||Johnson siblings + loves||
||The Banks in downtown Cincinnati||
||Bowling with the family||
||Easter basket cupcakes courtesy of Mommles||
||Restless feet on Louisville lawns||
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Cincinnati Sports for the not-so win!
A couple weekends ago, I had a doubleheader of sorts as I attended a Reds game before covering the last game of the regular season for the Cyclones. It was absolutely wonderful to be downtown, watching the Reds in something that actually felt like spring weather. Jenn and Sib met us for the game and we ran into Ashley and her boyfriend after a bit.
Unfortunately, the Reds lost to the Rays, 1-0, in probably the most boring game I've ever witnessed. Luckily, a lack of offense is tolerable when you have company like this.
After the game, Jenn, Wheat, and I had lunch and explored the Banks. I'm so happy that Cincinnati has revitalized the area and is finally putting that prime real estate to good use. Not that the Ohio River is particularly worth admiring, but it's great to have so many restaurants, bars, and green spaces for people to enjoy downtown. I feel proud of my city, even if it still considers RC Cola an acceptable soda option.
After Wheat shielded me for a quick outfit change in the tunnel by US Bank Arena, we made our way inside for the Cyclones game. Sadly, they were shutout by the Wheeling Nailers, 5-0, confirming yet again that my support is actually the kiss of death for athletic clubs.
As the Cyclones have since taken a 2-0 series lead against the Orlando Solar Bears in the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs, I doubt they're still reeling from the loss.
Unfortunately, the Reds lost to the Rays, 1-0, in probably the most boring game I've ever witnessed. Luckily, a lack of offense is tolerable when you have company like this.
After the game, Jenn, Wheat, and I had lunch and explored the Banks. I'm so happy that Cincinnati has revitalized the area and is finally putting that prime real estate to good use. Not that the Ohio River is particularly worth admiring, but it's great to have so many restaurants, bars, and green spaces for people to enjoy downtown. I feel proud of my city, even if it still considers RC Cola an acceptable soda option.
After Wheat shielded me for a quick outfit change in the tunnel by US Bank Arena, we made our way inside for the Cyclones game. Sadly, they were shutout by the Wheeling Nailers, 5-0, confirming yet again that my support is actually the kiss of death for athletic clubs.
As the Cyclones have since taken a 2-0 series lead against the Orlando Solar Bears in the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs, I doubt they're still reeling from the loss.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
My Brother is Home!
Sorry for the absence lately. With everything that is going on with my mom, I've realized that I'm only a decent writer when I know how things end. I love telling stories with an entertaining or enlightening ending, a message or lesson that can be gleaned from it. In fact, the things I write most frequently are game recaps, little summations with a clear-cut ending. I'm really struggling with how to put my mom's situation into words because I just don't know what to say.
So, I'll focus on something else today. After an eight-month deployment on the U.S.S. Boxer, my brother is finally home. I can't even begin to explain what this has done for the morale and happiness of my family. Seeing his smiling face, hearing his laugh, and dodging his punches make me feel like no time has passed, despite how different our lives have become in the last couple months.
Due to my mom's situation, he was given the opportunity to come home for a bit, unlike the rest of his comrades. Unbeknownst to his girlfriend, however, the Red Cross sent him home two days earlier than expected, giving him the perfect opportunity to surprise her at work.
After an emotional reunion in the airport, we picked Jamie up for lunch and LP got ready to surprise Elizabeth. The agonizing wait at her salon, as my hands shook uncontrollably and I worried that my camera would run out of batteries, felt about as long as his deployment. Her reaction was totally worth it.
The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing, catching up with friends, bowling (LP, Mom, and Wheat each won a game), playoff hockey, enjoying the weather, cornhole competitions, eating an Easter feast, and feeling grateful for our precious time together. It's never long enough.
If you're interested, here is a longer video I made for LP. Probably NSFW. Please keep in mind: My brother is a Marine. Ha.
So, I'll focus on something else today. After an eight-month deployment on the U.S.S. Boxer, my brother is finally home. I can't even begin to explain what this has done for the morale and happiness of my family. Seeing his smiling face, hearing his laugh, and dodging his punches make me feel like no time has passed, despite how different our lives have become in the last couple months.
Due to my mom's situation, he was given the opportunity to come home for a bit, unlike the rest of his comrades. Unbeknownst to his girlfriend, however, the Red Cross sent him home two days earlier than expected, giving him the perfect opportunity to surprise her at work.
After an emotional reunion in the airport, we picked Jamie up for lunch and LP got ready to surprise Elizabeth. The agonizing wait at her salon, as my hands shook uncontrollably and I worried that my camera would run out of batteries, felt about as long as his deployment. Her reaction was totally worth it.
The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing, catching up with friends, bowling (LP, Mom, and Wheat each won a game), playoff hockey, enjoying the weather, cornhole competitions, eating an Easter feast, and feeling grateful for our precious time together. It's never long enough.
If you're interested, here is a longer video I made for LP. Probably NSFW. Please keep in mind: My brother is a Marine. Ha.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Half-Baked Pottery
In my never-ending quest to do something fun at all times, I dragged took Wheat to Half-Baked Pottery in Broad Ripple a couple weeks ago to paint some pottery. The place is absolutely adorable - a little house converted into a painting studio.
It took us a while to choose what pieces we wanted because there were so many cute options. I was torn between a few things (including the Penguin and Converse piggy banks), but ultimately settled on an ice cream cone-shaped bowl and spoon. Unsurprisingly, Wheat decided to paint a tiny football helmet, which he decorated to look like Tennessee.
The worker helped us choose our colors and offered to teach us some painting techniques, but we knew that would be an exercise in futility and politely declined. So, we settled in and got to work on our masterpieces.
One hour, one mini-panic attack, and four paint-speckled hands later, we were happy with the outcome.
We ended the night with dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant in Indy, La Piedad, and I can tell you - the only thing I like more than guacamole is spending time with this guy.
I picked up the fired, finished products last week and I love how they turned out!
It took us a while to choose what pieces we wanted because there were so many cute options. I was torn between a few things (including the Penguin and Converse piggy banks), but ultimately settled on an ice cream cone-shaped bowl and spoon. Unsurprisingly, Wheat decided to paint a tiny football helmet, which he decorated to look like Tennessee.
The worker helped us choose our colors and offered to teach us some painting techniques, but we knew that would be an exercise in futility and politely declined. So, we settled in and got to work on our masterpieces.
 |
| Such focus. |
We ended the night with dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant in Indy, La Piedad, and I can tell you - the only thing I like more than guacamole is spending time with this guy.
I picked up the fired, finished products last week and I love how they turned out!
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Happy Thoughts Thursday
The sun is out. It's baseball season. Hockey playoffs are right around the corner. It's already Thursday. We all have plenty of reasons to smile. Here are some of mine:
- Free cupcakes. Few combinations of words excite me more than that
one. On Monday, The Flying Cupcake, the best little cupcakery on the planet,
had a customer appreciation day because they reached 20,000 fans on Facebook.
Customer appreciation day is code for 'free cupcakes,' so I dragged (yes,
pretty much dragged) Wheat there for a little midday treat. Wheat has taken an
inexplicable hardline stance against gourmet cupcake shops, due in part to
their pop culture boom in recent years. His chief complaint against them,
however, is the cost, so I sprung on this perfect opportunity. We chose Pretty
in Pink and Happy Birthday to Me vanilla. They didn’t disappoint and let’s be
real: Everything tastes better when it’s free.
- Clean sheets. Such a good feeling.
- The Wire. I could probably write an entire book on my thoughts and feelings about this HBO drama, so I’ll keep it short. It’s excellent. The writing, the acting, the complexity of the storylines, all of it. Wheat and I are probably going to finish it this weekend and I’m more than a little upset by that. If you’re looking for a great show to watch, I highly recommend it, but be forewarned: It’s very dark and doesn’t portray the criminal justice system, politics, education, or the media in a particularly positive light.
- "Loyal" by Chris Brown. Yeah, I know everyone hates him. I still like every song he has ever released. Talented, yet troubled dude.
- My parents. If I’m being honest, my parents are happy thoughts for me on most days, but they made me particularly giddy this week. My mom started losing her hair this weekend, so she decided to shave her head at some point this week. But before she could, my dad surprised her by shaving his own head to match her. I offered to shave my head, too (at this point, that’s probably the only way I could get rid of these split ends), but my mom forbade me from doing it. I’m so unbelievably touched by their strength and love for each other. I couldn’t be more proud to call them my parents. Don’t they look great?!
Does anyone else despise cupcake shops like my weird boyfriend?
As a young female, is it okay to still love C. Breezy?
What's making YOU happy this week?
- Clean sheets. Such a good feeling.
- The Wire. I could probably write an entire book on my thoughts and feelings about this HBO drama, so I’ll keep it short. It’s excellent. The writing, the acting, the complexity of the storylines, all of it. Wheat and I are probably going to finish it this weekend and I’m more than a little upset by that. If you’re looking for a great show to watch, I highly recommend it, but be forewarned: It’s very dark and doesn’t portray the criminal justice system, politics, education, or the media in a particularly positive light.
- "Loyal" by Chris Brown. Yeah, I know everyone hates him. I still like every song he has ever released. Talented, yet troubled dude.
- My parents. If I’m being honest, my parents are happy thoughts for me on most days, but they made me particularly giddy this week. My mom started losing her hair this weekend, so she decided to shave her head at some point this week. But before she could, my dad surprised her by shaving his own head to match her. I offered to shave my head, too (at this point, that’s probably the only way I could get rid of these split ends), but my mom forbade me from doing it. I’m so unbelievably touched by their strength and love for each other. I couldn’t be more proud to call them my parents. Don’t they look great?!
Does anyone else despise cupcake shops like my weird boyfriend?
As a young female, is it okay to still love C. Breezy?
What's making YOU happy this week?
Monday, April 7, 2014
Louisville Love.
With the playoffs quickly approaching for both of us, Wheat and I have limited free days together. Whenever one of those free days falls on a Saturday, we try to make the most of it. This Saturday, we decided to venture down to Louisville for a fun day.
First, we stopped at Sidebar, a law-themed burger and beer place, for lunch. The restaurant itself had a cool vibe with good music and the Preamble to the Constitution on the wall. Each burger had a law-themed name, like Court Reporter, Hung Jury, and the Bailiff. We both ordered the Ambulance Chaser, a barbeque burger that was absolutely delicious. My favorite part, though, was the sweet potato fries with honey-chipotle dipping sauce. So good.
After lunch, we made our way to the Louisville Slugger Museum, stopping to take pictures of the cool public art and Walk of Fame plaques throughout the city.
We had to have our picture taken with the world's biggest bat, of course. It's 120-feet tall and an exact-scale replica of Babe Ruth's Louisville Slugger bat.
We spent more than a little time checking out the cool exhibits in the museum. In addition to the wax figures of Babe Ruth, Derek Jeter, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Ted Williams, we loved looking at the game-used bats on display. We even got to hold some of them - Wheat held Cal Ripken, Jr.'s and I held Joey Votto's.
We also took the tour of the factory, where we saw workers hand-turn bats and watched the machines carve, glaze, brand, and paint bats for the major leagues. I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside the factory, but I highly recommend checking it out. It creates bats for 30% of the players in the major leagues. Since Wheat was wearing an Orioles hat, one of the guides went out of his way to pass around a Chris Davis bat for him. At the end of the tour, we were each given a free Louisville Slugger mini-bat.
Before we left, Wheat took a walk down memory lane when he tried his hand in the batting cage. He used the Brandon Phillips bat, so I credit that with his success.
After Wheat finished a little work at the library downtown, we continued our walking tour of the city. We checked out most of the government buildings, admired(?) the mud pit that is the Ohio River, and sat in front of the KFC Yum! Center for a bit.
Next, we made our way to Fourth Street Live for dinner at The Sports and Social Club. We split a couple appetizers and watched the Final Four on the big screen outside.
After dinner, we hopped in the car to check out the University of Louisville's beautiful campus and the gorgeous historic homes that surround the area. We also stopped outside of Churchill Downs for some pictures.
Finally, we made our way to Bardstown Road for some dessert at Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen. After an embarrassingly long period of deliberation, I decided on a classic - a slice of warm apple pie and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Heaven.
You'll be happy to know that I didn't break up with Wheat when he ordered banana pudding.
First, we stopped at Sidebar, a law-themed burger and beer place, for lunch. The restaurant itself had a cool vibe with good music and the Preamble to the Constitution on the wall. Each burger had a law-themed name, like Court Reporter, Hung Jury, and the Bailiff. We both ordered the Ambulance Chaser, a barbeque burger that was absolutely delicious. My favorite part, though, was the sweet potato fries with honey-chipotle dipping sauce. So good.
After lunch, we made our way to the Louisville Slugger Museum, stopping to take pictures of the cool public art and Walk of Fame plaques throughout the city.
We had to have our picture taken with the world's biggest bat, of course. It's 120-feet tall and an exact-scale replica of Babe Ruth's Louisville Slugger bat.
We spent more than a little time checking out the cool exhibits in the museum. In addition to the wax figures of Babe Ruth, Derek Jeter, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Ted Williams, we loved looking at the game-used bats on display. We even got to hold some of them - Wheat held Cal Ripken, Jr.'s and I held Joey Votto's.
We also took the tour of the factory, where we saw workers hand-turn bats and watched the machines carve, glaze, brand, and paint bats for the major leagues. I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside the factory, but I highly recommend checking it out. It creates bats for 30% of the players in the major leagues. Since Wheat was wearing an Orioles hat, one of the guides went out of his way to pass around a Chris Davis bat for him. At the end of the tour, we were each given a free Louisville Slugger mini-bat.
Before we left, Wheat took a walk down memory lane when he tried his hand in the batting cage. He used the Brandon Phillips bat, so I credit that with his success.
After Wheat finished a little work at the library downtown, we continued our walking tour of the city. We checked out most of the government buildings, admired(?) the mud pit that is the Ohio River, and sat in front of the KFC Yum! Center for a bit.
Next, we made our way to Fourth Street Live for dinner at The Sports and Social Club. We split a couple appetizers and watched the Final Four on the big screen outside.
After dinner, we hopped in the car to check out the University of Louisville's beautiful campus and the gorgeous historic homes that surround the area. We also stopped outside of Churchill Downs for some pictures.
Finally, we made our way to Bardstown Road for some dessert at Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen. After an embarrassingly long period of deliberation, I decided on a classic - a slice of warm apple pie and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Heaven.
You'll be happy to know that I didn't break up with Wheat when he ordered banana pudding.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Happy Thoughts Thursday
It's going to rain all day long, so let's focus on the good things, shall we? Happy thoughts! Go!
- Inside Llewyn Davis. Wheat and I rented it this weekend and I highly recommend it. I found it surprisingly funny and the music was great. I also just enjoyed the premise of the movie and the small roles played by awesome people, including Adam Driver, Alex Karpovsky, and Justin Timberlake. Check it out.
- Daddles. My dad came to visit me last night and we went to the Pacers-Pistons game. The Pacers won, 101-94, and it was so great to spend some quality time with my dad. I'm a lucky girl.
- Warmth. I know I'm probably jinxing myself, but it has felt wonderful this week. Keep it coming, mother nature. I'll even settle for your April showers, as long as they bring May flowers and we're finally done with the snow.
- My second feature for the Cyclones. I wrote a story on versatile defenseman Pat O'Keefe and I'm proud of it. I wish I knew of some freelance opportunities in Indianapolis because writing is definitely what fulfills me.
- G.H. Cretors Chicago Mix Popcorn. Taste bud explosion. Whoever first decided to combine cheese and caramel popcorn has a one-way ticket to heaven.
Do you pay any attention to the NBA?
Have you ever tried the majesty that is cheese and caramel popcorn?
What's making YOU happy this week?
- Inside Llewyn Davis. Wheat and I rented it this weekend and I highly recommend it. I found it surprisingly funny and the music was great. I also just enjoyed the premise of the movie and the small roles played by awesome people, including Adam Driver, Alex Karpovsky, and Justin Timberlake. Check it out.
- Daddles. My dad came to visit me last night and we went to the Pacers-Pistons game. The Pacers won, 101-94, and it was so great to spend some quality time with my dad. I'm a lucky girl.
- Warmth. I know I'm probably jinxing myself, but it has felt wonderful this week. Keep it coming, mother nature. I'll even settle for your April showers, as long as they bring May flowers and we're finally done with the snow.
- My second feature for the Cyclones. I wrote a story on versatile defenseman Pat O'Keefe and I'm proud of it. I wish I knew of some freelance opportunities in Indianapolis because writing is definitely what fulfills me.
- G.H. Cretors Chicago Mix Popcorn. Taste bud explosion. Whoever first decided to combine cheese and caramel popcorn has a one-way ticket to heaven.
Do you pay any attention to the NBA?
Have you ever tried the majesty that is cheese and caramel popcorn?
What's making YOU happy this week?
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