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1st Annual Cleveland Comedy Awards

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I know we don’t tend to get out a lot these days (hellooooo, pregnancy!), but last week Chad and I were lucky enough to get out for dinner and an event! That’s right — we had the honor of attending the inaugural Cleveland Comedy Awards at Hilarities on East 4th.

Some background: I am not a comedian in any way. But comedy has always played a huge role in mine and my husbands lives. It’s something that brought us together when we first started dating and something that continued to bring us together long into our relationship. We’ve seen various comics perform over the years and shared a love of laughter through television shows like Last Comic Standing.

So when my friend Sarah invited me to attend this event, I was overjoyed! Not only did we get to laugh, but we got a date night, too! Win, win!

Our pre-event dinner was at Barrio in the Gateway District.

I’ve been craving Barrio tacos and guac for a while. And, even though there was a wait and even though we were in a bit of a hurry, I convinced Chad to sit at the bar so we could still enjoy some pre-show tacos.

Sidenote: Here is where I say that my husband was right and I should listen to him more often. I told him my plans of getting two tacos and also guac. He laughed and said that there was no way I would be able to finish that much food. I told him he didn’t know what he was talking about and I can totally eat two tacos AND guac.

I was wrong. So wrong. I absolutely want to be one of those people who can eat a normal amount of food, but it seems like I can barely finish two tacos! Sad face. He was right.

From there we walked down to Pickwick and Frolic to meet my friend Sarah on the red carpet!

Y’all this event was amazing! Because Sarah was a presenter, our seats were right up against the stage. That’s front row… at a comedy event… while 7 months pregnant. Eek. I was nervous!

See what I mean?! I really didn’t want to be called out by these guys. Ha! Luckily, they decided to pick on Sarah’s husband instead of me (phew!).

The event was presented by Comedic CLE and hosted by Rob Ward, whom we’ve seen perform before — and someone I happen to think this hilarious.

My husband happened to think that many of the jokes were, indeed, inside jokes between the comics; but for whatever reason (perhaps it’s because I listen to a lot of these guys on the radio so I happen to know their backstories); so I thought it was fabulous.

Some of my favorites from the night include Jasmyn Carter’s performance and Brian Kenny’s long-form joke performance. They had me dying of laughter!

I was sad to see that Mike Polk Jr. and Mary Santora weren’t present to accept their awards, but totally saw that coming. They are rockstars of Cleveland comedy and so busy travelling! Props to Bill Squire for filling in for both Mike and Mary! It was great!

The night ended with a truly amazing performance from Ramon Rivas, who can be found on Comedy Central and shows like Vicelan and Broad City.

Thank you so much to Comedic Cle, Hilarities, and specifically Sarah for the invite. It was a pretty awesome night, even if that means I didn’t get much sleep nor did I get to put my babies to bed — it was still worth it.

Check out the full list of 2018 winners here. And be sure to check out all of the above mentioned comics — I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Pinterest Fun, Plans Gone Awry, + a (Long) Overdue Haircut // A Weekend Wrap Up

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You know those weekends that just restore your soul? Well, I had one of those weekends, friends. It also just so happened to be one of those weekends where I had “X-Y-and-Z” planned…. but all of it got nixed off the to-do list and we just improvised.

Friday we had plans to go to the Great Lakes Science Center and finally utilize our passes. But it was snowing and absolutely frigid, so, even though Chad had taken the day off from work, we decided to just hang around the house with the kids and relax. They still had a blast. [PS. Do you know what kind of fun a 4-year old will have just walking around in Best Buy??]

The chill day came in handy because I had exciting plans for the evening! A little “Moms Night Out,” if you will! My friend Emily had invited me to go to Pin It, which is a Pinterest/craft-making event, with her!

I was so excited to manifest some of my creative energy with Pinterest projects that had already been planned and prepped by someone other than myself! Ha!

But first? Food. Because these delicious macarons and appetizers weren’t going to eat themselves! And after finishing off these delicious snacks, we headed to our first Pin It station — a watercolor mug!

And after the mug we made an “Embrace Messy Hair” planter. I was going to actually use this as a planter, but my mom suggested I use it to store Remy Bea’s bows and headbands. GENIUS! And so it is!

We rounded out the evening with an all-natural headache salve. And, when all was said and done? I realized just how easy these crafts were to do at home! More to come, friends!

Saturday morning, Mimi (who arrived from Kentucky the night before) and I took Ari to the monthly Home Depot workshop.

Unlike January’s workshop, this one wasn’t too complicated for anyone under the age of 40. I kid (but not really. because Februarys’ build was IMPossible). But honestly, if you’ve never been to one of these workshops I absolutely recommend them. They are so fun — and free!

From there I sent Mimi, Chad and the kids to karate while I went to get my haircut for the first time in a few years. YEARS, friends. Years!

 

 

I ended up at Apotheclaire a little early so I stopped next door at Sweet Mary’s Bakery for a morning snack and coffee! And, if you’re local, you *must* stop in to both of these places! Sweet Mary’s Bakery is A-MAZING, and Apotheclaire is so incredibly eco-friendly and local-focused.

I went in to my hair appointment knowing that I wanted my hair cut off, but not a pixie cut like before; I also knew that I wanted something specific, but couldn’t exactly put it into words (or pictures); soooo big pressure to my stylist. Ha! But I told her what I wanted and she delivered ONE THOUSAND PERCENT! Helloooooo, asymmetrical long bob!

I walked around the rest of my day with a little sass in my step, for sure! It’s a good thing we had a family party to attend so that I had somewhere to be with all of that sass!

PS. The only picture I have from this party was of Remy eating ALL OF THE WORLD (as per usual). But seriously. Where does this child (and her tapeworm) put all of this food!?

Saturday night Ari had his first sleepover at Grandma Vicki and Grandma Rosie’s house (my aunts’ house), so we got off the hook and just had to deal with one tired kid! And by the time we got home Remy was totally ready for bed (no naps will do that to a kid!).

After Remy fell asleep, Mimi and I snuck out to the second official Northside Market! It was later than I’d hoped, but we made it! It was great running into Kevin of Studio KMR and Rachel from IWearJewelRay. It was such a quick trip before we headed home, but it was so worth it. I love running into my creative friends, even if just briefly!

And Sunday? Sunday wasn’t all that bad, friends. It had the makings of a busy day — more talk of perhaps going to the Science Center after we picked Ari up from his sleepover. But once we met up with him we realized that taking a sleep deprived child to a busy museum? Not going to be that much fun. So instead we went to lunch and to Trader Joe’s. Because? #MomLife.

Oh, but I did manage to score 4 pairs of shoes for $70 (after tax!!) from Stride Rite in Legacy Village. So, if you’re local to Northeast Ohio, head over there, like, now. Because they’re going out of business and these prices are THE BOMB.

It was honestly the perfect way to round out the weekend. Just regular Mom Life at it’s best.

A huge thank you to everyone who was in any way involved in this weekend. Whether or not I saw you, texted you, or even if you just sent positive vibes my way, thank you. I will always be forever grateful for my tribe. They make weekends like this possible! ♥ ♥ ♥ Cheers to many more weekends like this!

xoxo

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.*

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!

Weekly Mantra //

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This week is Ari’s last week as a threenager. That’s right — next weekend Ari turns the big f. o. u. r. I can’t believe it! I have a(n almost) four year old! How!?

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I’m totally grateful to have had a semi-relaxing weekend with Chad and the kiddos. Saturday, Ari and I had a Lowe’s Build and Grow workshop (again) and then I took the kiddos to Sarah’s Vineyard for a playdate (and wine date!) with my friend Gretchen and her boys.

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Girl time with Gretchen was way, way, overdue! Each of us having two crazy kiddos + the normal hustle and bustle of life have just gotten in the way. But we picked right back up where we left off last time I saw her. — That’s the beauty of great friendships, right!?

It was also my first time at Sarah’s Vineyard — and it is totally beautiful (minus three drunk adults who decided to yell at our boys… HUGE props to the staff at SV for telling them to get lost!).

Post-girl date, Chad & I actually had a date lined up for ourselves! Another awesome friend (my tribe is awesome!) volunteered to take the kiddos for us so Chad and I could go celebrate my birthday. And guess what we did? Well, Chad dropped me off to get a haircut while he went into TJMaxx to try on some clothes! Ha!

But really, then we did go out to dinner. We were even home early enough to all get some sleep! We had family pictures scheduled bright and early Sunday morning. We shall see how those turn out… ha!

I’m super content for a Monday. I just am. Perhaps it’s because Remy is napping; perhaps it’s because she also slept last night; or perhaps it’s because I cleaned last night and I’m not rushing around today. Who am I kidding… it’s because of all of these things! Oh, and coffee. Lots and lots of coffee!

I really wish for a smooth week ahead.

Happiness is Autumn weather and toddler snuggles. Seriously. We’ve had so much of both over the last week. I love it. ♥

Weekly Mantra: 

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(via Marvelous Mom Tribe)

Have a good week, friends! xo

Weekend Wrap Up //

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It was another one of those weekends. The kind of weekend that makes my heart pitter-patter. I went to bed SO full of happy on Sunday night. Seriously. I was just… happy!

My mom and dad arrived around noon on Friday. We got them settled in and then headed to lunch over at Retro Dog. Retro Dog has long-been one of my favorite fast-casual spots. Well, because, it’s hot dogs. Obvy. But it’s not just any hot dogs. It’s Sahlen’s Hot Dogs… a freakin’ Buffalo tradition!

Seriously, friends. These natural-casing hot dogs are amazing. And my dad feels like he needs to go to Retro Dog every time he’s in town! Which is totally fine by me.

It turns out Fox 8 was on-site filming a segment for New Day Cleveland. The owner knows us (because we share a strong love of hot dogs, root beer, and Buffalo).

The owner came right up to me and said “Oh my gosh this couldn’t be more perfect timing! They don’t believe that our best customers happened to *just* walk in!” and threw us a Retro Dog shirt to put on Ari!

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The camera crew came over to film us and Ari started cheesing in the worst way. Seriously, THE worst. They said they are going to use the footage, but seriously it’s of Ari shoving hot dogs in his mouth and making funny faces at the camera. Ha!

Post-Retro Dog we headed out to get Ari a new pair of shoes. I know that sounds lame, but it seriously made him SO happy! And we were even able to squeeze in a quick swim at the wading pool with Mimi and Poppy!

Friday evening we all headed out to dinner and then to bed early. Thank goodness!

Saturday morning was rough. Remy had a really rough night and I was desperate for a break from her. I ended up powering through the morning, some way, some how.

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My mom and I took Remy to the Freedom Trail and went for a run. Meanwhile, Chad, Ari, and Poppy went to Lowe’s for their Build & Grow workshop. Afterward we all met up in Kent for lunch at Fresco Mexican Grill. Think Chipotle, but locally owned and wayyyyy better. That’s Fresco!

We also had a chance to walk through Haymaker Farmers Market! It was our first market of the season and it was a beautiful day for it! Ari and Chad shared a popsicle from PopSmith (rhubarb or something?)… and we walked and enjoyed ourselves.

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Oh, and we stopped by the newly-opened Peace, Love, and Little Donuts!

They had a super impressive spread of little donuts! And the most impressive part? Was the fact that they made these beauties right in front of us!

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When we asked Ari which flavor he wanted, he replied that he wanted just plain ol’ chocolate. Kiddo! For real?? But we made sure to get a bunch of different flavors to try out. And they were all delicious! My dad (half-) joked that he was going to go get a dozen just for himself. He didn’t (this time), but he likely will next time he’s in town.

And Saturday evening we headed to Mimi & Poppy’s hotel for a quick swim in the pool. I mean, Ari wouldn’t stop asking to go for a swim in the pool at the pool. Of course, when we got to the pool, he was terrified to go in (I knew he would be). I somehow convinced him to come in with me and he did great!

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Post-swim we headed back to the house for a cookout. Chad made amazing burgers and cucumber salad while Ari played in the backyard with Poppy. Mimi snuggled Miss Remy Bea and finally got her to settle down (thank goodness for Mimi!).

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Everyone passed the heck out after that kind of day! And I was lucky enough to have had a chance to sleep next to a very lovey toddler instead of the very-clingy baby! No, she didn’t take a bottle; but Chad just brought her in once or twice to feed, and then took her right back out! I was so grateful to have had that time with Ari (and a bit more sleep!).

I definitely needed every second of that.

On Sunday my mom and I cleaned the whole house. Well, almost the whole house (Ari’s room is a disaster area. For reals.). Because I was hosting a little in-home shopping party for some girlfriends!

We had so much fun sipping sangria (even if I did forget one fairly important ingredient!), snacking on finger-food, and shopping LuLaRoe!

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Mimi left in the middle of the party (but not before purchasing seven — yes SEVEN — items!) to go home to Kentucky [insert sad face]. But after the party the kids and I picked up right where our busy weekend left off!

I decided to drag the kids on a solo trip to the Keyser Barn for their first of the summer concert series! While it was a short trip (thanks, Remy, for that meltdown), we did have some fun!

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And with that, our weekend is totally, completely, wrapped up! So much fun!