Tag Archives: adventures

Summertime Activity Goals

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Summertime Activity Goals

Hello! The weather in the good ol’ AK-Rowdy has been friggen abysmal and my life is in shambles lol and, for once, I find myself wishing for an extra dose of Vitamin D. Shocking, I know, since we all know that Johnny and I all but melt in the sun! Although the days are gloomy, it helps perk me up to think of activities that I would love to do this summer. I might not get to do everything I have in mind, but I know I can easily do at least a few of the following:

Hit the pool:

One of the best things about living in Timber Top, despite numerous fiascos this past year, is the outdoor pool! We actually have a really nice pool with a deep area, a children’s area, waterfall, and upper deck mini pool that I genuinely don’t understand why it’s not a hot tub! I always say that once the pool opens, I will go spend an hour or two swimming or lounging after work and I’m usually too tired by the time I get home to commit. This is not going to slide this summer, however, because this is one of the easiest things on my list; the pool is only a two minute drive away!

Botanical gardens:

I would absolutely love to go to the botanical gardens in Cleveland or Mansfield with Johnny as a date day. I have never been to the one in Cleveland, but I adored a family trip to the Kingwood Center Gardens in Mansfield with my family a few years ago. It was so much fun to explore the grounds and bask in the glory of the flowers and landscaping. And, we all know that botanical gardens make a perfect backdrop for OOTDs! This summer, I think the one in Cleveland will be the move and maybe Johnny and I could have dinner at Pepper’s, my favorite restaurant afterwards. πŸ™‚

Play, play, play:

My sweet niece, Val Gal, is a constantly on the move four year old and she keeps me young! I cannot wait for warm days spent in my parents’ beautiful backyard running around with Val, blowing bubbles, drawing with chalk, and searching for bunnies. Speaking of bunnies, I very much would like to get a playpen with a cover on top so Melvin and Penelope can experience being on the grass. I know Val would get a huge kick out of that and it would be a great learning experience for her. This past week, she proudly showed me a book about caring for bunnies that she got from the library because she desperately wants one of her own. My angel! ❀

Outdoor events:

There are always so many awesome events happening in my general vicinity that I always say that I want to go to, check “interested in” on Facebook, and never attend. This summer, I would like to go to at least one or two, whether it be a farmer’s market, food truck festival, or outdoor concerts and classes. Johnny and I have already been talking about going to a few baseball games for Akron’s minor league team, the RubberDucks (dumb name, I know!), and I can practically taste the Dippin’ Dots as I type this! πŸ˜€

Watercolor painting:

It has been a while since I painted watercolor due to lack of time and I miss it terribly! Like going to the pool, this is also a no excuse activity that I know I can accomplish. I would like to set up my supplies in my parents’ backyard and paint the many gorgeous flowers my dad tends to. I can picture sitting on the deck right now, painting, and sipping iced tea with my mom and it would, truly, be the best afternoon ever. ❀

Weekend trip:

A weekend trip might be a bit difficult due to the current craziness in my life, but it needs to be added to this list anyway because it’s something Johnny and I want to do so badly! I would really like to get a cabin in Hocking Hills for a long weekend to hike, relax, and soak in a hot tub. It would be so nice to have a little getaway together, as we haven’t even been on our honeymoon! Although Hocking Hills isn’t Europe, it’s still as good a place as any to start our travels together.

I have grand plans for this summer, and I hope to accomplish at least a few of the activities on this list. It will take a bit of motivation on my part to shake off my general exhaustion, but I know that having fun is sometimes the best medicine of all!

What are your summertime activity goals? What is your favorite warm weather activity? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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Date Day!

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Date Day!

Hello! This past Saturday was so fun because Johnny and I had a date day. We were joined by fabulous friends along the way, got to explore a brand new to us consignment shop/art gallery, and heard some great live music. It was one of the best outings that we have had since being fully vaccinated and I can’t wait for many more to come! Let’s get to it:

On Saturday afternoon our dear friends in the band, the Buffalo Ryders, were playing at the Jenks Building in Cuyahoga Falls. I have been dying to see them play again because they give me all of the Jack White vibes and the venue was a whole five minutes away from our apartment so we just had to go.

Our friends were playing at the Jenks Building and, despite living in CFalls, both Johnny and I had never heard of it. We plan on going there often now that we know it exists because it is literally the coolest place ever. It is a consignment shop/art gallery/music venue and as soon as we stepped inside, I felt like I wasn’t in Ohio but rather a big city. There just aren’t places like it or even remotely close to it in my neck of the woods.

Browsing through the Jenks Building was an adventure and I have never seen anything like it before. The basement was an art gallery with the most unique pieces I have ever laid eyes on and Johnny and I wanted all of them for our apartment. The ground floor is a consignment shop completely filled with treasures and a garage style area for bands to perform. There is a second floor, as well, with an in house painter and a photographer too and even more items you didn’t know you needed to look through.

Shopping around while hearing the Buffalo Ryders play was awesome and the Jenks Building had a huge beer selection so you could have a drink while you look around. Johnny and I both tried a fruity sour beer and it was delicious! We left with lots of amazing finds that you can see tomorrow and I can’t wait to go back so I can take pictures, interview the owner, and buy all of the things!

After the Buffalo Ryders set was over, we headed down the street together to mine and Johnny’s favorite cocktail bar, the Cashmere Cricket. Johnny and I went there for our first date and we celebrated at the Cricket after getting engaged too. Saturdays at the Cricket are the best because they make all of their drinks with dry ice! Our minds were blown when the beverages came out bubbling and smoking like a potion after our engagement and it was a hit with our boys in the band too.

dryice

It was so nice to hang out on the patio of the Cashmere Cricket with my husband and such wonderful company. The weather was great too. There was a much welcomed breeze which was so refreshing after the past week of stifling hot and rainy days. We already have plans to go back and, afterwards, I am making all of the guys watch Jesus Christ Superstar with me and I am beyond excited lol. πŸ˜€

When Johnny and I returned to the apartment, we Doordashed Taco Bell and played Pokemon Snap until one of our other band boys came by for a spell. As always, it was a hoot and it was so sweet of him to come by since he was in the area. ❀

Once our hang outs with friends were over, Johnny and I had our usual weekend festivities of listening to music, playing video games, and talking the night away. We got a couple of records at the Jenks Building so we listened to some of them and then turned to YouTube because we love introducing each other to our favorite songs and bands.

Our Date Day was a huge success and I am so excited to go back to the Jenks Building and many more Dry Ice Saturdays with our darling friends!

What is a perfect date like for you? Do you have any exciting upcoming plans? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Casino Adventures

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Casino Adventures

Heyyy everyone and happy weekend! I’ve been having the best outings this week following the travesty that was my birthday and last night was no exception! As a birthday treat to me, my lovely and astoundingly pretty friend Danielle took me to the Horseshoe Casino in downtown Cleveland. It was….quite an experience. Don’t get me wrong, I had the best time hanging out with Danielle and I loved her company, but I don’t think her or myself will be hanging out in a casino again any time soon! The casino in general was just very very overwhelming. It was seriously gigantic – every time we were walking around I felt like we were in an area that we hadn’t been in before, but in all reality we walked past it countless times. It was so hard differentiating all of the different casino corridors because they all looked exactly alike. It felt like every time we walked away from something and eventually came back to it the initial area changed into something completely different, if that makes sense? It was seriously the strangest sensation I’ve experienced in ages. It felt like the casino was shifting and redecorating with every step we took like a giant labyrinth. So on top of being in this enchanted casino it was fairly crowded and the music that was playing was loud so it was total sensory overload. And don’t even get me started on the games! Danielle and I stuck to the “easy” games like the fruit slot machines and whatnot, but unfortunately, we both weren’t very lucky. It was so frustrating, because even if we won something in the game it still didn’t make up for what we initially spent to begin with so we were losing money. Danielle was so sweet because before we got into the casino she had me pull a piece of paper from her beanie and on the paper was the amount of money that she would supply for the games and after we reached that limit we were donezo. It was such a generous thing to do which I was so blown away by and it was also a really great idea to give ourselves a spending limit. Like I said earlier, we weren’t very lucky at the games and our limit was well spent after barely over an hour…But in that hour I can totally see why gambling addiction is a thing. Danielle and I experienced that “just one more try” mentality first hand and it was quite off putting. Like, we knew we were losing money but we were both so convinced that just one more spin on the game would result in some winnings no matter how small. The Horseshoe was the only casino myself or Danielle has ever been in, but I’m assuming they’re all set up very similarly – multiple bars, loud music, and dim lighting. All of these different elements really do make up the perfect concoction of a place where you could lose track of yourself very easily. That “club” like environment seemed to hook everyone in the casino because every time Danielle and I walked around all we saw were blank faces in front of the machines and people absentmindedly placing their bets no matter what the cost. That type of thing is obviously what some people like, but it clearly wasn’t mine or Danielle’s cup of tea. On our way home from Cleveland we talked about how we were glad that we got the casino experience out of our systems to at least say that we did it, but we both agreed that it will be a long time before we step foot in one again. Despite our bad luck at literally every game we attempted, it was still a super fun evening and I’m so glad I got to share in a casino adventure with Danielle!

horseshoe

^^^ Lol this song seemed very appropriate to include in a post about casinos! I’M SO CLEVER! πŸ˜‰

So there you have it, my Friday night Casino Adventure! I hope all of you are having an awesome weekend so far, I know I am! Have any of you ever got your gamble on in a casino? What was the most that you lost or won? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: If gambling addiction is something that you or a loved one struggle with, I urge you to seek help – whether that be confiding in a counselor, friend, or even a complete stranger. You can check out this article on responsible gambling and there are multiple different helplines that you can call as well, one of them being the hotline through the National Council on Problem Gambling. Here’s their website: http://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/national-helpline-1-800-522-4700/