Since I Last Saw You

... I've had a mixed weekend. Some really fun stuff, some relaxation, all good!

Friday, N and I made our way over to the Goodtime III for the Third Annual Roar Along The Shore. We've gone each year since its inception, and each year, it just gets bigger and bigger! The line up of bands was absolutely the best so far, and everyone seemed to be having a really fun time; a testament to Danielle's abilities as a kick-ass party planner!!

Saturday was really low key: Otto had surgery to remove a small tumor on his back. While he's going to be just fine, I was feeling exceptionally maternal so besides a morning walk with Clair, we stayed home and mostly cuddled the pups.

My favorite spot at Edgewater Park! 

Sunday, believe it or not, I did not partake in anything Cleveland Browns. And I can't say I was unhappy about it because I used the time to get ready for this week. 

This evening, Nick and I made the impromptu decision to take Otto and Clair to Puppypalooza. The Cleveland Indians started this summertime tradition a few years ago, and I absolutely LUUUURRVVEEE this event! It raises money for a great cause, and really, what can be better than catching a baseball game with your best friend right by your side?! It was like a mini boxer-party tonight; there were seriously boxers EVERYWHERE! Clair is probably going to end up on local TV because she walked right up to a camera man and stuck her muzzle RIGHT into this camera! 

A great start to the week so far, and its only going to get better!!

Soccer

I am ABSURDLY excited about the U.S. vs. Belgium soccer match this evening at Cleveland Browns First Energy Stadium. I LUUUURVVEE soccer and soccer players-- Besides their talent, they have the cutest bums, and really nice legs. Yes, I just objectified them, and no, I'm not sorry.

I will be cheering on the U.S. team with my national team scarf, despite the fact that it will in the high 80s. Its a soccer thing...

Make sure you follow me on instagram and twitter for pictures this evening (and other pics in general)!

Are you going to the match? What are you wearing to show your team pride?

A weekend recap

OMG you guys, I am SO behind on blogging. Although I only have myself to blame: I've been having way too much fun in this amazing city!!!! I'm going to recap the last couple of weeks sorta piecemeal over the next few blog posts, but I'm going to start with a recap of this past weekend.

Friday night, AJP and I had a fun little date at the Indians Game! A few weeks ago, I'd applied for a spot at the Cleveland Indians Social Suite, and Friday happened to be my lucky day to be at the game. AJP and I started off the evening with a quick beer and some gossip catching up at Flannery's, and then headed up to the suite to watch the game. The game itself was a disappointment, BUT I did find a vendor that sells, among other things, fried cookie dough, funnel cake, and funnel cake fries. In case you're wondering, its sorta across the way from the Cleats. After much debate between the funnel cake and funnel cake fries, I panicked and just went with regular fries instead. DARN IT!!! Should've got funnel cake! Anyway, at the end of the game, AJP, my fellow Social Suite attendees and I were escorted DOWN TO THE FIELD to watch the fireworks from the visitors dugout.

My foot hovering over the field. I may/may not have touched it. 

AJP gets lucky

AJP somehow ended up with a ball from the game, and we enjoyed some fabulous fireworks, set to the music of today's very own tween stars. Sorry Biebs, I'm just not that into you (and cue the hate mail).

After a very busy Saturday morning which included some much needed shopping, Jess and I headed out to Chinato for some pre-concert dinner. Seriously, if you haven't been to this restaurant yet, I don't know what you're waiting for! The seafood misto appetizer and lemon polenta cake are TO.DIE.FOR! Post-dinner, we headed over to the House of Blues to see watch Grace Potter and the Nocturnals perform live.



She is so so so so SOOOOOOO good live! Incidentally, she has a new album coming out on June 8th, so you should definitely give it a listen. I LUUUUUURRRVVVEEEE HER!!

Sunday began with a yoga class, followed by watching N play softball, lots of napping, cuddle time with the pups, and my continued introduction to the fabulous world of Mad Men (we're on episode 4, season 1). All in all, a WONDERFUL CLE WEEKEND!!! And, I'm already gearing up for the next one!!!

Real Fans don't wear Pink Jerseys

Yeah, you read that right. I'm going on the record as saying it. And I'll say it again. Real fans don't wear pink jerseys.

The way I see it, if you're a sports fan, your options at a sporting event are:
(1) Wear your team jersey in your team colors
(2) Wear your team colors but not necessarily a jersey
(3) Wear something that has nothing do with your team colors (but make sure you're not wearing colors of the opposing team either)

BUT the PINK JERSEY?!?! Its a total cop out.

A few years ago, the people that make NFL merchandise finally realized that in fact, there ARE female fans, that would VERY MUCH like to wear team merchandise, and ideally, not in a men's XL. Their first shot was coming up with pink jerseys. FAIL! (some of us went out and bought kids jerseys, and those worked fine).
Luckily, they have redeemed themselves, and launched a whole collection of women's clothing, including jerseys, and they're NOT just pink !!

$80, nflshop.com

hoodie, $80 nflshop.com

Ladies, if you're one of those people with the dreaded pink jersey, please, please, please go out and buy a normal one. (If you don't want to pay full price, you can find last year's merchandise at Marshalls at deep discount). And even you're plus size, you don't need to buy a men's jersey; nflshop.com has plus sizes too.

Enjoy football season!!

Its Almost Football Time!

This past Friday, butnoteveryday celebrated her 29th birthday! Like me, she's a HUGE Cleveland Browns fan, and so this year, I decided to get her something fun, girly, and yet Browns related that she can enjoy all season long.

I ended up picking the Cleveland Browns Newsboy Beanie, which is available in sizes for children and adults. It is so cute in person; the little flowers are interchangable, and can be taken off the hat and worn as little hair clips. They're available in other team colors, and would make a great gift for any female sports fan! I liked it so much, I got myself one too! butnoteveryday, we're going to be hat twins!!

There's a first time for everything

Turns out, the Spring of 2010 is one of "Firsts" for me. Things I've done for the first time this year:
1. Bought a house.
2. Started a blog.
3. Visited the Dominican Republic

4. Planted an herb garden. 2 (b) Managed not to kill said herb garden
5. Pulled up weeds. I really loathe weeding. Stupid weeds.
6. Pulled up bricks in our backyard. I can honestly say that I can't wait to never do this again!

7. Held our nephew
8. Tried out exotic new recipes like Chinese-style spare ribs

9. Found a new workout that I absolutely love love LOVE!!!!  SPINNING!!!! I'm obsessed!!! I went for the very first time on Saturday, and even though I can barely walk, I can't wait to go again!!! The studio is called Ride + Workout and its located in Lakewood. The instructors are so great, and the workout is so much fun!!! They play fantastic music, you go at your own pace, you will get a great workout, and you could burn up to 800 calories an hour!!!!!!! What's not to love?!?! Oh, did I mention, your first class is only $5, and if you're a new student, you can take 30 days of unlimited classes for only $50?! You should really try it out; it may be the best $5 you've ever spent.

Hmmmm, now if only the CAVS would win the Championship, it would be the THE BEST FIRST EVER!

Weekend Recap

I've had such a great weekend; I'm really bummed that it's going to be over so soon! Friday night N and I met up with Jess and DBB at Momocho: I always forget how much I luuuuuurve their margaritas until I get there. The goat cheese guacamole is to.die.for!! (Little tip: if you want to visit Momocho, you should try and make a reservation, or at the very least call ahead and check on the wait)

After a yummy dinner, we headed over to Dragonfly Lounge for some drinks. It was my first time there and I was pleasantly surprised to find out they serve old fashioned cocktails made with fresh juices. The Moscow Mule was pretty good, although it pales in comparison to those served at Velvet Tango Room (the copper cups and bits of ginger make a HUGE difference!). I thinks it's interesting (and very cool) that a 2 mile radius in Tremont/Ohio City has not one but THREE amazing bars that serve classic cocktails made the old fashioned way (the third one is Speakeasy) ! Sure, they're more expensive than the traditional mixed drink, but on a night where you want to sip your drinks and have great conversation, they're worth every penny!

Saturday we enjoyed watching the CAVS kick some BULLS a** at Panini's where we made new friends (hello Tony and Colleen). The beer and yummy pizza resulted in a nap, which unfortunately led to an alarm malfunction, which in turn resulted in us missing The Roots concert! BOOOOOOO! But there's always a silver lining; we stopped by Anatolia Cafe for a late dinner with Ry and El and who should be sitting two tables away but Anderson Varejao AND Anthony Parker!!!! We ended the night at B Side where Questlove spun a three hour set of some amazing music including some awesome old-school hip hop!

This morning, I had a hair appointment at Beachwood Place; I like to schedule my appointments before the mall officially opens. Parking is much easier, and there's just generally fewer people. Anyway, a calendar malfunction (this has not been a good weekend for technology) resulted in me being one hour early! And then, I encountered the strangest thing: Mallwalkers!!! There were at least 50 of them, including at least 2 people with strollers! Whaaaaaaaaaat?! How do they even get in there so early?!?! Will someone please explain the appeal of walking around a mall in endless circles? Personally, if I have to work out indoors, I would much rather use a treadmill.

After my hair appointment, I made some stops at a few stores to look for a gift. After all, what would a shopping blog be without a little shopping? One of my favorite gifts for someone who likes/wants to travel is a passport case. If you prefer to shop in-store, Nordstrom, J. Crew, and Jule carry passport cases at various prices, and if you're more of the online type, zappos.com and barnesandnoble.com are good options.

Depending on your budget and the occasion, you could also round out your gift with a travel guide (I personally like Rick Steves) and a travel pillow. Bon voyage!