Oh hai, 2015! How did 2014 goals end up?

Well, hi there. Remember me? #Oops

I'd say I was busy, but my Best Workout Bud detests that word (and I agree - we overuse it). Let's just go with it wasn't you, it was me. I needed some space. And move on. 

Holidays were groovy - too damn fast. New Year's was quite delightful, and filled with just a touch of gluttony (no hangover) and time spent with humans (and a canine) I adore. So what to you say to bringing on 2015? 

Odd Habits.

Life has intervened the last few weeks in that way where some of it was awesome (like Death By Fun with brilliant friends and family) and not so awesome - but nothing horrible, just really life. For whatever reason the theme song to "Facts of Life" comes to mind. 

Took a wee bit of a hiatus and have been trying to figure out how best to reenter. Then decided who cares? I started this blog for me, are thrilled some folks actually read it of course, but it's a blog so just jump in. 

Ahem. 

My dad and I were catching up on Saturday, and he asked if I'd like to borrow his Miata* since the weather of late has been so lovely. Truly convertible kinda weather. 

I shall approximate my look to him: 

hi·a·tus: (noun) a pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process.

Well. Didn't mean to take a hiatus of *quite* that length, but well, you know. Life. 

Been a weird few weeks, I'll be honest, but here we are. You and me. What's been going on? 

Dublin Irish Fest hanging out with We Banjo 3, and friends (one was very much new!) 

Gearing up for hockey season at some fan events. Go Columbus Blue Jackets!! #WeAreThe5thLine

 

 Gallivanting about this summer.....
such a wonderful summer we had here in Central Ohio. 

Adventures in Juicing.

Man, last week was weird, eh? I needed to marinate on some things, as I suspect many did. Spouse & I were super lucky to have great bookend weekends, connecting with family and it really reset things. I'll write more about the weekends in another post soon. #SillyPeople #Beer #Fun 

Wanted to post the last part of my juicing adventures, which is, um, actual juicing and combinations of juices. 

I am pretty lucky in that I don't have a lot of aversions to fruits and vegetables. I adore brussel spouts, beets and kale. I do still really dislike lima beans but luckily for me, I don't believe they would be a good juicing choice. As far as fruits, my only "dislikes" are grapefruit and mango. I like a hint of grapefruit, and I love the smell of mango but the texture is what really bothers me. 

So juicing as an addition to my menus is pretty easy. The added bonus of it is you can be really creative with your concoctions. I have to say there was only one combo I made that got poured down the drain, and honestly, had I not run out of lemon and lime juices, may very well have been salvageable. #TheMoreYouKnow

Adventure: Brewery Ommegang Game of Thrones Release

I'm really behind in adventures, and in looking at what needed blogging realized a huge oversight. Talk about a serious oversight, seeing as it was in MARCH. Egads. 

Have a dear friend, Adam, who I've known since college which was.....a while ago, let's say. He & his wife are beer nerds like us (actually, bigger beer nerds - which is a compliment). They hang out with a legitimately-knighted-in-Belgium-beer-nerd, with whom Brewery Ommegang trusted to hold a celebration dinner for the second Game of Thrones inspired beer, Fire and Blood. 

Adventure: #DeathByFun - NYC Edition

You guys. I had the most epic of NYC weekends ever. 

Main details: girls weekend, with three of my lovelies from The Shire; rented a great apartment in Brooklyn (less expensive and way more space than a hotel). 

The main reason to be there: Sydney's maman had a pre-sale opportunity for "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" tickets and we had scored 4-4th row orchestra seats to the matinee on Sunday, June 8. Starring Neil Patrick Harris as Hedwig. BOOM. 

Biltmore is nothing when compared to good friends.

Got some awesome news about a friend's new job this week, and it jogged my memory that I hadn't written about hanging out with her (her hubby, and another delightful friend) in February. #BadFriendAndTraveler

My friends, Angela and Ashley, have been in my life since 2005 and 2002 (not 2022 as I originally typed. Derp.) respectively. We all worked for the same unit here at the university, and even though since 2007, we've all been long-distance friends, we still talk, visit when possible, etc. They are both just delightfully beautiful women, inside and out, and I just adore the stuffin' out of them both. Angela is a double joy, because with her, is her amazing hubby, M. 

When Ashley moved to DC (where she still lives), Angela & I were still in the same city, so she & I flew out for a girls' weekend there, and had a really fun time. Both enjoy traveling a lot, and are fun partners-in-crime. We visited the all of the memorials, including the WWII, which I had not yet seen. We went to Mount Vernon, which was really lovely. We went to the Native American Museum on the Mall. In short, we did that city up. 

My favorite photo from our girls' trip to DC. 

Adventure: Zauber Brewing Co.'s Maifest

This past weekend was a study in duality: busy about town one day, and nothing but home projects on the other. Needed though, especially that second day!

Adventure: A (Quick) Trip to North Carolina

This past weekend was our oldest nephew's First Communion. While Spouse and I aren't on the Catholic wagon anymore, we recognize and appreciate that his brother and his wife are raising the three monkeys with some sort of catechism. Plus we hadn't seen them since the holidays! Way too long. 

My in-laws with nephew, O.
Youngest nephew, A, is the blond back of head in bottom left corner.

The trip down was just groovy, and we even managed to find the only brew pub in Charleston, WV, which we highly recommend to anyone. The former Charleston Brewing Company, now the Black Sheep Burrito and Brews, is in downtown Charleston, and just a mile or so off of I-77 - so easy to get to and back on the road + has parking on the street at a meter, or there is a parking garage attached. 

They had 9 beers on tap - only serve Charleston Brewing Co brews - and since we were driving, decided to do two flights and our swell bartender threw in the 9th beer free. My favorite was the Citra Ob-Session, a delicious American Pale Ale with citrus. Nicely balanced, with a clean finish - it would be an awesome middle of summer, hotter than blazes, way to chill out. 

Crafty Nerds, Beer Nerds, Hockey Nerds - and Lunches This Week (#8)

This past weekend was oodles of fun, and jam-packed too. I always feel at the end of the weekend, that I really need just one.more.day, and this weekend was a perfect example of why. 

Saturday dawned with beautiful spring weather: sunny, low humidity, temps in the 70s in the afternoon, light breeze, everything blooming and leafing, and just gorgeous. My trainer & friend was out of town, so I used it as excuse to not work out, and instead go to breakfast and to our favorite crafty show, Craftin' Outlaws. 

Spouse & I spent about 3 hours shopping, and seeing some of our favorite vendors and friends. Had dance time with AmyD and her partner-in-crime, which was fabulous. Saw some new things. Stocked up on soaps (thanks to Cellar Door Soap & Skin and Barmaid Soap Company). Bought some prezzies. Went overbudget (oops) but got this treasure, which invoked much jealousy from The Bratty One:

Spouse named her Goldie for me.
Purchased from Happy Bungalow.

Adventure: January's Trip to My Beloved 'Shire.

I haven't been complimentary to 2014. I feel, I have solid reasons for it, but I should point out that it started out nicely. The high point was a visit back to My Beloved 'Shire, to see My Lovelies, and former colleagues. 

You know you have awesome friends when, even after a year since laying eyes on each other, you just launch back into the same rhythm you had when you did see them most every day. Such is the case with My Lovelies.

The entire long weekend+ was jam-packed with fun, good food, delightful company, more adventures than any one adult should have in a six-day period.

A very Special Adventure, The Wrap Up: Part Trois

PHOTOS!!!!
I *only* took 1,000-ish photos but instead of being that boring person who posts every . single . frame ., I'll choose my faves by location. 

Big note: we didn't have time in Cobh, Belfast or Dublin to tour any of the Titanic museums, but they are on the list for next trip. 

Photo nerd note: only a few photos are filtered (the totally square ones, like Guinness Gravity Bar shot below. The rest have not been edited in any way). The landscape is really just that gorgeous!!

A Very Special Adventure, The Wrap-Up-Part Deux

Our Accommodations

PaddyWagon Tours' main option for accommodations are hostels. Being that we are over 40 + were spending our 10th wedding anniversary in Ireland, hostels didn't seem like the right choice for us. We upgraded to the Deluxe Option, which turned out to be B&B's. All but the last night was really lovely and gave us a great flavor for what to expect when we return. 

Night #1 was in Dublin. I spent a lot of time on TripAdvisor figuring out where we should stay. Knowing that we wouldn't get a lot of sleep on the red-eye from NYC to Dublin, I went with an actual hotel and one farther away from the hustle & bustle of Grafton Street and Temple Bar areas of Dublin. Ranked #42 out of Dublin's 179 hotels, Kilronan House seemed like a good deal. 

We got in way too early to actually check in but were able to drop off our bags and get a map of the city, with hints on what to check out. When we did check in later, our bags had already been taken to our room. 

It wasn't a horrible room; it was clean and tidy but just really small, especially the bathroom. The bathroom was also not in the best of repair - there was a large patch on the ceiling where it was peeling and had water stains. But we slept well and honestly, that was our main concern before boarding a bus for 9 days. 

We also got a better rate than I was expecting, without asking, so that was quite nice. We had a really early start on the tour so weren't able to partake of the breakfast that came with our stay but that's totally fine. The service was fantastic though, I have to say.

A Very Special Adventure, The Wrap-Up-Part Un

The Decisions Made

After we made the initial decision on when we were going to finally go, we sat down and made a list of "things we absolutely must see", "things we'd like to see if we can", "things that don't really interest us", to assist us with how long we'd need to be there and what was realistic too.

Given the whole drive on the opposite side of road, potential for a manual shift car to boot, and that we've never been there, we decided to go with a tour of 8-10 days, and ideally one that included Northern Ireland, as Spouse and I have both done some reading on The Troubles of the 20th Century.  

I am very lucky to have friends, who have some experience with the travel world. Angela used to work in the travel industry and is an experienced + well-educated traveler, so she was invaluable in choosing a tour company. Her spouse and his family had gone with one company on their trips over to Ireland and had enjoyed themselves. She cautioned it wasn't exactly luxurious but so long as we were willing to give up some comforts, she thought it would be a great time. 

Based on her feedback and knowledge, we chose a 9-day tour with PaddyWagon Tours. Their name is not exactly the most PC but it speaks to their ethos, which is to have fun while showing off the country they love, and also speaks to their average age demographic, which is 18-40 years of age. 

While there were a few fellow travellers who could legitimately have been our children <eek>, we weren't the oldest but definitely at the top end of the demo. However, it was totally fine and, given that we don't know strangers, fit in just grand. Honestly, it had a lot to do with our fellow travellers, who were all lovely people and there to enjoy it as much as we wanted to. I don't think we could have put together a more fun group. 

We're back. #HappyDays

NOTE: Still a wee bit jet-lagged, so if a sentence doesn't make sense or there are spelling errors, I did edit my work. I'll be back to regular brain power soon. 

To say that Spouse and I had a grand time is an understatement. We were so lucky with all details and arrangements, and no more so than in the folks who comprised our tour guides and fellow adventurers. It's pretty cool to come home and realize you've added friends from Australia, South Africa/Qatar, Canada, Thailand and of course, Ireland into your life. 

I'll write more, in detail, about what we did, saw, drank (first Irish Car Bomb - thanks, Avril!), etc. Thought I'd kick off the recaps with updates on various things I promised I'd report on, upon our return. 

What To Pack for A Very Special Adventure.

After my year of commuting between Ohio and The 'Shire, I became very adept at packing a suitcase. Before then, I tended to over pack, like always bringing that one pair of shoes that never got worn, or that one extra sweater that never got worn. 

I started watching the weather pattern in Dublin a few months ago, since I had no idea what to expect. I knew Ireland, as an island, tends to stay within a range nicely - they never get really cold or really hot, being so far west and right on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. It appears we'll have weather with highs in high 50's and lows in low 50's, with a smattering of rain here and there. In short, perfect as far as Spouse and I are concerned.

I decided layers is really the way to go - and honestly not that far off how I dress each day. Being a private-school kid my entire secondary education career, I tend to a uniform, even as an adult. I really would appreciate adult Garanimals. I still find it a challenge to dress myself each day, hence why I tend to have a uniform of items - just different colors or textures. 

We'll be moving about, so laundry isn't really an option (I don't think), so I needed a plan to get me through 12-13 days without washing my stuff. 

Basic list of what I'm taking:
- three pairs of shoes, all very comfortable, well-worn, etc. (black, brown, metallic)
- three pairs of jeans
- three short sleeve tees (dark heather gray, white, black)
- two long-sleeved tees (maroon, navy-striped boat-neck)
- four open front cardigans (white, black, olive green,navy)
- one pull-over sweater (dove gray)
- five camis to layer under tees and/or cardigans (white, black, light green, navy, salmon)
- one workout outfit
- one knee-length rain coat
- two scarves (I travel with one around my neck no matter the season)
- one dress, in case we do a "nice" dinner - it's knit so will travel well

I was going to stick with one color palette (black/grays) but decided I have too many fun and comfortable clothes in a rainbow of fun colors, so I can mix it up. 

Here is everything in my favorite baby rolling piece. At this juncture, even though everything does fit nicely, I will bump up to the one size up from this. There are some things I want to buy for myself and others, plus a few folks have given me items to buy, if I can find them at a reasonable price. So  the extra space may come in handy. 

I'm also heading the advice of my lovely friend, Angela, when it comes to other pieces of clothing....she is ever so practical, yet graceful. 

I anticipate schlepping luggage myself between stops and stuff, so the green piece next size up piece is my favorite because it is fun-sized, but the next one up, isn't *that* much larger - just allows a wee bit more real estate. 

Plus, the outfit I am planning on wearing will be one pair of jeans, a cami, a short-sleeved tee, the pull-over sweater (my bulkiest piece), and one of the scarves. 

I've also decided to travel with the majority of my home-made personal toiletries (deo, facial cloths, toothpaste, toner) to see how they do. Could mean a run into the Irish version of CVS, but we'll see. I packed the facial cloths in a plastic baggie, then put the baggie into a snackTAXI, so even if the baggie gets punctured, it won't leak out.  

I'll let you know on the other side of the trip, how I did. If there's something that didn't get worn, if something leaked, if I ran out of something. Fingers crossed!!

Also, 3 hours to take-off!!!

A Very Special Adventure

Spouse and I celebrated 10 years of wedded bliss last week and that alone is pretty dang awesome. At a point in my late 20s, I honestly never thought I would *get* married, so getting to this point in life, and still loving him (profusely), and loving being married seems quite the accomplishment. 

When we were married 10 years ago, work schedules precluded us from taking a grand honeymoon, so we went with what I call the "Baby Honeymoon", meaning just a few days and not very far away. It truly was lovely but we've always talked about having a special adventure. 

This year we pulled the trigger, and so we leave very soon for international travel and we're so very excited. 

We both have family that originated in Ireland at points in the 19th and 20th centuries and no one of recent relation has been there. My family emigrated during the waves of the potato famine in the mid-19th century, and Spouse has great-grandparents who emigrated in early 20th century, which means his paternal grandmother was first-generation Irish-American. 

We both take a lot of pride in this link and have started down the path of genealogy, as well as incorporate various parts of this heritage in our every day lives. 

We have only had one other trip abroad, to Hungary, to celebrate the wedding of the friends who introduced us, and in the light of this trip, I have no idea how the hell we made it over and back without getting arrested - because we were woefully unprepared. Now granted, it was pre-9/11, so things were more lax and all, but geez. What a bunch of travel noobs. 

(BTW, Budapest, Hungary - gorgeous place. Lovely people. Fantastic food and drink. Would recommend a month other than January but we hope to go back again, with our friends, at some point.). 

I believe we have all of our ducks in a row and just have a few last-minute things that need done. Like packing. 

But house-sitter is on the job, cops know we'll be away, State Department knows we'll be away, family members have our travel details, passports are in hand, flights on time - holy cow. This is happening. 

When we get back, I'll share how we put this trip together but it boils down to: awesome friends, the twisty tubes of the interwebz and a lot of research. 

Side note: while on the Emerald Isle, we'll be keeping many folks in our minds. At the forefront is our dear friend, Chris, who lost his sweet, lovely wife way, way, way too soon (and their daughters, A & M too). We are hoping for an answer for them that brings some closure and peace. 

We miss you, Amanda. 

Ohio Adventures: the Columbus Food Truck and Cart Festival

Week #4: Columbus Food Truck and Cart Festival. Initially, we didn't think we'd be going as we had out-of-town guests coming in, they have wee ones and thought they might like to do something else. But then they saw info on it and asked if we wouldn't mind going with them. You had me at doughnut food cart.

Here's my overall impression of this fest: standing in line. 

• We arrived about 4:30 p.m. and left around 7:00 p.m. and most of what we did was stand in line. 
• We stood in line to get beer tickets. 
• We stood in line to get beer (although no line for water - inexplicable. It was hot.)
• We stood in line to get gluten-free mini donuts from Lily's Donuts - which were super yummy and worth it. 
• We stood in line to get tots and fruit shake from Street Thyme - shakes were delicious, tots were ok (greasy). 
• We stood in line to get a hot dog from The Good Frank - well, Spouse did and said it was ok. 
• Our family stood in line to get tasty sammiches from Mai Chau. They really liked the Banh Mi sandwich and it.was.HUGE.
• They also stood in line to get tasty grub from El Taco Petan. Also really enjoyed it and filling to boot.

We did walk all the way around and in-between, did some shopping (got an awesome Dias de los Muertos guitar pick bracelet from What The Rock?! and face soap & serum/moisturizer from Glenn Ave. Soap Company) and generally chillaxed. But there was just a little too much standing in line for me. 

Here are my (unrequested) suggestions:

• Serve only tastes of the food offerings, so you can serve more items quickly and so this allows the festival attendees to be able to try more things. 
• Our cousin that had the Bahn Mi sandwich was stuffed, but had wanted to try other items. 
• I didn't finish my tots because by then I'd had most of one serving of the mini doughtnuts (came 13 to a bag), so tots on top of that was very filling. And they were a bit greasy. Other than water, that's all I had room for in mah belleh.
• Turn the volume down on the music. I know all of the generators and stuff are loud so maybe they think they needed to amp up the tunes, but there are a LOT of people. And we want to talk to our people about what we're eating, and what we're seeing and how hot it is and how long these lines are. I really am interested in the bands and listening to the music, but I also like to hear myself think.
• More restrooms.
• Move the kids' stuff to the SE corner, instead of where it was. This is a really kid friendly area but not everyone has kids or wants to try and maneuver through the long lines of kiddos and parents waiting for the bouncy stuff. 

We did enjoy ourselves, but this was my least favorite festival of our inadvertent four-week festival jaunt. I did enjoy the fact that it was so focused on local, home-grown businesses and resources. It was awesome to have tents there for BMI Federal Credit Union (caveat: my credit union since 1998), Local Matters, Music Loves Ohio, Ohio Art League, etc. And the crafter alley vendors were great too (since I purchased items). But lines were too long, food too filling and full-sized portions and music a wee bit loud for my enjoyment. 

Joe Bob says, one thumb up (instead of two). 

To review, here was my personal enjoyment level, in order, for the four fests we attended:
1. Dublin Irish Festival. Der. 
2. Akron Blues and Brews Festival.
3. Columbus Wine Festival. 
4. Columbus Food Truck and Cart Festival.

Ohio Adventures: the Columbus Wine Festival

Continuing our (unplanned) theme of a fest each weekend, let's move onto the Columbus Wine Festival, which was held on Friday & Saturday, August 9 & 10 at Franklin Park Conservatory. 

Spouse & I went with our friend, JBH, who is a home-brewer of wine and meads. The hours were 2:00-8:00 p.m. on Saturday, and we made the decision to go a wee bit later, thinking we'd only need 2 hours or so to get through it. HA!

Parking was decent - they had valet/security directly people where to park so it was fairly orderly. Nothing worse than traffic anarchy when you just want to get your drink on. 

Ohio Adventures: the Dublin Irish Festival.

I know you'll find this implausible but it is legitimate: Dublin, Ohio (a suburb of Columbus) holds the title of second largest Celtic festival IN THE WORLD. Yes, the world. We are second only to Milwaukee, WI. 

The Dublin Irish Festival (a.k.a. DIF) is particularly special to me because I went for the first time in 1999, on my third date with he who is now known as my Spouse. I bought my first item with a trinity knot (more on its importance to come). Afterward, in the parking lot of Coffman High School, my now-husband kissed me for the first time. To quote Tom from "Four Weddings and a Funeral", thunder bolt city.