Labor Day Weekend

Tweet this!

Labor Day Weekend kicked off with a fun run. I headed downtown with my running partner (the prettiest black dog eva) and we explored a bit on the paths by the river.

On my way back, I passed One Trick Pony. It's a local dinner spot that is downtown but slightly off the main drags, and I have always been curious about it. I immediately texted my husband and asked if he wanted to try it. 

So, I got home, answered the remaining emails from the day, and then got ready for dinner. I had just unboxed this Zara Peplum Jacket, so despite it still technically being August, I wore it with black pants. It was actually a bit chilly that night, so it worked out for me!

Any excuse to wear Zara...

Dinner was decent, and we headed home to relax a bit. It had been a pretty long and demanding week at our house, so we wanted to totally veg. After a few hours, we decided to head back out for a little treat, and we went to Furniture City Creamery. 

Bow down to Queen B.

You're looking at the Dutchess of that little establishment. I think I may have squealed in excitement...

The next morning, we headed over to San Chez, which is fast becoming one of our joints for breaking the fast. I had an egg white scramble with mojo onions, feta, and chorizo, with a side of fruit.

Afterward, we did a bit more relaxing and took a nice, long walk. By the time the afternoon rolled around, it was time for us to start getting ready for the bachelor and bachelorette parties we were goin to that evening.

I popped open the cold brew I snatched up the night before, and it did not disappoint.

A swift kick is good as long as it's not to the face!

I also ran a few errands -- literally. Donning neon clothes and aviators, I ran around like sorority-girl-barbie and grabbed a few things to bring to the party.

Then, it was time to take a shower and get gussied up in all black for a night of shenanigans.

With a black bottle of cava and a tupperware full of vodka soaked gummies, I hopped in my cab and headed downtown to the hotel.

As usual, what happens at a bachelorette party stays at a bachelorette party... but we did have plenty of fun times. I'll leave you with this...

Flash to the next morning, when I was hurting a little bit. Not awful, but enough to warrant heading to Terra for a huge chorizo fritatta and some hair of the dog bloody mary. It did the job, and I chilled out the rest of the day.

A big breakfast held us over until dinner, so we were pretty starving by the time 5pm rolled around. We headed to Harmony Brewing Company for some pizza.

Even the 45 minute wait and poor service could not have made me upset about this pizza. It is just that good.

Monday morning, we woke up prepared for a super productive day. We started by going to the gym bright and early for Body By Science.

Then, I spent an hour in the kitchen preparing and cleaning up after a wonderful brunch feast. 

Afterward, we did a lot of errands, went on a few long walks, tended to the garden, and sat on our front porch watching the rain storm. It wasn't the sunniest, but it was definitely the most relaxing Labor Day.

Oh, yeah. And we got more ice cream. No wonder I'm feeling a little sluggish this week... No regrets!

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• How was your labor day?
• Do you like ice cream or fro yo?

One Year

Tweet this!

Y'all, time FLIES! 

This weekend was our first wedding anniversary. We had aspirations to head north, but ended up changing our plans to feature a staycation in our new city.

We started on Friday night with happy hour and a lakeside dinner at Rose's on Reed's Lake. I found a pair of shorts I'd been missing since the move, so I paired it with a crop top I picked up back in April and called it good.

Happy hour at Rose's features a lot of things, but my favorite of them all is $3 Sangria.

We walked around a bit afterward and then headed home for some R&R.

Saturday morning, we headed downtown to San Chez. It was both of our first time there, and we were big fans.

Also, bloody mary. Like whoa. [I love bloodies, and when there is a bloody bar, I tend to try it. But, this time, we had a long day ahead of us, so I only had one. It was hot as hades, so that was probably a good decision!]

After we relaxed at home a bit and exchanged some cards and gifts, we headed back out and drove to Frederick Meijer Gardens.

I would compare this to a large greenhouse / botanical garden / sculpture garden park. If you've ever been, you know how massive the grounds are. We barely even made a dent.

 

After an afternoon in the sun, we headed back home to cool off and relax. Once dinner time approached, I changed into something a little dressier for our dinner reservation.

We ate at The Chop House, and it did not disappoint. My husband is convinced that this rivals Keefir's in Chicago, which is our favorite steakhouse there.

After dinner, we walked across the street to the Amway Grand and headed up to Cygnus 27. This is a bit like the Grand Rapids version of Chicago's Signature Room, and it had great views in all directions. We made it in time for sunset-watching cocktails.

On Sunday, we knew we wanted to relax and spend some time in Holland. We headed to my in-laws' and went sailing all afternoon with my brother in law and his friend.

There is really not much better than a celebratory weekend filled with good food, lots of walking around, great views, and the one you love.


WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• What is your anniversary tradition?
• What did you do on your first anniversary?
• Are you following the traditional gift guide for each anniversary, or are you experimenting with your own ideas?

A Superbly Parental Weekend

Tweet this!
This weekend, my parents came to visit. We toured around and showed them the ins and outs of our new city, and many drinks were had.

There was also pizza and filet mignon.

On Friday, my parents arrived just before dinner. My dad had a hankering for both pizza and beer, so thankfully, there are a few breweries in Grand Rapids that specialize in pizza.

One of these beers was called "Lil Sebastian" which, if you watch Parks and Rec, is amazing.

We ended up heading over to Harmony Brewing Company. We were seated immediately, and we proceeded to have a delicious meal.

They have some really delicious pizza combinations (sea salt and cracked pepper tossed arugula with feta and slices of thick prosciutto? Count me in!), but I did feel like their pizzas were slightly undercooked. Everything else was perfect, so I think it can be remedied by just asking them to leave them in an extra minute or two until they're crispy.

Afterward, we headed back home and watched our wedding video (we finally have it!).

The next morning, we started with a yummy brunch at Terra. As usual, everything was amazing. This is fast becoming a favorite brunch spot, regardless of city.

We went back to the house and gathered our things to drive to Holland for a beach and boating day. The weather looked great, so we grabbed our swim suits and set out.

By the time we got to Holland, the weather was still decent, but it slowly cooled down so that it was comfortable but not quite perfect for sunning. Darn you, June in the Midwest! We bundled up and took a cruise on the boat with my in-laws and sister in law.

Afterward, we all banded together to prepare a feast for 10. We made steaks, a big salad, and a delicious veggie dish that reminded me of a cheesy Ratatouille.

We drove home late that night and went straight to bed.

Sunday morning, we headed over to Cherie Inn, which is one of my new favorite breakfast places, too. It is a bit understated, which is what I like about it. The exterior and interior are both simple and somewhat traditional, but then the menu blows your mind with its interesting combinations, and the food is delicious.

Afterward, we drove around the city a bit to show my parents around. We drove to the east side and went to Reed's Lake to show my parents how easy it was to get from our city-living to some good old lake life.

Once my parents left in the afternoon, my husband reminded me that the US was playing in the World Cup. We decided not to get cable (we have done this in every place we have lived together so far), so we would need to head to a pub for dinner, beer, and soccer.

I donned my USA gear and we headed to The Green Well, where we found seats at the bar and had beer, dinner, and 95 seriously nailbiting minutes.

And that, my friends, is a wrap for the weekend! We're gearing up for another fabulous weekend with my cousin (the mixologist queen) who is coming to visit with her main squeeze!

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Did you watch the game?
• What's so great about your favorite breakfast joint?

Belated Birthday Weekend

Tweet this!

The weekend started with a road trip.

Proof that Oil Swishing is whitening my teeth...

We met up with my parents and headed to Dania to look at some furniture. My husband and I are in search of a couch that will mesh well with our Mid Century Furniture...

No, this was not the winner.

We ended up liking this charcoal couch with a lot of tufting.

Post-Dania, we were ready for a belated birthday dinner. We tried to get into Prairie Grass Cafe and Ruth's Chris, but ended up at Morton's Steak House, and let's just say that was an extremely fortunate thing because dinner was amazing. And so was the wine...

The next morning, my mom and I got ready to head down to U.S. Cellular Field for the NOCC Annual Walk/Run. 

We had a 7am leave time, so we woke up around 6:15 and started with coffee. I have not been much of a coffee drinker lately, so I only had one cup, and made sure to have a banana with it to make sure my stomach wasn't wonky during the run.

We arrived a bit early and walked around to get a sense of the area, then did a warm up run and stretched. It was a pretty good day for a run, in the high 50s/low 60s with some wind. Perfect for a long sleeved run.

Once the run started, everything became a blur of excitement, as usual. We were able to run into and through U.S. Cellular Field as part of the course, which was awesome.

As soon as we entered the field, the excitement level peaked. I am not even a baseball fan, but I got a lot of energy and drive from being here.

The run then led us through the streets and back to its starting point. I had a good run overall, but my phone didn't tell me how close I was to the finish and I couldn't see it coming because it includes a turn around a corner, so I had a lot of steam left at the end because I didn't start sprinting until later. My final time was somewhere in the 25 range, but I haven't been able to confirm it on their web site yet.

After the run, we headed into the bar on site at U.S. Cellular and everyone had a beer. I changed my mind at the last minute for a bloody mary, and was not disappointed.

We left and headed back to my parents' house, where I got ready as fast as I could because my cousin and her boyfriend were coming down from Madison.

They are avid disc golfers (frolfers? discers?), and I am awful at it but always game for an outdoor adventure, so we headed to a nearby course to play. On our way home afterward, we stopped at a grocery store for some steaks and dinner supplies.

When we got home, Mint Juleps were the first order of business. It was Derby Day, after all, so we managed to celebrate it. My cousin is a master cocktail craftswoman, so we put her in charge of the drink making.

As we waited a bit before dinner, we sipped our Mint Juleps and played cards.

We were finally ready for dinner, and my husband hit the grill. We ended up with steaks, carrots, and corn. 

We lit the fire pit in my parents' yard and hung out there for a while before hitting the hay.

Sunday consisted of a lazy morning, egg and smoked salmon breakfast sandwiches, and the drive back to Michigan. 

When we arrived around 3pm, we were starving, so we headed over to a neighborhood bar for some food and...

of course...

another bloody mary.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• How was your weekend?
• Bloody Mary or Mimosa? Pick your poison...