Date Nights - October

It's finally baby month!! We managed to squeeze in two final date nights before our daughter arrived on October 17. Neither quite lived up to what we imagined them to be in our mind, but it was fun to spend a little more time together as a twosome before becoming a family of three!

I suggested we check out a book sale at the Columbus Metropolitan Library. We found a couple books that we took home, but overall there weren't too many great options for us. We were happy to support the library though.

Chris planned one final trip to the movies - we saw Monsters & Men. It starred my old NFL Europa pal, John David Washington. The premise was interesting, but we both agreed that it kind of played out in a weird manner. I won't say too much more in case you check it out.

What is your favorite movie genre?

Andrea :)

Date Nights - September

With September being the final month before the birth of our baby, I was feeling quite large. I still wanted to take part in all the fall fun so I planned an apple picking trip. Chris preferred to enjoy a quiet game night at home before the chaos of having a newborn became a reality.

This year, we decided to try Lynd Fruit Farm for apple picking. They also have pumpkin patches and a large country store there. We didn't spend a lot of time picking apples because we only wanted to get what we knew we'd be able to use in the next couple of weeks. We gave the pumpkin patch a shot, but it had already been really picked over so we decided to just find some pumpkins at the store. We enjoyed some hot cider and cider donuts while we looked around the store. We discovered the deliciousness of pumpkin bars as we looked around for tasty treats to take home with us. We brought back one big pumpkin for our front porch and two little ones that I planned to paint and use as a way to reveal the gender of our baby at the hospital. I was persistent that we try the corn maze before we left. Oh, boy! It was quite an adventure in there. I am surprised I didn't give birth halfway through it. Definitely not the smartest choice to do ALL that walking, but I refused to give up before we completed it. Chris had no option - he was forced to go along with his stubborn pregnant wife on this one! We had a lot of fun. I can't wait to take our little one next year!

Game night proved to be a huge hit! We had a blast. I literally peed my pants laughing so hard at one point. Not a super difficult feat for a nearly nine month pregnant lady, but playing the Ellen DeGeneres Heads Up game was THE best decision of the night. We had SO much fun...and it didn't cost a penny! Don't you just love nights like that?

What is your favorite date night in activity?

Andrea :)

Date Nights - August

In August, we did a good deal of traveling as we spent time in both Kentucky and New York for baby showers. When we weren't traveling, we were attempting to organize baby gifts and set up the nursery for our little one. We still found time for a couple of fun date nights though.

While we were in New York, we managed to catch my former improv teachers in a show. We also made time for a true NYC dinner - chicken and rice from the Halal Guys. I used to live just a couple blocks away from their midtown Manhattan carts so it was a super tasty inexpensive dinner that we enjoyed regularly. It was a lot of fun to enjoy a couple of our favorite things about the city while we were visiting!

For my date night, I suggested COSI After Dark. COSI is a science and industry museum that has fun things for both children and adults. On these COSI After Dark evenings, no children are allowed. There is often a theme and it is a really neat way to spend the evening. We hadn't ever been free for one until now. We had a blast running around and playing at all the stations. Definitely recommend taking part in one of these in you live in the Columbus area. It is an entirely different experience when there aren't hundreds of kids running around in there!

What types of museums do you enjoy visiting?

Andrea :)

Date Nights - July

July is easily the best month of the year. It's possible that I would think that even if it didn't play host to my birthday. Haha! Whether you love it or not, we sure did make the most of it this year.

Chris loves music - especially those old school smooth grooves! When he saw that the Commodores were coming to the Ohio State Fair, it was a no brainer that we'd go. We had great seats so close to the stage I could see the sweat pouring off their faces. From Easy to Brick House, it was a night full of fun and laughter. They definitely still have it going on after all these years. I was surprised how much I got into it! Chris also indulged me in trekking over to the infamous butter sculpture. It featured scenes from A Christmas Story this year. It was incredible - over 2,000 pounds of butter was used to make the creation. It was certainly a night to remember!

For my date night, we headed to a night of improv and trivia at the Nest before enjoying the Red, White, and Boom fireworks show from their patio area. It was a fun night all around! The view was perfect from their patio, and I'm so glad we had a chance to see the big firework display without having to deal with the annoying crowds.

What are your favorite summer date nights?

Andrea :)

Date Nights - June

It's hard to believe that we've been in Columbus for nearly a year now. We really started focusing on making it our new city about this time last year. It has been fun finding new places to explore. Chris selected a movie while I found a strawberry festival for us to enjoy.

It was the 25th anniversary of the movie Scarface this year. I'd never seen the classic film so we made our way to Marcus Crosswoods Theater for the event. We were excited to see it together. There was also supposed to be a recorded Q&A with various cast members played after the show, but for some reason that never happened. It was fun to watch it together despite a milk dud pulling out a crown on one of my molars during the previews. Fortunately (or maybe rather unfortunately), it isn't the first time this has happened so I took it in stride...at least until the movie ended!

To be honest, the strawberry festival was a last minute find via facebook. It was a fairly small festival, but packed a big punch with its desserts. They were so tasty that's really all it took to call the day a win. Sometimes the most fun things are the spontaneous ones!

Do you enjoy the traditional dinner and a movie date night? Why or why not?

Andrea :)

2017-2018 Broadway in Columbus - Part 2

If you missed part 1, check it out here.

After we got settled into the new year, we had our next show on the docket - Chicago. Ironically, Chicago was one of the first Broadway shows I saw after moving to NYC. On Broadway, I didn't like the way it was set, but the music never disappoints. The same applied to the Columbus performance. In fact, this particular performance was extra special because Ohio State's own Eddie George played Mr. Razzle Dazzle himself. The crowd was really loving that!

An American in Paris was next for us. I went into this one with no expectations at all because I'd never seen it. I didn't know too much about the story either. We really liked this show. The story was a bit predictable, but I loved how ballet was incorporated throughout. It was truly beautiful to watch. I enjoyed the bits of comedic relief throughout as well. Definitely an enjoyable show!

Our last show for the season was The King & I. We really enjoyed it. The bits of humor in a mostly serious performance were golden. I loved the performance of Uncle Thomas' Cabin in the second act. The cast was quite talented and the story was fantastic. A love story, but also a story of strength and oppression. A hopeful story about overcoming odds and being brave with overtones of sexism and domination that create a perfect dichotomy.

Have you seen any of these Broadway shows?

Andrea :)

Date Nights - May

We only managed to stay local for one of our date nights this month, but part of the reason is that we spent a good chuck of the month out of town. Chris found a documentary festival at Gateway, a local independent theater. I had my eye on the RACE exhibit at the Chicago History Museum.

We watched two very different, but equally interesting documentaries at the Gateway festival. Our first was Big Sonia. Wow! What a lady...and what a story! She is a Holocaust survivor that owned a shop in what had over time become a dilapidated mall complex. Due to the building being destroyed, she was forced to relocate her business. All the while, she tells her story sharing with local students and national media sources alike. The second documentary was in regard to standardized testing and its essentially purposeless existence. It was interesting, but didn't quite ever come to a conclusion or final outcome. The information provided was valuable to know, but it didn't really seem to matter or make a difference. Both were interesting topics, but Big Sonia was by far most compelling.

The main purpose of our little Chicago road trip was to visit our friends, Tarra and Evan. It is always great to spend some time with them! Our secondary goal was to catch the RACE exhibit while it was still at the Chicago History Museum. The exhibit was extremely thorough and covered so many different aspects of race. It was particularly interesting because it offered a number of interactive elements throughout the space. There was a plethora of information - we spent several hours combing through each room. The exhibit was well done - and the rest of the museum was pretty neat, too. Lots of Chicago history to be seen!

Do you enjoy checking out museum exhibits or watching documentaries?

Andrea :)

Date Nights - April

We continued to find fun events in the Columbus area this month for date night. I spotted a sign advertising a Professional Bull Riding event at the Schottenstein Center. Chris found an event at the Newark OSU campus featuring Tim Wise, one of our favorite podcasters.

The PBR event was exactly like we expected yet also nothing at all like we expected. It was a really fun afternoon of watching the riders and listening to the head rodeo clown say one crazy thing after another. Riders each attempted to ride bulls before having a playoff of sorts to determine a winner for the event. We never were too clear on exactly how the scoring worked at the event nor overall, but that didn't make it any less exciting to watch. We were both surprised by how much we enjoyed the experience. Definitely recommend it if you ever have a chance to catch the PBR tour.

We had been listening to Tim Wise for a few months when Chris discovered he was going to be the keynote speaker at a conference in the greater Columbus area. We initially thought we missed our chance as registration was closed, but I reached out to the director and we were able to get in at the last minute. It was a really neat conference altogether and listening to Tim speak in person was as powerful as we imagined. If you haven't heard of Tim Wise, I'd highly recommend checking him out here. He always has insightful podcasts with a wide range of guests.

Have you ever seen professional bull riding?

What types of conferences interest you?

Andrea :)

Date Nights - March

We've been enjoying exploring our new city through our monthly date nights so far this year. This month was no different. I found a massive bookstore in German Village that was quite impressive. Chris got us tickets to see Ohio's own Gary Owen at the Funny Bone.

The Book Loft in German Village is a book lover's dream! There are SO many rooms. It is a really neat place that has a mix of old and new books to buy. We spent a couple hours there, but you could spend all day browsing around. We hope to go back and spend more time exploring in the future. Definitely a great local place to get a gift!

Chris has been a fan of Gary Owen for quite a few years. We watched his reality type TV show together a couple years ago. The man is just plain funny. We had a fun time at the show. The best part about the Funny Bone is there isn't a two drink minimum for the comedy shows. We ended up eating dinner at the show, but it was refreshing to know that we didn't have to meet a minimum amount. I hate when comedy shows have that requirement. Gary Owen is worth the price of admission if you ever have the chance to check him out. We had a fun night!

Have you ever seen any great comedians?

Andrea :)

Date Nights - February

We picked two very different, but equally fun date nights for February. I happened to see an advertisement for a couples' cupcake decorating event on Valentine's Day when I stopped in a local cupcake shop to get a couple treats to celebrate our engagement anniversary at the end of last year. Chris opted for a fun night out at an arcade in the heart of downtown Columbus.

Our Cupcakery is a cute little shop in Dublin. They have lots of neat classes and their products are quite tasty! For our Valentine's Day event, we spent most of the time working on various fondant designs at three different stations. We laughed our way through the sticky fondant fun. The second room is where we rolled out tiny roses - my favorite one! Finally, we added some shimmery dust to a couple of fondant hearts. After all our designs were created, we received some instruction on how to fill the cupcakes and then ice them. Chris and I decided to put strawberry filling in our chocolate cupcake, lemon filling in our vanilla cupcake, and stick with buttercream icing to fill our red velvet. I really enjoyed this part of the night, but Chris thought it was a mess. I think he preferred rolling and cutting the fondant. Either way, we did pretty good for a couple of fondant novices! Tasted amazing, too.

Chris found a unique spot for date night - Old North Arcade. The place has every arcade game you can imagine as well as a number of stations set up with Nintendo, Xbox, Sega, etc game consoles. We got there a little on the early side of the night which was a great idea because we had our pick of games. By the time we left a couple hours later, the place was pretty crowded. I enjoyed playing Ms. Pac Man and a new game I found called X-Bert. Chris liked the NBA and NFL games. I played those with him, but I wasn't much competition. We also found an old school Nintendo Mario Bros game open and played that for awhile. We wanted to try Mario Kart, but never could catch it when no one else was playing. It was definitely a fun night full of nostalgia and lots of laughs.

What are your favorite local date night spots?

Andrea :)

Date Nights - January

We went for a little local flavor with our date nights this month. Chris found a unique duck pin bowling alley. I found a cooking class that focused on sheet pan dinners with root vegetables. Both nights were a lot of fun!

I loved duck pin bowling. First of all, it is just so cute. Everything is small - the pins, the ball, the lanes. It also helped that I won our first two games! Chris got a bit more into the groove of things after that first round. Plus, I told him a couple of my strategies. At least that's my story. At any rate, we had a great time. I highly recommend Pins (or any duck pin bowling experience, really).

I discovered Local Matters when we met the Executive Director and her husband at a Books and Brews event at the library this past fall. She mentioned to me when we met in early January that her non-profit offered cooking classes. It has long been my intention for one of our date nights to be a cooking experience so I was thrilled. Chris and I picked one that suited our interests and made a donation to them in exchange for a great night of fun and delicious food. Chris even managed to be selected to help with the protein portion of the meal. It was a fun night - we'll definitely try to go back in the future.

What are your favorite winter date night ideas?

Andrea :)

Columbus Coffee Trail

The week after our official move to Columbus, I met a new friend at Roosevelt Coffeehouse to chat and network a bit. It was at this meeting, that I discovered the Columbus Coffee Trail. Even though I don't like coffee at all, I was intrigued by the challenge. Plus, Chris loves coffee. I figured it was a win-win for helping us discover various parts of our new city. To get a t-shirt, you only need to have your passport stamped at four locations. We managed to visit five coffee shops before the end of the year.

At Roosevelt Coffeehouse, I had a delicious iced chai tea. It was tasty, but that late August day was the only time I was ever there.

Chris and I went to Fox in the Snow the same weekend we went apple picking toward the middle of September. I had a hot chai tea and didn't particularly care for it. The massive cinnamon roll won me over though.

We went to Luck Bros Coffee in Grandview before church on October 1st. The hot chai tea there wasn't a winner either, but I did enjoy the donut holes.

Red Velvet Cafe was the most adorable little spot. We visited in early November, and I opted for another hot chai tea. It faired the best of all the hot ones I tried, but it still wasn't as good as that first iced one. The cupcakes were a major win though!

We saved the best for last - Crimson Cup. We stopped there in mid-December and it was easily my favorite! It helped that they serve hot chocolate. Super good hot chocolate with fancy whipped cream topping, too! I see myself going becoming a regular there.

Does your city have any local trails to help people better explore the area?

Andrea :)

2017-2018 Broadway in Columbus Season - Part 1

When we moved to Columbus, the absolute first thing on my to do list was to lock in season tickets for the Broadway shows. We arrived just in time to get all signed up and set for five great shows! I was pumped since my favorite part about living in NYC had been the access to Broadway.

Our first show of the season was School of Rock. I hadn't seen the live performance previously though I did see the Jack Black movie version way back when. To say we were underwhelmed is putting it nicely. I'm not sure if we just caught the lead on an off night or what, but he wasn't impressive at all. The kids in the show were incredibly talented and most of the other characters were fine, but we left wondering if the rest of the season was going to be a bust, too.

Fortunately, we didn't have to wait long to see our next show - Waitress. I had seen this one twice on Broadway earlier in the year - including once with Sara Bareilles playing lead! I could not have been happier about the performance we saw in Columbus. Phenomenal talent - and some roles were even funnier (how is that even possible?!?) than they had been on Broadway. I was SO very glad to follow up our first experience with such a fantastic one.

Andrea :)

Hungry Turkey 5K

After such an poor showing at the Hot Chocolate 15K earlier in the month, I was determined to do better. The Hungry Turkey 5K was my shot. It was held the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

We had an exciting first Thanksgiving in Columbus by preparing our Thanksgiving dinner on our own for the first time ever. We had intended for Chris' family to be in town to see our new place and check out the area, but some minor medical issues prevented that from happening. So it was just the two of us. And a massive turkey. And a small ham. And far too many sides. But we laughed a lot and the meal was delicious.

But back to running. On that Saturday, I set out for the start line determined. It was chilly, but not unbearable. The race hoodies they gave participants were amazing! My goal was simply to run the entire race. I'm happy to say that I met my goal. At 12:44 per mile, I wasn't setting any world records, but I was proud. It was a step in the right direction and that is all you can ask.

Have you ever run a turkey trot?

Andrea :)

Hot Chocolate 15K

The idea of running a 15K turned out to be much more fun than the actual running of it. Even though lots of chocolate was involved at the finish line.

I was beyond unprepared for race day. On top of that sad fact, the forecast showed rain. It turned out to be more of a mist than an actual rain, but my socks and shoes were completely soaked by the 5K marker. It was a disaster.

Honestly, the only positive from the entire adventure was the chocolate treats at the end. Those were worth the slog. Definitely a race I want to do over in the future. It had amazing potential, but I just didn't do my part on this one.

What is your least favorite racing experience?

Andrea :)