We're thrilled about the arrival of Spring in Grand Rapids and doing our best to celebrate accordingly. Beginning now through the end of summer our calendar is packed with one fun thing after another and you won't find us complaining about it.
This month kicked off both mine and Jeff's golf leagues. It's been great getting outside and back on the course again. A few weeks ago I got my very first birdie and the second week of league my team won first place - things are off to a good start. This week we both (separately) golf in our first tournaments of the season - wish us luck.
On Sunday we celebrated Mothers Day with Jeff's parents and our friends the Matsons at Reds at Thousand Oaks for brunch. They've got a great set up in their event space that accommodates large groups and families. They even had a kids buffet complete with smiley fries and fish sticks which made my life easier. The dessert buffet was a different story.
My parents were out of town last weekend and so we celebrated Mothers Day early with my Mom the weekend prior. She made the trip up to Grand Rapids for the day and we had an action packed morning complete with a long walk to the festivities at Fulton Street Farmers Market opening day, lunch at Fruition (new spot in Eastown) and shopped at the newly reopened Rebel Reclaimed. Natalie got her face painted with a princess crown. I sent the pic to my Grandma and she asked me if Nat had a bandaid on her forehead. Close enough.
In Rosewood Avenue news: tis the season for neighborhood happy hours! As soon as the weather warmed up we were reminded of how wonderful our 'hood' is to be a part of. The sidewalks flooded with activity and Friday night happy hours weren't too far behind. A few weeks ago we hosted on our porch before everyone retreated to their own homes for dinner and kids bedtimes. It's easy summer nights like these that we live for.
We also made the trip out to Holland for the annual Tulip Time Festival again this year. Along with our friends the DeWittes we stopped and smelled all the flowers, walked Main Street and took a few rides at the carnival with the kids. Tulip Time is just about as kid friendly as events get and certainly has the Natalie seal of approval - she loved the carnival rides. After the festival we grabbed dinner with the kids at Tripleroot Brewing on our way home in downtown Zeeland.
And last weekend I spent the evening out with girlfriends at the newly opened Jolly Pumpkin on the Westside of downtown. The Grand Rapids location is the newest of it's now 7 midwest locations. The GR location is considered a pub where they sell their beer and ciders (as well as a select few local spirits) and serve food like wood fire grilled pizzas. It's a 'seat-yourself' set up and there are no servers. Instead you order via the two different counters: one for drinks and another for food. Overall it was good and I'd return with friends for a casual drink and bite to eat.
As we put the pedal to the metal on summer I'll be reminding myself to relax and enjoy the sunshine. We hope your next few months (and bellies) are full of grilled burgers, gin & tonics and lazy afternoons at the lake.
POSTSCRIPT - Stuff we're into lately...
- The Dailey Method - Located in Eastown, it's convent in both location and schedule. Their one year anniversary party is Saturday June 23rd. Mark your calendars! There will likely be deals if you're interested.
- Rebel Reclaimed - Their brand new shop, less than a mile from their old location, is fantastic! More space and more items to shop for! Check them out.
