Portside Distillery - Another CLE Gem

A couple weeks ago, hubs and I stumbled across a little gem here in Cleveland.  He had read about Portside Distillery and, since we had a free Saturday afternoon, decided to pop in and learn a little about Cleveland's newest brewery and distillery. What a glorious afternoon!

We sampled the smoky Rachbier and the 216 dry-hopped ale while B played a little foosball.  Portside has opened up their Sampler Room, while working out the plans for their forthcoming restaurant.  We sat around a table, flipped through the architectural plans for the Flats, and enjoyed the simplicity of a damn fine beer on a Saturday afternoon.

Check them out and, by all means, spend an afternoon chatting them up, learning about the beers, and enjoying a simple, carefree afternoon supporting a Cleveland-independent.  You'll be glad you did!

The Scent of Coffee

Sometimes, it's the little things that we need.  Not just a bed, warmth, love, food.  But the simplicity of a routine.

We sold our house and moved out last week.  Didn't plan to.  Listed the house on a whim.  Sold it in eight days.  SOLD. IT. IN. EIGHT. DAYS. Didn't have a Plan B.

We ultimately found a house that we love.  One catch.  We will have a gap in addresses of about 5 weeks.  So for a few days, we lived in a hotel. Not wanting to tear up the dogs, we took them to our lovely dog sitter who they adore.  One of the things I immediately missed was my coffee pot and my morning routine of making coffee with Jameson. 

You see, I would get up every morning at 6, grind the beans. While waiting for the coffee to brew, I would fill up my Jameson's food and water while smelling the amazing aroma of coffee brewing. 

In that 10 minute time, I would sit in the kitchen floor and give my dog so much love.  It was a great routine. And one that I truly missed.

But this morning in our transitional digs, with the dogs back under our feet, the coffee smelled even better and I am sure that Jameson loved having his ears rubbed an extra bunch.  And just like that, we fell back into our routine...

Beautiful Weather Deserves Beautiful Flowers

Mother's Day Fun at School

B invited me to her class to spend an amazing two hours with her, her friends, and their mommies.  What a great day!

Age 6 - Mother's Day

Well, That Was Hard, But Worth It

Today, I finished the Cleveland Rite Aid half marathon. While my finish time was reflective of the training (or lack thereof) that I had, it sparked something in me. I love running. And I love racing.

I had originally registered for this race in February - well before deciding to sell our house and spend EVERY evening boxing up the contents of our home, which interfered with efforts at consistent training. But I love this race event and enjoy the course even more. We have an amazing city. Even though my longest run was 10 miles, and I sure did feel the distance, I truly enjoyed visiting the various Cleveland neighborhoods on foot. For example, the Guardians on the the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge are breathtaking!

So if time allows, this weeks I will squeeze in some speed work and get back the basics!

April Was a Very Busy Month

Very little blogging happened in April because so much activity was swirling around that I barely had enough time to check email and keep up with my mindless twitter account.

But here goes with a quick recap of April:

Mom's weekend with Megan at Miami University. I even slept in her dorm. So much fun and thankfully no Natty Light was involved (several Sam Adams', yes).
 

Greg celebrated a birthday and B decorated each of his envelopes.  He is the proud owner of Indians tickets, Brew Kettle brew-your-own-beer experience, and a round of golf!
 

Bridget posing in front of her school's kindergarten art show.  She was so proud of her work!
 

No month would be complete without attending a concert. This time it was Taylor Swift.  She played for 2 hours (who would've believed?!) and it was actually very entertaining (and wholesome).
 

I got a new pair of shoes to help me suck up the Cleveland Rite Aid half marathon training (wow, who knew 13.1 miles could be so far after completing 24 half marathons already?!).

Last, but not least, we're moving! What an exhausting process, but I am totally organized this time.  Every box is labeled with contents and room assignment so that, when the movers arrive, they only have to move actual furniture. Whew - what a month!

Family Visit and Fun at the Zoo

Thanks to my brother and sister-in-law for making the trek from Virginia to Ohio so we could all spend a wonderful weekend together and meet the newest addition to the their family, Sloane.  Friday consisted of dinner at Easton with what seemed like the world's longest table to fit all of us. Even better, Meg drove up from Miami to join us and I got to squeeze in more time with her. Saturday brought an enjoyable day visiting the Columbus zoo (thank you, Jack Hanna).  I swear I think I have a love affair with flamingoes and simply can't snap enough pictures of these beautiful creatures.  Before heading back to Cleveland, we dined sans kids with my brother, sister-in-law, her sister and brother-in-law, my brother's best friend from college and his new wife (Thank you, Aunt Angie, for entertaining the kids!).  What a fun evening!