Celebrations Lately

We have been celebrating a lot of birthdays over here. Between friends and family members we have been celebrating a lot of birthdays lately, throw in two weddings and we have been very busy! Since everyone loves a festive celebration, I thought I’d recap some of the things we’ve been up to:

Sky Zone Trampoline Park – a group of friends recently hit up Sky Zone for a celebratory bouncing session. I met up with the group in the afternoon after running the Sole of the City 10k in the morning. My legs were pretty spent but I had a good time and the whole process was very easy and casual. I purchased my ticket and signed my waiver online in advance, spent $2 on special trampoline socks and simply checked in and picked up the socks when I arrived. Most of the other bouncers were kids, but our group of 30-somethings had a blast.

Black Flag Brewing Company – post trampoline park, we headed to Black Flag Brewing Company for a drink! Adam and Maya met up with us there and we enjoyed a couple of beers and chatting with everyone. It is a big open space and was totally fine for an exploring toddler (with supervision). There was a grilled cheese truck out front that some of our group got food from. We skipped it since we were heading to dinner but were a little jealous because the sandwiches looked fantastic!

Olney Winery – we recently met a group at Olney Winery for a surprise party. Like the brewery, we had Maya in tow and she did great walking around exploring and munching on the snacks we packed. Activities like the brewery and winery are preferred to a big group meal where Maya is confined at the table the whole time. The rose I tried was really nice and we all had a great time!

Yappy Hour – the Waterfront Partnership hosts a monthly “yappy hour” for dogs right near my office building and Maya and I checked it out at the beginning of the month. We had dinner with Jeanette at One Eyed Mikes (shout out to them for great service and accommodating a toddler!) then made our way over to the Yappy Hour. There was live music, beer and wine and a bunch of dogs! Maya loves dogs or as she says when she sees them “dogga dogga dogga”. We enjoyed hanging out in the grass for a bit and petting a few of the friendly pups.

El Rey and the 930 Club – I listen to Elliot in the Morning every day on the way to work and a few weeks ago I called in and won tickets to see Judah and the Lion at the 930 Club! The concert was on Jeanette’s birthday so I knew it would be a fun way to celebrate. The concert was a Monday night so we waited until after traffic died down a bit before driving into DC. We parked in the garage right across from the venue, picked up our tickets from Will Call and walked down U Street to find some dinner and a drink. We ended up at El Rey for tacos and had a great time catching up, sipping margaritas and munching on shrimp, fish and carne asada tacos. We had the best bar tender and chatted away for a while before heading back to 930 Club for the show. Colony House was the opening act and we caught the end of their set which was really good. Judah and the Lion were also super fun and put on a really good show. We didn’t know too much of their music beforehand but definitely enjoyed ourselves and particularly appreciated their cover of Mr. Brightside! Mostly, we felt pretty great about being out on a Monday night! See, we’re still young(ish)!

Now that the weather is so nice, most celebrations involve cook outs and yard games like corn hole and bocce. What have you been up to lately? 

Friday Five (things I’m looking forward to this spring)

Ahh 80 degree temperatures. You’re finally here! How I’ve missed you!

Here are five things I’m looking forward to this spring:

1. Baltimore 10 Miler – Okay to say I’m *looking forward* to this is a bit of a stretch, but I have been training with two of my friends at work and will be running this race on June 2! This will be the farthest distance I’ve ever run and I’ve heard it’s a hilly course so wish me luck and hope that June 2 will be cool and windy. The best part about the race is that it’s on Wear Orange Day so I can call attention to gun violence awareness and the need for sensible gun reform.

2. A winery day – I have been waiting for consistently nice weather to plan a leisurely afternoon at a local winery. I love checking out local wineries that let you bring food with you so I can pack a tasty assortment of cheese, crackers and charcuterie that doesn’t break the bank. Set out a blanket, buy a bottle of wine and relax all afternoon. Bonus that this is a toddler friendly activity! Maya loves being outside and I think a winery day would be perfect for her as long as we brought plenty of snacks and entertainment.

3. Dinner and drinks on the water – Outdoor dining is one of the things I look forward to most every spring. Grilling, picnics and restaurants with outdoor seating and a view of the water. Hoping to return to have dinner at Rye Street Tavern, crushes at Boathouse and crabs at Nick’s Fish House. This is the view from the lawn outside Rye Street Tavern – isn’t it great?

 

 

4. Orioles Games – The team has been *struggling* a little bit lately, but that doesn’t mean going to a game isn’t still super fun! Check out our post on how to save money at Camden Yards. It’s from a previous season though so it doesn’t include the O’s awesome new kids cheer free policy where the purchase of an adult upper deck ticket gets two kids under 9 in for free!

 

 

 

 

 

5. Kid Friendly Activities – Now that we have a toddler on our hands, it seems like the opportunities for kid friendly summer fun are endless!  We recently went to the Maryland Zoo and  Clark’s Elioak Farm, but Maya has never been to the aquarium or the science center and she hasn’t been to Port Discovery since she could walk. Last weekend we made the trek to Sesame Place which was amazing! I feel like that could use a recap post of its own…

 

 

 

What are you looking forward to this spring? 

 

Friday Five (Mother’s Day Style)

Coming atcha today with an ever so relevant post for all you slackers out there with no plans for Mother’s Day! If you’re looking for a way to celebrate the mom in your life here are five ways to make her feel special this Sunday or any day.

1. Paint Night – If your mom is artsy, sign the two of you up for a Paint Nite or Pub and Paint event! Enjoy some wine, quality time with your mom and the chance to let out your inner artiste. If you’re looking for Baltimore-themed paintings, check out Todd Conway Art’s
2. Visit a Winery – If I were a mom I think this would be top on my list. There are family friendly wineries for mom’s with little ones, but if you really want to treat mom, find a sitter for the kids and give her a day of wine tasting sans children. My mom and I have plans to visit a winery later this summer when the weather is more consistently good. My fave is Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard.
3. Brunch – the Mother’s Day standard! You might be hard-pressed getting a reservation at the last minute, but could try your luck at some of the local places that don’t take a res like, Spoons and Blue Moon.
4. Something Active – play tennis or a round of golf. Take a walk. It’s all about spending time with your mom and doing something she enjoys. Our family tradition is to participate in Race for the Cure – we’ll be walking in our 8^th race tomorrow.
5. Spa Day – Get your mama some much deserved pampering! I can’t imagine a more relaxing Mother’s Day than a trip to the spa for a massage, mani/pedi or facial.

Do you have plans for Mother’s Day? What’s your favorite way to celebrate Mom?

It’s Friday so we’re linking up with Heather, Courtney, Cynthia and Mar

 

Weekend in Williamsburg

Happy Monday! It’s always so tough getting back into the work groove after a trip – even if it’s just one night out of town. I definitely had the Sunday night blues after an awesome weekend in Williamsburg.

Linking up with Katie for Marvelous Monday to recap my marvelous weekend.

Backing it up to Friday night, Adam and I walked down the the harbor the the Summer Social in West Shore Park. We got a couple of drinks from Dooby’s and found a nice spot to sit and listen to New Romance, an 80’s cover band. The weather was perfect and we had a great time. The event posting said there would be food trucks, but the only one in sight was pizza and we just weren’t feeling it. Instead we walked over to the Rusty Scupper and had some seafood at the bar. We had our rehearsal dinner at the Scupper back in March so it also brought back all sorts of fun wedding memories.

Saturday morning I woke up early and drove down to Williamsburg to visit my friend Sasha. It took around four hours and I was definitely ready to be out of the car by the time I arrived. Sasha and her husband, Dan, both went to college at William and Mary and after spending several years in San Diego they have returned to their old stomping grounds. Dan was out of town so Sasha and I got to enjoy a girls weekend! After dropping my stuff at their new house we picked up sandwiches at the Cheese Shop and headed to the “beach” on the James River. The Cheese Shop is a Williamsburg classic and they make the most amazing sandwiches – I had sliced chicken with provolone, mixed greens and house dressing on wheat. If you ever go, you definitely DEFINITELY want the house dressing.

The beach was beautiful and the water was warm enough to go in. We floated for a while near the shore and spent time catching up before we stopped home for a quick shower and headed back out to Williamsburg Winery. The winery grounds were beautiful and they were setting up for a wedding that evening. We did a tasting and bought a couple bottle for later. The James River White and Midsummer Night’s White were my favorites.

The rest of the evening was spent hanging out, drink wine and watching crappy but great movies. The next morning we got breakfast to go at Aromas and ate outside in the Colonial area. We both got poached eggs with cheesy grits and ham. So delicious and definitely enough for leftovers.

 

After breakfast I hit the road because I had to meet Adam and the rest of his family at an engagement party back in Maryland (congrats Stephen and Elyse!!!). It was a short visit but I had such a great time catching up with one of my best friends from Middle School!

Wine Wednesday

Hello from the middle of a very busy week! Work has been crazy for both me and Jeanette, but I wanted to pop in with a quick post. Between work and a social life and working out and going to weddings and blogging and being good girlfriends/wives/dog moms etc. it sure is tough to be young(ish)! Is this the age where we still try to do it all and realize we just don’t have the strength to keep up anymore? Bring on the yoga pants, wine and netflix weekend because I need a break!

Speaking of wine…I have never been a huge wine drinker as I tend to prefer sweeter drinks and cocktails. However, in the past year or two I have expanded my horizons and really developed a taste for white wine (but that’s still a big no to most reds).

This past weekend I went with some friends to the Kegs and Corks Festival outside Annapolis. We were give baby stemless wine glasses for sampling and tried some great wines from Layton’s Chance and a whole slew of fruity wines from Cove Point Winery (I think the pomegranate wildberry was my favorite!). We also sampled beer from Eastern Shore Brewing (they had an awesome saison), Victory, and Breckenridge Brewery.

Oh and I totally forgot this past weekend was the Boordy Vineyards 5k! Check out Mar on the Run for a recap of the race. It looks like a blast and I need to remember to sign up next year. Any race that ends with wine and cheese is A-Okay in my book.

I also recently discovered this handy little cheese and salami pack at Trader Joe’s. It was just begging to be paired with a glass of wine and some tasty crackers…pretty much an adult lunchable. Adam and I split this bad boy the other night as I was cooking dinner and it was the perfect little nibble. YUM.

 

Looking for good spots for wine in Baltimore? Or how about BYOB so you can bring your own bottle? Here are my recs:

Spots with good wine list/wine cocktails:

Sobo Cafe – Have to give another shout out to Sobo for having my favorite wine cocktail, the Apple Cart. This baby has white wine, sparkling cider and lime juice.

13.5% Wine Bar – Haven’t been to this spot in Hampden in a while but loved sitting at the bar and ordering small plates to accompany our wine.

Wine Market Bistro – If you read my post last week you’ll know I loved this place!

Pazo – I have actually only ever been to Pazo for drinks and love the lounge-y area by the bar. Great list of wines by the glass and fun cocktails.

BYOB: 

Ali Baba

Bottega

Brendali

Byblos

Mari Luna Mexican Grill (shout out to the county)