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FeBREWary Beer School at Ohio Beergarden

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I’m finally just catching my breath coming off my crazy-busy week last week. While things had been crazy since Monday, the fun really took off on Wednesday when I had the pleasure of attending FeBREWary Beer School at Ohio Beergarden in North Olmstead.

While Chad and I have frequented The Rail since it’s early beginnings in Akron, this was my first visit to it’s sister ‘restaurant,’ the Ohio Beergarden, which features strictly 24 taps of all-Ohio beers! Even their bottles, cans, and wine offerings are sourced locally from Ohio breweries and wineries!

But we were there for a special Beer School of new Ohio brewery, Goldhorn Brewery. Goldhorn Brewery is located in the Hub-55 development on E.55th street in Cleveland. While it’s been open less than a year, the head brewer Joel Warger, formerly of Great Lakes Brewery, has made a mark on the local craft beer market.

We started the night with Soft Pretzel Bites and Beer Cheese paired with Goldhorn Brewery’s Polka City Pilsner. Admittedly, I almost always (okay… always) gravitate towards super hoppy IPAs, but I was so into this beer. It was super light, crisp, and I could still taste quite a bit of hops!

Next up, the Fire Pug Pale Ale, which is a smoked pale ale with Azacca and Chinook hops. I definitely could taste the smokey flavor and it was delicious! Still very light and easy on the palate!

Finally it was time to taste a few burgers, courtesy of The Rail. I’m not going to lie, and I’ve talked about it extensively here on this blog, but The Rail is one of my favorite restaurants of all time.

The burgers were paired with Play That Funky Music Witbier. Yep. Cheesy – ha! And apparently derived from a joke. But, like many jokes, they sometimes turn into reality. For a Belgian beer, definitely one of the best — even if Belgians aren’t my favorite! I could big time taste the coriander and orange peel! Yum!

Last but not least we were able to taste some of Ohio Beergarden’s pizza. The previous restaurant that was located in this space built a stone pizza oven so the folks at Ohio Beergarden are totally taking advantage of that hidden gem — and they’re doing it OH SO WELL!

I have to admit — I may have cheated a teeny tiny bit with the ‘no dairy’ thing. I did eat two crust pieces, but for the first time in a year, I didn’t pick off the cheese. And it was incredible!

Our last beer was the St. Clair Stout. Admittedly, I despise stouts. They are… heavy; thick; and overwhelming. But I tasted it. It was much lighter than other stouts I’ve tasted. It almost tasted like a Christmas ale of sorts, thanks to the cinnamon, ginger and honey. In recent years I’ve turned my nose up at Christmasy beers. And after tasting this stout, I immediately handed it to my friend Cristin and was like “Nope. You have it.” Except I kept coming back to it. I kept tasting it. It kept growing on me. Of all stouts, I think it’s the best I’ve tasted. I ended up finishing it; I just wouldn’t go as far as liking it.

It was so awesome hearing about the story of Goldhorn Brewery and spending an evening surrounded by friends! I have to say that my absolute favorite beer of the evening was the Polka City Pilsner and, as delicious as the pretzels and pizza were, my heart belongs to The Rail burgers.

Thank you so much to the folks over at The Rail and Ohio Beergarden for hosting! I can’t wait for our next event.

 

*Disclosure: I received to complimentary seats to The Rail Beer School in return for my honest opinions and review. As always, all opinions are my own.*

Weekend Wrap Up // and a Weekly Mantra

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Ya’ll! I am beyond — BEYOND — excited for this week! I’ve been very ‘mum’s the word’ about my world, as of late. But this week is going to be amazing! Not only does Ari have 3 karate classes this week [which is just beyond adorable], but I have an all-Ohio beer and food pairing event AND an event at the Vitamix store [insert 500 exclamation points!]!

All of this comes on the tailend of a super beautiful weekend that included movie nights with Ari, a trip to RetroDog after Ari’s karate class, dinner dates, and a family hike + climb at the Gorge Metropark! I mean, it was sixty degrees in February — in OHIO. Say, whaaaat?! The only thing that could have made it better would be if Chad hadn’t had to work all weekend. But lucky for me and the kids, we had Mimi + Poppy in town to hang out with us.


I’m grateful for opportunities and connections that blogging and social media have brought into my life. It may seem weird, but I’ve created awesome IRL (in real life) connections and friendships with SO many of these awesome women!

I’m so content when my children and I are on a schedule. Last week was so crazy busy, but we worked like a well-oiled machine. Sure, it was hectic; but it went by so quickly and with very few hiccups (considering).

I wish for the blessing of health this week. We’ve been semi-healthy as of late, but all of us have battled a cold or cough off and on for a while now. And I’d really just love — and need — everyone to be on their a-game, healthwise, this week.

I’m really happy that I was able to spend another weekend surrounded by love and family and sunshine. These silly weekends — the ones where nothing in particular is planned — are what truly make my heart happy.

Weekly Mantra:



This just feels really right!  Hoping to shed some negative energy and invite in all of the positive vibes this week! Anyone have tips as to how they stay positive?!

Illness, Float Therapy, Yoga, and the Northside Market // Weekly Mantra

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So last week I was all “this is going to be THE BEST week,” which is pretty much just tempting fate. And fate handed me about 50% of what I was expecting last week, and 50% of the unexpected. Win some, lose some, friends.

Monday morning I woke up with a bit of a sore throat, but I got myself and the kiddos ready to go into work (for those who don’t know, both of my children come with me to work everyday — it’s quite a benefit!). Shortly after we got there, a building maintenance issue was uncovered and we realized that instead of 2 of us staffing one small area, there would be four of us. Which… is way too many. So I said “Hey I’m kinda feeling like poo a bit. Send me home.” And so I went.

No sooner did I get home did I start having fever and chills. It was so bizarre. I still don’t really know what was up, but I spent all of that day in bed, shaking and aching. I finally gave up and texted Chad at 3pm and told him I absolutely needed him to come home and take care of the kids. I was completely incapable of doing so. He ended up making it home from work very early so that I could try to sleep off the fever. I awoke some time later, but still feeling really awful.

Long story short, our Tuesday plans were ruined, too, because not only did I not go into work, but I kept Ari home from preschool just so I wouldn’t have to leave the house. I was so ashamed to keep Ari home, but I seriously couldn’t muster the energy to drag two kids out of the house for preschool dropoff.

But then I had a moment of panic — this fever? Did it have something to do with the dental procedure I had had on Friday? Should it be cause for concern? So I ended up having to drag both kiddos in to the dentist office with me. Far less than ideal, especially when there was an hour wait. But we survived — and my procedure site was not the cause of the fever! Hooray!

Thankfully, all of that rest paid off and Wednesday morning I was finally feeling so much more like myself! Well enough to go to work and take Ari to his first ever karate class!


OMG this kid loved his karate class! And, no joke, a serious natural talent for it!

Thursday evening I had scheduled my first ever float tank therapy session. If you’re not familiar with ‘floating,’ it’s essentially floating in 10-inches of super buoyant water (thanks to the 1000 lbs of epson salt!) in a sensory deprivation chamber. The tank is lightless and soundproof, so, in addition to your body floating effortlessly, your entire body and mind are completely zoned out.


Being semi-claustrophobic, I was super nervous about getting into the tank/chamber. But after a while, I was totally fine — even super relaxed! The only way I can explain it is that it was like a 90-minute savasana!

And the effects have lasted for days. Guys. I fell asleep SITTING UP AT MY COMPUTER WITH THE TV ON. Even at my most sleep deprived moments, I have never been that relaxed!

Next thing I knew, Saturday morning was upon us — and a very busy day at that! We started with the monthly kids workshop at Home Depot! No joke, this build was complicated, ya’ll! It ended up taking way longer than I anticipated, so we were racing to make it to Ari’s karate class.

​[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLIgsbcYBLA ]
Chad missed Ari’s first class so this was his first time seeing Ari in his (new) element! It was just as adorable as his first class. And he still really loved it!

And from there I raced home to put the kids down for naps and I raced back out again. I made my triumphant return to yoga after a terribly long hiatus!

My deer friend Gretchen is opening a new studio, Do Good Yoga, so I went to check it out. Honestly, it gave me the perfect excuse to get back on my mat. And, oh my gosh, it took returning to my mat to realize how much I’ve missed my yoga practice!


Post-yoga I brought Remy to the site of Noto North Akron, Do Good Yoga, and Akron Honey Company for the first Northside Market Akron!


The vendors and DJ were amazing! I’m so lucky to be a part of such an awesome community of makers and shakers!

Between all of this fun AND a late night thanks to the Super Bowl, my weekly mantra for this week is simple:


Happy Monday, friends!

 

Red & White on Thursday Night // Recap

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Last week Chad and I legit skipped our way out the front door to attend the 20th anniversary of Red and White on Thursday Night — a food and wine event to benefit The Arthritis Foundation.

I’ve said before that this event is truly our favorite event of the whole year. It’s something we continuously look forward to, year after year. In prior years, Chad and I have entered together, but split up and gone in different directions.

This year was so different. It was clear — more than ever — that we truly needed this night to reconnect with each other, at one of our most favorite places. So we made it a point to stick together nearly the entire time!

We headed straight to the VIP Lounge when we arrived, which was more glorious than ever! Dante Boccuzzi and his team were serving up the most delicious sweet potato and shrimp skewers!


I’m honestly not even a big fan of shrimp, generally speaking. But these were beyond amazing, ya’ll. Chef Dante is just amazing.

After eating several of the shrimp and sweet potato skewers, we refilled our wine glasses with red wine and headed over to the VIP dessert table, which featured this incredible creme brûlée from West Side Bakery.


Here’s my moment of truth: It had dairy. AND I ATE IT! Honestly? It was absolutely worth the cheat. Truthfully, one of the only reasons I ‘cheated’ with dairy at this event was because it’s hard to tell if something has a bit of dairy in it or not. That being said, I totally passed up cheese and pizza and other just plain ol’ cheesy things. (Le sigh…)

The rest of the event was spent meandering around, trying new-to-us wines and sampling foods from some of our favorite local restaurants!

Some of my personal faves from the night were the tacos and guacamole from BOMBA Tacos & Rum, the bacon-wrapped-dates from The Twisted Olive, and the goat-cheese and berry donut from Hudson’s Restaurant!

And my all-time favorite wines from the night came courtesy of Filia Cellars in Wadsworth, Ohio! This local winery stood out amongst it’s competition!

All in all, it was another perfect event. We ate, we drank, and we reconnected in a way that we truly needed to do. Thank you, again, to the Arthritis Foundation for inviting us to attend this event!

Remy Bea’s Winter ONEderland //

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Monday my last baby had her first birthday. I know! I still can’t believe it! Well, over the weekend we celebrated little Miss Bea turning the big O-N-E with a small party. (Note: It was really hard for me to throw a small party. We just don’t know how to do “small” parties in my family! But I feel like I showed a decent amount of restraint this time around.)

Her party theme was loosely based on a “Winter ONEderland” theme. But mostly? I just wanted pink and gold. Whatevs to everything else.

Her pink smash cake was completely dairy-free and made by Moi! But the other cake was made by Mimi!

I think we pulled it off alright. Eh, in the end, I tried. And everyone seemed to have a good time. That’s what matters most! Right?

Oh! And I had this poster made for her party, and I *swear* I took a photo of it hanging up; but I cannot find that photo anywhere!

PS. What is it with kids wanting to be RIGHT IN the pictures!? My kid has been guilty in the past, too. And, in this case, it was cousins! RIGHT in my camera shot every dang time! Ha!

All in all, it was an absolutely perfect afternoon. I honestly wasn’t stressed — which is a first for me and birthday parties! If I could have, I would have invited every single person I’ve had in my life for this last year. No joke. I will forever be grateful to my village (and that includes every person — even random strangers — who have done anything kind or helpful for me in this last year).

And thank you, too, for being a part of our journey — for supporting us from afar; for offering advice; and for just sending love and positive vibes our way. We made it!! Cheers to this next year! xo

♥ ♥

Giveaway // Red + White on Thursday Night

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Chad and I have had the pleasure and honor of attending one of Akron’s most anticipated events, Red and White on Thursday Night, for the last 5+ years in a row!

In fact, it’s the one event of the year that I absolutely refuse to miss. We went just 5 days after Remy Bea was born last year! I wouldn’t miss it for the world!

Thankfully, this year I won’t be wearing Miss Bea! But last year she came with us — and she was a HIT!

The 20th Anniversary of Red and White on Thursday Night is being held on Thursday, January 26th, at Quaker Station at the University of Akron.

We will indulge in an incredible evening of fine wines from around the world and amazing local cuisine from top chefs and the best restaurants in the region — including a personal appearance from local celebrity chef and James Beard nominee, Dante Boccuzzi!

The event, voted one of the best in Akron by AkronLife Magazine, is expected to raise more than $82,000. All proceeds support critical local Arthritis Foundation initiatives including advocacy and access, help and support, and research.

Arthritis is the nation’s leading cause of disability and affects more than 50 million Americans and nearly 300,000 children. In Northeastern Ohio, nearly 1.3 million people of all ages have been diagnosed with arthritis. More than 108,000 of those are Summit County residents, according to 2013 figures.

Participating restaurants include: Chef Dante Boccuzzi of DBA, BOMBA Tacos and Rum, Chowder House Cafe, Nuevo Modern Mexican & Tequila Bar, Melt Bar and Grilled, and more!

The silent auction is incredible. Wine baskets, tickets to local events, and memberships to everything under the sun! Last year I was so busy running from table to table that I didn’t have any time to bid on any auction items, but this year I’m absolutely ready for it! I have big plans to bid on one of the kid-friendly items!

I hope that you can join me in supporting the Arthritis Foundation at this incredible event. General Admission tickets are $85 and VIP tickets are $125. VIP tickets include exclusive tastings from Chef Dante Boccuzzi, sweet treats from The West Side Bakery, spa services, high-end wines. All tickets can be purchased here.

In the meantime, you can enter to win TWO GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS using the Rafflecopter widget below! Please only enter if you’re local and able to attend on 1/26/17 from 5:30 – 9:00 PM.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: I received 2 VIP tickets in exchange for this post. As usual, all opinions herein are my own. I just really love supporting this local event!