Tag Archives: friends

May31

BFF Birthday Haul

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BFF Birthday Haul

Hello!!! The best thing that lifewithlilred has ever done is, easily, connecting me with my best friend in the world, Kate, of Live In The Nautical. One day, we just started talking and I swear we haven’t stopped since! Despite living in two different states, Kate might as well be right next door to me. We are always texting and I live for our FaceTime dates that turn into hours on end discussions. She is such a bright light in my life – my blogging bestie, my Gemini twin, and a true gift to everyone who is lucky enough to know her. Regardless of where we’re located, we are joined at the hip and that is never going to change. ❤

When I got to work at chez parents this past Tuesday, I was greeted by a goodie box waiting for me on the kitchen table. Then, when I returned after a little shift, I saw more packages that were delivered while I was gone. The contents were none other than an amazing haul from my BFF and she spoiled me rotten this year! Check it out:

Getting gifts from Kate is a straight up “But wait – there’s more!” experience. The first prezzie I opened was the adorable travel cup boasting the fact that I am, indeed, in my Bunny Mom Era!! I just love the funky 70s print and that it is even customized with the names of my sweet buns, Melvin and Penelope. I know that I will be sipping Diet Coke on ice from this perfect sized cup all summer long. I also know that my niece is going to love using this when she visits at my apartment because she forever insists on having a straw to drink from lol. AND I also ALSO know that my bunnies appreciate being thought of too because they are always running around whenever Kate and I FaceTime so they know who their aunt is!

The next gift I tore into was a tiny jewelry box from a brand called Sirius Woods. I clutched my pearls when I saw the gorgeous carved skull earrings nestled inside! As a spooky gal, I love literally anything with skulls on it. However, these are so sentimental because they look exactly like my engagement ring!! My beloved engagement ring features a huge pearl carved into a skull and these earrings make my bling feel like a completed set. They are beautifully crafted and delicate and I couldn’t imagine how Kate was going to top herself on the remaining present. Of course, she totally did!

The final package to tear open was the piece de resistance: A page of music from her, mine, and Johnny’s very special show called Hadestown. Kate introduced me to this astounding musical and Johnny and I were able to see it when it toured at Playhouse Square. We went to Hadestown during one of the worst times of my life and it was one of the few happy moments in literal months of agony. The show transported us and the music moved me so deeply. In fact, the framed song Kate gave me makes me cry every time and that is no exaggeration. Just ask my husband! Trust and believe, tears were shed when this gift revealed itself but, for once, they were the happy kind. Tears of joy to be soul sisters with someone who knows me so well, bonds with me on every level, and provides me with the sunshine of her spirit every day. It was like opening up a hug and I am still blown away. ❤

Since day one, being best friends with Kate has made my life better. And, as much as I treasure all of the treasures she gave me, she will always be my greatest gift! ❤

How did you and your best friend meet? Have you made any friends through your blog or social media? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May19

Be That Neighbor

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Be That Neighbor

Hello!! Johnny and I were absolutely addicted to the show Fear Thy Neighbor and quickly finished the entire series with daily viewings after work and marathons over the weekends. As you can imagine if you haven’t watched the show, it is all about the worst neighbors ever lol. Our running joke as we watched the series was “What are we going to do, get mad at Tony?!”. Tony is our downstairs neighbor and he is the absolute best so every time we watched Fear Thy Neighbor, it was an exercise in “can’t relate” for which we are so thankful!

Tony, Johnny, and I became fast friends when Tony moved in and we would chat away every time our paths crossed when he was out for a smoke. This turned into Dinner Club get togethers, watching movies, going to the shooting range, and just having fun. And, of course, we always come running every time Tony might need a quick favor around the apartment. I’m going to be perfectly honest, our neighbors in our old apartment were not the best. Some were insanely loud and another was feeding the raccoons outside of her apartment door lol. So, when Tony moved in not doing any of that and being someone we actually wanted to hang out with, it was nothing short of a gift.

The other day as we were eating a baked potato dinner and watching an episode of SVU, Johnny got a call from Tony. It was nothing urgent, just asking if he could change the battery in his smoke detector as he wasn’t comfortable going up on the ladder. In a heartbeat, Johnny put down his meal and ran downstairs. In the handful of minutes while Johnny completed the task at hand, I couldn’t stop thinking about how lucky and proud I am. Lucky to have Tony and proud to be those neighbors. And not in the Fear Thy Neighbor way but in the best way possible!

Having a neighbor that we truly consider to be a best friend is something we have never experienced and it feels so good. I love that we are the people that Tony calls when he needs a helping hand and having regular hang outs together. The feeling is mutual across the board and that is a beautiful thing. The moral of the story? Be that neighbor!! Be the neighbor who fixes an extra plate at dinner. Be the neighbor who offers to take the trash out or shovel the walkway. Be the neighbor who is never too busy for a chat. It will do both parties a world of good and the relationship with our beloved neighbor is a testament to that. ❤

Johnny and I love our apartment so much and Tony is part of the reason why. I am so happy to have and be a good neighbor and the smoke detector story was a wonderful reminder!

Do you have a great neighbor? Have you ever had an awful neighbor? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May9

We’re Going To The Zoo!

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We’re Going To The Zoo!

Howdy!! The Akron Zoo simply blows my mind. It is the most wonderful place right in the heart of downtown Akron and every year it just gets better and better. It’s wild to think that this park and all of the amazing animals are literally right in the middle of the city lol. Every visit to the Akron Zoo is a fun one and it’s the perfect size because you can do and see everything in one afternoon. I recently took a trip to the zoo with a friend and I had no idea that I was going to be walking into Jurassic Park! Check it out:

When we approached the entrance to the zoo, we were greeted by a gigantic T-Rex and it was like “Wait, what?” lol. Little did we know, the zoo was setting up for an animatronic dinosaur adventure. Unfortunately, the dinosaurs weren’t moving when we visited but there were an abundance of them in all of their massive glory scattered throughout the park. It was definitely a different experience to be greeted by a Brontosaurus at the turn of a corner! Our visit turned into a scavenger hunt to find all of the dinos and it turned our outing into a unique adventure.

As we explored the park on the search for dinosaurs, we got to see so much awesome activity and a lot of napping in the exhibits. It was the first super hot day of the year and all of the big cats were snoozing in the sun! The animals that were up and about were moving and grooving, though. The penguins were swimming, the monkeys were swinging, and the Grizzly Bears were taking a dip in the pool. We were lucky enough to see the brother and sister bears, Cheyenne and Jackson, playing in the water. Granted, their playing looked a lot like fighting but as long as they were having fun lol. We could have stayed and watched them all day to see what they were going to do next. 😀

We were the happiest campers after our Zoo Day and have grand plans to return once the animatronics on the dinosaurs are in full swing. It will certainly be a sight to see!

What is your favorite zoo to visit? What is your favorite animal? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr25

Back On The Ice!

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Back On The Ice!

Hello!! My childhood sport of choice was competitive figure skating and I stopped when I was about sixteen years old. After that, I would skate just for fun and coach for the Special Olympics a few years later. Prior to the pandemic starting, I thought it would be cool to try ice dancing and take lessons again and did just that. Cue pandemic, what felt like an indefinite hiatus, then I was back. Until I wasn’t lol. I had an extremely off putting encounter with a male coach and it instantly sucked all of the joy out of being on the ice again. So, I hung up my skates and never went since. Until this weekend!! Check it out and peep the videos on my TikTok @lilred6794 :

A month or so ago, I noticed one of my friends on social media had recently got back into skating after some time off too. I knew who she was but she skated in a different club than me and was a few years younger than me in high school. However, her decision to skate again inspired me and I thought that it couldn’t hurt to shoot her a message to see if she wanted to go together sometime. The answer was a resounding YES, we scheduled a skate date, and were both so eager to hit the ice together this past weekend.

I arrived at the rink a bit earlier than my friend so I started the open skate session solo. And omg I was feeling good as soon as my blades touched the ice. The open skate was blessedly not crowded at all so I basically had free reign to do anything and everything. I did a few warm up laps and like no time had passed at all, I was back to spins, jumps, and footwork. What’s that old saying about riding a bike? Granted, what I was doing wasn’t perfect and I felt straight up drunk after spinning but I was sure proud of everything that I could still do!

By the time I was nice and warmed up, my friend was ready to get her skate on too. I told Johnny it was like the equivalent of going hiking with a friend. We skated around, talked like we had known each other for years even though we just met, and just had fun skating for the joy of it. It was such a wonderful experience to skate with no pressure whatsoever and to encourage each other to keep trying all of our long lost tricks. Before I knew it, the hour and a half long session was over and we exited the rink exhausted but exhilarated. We are going to try and skate at least once a month and I am already chomping at the bit for our next skate date!

The moral of the story is to NEVER let anyone take the fun and joy out of something you love to do. I am so thankful to have found a friend that gave me the motivation to get back on the ice after swearing off of it and am still riding the high of how proud I feel of both of us!

What is your favorite sport to play? Which sports did you play when you were little? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr13

Friday Night Dinner Club

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Friday Night Dinner Club

Hello!! Johnny and I are incredibly lucky – close to three years ago, we moved into a bigger apartment and it is still nothing short of a gift. Of course, the extra space is nice but one of the best things is, easily, our neighbor. Our downstairs neighbor, Tony, has been a staple in our lives since he moved in shortly after we did. We quickly bonded after our numerous chats while he was outside smoking and these chats turned into full fledged hangouts. We love going to the shooting range, playing pool, and my personal favorite – Friday Night Dinner Club.

Friday Night Dinner Club is exactly what it sounds like lol. One Friday per month, we will go out to eat together and take turns on picking where to eat and picking up the tab. We have hit up all of our favorite spots together and tried new restaurants too and it is always a blast. With the unpredictable winter and early spring weather, our Dinner Club meetings have taken place in Tony’s apartment. I will cook or we will order takeout and watch a movie for our entertainment. We had our March meeting this past Friday and it was a raging success:

For Dinner Club, I decided to cook us a huge dish of baked ziti, garlic bread, and salad. Then, we made the short trek downstairs to our co-founder’s digs to eat, drink, and be merry. Our original plan was to rent the newest Jason Statham vehicle, A Working Man. Unfortunately, that plan was foiled because it isn’t available yet. That was no matter because we watched another Jason Statham vehicle, instead. One of all of our personal favorites – The Beekeeper. We have watched The Beekeeper several times together during Dinner Club and it hits every time. Johnny, Tony, and I will spend the entire duration quoting the movie, hollering, and laughing whenever I react to a particularly “ouch” moment. We live for action and horror movies and this one takes the cake!

Even though Johnny and I have lived in our apartment community for upwards of five years, we have never had a neighbor like Tony. It is so special to have a friend literally right downstairs and it makes all of our lives so much better. I love having a neighbor that I can fix an extra plate for, shoot the breeze with, and shoot – have an entire club based around our friendship. A club that is deserving of jackets at some point in the future because we have definitely discussed it extensively lol. 😀

I cannot wait for our next Dinner Club meeting with the improved weather! Me and my favorite guys will be stepping out on the town and we are all already looking forward to it!

Do you have an amazing neighbor? Do you have any “clubs” with your friends? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar5

Girls Night!

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Girls Night!

Hello!! One of my New Year’s Resolutions was making more time for friends and fun and I am doing pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. My goal to achieve this was to have one outing per weekend with friends, family, or Johnny. Aside from a handful of lazy weekends, I have been crushing it and it has helped make my life feel fuller – especially considering that I used to have little to no work/life balance. This weekend, I had a girls night with a friend that I knew from high school but started hanging out with this past year thanks to our mutual bestie. We had a glorious night on the town planned until those plans fell through. Plan B was just as glorious, though!

Originally, my girl and I had grand plans of going to the Cashmere Cricket. Like literally everyone in the greater Akron area, this charming martini bar is our favorite. In fact, it’s where Johnny and I had our first date and celebrated our engagement! The Cashmere Cricket has the best food and drinks and the move was to go there for Pickle Martinis and their heavenly Grilled Cheese Dippers. We had been talking about it ALL week and were counting down the minutes until our food fantasies could come into fruition on Saturday. With a pep in my step, I headed to the bar to score us a booth and the joint was jumping. It was packed to the gills and a table wouldn’t be available for several hours later. Talk about a bummer!

Blessedly, there is always Plan B because the best Mexican restaurant ever, El Meson, is right up the street from the Cashmere Cricket. Like the Cricket, El Meson was hopping and it felt like everyone in our neck of the woods had the exact same plans as us! As luck would have it, we got one of the last tables available and were able to eat, drink, and be merry. This was actually a special occasion because my friend just had her second child and this was her first drink after the fact. It made me feel so good that she wanted to share in that with me. ❤

It was an honor to treat her and we did it up with margs and a surprise shot. Our delightful waiter randomly put shots on our table and we weighed our pros and cons. My MAJOR con was that the last time I took a shot at a bar five years ago I threw up immediately SMH. I have never taken a shot since but, hey, when at El Meson. I am pleased to report that it went down smoothly but 5/10 would probably not do again! Sometimes, Plan B just ends up being even better than what you originally had in mind and I don’t think we would have been getting random shots at the Cashmere Cricket! 😀

Cashmere Cricket will definitely be next on our agenda because we now know we should make reservations lol. I cannot wait for another fabulous Girls Night!

What is your favorite local bar or restaurant? What is a perfect night out for you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb5

Tabletop Gaming: A Guide For Beginners

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Tabletop Gaming: A Guide For Beginners

Tabletop gaming is a lot of fun. It’s something we’ve done since time immemorial and it’s something we’ll continue to do for years to come. After all, all you need is an idea of something to play and a place to play it – you don’t even necessarily need anyone to play with you either! One player TTRPGs are super common nowadays, and just having some time to dedicate to the session is the one requirement. But when you’re new to playing tabletop games, the whole tabletop scene can be a bit daunting. If that’s the predicament you find yourself in, here are some things to keep in mind about getting started:

Try Out Various Genres:

The variety you can find in the tabletop genre is genuinely astounding. It’s not just Dungeons and Dragons or Warhammer – there are hundreds of genres you can dig into and try out. If you find a typically popular tabletop game isn’t for you, you don’t have to keep playing it just because loads of other people do. You’ll be more than able to find something else to try that is likely to be a lot more fun, and suit your tastes better.

Buy a Dice Set:

When you have your own dice, you’re set. It doesn’t matter where you are, who you’re with, or what game you’re playing. You’ve brought an essential bit of kit along with you, and if there’s not enough to go round, you can pull your D20 Dice bag out of your pocket and be the hero. Aside from that, dice sets can get pretty creative. Many of them are made to look extra special and fancy, and you could even learn to make your own from home. Buying dice in colors and designs you love will only stoke the fires of your tabletop passion.

Don’t Be Afraid to Play with Strangers:

Heading down to a board game bar or cafe for a gaming night might sound quite intimidating, but it’s genuinely a lot of fun, even when you’re a beginner. Game nights like these bring the local gaming community together, and if you never give it a go, you’re unlikely to find other tabletop lovers outside of your select friend group. They’re strangers for now, for sure, but they won’t be for long! If you truly don’t enjoy the session you can leave whenever you want, and you don’t have to come back, but giving it a try is usually worth the time and energy. Plus, you can head online to find gaming forums and strike up conversations there too.

If you want to try tabletop gaming, get started with these tips. Try as many games as you can, get involved with any local gaming communities, and make sure you’ve got the right kit on your side too!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Jan18

Ladies Lunch

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Ladies Lunch

Hello!! I decided to actually make New Year’s Resolutions this year and I am pleased to report that I have been crushing. So much so, in fact, that I even added a new goal to achieve. My primary focuses are to continue going to the gym, firmly saying “no”, making more time for friends, and taking better care of my teeth. Every weekend since, I have had some type of outing with friends or family and I really do feel better for it. With a crazy demanding work schedule, it almost seemed impossible to make time for fun over the weekend because I was too dog tired. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still tired lol but now I feel like my weekends are a source of pleasure rather than counting down the minutes to my next shift.

This past weekend, my outing was to take my sister, Kristen, and three sweet nieces out for lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Meson. It is the absolute best and a staple in my neck of the woods. I am always craving El Meson but the hankering was especially fierce as the Mexican restaurant we went to as a family for Christmas did nothing for me. So, I invited my girl squad to a “vanity lunch” so I could squash my cravings and get some quality time in with my four best girls.

Like myself, my girls live for Mexican food so our lunch was the perfect set up to eat, drink, and be merry – and did we ever! My eldest nieces went to town on queso and rice while Kristen and I opted for our usual vegetarian platters. We even toasted with her first drink since having my littlest niece in November and the Margaritas treated us just right! They always do, as did our favorite server who takes care of us every single time we have a lunch or dinner date. Dining at El Meson is forever fantastic, but he makes it that much better.

During the entirety of our Ladies Lunch, I couldn’t stop thinking about how lucky I was. This was my second weekend in a row that I got to spend time with the bestie squad! Prior to making my New Year’s Resolution, I honestly couldn’t tell you if I would have been up to those outings. And, I’m not going to lie, it is taking effort on my part to get myself out the door. However, once the plans are in action, it’s nonstop fun and that is exactly what I need. I even went out to lunch with a friend during my break on Tuesday!! Who am I and where is the normal, never does anything Lil Red?!

Ladies Lunch was a great success and I can’t wait to keep adding more plans to my agenda. It is making my life feel much more full and I am loving it!

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

Dec24

Dinner Party

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Dinner Party

Hello! Johnny and I both have really demanding work schedules and it can be hard to have the energy to do much of anything once the week is complete. While we love hanging out with our friends, we are perfectly fine just vegging out all weekend long. This past weekend, however, we turned into the hosts with the most because we had another couple over for a Dinner Party. We really don’t have a lot of couples to hang out with so it was a nice change of pace and we had the best time entertaining at chez nous. It has definitely been a while!

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On Saturday morning, we both got to cleaning as soon as we woke up. Johnny tackled vacuuming and cleaning the kitchen while I worked on the dreaded bathrooms. After our clean-a-thon, the apartment looked amazing and we were so pleased with our efforts! Granted, the bunnies did their due diligence of getting hay and bedding on the floor as soon as it was vacuumed but that’s just life as bunny parents lol. With a freshly cleaned apartment, we spent the rest of the day playing video games until it was time to start cooking.

For dinner, I planned on making my Olive Garden taste alike recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo, a taste alike salad, and garlic bread. Like Johnny and me, our guests live for a good Middle Class Fancy meal so it was the perfect way to go. Everything looked incredible and we were famished by the time the other couple arrived. Thankfully, so were they! I say thankfully because the last time we hosted a couple for dinner, they just didn’t eat and we were ravenous by the time we left. It was kind of weird. Over a delicious meal, we spent the entire evening talking and laughing away. Before we knew it, almost three hours had passed and it felt like they had just got here!

We parted ways with the promises of doing a get together again and as soon as the door shut, Johnny and I were raving about the success of our evening and making new friends. We were elated to know that they had a good time too and it was exciting to break out of our usual chill weekend comfort zone. I cannot wait to host another double date!!

Do you have a couple that you like to double date with? What is your favorite dish to prepare for a dinner party? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec17

Best Blanket EVER!!

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Best Blanket EVER!!

Howdy!! Every weekend, I have been diligently wrapping away at my cache of Christmas prezzies. I also got the very last gift I needed on my shopping list this past week at Elysian Nails. GREAT SUCCESS! On Sunday, I decided to finish my gift wrapping in its entirety and it was so nice to get some floor space back in my office once all of the packages had been opened! To my surprise, one of the boxes I opened contained something I didn’t remember ordering for myself at all. I questioned if I did some drunk Amazon shopping, but then I realized it was a Christmas gift from my A1 blogging bestie – Kate from Live In The Nautical. Check it out:

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One thing about Kate and I is that we are massive freeze babies lol. We are both literally always cold and Kate loves to cocoon in her heated blanket. Wrapping up in a warm hug of a blanket is something that is most appealing to me, but it’s something I would never buy for myself. So, Kate took matters into her own hands and I have an inkling that she has known exactly what to spoil me with for Xmas since this October. We had a massive drop in temperatures in Ohio and my apartment complex didn’t turn the heat on so Johnny and I were basically living in an ice box for a week. Kate is the most spectacular gift giver because she is constantly taking mental notes of situations like this and provides a remedy for it. ❤

My heated blanket was actually the last package I opened before it was a wrap on wrapping presents. As soon as I saw it, I ripped the box the blanket came in open and was ready to reward myself with a day of becoming one with my couch after a successful holiday shopping season. And become one with my couch, I did. From the comfort of my new heated blanket, I had a Degrassi marathon and vegged TF out. I live for a good Degrassi binge sesh and it was further enhanced by this Bwarm blanket because it is the freaking BEST. It is SO soft, SO comfortable, and has six different heat settings so you can adjust the temps as needed. I opted for a healthy “four” and it literally felt like I was wrapped up in all the comforters on my bed. It was also so soothing on my arms and back which tend to get a bit achy from never ending work on the computer. 12/10 Highly recommend!

Huge shout out to my main boo for this top tier present!! I have a feeling I am going to be living in this blanket as soon as I get home from work every day!

What is your favorite item that brings you comfort? Are you always hot or always cold? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah