Sneak Peaks, Beach Views, and Weekend Scenes

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I have been posting scantily lately, and I feel like a bad blogger. There's something about moving into a new house in a new city and meeting new friends and doing new things that makes it hard to keep a regular schedule of photographing, editing, writing, and posting new blog items...

I'm not going to lie to you: I'm not exactly sorry.

In fact, it's quite the opposite. I'm very pleased to be enjoying my new city so much that I've hardly the time to write.

Meh. You'll forgive me.

This past weekend kicked off on Friday with some afternoon productivity. By that, I mean tea.

That's a sneak peak into our new home. We're mostly set up, and I'm pretty stoked to share more pictures of what we did with our 1910s American Foursquare. To keep tabs on what we've done so far, click here and scroll down to GRAND RAPIDS "MY AMERICAN FOURSQUARE."

After my impromptu afternoon tea, productivity ensued. I had already cleaned and worked on my book most of the morning, but suddenly I became convinced I needed to put together some art for the guest bedroom (we have guests coming the next two weekends). Can you guess what I was doing in the image above?

On Friday night, we also forced ourselves to finish cutting and painting the trim for the upstairs bathroom renovation. Many posts on that hellhole project coming soon, but we are putting the finishing touches on now (trim is up, needs to be nailed in, and waiting on our marble for the counter). 

 

On Saturday morning, we headed over to Holland for some beach time and an early Father's Day celebration. We had our eyes on the forecast, and Saturday looked better than Sunday, so we decided to take it upon ourselves to change the official day.

I may have started out in jeans, but it didn't take long for me to head inside and change into my swim suit. High 70s and low wind equals a fabulous day for sunning and family time. (P.S. Did you catch that photo on instagram? If not, follow me!)

Did I mention I have a bad habit of getting sunscreen on my phone? It ends up with what I call the "Florida Filter," aka everything is blurry. I'd say it's artistic and I did it on purpose, but... well, it's not and I didn't.

Toward the end of the day, we had a fabulous waterside dinner, complete with grilled meats, fresh salads, and of course, wine. My husband and I had to get back to the city for a neighbor's birthday bash, so we left before the sunset cruise. 

We may have missed the sunset cruise, but I couldn't let you miss the view those who stayed had. Stolen from my soon-to-be SIL's instagram (thanks Meg). Swoon.

Sunday morning, we wanted to try out a new church, so we got ready and headed out. Here's a pre-church #sundayselfie in my pretty much fully decorated white-on-white office. So many sneak peaks in this post (and here you almost didn't even read it!).

After church, we did a bit more work on the bathroom and then headed out for a long walk east, away from the city. We had a nice walk in the sun, appreciating the gorgeous old school houses, and eventually stopped at Derby Station for some food and beer.

I ate at least half of that plate of nachos, which I justified based on our extremely long walk. As if I need justification for nachos.

We continued our walk around Reeds Lake. One of my favorite things about this area is that it's fairly easy to get anywhere you want on foot. Whether you're looking for a brewery tour in an urban environment, a gorgeous lake view and boat ride on the water, or a series of nature trails in the woods, you can make it happen.

We walked on the floating paths that enter the lake, and had a sun-and-serenity-filled adventure.

The night was ended with, of course, frozen yogurt - FOR DINNER. We're adults now, you guys. That means we can do what kids really want do and act responsible about it.

Between nachos and froyo, let's just say I was still full the next morning.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• What is your favorite thing about your city? Clearly I've already blabbed on and on about this for mine...
• Do you enjoy walking around in your town? What's your favorite attraction?
• Favorite froyo flava? I love turtle flavor!

It's Tulip Time

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This weekend, my fiance and I headed back to Holland. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about when I talk about Holland, it's a town in Michigan that's nestled right on Lake Michigan as well as another lake that sort of pops in from the lake. 

Image Credits - No, I did not take this from a plane

I used to not be "into" the state of Michigan as a whole (I lived in Columbus for 9 years, there's a rivalry), but I've definitely come around. Holland, in particular, is awesome. White beaches, clear water, amazing summers. The Eastern coast of Lake Michigan definitely got the better deal (sorry, Wisconsin).

Anyway, Holland is highly Dutch (my fiance is from there and is fully Dutch, go figure). Every May, they have a celebration called Tulip Time, which is apparently tied into the Dutch traditions. There are parades, people everywhere, and, of course, tons and tons of tulips. My fiance said that the tulips are so highly prized that you can get arrested for picking them. Whoa.

We drove in on Friday night, and got in pretty late. Saturday morning, I slept in (Hallelujah!). I had a delish breakfast of Oikos, some Agave Syrup, and Raspberries that my fiance's mom put together. 

Afterward, I decided to go on a 5-6 mile run. Actually, it started out as "a short 30 minute run" and ended up being pretty long because Pandora was rocking it and the puppy looked happy. She was my running buddy - we had a great time running around Holland and peeking through and around the houses at the lake.

We went for lunch at an Irish pub in downtown Holland called Curragh. Afterward, we spent a few hours laying out at my future in-laws, soaking in the sun. I also cat napped and read a book. Perfect.

I was sickeningly white so it needed to happen. We were talking about going on a walk around the lake, when my future brother in law's girlfriend (wait, this is getting confusing...) asked if we wanted to meet up downtown. So walk, we did, and we enjoyed the masses in Holland that were not only celebrating Tulip Time, but also throwing a Cinco de Mayo festival.

It was actually quite crowded, but I fear the picture below does not do it justice...

We also stopped at a FroYo place for some sugar. First, we spent about five minutes debating which of the frozen yogurt shops to stop at. Then, I accidentally grabbed a huge bowl and proceeded to quite literally stuff my face with frozen yogurt, whipped cream, and heath crumbles. #Oops #SorryImNotSorry

We walked around for another hour in the sun, trying to walk off the food coma induced by said frozen yogurt. It's also really fun to walk around downtown Holland because there are a lot of old, cute, cottage-and-victorian-style houses.

We headed back "home" to change, then went to dinner in a nearby town. My phone promptly died as we pulled into the parking lot (Android, I have mixed feelings about you...), so I have no pictures of the delicious salmon and lentil dinner I consumed.

Sunday morning, I woke up slightly sunburned. Mostly in a "V" at the top of my chest, where my dress wasn't covering me up while we walked around 

We had breakfast on the patio. I had sauteed mushrooms, onions, peppers, and cilantro topped with a fried egg.

We went on a 6 mile walk around the lake (not all the way around, just part of it), then packed up and headed to lunch at the Itty Bitty Bar. I had a Corona, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, and my fiance had tacos. That counts... right?

Unfortunately, we left just like thirty minutes too late. There had been a pretty bad accident on the highway that took out all lanes going in both directions. So, what should have been about a 2.5 hour drive turned into 7 (yes, 7). I spent a while working on our wedding invitations, but then my computer died. With my phone close to its death, we had to find other ways to entertain ourselves. Boo, technology.

We were also STARVING and stuck with only this awful tasting PowerBar to share...

That said, the pup was extremely entertaining. She found no less than ten positions to sleep in. Long live the cuteness.

QUESTIONS:

• What do you do to pass the time when you're stuck in longer-than-you-expected car rides?
• Do you squeeze in workouts on vacation?

GRATEFULNESS:

Dear Fiance,

Of all the people to be stuck in a car with for 7 hours, you're my favorite. Thank you for being awesome, even when nothing else is awesome.

Love,

Carly

New York Pt 1 - Brooklyn

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Traveling To New York

New York Pt 1 - Brooklyn

New York Pt 2 - Manhattan

New York Pt 3 - Manhattan Birthday

New York Pt 4 - The Final Day

On Friday morning, we woke up to weather that was far superior to the Chicago cold as of late. Already winning me over, New York!

We are spending the first two nights at my fiance's sister's place. She had recommended Fort Defiance, a place down the street that does everything from craft cocktails to brunch.

My fiance was famished (as usual), so he ordered Huevos Rancheros (top right). Thumbs up from him.

I was going to go for a veggie scramble but figured I should be more adventurous. So, I ended up going for a cheesy biscuit with ham, jalapeno jam, and an over easy egg (bottom left). It was just the right size and delicious.

After brunch, we walked around and ended up stopping into a cute liquor store to buy our host a gift. We grabbed some tasty scotch, dropped it off at the apartment, and headed over to Carrol Gardens.

We stopped to split an amazing salad at Jolie Cantina in Carrol Gardens. After our insanely yummy breakfast, we agreed that we just weren't hungry enough for a full meal, so we split it. It was covered in jicama, chorizo, and other fresh ingredients, with a perfectly poached egg propped on top. 

They had one of my fiance's favorite beers on draft, so we tried it. 1664 Kronenberg. He was pleased.

After lunch, we walked around Brooklyn Heights, stopping in Brooklyn Park and the Brooklyn Promenade. The view of Manhattan was stellar, and it was neat to see from afar the city we'd be in for the following few days.

Eventually, we met up with my fiance's sister and walked around Dumbo. Mostly, I'm just in love with the name here, because Dumbo used to be my favorite movie... but also, it's an awesome spot between the bridges.

We stopped into a chocolate store, and we grabbed two cookies to split. I think one was just regular chocolate chip, and one was a mudslide kind of cookie, with dark batter. I was a huge proponent of the second one.

Post-chocolate consumpton, we headed back toward Red Hook. At this point, my feet were feeling like pure awfulness. We'd been walking all day, and my Sperrys just weren't cutting it. So, we hopped on the bus and got back to home base.

After a change of clothes, we headed out toward the pier to catch the end of the sunset. You could see Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty in the background, so it was quite picturesque.

We put our names in at a restaurant called The Good Fork, then waited at the apartment for a few more minutes. I did't take any pictures at the restaurant, itself, but let's just say that it was a meal that you ought to try. The chef was wonderful. I had juicy steak over a bed of kimchee rice with a sunny side up egg on the top. 

I do, however, have this dark picture of my fiance and myself.

After dinner, we had a few drinks at Red Hook Bait and Tackle (no, it's not a bait and tackle shop). Sleep came very easy that night... I'll leave you with that.

More tomorrow... thanks to everyone who emailed suggestions for our trip! Can't wait to share what we ended up doing.

QUESTIONS:

• Have you been to Brooklyn? What's your favorite site?

The Weekend I Walked All Over Chicago

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Note: As usual with my weekend posts, this is super image-heavy. I know a lot of you like that, anyway (wait, she writes words with those posts? whoa).

First of all, I'm going to straight up dub this image the "image of the weekend" because it depicts my new favorite meal. Two egg whites, one while egg over easy, top with cilantro and feta, drizzle with sriracha, and break the yolk. I have no words...

I had a surprisingly active weekend, which warranted excessive egg consumption. On Friday, I kicked it off with Barre Burn at the gym. Because of doing two days of Pilates and one day of Bodypump leading up to this class, it was much harder than usual. My muscles were pissed.

Then, on Saturday, I hit the gym to try out a new TRX class. Basically, you are hanging from ropes attached to the ceiling and using bodyweight to "do work" on your body. Will post a more substantive review later, but I really enjoyed it.

As I was leaving the gym, I got a text from my fiance saying he wanted to take the dog on a long walk. I convinced him to wait for me, and we ended up going on a walk for about an hour at a pretty brisk pace. 

On our walk, I found this sticker randomly plastered to some wooden fences. I spent the next few minutes analyzing the message. Savior Self. Say it out loud = Save Yourself. You need the Savior to Save Yourself. I don't know, I like it.

When we got home, we chilled out for a bit and then started getting ready for our evening plans. We were having a few couples over for dinner before going to an awesome show, so I whipped together a few pizzas (two regular crust, one cauliflower crust). The cauliflower crust started out like this...

Cauliflower "rice," shredded mozzarella, oregano, and an egg. Much healthier than your typical crust...

I also made funfetti dip, which, let's be honest, is the most amazing thing ever. Pair it with Nilla Wafers? Pretty good. Pair it with apple slices? Even better!

After dinner and drinks, we headed to El Cheapo Cabaret. It's basically like Cirque du Soleil except it's BYOB and in a warehouse in West Town. It was pretty mind blowing. I have some crazy pictures of people mid-air that I'm going to post this week.

On Sunday, we walked like 9 miles total. In the morning, we walked to church. We tried out a new one that looked interesting and had a very convenient time slot. Let's just say we probably won't be going back to that one, but we did learn a bit about what we really want. Nevertheless, it provided an excuse to walk 30 minutes to church and 30 minutes back.

Except that on our way back, we decided to take a detour and stop at J. Patrick's for lunch. I had chicken and beef tacos and a bloody mary... but then we made friends with the bartender slash general manager and ended up helping him taste some new beers that his liquor rep had brought in to try to get him to use as summer beers.

New friends, free beers? What's not to love?

Because of beer tasting, we needed a small cat nap after J Patrick's to recuperate. Then... yep, you guessed it. More walking!

This time, instead of walking west, we walked east and hung out downtown for a bit. We walked along the river and let me just say that my honeys (honeyboy and honeygirl, yes I sometimes call them that) were looking mighty smiley. I love that.

And now, I'll leave you with this picture of the happiest dog ever.

Questions:

• Do you live somewhere where you can walk a lot? Living in Chicago, I walk just about everywhere, unless it's nasty out and raining (umm, today). 
• How do you do "active rest" days? Or do you? We've been trying to walk a lot, especially on days that aren't designated workout days.

Gratitude:

Dear Chicago,

Thanks for having such wonderful weather that I could walk almost 20 miles over the weekend and not have frozen a single bodypart or finger. Please keep getting warmer, because I truly like you more that way.

Love, Carly