Five Things

 Adventures around Avon Nature Study Area
 
Oh hey, 2018!  We made it through the first week… yay! As you probably have read the end of the year was a less than stellar experience for me, and I was left pretty broken in more ways than one. However it’s a new year, and I have renewed outlook on life and am ready to face 2018 in the most positive way possible. Between delicious food, great hikes and beautiful flowers the first week has set such a positive tone for year.
With everything going on I had completely lost my appetite, but someone was super concerned about me so he made sure I ate, and we ended up getting beyond amazing mahi mahi tacos at OWL.
 Snow and frigid temperatures present plenty of snow adventures.
*Note: i need new boots these do NOT keep my feet warm at all.
 Beautiful sympathy flowers from my work family.
Homemade Chinese food date night at the boys house.

Restaurant Review: Kruse and Muer

When we first started talking he had asked about my favorite local restaurant, to which I answered Kruse and Muer (seriously LOVE their house salad).  If you have never been to Kruse and Muer before I highly recommend it, their food is amazing. The atmosphere is on the nicer side of the spectrum, but also has a fun side since you get to draw on your brown paper that covers your table. We had gone to the restaurant previously together, and this time we decided to try their pizza since neither of us had tried it before. We each got a side house salad – it was his first time trying it and he definitely approved. As mentioned above we ordered the pizza, and unfortunately I was a tad bit underwhelmed by it. While everything I have ever had there has been absolutely amazing, I kind of expected more especially with how good the bread is. I can definitely see why people love it though, it has it’s own unique style, and pairs nicely with the house salad.

Winter Activity List

Winter can be an absolutely miserable time of year; therefore I always try to make a list of things I want to do that will keep me from falling into the dreaded winter depression. While the things on the list are not daily activities they can be squeezed in here and there to make the winter a little bit easier to manage. Here’s a peek at my list, what is on yours?
Go ice skating
Head up north
Go sledding
Build a snowman
Make snow angels
Have a snowball fight
Head to a cabin for the weekend
Hot tub while it’s snowing
Go snowshoeing
Hit the slopes for skiing or snowboarding
Cross country ski
Go tubing
Head to an ice carving festival
Go to a hockey game
Curl up by a fire and watch a movie
Braaaaap it up on a snowmobile

See you in 2018!

2017 kind of took a turn for the worse when my grandma was rushed to the ER on Friday, December 22nd, and later passed away on Christmas day. After everything that has happened I have decided that I am taking off the rest of 2017 to recharge, but will return with fresh content on January 2nd. Of course, you can still follow along on Instagram here until then. Thank you for your support, and I can\’t wait to share 2018 with you. xoxox Happy New Year

Christmas Angel

Christmas will never be the same again…..at 4:11 this morning Meeme passed away and became our Christmas Angel. For me this was especially hard, as I was extremely close to her. My heart is completely broken right now, and just trying to get through each moment.

Have you ever met someone that would give you the last penny in their pocket, or the coat off their back in subzero temperatures? If you have, then most likely you’ve met Judy. She’s the type of person that puts everyone else before herself, and thinks of you before anyone else. Well that is unless you’re at Nino Salvaggio and she runs the cart into the 4.99 a carton blackberry display and they fall over the floor. Of course, at that moment she’s out of there before you can blink your eyes and you’re left with a big mess that you have to apologize for and slowly back away from. Need a snack? She probably has one in her purse waiting for you. Need some good butter? She most likely has the sample size for you in her purse, because let’s be real if we are going to butter that roll it better be with the good stuff. 

Need a volunteer? Judy is right there willing to help you. During the holiday season she spent time volunteering at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen. You can’t forget about all the toys she donated to Toys for Tots, because she believed no child should ever be without. Who can resist a flamed-grilled Whopper Jr. from Burger King, especially when it is buy one get one? If you’re Judy the free one goes to the homeless lady who was sitting at a table drinking a coffee and eating a pie, because that’s all the lady could afford and Judy just can’t resist seeing anyone go hungry. If you’re ever at the Burger King at Avon and Rochester Road and see someone less fortunate think of Judy and get them a little something to eat.

Whether she’s stopping over to say hi or coming over for the holidays Judy never shows up empty handed. Returning Tupperware you know that it comes back with something in it, maybe it’s cookies or maybe it’s a little extra money – no matter what she made sure you had something.

Judy loved taking the bus to the casino, and the pickup was at Oakland Mall. Do you know what’s right by Oakland Mall? That’s right, Krispie Kreme donuts… yum. Judy would get a couple dozen donuts and share them with the ladies and gentlemen on the bus. One time she even brought a cooler on a bus trip and filled it with ice cream sandwiches because it was so hot and she wanted to make sure everyone would stay cool on the bus ride. Need more substance in your stomach? No problem, she probably has some tuna and egg salad sandwiches in a pita in that cooler as well. The casino was the thrill of it all, she wanted to win big, but not so she could be a millionaire and live in a big fancy mansion with six cars, she wanted to make sure her family was taken care of and the rest of the money would go to charitable causes. She never talked about what she would do for herself if she hit it big; she always talked about what she would do for others.

She saw the good in the world – like the time she was sitting at a slot machine winning, but noticed a purse sitting adjacent to her with no one in sight. She promptly got up from her winning chair, grabbed the purse and walked briskly to security where she turned it in. Only to find out that it was a decoy purse to catch bad guys, and she could of stayed at her winning slot machine…bummer.
Have you ever heard of the bowling team The Two Sisters? Well that’s Judy and Geri – sisters in real life, but despite popular belief by fellow members of the league not nuns. From strikes to gutter balls the memories created at the lanes were ones to last a lifetime.

Judy had an eye for decoration, especially during the holidays. At Christmas time step foot in the door and be welcomed by a life-sized Santa and see the beautifully wrapped family presents adorned with a bow of course, that add decorative detailing to the staircase. Walk into the family room and you can bet the table has a variety of candies and nuts to make sure her family and friends always have a little something to snack on. Turn to the mantle where you can see a perfect display of Christmas décor, featuring some of the most beautiful angels you have ever seen. On the opposite side of the spectrum if you want to be traumatized and completely afraid of the dark for the rest of your life, spending the night at her house was the place to be. Between dateline and ghost stories you can bet us girls are sleeping with a light on and our doors locked.

To her family Judy was known as Meeme, the best mom, sister and grandma that anyone could ever ask for. She had more love in her heart for her family than words can even begin to express, and when you look at the family you can see some of her most prized qualities in them.

xoxox Air