Weekending | Grand Rapids

Just like that it's Monday again. The first one of February at that! Time continues to fly by. As always, we had a great weekend visiting our old stomping grounds in Grand Rapids.

Our first stop shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.. Founders. You can't go to Grand Rapids without stopping by Founders. This week they had an event called Cellar Raid so the boys were able to get beers they haven't had in a long time, including the coveted KBS. I, on the other hand, enjoyed my favorite BLT sandwich of all time. That alone was worth the two hour drive ;)

Saturday morning we decided to check out a new Donut shop in Eastown, D'Arts Donut Shop before the girls and I headed to the bridal shop to try on bridesmaid dresses. I'm not sure that was the best breakfast choice, but delicious none-the-less.

By the time we were done at the bridal salon everyone was hungry again so we met the boys at one of our favorite GR restaurants, Rockwell Republic. It just so happened to be happy hour, so I enjoyed two Spicy California Rolls. They are the best!

Later that afternoon we headed to Perrin Brewing Company, which is about twenty minutes North of town, for their Winter Festival. That's how Michiganders survive the brutal winters- outdoor beer festivals! The boys enjoyed the beer and I enjoyed the hot chocolate. Not a bad way to spend the day.

We ended our trip with a night at a new brewery; Creston Brewery. I'm not exaggerating when I say that every time we have visited since moving away there has been at least one new brewery to check out. This one did not disappoint. They have a Mexican style menu and Thomas enjoyed his beer.

Now it's back to the grind, but it's always nice to visit our favorite city. Until next time Grand Rapids!

Midweek Ramblings + Recent Purchases

Ramblings:

• Kings of Leon: We were supposed to see our favorite band live last Sunday, but unfortunately the concert got cancelled three hours before the show was set to start. The drummer was diagnosed with pneumonia and advised to take three days off... so now we wait until March. It was a total bummer, but what can you do? I have no doubt that it'll be worth the wait.
• Grand Rapids: We're headed back to our favorite city this weekend and I can't wait. It seems like every week a new brewery/bar/restaurant opens and it feels like it's been three months too long since we've been there. We don't really have any set plans, but we'll see where the weekend takes us :)
• Winter TV: Scandal is back!! I repeat Scandal is back! And How to Get Away with Murder, This Is Us, Chicago PD, Chicago Med, Quantico, etc. We've also been enjoying Taboo, because Tom Hardy can do no wrong in our eyes.
• Travel Bug: It's only been three weeks since we got home from Arizona, but I'm already itching to take another trip. I have been bitten by the travel bug hard. Good thing I have a few trips on the docket this year; NYC, Las Vegas, Toronto, and Chicago!
• Happy Birthday Grandma: Today is my beautiful Grandma's birthday! I'm certain that she's having a wonderful birthday in the middle of the Caribbean on a cruise with my Grandpa and their friends, but I miss our daily chats. She's the best!

Purchases:

• Ray-Ban Erika Sunglasses: I picked these up with some Christmas gift cards I got and I love how unique they are. They're also very light weight and comfortable. I've become quite the Ray-Ban fan.
• It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream: I know I'm super late to the game, but I finally decided to try this CC cream and I'm hooked. I love the way it smells, the way it makes my face feel, and the fact that it's the perfect coverage for everyday wear.
• Kuzy Macbook Case & Keyboard Cover: Technically I didn't purchase these (they were Christmas gifts), but I love them none-the-less. The quality is better than my old Speck case and the keyboard cover is a fun touch.

I hope it's been a great week and that an even better weekend awaits!

Arizona | Phoenix

During the second week of Winter Break Thomas and I flew to Arizona to visit Thomas' Army buddy and explore his home state.

Our first day was spent in Phoenix. Sam picked us up at the airport and our first stop was downtown Tucson. Even though the weather was cooler than I would've liked, the sunshine was very welcomed!

We walked up and down Mill Street in Downtown Tempe, near ASU's campus, before stopping at Blasted Barley, a local brewery, for lunch. The boys enjoyed Chicken and Waffles, while I had a delicious burger.

Once we had filled up on carbs we headed to hike Camelback Mountain. We were blown away at how busy it was on a Tuesday afternoon, but up we went. The hike wasn't too strenuous and offered awesome views of the valley and the surrounding mountains.

After spending some time with Sam's parents, we met up with a few of his friends at a restaurant/bar called San Tan Flats in Queen Creek. It definitely had a "down South" type of feel and also had an awesome outdoor area with personal bonfire pits. We don't have those here in Michigan! 

We hung out for a couple of hours, ate dinner and enjoyed a few drinks.  At this point we were pretty exhausted, we had been up for over 23 hours!, but we kicked vacation off right! Day two took us to Sedona and that recap will be coming up next.

Winter Break Recap | Week One

Let me tell you there is nothing better than working for the public school system. You just can't beat the schedule (...unless you get paid to travel for a living! #goals). I had seventeen days off for Winter Break. SEVENTEEN! So here's a little recap of what I did during the first half of that break...

Wigilia 2017 | Thomas' family is Polish and they celebrate the traditional Wigilia every year. Every year we look forward to this event. We can't believe that this year was my tenth time attending!

Christmas | We celebrated another amazing Christmas with both of our families. We squeezed in a lot of family time, which was wonderful.

Night in Downtown Detroit | We celebrated the holidays with my group of childhood friends by eating dinner at Bobcat Bonnies in Corktown and then heading to Campus Martius to ice skate. The weather was perfect and it was such a fun night. I'd love to go again before winter is over.

Late Nights | Quite a few games of Play Nine were played...

Great Lake Invitational | My brother and I headed to The Joe one last time for the Michigan college hockey tournament that we went to frequently growing up. I'm excited for the new arena, but The Joe holds a lot of childhood memories for us.

So that was week one of my Winter break. Week two took us to Arizona!

Weekend Recap | Pain, Colds, Wrestling

Well I think it's time to dust off this thing for 2017. The New Year has been a whirlwind and I have quite a bit of catching up to do, but first lets start off with a low-key weekend recap.

This past week has been rough. It was the week after a vacation, my first week back at school, Thomas was sick, I pulled a muscle in my back, and now I have the cold that Thomas so generously passed onto me. Due to all of this we spent a lot of time on the couch doing a whole lot of nothing. When we weren't on the couch I was...

In a bubble bath reading. It's been a while since I read a book and I'm really trying to get back into it. Right now I'm reading Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moritary and I'm enjoying it. It hasn't captivated me like a couple of her other books did, but it's still enjoyable.

Watching a high school wrestling meet. I know nothing about wrestling, but it was nice to get out of the house and to socialize a little.

And that pretty much sums up the weekend. Here's to hoping that I can kick this cold soon!