and some good games you can’t go wrong with an awesome night.

The rest of the weekend leading up to the clambake was full of rude contractors, cleaning the house (pre and post), friends, brunch, and a nap or two. This month has been a blast but is flying by, I can’t believe we’re a week away from November!

Weekend Recap – Everything CLE

October has been a blast so far, but it’s also moving way too quickly. This past weekend was a busy one, but so much fun!

The weekend started off with a big home win for the Indians against Toronto Blue Jays and they got their second win Saturday afternoon.  Two more wins and we will be in the World Series!  Saturday morning we ran our 3rd annual Browns 5k, finally the weather was perfect for it. The race is pretty easy, non competitive (except for this year, B was a man on a mission) plus you get a pretty sweet medal. This year we finished the race on the field, which was pretty awesome!! We were done by 10AM and finished with a beer, it was a beautiful start to our Saturday.

Saturday night was the Cleveland Magazine’s annual Best of Cleveland Party at the Public Auditorium.  The theme was our NBA Championship and the land of champions! It was another fun night full of delicious food, tasty drinks, good music and good company.  Here were the nights standout’s and links for you to check them out yourself!

  • FruitVibe Juice Co. – The guys at FruitVibe had a few of there drinks available to test including the Pumpkin Cider (yum!) FruitVibe has a wide offering of cold pressed juices; they offer cleanses, personal delivery and a fresh raw perspective on the juice phenomenon!
  • Banyan Tree – This quaint shop in Tremont is perfect for unique gifts or if you’re looking to spoil yourself with some unique sweaters, scarves, jewelry and other cute accessories. Shop online too!
  • Spa West – A VIP treat at the Best of CLE, they offered chair massages, hand and arm massages and facial consultations, you can always expect the best with Spa West.  I am also a VIP member at Spa West, and their monthly membership is the perfect way to pamper yourself!
  • CLE Clothing Co. – As another VIP perk, we went home with a Land of Champions t-shirt, which was perfect for the nights theme.  I’ve bragged and loved on CLE Clothing Co. before and I will continue – the shirts and materials are seriously the best.

Other highlights of the night was reliving the game highlights on the big screen from our last game, which led us to breaking history and winning our first championship! Another VIP perk was the two specialty drinks they made inspired by the Cavs win, “The Block” and “The Shot” they were delicious.  There was live music, a DJ, the Cavs scream team and cheerleaders also made an appearance and were tossing tees throughout the night.  It was a lot of fun especially once the music really got going. The venue and lighting were epic and quite a statement it was a great night!

Sunday was more fun and socializing, we had friends over to watch the Brown’s game out on the big screen!  The weather this weekend was amazing for mid-late October so we really got to enjoy the day. We had a great spread of yummy food and a plethora of beers.

It was a great weekend, but definitely need another weekend to recover now!

Weekend Recap – Cabin Fever 

This past weekend, we had the perfect getaway to one of our favorite spots, the cabin in the woods. This time we met up with Katie & Travis with our pooches for a fun little weekend away.

B and I went in Friday night with Moz and grabbed some take out from a local joint, Pine Junction. We hung out and watched a romantic comedy (a rare occasion) and enjoyed our eats! The best decision about dinner was getting the Moose Balls. Chocolate covered peanut butter, SO good.

Saturday, Kates, Travis and Luna arrived and we took the pups for a walk before heading out to one of our second favorite spots – Southern Tier Brewery.  We hung out and had some beverages and ordered some food… Well it was kind of a lot of food. And we finally got Pumking on draft, it’s so good, especially to kick off October. They also had some new Pumking flavors, a Cold Pressed Pumking and then Rum Barrel Aged Pumking. Woah. Not to mention Warlock and their other usual suspects. It was fun gossiping, talking wedding and sipping some beers with my bestie and our guys.

It was the perfect fall weekend away in the woods. It was rainy and cool so just asking for us to be lazy and staying in.

Happy October, everybody!

Weekend Recap – Farms & Firsts

This past weekend has been a busy one, B and I have been little social bees.  It was fun, yet exhausting especially since I am still fighting my summer cold. But I must admit this past weekend has only gotten me more excited for this upcoming weekend – just you wait! Eeeek!

The weekend was officially kicked off with a baseball game Friday night with most of B’s family to celebrate his cousin’s 18th birthday!  It was a perfect night for a game, not to mention it was dollar dog night and Rat Pack fireworks.  And after the hellish end of my work Friday a few cold Miller Lite’s hit the spot.

Saturday morning started with a Girl’s Brunch at A’s house. It was the perfect morning catching up with the girls from my previous job, the girls that are so near and dear to me. Not to mention we were able to see her beautiful house and beautiful farm.  They have chickens, cows, pigs and sheep! It was fun walking around the farm and actually seeing so much of what A has told us about.  It was also great getting some girl time outside of the normal city-scape and quick lunch meet-ups.

Sunday was all about Miss Avery as we celebrated her FIRST birthday, the first of many!  It was a Minnie Mouse theme, with pink all over and it was adorably perfect.  This being my first, first birthday party in my adult life, I wasn’t sure what to expect – honestly I was hoping for a bounce house. Maybe there will be one at her 2nd birthday *smiles* She definitely pulled a diva moment with her smash cake and wanted nothing to do with it. But quickly shaped up in time to open her presents, that-a-girl. She got ridiculously spoiled with adorable outfits, stuffed animals and toys; which I admit we participated in. The summer has been moving quick, so it was good to see B’s family all under one roof.

IMG_5291It was a fun, busy weekend full of family and friends.  This week might be a bit torturous to get through, only because the excitement for Saturday is going to start increasing daily!  No telling. You’ll have to wait and see but I’ll give ya a hint, wedding.

Have a good week!

Weekend Recap – Family Fun

Whenever my weekends are especially fun, it always makes Monday’s that much harder but it’s the good weekends that also help plow through the work week!

This weekend was certainly a busy one and non-stop.  My parents arrived in town Friday afternoon and we had plans for “happy hour” at my aunts before we went to Twilight at the Zoo.  Well “happy hour” lasted a bit longer than expected and between the good company and the heat, we never made it to the zoo! Whoops. Instead we went to a late dinner at a local wine bar and got some yummy pizza (yes, cheat day!)

Saturday we woke up, enjoyed some fresh coffee and then started the day with an appointment at a potential wedding venue. It was an awesome venue, but not sure if it’s the one. From there we ran a few errands and then picked up the pups to hit the road to my aunt and uncle’s house.  We went boating with them and my cousin Hailee for most of the afternoon.  It was a perfect day to be out on the water and work on the tan.  We used to go out on their boat almost every summer with the rest of the extended family but haven’t done that in yearrssss. So it was fun to be back out on the lake, go tubing and enjoy some beverages and laughs with the family.  It was especially nice to spend some more time with Hailee, as I get older, I try not to take for granted the time I get with my cousins we all used to see each other so much and now it’s rare treats!

We all took turns tubing. I always forget how intense it is, it’s always a little scary yet thrilling thing to do, I definitely scream a lot and laugh (my voice was a bit scratchy the rest of the night!) haha, my Uncle Ron does a good job at stirring and getting some waves.  B and I went out twice and survived the first but I fell off the second time.  My dad and B also hit some good waves and got some air, so much that the tube was flipped upside down!  We were definitely all sore the next day. #GettingOld But, in between tubing we did relax and enjoy the lake, sunshine and company.

Eventually we headed back to my aunt and uncle’s house for a cookout, to eat the yummiest marinated chicken breasts, corn on the cob and fruit salad. It was perfection. We ended with some apple crisp pie before hitting the road back home. It was a long day! We definitely all slept good.

Sunday we went to church and the brunch (at our favorite spot; Jammy Buggars) we then headed to the house and squeezed a few small home projects in, so my dad could help us out with!  It was another beautiful day, finally cool (and by cool: low-80’s) so we enjoyed a little puppy play date with our neighbors and got a few other things done around the house.  Another great weekend in the books and another week of life to live.

Here’s to a successful week!

Weekend Recap – June 24

Remember how all your weekends are booked? And before you know it the weekend is over, and the work week is looming. Ugh!! Not to mention, this past week didn’t even seem real, or that anything productive happened, I have a feeling this week will be the same. But any who…

This past weekend was a fun one, and one of many consecutively booked weekends. My parents came in town on Friday, I had Friday off, so it was nice to run errands in the morning, take Moz for a walk, vacuum the house, and then spend some time with my parents before our plans. We surprised my parents (but especially my dad) with a tour and tasting at a local distillery, Cleveland Whiskey.  One of the game changers for Cleveland Whiskey is that they speed up the maturing of the whiskey, and can produce an aged tasting whiskey/bourbon within 2-days! They’re not a favorite in the whiskey world, but they’re definitely shaking things up, and their drinks are tasty and innovative. My dad is definitely a fan! I enjoy the whiskeys in my manhattans, *smiles.*

 

Saturday was a busy day, I had a few surprises up my sleeve for Mom, more details to come at a later date *winks* needless to say, she was surprised and I think she liked what we ended up doing! The guys worked away at the house, and we (my dad and B) finally installed our new storm door on the front, it’s all open so you can see our pretty blue door!  It looks awesome!  My aunt and uncle came up for dinner, so we all went out along with G&P. We went to a new spot, at least for us called Forage. I was pleasantly surprised, the food was really great, especially the appetizers we ordered: pretzel sticks, calamari, and devils on horseback, OMG, yum.  I really need to get in a better habit of snapping some pictures before we dive into the food… telling you it was good without showing you half defeats the purpose!  B and I will definitely be going back for a date night.

Sunday, B was itching to do something around the house – so why not on a 84+ degree day do decide to do some sweaty gross yard work. We made small progress, but progress still, which is huge when we want to finish the project since we figured out all the kinks (hopefully) with our test round today!  Getting more items crossed off our to-do list, woo!

Today, marks a new chapter and journey in my professional career, it’s not how I imagine it would be, but I think that’s part of life’s journey of growing and evolving and continually finding and pursuing things we love.

Please send me your positive thoughts and energy this week!

XO

 

Weekend Recap – Girls Trip!

This past weekend was so fun and gorgeous! We finally had some beautiful sunny weather with cloudless skies.

It was super fun, because Katie and I met up for a girls day/night yesterday. We met at the cabin, which is just about half way for us – so it was a nice quick trip.  With her wedding being a month away, we’ve been trying to plan some extra girl time, and finally got it in the books!

One of the goals of our meet up was to get some of her her wedding DIY’s complete for her centerpieces so we worked on that in between candid girl talk and day drinking. It was also the perfect excuse to wear tights, a loose tee and veg out taste testing different martini’s with wine in between!

I can’t remember the last time Katie and I had that much one on one time AND a sleep over.  It was so much fun – the only thing I messed up on was forgetting my wireless speakers, so we lacked some major dance sessions and jamming to 50 cent.   We are definitely going to try and make these more of a point, or at least invite the guys next time, it’s the perfect, peaceful getaway especially for some much needed girl time. IMG_1500We wrapped up the weekend pretty early on Sunday, but it was nice getting back home and enjoying the rest of the sunshine! I’m looking forward to this upcoming week and some gorgeous weather.