9.26.14 A weekend saved

Friday morning we boarded our 630 am flight to Chicago excited for our friends' wedding. Halfway to Chicago - the pilot came on and said we were turning around because there had been a fire in the radar facility that serves the Chicago airports. I started crying and scrambling to find us other flights. 

 We got on standby lists for the Indy and Milwaukee flights, but a gate agent gave one of our seats to a person lower on the list so we couldn't go. I sobbed in the airport. We headed home to regroup and try to get our hotel deposit back.

Glenn figured it out then pushed me to find a resort we could go to for the weekend since we were already packed. I found the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa but was in no mood to figure it all out. I just wanted to be sad. Glenn took over, got us reservations and loaded up the car.

We checked in. It was nicer than I expected. We headed down to the Spa hoping the 25 minute massage included in our packages would pull me out of my funk. It did. It was really relaxing.  The indoor whirlpools and pool were so nice. We had a great dinner at the restaurant and called it an early night.

Saturday we spend most of the day by the pool under an umbrella enjoying the sunshine,  the cocktail of the day and the good burgers from the poolside grill. When the weather started to turn we headed down to the spa to enjoy the steam room, plunge pool, and more time in the indoor pool and whirlpool. 

Dinner again was really good. Then we headed to the lobby bar to see our old friend Bob the bartender before another early night.

Sunday we enjoyed our breakfast buffet and then headed home for a day on the couch watching football and catching up on DVR. It turns out while we may have been able to make it to Chicago via Milwaukee - every flight returning to Tampa from Chicago on Sunday day was cabcelled so things worked out for the best.

9.19.14 M's Bachelorette

This weekend, I headed to Chicago to pick up M for her bachelorette party. We joined up with her future sisters-in-law and boarded the train for Milwaukee. I was so impressed how easy and quick the ride was. 

The first stop was the hotel to pick up the rest of the fun seekers. Then we headed to Lakefront Brewery. We had a fun private tour and had a great time sampling their beers. 

Before dinner, we headed to the Irish Pub next door. 

Off to dinner at Milliouke. The food and the service were great! 

Then we went to the Safe House for some drinks and dancing. 

Sunday meant brunch at Cafe Benelux. Amazing Bloody Marys and amazing food! 

September 6th - September 8th - A Wedding and More Chicago Adventures

I have been very lucky in my life to have made some incredible lifelong friends. Friends from my Valpo days and friends from my days in Chicago are truly the greatest group of people I know and I am blessed to have them in my life. It's even more exciting that four of them are getting married this year. Jon's wedding was in August and Erin's was this weekend. This time I was a bridesmaid!!

It also turned out that my cousins were in Chicago for the weekend. After going to Erin's for a great open house: 

We headed to Frasca for a great dinner! 

My cousin really knows how to ride a unicorn! 

I always knew I belonged in the circus! 

Sunday was a gorgeous day for a wedding. The ceremony was incredible, touching, and person. The setting was the courtyard at the City Winery. It was a lovely day and it was so great to spend time with our people! 

Glenn and I managed to sneak in a trip to the Girl and The Goat. The food was incredible!! 

On Monday, we took some time to explore my old neighborhood. We had breakfast at Nookies, explored the Chicago History Museum and then headed back down to the West Loop for a fantastic lunch at Au Cheval. Then we had a quick drink at Pearl on the River before heading back to the airport. Overall, a wonderful weekend! 

August 29th - Labor Day Weekend in Minneapolis

It's State Fair time!! For Labor Day this year we headed up to Minneapolis to visit our dear friends and check out the MN State Fair. Seeing the butter room was at the top of my list! We had an incredible time at the state fair. Armed with a spreadsheet highlight the "must eats", we ate our way from end to the other. We also were part of a record breaking attendance day!! 

We started the day with mini donuts. They were hot, crispy and just the right amount of sweet! 

Our lovely hosts eating the worst item of the day: Pizza tator tots 

I got my personality analyzed. It was spot on! 

Andrew Zimmer was correct about the Gizmo - it's any amazing sandwich featuring ground beef and Italian beef and cheese. 

We tried the S'mores Beer. Basically a sweet porter with a graham cracker crust and marshmallow garnish. 

We loved the craft beer pavilion. You could choose from one of 6 flights. 

THE BUTTER ROOM!!!! 

You just can't beat Midwestern corn on the cob dumped in a bucket of butter. 

This sandwich was amazing!!! 

Just a little crowded. 

We were so impressed with the vendors. Even though the fair was very crowded, they moved people through that line so quickly! And here's the final list of everything we tried:

Mini donuts
Breakfast taco
Breakfast juicy Lucy
Salty tart coconuts macaroons
Green mill pizza tots
Smores beer
Gizmo
Red velvet funnel cake
(Corn dogs)
1919 root beer
15 kinds of MN beer
Cream soda
Cotton candy
Cheese curds
Sweet Marthas cookies
Fried pickles
Polish sausage on a fork
Jello salad ice cream
Fried buckeyes
Pretzel cheese curds
Corn on the cob
Handwich
Blue cheese and corn fritters
Beer gelato

We rounded out the weekend with some time on the boat, time at the beach and a great game of Monopoly! 

August 23rd - Creative Loafing Beer Fest

This weekend was the Creative Loafing Beer Fest at the Museum of Science in Tampa. 

We both love the new Smoke trend in beers.  This beer fest is a favorite for us since it features an entire room of local craft breweries! 

August 16th - 17th Universal Studios

We finally headed over to Universal Studios to check out the new Diagon Alley at Universal Studios.  I have to say - I was very impressed. I really appreciate Universal Studios' ability to create incredible lands that really embrace a theme. The detail is really incredible. 

We also had a lot of fun heading to our favorite areas of the Park. Glenn tried out the Dudley DoRight Falls. 

This trip we stayed at Loews Portofino. We loved it!! It is the cutest resort. 

We love being on property plus when you stay you get the Fast Pass that gets you to the head of the line. We took advantage of being close to hang out at the Piano Bar at Pat O'Briens. 

Sunday - we had a wonderful day at the pool. The service, food and drinks were fantastic!! 

August 9th - 10th Chicago and a wedding

We headed back to Chicago this weekend for a wedding. We took advantage of the trip to spend time with four of our dear friends. We had to start the day with a coffee and maple bacon donut. 

Then we headed to nana for brunch. I loved their bloody mary! 

Then we drove over the Northwest Indiana for our friends' wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony at Gama Ristorante. 

The bride and groom had a different growler of draft craft beer at each table. It was so fun to walk around and try all the beer. The food was amazing! 

Sunday we took the bride and groom to the airport. Then we headed over to Palatine to have lunch with a couple of our friends. We tried the Tap House Grill. It was great!! The food was really good. It was so much fun to catch up!