Tag Archives: weekend

Akron Comicon

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Akron Comicon

Howdy!!! This past Saturday was super fun because my brother, Johnny, and I went to the Akron Comicon. I have been looking forward to this event since last year as I wasn’t able to attend, but Johnny and Andrew had a blast and I couldn’t wait to join in the fun too. We all walked away with SO many goodies and although my wallet was protesting, my heart was very full lol. You can see my purchases later this week so keep it posted for that! Now, let’s take a look at some pics and have a chat:

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The Akron Comicon was full of vendors, fans of fandoms, and minor celebrities both local and from afar. Other than being in TJMaxx, I had never seen so many things that I wanted to buy from my favorite shows, movies, and animes. Also, huge shout out to my big bro for letting me borrow his Black Clover T-shirt because I had no anime gear to wear. Although I like to think my boots with the flames on them more than made up for the fact! During our afternoon, we schmoozed, we shopped, and we enjoyed being in the presence of so many people who shared our interests.

As far as celebrities went at the Con, it was a bit of a mixed bag. There were a few ladies who were in literally one scene from Scream, the guy who played Timmy from Lassie? haha and the voice actors from a few seasons of Charlie Brown who played Lucy and Charlie B. The most exciting people we met was our hometown hero from Akron, the Son of Ghoul who hosted a public access horror show. It was also very exciting to get a peck on the cheek from him! We also got to meet Drac and Countess Carita who host Transylvania Tonight, another horror show. Johnny and I have Drac’s artwork hanging up in our living room so it was SO nice to hang out with them for a bit and buy a new addition to our movie monster portraits. They were all nice as can be and I am thrilled to have spent some time with them!

The Akron Comicon was such a hoot and it was wonderful to finally be able to experience it with Johnny and Andrew. I can’t wait for next year’s Comicon and maybe get another smooch from the Son of Ghoul! ❤

Have you ever met anyone famous before? Have you ever attended a Comicon? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Good Movie Sunday

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Good Movie Sunday

Howdy! One thing that Johnny and I have always bonded over is our love for movies. Foreign films are my absolute favorite and Johnny is incredibly partial to a war movie. We also both really enjoy thrillers, horror, and comedy flicks. Although watching movies is a hobby to us both, we rarely watch them. During the work week, we usually are too worn out once we’re home for anything but our go to comedy shows. And, over the weekend, we want to be out and about. Sunday, however, is our “do nothing” day and it sparked an idea… Good Movie Sunday.

Good Movie Sunday is all about watching movies that are “good” to us and we will alternate weekly over who is picking the flick. Our day of rest will also include movies that we have always wanted to see, Oscar nominated films, and our all time favorites. We both fell in love with this idea because what else are we going to do on a lazy Sunday?! It has been fun to rack our brains and come up with our selections and I consider this new weekly event as our two person film appreciation club lol.

Our first Good Movie Sunday was Johnny’s choice and we watched Riders of Justice and Lincoln. Riders of Justice was a special nod to me because it is a Danish film while Lincoln was a nod to both of us! I adore Daniel Day-Lewis and, of course, Johnny loves him a historical movie. Both were excellent and it made us really excited to continue on with this new tradition. While we may have fallen off the horse to watch horror flicks for Halloween on Sundays, we are bringing it back this weekend. It is my choice and I know exactly what I’m going to pick: Benny and Joon because Johnny has never seen it and The Shape of Water because I have only seen it once and am a huge fan of all things Guillermo del Toro. I can’t wait!

Good Movie Sunday was an inspired idea, I must say, and I am stoked about it. I can’t tell you the amount of times Johnny and I have talked about a movie and told each other “we should watch that” and now we have a perfect opportunity!

What do you consider to be a good movie? What is your favorite genre of film? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Double Dinner Date OOTD

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Double Dinner Date OOTD

Hello! This past Friday was so lovely because I went on a double date with Johnny, my boss, and his wife. Starting in January, I started a position as the in house writer for a local tech entrepreneur. We handle everything virtually and just didn’t have a need or occasion to meet IRL. On Friday, however, we were working with a new restaurant for one of the businesses we manage and thought it would be fun to make a night of it with our partners. I was SO excited to have a night on the town all together and wanted to create a look that showed off my personal style while still looking professional. This is what I came up with and I was loving it:

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Who? What? Wear?

Dress: MaxSport LA, TJMaxx

Boots: Formentini, TJMaxx

*** The earrings are Lucky Brand, the bracelet was bought at a vendor fair, and the necklace is from American Eagle Outfitters.

When I began styling this look, I knew I wanted to wear a dress. The only question was “which one?”. I didn’t want a dress that was too tight or too showy because the night wasn’t about my outfit. It was about helping out a small local business and meeting my boss. So, I decided on something that I would wear for a business lunch or coffee and chose my dress by MaxSport LA. This was a ten dollar steal from TJMaxx and I thought it served its purpose very well.

I selected this dress for many reasons. First and foremost, I love it. But it also checked off all of the boxes that I required. It was form fitting without being tight, knee length, and something I could picture myself wearing to an office if I worked in one lol. The colors featured on this frock are gorgeous and it felt so perfectly fall with a fun nod to the 70s. The pattern was another huge plus as it was bold, but didn’t feel like too much.

The weather on Friday night was still nice and warm so a jacket or tights weren’t necessary. So, it was onto shoes and accessories. For shoes, I went with one of my favorite pairs of heeled boots by Formentini. I am as obsessed with these boots now as I was the day I got them and they paired beautifully with the MaxSport LA dress. These little numbers added a classy amount of length and tied into the retro vibe that the dress invoked for cohesion’s sake.

Finally, it was time for accessories. To start, I put on a dangly pair of turquoise earrings by Lucky Brand. These were a gift from my mom and I love them so very much. Turquoise, burnt orange, and burgundy are a match made in fall color heaven. The lower neckline on my dress provided real estate to add on a delicate necklace and I put on a tiny charm one from AEO for some modest bling. The capped bell sleeves of the dress offered room for a bracelet too so I went back into the jewelry box and came out with a bronze chain bracelet with a turquoise bead and feather. The feather was another understated tip of the cap to all things 70s and the bead matched my earrings. Total win/win!

I felt like a class act in my Double Dinner Date OOTD and this is one that I can definitely picture wearing in a work environment or another night on the town. A wonderful time was had by all and we cannot wait to get together again soon. I would say this business/fun dinner out was a GREAT SUCCESS!

How do you rock a business casual look? Have you ever met someone you work with virtually IRL? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Lil Red & The Weird Weekend

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Lil Red & The Weird Weekend

Hello everyone! Before we begin this post about some weekend weirdness, I will be placing a trigger warning on it for mental health, being in the ER, and blood. Now, let’s get to it:

It has been a hard past year and change in Lil Red’s world and this past week has been the absolute pits. Like, it was really bad and I was and still am pretty down in the dumps. I had a horribly stressful day last Thursday and spent the following days being super depressed. Friday came and went and Saturday felt like a bit of an upswing because Johnny and I spent the whole day together. We played lots of Diablo IV, ordered Domino’s for dinner, and settled down on the floor with the bunnies to play some Magic The Gathering.

As we schemed for our next turn, nature called and I went to the bathroom. When I sat on the can, I was startled to see that my sleep pants were soaked in blood. This was strange because Aunt Flo wasn’t scheduled to come for another four or so days. I wasn’t experiencing any pain or cramping and while it was weird, Johnny and I decided that we would visit the ER if I was still bleeding on Sunday. I was and it was off to Akron General that morning.

Thankfully, we were able to get right into a room once we arrived at the ER and that would have definitely not been the case if we went on Saturday night. The doctor came in and asked me questions like “Are you pregnant?” HARD NO. “Did you experience any physical trauma?” Nope. “Did something stressful or upsetting happen?” HARD YES. With that information, the doc decided to do blood work and a pelvic exam to see what was up with my down low area.

The pelvic exam was a pain in my pelvis, but we were relieved to hear that nothing was visibly wrong. So, we waited for the test results from the labs and swabs that were taken. As Johnny and I waited with bated breath, there was nothing to do but watch some TV. I selected the Lifetime channel and while Johnny initially grumbled, I am pleased to say that he was riveted by the time the movie ended. Lol, he is such a doll. ❤

Shortly after our Lifetime flick wrapped up, the doctor returned to tell us that my blood work and swabs were normal. She informed us that my hormones got out of whack from the stressful event and it triggered abnormal bleeding. Afterwards, I was able to change and Johnny and I could head home. As we drove back, we made a pit stop at Taco Bell and reminisced on how weird and unfortunate the situation was. My mind was hurting so much that it translated into a bodily reaction. I suppose we could have figured that out without a trip to the ER, but something like that had never happened to me before and it was scary.

I am happy to say that I am feeling better now. Not great, but slightly below average and that’s a big improvement. This is your Lil Red Friendly Reminder to take care of yourselves because, apparently, stress and depression can manifest itself in lots of crazy ways!

Have you ever been to the ER before? What happened? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Brick Convention 2023

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Brick Convention 2023

Hello!! I had a fantastic weekend! On Friday, Johnny and I went to the shooting range and on Saturday, we attended the Brick Convention with my brother. The Brick Convention was an ode to all things Lego and it was an absolute blast! Johnny and I are avid fans of Lego and this event did not disappoint. There were displays, vendors, and even a contestant from Lego Masters. The only not great thing was that the building the convention was held in wasn’t air conditioned. It was hot as bejeezus and even though we had a lot of fun, we were ready to get the hell out of there lol.

Today, we’re going to take a look at some of the awesome displays from the convention. Keep it posted this week for more because we have an OOTD, my convention haul, and meeting Patrick Durham! Let’s get started:

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Talk about WOW, right?! Walking through the Brick Convention was like being a kid on Christmas day. It was Lego as far as the eye could see and it was incredible to take it all in. While it was nice to shop around with the many different vendors, the most fun was looking at all of the displays created by such amazing artists. Every single piece begged the question of “how did they do that?!”. Johnny and I love to build Lego sets together and sometimes I have difficulty with that let alone free building masterpieces. It was like being in our own personal episode of Lego Masters!

It was hard to get a close look at some of the builds because the convention center was very crowded. It was basically get in front of the build, snap a picture if you want, and move on. While all of the creations were excellent, I was extremely partial to the art gallery that was set up. There were Lego pictures of Mario and Luigi that moved, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, The Child, and of course the Lego rendition of the Creation of Adam. That was my favorite and my mind is still blown by it. Seriously, how did they do that?!

Despite the fact that we were sweating bullets the entire Brick Convention, I am so happy to have gone. I have never been to an event like that before and it was an experience I’ll always remember. Tune in tomorrow for more about my meeting with the one and only Patrick Durham of Team Grandpappies!!!

Do you like to build Lego? Have you ever been to a similar event before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Date On The Range

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Date On The Range

Hello! Johnny and I are still going strong with our weekend date nights and we had a literal blast this past Friday. We went to the shooting range with our downstairs neighbor and it was a hoot! Going to the shooting range is something that Johnny and I have always wanted to do together and just never did. He grew up shooting guns with his dad and I have only been to the range once in my life. We are also avid fans of the short lived competitive shooting show, Top Shot, and wanted to feel like our favorite contestants!

After finding out that our new-ish neighbor and new bestie liked to go to the range when he could, we decided to make an evening of it. We hit up Range USA in Canton, then returned back to my apartment where I cooked dinner. It was such a fun and different night out and you just can’t beat the “Friday date night” promo that Range USA runs. It’s buy one lane get one free! Check it out:

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Before I went to the shooting range for the first time, I never saw the appeal of guns. After firing off a few rounds, however, I understood it and it was something that I wanted to do again. If you are in a safe and secure setting, why not? And, I hate to brag, but I did really good that first time and was eager to see if I still retained anything I learned from the pro at the range who taught me!

Once our waivers were signed, targets were purchased, and our safety gear was on, we were ready to go to our lanes. The target selection at Range USA was excellent and Johnny and I chose the shooting gallery one. Yes, because it was delightfully reminiscent of Top Shot challenges lol. Every gun I shot was a new experience and it was really cool – even though the rifle kicked like a mule. I was definitely done after four rounds and Johnny had a sore shoulder the next day.

I was really impressed with Johnny’s performance and mine wasn’t so bad, either! Johnny did so well and hit several bullseyes which was awesome to see. I was a bit disappointed with how I did, but then I remembered that this was only my second time shooting with entirely different guns. When I thought about it that way, I was proud of how I did. While I had lots of shots that weren’t on target whatsoever, I had a lot that were and felt great about them!

We had such a good time at the range that we are going to make it a thing. Every other week, we plan on hitting the range and making use of the date night special. We have even recruited two of our other friends to join our club and, of course, have dinner at my place after. Our Date On The Range was the most unique one we have been on yet and we are still chattering away about the good time that was had by all. 😀

Next weekend, it is my turn to select our date and I can’t wait for it. We are going to go shopping at some adorable boutiques in downtown Cuyahoga Falls and get Olive Garden for dinner. Long live Middle Class Fancy!!

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

Date Day!

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Date Day!

Hello! At least every other week, Johnny and I like to have a date day over the weekend before our regularly scheduled game nights. Whether it be going out to lunch or dinner, having a drink at our favorite bar, or shopping around at some of our go to game stores, it’s just nice to be out and about. This past weekend, we decided to go middle class fancy and hit up the Red Lobster before a rousing game of Legend Of Zelda Monopoly:

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^^^ Lol, peep that Pablo Cruise shirt! 😀

Johnny and I have a very similar sense of humor and are constantly making each other laugh. When we first started dating, he told me a story about how he went to Red Lobster with a girlfriend and her dad and had a laugh attack about something that no one found funny. He was so tickled by the fake newspaper “The Daily Catch” that his fish and chips was wrapped in and he didn’t even receive a titter from anyone else. He got a huge belly laugh from me, though!

On Saturday, he must have been craving fish and chips something fierce and texted me when I was at my parents if I wanted to go to “The Lob” for lunch. I had no idea what he was talking about and thought it was a new restaurant that had opened so I said sure. When I was informed that it was Red Lobster, I couldn’t deny him his Daily Catch and he had also scoured the menu to make sure there was something that I could eat there as a vegetarian. Such an angel. ❤

We hit up The Lob and I was honestly so surprised by how much I enjoyed the food. The cheddar biscuits were out of this world and my pasta dish was delicious with a lemon and garlic sauce. The drinks weren’t bad, either, and I got a Margarita while Johnny went for a Bahama Mama. Unfortunately, his fish and chips didn’t feature The Daily Catch which was the whole point of going but we still had a blast.

In my area of Ohio, the majority of restaurants are chain ones like Red Lobster, Applebees, and TGIFridays. Our date day was such a typical Midwest middle class fancy outing and like everything, we could find the humor in it. Will we be dining at Red Lobster all of the time? Probably not. Will I be excited every time Johnny suggests The Lob now? Absolutely! 😀

What is your favorite chain restaurant? What is a middle class fancy outing for you like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Here I Am!

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Here I Am!

Hello everyone! It has been a minute since a new OOTD post because your girl needs her hair done! Thankfully, that problem will be solved soon and I can’t wait to show you all some perfectly spring OOTDs ASAP. In the meantime, here are some pics of yours truly and some of my favorite people to tide you over until then:

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^^^ Can you spy one of my new tattoos?! 🙂

This past Sunday, we celebrated our darling niece’s third birthday a bit late because the weather has been wet and cold here. What was originally a party at a park turned into a get together at my sister and her partner’s house and, of course, Johnny and I had to step out in our best. This also meant all of the car selfies as well as pictures of me and Johnny when he refuses to just smile for the camera! *Massive eye roll* lol.

Our Val Gal’s party was a great success and it was so nice to see old friends and meet new ones. Johnny also finally got to meet some of my extended family who I haven’t seen in forever, which was awesome. We were surrounded by good company, good food, and lots of love and it’s safe to say that three year old Val knows how to throw a rager! 😀

Be sure to keep it posted on lifewithlilred for brand new OOTDs, book club reviews, Johnny’s unsmiling face, and all of the usual shenanigans this month. ❤

What do you like to do when your family gets together? Are you a smiling or silly face making selfie taker? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Super Happy Great Day!

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Super Happy Great Day!

Hello! After a long week, I was SO ready for some time off over the weekend. This past Saturday was a wonderful one and it was such a treat – it was a low key day but it was spent with the best company and that’s what made it fabulous!

I was so happy to be able to treat my sister, her boyfriend, and my sweet niece to lunch at Chipotle. I am constantly craving it and it was delicious! It’s also one of my niece’s favorite eateries and she was so excited about “me beans and rice”, which I am still cracking up about. 😀

After lunch, we went back to my parents’ house to hang out before Kristen and Ramon had to go to work and I stuck around for some extra time with my Val Gal. We read books, played hide and seek, and watched some of the new Space Jam movie. We loved it! And, of course, it was so fun to see our hometown hero, LeBron James, in it.

My day was already great but it was even better once I got home because one of mine and Johnny’s best friends, Shannon, stayed the weekend with us. He lives in Marietta so we don’t get to see him too often but he was photographing a concert in Cleveland and we were more than happy to provide him with a place to crash.

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Once he returned back to our place from the show, we spent hours catching up and laughing hysterically about anything and everything. He is an absolute delight and we can’t wait for the weather to warm up so that we can spend the weekend at his place. A fun time was definitely had by all. ❤

I was working hard for this past weekend and it was so worth it because it was a hoot. Good company and good food makes for a very happy me!

How was your weekend? What is one of your favorite restaurants? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Staircase Photo Shoot OOTD

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Staircase Photo Shoot OOTD

Hello! This past Saturday was an absolute delight filled with dear friends, family, and delicious food. Johnny and I met up with two of our favorite people for lunch at Barrio, which is one of all of our favorite restaurants. Barrio is a build your own taco restaurant and they also have the literal best Margaritas that I have ever had:

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The food and drinks were divine but the company was even better and Johnny and I had such a fabulous time! Since Johnny and I don’t go out too often, it makes every lunch or drink at the bar an occasion to get dressed up for. I had grand plans of having him take my pictures in downtown Kent but, unfortunately, it was SO. Freaking. COLD!!

It truly is such a Midwestern statement but it wasn’t the temperature that made it cold, it was the constantly blowing wind. And, for once, I even agreed that it wasn’t the day for outdoor pictures, which is really saying something. I was disappointed because I loved the outfit that I was wearing so I just had him take some shots on the staircase in our apartment, instead:

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Who? What? Wear?

I will be the first to admit that this outfit was definitely not appropriate for the weather but that has never stopped me before lol. While selecting my outfit, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to wear and, then, I remembered my Scotch & Soda blazer that I am obsessed with. Although it is a recent purchase, I kind of forgot about it because it has been too cold to wear it. Granted, it was way too cold to wear it on Saturday so I am looking forward to warmer weather even more so I can rock it without freezing my nads off.

The Scotch & Soda blazer is very light, making my black cami the obvious choice to wear underneath. Anything bulky would ruin the way that the blazer lays because it’s so form fitting. My distressed jeans were also, admittedly, not the best choice for a cold day because the holes in it are huge but I never get to wear them during the work week since they’re not the most appropriate!

With the base of my outfit complete, it was time for shoes and accessories. I chose one of my favorite necklaces by Mia Fiore to add some visual interest and it played beautifully against the deep gold accents in the blazer. I also liked the bold chain against such a delicate pattern. Normally, for earrings, I always rock dangly pairs but that wouldn’t work with the necklace so I went with some small studs, instead.

For my shoes, I toyed with a lot of different options but most of them would have broken up the sleek silhouette that I was working with. I finally ended up with my original thought of my platform loafers by ModCloth. They are not in the best shape because they’re pretty old but I loved how they looked with my OOTD.

With the loafers selected, I knew that I needed some type of sock with them because I am nothing if not sensible lol. I had a sheer white pair with daisies on it in mind but I couldn’t find them anywhere. It was all good, though, because I think my black ruffled ones looked even better. I thought it was so cute how you could still see the ruffles with the jeans I had on, which made for a really fun touch!

Was this a good outfit for the weather? Absolutely not. But was it still a good outfit? YES! I fricken love this OOTD and just had to share it with all of you, even if it was just pictures in my apartment! 😀

What is the weather like in your neck of the woods? How would you style my blazer? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah