night out

GIVEAWAY | Red + White on Thursday Night

January 7, 2016 by Rachel 8 Comments

Chad and I have had the honor of attending one of Akron’s most anticipated events, Red and White on Thursday Night, for the last 4 years in a row. And even though Baby Girl is expected to arrive just a week before this years event, I plan on my first post-baby outing to be the 19th Annual Red & White On Thursday Night, Thursday, January 28th, 2016!

The event will be taking place at Quaker Station in beautiful Downtown Akron, presented by the Cleveland Clinic Akron General, from 5:30PM to 9:00PM, and benefits the Arthritis Foundation of Northeastern Ohio.

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.

Nearly 750 guests are expected to attend and enjoy delicious dishes from Akron’s top chefs and a variety of both domestic and international wines, while checking out offerings from the available silent auction. VIP ticket holders will have access to both general admission areas as well as exclusive access to special fare from Chef Dante Boccuzzi of DBA, specialty desserts and high-end wine pairings.

Participating restaurants include: Chef Dante Boccuzzi of DBA, Barmacy Bar & Grill, Bistro on Main, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, Cilantro Thai & Sushi Restaurant, Chocolates by Erin, Chowder House Café, Hudson’s Restaurant & Catering, Melt Bar and Grilled – Akron, Nuevo Modern Mexican & Tequila Bar, Panera Bread, Saffron Patch in the Valley, Silver Lake Country Club, The Galaxy Restaurant & Banquet Center, The Pierogi Lady, The Taverne of Richfield, Thorpe’s Market Avenue Grill & Pub, and West Side Bakery! I’m getting hungry just thinking about it now!

Honestly, speaking from experience, this is one of the most anticipated date nights we have all year. Chad loves it, I love it, and we are always fed well and surrounded by so many fun people!

And one lucky reader will get a chance to win TWO General Admission tickets (valued at $85 each) to the event. I just ask that those who enter be local to Northeastern Ohio and willing to attend this amazing event on January 28th!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
General admission tickets are $85 presale and $95 at the door. VIP Lounge tickets are $125 presale, and $135 at the door. Purchase tickets online at www.akronredandwhite.com or call 216-285-2822!

** Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post, but did receive two complimentary tickets to the event. All opinions herein are my own. I just really really love this event and believe in this cause! **

Twilight at the Zoo // Upcoming Events!

July 14, 2015 by Rachel 2 Comments

It’s hard to believe we are midway through summer already! And the event calendar is getting more and more busy! I hope you’ve pencilled in a sitter for your little ones for the evening of Friday, August 7th, because it’s one of the biggest events of the summer — Twilight at the Zoo!

The Cleveland Zoological Society will host you and 18 local bands to dance away the night under the stars while you eat, drink and check out the zoo exhibits!

The general admission party goes from 7pm-midnight and includes admission to the zoo, access to listen to all of the bands, hors d’oeuvres, beer, wine, and soda. General admission tickets are $80.

The VIP party is presented by Scene Magazine and goes from 6pm-9pm — an hour early admission for partygoers to extend the fun (then join the general admission crowd until midnight!)! It includes all the general admission perks, plus an open bar, priority parking, and food from AMP 150, Choolaah Indian BBQ, and Sterle’s Country House (this will make for a VERY awesome date night for us! Hooray!). VIP tickets are $150.

This years’ Twilight at the Zoo will not only be one of the best events Cleveland hosts this summer, but the proceeds directly benefit the amazing Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Hurry and purchase your tickets today!

PS. Date Night at the ZOOvies sold out in just ONE day! I know it’s a different event, but this just goes to show you how popular these events truly are!

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I was asked by the Cleveland Zoological Society to help promote Twilight at the Zoo. In exchange, I will receive 2 tickets for myself. All opinions herein are my own.

better late than never // our weekend wrap up

April 29, 2015 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Friday //

My BFF from high school, Carli, moved down to Akron over a year ago. As mucha s we SAY we’re going to get together now that we’re living down the street from each other, we just haven’t been able to as much as we’d like. ‘Cause life happens, y’all. But Friday night we had a date! We planned on hitting up The Office Bistro for a glass of wine and dinner, but the hostess was incredibly rude so we just left. (Note: this is not my typical experience at this restaurant; but her attitude completely justifies us leaving without a second glance).

I told Carli that I had had great experiences with Craft Beer Bar, right next door. Sure there was beer (hey, Bodhi!); but there was also an incredible spread of food.

I will say, Shawn and Dustin did not disappoint! Dustin was insistent that we try some of their new menu items and pretty much force-fed us. Ha! The potato pancakes (in the upper left hand corner) are not yet on the menu, so we were lucky to get a “sneak peak.” And they were delicious! As soon as we were completely full, thanks to the Bacon Queso (upper right), Poutine (lower right), and the Mac and Cheese (lower left), Dustin came out with yet another surprise — an orange creamsicle ice cream sandwich. I honestly don’t know the menu name for this dessert yet because I was in a serious food coma by the time it came out.

While we were out I got a call from my husband that he had a work emergency, so I quickly rolled home — ha! — so that he could run out to Cleveland for a night of work. Unfortunately, he was out ALL night and didn’t get home until 6am. I swear if we didn’t have events scheduled for Saturday, my poor husband wouldn’t have gotten out of bed. And I don’t blame him one bit.

Saturday //

We had a bit of a lazy morning. Between Chad working all night and Moosh sleeping in bed with me, we were all kind of exhausted. We did manage to make it to Crafty Mart, a local artisan and maker show located in downtown Akron, in time for Chad to go to a kombucha-making workshop with the Bearded Buch!

We’ve been fans of the Bearded Buch for a while now; and Chad has been itching to make his own Kombucha at home; so a workshop with the ‘buch guru himself?! Hecks yes!

While Chad was in his workshop, Moosh and I walked around Crafty Mart where the first stop was the Akron Art Museum! The art museum is one of my favorite places in Akron, so the fact that they open their doors for these local vendors to showcase their craft just is that much more awesome.

But it was definitely one of the most popular Crafty Mart locations. And my dearest, dearest, Crafty Mart — as a patron, the one piece of advice I would give you is that as this event grows (which it has!), please locate this event in one single location! 🙂

But one of Mooshie’s fave places is the Akron Art Museum. He ADORES this place. We bought a few things and headed over to Musica, a local music venue. Musica. Oh dear Musica. You are a beautiful location. I would love to see a show at this venue. Scratch that. My early 20-something-year-old self would love to go to a Taking Back Sunday show at your venue. Cause this gal finds herself in PJs by 6pm these days, let’s be real.

I didn’t get any pictures at Musica because it was way too crowded. Way too many vendors in such a tiny space. I think this does the vendors a disservice because people, such as myself, aren’t lingering nearly as long because they are getting quite claustrophobic. After one purchase, we popped out into the alley for some air.

Post-Musica, we ended up at Summit Artspace. It’s a little “off-the-beaten-path,” that’s for sure. It’s a spot I’d heard of in passing, but I didn’t really KNOW what it was.

Apparently this spot is one of Akron’s best kept art secrets. I’ve likely heard of it in passing, but I had no idea that it was a space where local artists have their own little ‘shops’ inside to showcase their art. It’s fantastic to have this, but sad that I had no idea it existed up until this point.

But back to the art and the vendors… I was majorly impressed with the fact that this space was a bit more open. Plus, they borrowed an idea from the way the Cleveland Flea is set up and had vendors on one floor and food and drinks on another (just like the last holiday flea). A HUGE thank you to Nuevo (remember that amazing mod mex restaurant we went to for our anniversary??) for providing tacos á la carte (along with amazeballs guacamole and homemade chips!), Thirsty Dog for the beer, and Stray Dog Cart for the ‘dogs and the (free for kids!) cannolis!

This is exactly what we needed to ‘rest’ until we were ready to do more shopping. I hope next time there are even more food/beverages available.

After Chad was done with his Kombucha workshop I took a terrarium workshop with Land Of Plenty. It turned out beautifully and wasn’t nearly as difficult as I imagined it would be!

Sunday //

I was supposed to go to an event in the early afternoon, but after such a busy busy Saturday and severe lack of sleep, I decided to stay at home with my boys and get things done instead. It was just what we needed. <3 Sometimes you’ve just gotta listen to your body/family. 🙂

It was a wonderful weekend, but unfortunately our week has begun with a sick Moosh, hence the not getting this post up until mid-week! Sigh. Blog fail; parenting win.

The next weekend is just around the corner…

birthday weekend round up //

October 9, 2013 by Rachel 2 Comments

Guys – I had THE best birthday weekend! I rang in my 29th year in a fantastic way. The weekend started with going to see Sweeney Todd at the Hanna Theater in Cleveland. I’m a fanatic for musical theater of all kinds. I hadn’t seen Sweeney Todd live before (only the movie) and it did not disappoint!

We even took full advantage of the “featured drink”, which was actually suuuuper strong (gee, thanks, Buckeye Vodka!). But the Barber’s Revenge was yummy, nonetheless.

// Sidenote: If you’re interested in seeing Sweeney Todd at the Hannah Theater, purchase tickets online using the discount code PR6 for $10 off each A Level ticket you purchase!! //

After the performance, we decided to take full advantage of our sitter situation and grab a late bite to eat at Momocho! We’ve been dying to try it but never had the chance. Crab guacamole, tamales, and a blood orange marg?? Sign. Me. UP.

After a few drinks and arriving back home at 1:30, my 9 am massage I’d had scheduled for 2 months seemed like a huuuuge mistake. Especially considering I had to get my new drivers license before my freakin’ massage. Oy! So yeah, I crawled my butt out of bed, got my new license, grabbed a free birthday Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks, and went to get my massage.

Once I was there, I realized how freaking worth it it was to wake up early. Cause y’all? Massages are totally WORTH it! Post-massage I headed to Peace Love & Little Donuts in Westpark to try a maple bacon donut (totally worth the weight watchers points!) before heading to Charles Scott Salon for my big haircut!

That’s right, I chopped (well technically Allie at Charles Scott Salon chopped) over 12 inches of my crazy long hair off! I’ve had dreams of getting a pixie cut for ages. About a week ago I completely committed to the idea of getting a pixie cut. I figured the worst thing that could happen was that I would hate it. Right??

Well, I freaking LOVE it. So far I’ve washed my hair every single day and not had to dry it or flat iron it or, really, do anything with it! Plus there will be headbands GALORE! Ha!

I spent the rest of my birthday in pajamas on the couch, scratching my (nearly hairless) head, sipping red wine and eating fun cheeses. That was seriously my request for dinner. Chad said “What do you want?” and I replied with “red wine and cheese please!” And so I did.

Sunday I took Ari to a yoga class at Yoga Bliss Akron, where he played with a couple of other tots while mama got her vinyasa on. Then Ari and I headed home for some naps, snuggling and all around Sunday laziness.

Perfection!