Cannonsburg

This past weekend Max and I braved the slopes and got our butts out to Cannonsburg, a local ski area in Grand Rapids. We used up a Groupon we bought a few weeks ago on quite possibly the last weekend of the year we’ll have fresh snow. It was perfect because it was warm enough that we didn’t need tons of layers but cold enough that the snow wasn’t turning into that awful messy slush!

BONUS: Little did we know that it was the Cardboard Bobsled Derby day hosted by WGRD. There were Red Bulls being given out left and right, beer tents right out by the slopes and the place had an awesome energy about it! This

I was snowboarding and quite timid the entire time, while Max was skiing and became more adventurous as the day wore on. Either way we both crashed and burned (hard) a couple of times and mutually decided when to call it quits!  Regardless, it had been a while since either of us had been on a mountain (or a big hill?) but we both agreed that we love being out there and need to make an effort to do it more often! Season pass next year? J

Instagram Life – February 2016

February flew! Where did the time go?? We weren’t very busy but the month was exhausting! Baby girl Rosie was our highlight to an otherwise gloomy month!

** Celebrated Mardi Gras from the comfort of my own home

** Fat Tuesday indeed

** My Fat Tuesday baby girl! Rosie was welcomed into our family on that glorious day!

** Valentine’s Day Sunday

** Never a shortage of homemade baked goods from the intern

** Work-from-Home Wednesday’s are a little different now and much more fun!

** Sanded and stained a table one warm Saturday afternoon!

** Champagne Sunday’s with my favorite

** Baby Girl Jessalyn is finally here and I love her so much!

March is a busy one! Starting with our Cannonsburg ski day last weekend, Max’s 29^th, a business trip to Dallas, Food Show in Rosemont, Easter and much more! I’m so looking forward to Spring weather and Spring spirits!

Friday Five!

{cupcakes and cashmere nail polish collab is finally here! xoxox}

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This week was light years ahead of last week. In so many ways… the only thing missing is March weather to start showing its lovely Spring face. Good thing Max and I are headed to Cannonsburg this weekend! This week’s layer of fresh powder should do the snowboarding some good J And my butt when I inevitably fall!! Haven’t been snowboarding in a couple years so this ought to be interesting… good thing I have my trusty flask to keep me warm on the slopes!

Friday Forte: 

{Wine Club #21}

{giving lipstick a go…  and this one from Burt’s Bees feels like chapstick! What’s not to like about a little more red around the love holiday}

{baby girl Rosie is starting to sleep on blankets}

{used the spiraler and made zucchini spaghetti for Max and I}

EB Coffee & Pub

I was feelin’ a little lost last week and decided to have a Megan afternoon on day! I was returning some clothes at the outlet and decided I wanted a beer. After quickly consulting my Grand Rapids Bucket List (Wunderlist of course) I quickly hopped in the car and was on my way to EB Coffee and Pub before I even knew what hit me!

You guys. This place is AMAZING! It’s a local coffee shop meets brewery! I’m sorry but I just don’t know if it gets any better than that! And while I didn’t get any food myself (they were too busy the whole time to even attempt an order) the menu looked straight outta Panera. Next time I go there food is a must! I also didn’t have a book with me (since it was a spur of the moment thing… Instagram and blog reading on my phone while plugged in sufficed), but can’t wait to go back, sit on the comfy couches, drink a beer, or a coffee, or a coffee flavored beer) and lose myself in a book. Can’t wait! Those are the things gloomy winter afternoons are made of! If only I could bring Rosie… 

 

Around Bellewood – Billiard Room

Let the home tour continue! We haven’t done any major updates to our pool table room (right off the kitchen) in some time, but have been perfecting the look since we moved in! A piece of artwork here, some booze there, and a newly stained 1970’s tall top table! This table has been everywhere from my parents basement in my childhood home(s), to multiple apartments of my sister’s as well as all of my apartments and now my home with Max in Grand Rapids. I love this thing! I don’t know why… maybe it’s because I love tall tops at the bar… ether way the color used to be a lighter colored oak… but last weekend Max and I transformed it into a statement piece of the room! I love the pop of color that now exists in this space.

Other than that… we love a good bar cart, gotta have the games and lots of room to entertain and host. This room tends to be the huddle room when we have people over (as it should!). I hope to continually add memories to this awesome corner of our first home. 

Friday Five!

{cuddling with my newest best friend}

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You know when you have those weeks where on Monday you wake up and you just tell yourself that nothing will go wrong in the next five days, because you can't remember the last time you had 5 perfect days in a row... then of course you put so much pressure on those days that there is no way they will EVER meet your expectations? Had one of those weeks... but oh well, life goes on and there's always another Monday right around the corner to try again!!

Anywho, whatevs, happy Friday everyone! On another note, last Monday I started a “No Spend Month” for myself. Basically, I’m trying not to spent any unnecessary monies… groceries, birthday presents, etc were not off limits, only things that are seen an unnecessary spending. Instead, I’m logging all of the things that I “think” I want to buy throughout the 4 weeks (for example, I really wanted a mug that says something about just staying home with my cat…) in my Wunderlist app. I am very interested in seeing how many of these “wants” are on this list at the end of the 4 weeks. So far I’m almost halfway there and have 6 things… at the end of this trial I'm going to allow myself to buy one of the things on my list. Not only am I tracking money saved, but also I’m tracking all of the things that I’ve made note of and no longer want after 4 weeks. Fun experiments indeed!

I must admit, I did have H&M money to spend from Christmas, but I spent less than $4.00 total (after gift cards). So maybe that helped with my itch, but hey, still minimal money out of our pocket!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Friday Forte:

{meow}

{baby girl Jessalyn graced us with her presence last week and I couldn’t be more excited to finally meet her a couple of days ago! She’s a beauty! Mama, baby and daddy are adjusting great J}

{we also made this corner of our house even more cozy J}

{visited the Waldron Public House}

My FitBit Story

For years, I’ve been curious about my heart rate. I’ve been back into a fairly consistent workout schedule for a while now but never once did I think about investing in a tool to track my heart rate because a) I didn’t want to wear a strap around my chest (I honestly used to think all monitors work this way), b) I never thought they would REALLY be accurate and c) I just plain old didn’t feel like spending the money. I had read about lots of cheap ones you could get that got terrible reviews, so ultimately just never took the plunge… until NOW!

A few weeks ago, I finally decided enough is enough and I invested in the FitBit Charge HR (in purple of course!). This little device is able to do so much!! Not only does it track heart rate, distance, steps, calories burned and floors climbs, but by connecting it to your phone you’re able to track sleep patterns, caller ID and more! I don’t have my Bluetooth constantly turned on so I simply reconnect once or twice a day to check stats that don’t automatically show up on the device’s screen (like how often I woke up last night... it was 4). 

I must admit it’s kind of addicting! I find myself staring at my wrist CONSTANTLY. So far I’ve noticed that I walk way more than I thought I did… and, to my pleasant surprise, jump rope counts as steps (so even more of an incentive to get your cardio on)! I am also WAY more aware of how many flights of stairs I climb. Granted, each floor counts as two flights (something I was unaware of) but I now make a point to get that number up to at least 20 everyday! I have been scheduling meetings on different floors for this sole purpose… something my colleagues aren’t always pleased with but hey… GOTTA STAY ACTIVE!

NOTE: This device DOES NOT have a GPS tracker on it. Some might have an issue with this and not trust it’s accuracy, but I have found it to be quite accurate! Happy moving!