Tag Archives: akron

Nov18

Funko Pop Albums

Posted on November 18, 2024 by lifewithlilred

Hello! A few weekends ago I went with Johnny and my brother to Akron Comicon and a wonderful time was had by all. It is a tradition of ours and we look forward to it every year. It was so much fun to see all of the vendors, cosplayers, and D-list celebrities and we all walked away with a little something something for ourselves too. I recently learned of the Funko Pop Albums collection when I purchased a Britney Spears one for my sister earlier that week. There were plenty of them at Comicon too and Johnny and I simply had to get these to display by our record player:

When I saw the Albums Funkos being peddled, I immediately locked eyes on Alice Cooper. Johnny and I are huge, avid fans of his. In fact, we plan on being Alice Cooper and Cold Ethyl for next Halloween! I honestly don’t think we have ever come down from the joy of seeing him in concert a few months back so the Welcome To My Nightmare Funko was as good as ours. It looks perfect in our record corner where we frequently play his vinyls. And, if you haven’t seen the 1975 TV special that Alice Cooper did with Vincent Price called The Nightmare – watch it and thank me later. It is one of mine and Johnny’s favorite things in the world and we quote it constantly.

What Johnny was drawn to wasn’t Alice Cooper but Angus Young. Highway To Hell by AC/DC is one of his desert island record choices and also features his favorite form of Angus: Lil Devil lol. We got the biggest kick out of the little Funko in his likeness! Johnny dressed up as Angus Young during our very first Halloween together as a couple and it sounds silly but this Funko makes me highly sentimental. His band at the time was playing a Halloween show and I will never forget Johnny in his schoolboy getup duck walking across the stage! All Halloweens are my favorite, but that one holds an extra special place in my heart. ❤

Alice Cooper, Angus Young, and Funko Albums – oh my! We absolutely love the newest additions to our knick knack shelves!

Do you collect anything? What are some of your desert island albums? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov15

Fall Hiking Spree Success

Posted on November 15, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! One of my favorite forms of exercise is easily taking walks and hiking. There are countless amazing Metro Parks in my neck of the woods within a twenty mile radius and beyond and it’s exciting to explore them. I try to go on at least four walks or hikes every week if the weather permits. Despite my absolutely insane schedule, it’s important to me to squeeze in that extra time for exercise. And, I always find that I feel much better after my walks even if I am really tired.

My go to walking companion is my older brother, Andrew, and we decided that we were going to make an effort to complete the Fall Hiking Spree. For the spree, the goal is to take hikes at eight different Metro Parks in the general vicinity by November thirtieth. Now, literally every year we talk about doing the hiking spree together and while we might do a few on the list, we never finished it in its entirety. I am pleased to report that this year, we not only talked about it but were about it. We took our last hike of the spree on Wednesday!!

I love walking with my brother and whether we spend our hikes chatting and joking or in silence, it is nice to work out together. I couldn’t tell you how many walks we take throughout the year but it is a lot and I can really tell that this hard work has paid off. Every time we hike together, we try to go a little bit further than we did the time before. These small increases might not seem like a big deal, but they were everything for an improved stamina. By the end of the spree and our past combined efforts, we were doing strenuous, three plus mile hikes like it was nothing. This was a thrill for us because we saw all of our previous “training” coming to fruition right before our eyes.

Not only did we complete the spree with time to spare, but we also became privy to Metro Parks that we had never been to before. It really gave me a better appreciation for the beauty in my own backyard and we found new favorite trails because of it. We saw the leaves change colors and fall, spotted wildlife, and fell in love with the trails that reminded us of Lord of The Rings. From beginner and moderate level hikes to the most advanced, we did them all and I am so proud of us!! We set our goal and achieved it and there is nothing better than that. 🙂

After our Fall Hiking Spree Success, I just know that Andrew and I will continue on with our new tradition for many years to come. I can’t wait already!!

Do you have a favorite trail to hike? What kind of wildlife do you see on your walks? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov13

SO Excited!!!

Posted on November 13, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! My favorite place in my neck of the woods has got to be Playhouse Square in Cleveland, hands down. I have seen countless amazing shows there with Johnny, friends, and family and have the fondest memories of each and every visit. Playhouse Square dates with Johnny are something I revel in and I consider our Valentine’s Day date of 2023 to be one of the best. That was when we saw Hadestown together and it skyrocketed into one of our all time favorite musicals.

Since seeing the show at Playhouse Square, we must have said over a million times that we would love to see Hadestown again. As fortune would have it, I received an email from EJ Thomas Hall in Akron for their spring lineup and Hadestown was on the bill. Does EJ Thomas hold a candle to Playhouse Square in terms of overall experience? IE: Venue, theater size, visibility of the stage. Absolutely not. But, I saw Jesus Christ Superstar there and it was a phenomenal effort for what it was. In fact, there were some parts of the show that I liked better than the Playhouse Square production of it that Johnny and I saw. (Also one of the best nights ever!!)

Although EJ Thomas isn’t my preferred venue, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for Johnny and I to enjoy Hadestown once more. I ordered us our tickets this weekend and scored awesome seats: Smack dab in the middle of the third row on the balcony. The best part? We will be seeing it the week after Valentine’s Day so it will be like a do over of our treasured V-Day date two years prior. This past week, I have been really trying to make space in my schedule for fun and purchasing these tickets was the perfect way to dip my toes in the water. We can’t wait!!

If Hadestown is playing in your area, RUN to go see it. You can thank me later when it becomes your favorite musical too. I am so lucky to be able to see this show twice for Valentine’s Day with my main squeeze!

What is your favorite musical? What is the best date you have ever been on? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct17

Ice, Ice Baby

Posted on October 17, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy!! There is always something crazy happening in my apartment community, good old Timber Top. Most notably, we had a building on fire, a carbon monoxide leak, a literal dumpster fire, people falling through stairs, and a recent collapse of a road that we use to enter and exit the property. Needless to say, there is never a dull moment. And, as of late, these moments are cold AF. We will not have heat in our apartments until the end of October and I have been freezing my nads off thanks to a plummet in temperatures. Johnny and I have had to take the heat situation into our own hands with the following:

Space Heaters:

I’ll be perfectly honest with you, I freaking hate using space heaters because they make me nervous. Why? Oh, just because of years of my parents peppering me with proper space heater techniques. IE: Don’t use them because you will burn your house down lol. In this case, it is a necessary evil so whenever we are home, the heater stays on with constant supervision. Thankfully, we have a pretty nifty space heater that we got a few winters ago when our heat was out and it does an okay job of at least getting our drafty first floor warmed up.

Board Up:

One unfortunate thing about our apartment is that there are gaps in the front door that invite cold air in all day. Not anymore! Before either of us leave the apartment, we place a towel around the bottom gap and before we go to bed we tack a blanket above the door. And, of course, we put all of our curtains down too to hold some heat in. I really don’t like covering up the window by the bunny hutch, but desperate times and it at least helps a little.

Bundle Up:

When I am at home, I would much rather be in lighter lounge wear. Like I said, though, desperate times. I have taken to wearing my heaviest sweatshirt and sweatpants with leggings and a sweater underneath. I also have been sporting a beanie all day every day. When the mornings are especially frigid, I’ll even bring my comforter down and wrap myself in it while I work. Effective? Yes. Makes me SO tired? Every time lol.

Hot Beverages:

My hot beverage limit normally peaks at two cups of coffee every morning. Now, Johnny and I will have a cup of decaf tea or two in the evenings simply to drink and hold something warm. Does it do much of anything? The jury is out but the sentiment is nice – there is something so comforting about holding a steaming mug of tea!!

Please send warm thoughts my way because brrrrrrr. In the meantime, I will be manifesting the beach!

What is your favorite way to warm up? What is something that comforts you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct9

Weed Boutique

Posted on October 9, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Not a ton of cool stuff happens in Ohio. In 2023, however, a legalization for recreational marijuana use passed and that was pretty damn cool lol. Since then, dispensaries have popped up all around the greater Akron area – one of which being a mere fifteen minutes from Johnny and me. I have never visited a dispensary before and that changed this past Saturday when we made a trip to curaleaf. It was definitely not what I expected!!

^^^ Lol at the copy of Shrek that was on a display shelf!

I’m not sure what I thought curaleaf was going to be like. Was it going to be a hazy hangout like local head shops? Was it going to be set up like you were in a lab? I had no clue because I had no experience to base it off of! Upon my entry, it was a bit of a shock – you basically walked into an office where IDs were checked. Then, the doors opened into the store itself and it really was like walking into a Weed Boutique. curaleaf was smartly decorated with lush plants, brightly hued marketing, and no product. Rather than browsing through the store, iPads were set up and you would shop from there, place an order, and receive your purchase at the checkout counter.

Honestly, looking through the online catalogue was overwhelming. There were SO many different options for however you prefer your cannabis and all of them sounded good lol. We opted for gummies and a vape cartridge that were extremely reasonable in price. The staff was also most knowledgeable for any questions we might have had while we shopped and we were in and out in about twenty minutes. After exiting the sterile environment of the store, it felt really weird to be deposited back into a rundown plaza. The weirdest of all, though, was that we literally just left a store to purchase cannabis products – that certainly was novel!!

This outing was a brand new experience to me and curaleaf made it a great one. I have a for sure feeling that we will be back!

How do you like to relax? Are there any dispensaries near you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep24

Date Day!

Posted on September 24, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy!! These past few weeks have been insanely busy for me and Johnny and by the time the weekends rolled around, we were too wiped out to do much of anything. After a lull in the craziness, I couldn’t wait for this weekend because Johnny and I made plans for a date day on Saturday. Date days are my absolute favorite thing in the world and it was so nice to get dressed up and go out with my main squeeze after a few sedentary weekends in a row. We hit up both of our happy place stores (Can you guess mine?!) and one of our happy place restaurants too. Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

On Friday night, Johnny asked one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard… “Can we go to TJMaxx on Saturday?”. It was literal music to my ears and the answer was a resounding YES. A few years ago, Johnny had an amazing haul of spooky themed socks from TJs and was hoping to find more. This is where our date day began and, unfortunately, there were no spooky socks to be found. We did, however, walk away with a few treats for ourselves including a fabulous new addition to our Halloween decor. It is one of my new favorite things so be sure to peep that later!

After a semi successful bout of shopping, we were both famished and made our way to Barrio for lunch next. Barrio is an Ohio thing where you can build your own tacos. The order sheet looks like a test you would take at school when you have to fill in bubbles for your answer, but you never have to worry about getting anything wrong! It is one of our go to restaurants whenever we are in the general vicinity and it never gets old despite the fact that I get the same thing every single time lol. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it! We got tacos for there, tacos to go, and obvi had to get a few margs too. Johnny opted for a flight with a bunch of tropical flavors while I went with my usual – lime, on the rocks, salt on the rim. I was in heaven. ❤

To end our date, we went to Johnny’s store selection called The Exchange which is a buy, sell, trade for video games, movies, records, and everything in between. We were on the hunt to further expand Johnny’s already massive record collection and we did so with some Ghost and Alice Cooper. Then, we returned home to watch Winnie the Pooh Blood & Honey lol. It was just as ridiculous as it sounds but surprisingly really entertaining. Afterwards, we put our new records to good use as the soundtrack to play Diablo IV to. They set the vibe perfectly!

As always, our Date Day was the best day with the best company. Stay tuned for the OOTD from our little adventure!

What is your ideal date day? What is your favorite local restaurant? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep3

Friday Night Dinner Club

Posted on September 3, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Johnny and I truly hit the jackpot when we moved into our bigger apartment a few years ago. We have ample space, were able to get the bunnies because of it, and best of all – we have the best neighbor! Our downstairs neighbor, Tony, is one of my favorite people in the world. He is in his late sixties and I always like to think of him as my pseudo grandpa. Johnny and I would see Tony outside every day on his smoke breaks and we became fast friends after making introductions. We love going to the gun range together, shooting pool, watching movies, and participating in Friday Night Dinner Club.

Friday Night Dinner Club is exactly what it sounds like lol. Once or twice a month, we go out to dinner together and take turns on who’s picking the restaurant and who’s paying. This has been a staple in our schedule for the past four or so months and is something we always look forward to. It gives us a chance to catch up, have a good meal, and enjoy each other’s company. From Mexican and Italian to chain restaurants or bar food, we go everywhere and it’s such fun to see where we will end up next!

This past Friday, we had a Dinner Club meeting at Luigi’s which is an absolute must in Akron, Ohio. This was a highly anticipated outing because they were closed during our last attempt to go and we haven’t stopped thinking about it since. Luigi’s is a mom and pop style Italian restaurant and offers a huge menu of pizza, sandwiches, pasta, salads, and the like. The portions are more than generous and Tony and I barely made a dent in our pasta. Meanwhile, Johnny annihilated his meatball sub lol. We have been waiting on this meal for over a month and I think everything tasted even better because of it. Having two extra meals out of leftovers is also never a bad thing. 😀

I am so glad that Friday Night Dinner Club has become our “thing”. It’s something so simple but it hits just right every single time. I have hung out with some neighbors once or twice during my extensive tenure at Timber Top, sure. However, I have never had a neighbor like Tony that feels like a true neighbor. He has turned into family – someone who we end our meetings on with an “I love you” and that means so much to me. Johnny and I love our apartment and our Dinner Club co-captain plays a huge part in it!

Johnny is choosing the restaurant for our next meeting and he has been carefully weighing his options. Wherever it is, we are going to have the best time. We always do!

Do you do anything similar to our Dinner Club with your friends? Do you have an awesome neighbor? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul12

Mini Golf Fun

Posted on July 12, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! During mine and Johnny’s Fourth of July staycation, we did ALL of the activities. One of my favorites was going mini golfing together with my brother. We hopped into the Little Red Love Machine and headed to Fun n’ Stuff, which is an amusement center in my neck of the woods. There’s a little something for everyone young and old at Fun n’ Stuff – arcade games, laser tag, roller skating, bumper cars and boats, go karts, and two huge mini golf courses. The mini golf set up is awesome and has a pirate and dinosaur themed course. There were fun surprises scattered throughout like animatronic dinos, an octopus that shoots water, and challenging twists and turns with each put! Check it out:

In my neck of the woods, there aren’t too many mini golf courses in a close vicinity. The only other one within a fifteen mile radius is called Downview and it is not the best lol. It is small, expensive, and can be completed in under a half hour. At Fun n’ Stuff, the pricing was infinitely better and you got so much more for it. For a whopping eight dollars and fifty cents, you could play the two mini golf courses for as long as you’d like. It took us at least an hour and a half to finish both the dinosaur and pirate courses and it was worth every penny!

Visually, the dinosaur course was a lot more appealing and the gigantic moving dinosaurs really stole the show. I also loved the smoking and steaming volcano. However, I think I liked playing the pirate course more because it was just cool! Putting the ball through cannons, going on the pirate ship, and the skull tunnel with glowing eyes really spoke to me. So much so that I actually won the game with fifty-three strokes on the pirate course which literally never happens. Let’s just say I lack finesse when it comes to the subtle art of put put golf! I am pleased to report that between both courses I got FOUR hole in ones so it was a banner day for yours truly. We definitely plan on going back before the summer is out. 😀

Mini golf is one of my favorite summertime activities and I am so glad we got to squeeze it into our staycation. There is nothing like some good competitive fun and next time we go back I am manifesting a win on both courses!!

What is one of your favorite summer outings? Are there any cool mini golf courses in your area? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul6

Date Day!!

Posted on July 6, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! This past week has been so super nice because Johnny and I both had time off from work. We took some time to relax but we mainly jam packed each day with SO many activities. It felt really weird to be having all kinds of adventures when I should have been at work but the good kind of weird! My favorite day of my time off was definitely Tuesday because Johnny and I went on a date day in downtown Cuyahoga Falls AKA the Riverfront. It is such a quaint little area with all kinds of cute boutiques, eateries, and bars. I have wanted to do a shopping day there for so long and it was perfect!

We began our date at the vintage shops and they are plentiful on the Riverfront. Surprisingly, I have never been to any of them before and now that I have, it is a dangerous combination lol. They were fabulous! My favorite one of all had to be A Signature Antiques and I could have literally spent all day and all my money there. A Signature had clothing, accessories, and decor fresh from the 1930s to the 1990s and it was like shopping in a time capsule. Everywhere I looked offered even more surprises with vintage ware that I have only seen in magazines and movies. It was enchanting, to say the least, and I walked away with two simply amazing accessories. I can’t wait for you to see them soon!

After spending time shopping in the past, we skyrocketed into the present. We visited a coffee shop/bar and got cocktails that we were able to sip as we strolled the Riverfront. There were a few other boutiques I wanted to check out but none of them held a candle to the vintage shops. That was okay, though, because it was just about time for our favorite bar, the Cashmere Cricket, to open. The Cricket is where we had our first date and we also went there to celebrate after getting engaged. It is a very special spot for us and we like to go as often as we can. We enjoyed sharing appetizers and the most divine cocktails. A watermelon mojito for Johnny and a pickle martini for me. It was the perfect way to conclude a perfect day. ❤

I loved my Date Day with my Johnny and being able to spend so much time together having fun this week. It will be hard to go back to work, but I will be looking back on our little staycation most fondly!

What is an ideal date day for you? Do you have any favorite vintage shops in your neck of the woods? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr12

Total Solar Eclipse

Posted on April 12, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! The solar eclipse this past Monday has been the buzz in Akron, Ohio for months because we just so happened to be in the path of totality. For once, something cool was happening here and everyone was SO excited for it and for good reason. The Total Solar Eclipse was one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced and Ohio delivered. I mentioned earlier that we were fearing a cloudy day and, thankfully, that wasn’t the case whatsoever. We had the most perfect, sunny weather for the ultimate view of the big show and it was truly spectacular.

These pictures I took are not the best and they do not do justice to the solar eclipse at all. But, I did the best I could with limited visibility lol! Check it out:

There were countless eclipse festivals that Johnny and I could have attended on Monday, but we opted to stay home and watch it with our downstairs neighbor from the porch. I’m so glad we did because we were delighted by what we saw when we walked out the door. It seemed like every single person in our apartment community was outside watching too and it was such fun to be all together and cheering as the sun and moon performed. Even if we did go to a festival, I highly doubt we would have had a better view because ours was crystal clear and mainly unobstructed.

The total eclipse happened around 3:15 and Johnny and I were able to go outside as soon as we finished up with work at 2:45. During that time, the moon was moving and grooving closer to the sun and rapid progress was being made every time we looked up. This was neat to see, but the magic happened when totality was reached. During that four minute window, everything went completely dark. Street lights came on and the temperature dropped ten degrees. You could feel it immediately! It was such a surreal feeling to experience nighttime in the middle of the day and I think everyone was simply blown away. I sure was!

Minutes after the total eclipse, we were back to a typical afternoon level of sun and warmth. However, the feeling of witnessing a once in a lifetime phenomenon remained. Johnny and I are still not over it and why should we be? It was beautiful. ❤

Did you watch the solar eclipse? What is something cool that you experienced in nature? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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