weekend recap

Scenes From my Weekend: The July 4th edition


How is it July already? While I'm very happy that summer is firmly here, this year is going a little too fast. Did you have a good 4th weekend? Nick and I both had the day off Friday, so we really enjoyed our long weekend!

Thursday marked 11 years since Nick and I got married. Yes, we were very young, but I think we were both very mature for our age, and very clear on our expectations of each other, which is why I think we've worked so well! I don't necessarily advocate marrying young, but I do advocate being realistic about who you are, and who your partner is, and not expecting either to change. If you're in a relationship where you argue a lot while you're dating, odds are you're going to do the same when you're married. The act of marriage doesn't change a relationship-- I think its important to remember that before you take the leap.


And with that, I'm done with my Dr. Phil moment. This is one of my favorite pictures of Nick and I from a photo shoot we did a couple of years ago. Thursday evening, we headed over to Alexa & Chris' housewarming party, where I ate myself silly, enjoyed a lot of prosecco, and obsessed over Megan's necklace (below). 


After sleeping in Friday morning, Nick and I took the pups to Nano Brew for some patio time and lunch. The patio was recently re-opened after a major renovation and it looks great! Clair and Webster were on their best behavior, and got lots of petting and love from our server and tables nearby, and they even got a few treats.


Friday evening, we headed off to Charity & Ben's to celebrate baby Max's first birthday.  I didn't get any pictures of the birthday boy (shockingly I had my phone put away most of the evening), but I did manage to snag this pic of Nick holding Penny (he doesn't hold a lot of babies-- this was a momentous occasion.)


Saturday, it was time to work off Max's delicious birthday cake with a challenging 45 minute ride at Harness Cycle. Chill Pop Shop was on hand giving away delicious popsicles-- who am I to say no to such yumminess?


Nick brought the pups up to Hingetown to meet me for coffee and breakfast at Rising Star


Sweaty cuddles and selfies later, we were off to the dog park for some playtime. Clair is terrified of fireworks, and our whole goal for the day was to get her as tired as possible so that combined with anti-anxiety meds, she would just sleep through all the noise.




Post dog-park, it was porch-time in the neighborhood. My drink of choice a lovely dry rose--- perfect for a summer day!



I had the most AMAZING July 4th meal of crawfish etouffee, ribs, and mac-n-cheese.


We didn't exactly go see fireworks per se, but we could see plenty of them from our neighbor's front porch. And best of all, Clair and Webster did mostly sleep through them all!

Sunday was recover day = lots of lazing around, watching The Spoils of Babylon (such a weird, ridiculous show), and napping on the couch. Sunday evening Nick and I finally got around to celebrating our anniversary with some crab legs at Salmon Dave's


Overall,  a lovely 3-day weekend, the started and ended with us celebrating 11 years of marriage!

Scenes from my Weekend

Whoever decided that weekends  should only last two days demonstrated a serious lack of sound judgement in coming up with this decision. Because weekends and awesome, and they should be longer, damn it! This weekend I managed to fit in a lot of relaxation (read: naps) with a lot of fun, so I feel ready to tackle the week ahead.


Friday, Nick and I attended a super fun event on the GOODTIME III-- it was a white party for AIA,  which fit in perfectly with my "All White Everything" theme this summer. My white seersucker dress (in the middle) is from the Gap, and BONUS, its on sale. Amazing views, perfect temps, and great friends made for a really fun evening. Post, cruise, Nick and I stopped in at Luxe for dinner. If you haven't been lately, its worth a visit-- they have a revamped menu, and the wings are AMAZING.

Saturday was a really nice detox ride at Harness, followed by some meandering and lunch at The Cleveland Flea with Allison. Post nap, Nick and I went to Humble Wine Bar for dinner-- seriously, this place has never failed me-- some rose, some pizza--- a lot of perfect summer evening. I also reached a decision this weekend-- I'm not a fuchsia nail kinda person (even though that's what color my nails are painted right now).

Sunday was a tough day-- it would have been Otto's 7th Birthday. We hung out with Clair and Webster and spoiled them silly with a special breakfast, trip to the pet store, and fun and the dog park. It was a good way to remember Otto and celebrate his life. And then I bought myself some peonies and rose. Because I deserve both. As I type this, I'm a nervous wreck watching the Cavs in Game 5--- by the end of this week, there will be a new NBA Champion, and I really hope its us!

This week is going to be packed with activities--- Cavs games, NKOTB + Nelly + TLC, an Indians game, all leading up to the sold-out Solstice Party at Cleveland Museum of Art! Stay tuned!!

PS: If you're impatient like me, follow along on Instagram for live updates of my week!

A Very CLE Weekend

Seriously, was this the BEST weekend all year (so far)?! Warm, sunny-- fun activities…. its the little taste of summer that makes me so excited for what is to come this year!!

Friday I did not partake in the Indian home-opener festivities, instead I relaxed on the couch, doing damage to a bottle of wine and a giant bowl of homemade popcorn. After an INTENSE yoga class at Inner Bliss (seriously, so sore) I headed off to the inaugural Cleveland Flea of 2015 with Danielle and her 5-week old daughter Penny.


I seriously LOVE the Flea. Its my most favorite thing to do on a Saturday. I've come to know so many of the vendors that its basically a whole day of hanging out with friends, sampling delicious food, and buying fabulous trinkets. This flea, I was very impressed with two new vendors-- Soul Custom (pictured above) and Souls Repurpose. Both local vendors with excellent selections, and adorably styled booths (although Soul Custom was a converted semi, but still).

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Kickstarter Campaign to grow the Cleveland Flea. The Flea gets better every year, and if successfully funded, this will take the Flea to the next level. Phase I is infrastructure like beautifully handmade furniture to be a permanent part of the Flea--- all locally made of course. So if you're a fan of the Cleveland Flea, or local shops, or even supporting local economies, or fabulous community events, please consider funding this campaign.

Sunday, Nick and I tried out Cleveland's newest brunch offering, Graffiti: A Social Kitchen. A variety
of fabulous bellini flavors and a fun, innovative menu really put the "fun" in Sunday Funday. My favorite dishes were the chorizo pop tart (served with guacamole) and the breakfast strudel.  The food was so good that I completely forgot to take pictures, and the mimosas weren't half bad either ;) --- yes, I drank them all. No, of course I didn't drive!



After brunch, Nick and I took the pups down to Edgewater Park to hang out with our friend Sara. Romps on the beach later, we were back at our place to wind down into Sunday evening with some wine and cheese, and get ready for the week ahead. 

Hope you enjoyed the weekend as much as I did, and I'm looking forward to seeing you at the next Cleveland Flea on May 9th!



Jump Back Ball 2014

This past Saturday, Nick and I joined our friends for our 4th Jump Back Ball in a row. If you recall, the tickets for this event sold out astonishingly fast-- in less than two weeks!!! I'm not sure, but if I were to guess, the appeal of the James Bond theme was just too much to resist.

As I've done with most special events lately, I started out my afternoon with an appointment with Carolina at Tease. Carolina totally gets me-- I take her a bunch of seemingly disparate pictures and she always turns them into a style I adore!! This time I gave her the extra challenge of saying I didn't want a whole lot of pins, and she LITERALLY SEWED MY HAIR INTO PLACE. It didn't' move all night, or even the next day (as you will see in the pictures that follow).

To start off the night, Nick and I took a cab (why don't we have uber?!) to Cowell and Hubbard to grab and early dinner.

My handsome date looking very bond-esque. 


The beginning of the end….



After dinner, we convened to Lisa and Kelly's room for some mingling and bubbs….

Sean and Matt looking dapper as always!


Our lovely hostesses both beautiful in gorgeous beaded dresses.


We headed over to Playhouse Square shortly after 8 pm to join in the festivities. I didn't really do a great job taking pictures (at this point I had consumed a martini, and a couple of glasses of bubbs) but my dress is a fuchsia chiffon J.Crew (other colors available on sale here), and I accessorized with earrings I wore on my wedding day, and this stunning Stella and Dot bracelet.


There was a lot of dancing, and drinking, and at some point I confiscated Donna's Pharrell hat cutout (I apologized on Sunday), but I was having a ridiculously fun time


Above: Allison and Kelly
Below: Allison mid-squeal


And then towards the end of the night, things started to get blurry and Nick and I (and my aching feet) cabbed it back home :)


I wish I could tell you about the bands or the food, but I was honestly having so much fun with friends, that I wasn't really paying attention to details. However, if you are interested in those details, you should read Kimberly's blog post

The next morning, I woke up none-too-worse for wear, and promptly headed to a Jump Back debrief brunch wearing my hair unaltered from the previous night. See, I told you it held up pretty well?!



Overall, another fun Jump Back Ball (possibly my most favorite one so far!) Sean has a fabulous idea for a theme next year, and I really really really hope the committee uses it!!

Disclosure: I was an official blogger for Jump Back Ball and received one free ticket to the event. As always, all opinions are 100% my own!