Slightly delayed, but I thought I’d share some Adventures from this past weekend!  Enjoy!

Wine and Brunch
On Friday night, Jackie and I had a date night at Sidebar 122, a wine and tapas bar downtown.  The atmosphere was cozy, the wine toasty, the food tasty, and the company fabulous.  Jackie and I used to go on date nights all the time – don’t get me wrong, we still do, but probably not in the frequency we did when we 25 and felt the need to hit the town every Friday and Saturday night.  Another big difference is that now, when we go out to dinner, we’re home by 10:30 with a sleepy wine haze instead of hitting up Bar Louie and surveying the man scene.  #30.  We drank this fabulous bottle of cab (I had more than my fair share…hey, she drove!) and a few tapas: goat cheese and tomato “dip” with pita, the house salad, and mussels.  It was tasty!

Then, on Sunday, I had a to-die-for brunch at The Crest in Clintonville.  I wrote about dinner at The Crest back in this Adventures post.  I love The Crest – what’s not to love about a gastropub?  Great drinks, great fries, cozy atmosphere.  I had been to The Crest for brunch once before and wasn’t as impressed (my breakfast tacos lacked flavor), but this visit was an entirely different story.

My “date” and I shared the Fig and Goat Cheese Waffles and the Breakfast Burrito, along with hot coffee.  As a savory breakfast person, it’s very rare that I order waffles or pancakes for brunch.  But we both thought these waffles sounded too good not to order (ok, to be fair, he wanted the strawberry and basil waffles…but I won out), and they were to-die-for.  The waffle itself was just slightly sweet – not overly figgy or goat cheesy.  That glob on top?  That’s a honey goat cheese ball – yep, a honey goat cheese ball!  And the breakfast burrito was also very tasty – the chorizo was a bit spicy and the cream sauce on top was really flavorful.  We did not eat all of this – not even close – but I may have eaten the leftover burrito a couple of hours later.  I will be back, and hopefully soon!

Girls on the Run 5K
On Saturday morning, I braved the freezing temps to participate in the Girls on the Run 5K!  For those of you who are unfamiliar, Girls on the Run is a nationwide not-for-profit organization that conducts 24-session programs to teach girls physical, emotional, and mental well-being skills.  At the end of the 12-week program the girls participate in a celebratory 5K event.  I’ve been volunteering as an assistant coach with the group for many years and believe wholeheartedly in their message.  Future post!  But for now, I’ll leave you with a photo of the race right before it started – it’s hard to tell, but the road was packed with girls ages 8-14 – not something you see everyday.  So fun!

Thanksgiving #1
On Saturday night, I attend my first of three Thanksgiving dinners – and I don’t even like Thanksgiving dinner that much!  Some friends of Ashley and Johnny’s invited me to their annual “Friends Thanksgiving”.  It was my first time attending such an event, and it was really enjoyable!  Chris and Sarah’s home in German Village felt like an English cottage – so quaint and festive and cozy.  The food spread was quite impressive – check out Chris at the head of the table (and this was just some of the food! Note that his wife Sarah is not pictured).

Unfortunately, my contribution to the feast was a complete bust.  I made my Mom’s Cranberry Orange Jello, which is more salad-like and less jello-like and is super refreshing when served with turkey and mashed potatoes.  I’ve made it before with success, but this time it did not properly mold and I had to throw the entire thing away!  I know what I did wrong (not worth getting into), but suffice to say this is why I hate “baking”.  Luckily I also brought a fresh green salad for something light, so I wasn’t completely empty-handed.  Hopefully the two dishes I’m making for Thanksgiving #2 (“Friendsgiving”) this weekend – cornbread stuffing and green bean casserole – turn out better than the jello did!

Thanks, Chris and Sarah, for including me in your lovely evening!

Horses
I saved the biggest adventure for last – horses!  Up until Sunday, I had never been up close and personal with a horse.  And then that changed!  The new man in my life, Wyatt (yes, I know you’re thinking “new man?!”  yes, I’m still thinking that too!  He’s not getting a formal introduction today, but I promise that will come.  sit tight and keep reading:)), grew up riding horses thanks to his mother.  Apparently he was really good in his heyday, and continues to stay close to the sport by visiting his family’s two horses on the regular (1-2 times / week).  When he learned that I had never been around horses, let alone ride one, he just had to change that!

So on Sunday afternoon (after the epic brunch), I donned my most barn-appropriate clothes, some old boots, and a brave face and headed to the horse barn!  Wyatt’s family has two horses:  Pericles and Perseus (he was a Classics major…).  His mom rescued both horses – Pericles is an off-the-track Thoroughbred rescue and Perseus a Palomino Quarter Horse.  Pericles can be ridden (carefully – he’s pretty feisty apparently), but Perseus can’t be – at least not right now.  Persues is lame in his front hoof due to complications from an abscess from stepping on a nail in a world competition (yes, I may have pulled that description directly from a text…you think I can remember all of that?!).

Before you get all excited thinking that I actually rode a horse, I didn’t.  But I did touch them!  And groomed them and even picked mud out of their hooves (that’s the technical name for it).  I also watched Wyatt ride Pericles, and found that I actually kind of enjoyed being in the barn!  Imagine that.  I’m told that I was more comfortable / natural than most newbies and that horses feed off that energy – I call that a win 😉  Hopefully it won’t be my last time in the barn – maybe I’ll even ride some day!

Quite the weekend of Adventures!  Here’s to another one ahead!