After Friday, there’s not much else to say.
Ann Curry posted this to Facebook and Twitter and I think it’s a brilliant way to remember the 26 people that lost their life on Friday.
“Imagine if we all committed 20 acts of kindness to honor the lost children of Newtown..(or 26 acts, including the heroic teachers.) I’m in. A growing number on Twitter are in. #20Acts #26Acts What do you think FB friends? If yes, share!”
One of my most favorite artists is Grace Potter so when Grace and the Nocturnals were coming to House of Blues, Monina and I both knew we had to go to this one. It was the perfect middle of the week concert, plus we got to catch up and see friends at Hodge’s beforehand.
I’ve been on a Grace kick all week and hearing this song in concert made me fall in love with it more:
p.s. Grace is another person I’d like as a best friend. Similar to Jennifer Nettles.
Cleveland in Winter is something special. Okay, I usually end up hating the snow at some point (usually while stuck on a highway in my car). But there’s something about being downtown during the holidays. People seem nicer. The lights make downtown magical. And there is no shortage of things to do during the holiday months.
Positively Cleveland, the hub for information on Cleveland – where to go, what to do, has put together an awesome holiday guide on things in Cleveland. Some of my favorite things to do – catch a show at Playhouse Square (which I did with my mom this past weekend – The Nutcracker was unbelievable), a visit to the Christmas Tree Farm, and a new event that I can’t wait to attend – Holidays at Higbees! I’ve walked by and seen pictures and just seeing that brought back a feeling of nostalgia.
This year, Positively Cleveland is encouraging Clevelanders to take to Instagram and show their love of Cleveland in the winter months. Use the hashtag #HomeinCLE and you are entered to win an actual leg lamp (as in from my favorite holiday movie A Christmas Story).
So get out there Clevelanders, take some pics, enjoy our city and spread Christmas Cheer!
Disclosure: I was asked by Positively Cleveland to help promote their winter promotion. I was not compensated in any way.
Words that I think of when I think of the holidays:
Sparkle
Snow
Poinsettias
Gingerbread homes
Christmas Carols
And all of these things can be found at Glow at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. The winter show celebrates all thing Christmas in Cleveland – while experiencing all that the Garden has to offer. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to experience Glow and even with the warmer than usual weather, Glow helped to put me in the Christmas spirit. With the decorated, themed Christmas trees, Poinsettias throughout the Garden and decorated Gingerbread Houses, every turn throughout the Garden was magical and full of Christmas spirit.
My favorite Gingerbread House? Hands down – the Christmas Story house, “You’ll shoot your eye out”. A close second was the West Side Market display. The Garden gift shop also features some of the most elegant decorations and gifts for the holiday season. I could have spent quite a bit of money in there on decorations for my house, but I restrained myself.
“You’ll shoot your eye out!”
The #WSM100 Celebration Continues
Glow is a great way to get yourself, and your family members, in the holiday spirit while enjoying another wonderful Cleveland location. Children and adults alike will enjoy the experience.
Glow at the Garden runs Friday, November 23, through Monday, December 31. Hours are 10 am to 5 pm Tuesdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 pm Sundays. Special evening hours are offered until 9 pm Wednesdays and Fridays. The Garden is closed on Christmas, New Year’s Day and Mondays, except Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve when special Glow hours of 10 am to 3 pm are offered.
Glow is free for Garden members. Glow admission is $12 per non-member adult, $6.50 for non-member child age 3 to 12 and free for kids 2 and under. Cleveland Botanical Garden is located at 11030 East Boulevard in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood. For complete and up-to-the-minute Glow details, visit cbgarden.org or call 216.721.1600.
Disclaimer: I was invited to attend Glow at Cleveland Botanical Garden with media passes for myself and family members. All opinions are my own.
Continuing from this list. I’m thankful for:
Nov. 13 – Clients who have become friends.
Nov. 14 – A City full of culture.
Nov. 15 – Participating in BvBCLE where I’ve made instant, lifelong friends.
Nov. 16 – Cousins who are more like siblings, despite distance.
Nov. 17 – Old friends from high school, like Becky and Shaunte who know the past, embrace the present and hope for the future.
Nov. 18 – Days to sleep in and catch up on life.
Nov. 19 – Big sisters – though not by blood.
Nov. 20 – AAFCLE and the ADDY Committee.
Nov. 21 – A new friendship with Chef’s Widow and other Cleveland bloggers.
Nov. 22 – Hours with family and friends while others may be at work.
Nov. 23 – Our armed forces and their daily sacrifices.
Nov. 24 – A car that gets me from point A to point B.
Nov. 25 – Passionate elected officials like Councilman Cimperman.
Nov. 26 – A bank account that allows me to not stress and let’s me enjoy all that Cleveland has to offer.
Nov. 27 – Thirty second dance parties with friends to shake off whatever’s bothering us.
Nov. 28 – My endocrinologist, who discovered that nodule on my neck within minutes.
Nov. 29 – Being cancer-free.
Nov. 30 – the city of Cleveland. My home.
Remember how much I love my ONE Styling products and tools? So, you can guess how excited I was to be invited to the newest Dino Palmieri salon (at Eton) last week to try out the latest blow dry bar, featuring a new ONE Styling blow dryer – the Legacy Lite.
First things first, I love getting together with all of these awesome bloggers. Immediately, there were hugs, catching up while the stylists each ushered us over to the sinks to have our hair washed and conditioned. Seriously, is there anything better than having your hair done? My stylist, Ashley (who I highly recommend) selected the best shampoo and conditioner and walked me through some of the different styles that you can have done at the Blow Dry Bar. For $40, you can be pampered with straight, sleek hair or curly, beachy waves. I chose to have my hair put into beachy waves, because I rarely do anything but straighten my hair.
I loved, loved, loved the result. Ashley used the ONE bubble wand, which works wonders. I’ve used the wand before on my hair and I really love the wavy look it provides. AND my hair held using some of the Oribe product suggested by Ashley.
Amelia and I enjoying our time at Dino’s! (Thanks Amelia for the pic!)
Each blogger walked away with some serious swag, including our own Legacy Lite blow dryer which I now cannot live without. We also received gifts from ZOYA Nail Polish, Oribe, Kerastase, and Sebastian Professional. Talk about starting the holiday off right!
Post-hair styling, I joined with two of my favorite Clevelanders (and bloggers), Amelia and Kate, at B-Spot for a quick drink, girl chat and serious laughs.
Cheers to A Night of Pampering and Friendship! – Thanks Kate for the pic!
All in all, a perfect evening to kick-off the holiday week!
Disclosure: I was invited by ONE Styling to attend this event and was provided with the swag bag full of goodies. All opinions are my own!
Images courtesy of the team at ONE Styling.
‘Tis the season. No not just for purchasing gifts for friends and family, or indulging in Christmas treats and tons of turkey on Thanksgiving.
The past few years, I’ve incorporated a new favorite into my holiday traditions. Knowing quite a few people at FOX8 News, a few years ago I was asked to swing down and help out at Operation Giving Tree. I immediately said yes (despite the cold) and haven’t looked back since. The day before Thanksgiving is usually filled with a ton of errands, but I always carve time out to swing by FOX8, see some friends and drop off toys and gifts that will go to children who are in Cleveland’s Foster Care System. Over 1,800 children are in the foster care system in Northeast Ohio and without this program, some may not have Christmas gifts this year.
image: FOX8
I know…it’s hard to give during the holiday season. I know…we all get busy with last minute errands in preparation for family members and friends coming over. But consider dropping off a gift – on your way into work, when you swing past downtown, on your way home or even on your way to the grocery store for the last minute items. Staff, anchors and volunteers will be collecting items outside of the studio from 6:30 a.m. – 7:00 p..m.
Items to take to FOX8 (unwrapped):
Mp3 players
iPods
Action figures
Dolls (multi-racial)
Strollers
Basketballs
Footballs
Board games
Puzzles
Bath and Body products
Cars
Trucks
$25.00 gift cards so the teens can buy clothes for school.
More info can be found here.
Disclaimer: I wasn’t asked to promote this event by FOX8 News. It just so happens that I know a few of the anchors, am friends with some staff and love this event.
As a part of today’s Ohio Blogging Association‘s All State Blog Swap, I’m happy to introduce you to Stephanie from Hungry in CLE. On this day, bloggers from around the great state of Ohio are guest posting on one another blogs as a way to help to get one another in our blogging community. For a full listing of blog swap participants, please visit Poise in Parma today.
Charlene and I both take full advantage of all Cleveland has to offer. We love cheering on our hometown teams, dining at wonderful restaurants, and attending events that celebrate our beautiful city. However, I recently realized there are things I make a point to do while traveling that I have neglected to do right here in Cleveland. As a lover of craft beer, visiting breweries in other cities always ends up in my plans. I always make a point to tour a new brewery when I visit my best friend, Amanda, in Colorado. Over Labor Day weekend, my boyfriend Brad and I took a road trip to Lakewood, New York, to visit Southern Tier. Even when I was in Detroit to run the Detroit Marathon, we stopped at Atwater Brewery and ended up taking part in Detroit Beer Week. However, I have never been on a tour of Great Lakes Brewing Company until this past weekend.
I have been to Great Lakes Brewing Company countless times for dinner or just to enjoy a few good, local brews. Brad and I often stop in to try the pub exclusive beers or Firkin Thursday, where one of their beers is aged with a slight twist, such as Edmund Fitzgerald aged with coffee beans. We went to the Christmas Ale release and have taken the Fatty Wagon to Tribe games. I have mentioned, on a few occasions, that I have never been on a tour of the brewery. So as part of my birthday present, we toured the Great Lakes brewery.
Our tour began in the gift shop where we learned the history of the building that houses Great Lakes’ brewpub. Opened in the 1870s, the Market Tavern occupied this site until the Conway brothers opened Ohio’s first microbrewery in 1988. Across West 26th Street, at the brewery, we saw where hops, malt, barley, and water become beer. While we were there, they were brewing a fresh batch of Christmas Ale causing the room where the mash and wort are made to smell of cinnamon and nutmeg: 20 pounds of cinnamon, 20 pounds of nutmeg, and 60 pounds of honey warm the heart of thirsty Clevelanders. We then went to the tasting room and learned a bit more about some of the names of the beers. Dortmunder Gold was originally called Heisman Ale, since the birthplace of John Heisman is right around the corner on Bridge Avenue. However, the College Athletic Association of New York threatened to sue Great Lakes and the beer was renamed Dortmunder Gold. Each of their beers are named for some historical event or person in Cleveland, which is a wonderful tribute to the city as a whole. Next we saw the fermenters and bottling line. Any bottle that is not filled properly is used in the kitchen at the brewpub or in ice cream. Also, none of the beer served at the brewpub is kegged or bottled. It runs through lines under the street to into the brewpub ensuring the freshest beer served to you.
It can be easy to overlook the “touristy” stops in your own back yard. I now want to tour other local establishments such as Jacobs Field, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a backstage tour of Playhouse Square. They can provide a better understanding and appreciation of your local favorites.
Where are some local places you want to tour?
After a relaxing day on Friday, which included a serious cleaning of my house and organizing Christmas decorations, I was ready to see one of our living legends in concert on Saturday. When an extra ticket was available to see Madonna in concert, how was I going to say no?
The ladies and I started the evening off at Hodge’s where we all enjoyed some of the new fall offerings (gnocchi and spaghetti squash are both to die for!) and I enjoyed the Pom-Madonna (a special drink for the evening), as well as a couple of Beau’s new signature drink. Which is now my favorite drink. It was an unseasonably warm evening in Cleveland and with The Greenhouse Tavern rooftop open for drinks, we had to visit for at least one. A quick stop at La Strada and we were on our way to the Q for our girl Madonna.
Image: Why CLE?
How would I describe the concert? It was a little too dark in the beginning for my personal preference. I just wanted to dance to all the good old school Madonna that we love. That said, there were a few songs from MDNA that I really enjoyed. And Madonna is a true performer. No matter what was going on, I was engaged in the show. But no moment was better than when Madonna took the stage, with a full choir, to Like A Prayer. It has always been one of my favorites and clearly was also a favorite to plenty of other Clevelanders.
Sunday, Monina, her daughter and I went to the Fabulous Food Show. I, of course, wanted to go see Michael Symon but the three of us also enjoyed some time walking around, visiting vendors and tasting some local food. Michael made us laugh and had quite a few quotable moments during the show.
The best way to end a Sunday with friends? A dance party to this song, of course.
Don’t forget to join Playhouse Square on Thursday for the kick off for 2013’s Jump Back Ball!
People have been tweeting and updating their Facebook status with something they are thankful for everyday. Well, I was never got to posting on Twitter/Facebook but I’ve been tracking things that I’ve been thankful for. So here are my first 12 days of thankfulness.
I’m thankful:
Nov. 1st – For a healthy family who loves me, despite flaws.
Nov. 2nd – For a best friend who knows me better than anyone else, can sense what’s wrong just by the tone of my voice and who can make me laugh harder than anyone else.
Nov 3rd – For a career that pushes me and allows me to continue to learn.
Nov. 4th – For the West Side Market and the celebrations that I was able to attend with great friends in honor of the 100th. It’s a place of childhood memories and now adult memories.
Nov. 5th – For having power, when others in Cleveland and other cities did not.
Nov. 6th – For the ability and freedom to vote for who I choose, no matter the outcome.
Nov. 7th – For having coworkers that have become friends.
Nov. 8th – For a warm house and a warm bed.
Nov. 9th – For technology that allows me to stay close to those far away.
Nov. 10th – For the chance to see a living legend in concert.
Nov. 11th – For my friendship with Monina – though it’s only been a year, this girl knows me (probably because we are the same person more or less).
Nov. 12th – For veterans who have sacrificed their lives, their time with family and have looked fear in the eye on behalf of Americans everywhere.
More to come…
Life in the CLE 