Neighborhood of the Month

Happy July everyone!

WOW! I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted! June flew by. Jeremy started his new management position (still at the same company) and is loving it, I finished up a rocky school year, and Mosby turned TWO! 

There was also some "not as much fun" stuff that took up A LOT of time. You know, life gets in the way of being crafty sometimes.

BUT, I'm back. And ready to craft.

So, as an introduction back, I'm sharing some photos of Jeremy and I took in Milwaukee over the weekend. We were in Milwaukee for our first anniversary. (More on our budding anniversary traditions in a post later this month.)

We had a great time. It was Summerfest weekend (Milwaukee's big music fest), and while we didn't partake in those festivities, we still felt the effects.

We ended up staying in a Bed and Breakfast in the Historical Bed and Breakfast district (i.e. the ghetto) because all of the hotels closer to downtown were full and/or VERY expensive.

The B&B was great. However, we had some trouble getting a cab pick us up from the hotel. The pictures below are taken at the beginning of waiting for our cab. Our faces were not so happy after an hour of waiting.

*We decided to take cabs as we are both big beer drinkers and Milwaukee is a beer town. Don't drink and drive folks!

Anyway, eventually we were picked up by a very friendly cab driver who was just starting his shift. After running a couple errands with him (yup, really did!) and picking up three more stranded travelers (yup, did that too!), we made it to the Milwaukee Ale House in the Historic 3rd Ward. 

We went based on a recommendation from a native of Milwaukee who works with Jeremy. It was great! Good beers, good pretzels, great atmosphere!

After a beer or two in the 3rd Ward, we hailed a cab (with much more ease) and headed to Bay View, an up and coming, funky neighborhood on the south side. We had a top notch dinner at The Odd Duck. The restaurant focused on small plates, which Jeremy and I both love because you get to try more food on their menu!

The next morning, we enjoyed the breakfast half of the "bed and breakfast" and headed on our way.

We were told that we couldn't leave Milwaukee without enjoying a bloody mary (twist our arms!). So, on another recommendation, we ended up back in the 3rd Ward at The Wicked Hop. One of the best bloody marys I have ever had. Plus it came with lots of food accessories, which is the real reason everyone drinks bloodies in the first place! 

*Those are cheese whips, not fries on top. God bless Wisconsin and their love of cheese.

Our last stop was The Lakefront Brewery Tour. The tour was awesome. Our tour guide was hilarious!

We enjoyed their art....

Their silent disco...

*People wore wireless headphones that all played the same music. No one else could hear it; it was hilariously silly to watch people dance around in silence.

And of course, their beer!

We had a great, but short time. We were gone about 24 hours (thus all of our pictures included eating or drinking).

Of course, while we were gone, we exchanged gifts.

Jeremy made me a really thoughtful photo album with pictures from our first year of marriage.

My gift centered more on our upcoming year. Jeremy and I LOVE to go out to eat. It's the time where we really focus on each other and chatting. However, we have fallen into a rut. We go out to the same few restaurants in our neighborhood ALL the time. 

A couple weeks ago, we were in a different neighborhood grabbing dinner before the Of Monsters and Men concert (remember Jeremy's birthday gift?). Jeremy mentioned that it was fun to be in a different neighborhood and we should try to do it more often.

I agreed.

So I decided that would be his gift. I researched 12 different neighborhoods and very close cities around Chicago. I found something interesting to do in each place and a different restaurant.

*I can only show July, because Jeremy reads this blog too.

So, every month Jeremy gets one of these envelopes. 

When he opens it, the front of the card tells the name of the city or neighborhood.

And inside the card tells the restaurant, the activity, and the time of day we need to go.

He'll open the envelope on the first of every month and we will plan the day to go and put it on our calendars.

And there you have it, a gift that keeps giving. I'm thinking of doing monthly updates on which neighborhood we went to.

I'll leave you with some good advice from Milwaukee!

Until next time, keep crafting!

SB