Yes, I fully admit…I’ve been a bad blogger this week. But I have plenty I want to blog about. Including: a work outing where I got made fun of for “my list”, my next big adult decision, Browns fashion for 2011, my cousin and I and stress.
All that said, I’m off to my friend Lisa’s to watch the Bachelorette (it’s the finale!), get ready for Journey tomorrow night and need to do laundry for another road trip to Shelbyville, IN. Yay!
I promise to blog tonight or Wed. while roadtripping though.
Perfect, relaxing weekend – check!
I actually took a couple of days of PTO (Friday and Monday) to relax, catch up on doctor’s appointments, run errands and head to Indiana for the weekend. It was the perfect weekend.
Friday, I took in Native Cleveland. Which if you haven’t been yet, I highly suggest you get there. I purchased a couple new shirts from The C.L.E. Clothing Co., a baby gift and some new wall art. All Cleveland made. LOVE.
I hit the road late afternoon on Friday and headed to Fort Wayne. Friday evening consisted of, Blue Moon, Summer Shandy, Laughter and a Bon Fire. Perfection!
Saturday, Chris and I decided it was time to bring back the best dressed status, this time at Andrea and Brandon’s wedding. Needless to say, we clearly won. And because I’m too relaxed to write more…enjoy some pictures!
We’ll call this: “Team Crossed the Line in the Sand”, right Chris?
So, Cleveland, how was your birthday weekend?
Yesterday, during an afternoon break at Starbucks with two colleagues (shocking!), we reviewed our horoscopes (you know how Starbucks posts them near the pick-up). My one colleague said I obviously am an Aries, which caused me to look up the personality type of an “aries” (all this said, it’s a little creepy how spot on I do think my personality is with this description but I’m not a huge believer in horoscopes at all).
Aries in a nutshell:
Aries Strengths: Independent, Generous, Optimistic, Enthusiastic, Courageous
Aries Weaknesses: Moody, Short tempered, Self-involved, Impulsive, Impatient (TRUE!)
Aries personalities are independent. Being the first of the zodiac signs, they venture out and are go-getters, often leading the way. Their upbeat and magnetic personality often entices others to follow their lead because Aries personalities bring excitement into others lives.
Aries are good friends, they always look out for their friends with caring and generosity and will protect them should the need arise and encourage them with their natural optimism.
Aries are activists. If a business idea comes their way, they tend to plunge right in. Aries are more then willing to take a gamble and follow their dreams and goals. However, if success is not immediate, they tend to lose interest and give up easily. Aries are notorious for not finishing what they have begun. This is due to the low tolerance for boredom and lack of patience. If the excitement is gone from their business idea, they go off and search for it elsewhere.
So those of you that know me well…what do you think? My colleague mentioned my “fierce independence” as one of the qualities that made her think I’m a quintessential Aries.
By the way: Happy Happy Birthday to the city I love more than any others – the CLE! Stay cool this weekend Cleveland!
One of my favorite places in Cleveland that brings back tons of memories is the West Side Market. I remember heading to the Market as a little girl with my mom and grandma, bright and early, spending hours visiting our favorite vendors, picking out a piece of candy and seeing tons of Clevelanders out.
Now, as an adult, I’m rediscovering my love of the Market. I’ve been going on Saturday’s and saving tons of money compared to shopping at the grocery store. Seriously, compared to the $30 I spend usually on fruit and veggies, at the Market, I spend about $15 and get the absolute best.
My tips:
Get there early on Saturday mornings. It gets insane (though that is part of the fun – the people and people watching).
Start off with a cup of coffee – some of the best coffee is at the Market.
Know what you are looking to purchase, but keep an open mind. You will run across some awesome deals.
Take your time. Don’t expect to be in and out of the Market in 15 minutes the way you may be able to at a grocery store.
Enjoy the people! The stands are all super friendly.
I’ve already admitted that I can be a compete crybaby.
Next Confession: I am wedding-aholic.
I love a fantastic wedding. I love looking at wedding pictures. And beyond that, I love thinking about what my wedding may be like one day. Obviously, I have no idea what’s in my future but I do know that whatever, and whomever, it may be – there’s going to be a kick ass wedding that will occur.
I love thinking about what my dress may look like (simple but with some amount of flare and hot pink heels).
I already have “palettes” in my mind of what my colors may be (black, hot pink, orange and green is my favorite option).
I know exactly who I want by my side and what I want them to wear (I’ve had too many ugly bridesmaids dresses…I refuse to do that to my girls).
And I know that the BFF will be giving a speech (pre-alcohol and the speech must be proofread by a mutual friend….the BFF knows WAY too much).
I know that pictures will need to be taken at East 4th, Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Q, Progressive Field and Playhouse Square and the reception must be downtown.
And no, it’s not just that I love a good event with free food and drinks (though who complains about that?). Beyond that, I love seeing couples truly in love.
And speaking of a great wedding, let’s be honest – Beyonce’s was probably one of the best. And her new song isn’t just great but also features a wedding! And the song has been in my head for the whole day. Enjoy!
I’m not going to even lie. I’m panicking right now. The lock-out has gone on long enough. Let’s finish the talks up and get back on the field.
Yes, I’m talking about the Browns and the NFL. The lock-out has been going on for months and I thought FOR SURE that by July this would be over and I’d be preparing for Training Camp and the Preseason. Because every true Browns fan knows that the season really begins for us in July when the Browns return to Berea. It’s the time of year when I know I’ll run into at least a handful of players, spend an afternoon in the sun watching my boys on the field and attempt to stalk find Peyton Hillis on the sidelines.
But no. Instead, I sit and wait. And panic. Because without Browns season, my social calendar this fall is going to be bleak.
For those of you that don’t know, I’m one of those girls. The one who is with her guys every single week. That knows the players by name (and their marital status if they are cute). Every single Sunday home game is spent at the Muni Lot and the Stadium.
A typical weekend looks something like this during football season:
Friday night: go out, spend time with non-football friends.
Saturday: college football during the day (because one day those boys may have a Browns jersey on), grocery shop for Sunday and begin packing. And by packing I mean: laying out the outfit of choice for gameday (once the season hits, I’ll break down some of the best outfits for the football ladies out there), pack additional layers depending on season (or if it’s preseason, an option to change into), pack blankets and pillows and accessories – such as hair ties, headbands, sunglasses, sunscreen, body spray, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, utensils and garbage bags. Items not needed for Sunday morning are packed in Delonte (my Scion tc) before bed.
Bedtime: somewhere between 8:30-9:30pm. This is extremely important and typically the earlier, the better.
Sunday: Alarm goes off at 3:45am. Arrival to the RV – no later than 4:45am. It’s gameday. And that means I have exactly 45 mins. to shower, get dressed and out the door. Since I always know what I’m wearing ahead of time, this is usually pretty easy. Last minute food items in the car and I’m on my way to TD’s (friend who “owns” the RV). Upon arrival, join with the boys in loading up the RV. People in first then coolers. Important note: if you sit in the front seat of the RV, be prepared to smell the exhaust fumes (hence the reason for body spray). The drive to Muni is approximately 20 minutes – perfect napping opportunity since I’m never the driver.
Arrival to Muni: typically we wait in line for about 10-15 minutes. This is the perfect time to open up drink #1 of the day. By this point I’ve already had one bottle of water so I can now move into beer. Yes, beer at 5:15am. Once we are into Muni and have found our perfect spot (usually by a fence), set up begins. Since I’m typically the only girl in the early crew, the boys tend to handle this. Set up includes: tents, grills, food – we start with breakfast obviously, coolers, chairs, cornhole and the food table. While this occurs: I check the bathroom to ensure that toilet paper and hand sanitizer has been added. Depending on weather, this is also the time when I curl up in a chair while set up continues, beer in hand and blanket wrapped around me. Perfect people-watching opportunity.
As the morning progresses, beer is consumed, new friends are made, cornhole is played, the Browns are discussed, more friends arrive that refuse to leave before the sun rises, food is cooked and we mentally prepare for the game. At the home opener, this is our time to catch up. Because to be honest, I sometimes don’t see some of my “football friends” all year round. We catch up on work, family, friends, relationships and Cleveland.
Around 10:45am, lunch begins to be prepared and beer is refilled in the coolers (this year, I plan on counting how much we go through…and TD is always so generous to make sure that there is Coors Light in the coolers for me). By noon, clean up begins (which seems like much more work every game) and tickets are being checked. You’d be surprised how many times we’ve had to make a trip home to exchanged tickets because we’ve had the wrong ones.
12:15 pm the walk from Muni to the Stadium begins along with thousands of Browns fans. “Here we go Brownies, Here we go” can be heard down 90E, as we trail past the highway and next to the parking garage. “Woof Woof” is the combat cry as we walk over the East 9th street bridge and our destination is in sight. Depending on the game, we may stop and buy Dog Bone necklaces from street vendors. We stand in line, have our bags checked and haul it to our seats in time for kickoff.
The minute we sit down, we greet our friends that we haven’t seen in months. The couple behind us always gives me a hug as we sit down. We discuss how the offense looked in training camp and how our “off-season” was. We buy each other a beer, especially at the first home game of the year, as our way to kick off the new season. The group down the row pass out homemade cookies and browns, each little baggie tied with an orange and brown ribbon (she never fails us). And the men in front of us ask me which jersey I’m going with this year – Quinn, 3 years ago and Thomas, the last 2 years. (Note: this year I’m rotating Hillis and Thomas, but am also in hot pursuit for a McCoy jersey.)
It’s like being with family again. We cheer for each player. Remark on the new coach. High Five and hug with each touchdown. Put our heads down with each bad play. And our love never fails for our team.
At the end of the game, no matter win or lose, we say our goodbyes and begin the trek back to Muni. It’s usually at this time that I’m begging and pleading with someone for a piggy back ride home (why I still insist on wearing flip flips to games is beyond me). We arrive back at the trusty RV, pull out either a victory or loss beer, have a few drinks and play a round of cornhole while we wait for everyone to leave.
By 630-7pm we are back in Lakewood, unloading and separating our bags. Always home before 7:30pm, I’m in bed by 7:45pm and sleep through the night (fully preparing for Monday and Tuesday’s hangover – Tuesday’s is always worse than Monday’s…you’d be surprised).
And just like that my weekend is over. All that prep work for the perfect day with fantastic friends. And it doesn’t matter the weather…sun, rain or snowstorm (okay, I’ll be honest: last year was my first cold weather game…it was awful….the wind blowing off the lake, the inability to ever get warm and my beer being frozen…but I’ll do it again this year, if I’m given the chance).
But that’s my life. Each and every week from August until January. And if it’s an away game, you best believe that I’m in front of a TV with my friends, cheering our team on while we watch in HD. Wearing my Browns outfit. And praying that this year will be different.
That is, if we are given a “this year”.
Please lock-out, end quickly.
Like I said…words girl…and yet another word I’ve learned to love (in my old age of 28): Authenticity/Authentic.
To start off with, let’s break down the definition of the word: authentic. Good old Webster defines authentic as: of undisputed orgin or authorship, genuine, accurate in representation of facts, trustworthy and reliable.
There’s a few reasons why I love this word. First, it’s the type of person that I strive to be. I try to be authentic and genuine with everyone I meet and interact with, whether I like them or not. Second, it’s the type of people who I surround myself with. I can say that my true friends are some of the most authentic people who I know. They care with a deep conviction and are genuine in the words they speak. And I hope to one day be in a relationship with someone who has that character quality.
The reason why this came up: inauthentic people who are in my “circle”, if you will. People that are not genuine, that don’t care and are not themselves. People who are branding themselves as someone else, in order to gain attention (or worse: just a job). I gotta say: this rubs me the wrong way. Pretending to be someone who you are truly not – inauthentic. Following someone else’s path – inauthentic. And honestly, once I notice these qualities in a person, I stop trusting them. I start doubting their actions or questioning their motives. And almost immediately, I move them from the “friend” circle to the “acquaintance” circle (which by the way: look me up on google +).
So my final thought for the night:
Be yourself.
Brand yourself – by your interest, qualities and desires.
Be Authentic.
Thoughts?
Yes, another summer Cleveland event. After what felt like one of the longest weeks in a while (despite the fact that it was a four-day work week), my coworker Rachelle and I met up with Candice and headed down to East 4th (which everyone knows is one of my favorite places) for a fun-filled evening of “shopping, music, beer, food and shenanigans”. It was the official Grand Opening of Dredger’s Union as well as the Made in the 216 event.
The Made in the 216 event was an event to showcase all of Cleveland’s best – in design, food and music. It was fantastic to see Clevelanders out supporting other Clevelanders. It was a perfect Cleveland night…after shopping at Dredger’s and getting a fantastic print for my place, we went to Greenhouse for dinner (fabulous) and had mojitos on the roof. Perfection. One more quick stop back at DU to visit friends made my Friday night one of the best I’ve had in a while.
And don’t worry – if you didn’t make it this weekend, another Made in the 216 event will be happening later this year! And don’t forget to stop by Dredger’s Union for fabulous apparel, jewelry and great home products – I have my list of things that I must get!
Saturday I visited the West Side Market – another Cleveland gem which I will write about later in the week.
And to end this post: my current favorite Adele song – the iTunes festival version. It’s the perfect song for how I’ve been feeling lately.
Why I heart my BFF and our friendship:
A 29 minute phone call covers the following topics (in no particular order):
1. Work
2. Fireworks
3. His adorable girls
4. Why his daughter was screaming
5. Drinking in our old age and how it affects us
6. Getting old
7. Relationship advice (he’s my therapist)
8. Vasectomies (no….wish I was kidding)
9. Cars
10. Mutual friends getting married
11. How I never take anything personal that he says to me
12. Moving
And our typical “Good chat” at the end of our phone conversations. It’s the little things that make life a little better each day.
Life in the CLE 
