barns, swath, bar & tattoos

Barnspotting. Suddenly I’ve become aware of the beauty and nostalgia of these barns I see almost every day on my routine drive through the countryside.

Jumping out of the car to quickly take photos before any farmers showed up, Beau thought it would be funny to take a photo of me barnstalking.


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It has been weeks since I’ve had a work-free weekend — so I made the most of it. Slept in. Took a nice drive to Beau’s new apartment for next fall, then stopped at Beks for our favorite appetizer. Their artichoke dip with warm pita chips is scrumpdiddlyitious.

I’m excited to see that Beks is expanding. More room, shorter wait.

I met up with my good friend, Chris, who I haven’t seen in ages. We saw Snow White and the Huntsman, which was epically cinematic, visually beautiful and full of Charlize magnificence. It was such a nice evening for patio eats and drinking so we went up the roof bar at Quinton’s. Their spicy chicken dip {it must be dip day} and a couple libations hit the spot.

The sun was going down so I quickly walked downtown to see Beau and Kaitie bravely acquire tattoos. The deer at Iron Tiger Tattoo reminded me of SWATH :)

Last of her trifecta. What an eventful day. Good night!

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Giggle and grin

{via cameraphone © Ren Reiske}

Grinning. You will not hear about the 3 or 4 things that serendipitously occurred and were crossed off the bucket list, but I will tell you about a little find. Lyns and I ventured to Vault, a swanky speakeasy she had heard about. It is a very intimate, cool atmosphere with the usual red and black furnishings and matching ultra-hip patrons. Not-so-hip in my white jeans and black flip flops, I blended — time for a cocktail. Try saying that without giggling. Lyns ordered “The Fancy Pants Champagne Cocktail” and I had “Giggle Water.” How apropos. I’m a sucker for good packaging and creative naming of libations — so I was pleasantly surprised when the drinks lived up to their sassy titles. Giggle Water has Effen Raspberry (yes that's on the menu) vanilla vodka with fresh cinnamon, two dashes of bitters and a splash of both Sprite and Coke. It was refreshing. FRESH.

Vault was another stop during our impromptu evening, so I was hesitant to leave as we enjoyed our cocktails and relaxed setting. I will be back for another Giggle and possibly, gin.

Gibson guitar, gooey and gluttony

Chris and I checked out the Roots N Blues Preview Party at The Blue Note because 1) I love the Blue Note, 2) we love to drink free beer — Boulevard Brew ROCKS, and 3) we love to eat free nosh from room 38. I was also coveting this Gibson Les Paul Jr. guitar that they were giving away. Please pick ME!

It started to rain buckets when we decided to run next door and have a full-sized plate of Gooey Butter cake. The samples they were serving at The Blue Note were tiny and we would have to wait another hour for a bite of cake. It was barely one block, but by the time we reached room 38, we were soaked! The happy ending was this delightful, unforgettable, and delectable dish. Chris had strawberries on top and I had raspberries. Just the way I like it!  YUMMY.

Flirty and 30!

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Spicy chicken queso dip with fresh veggies and tortilla chips (back) Thai chicken lettuce wraps

Prosciutto wrapped scallops with a three pepper relish

X-Rated Bellini My FAVORITE drink: Korbel Sweet Rosé Champagne, X-Rated Fusion liqueur, and fresh raspberry puree

My girl, Lynsie turned 30! A celebration was in order so we went to one of my favorite spots, room 38. Elisabeth was there to bring us our favorite Bellini martinis and ambrosial appetizers. After noshing on scrumptious lettuce wraps and grilled scallops, the birthday girl sampled the award-winning warm Gooey butter cake, topped with strawberries and a raspberry glaze — BEST dessert in town.

Happy Birthday, Lyns! Curtis and abs class can wait until next week! ;)