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!!

This Weekend in CLE- entertaining, yoga, and general relaxation!

This was actually a fairly low-key weekend as far as most of our weekends go...

Saturday, I visited the West Side Market for the first time in a very long while. That parking lot is a complete mess! Back in the day when I was a WSM regular, I used to go first thing in the morning. That was, however, before my days of Fresh Fork and Saturday morning workouts. Anyway, my noon trip this past weekend involved me circling the parking lot for 20 minutes trying to find a spot! Lesson to be learned here: go early!! The whole reason for the Market trip was that N and I hosted a cookout Saturday evening; the menu was a bunch of different kebabs + signature champagne and burbon cocktails.

I really like my signature cocktail, which was an adaptation of a recipe I saw on pinterest- half a quart of orange sherbet + 3 bottles of bubbles!

Jo, Charity, Carla, Danielle, Jess. The boys were inside watching the Browns kickoff. 

Sunday, Allison and I went to a 2 hour yoga workshop, where I almost got into a handstand, which was pretty much the extent of me leaving my house (don't worry, I did get outside and enjoy the weather, it just happened to be at home).

The puppies were super cute this weekend-- I posted this on Instagram over the weekend- they make me laugh so much. Clair is wearing my snood (scarf/hood) that I got at Made in the 216 last month, and Otto is falling asleep sitting up!  

Given that I spent most of the weekend in super casual shorts + blouse/ workout clothes, my style highlight was this outfit channeling Audrey Hepburn.  

Dress from Target, Ray Ban aviators, necklace from Banyan Tree

Well, I am off to Denver for the day, so hope you have a happy Monday!! 

XO!

An Awesome Cleveland Weekend (part 1)

This weekend was so incredible that its awesomeness cannot possibly be contained in a single post. So, for the first time ever, I'm going to leave you with a cliff-hanger...

This past Saturday, I did something I haven't done in years-- I did a race!! When I say "race" I use the term loosely--- there were no timing chips, and I didn't exactly run the whole way. And that was perfectly fine, because the actual "run" was not the point of the race!! What is this strange race, you might ask? Why, its the COLOR RUN!!

Billed as the Happiest 5k, the run raises funds for a local charity. There are multiple color stations, which you run, or walk through, while volunteers throw powdered color at you. At the end of the race, you're supposed to look like you ran through a rainbow!!

Zumba warm up

Allison wondering if she will get that call...

All colored up!! 

I have to say, the color run reminds me a lot of the Indian festival of Holi. Celebrated in February or March (governed by the Lunar calendar), Holi is the official welcome to Spring in India, and involves the throwing of colored powder and colored water. Water balloons are also frequently involved. Growing up, this was one of my absolute FAVORITE festivals--  I mean, look how fun this is!!! 

 Holi (photo credit)

Anyway, getting back to the Color Run, this Saturday's event was attended by over 8,000 people, and judging by the looks on everyone's faces, it WAS the happiest 5k! If you missed out on the fun, the Color Run is coming back in September; you can find more details here...

The rest of the day involved naps and relaxation....

... because Sunday, it was time for (to be continued...)

St. Paddy's Day Weekend

I had big plans for this weekend.

Saturday-- hot yoga, baby shower, Burning River Roller Girls, dinner, drinks.
Sunday-- Downtown at Allison's party, and then wandering out downtown and in Ohio City with N and loads of our friends....

NONE OF THESE THINGS HAPPENED!!!!!!!!! Why, you ask? BECAUSE I WAS STRUCK DOWN BY THIS GROSS VIRUS GOING AROUND CLEVELAND. I spent the weekend parked on my couch, watching endless episodes of Dance Academy, doing shots of cold meds, surrounded by Kleenex. I hold this ever changing weather 100% responsible.

Dance Academy. So addictive.

Is it Spring yet?

Muse and MIX

This past Thursday, N & I joined Allison and Nadine to see MUSE perform at the Q. It was my first time seeing MUSE live, and I have say WOW!! I was completely blown away!! I've watched MUSE perform on various awards shows, and they've always been great, but nothing compared to a full concert.

Awesome vocals, incredible visuals, and an truly awesome light show--- seriously, MUSE set the bar for 2013 concerts very, VERY high...

Friday, Sara, N and I headed out to The Cleveland Museum of Art to attend its MIX event. If you haven't been to MIX event, you really should check them out. Each event is very different, but they're ALL a lot of fun. This month's event focussed on the Pompeii exhibit, and included live interactive performance art, which included use of the escalators!

While the actors paraded around with foam swords, we somehow ended up in a riveting discussion on most underrated actors...

Ahmed, Sara and N 

CK, Alexa, Sean, and Matt

As you can see, it was a VERY animated discussion, and some of our nominees included Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Ed Norton... while we debated the merits of our respective choices and energetically argued against others, we suddenly realized that it was past 10 pm, the Pompeii exhibit was closed, and we were being ushered out of the museum.

And so the night ended in our kitchen, with wine and Doritos, and squeals of laughter over goats.

Seriously, if you have not watched this video, you are missing out!!


Saturday was pretty low key-- psycle, nap time, puppy walks, and a late dinner at Tremont Tap House with Wes and Danielle.

Sunday was another low key day- brunch, laundry, more puppy walks and play time, and snuggles on the couch while we watched Argo (seriously, I was stressed out the ENTIRE time!! I can't imagine that the whole hostage crisis actually happened, and more so that it STILL happens across the world!!! SO CRAZY AND SCARY!!!)

And now its Monday... here we go again : )

Happening THIS Weekend (I'm VERY excited)

Its FINALLY here!!! After what seems like an eternity of waiting, Jump Back Ball is FINALLY happening this Saturday!! I have my outfit planned-- the only other thing I have to do is decide which pair of shoes I'm going with (I have two equally comfortable pairs) and how much arm candy I'm going to wear (restraint is overrated).

That said, if you missed out on tickets to Jump Back Ball (or if its just not your thing), there's another awesome event happening this weekend-- Ripple Fest. Hosted by the Foundation for Community Betterment at the 78th St. Studios, the night features some of the City's most beloved and talented comedians (Factory of Sadness? Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism Video?) and musicians. The fun begins at 6:00 pm on Saturday, and presale tickets, available until 6 pm tonight are ONLY $18!!!! Tickets and more info available HERE!!!

And last, but certainly NOT least, this Sunday is THE OSCARS, and at 7pm, for the first time ever (I'm so excited!!!) I will be joining NewsChannel5 anchor Chris Flanagan and Q102 host Jen Toohey to live chat OSCAR FASHIONS!!!!!!!!!!! As you might have noticed from my all Red Carpet tweets this Awards Season, I absolutely ADORE the Red Carpet, and never shy away from sharing my opinion, so I hope that you will join in the fun (but lets keep it classy)!!

Visitors

This weekend, my dear friend Tina came in to town for a visit. Tina has been to Cleveland a few times before, so we didn't do the typical West Side Market tour. Instead our weekend consisted of this:

FRIDAY: T didn't get in until after 9, so we hung out, opened a bottle of wine, snacked on cheese and caught up on each others lives.

SATURDAY: After a quick walk with the dogs, we headed out to Li-Wah for dim sum. I've talked about this many times but you definitely have to try dim sum at Li-Wah one weekend.  So long as you eat pork and shrimp and have a sense of culinary adventure, you will be just fine. They also have an a la carte menu for dim sum (rather than just the carts) and the baked BBQ pork buns are soooooo good. Next we headed out for a little shopping: we started with the Bazaar at The Tower Press Builing and then headed over to Tremont for a little gallery hopping, including of course the Hot Toddy Party at Banyan Tree!! I got some Christmas shopping done and even got to keep a super cute souvenir mug!!!

Shopping was followed by a little relaxation at home, including some bubbles. Dinner was at Black Pig (the bahn mi is TDF!!) followed by a stop at Old Angle for the Big 12 football game. This is where the real fun began. We were joined by Allison and then headed over to Market Garden where we were joined by even more friends: Ahmed, Joe G, Seanski and Matt, Lisa and Suzanne!!

SUNDAY: We were moving pretty slow Sunday on account of our Christmas Ale induced hangover, but we rallied for brunch at Luxe. I LUUUUUURRRVVEEE Luxe brunch- half price Bloody's and Mimosas until 1pm, and super yummy brunch offerings, many of which currently feature pork belly. Mmm mmmm mmmm!!! T had to leave early afternoon and then it was time for my usual boring Sunday chores.

Big thanks to all my CLE friends for showing T how fun and fabulous our city truly is! I'm hoping she is considering making Cleveland a permanent home!! (Fingers crossed!!)

Labor Day Weekend Recap AND Tuesday Tunes!

Don't you just LUUUURRVEEE three-day weekends??? I hope you had a lovely weekend- I most certainly did!

Friday night, N and I decided to check out Barrio in Tremont for a low-key evening. We unexpectedly ran in to Wes and Danielle which made the evening just that much better. Lively conversation, margarita pitchers and tacos followed... A couple of comments about Barrio- it still looks a lot like 806, and I'm honestly not sure how I feel about that. I ordered two tacos, and the first one was really good. The second one wasn't that appetizing, but that was totally my fault for putting together a bad combination. Like Happy Dog, I think they should offer some suggestions for those that are either stuck or just apt to go overboard with choices : )

Saturday, N and I took the pups to the beach- they had an absolute blast!!! Its so odd- they can swim, but they haven't figured out that they can! Clair tried to drink most of Lake Erie, and Otto was happy as a clam chasing his squeaky ball in the surf. After that, it was time for some pampering- JV and I have started this little tradition where we meet up about once a month for manis/pedis and catch-up convos-- I absolutely LURVE our little dates!!

Saturday night was time for Danielle's bachelorette party! We started off in the back room at Market Avenue Wine Bar where Beth turned the lovely space into one that was absolutely delightful!!

The back room-- flowers and candles everywhere. I can't wait to go here in the winter-- snow falling outside, a lovely glass of red... perfection!!

You might have been fooled into thinking it was all classy...umm not entirely....

The bachelorette!!!!

Sunday (post recovery) was time for our annual neighborhood Labor Day party. I'm so grateful that I live in a neighborhood where there are a LOT of really skilled home cooks! We feasted on authentic jerk chicken, cuban pork, black beans and rice, red beans.... mmm mmm mmm!!

Monday was time to burn off all the calories I consumed on Sunday, and what better way to do that than a double header at psycle and inner bliss? That was followed by some house cleaning to prepare for dinner with Wes and Danielle (we saw a lot of them this weekend ; ) ) -- I followed an amazing Nigella recipe for sliced steak, served with sundried tomato and goat cheese mac-n-cheese, caesar salad,  sautéed mushrooms, and garlic parmesan wax beans! If you're every looking to dazzle at a dinner party, Nigella's recipes are THE.WAY.TO.GO!!

I woke up extra happy today because the new album by Two Door Cinema Club (Beacon) was released today!!!! Two songs in, and I was pretty sure I was going to LUUUURVVEEE the whole album, and I most certainly wasn't wrong. If you're looking for some new music, I highly recommend giving this album a listen!!!




Whew, that was a lot to catch up on after my absence last week. I may be a little sporadic with my posts for the rest of this month- lots of travel for work!

Cleshopaholic Travels.... To Columbus

First things first- if you haven't entered the giveaway for the $25 gift certificate to dots, please do so here. They just had some new arrivals, including a cute colorblock dress  and this lace romper- both of which would be super cute at Sunset Grille or for one of the many summer festivals that begin next weekend!!

 N and I were in Columbus for a family wedding. It has been a long time since I was in Columbus, and since we were staying in the Arena district, I knew we were going to be visiting the Short North for sure!!
My overall impression of Short North is certainly a positive one- it reminds me a lot of Tremont and Ohio City (but with way more retail), and certainly a lot of Chicago's neighborhoods as well. Well done, Columbus!!

We followed Renee's recommendation and visited Northstar Cafe for Saturday brunch- I absolutely fell in love with this place. The atmosphere reminded me of a coffee shop I used to visit in college (I miss you, Buzz), but with the added bonus of really yummy food!

After brunch, we decided to walk it off by visiting some stores. There is a LOT of retail clustered together in this part of town, and while this is by no means a comprehensive list, here are my top 3 from this weekend!

1. Tigertree: 787 North High St. This store reminds me a lot of Urban Outfitters, in that its really well curated, and carries some really unusual stuff. 

2. le Chocoholique: 601 North High St. Honestly, this store makes me happy I don't live in Columbus. Why? Because I would be eating their salted caramel and salted toffee EVERY.SINGLE.DAY!!!! Wow. It is seriously so so so so good. And they also serve cocktails and desserts in addition to chocolate.

3. The Candle Lab: 646 North High St. I luuurrrvveeed these soy candles!! I didn't end up buying any because I'm really well stocked on candles, and I think N would smack me if I brought another into the house. That said, I really really really wish someone would carry their line (or at least part of it) in Cleveland. 

After some fun shopping, it was time to attend Bart and Erin's wedding. I'm not going to post many pictures from the wedding, but I did want to highlight Erin's beautiful dress- I really love the lace overlay that's popular with wedding dresses these day. Absolutely gorgeous!

The reception was hosted at a winery in Columbus-- lots of wine, lots of dancing, lots of fun family. Good times were had by all!!

N and I having fun with instagram

Long weekends are the best!!!

Would you laugh if I told you that my feet hurt from Jump Back Ball ALL of last week. I guess high heels and dancing for 6 hours, combined with plantar fasciitis will do that! I took this past Friday off, because, well, why not? Since Allison was on her "Freedom Week" (thanks for that term, Alexa), we decided to meet up for lunch and pedis. Well, lunch and pedis became lunch AND shopping and pedis, although shockingly, I really didn't buy much at all- some cute accessories from H&M, and at LONG LAST, a lipstick I finally like- the Sheen Supreme by M.A.C. I typically really dislike all lipsticks in general, but this feels more like a balm, which is why I gave it a try. I've been wearing it all weekend, and I think I may have to get another!! Allison, on the other hand, had a very successful shopping trip, which you can read all about on her blog. The pedis were much needed, and I'm now in full St. Patty's day mode with my green toe nails!! Friday night involved celebrating Allison J's birthday with Prosecco at Battery Park Wine Bar!

Saturday was supposed to be a really busy day- N and I were supposed to be at a benefit Saturday night, but N spent the whole day in Chardon forming a human barricade against Westboro Baptist Church's rumored demonstration at the funeral (I hate them btw- let people grieve in peace!!!!!), but they never showed up (which is a great thing). He was pretty tired after the day, so we ended up bailing on the benefit at the very last minute and stayed in with Greek Village Grille and my new TV obsession Full Metal Jousting.  Talk about an eventful Saturday night!!

Sunday involved puppy walks, cleaning, and some major cooking in the form of Puerto Rican Pork Loin. I know I've mentioned this before, but if you don't own Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, and you like to cook, you need to add this to your cookbook collection IMMEDIATELY!! Seriously, I've never had a recipe fail following ANY of his recipes. N and I also watched The Ides of March- holy HOTNESS. Seriously, Ryan Gosling and George Clooney in the SAME MOVIE?!?!?!?!

And that pretty much summed up my three day weekend: PERFECT!!