An Exceptional Fourth Wedded Anniversary

over the weekend my husband and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary! 

on friday we drove to bloomington, indiana for a visit! 

just relaxing... a few treats, some shopping, a couple of breweries and an art museum. the kind of weekend where nothing needs to be planned out - but a lady can wear a dress if she likes!

{some of our favorites from the weekend}

FARM Bloomington - serious brunch on saturday morning. 

the walk thru Indiana University's campus was BEAUTIFUL!

SOMA Coffeehouse was a nice quiet stop for us to grab drinks after a long walk thru campus 

{and not over-the-top-sweet beverages either}

a wine tasting at Oliver Winery - they have the cutest little pond + picnic area. 

we had the best burgers + fries at Upland Brewing Co.

we sampled several great brews at Function Brewing

we hit up Hopscotch Coffee on our way out of town for cold brews to go. 

i was so thankful for the time to just hang out with my favorite guy - hand in hand strolling thru the bloomington entertainment and arts district {BEAD}.  i'm a lucky mrs. for sure. 

all the happiest anniversary wishes to you, dear j. you are tops on my list and i'm ready to start up our fifth wedded year! xo ;)

some of the links in this post take you to the shops + businesses that we enjoyed over our visit - just simply sharing the love. if you'd like to read about our past anniversaries click away for our first, second, and third. 

Our Green Adventure in Acadia National Park

Our favorite part of this summer's awesome {and laid back} road trip was our time spent in Acadia National Park in Maine.

It was fun to camp and hike the park. There were so many different areas to explore.

Every landscape was beautiful - completely and in its own way. Oh my and the colors we found in the park were gorgeous- grass, trees, moss... so much green! So many shades of green. 

It was a most lovely adventure.

I'm linking up with Rebecca of Bumbles & Light and Kristi of Live and Love Out Loud for a summer photo challenge. Check out the photos of so many others thinking about this week's topic "Green/Adventure" {here}.

2013 Summer Road Trip

A mid-summer trip to just get out of town. Away from responsibility. To just do what we do. 

That was all my husband and I wanted out of our vacation this year: go somewhere, eat good food, see some sights, and laugh.

A few weeks ago we took a road trip with loads of stops and hours of being together in the car. We had minimal planned activities, and mostly just went where Lady Luck took us. And it was just perfect.


We planned a stop in Niagara Falls, NY. Just for camping and visiting the Falls {once at night, and once in the day light}.

We happened upon an art walk featuring community member art pieces, drinks and appetizers on a cute little patio, and a coffee roaster in Utica, NY.

We drove through the Adirondack Mountains and had a lovely day visiting Lake George. 

There was a great time had while camping in Burlington, VT. So much good food, shopping, sight seeing, beer tasting at the Magic Hat Brewery Tour. And a stop at The Vermont Pub & Brewery.

A tour and some ice cream eating was very much on the schedule from day one of planning this vacation. Who could pass up visiting the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory in Vermont?

Let's see, we hiked around the Quechee Gorge, ate mussels at the Portsmouth Brew Pub, and hit up bar for a late night bite in Bangor, Maine.

We loved camping in Acadia National Park and spending time in Bar Harbor and Portland.

We rounded out the trip by heading to Boston for Independence Day. An afternoon baseball game in "America's Most Beloved Ballpark", beers and dinner on the set bar of Cheers, then fireworks on the Charles River. Pretty American I'd say :)

It was a wonderful get away. Full of so much fun... with these photos serving tribute to the major highlights.  So happy we were able to spend a little time away from home just enjoying ourselves.

Happy 4th of July!

Hope you are enjoying an awesome day of independence with the ones you love.

Sometimes we like to stay home to enjoy the local festivities and time hanging out with friends. 

Sometimes we like to take advantage of the extra day off and get out of town. 

A few years back we hit up Gatlinburg, Tennessee and were able to celebrate just as July 3rd ended and July 4th began with the nation's first Independence Day Parade of the year! 

I guess we will see where today takes us :)

Happy 4th of July!

Shoreline Brewery in Michigan City, Indiana

Our final brewery to visit on our end of the summer brewcation was Shoreline Brewery & Restaurant in Michigan City, Indiana.

First impression: Well... we came pretty early in the day, so there were not many people there. The general area around the brewery and restaurant was pretty deserted. It felt a bit like a ghost town to tell you the truth. But when we walked inside it looked like a typical sports pub and there were fellas around drinking beers and watching a football game. Very relaxing sort of feel.

Service: Great! We sat at a table and had a nice waitress. She even opened the brew gear room for us to look around.

Food: They did have a full menu (I saw ribs for listed for lunch and pasta for dinner). We did not eat at this location. It was poor timing and a bit of a random stop. This is what happens when you pass a sign for a brewery after a late brunch with an early dinner planned and ingredients are already in the cooler (camping + dinner = cooking when the sun is still out)

Prices & Other Notes: We were pretty excited to learn how affordable the growlers were... then we found out that they do Monday $8 growler refills. (And $8 pitchers on Sunday) They also have music often on Saturday nights and Open Mic on Tuesdays. It seems any day of the week is a good time to go!

As for the beer: Our group had pints of Stella Blue, Benny's APA and Beltain's Scotch. Benny's and Beltains are World Beer Cup Medal winners and we thought they were deserving of such awards. The boys liked the brews so well that they ended up stopping back later in the day to pick up a growler for the campsite. They chose the Sesh Wheat Ale and it was tasty too!

Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, MI

During our Michigan Brewcation we stayed in Grand Rapids for a long afternoon. The city was great fun and while we were there we stopped at two breweries. First HopCat (click here for HopCat's website) and then we walked over to Founder's Brewing Company for drinks and dinner. 

First impression: Love. Dreamy hardwood floors, open balcony, loads of good natured folk. 

Service: Great! We had two lovely waitresses checking on us for drinks very often (and filling water glasses for our designated driver). When ordering food there are specific windows to place and pick up your order and the fellas back there were very pleasant as well! 

Food: We ordered their "Tree Hugger" sandwich and it was tasty! The food was good quality but we did order an extra side item (pasta salad - tasted great) that we didn't think was really worth the cost. I believe while eating it my husband and I agreed that we should have just split a new brew for the calories and cash we "spent". So if you are there for the food, eat up an extra side item because they have several to try. But if you are not the designated driver the sandwich and fries were plenty (we split it). Then grab a second (or third) brew. 

Other Notes: Founders Brewing Company has been ranked in the top five breweries in the world for years on ratebeer.com. Since 2011 they have held the second place position on Best Brewery in the World.

As for the beer: Never found a beer that we didn't like from Founders. It was great to have pints straight from their taps. On this evening I liked their Honey Wheat but the boys at our table enjoyed drinking All Day IPA, Centennial IPA, Red's Rye and the Fest Wheat. All good, all recommended. 

I really enjoyed the atmosphere at Founders Brewing Company. The place was beautiful and there were all types of people there (locals and not-so locals, crowds of mixed ages and groups of friends). Please check out their website to see if you'd like to stop by the next time you are in Grand Rapids, MI.

HopCat in Grand Rapids, MI

We knew when going to SW Michigan we would need to stop by HopCat's pub in Grand Rapids. 

First impression: I've got a special place in my heart for bricks, gorgeous windows and let's be honest, cats. The music was good, and there were interesting displays, signs, and posters on the walls. We had walked into a place that we could stay awhile. 

Service: Great. Our waiter helped us choose some great beer. He also mentioned a few other breweries in the area that we should try and some of his personal favorite bars. We hope to go back to Grand Rapids and spend more time... maybe check out a few more of his recommendations. 

Food: In effort to try some of the favorite and recommended foods we ate lots of fried bar appetizers on this brewcation. And at Hopcat we dove into some serious fries. That's right, I'm talking "Crack Fries" my friends. So tasty, just order it and split it like we did. That way you don't have to feel guilty when later in the day you wish you had more. 

Prices & Other Notes: HopCat is rated "#3 Beer Bar on Planet Earth" by Beer Advocate Magazine... I don't think any other notes can compare to that...

As for the beer: We tried the Hoppopotamus IPA (just over 6%). It was light enough for us with the full bellies. :) HopCat had a very long beer list including lots of brews from other local brewers... which is great if you want to try a few others but not travel to their specific locations.


After our stop at HopCat we walked a few blocks to hit up Founders Brewing Company... we truly enjoyed Grand Rapids!

New Holland Brewing Company in Holland, Michigan

Our next stop during our "end of summer brewcation" was Holland, Michigan. We enjoyed the town for the afternoon (yay for the farmer's market!). We went on an official brewery tour of New Holland Brewing Company's Brew House and had yummy refreshments at their pub.


Let's start off by saying we had a great time on the New Holland Brewery Tour! They were actually brewing on that Saturday morning, which we were excited about. The air smelled like sweet liquid bread and the boys got to talk shop around the huge equipment with the guys who knew brew.

The tour cost about $10 per person but it was worth every penny. By the end of the tour we had learned a bit, tasted four generous samples and had a pint glass to take home with us.

Later in the day we stopped by the New Holland Brewing Company's Brew Pub.

First impression of the Brew Pub: By this time in the day it was a beautiful sunny afternoon. The streets and shops were super inviting and the Brew Pub was packed! (We actually had to wait a bit for a table)

Service: Just fine. To tell you the truth, I was a bigger fan of the folks at the brewery than the host and wait staff at the Brew Pub. Nothing wrong happened, I probably just liked hearing them talk about crafting brew in the brewery versus telling me what was on tap in the pub.

Food: We ate up some recommended appetizers (from the guys at the brewery): Pepperoni Pinwheels and the Brew Pub's fresh made potato chips. The Pepperoni Pinwheels were awesome! With super tasty dipping sauces too.

Prices & Other Notes: 

I really liked the look of the Brew Pub. Nice light, brick, beautiful wood. Very relaxing and tons of people were there having a late lunch or watching the football game on the screens in various parts of the bar.

As for the beer: There is not one brew I haven't liked from New Holland Brewing Company. Whether enjoying samples in the brew house, drinks at the Brew Pub, or six packs at home I like their style. So I thought maybe I'd just mention two of my favorites from the trip: Ichabod Pumpkin and Beerhive Honey Ginger Ales. Ichabod has all the right spices for a perfect fall brew while the Beerhive is strong and a bit sweet.

I think I'd like to spend more time in Holland. It seems like a great town to have as part of the state of Michigan. 

Paw Paw Brewing Company in Paw Paw, Michigan

One of my all time favorite beers is a Paw Paw Wheat Beer. So when we heard about Paw Paw Brewing Company we were thrilled to make it part of our trip!

First impression: Small bar, loads of people! We often find that the smaller the bar the more we love it... slightly crowded tables, camaraderie, good drafts. If the locals are catered to, then obviously you'll want to be there. (I base this theory on the fact that locals get to choose what bars they visit in their area all the time. So they most likely frequent the best ones.) 

Service: Great. We were given a draft list right away and were able to order up some great brews. 

Food: Minimal offerings. We had read some online reviews that the food was good however when we got there it wasn't a typical menu. They seem to have rotating entrees. The night we went there was a reuben special and a chicken sandwich. So if you want a selection eat ahead or make plans for a second stop. You could also call ahead to hear what they were serving at the bar that day. 

Prices & Other Notes: 

Something I love about breweries is that they typically are connected to a great community. There was a noticeable mug club and various events that seemed like they would be a good time for regular customers. The bartenders were busy grabbing drinks and chatting with lots of people. They were very friendly and obviously knew many of their patrons.  

As for the beer: Yum! As I mentioned before, paw paw brews are my bag so we were impressed. We ordered the Paw Paw Wheat and it was light and tasty!

This was a short stop for us, but I was glad we found it. Definitely check out Paw Paw Brewing Company if you are passing through Paw Paw, Michigan!

Bell's Inspired Brewing in Kalamazoo, MI

Our third brewcation brewery stop was Bell's in Kalamazoo. Since we have purchased their brew from several of our local stores that carry Bell's six packs we had actually considered not going to this brewery. But after some thought we decided a true brewcation to the Southwest area of Michigan required a visit to Bell's. We were able to check out their General Store, Pub and outdoor patio.

First impression: Where are we going to park?! By this time of the day it was late enough for after work crowds (on a Friday too). We had to circle the block twice to find a parking spot. It was worth the hassle, but it was a hopping place and pretty packed.



Service: The tables were clean and we ordered at the bar. The bartender was knowledgeable and answered our questions about the "Beer Engine" (see more below in beer descriptions)

Food: We did not have any food here. Our original plan had been to eat at the cafe, but since we had made our impromptu stop in Indiana we weren't really hungry. If we ever go back I definitely want to try something because the food that was passed around the nearby tables looked AMAZING!



Prices & Other Notes: 

We spent some time in the General Store which was really neat. They had Bell's gear, home brew supplies and a chilly walk in cooler.

We noticed the use of Greenware cups for the patio and the crowd seemed pretty laid back. Mostly groups of friends meeting to start off the weekend. Some groups did have children with them, many of them sat outside and the kids ran around the patio area. It was very relaxed.

As for the beer:

The bar selection was awesome! So many brews on tap and they even had Two Hearted Ale on the "Beer Engine". Which we thought was fun to try. The beer was less carbonated with accentuated hop flavors. It tasted as if it was straight from the fermenter. It was also served a little warm.

We ordered two specialties beers from the bar and one year-round brew:

Le Contrebassiste Ale (specialty) - a "French Bier de Garde" style ale, it was smooth, nutty and had a rich maple flavor.(7% alcohol by volume)

Wedding Ale (specialty) - mmm! Honey flavor (more so than the orange peel and coriander) but not very sweet. Pretty strong ale at 8% alcohol by volume. 

Oarsman Ale (year round) - A tasty session beer at 4% alcohol by volume it was easy to drink. It is described as palate-cleansing beer which makes it great for drinking with different foods.

Beautiful bar, great location, tasty brews. Definitely recommended.