Chicago Take Two

12/13/19 4:45pm

Well, I’m back in what might possibly be one of my favorite cities! The hubs and I are in Chicago for a few days just to explore the city around Christmastime and to visit some friends!

We flew out of Cville, which is definitely the cutest airport I have ever been in. If you get the chance, totally fly out, or through there. But anyways, we flew out of Cville to Atlanta, had an hour layover (Yikes, time was tight), then from there went to Chicago!

Took the metro in and now we are just killig time in this adorable hole in the wall coffee place called Emerald City Coffee, until our friends are here. (Coffee rating 5/10- not awful, not mind blowing)

Now that you unnecessarily know what my intinerary was…I’m so looking forward to sharing this trip with everyone! I’ll be updating the blog daily with little bits about my day and maybe even some pictures, so definitely check back in!

Are any of you taking trips this weekend, for the holidays, or just anytime soon? If you are, drop them in the comments! I’d love to hear what you are up to!

Cheers!

Tori

12/13/19 5:15pm

Quick update: Totally still in this coffee shop…and people are honking their horns, yelling, and rushing around and this is honestly feeding my city girl soul. I didn’t realize how much I missed the noises and the hustle and bustle of city life until this moment. Don’t get me wrong! Charlottesville is amazing, but it feels more like a small town than a city. If you’re from a city, and you feel me, let me know!

K, that’s all haha!

12/17/19 12:22p

So… clearly I am horrible at keeping up with things. BUT! I have a good excuse! For awhile, I didn’t have access to wifi where we were staying (mainly because I kept forgetting ask for the password, but hey…whatevs, right?) and we were SO. BUSY. I mean, there were days that we left and didn’t come back until dinner time!

We are currently in the air and on the way to ATL, so I will try to summarize everything we did 🙂

First, you all should know that we came not only to see sweet friends, but also so that my architect husband could see architect-y things for work. He went to something called the Biennial that was held in Chicago, and from there he saw some other famous buildings and such.

I, however, was waay more tourist-y. (I like to think I wasn’t but really, I think I kinda was) I really wanted to do Safehouse Chicago (spy themed resturant), the German Christmas Market, Lincoln Park Zoo Lights, and the Museum of Science and Industry. I got to do all of the aforementioned things as well as try a bunch of delicious resturants (which I will list below) and best of all, spend time with friends! (Naomi, Renan, Heather, and Nick, I’m thinking of you all!)

The first evening we were there, we got to try this amazing tapas place called Cafe Ba Ba Reeba. If you ever visit Chicago, I would highly recommend this place! It was delicious, unique, and pretty quirky, which I loved. The food was top notch, the service was pretty good (not fantastic, but good enough that I would go back), and the atmosphere was so fun! Definitely a great place to go if you are going with a group since everything is shareable and you can try all the things.

Our first full day was pretty relaxed, which I needed. Davey went ahead of me and did his architecting at the Biennial downtown and I met him in the afternoon (I slept in, nothing really exciting, unless you are me who never sleeps in lol). Once downtown, he and I explored a bit, did some shopping and basically just hungout downtown until all of our friends met us at the German Christmas Market! It was honestly the cutest thing I think I have ever seen; It was all lit up, they had gluhwein (mulled wine), beer, streusel, pretzels, and more. The vendors were all bringing wares from various pats of Germany, and it was wonderful to see! 10/10 would recommend! Ended the night with delicious Indian food with friends.

So…I definitely thought I uploaded the second half of this post. Lol Guys, I can’t with technology lately lol

Okay, so, where was I?

The second day was equally as great as the first in my opinion.

Davey and I had the day to ourselves Sunday and Monday, which was really nice! It provided some great exploration time and time to go be children at the science museum! We basically spent the first free day we had going to the University Of Chicago campus, which, OMG so beautiful! I went into a museum (Oriental Institute) while the hubs toured Robie house. Then we went to Safehouse aka a spy themed resturant aka the best time ever!

As you may have noticed, Davey and I really love places that are primarily meant for families or children. Is that bad? I think we are just kids at heart. Anyways! Safehouse was such a fun time! While I can’t reveal everything about it (because DUH it was a secret mission), I can tell you it is worth a visit! The food is honestly nothing special, but the experience more than makes up for it. I will say it forces you out of your shell, so if you hate interacting with others and being goofy in public…maaaaaaybe don’t go lol

The second full day that we had to ourselves we spent at the Museum of Science and Industry! and WOW. This place is huge. It truly took us the whole day to get through all of the exhibits. Again, a very family friendly activity and so worth it! To cap off the last evening, we got some classic Chicago deep dish pizza and saw the Lincoln Park zoo lights! Another thing I would definitely recommend; It was so well done and a wonderful and completely FREE activity.

Basically the moral of this story is go visit Chicago if you haven’t yet! And don’t be afraid of the cold season! Having been there both during a heat wave and in the winter, I actually think that I loved being there in the winter season much more! The fact that it was almost Christmas made the city even more beautiful since it was all lit up and decorated to the nines.

Sorry for the disjointed post guys- lets be real: It’s the holiday season. Everyone is busy and I for one have been forgetting everything and so busy.

BUT HEY. It’s up and done and I consider that a win. Much love to you all! Thanks for going with me on this journey!

Talk soon,

Tori

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One Day At A Time

Hey everyone!

So…I didn’t die. RT school is absolutely no joke. I have been so incredibly busy I feel like I haven’t had to breathe. Between clinicals, work, marriage, trips, and holidays, I’ve been so slammed. But I’m back and finally have a semi manageable schedule (it’ll be even better in January!) that I think will support my blogging more!

I have honestly missed blogging. It is such a great creative outlet for me, but I have just not had the time to do it.

So! A few life updates!!

• We are still happily living in good old Cville, but we have moved! We are in the downtown area now! (more about that in another post)
• Watson is finally done growing. He’ll be two in January and is basically my emotional support pup.
• Fiyero is still his usual aloof self, but now he’ll sometimes emerge and actually snuggle.
• RT school is completely brutal, but it will be worth it in the end! (Which is nearing! June can’t come fast enough…)
• I’m still a working student; I’m working at UVA Health now and love it here! I’ll also be switching to working nights come January, so any night shift tips are appreciated!
• Some big changes are on the horizon, so I’ll keep you guys updated as they happen!

Like I said earlier, my schedule has opened up so much more! Christmas break is almost here (PRAISE) and I’ll be doing nothing but napping, blogging, reading, and repeating. Ya girl is BEAT. The crazy thing is, I’ll also be prepping my resume!?! What is life?! Then fast forward to February and March, I’ll be beginning my RT job search; It’s truly crazy for me to think about that. So much is happening and I’m just sitting here ready for a break. As the title suggests, I’m taking it one day at a time at this point.

Have any of you all had any big (or small!) exciting life changes? Drop them below if you want to share! While I know this is a short post, I just wanted to throw a quick one out there before my busy week got any busier. But I’ll be back this weekend because we’ll be traveling back to one of my favorite places on Friday! (Cue excited/slightly obnoxious squealing)

Thanks for being the best! Talk to you soon 🙂

Much love,

Tori

Chicago, IL

OMG YOU GUYS!

I have a new favorite city! Chicago was the stuff of dreams! (Pictures at the bottom!)

Davey and I had a wedding to go to in Indiana, and so we flew into Chicago and drove the rest of the way, thinking that after the wedding, we would spend some time in Chicago before our flight back. Gosh, am I glad we did! It was such a beautiful city…I absolutely loved that you could take a walk along the river, and there were so many places to sit and have lunch; I loved the bridges, the architecture (blame my husband), THE PARKS, and just the whole vibe the city gave off! It felt very magical to me.

I don’t really know where to begin on this post- so forgive me if I am all over the place!

First, we were only there for like…24 hours. Which totally sucked and I so want to go back!

Secondly, IT WAS SO FLIPPIN HOT. Maybe this is TMI, but I got so sweaty. We both did haha! There was a heat warning that had been issued and it was going to get close to like 100 degrees or something absurd like that, but we explored regardless of the warnings! Stupid of us? Yes. Worth it? Totally.

We basically just walked anywhere we could from our hotel; We went to Millennium Park, we walked to the piers and dipped our feet in the blessedly frigid Lake Michigan, we took tons of pictures, gawked at beautiful architecture…it was amazing. I would have to say that my favorite thing in the park was this swooping and arching walking bridge- while you were on it, you just got the best view of the city. The big bean was pretty cool too, but I found out that it was kinda gross…everyone touches it..and that just makes me cringe. I touched it and immediately felt the need to scrub my hands lol. So. Many. Germs.

We also had deep dish pizza for the first time, and for someone who grew up with NY style pizza,  it was quite the experience. It was SO GOOD. Super weird, but super good. I didn’t know you could make pizza that thick!! We went to this place called Giordano’s, it’s supposedly some of the best DD pizza in Chicago (according to the internet). It takes them an hour and a half to make ONE pizza. Because it is so dang thick. That just blew my mind. The wait was crazy long, but we were exhausted and decided to just wait it out, and I think I can safely speak for both of us when I say, we were so happy we waited! Our waiter kind of forgot about us for a while at first, but it all ended well when our pizza arrived! I’m pretty sure I waddled out of that restaurant.

Moral of this insane post is: Go to Chicago and do all the things. You can do and see a lot on a budget, which was a plus for us. Explore and just walk around! You won’t be disappointed! The people are super nice, and the sights are breathtaking!

Until next time!

Much love,

Tori xx

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Blogging

Funny…I’m blogging about blogging. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t giggle a little at myself. Why you may ask, am I blogging about blogging? Because it’s so dang hard! I mean, let’s really think about it: You spend your time as a blogger (any type of blogger, beauty, fashion, lifestyle, etc.) coming up with ideas and things to write about. You may get writer’s block (me basically all the time it feels like) or simply tire of blogging. It can be exhausting to blog. Depending on the blog itself, any given post could be emotionally draining, or very hard to write due to content. It takes special people, who are willing to open up to literally the world, and who have no problem sharing their personal opinions, or beliefs. Now, I’m not just saying all of this to make myself feel or look good- I think that I have so much to learn about blogging and how to really make sure I keep up with it and fit it into my life.

It takes discipline, dedication, hard work, and a fair share of openness and honestly. It also requires you to be vulnerable. Real talk: The internet is a tough place. Yes, there is freedom in that you can say whatever you want, but then on the flip side, there are mean people out there who can also have the freedom to say whatever they want to you and about what you are saying; It can be immensely hurtful and sometimes carry into your personal life. You may not know the person who called you names, but it feels like they know you and like they are attacking you personally all for the sole purpose of entertainment.

Sorry, that was a rabbit trail…but in all seriousness, blogging about really anything opens the writer to a world of harsh critics, who they don’t even know. That, in my opinion, makes you, the blogger, brave. You are carrying on even though you have perhaps heard a  harsh word or comment. Perhaps someone doesn’t like your opinion on politics or how you care for your child. Nevertheless, you continue to press on and keep on writing whatever makes you happy. That, my friend, makes you brave. Don’t forget that.

Another thing that, at least for me, always seems to get in the way of blogging is my schedule. I applaud all the bloggers that have posts up in a timely manner! I can’t seem to get a schedule down at all. It’s basically if I have time, and if then, if I feel like it? I know that sounds awful, but it’s just the honest truth. Sometimes I think “Oh, I have time today to blog…but it’s such a beautiful day outside…” I end up putting my blogging off to go outside with my puppy and husband! I know it’s never a bad thing to put family first, but I would like to prove to myself that I can have a balance between family time and blogging- so any tips or tricks that you would be willing to share, would be amazing!

All I know is, after the initial excitement of having a blog wears off, it becomes really difficult to keep up with it. So to all you bloggers out there: Keep doing what you’re doing! Stay brave, and never let anyone intimidate you! Your blog is YOUR little slice of the internet- no one can bully you there ❤

Much love,

Tori

Life As We Know It ( A Second Attempt at Catching Up)

Alright guys, cards on the table; I suck at this. I so want to keep you all in the loop, but I am so bad at it (as I’m sure you guys all have noticed)!!

So here we go again, hopefully for the very last time; Time to play catch up!

• First things first, I did not get into the Surgical Tech program I wanted, which was both a good and a bad thing. Bad because it really hit my confidence levels pretty hard, and good, because through that rejection, I found my true passion in Respiratory Therapy. I’ll continue this story at the bottom, but up top is reserved for spark notes haha.
• Watson has gotten huge. Like seriously huge!! He’s probably over 30 pounds now and he just keeps growing like a weed! When we adopted him, we were told he was a pure Cocker spaniel, but so many people have suggested that he might be a Boykin spaniel! And I’m honestly not sure!! The differences between the two aren’t very clear to me, I mean, I know they are different breeds, but they look so similar in my opinion! If you guys know anything about the two, feel free to comment and teach me!
• The husband got a new job, and get this: IT’S IN TOWN!!! He won’t have to drive for two hours a day anymore! So, SO happy about that! (He is too, but I think I might be even more excited than he is lol)
• My work schedule has changed drastically for the better! I now don’t have to be in until later in the morning (and sometimes not until the afternoon!), which leave plenty of time to get things done around our apartment and to take care of Watson and Fiyero 🙂 It will also come in very handy when I start classes on the 17th!
• We just totally DIYed our kitchen table, and it turned out fantastic!! So much better than we hoped! (Mostly because we had never stained anything before, let alone laminate lol) I’ll post a picture below!
• Lastly, we are finally settled in our new place! It looks much more like a home now than it did just last week! (Last week it looked like a poor college student’s crash pad) We hung pictures and decor up, rearranged, and we basically have a new table! We also bought bar stools, which made us feel very adult. It feels like we JUST finished unpacking…probably because we did…haha! It’s just such an arduous process in my opinion…I absolutely hate unpacking period. So finally being unpacked is huge for us, well me mostly.

*****Warning******

Extreme Heart Pouring Out below. Skip to the end if you want to just see my dog and the table, and no my feelings won’t be hurt ❤

 

 

 

 

You’ve been warned.

 

 

 

 

So! Respiratory Therapy! You’re probably thinking “Whoa Tori, you need to just quit flip-flopping and choose something!” Or perhaps you just think I’m insane…well, I am, and I like it so… 😛 But here’s what I think: Sometimes, God closes doors, maybe ones that you thought were right ones to walk through, for your own good. It’s funny honestly…these past few years have been really hard for me; Never really having a plan, and it seeming like there would never be an end in sight. Basically having the feeling of hopelessness. This changed everything. Long story short, I didn’t make it into the Surgical Tech program. I was completely devastated. I felt like I had hit a wall, AGAIN. So I wallowed for a few days, and then I lost it.  I just broke down in tears and started praying asking why SO MANY DOORS had been closing in my face for so long. I was so emotionally wrecked. Not long after that, I started just surfing the web…looking for inspiration or something. It was then that I had the bright idea to research Respiratory Therapy (RT). Well, I say *I*, but let’s be real, it was a God thing. Anyways, I look it up and stumble upon a program that fit into my life and schedule PERFECTLY. Almost way to good to be true. So, I inquire.

The next day, I heard back and again, it sounded perfect. I started looking up what RTs typically do, and it was…uncanny. It’s exactly what I have always wanted to do, but I never knew a job like it existed. You get to help people, young and old. You get to help in crisis, and in calm times. You get to research and discover new and exciting ways to help people with chronic illnesses. You get to have patient interaction and have ample interaction with co-workers as well. And, the best part? RTs are an integral part of a NICU team…which has always been my dream. I know first hand what it is like in a NICU and it can be so scary…which is why I wanted to work in one so badly. People you see in the NICU are usually hurting and searching for answers, or just hoping that their sweet baby will be alright. I want to be there during that time of need for those families just like they were there for mine when we were in crisis mode. I want to be that comfort, that shoulder to cry on, or just a listening ear. And those babies need people fighting for them, and that’s what I want to do with my whole heart.

After realizing all of this, I got so excited, and I started the process of applying and testing to get into the program. Shortly after I took the test, I found out:

I got in. Me. The girl who was rejected from the other programs that I thought I wanted. I. Got. In. I jumped, I screamed, I cried…there were so many emotions.

Fast forward to the present, I start on the 17th as long as all the paperwork goes through and if I get into a clinical site! My interview for that is this Saturday and I am super nervous. So good vibes and prayer would be greatly appreciated! I’ll let you guys know what happens! So that is that! I still can’t believe it to be honest. A program that works for me, and has an end in sight, I can afford it, I can still work full time while going through it…mind is blown away right now. I need to stop here, because honestly, I’ll just keep rambling about how excited I am and it’ll get really old, really fast haha!

Wow. I know that was alot. If you read it all, THANK YOU! If not? Totally fine 🙂 Not everyone is into the heart to heart stuff 🙂 Without further ado, here is my pupper and our new to us table 😀 (If you can’t tell, I am very proud of it and I seriously have sent this picture to most of my friends. It was also featured on my Insta story which, reminds me…FOLLOW meh! ( @makinghistori )

 

Peep our handy work. I’m absolutely loving this new color!!

Boykin, or Cocker Spaniel? I’m honestly not sure.

Well, guys, It has been a blast! I’m so sorry I ditched again for so long! I will do my very best to keep everyone in the loop about my life, and would love to hear about how yours are going! Drop a comment if you like, or feel free to send me a message 🙂

Much love,

Tori 🙂

Catching Up

Whoa, guys! It has been WAY too long!! I had to take a break from blogging because school and life got insane. But! I’m back, and can’t wait to catch everyone up on how life has been!!

I finished my semester and applied to a surgical technology program (fingers crossed I get in!), and Davey and I got a PUPPY!!!! His name is Watson and he is honestly the cutest puppy I have ever seen (although I may be biased) and he is so good. (Pictures at the bottom of the page) He is a chocolate cocker spaniel who loves to sleep in bathtubs and eat cat food. He also loves to torture Fiyero, poor little thing! We are currently trying to overcome the hurdle that is potty training him, so anyone that has any tips, please share!!

Life has been so full of ups and downs recently. Davey and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary recently! We went on a little weekend getaway and just relaxed. It was so wonderful to take a break from everything and just rest. Ironically right before that trip, I was in a car accident (I’m totally fine, thank goodness!), but sadly my car did not make it 😦 But we did get a new car shortly afterward and I love it!!! It’s blue and so much bigger. I’m still getting used to the size and different little things about it. I’m still horrible at parallel parking though! I don’t think that will ever change haha!

Davey and I are moving in just a couple of weeks! Let me tell you…you NEVER know how much stuff you have until you are packing to move!! Or how truly unorganized you are!! It’s crazy! Here I thought I had an organized little apartment…nope. Not at all. Too much stuff, super messy. Let me level with you guys: I hate packing. I’m bad at packing. I find it so annoying and tiresome. I absolutely love UNpacking and organizing a new place, but packing everything up just seems so much harder for some reason.

Anyway, I am so sorry I totally fell off the face of the earth for so long! I’m back! I can’t wait to continue to share little bits of my life with you all!

 

 

The Greatest Showman: The Musical We Needed

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!

Seriously…if you haven’t seen this don’t read!!!

You have been warned…

This movie was MIND-BLOWING. It was breathtaking…oh my gosh. I haven’t been this impressed with a musical movie since Les Miserables. (I’m seriously a Broadway fanatic) There are so many things that I could say about this movie, but for this post, I’m going to focus on a few key lessons I took away from it.

-Having a low self-esteem is not uncommon, and you CAN overcome it.

I have always struggled with my self-esteem…it started in middle school, and still haunts me today. Being body conscious is something I think every woman in America has felt at least one time or another in their life. I am no exception. I was always labeled thick, chubby, and fat. I told myself all of the usual things like, I’m big boned, or I’m not that fat, right? I would go to the mall and people watch, comparing myself to others, and wishing for a body that was not my own. I was constantly teased, for my brown skin, and curvy body type. I felt isolated and truthfully felt ugly. In The Greatest Showman, they took people who were different, felt ugly, or considered outcasts, and showed them that they are worth so much more than what society thinks. This really resonated with my inner, still self-conscious, middle-schooler self…I think I actually teared up a little. #ThisIsMe (Keala Settle is THE best. Go listen to her EP!!)

-Dreaming is the first step to living your best life. But it takes courage…

I mean come on! Barnum took a dream he had when he was a kid, and made it a reality. If that’s not bravery and inspiring, I don’t know what is. Your dream could become your future reality! I know I always have tried to dismiss some of my dreams… But I’m starting to realize if I was only brave enough to act on them out even try to set things in motion… They might just come true. When I was little, I wanted to sing. I love singing! Everytime I sing, I feel so free and so joyful. It’s a feeling I don’t think I could accurately explain. All I know is, singing to me, is true happiness. So you know what? Maybe I should have some courage. So should you! Take a few minutes and try to recall a dream you once had, or if you’ve done this, GO YOU!!! Reflect on your accomplishments and bravery!

-Skin color should NOT affect who you marry. 

Racism is a sensitive topic and one that you hear about way too often in today’s news. Too many times people have commented on how I married a white man. How I brought his “status” down. Too many times I have been judged on that difference in skin color. “Why didn’t you marry one of your own kind?”, I was asked by one person…I’m sorry? Since when did I marry an alien? He IS one of my own kind! We are ALL humans. Equal in rank and status no matter what color our skin is. In fact, I’m pretty sure the only aliens out there are people who think there is an inferior race. It’s people like that who really make me question my faith in humanity, you know? But in this wonderful movie, that faith is restored; When Phillip’s (Zac Efron’s character) parents treat Anne Wheeler (Zendaya’s character) with disdain, Phillip stands up for her in the most meaningful way.

I love how this film simply told the story of a man who had a dream, and with his family, he conquered trials, and temptations, and along the way, made others feel like they had a family. I could say so much more about this film, but I won’t because YOU NEED TO GO SEE IT AND FIND OUT MORE FOR YOURSELF. (And if you’ve seen it already, then hey! Go again! I know I am…) If you’ve seen it, comment below and feel free to share your thoughts on it! If any of what I said also applies to you, comment, comment, comment! I would love to hear your stories!

Much love,

Tori xo

Granola Powerballs

I totally improvised these little balls of heaven a few days ago. Everyone needs to try them! SO yummy! And so filling! Perfect for a post-workout snack or an anytime snack really! (Also, if you have a better name for them…I’m totally okay with changing the lame name I currently am using!)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients: 

**Peanut Butter- the amount is up to you. I used a whole small jar from Wegmans. (Crunchy or smooth would work)

Your favorite granola (whole bag) I used Nature Valley Honey & Oats Protein Granola

3 tablespoons of honey

4 tablespoons of milk (I used 2%, you can substitute any kind)

10 Guittard Organic Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Wafers (Non-GMO, Peanut Free, Fair Trade Certified! This stuff is the bomb!)  [Amount here is also up to you- I love chocolate so…]

1 tablespoon of Espresso Powder (Any Brand)

Other things you’ll need:

1 Mixing bowl

1 Spoon

1 Sheet of aluminum foil

1 gallon Zip Loc bag

1 cookie sheet

Directions: 

1. Place foil on cookie sheet
2. Mix Peanut Butter, Honey, Milk, and Espresso Powder in your mixing bowl
3. Melt Chocolate Wafers in the microwave until completely melted
4. Pour melted chocolate into your Peanut Butter base and mix until well blended
5. Take your granola and pour it into a gallon zip loc bag. Seal it, and lay it flat. Use a spoon to crush the granola into smaller pieces.
6. Last but not least, pour in the whole zip loc bag of granola and stir together
7. Take your Powerball mixture and start hand rolling little balls and placing them on the foil
8. Place finished powerballs in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

After the one hour in the fridge, they are ready to eat!

**The beauty of this little treat, is you can customize it to fit your specific needs. Allergic to peanut butter? No problem! Use any other PB substitute you would like! You could also add any mixed nuts or even protein powder to really turn this into a super powerball!

Hope you enjoy this yummy treat!

 

 

Three Notch’d Brewing Company

This past Friday night, my husband and I decided to go grab drinks at the new Three Notched Brewing Co. in IX art park! It was FABULOUS!! They are located in a previously empty warehouse right on the edge of IX. Which means it’s super awesome on the inside.

Atmosphere: 5/5

The atmosphere at TNBC is quite spectacular. Laid back are some words that come to mind. They have long picnic style tables instead of individual ones, to encourage social interaction, they have table service for just drinks (um, yes please!), and whatever their playlist was, it was perfect for drinking! As an added bonus, this place is family friendly! (Nope, this is not a dream parents!) No joke. They have a little play area for kids to hang out in while parents have some well-deserved drinks! They also have craft soda flights so the kiddos won’t feel left out.

Dress code: Casual

Staff: 5/5

The staff here is beyond awesome. There is someone at the door who greets you and asks you where you want to sit and whether or not you want food. They then lead you to your seats, give you menus, and within 5 minutes, someone was there to help us with our choices! The service was fast, efficient. After ordering, we got our flights in under 5 minutes. It was ridiculous!

Flight price: $6 for 4 beer flight, $8 for a 6 beer flight

Wine/Cocktail prices: Ranged from $8-$12

Brews: I ended up getting a four-beer flight, with the IX Lemongrass Rye, Hydraulion Irish Red, Brother Barnabas Tripel, and the Blackberry Gose. Wow, they were good!

My personal favorite was the Blackberry Gose, but honestly, they were all fantastic. For the most part, they were all smooth going down. The Lemongrass had a really nice balance to it, and it had a pleasant after-taste. The Irish Red was good, but a bit harsher, definitely hoppier compared to the others that I tried. Barnabas Tripel was super carbonated, which I ended up liking, and had a very crisp finish to it. The Blackberry Gose was basically like drinking liquified Sour Patch kids but with alcohol. Very tart, and crisp! I think this one was seasonal though, so better go get some while it lasts!

Overall, this was a stellar place. This would be a great place to have a friends night out, and honestly a great place for a date as well! Very versatile, and fun. Drinks were fantastic, staff was incredible, I will totally be going back!

**Side note: This Three Notch’d has a full-service kitchen as well! I haven’t tried the food, unfortunately, but will update the post as soon as I do! The menu looks so yummy! I can’t wait to try it!

 

Website: Three Notch’d Brewing Co. & Craft Kitchen

 

Yoga: Is It a Stretch?

(First of all: I would like to address the title of this post…my husband came up with it. I couldn’t say no. Sorry not sorry.)

Anyone can be a “Yogi”. Literally anyone. I started just a few months ago, but have really enjoyed the benefits. Am I a natural? NOPE. But that’s totally fine! No one is good when they start out! I started yoga originally because I had heard it was a good stress reducer, and that was something I desperately needed in my life. I stress way too often about basically everything! (Don’t be me. Don’t stress about stress, then stress about yoga. Bad idea. It ruins it.) So on a boring Saturday, I decided on a whim that I should give yoga a try. There were plenty of yoga studios in Charlottesville to choose from! You’d think that would make it easier…wrong. It made it next to impossible to decide where to go. Having never taken a yoga class before, I just started comparing prices and reviews of different places and it was then that I realized that yoga could be expensive. VERY expensive. Now I don’t say that to scare you away! Depending on your location, yoga class prices could be anywhere in the range from high to free at certain gyms. But, if you happen to be visiting Charlottesville and feel that need to stretch, I’ve got just the place for you.

Out of the many yoga studios around town, I landed on Flydog Yoga Studio. They have, among other things, heated vinyasa classes! (Which I absolutely LOVE. The heat really intensifies the workout.) They have many different types of classes you can choose from, those just happen to be my favorite! Another great reason to try out Flydog, is they are actually affordable! A drop in class is only $14, and they have an amazing deal for beginners: $30 for a month of unlimited classes! It’s the perfect package if you have no clue what classes you want to take, or if your schedule is wacky. The instructors there are fabulous too. One thing I personally was very nervous about was going and being judged. I am not skinny and am probably not your typical “yogi”. I am in fact curvy, and very athletically built, therefore I do not bend in certain ways…or so I thought.

My first class came and went in a blur. I got there, was greeted by a wonderful human being who then showed me around, I was given a complimentary yoga mat to use since it was my first time, (after your first time, you can rent one for $3 or $5 I think) and told not to worry about anything at all. I was instantly put at ease. I walked into the studio, found a spot in the back and quickly realized that this was something I wanted to continue. From the moment I started, the instructors were willing to lend a helping hand, and really show me the ropes. I was never once judged, or mocked. All the already established yogis in the studio were also very supportive. I felt welcomed and free to be myself. It didn’t matter if I couldn’t bend in a certain way…all that happened was an instructor came over and helped me do the pose in a way that worked with my body! It was GREAT!

Immediately after the class, I had the best feeling ever. I felt so loose, and in tune with my body. Not only that, but I wasn’t nearly as stressed out as I was going in. I will say, however, the next day I was pretty darn sore, but that got better as I practiced more. Yoga is pretty fantastic because it combines stress relieving techniques with strength training. You leave having had a solid workout, but you also leave feeling refreshed, and ready to take on the day.

Anyone who maybe doesn’t like the traditional gym route, or maybe someone who has a previous injury that gets irritated on a jog or during other generic exercises…yoga may just be the thing for you! The wonderful thing about it is how you really can tailor it to your specific needs. No matter your body type, age, or whether you are male or female, you can (and totally should) try yoga!! It is a wonderful alternative and I will always recommend trying it!

In summary: Yoga IS a stretch, but not one that you have to worry about 😉

If you are local to good ol’ Cville, totally go check out Flydog! (I promise this is not sponsored!) It’s a great place, and you’ll meet some amazing people! Who knows? Maybe you’ll find yourself a whole new community to be apart of!

Thanks for listening to me talk about sweaty people who like bending their bodies 😉

Until next time future yogis,

Tori xo