51K IPA

Mr.U&I discovered an IPA in the beer cooler of the only grocery store in my summer town. Brewed in Marquette, MI, we obviously had to try it. And, boy-oh-boy, was it ever delicious. It made for an excellent sipper while we enjoyed an afternoon of beach-laying and jet-ski-watching. I thought it was really neat that the proceeds of the sale went to preserve recreational trails, too. Very fitting.

Grange Hall

My mom planned a fundraiser bus trip to Chicago this past weekend, so Juli&Rinda&Abby&Mom&Joe all hopped on the bus and headed to the Windy City. Our first stop was to meet my brother, Dustin, and his newest lady, Caitlin, at a restaurant in the Westloop called Grange Hall known for it's local eats (Michigan local, actually) and homemade goodies. It was quite a hike from our stop on Michigan Avenue to the restaurant, but well worth it. The neighborhood was adorable and the building was very quaint with a great old barn door and an inviting outdoor sitting area. The inside was fun with fresh flowers on all the tables and eclectic farm-themed decorations on the walls. And, of course, the entire menu looked delicious. Joe got the most amazing looking item, though: A Reuben burger with a corned-beef-patty&pumpernickel-toast topped with egg&sauerkraut and thousand island dressing. The service was perceptive&impeccable, the portions perfectly-size, and even the restrooms were petite&pretty. I would definitely love to go back.

Fresh Flowers

Reuben Burger

Front Entrance&Patio

Line of Seasonings&Sauces

Booze Bar

Comment Card

Zoo Date

After brunch, Elise&Erica joined me at the Detroit Zoo.

Bunnyville was going on for Easter Weekend,

so we made a food donation and joined the herd of children at the zoo.

Luckily, most of the little ones were entertained by the Bunny-themed festivities,

so we were able to enjoy the animals with a bit more peace.

First we walked through the butterfly & bird gardens in a beautiful domed building.

There must have been something in the air, cause all the animals were sleeping

and - oh my goodness - it was so adorable.

The grizzly bear was passed out on his back with his paw over his face.

The lions were spooning and the tiger had found a nice spot in the shade.

The animals that were up&about were so wonderful, too.

I forget how much they take my breath away until I find myself at a zoo again.

The zebra hung back away from the fence, but the stripes were still incredible.

The giraffe awkwardly tucked his back legs and plopped down on the ground for grass.

And the big-bodied rhinos wandered side-by-side through their area.

My knees were hurting me, so I didn't walk through the kangaroo exhibit,

but from the back side of the fence I could see the girls walking past the sleepy lil animals.

Before leaving, we got snacks - a pretzel for Elise, dip-n-dots for Erica, & cheese popcorn for me.

Then we started our journey back through Royal Oak to the car

stopping first for the skirt, shoes, & ring I'd bought and the clock Erica had found.

Brunch @ Toast

I've always been a breakfast eater, so when I moved to the Detroit area I had to find a new favorite breakfast spot. Erica introduced me to a place called Toast in Birmingham, MI. She raved that I'd love the decor and insisted that I try it. So we met for brunch one Saturday and I fell in love. Now, it's my favorite place to go when I'm cravin' a good breakfast, which obviously meant I suggested Elise&Erica meet me there for brunch on Saturday before our Zoo date. We sat down and all said the word "mimosa," so we ordered Mimosas for the Table - a bottle of champagne and carafe of orange juice just for the 3 of us. Goodness was it delicious. The perfect addition to our brunch items. Our server seemed to think we were a pretty entertaining table also - probably even more so after we'd each downed 3 mimosas. We sat&talked giggling&gossiping for about an hour before heading out for the day.

And I successfully turned another Bestie into a Toast Lover.

mug on the table next to us that I had to take a picture of

The Buscuit

Jacob&I enjoyed breakfast at The Biscuit in Holland this past weekend. It was a cute, little restaurant in an area I'd never been to before. The menu was mostly local and very vegan/vegetarian friendly. Ironically, I didn't get a biscuit - I'm not a biscuit girl - but my meal was delicious and (as always) the company was excellent.

Eastern Market

I've driven through Eastern Market, but I've never truly experienced it. After brunch in downtown Detroit, though, Syd&I decided to head out to Eastern Market to pick up some flowers and look for goodies.

It was mostly a good time.

We looked at rows&rows of plants and table after table of fruits&veggies. We went into a cute, little antique shop where I found a cool, old saw to decorate with and admired the fun&unique architecture of the market buildings.

I saw "mostly a good time" because the strangest thing happened when we were walking in. We parked a few blocks away and as we were strolling past a storefront who's door I was admiring this woman came running down the middle of the street with a flat of flowers in her hands yelling, "Get him!" "Call the police!" "That son of a bitch!" ...that's when we noticed that the man who'd been standing by the car outside the storefront we'd been gazing at was actually stealing from her car! By the time we realized, the man had disappeared and the woman claimed he hadn't gotten anything. I'm not trying to be rude, but just because you're at a pleasant farmer's market on a sunny Saturday afternoon doesn't mean you've fallen into a thief-free society and should leave your doors unlocked... Sad, but true.

Downtown Goodies

Mr.U got to take a tour with the company he’s interning for the other day and a lot of local goodies were center-stage.
I got to enjoy the goodies he wasn’t interested in.
.Nom.Nom.Nom..Good People Popcorn..Faygo..Simply Suzanne Granola.