Travel: Letchworth State Park

It’s amazing how many hidden treasurers are all around us.  I was reminded of one of those again when we went and visited Letchworth State Park in New York.  The park is 35-miles south of Rochester and is 17-miles long with just over 14,000 acres of trees, hiking trails and is known as the Grand Canyon of the East.  We packed up the SUV and headed with the fam for an afternoon of exploring this hidden gem.

We spent the afternoon soaking in the views, taking mini hikes and even retreating to a quaint little inn for an afternoon pick me up. With a $10 park fee, entering the park is easily accessible with 5-different park entrances with drivable roads, ample pull offs with photo ops and hiking trails – but if you’re just making a pit stop for an afternoon and want to catch the best sites, here are the 5 spots you must visit!

Upper Falls. Entering the park from the Castile entrance will be your quickest way to access not only the Upper Falls, but Glenn Iris Inn and Middle Falls. Right from the parking lot you catch glimpses of the Upper Falls with the railroad tracks in the distance watching over these powerful waterworks. The trail was closed so we weren’t able to get as high up as we wanted, but the views were still beautiful.

Middle Falls.  You’ll catch a glimpse of these on your way to the Upper Falls, but it’s best to walk over from the Upper Falls to take in the Middle Falls, which might be even more spectacular than the Upper Falls!   You’re able to walk around these falls, taking in a double rainbow, catching some of the mist and just swooning over the beauty of these falls.

Glenn Iris Inn. A short walk away from the Middle Falls you’ll find the Glen Iris Inn.  Built in 1914 – this picture perfect inn overlooks  the middle falls with a beautiful lookout perch.  With outdoor seating and a restaurant the inn is also still serving to guests with it’s three stories and gorgeous interior architecture (the staircase was all wooden looking up all three floors!) A wedding was being set-up as we were there too and we even got to witness the first look, it was the perfect backdrop!

Inspiration Point. This came as a surprise, but needed stop.  With a higher view of the middle falls, upper falls and the railroad trellis – this was definitely the show stopping view.  There was also a trail that you could follow while soaking up the views of this spot the whole way!

Although the park will be closing soon in late fall, I can only imagine how beautiful these views are with the orange, red and yellows of the leaves changing with the season! We will definitely be going back to Letchworth State Park for some more hiking and taking in the beautiful works of this amazing planet!

3 Tips for Hosting a Summer Dinner Party

With a little over a year with our back patio, we made it a point to have both dining and relaxin space – making it the perfect spot for a classic dinner with family and close friends.  We hosted, the first of many dinners on the patio and it was the perfect combination of all the things that make a dinner party great a classic and easy menu, a stunning table setting and awesome company.

My favorite part about hosting a party or dinner is the planning that goes into it and the opportunity to make a special memory for our guests, while also having a fantastic meal and great company.  It’s about making the night special from all the other dinners we have every other night and giving the people you care about a little extra love.

I’ve realized that hosting a dinner or party for some may seem super daunting and overwhelming, but focusing on these three things helps keep it simple while also allowing you to enjoy the night as well!

The Menu. We kept the menu simple, healthy and refreshing for a warm summer day.  We opted for chicken and steak kabobs mixed with mushrooms, peppers and onions.  We had a fresh mixed greens salad with cucumbers and cherry tomatoes (cheese on the side for us non-dairy folk) and a fresh fruit salad with blueberries and strawberries.  When it comes down to it, there are just a few staples that just can’t be beat – not to mention we had plenty of kabobs that we were all stuffed!

The Setting. I had fun dressing up our not so glamorous outdoor table with placemats and neutrals. I used a variety of outdoor friend pieces like the plastic salad plates and glasses from Opalhouse while bringing out some nicer Kate Spade serving dishes and fabric napkins.  The neutral base let the table be the center of attention with it’s bright colors and inviting feel with the mix of patterns.  Pro Tip: dress your table and prep as much food as possible before your guest arrive so you’re able to enjoy their company and a cocktail!

The Company.  Although I love large parties, sometimes it’s better to keep things small – so we had my parents and B’s parents up. It was the perfect mix of company and conversation was able to be had with everyone vs. side conversations or too much noise, especially if this is your first major dinner party – keep it small and low key so the impress isn’t stressing you out.

The best thing about hosting is that you’re able to call the shots! From the menu, to the vibe you can set the tone for the evening – but it’s always important to make sure your guests are taken care of first and feel welcomed!

Cheers!

Latest Obsessions 04.18

I can’t help but want summer to come, so with that, I have a lot of projects and plans in mind for the spring and summer. From added accessories to our patio decor, DIY projects and figuring out greens for additional flair my list is quickly growing and I can’t stop making plans for when the weather decides to shape up.

A Bold Black Stripe.  Since last year was the first year with our back patio, this year will be about adding on the finishing touches, and I’ve got my eyes on adding in a bold black and white stripe.  Our umbrella is black and white, and I love the neutral colors for a more sophisticated look.  I already ordered a few black and white striped pillows for our seating area!

Fresh Flowers. Since I’ve been itching for warm weather, fresh blooms and sunshine, I’ve been buying a lot of fresh flowers lately to fill vases around the house.  I love mixing up pops of color or keeping it neutral with whites – the latest house blooms are white hydrangeas everywhere!

Opalhouse from Target Dining.  ICYMI; earlier this month I was swooning over Target’s newest home collection, Opalhouse.  Since I finally got my hands on a few of these beauties, I’ve become even more obsessed with the dining collection, specifically Canyon Sunrise collection.  The fun and elegant patterns are perfect for a casual setting or formal dining – and these pieces are selling out quick!  I’m looking forward to dressing up our indoor or outdoor dining room tables this summer with these new pieces.

DIY Planter Boxes.  Since we’re still figuring out our front landscape, to help add some greenery to our front porch, I really want to make some custom planters to sit on top of the walls of the porch.  It helps add privacy to the front porch, while also adding in some color and depth.  We’ll probably make three custom window boxes to sit on the ledge, and then a few taller outdoor planter boxes for larger ferns for the back patio area.

What’s the first thing you’re planning to do once the weather breaks? I am ready to get outdoors and start enjoying our outdoor living spaces!

Image Sources linked above in text.

Weekend Recap – Bucket List Round-up

With the last full weekend of August now behind us, the end of summer is starting to sink in.  Not to mention, my end of summer bucket list is starting to get crossed off, too!

A few Saturday’s ago after church, B and I were gonna go find a patio for drinks and an early dinner. But after a full day of running around, hanging out on OUR patio sounded much better. A drink and soaking up the sun turned into a late night with the neighbors, drinking champagne, laughing and dancing with good friends.

Although our Friday night baseball game felt more like fall that summer, it was a great night – home run included, to root on the home team with friends! Plus we squeezed in a new downtown brewery before, which was nice to try a new hot spot.

B and I finally got out on the links together! We spent the late morning and early afternoon playing 9-holes and the weather was perfect and full of sunshine. Although I’m a bit more relaxed on the golf course I still enjoy playing and sinking a few putts and watching B crush the golf ball!

We spent Sunday morning kayaking, on the river and made our way out onto the lake, we felt like the first ones out there and it was perfect!

I’ve still got a few more to cross off on the list – but feeling good about knocking off these last bit of summer fun!

Fitness Friday no. 20

TGIF!

With the “final” days of summer coming to a close, we need to soak up as much fresh air and beautiful weather as possible.  One way to do this is putting a twist on the normal workout routine, you’ll be able to be in the gym for the next 5-6 months. Here are some final ways to spread out into your weekends and enjoy that summer sun and have a few last adventures under our belts.

Kayaking
Don’t have a kayak of your own? Look around for local parks and services that allow hourly rental, hit up the water on an early morning and get a nice arm workout in.

Walking The Dog
Getting out with your pooch as much as possible before the cold snowy days comes is key. Not only are you helping your pup but you’re helping yourself.  If you can pick a spot to take your dog, you can kill two birds with one stone – this past weekend B and I went to Whole Foods with Moz, a little bit of a farther walk for us but we got to sit out and enjoy some breakfast as a rest.

Biking
Biking to a store or restaurants can be a great way over the weekend to get active while you’re checking things off on your to-do list.  Don’t want to deal with the traffic find some trails in local parks to get a more scenic view.

Urban Walking 
We live close to the city, but a smaller city in comparison to NYC or Chicago.  So on the weekends, especially in the mornings it’s quiet and perfect. So getting some extra adventures in and a change of scenery, the urban kind, by exploring new parts of the city can be another way to enjoy the weather, your city and get some extra steps.

Golfing
Without the cart.  Get your steps in and work on that swing all at once, this is a great way to relax enjoy the weather and also get an unconventional workout in, carrying a set of clubs for 18-holes or even 9 will definitely get you tired out.

Corn Hole Tourney
This may not be the most active way, but it’ll get you outside, working your arm muscles and socializing with friends.  Set-up an impromptu corn hole tourney with friends on a sunny afternoon, losers take a lap or have to do a set of push-ups, maybe even put some money on it to make it more competitive!

How are you enjoying the outdoors and getting exercise in too?

Travel: Jackson Hole – Part 1

Happy Tuesday and start to a short week after a longggg weekend.  I was lucky enough to have a super long weekend and was vacationing all last week in one of my favorite spots ever – Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  The last time I was out in JH was two-years ago, which was the first time B got to experience the magic and beauty of the Grant Tetons, he feel in love too.  To share the love of my trip, and in case any of you are planning a trip or looking for your next vacation spot, here is Part 1 of our trip, focusing on the hikes we took throughout the week!

Taggart Lake Trailhead
Level: Easy – Moderate | Distance: About 3-miles
You can access Taggart Lake once you enter Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) from the Moose Entrance Station it’s one of the first stops that is clearly marked as you head north.  It’s definitely a popular spot and you’ll run into fellow hikers and tourists, throughout this hike you’ll be stunned and amazed at the Grand Teton as you keep getting closer and closer.  Once you get to Taggart Lake you can definitely relax in serenity and soak in the views of the Grand. If you’re looking for more views and a little longer of a hike from Taggart Lake you can go a little further and reach Bradley Lake, if you’re looking for something more challenging you can also head to Ampitheater Lake from the Taggart Lake Trailhead.

Geraldine Lucas Cabin
Level: Easy | Distance: 2-miles
Geraldine Lucas was a pioneer for her time and the second woman to ever climb the Grand Teton (at 58-years-young).  She was mostly notable, unfortunately, for being a divorced single mother,  not only was she divorced and a single mother but she also attended college, in Ohio of all places. She retired out in Jackson Hole in 1913 – she acquired nearly 160 acres for her homestead.   The property was later owned by Harold Fabian, and the property is now commonly referred to as the Lucas-Fabian Homestead.  This trail is a bit tougher to find – well currently, but the park service is finally getting this on the map with marked trails and signs (as it’s currently a bit of an adventure to find).  Again off Teton Park Rd., you’ll want to look for The Climbers Ranch road and drive down the road past the first driveway, over a bridge and park to your right in a little pull off. The Cottonwood Creek Trail to the homestead starts there. You’ll again reach stunning views of the Tetons once you reach the 11-house homestead, Geraldine picked a killer spot.

Two Oceans & Emma Matilda Lakes 
Level: Moderate – Hard |  Distance: 4-11 miles
This hike was a random pick by me, mainly because of the name, Emma Matilda, a nickname my mom calls me.  You’ll get here by taking 191 and continuing onto 191 at Moran Junction, from there follow the signs to Two Oceans and Emma Matilda, after entering the park. The hike around Emma Matilda Lake is about 11-miles. The hike from Two Oceans to Emma Matilda is about 4-miles depending on how much you explore, Two Oceans is about a 6-mile hike, so you’ve got a lot of options with this spot. Although this is prime bear country so be sure to make noise while hiking (wearing a bell or clapping) and be sure to have bear spray! We did not see any grizzlies, unfortunately, but this is definitely one of the less traveled trails. The views however once you reach Emma Matilda from Two Oceans is unbelievable and definitely worth it. Our hike was cut short from some thunder and rain, but still totally worth it.

Although we only went on three hikes throughout the week, they were all different from when we were last out in JH. It was fun getting out and exploring and seeing as much of the beauty as we could up close and personal.  There are so many hidden spots and treasures in GTNP, and these are definitely a few of them!

Weekend Highlight: Kayaking

It has been toasty toasty this past week, but I know we haven’t been the only ones roasting.  Our humidity was nearly 80% on Friday. Gross! Not to mention, we don’t have AC … *smiles* … so it’s been even more unbearable, we broke down and bought a window AC unit for our bedroom, so we at least can sleep at night, after sweating all day! So a little mission this weekend was to ‘beat the heat’ whether it was going out to eat at a restaurant to cool down or hanging out at our neighbors to soak up some cool air!

Saturday morning we headed to the Metroparks with some friends and rented kayaks!! Living close to a large lake, I often take for granted the amenities or extracurricular activities that’re available to us within minutes from our house. So I was happy when some friends recommended we go kayaking.

It got off to a little rough start, with the oh so friendly woman at the kayak rental.  We luckily were able to rent kayaks for 1-hour, after she scolded us to make reservations and how you have to make reservations, especially on the weekend, oh and if we were even 5-minutes late coming back we would be significantly up-charged and it would throw off the rest of the day because they were so booked. She was so nice.So after we got through that, we were able to jump in two tandem kayaks and head out on the river with sights of the lake! It was relaxing after B and I got into our grove and  were able to enjoy the scenic views along the river of the private yacht club and large beautiful homes flanking the river. We were able to make it out to the lake with plenty of time, after the fear of god was instilled in us to not be a single minute late back to the rental area. So it was just enough time to paddle around the lake, enjoy the view and then head back down the river. 

The water and breeze from the lake was refreshing, while still being able to soak up some of the hot summer sun! After we dried off a bit, we headed for some bottomless mimosas and brunch at a nearby spot – yum!

Safe to say, B and I will definitely be doing this again before the summers end! We might just try out another rental spot and will definitely make reservations ahead of time, regardless of where we go! *winks*

Spring Projects

It’s April 1st! Can we officially think spring, yet?

I’m going too, and to help think spring here is an oh so exciting list of some projects at and around the house that I want to accomplish this spring.

1. Install new doors: We purchased new doors for our back and side, that are a little more hearty and will hopefully keep some drafts out.  Installing these will give a bit of a face-lift, boring project but a nice upgrade.
2. Window tables: We had glass block installed over the winter in our basement and have these awesome 100-year old windows that were taken out, I want to clean up at least one or two and create a little coffee table for our sun-room.  Whether it be simple, or have an extra shelf for space.
   
   

   http://www.702parkproject.com/2015/05/13/diy-window-coffee-table/

   
3. Paint the Exterior of our house: As much as we would love to get new vinyl siding, that just isn’t in the budget for us right now.  So I’m starting to look for some estimates to see how much a fresh paint job on the house would be, would give it the face lift it needs, as much as I’d like to think B and I could do this – I don’t even want to try.
4. New lattice in the front: The current lattice is attached to the support underneath the front porch, and it’s so heavy that it’s causing everything to sag. So we  need to clean this up a bit and secure it in another way. I’ve also been thinking about some different options other that your standard diamond lattice pattern… like these below.
   
   

   

   
5. Landscape the front: Once we get the lattice complete, I would love to get our front professionally landscaped, mainly because I have no clue where to start and trust me I’ve tried. But we have a blank canvas that is just dying for some life and a little extra privacy for our front porch, although I am scared to see how much this might cost.
   
   

   

   
6. Scrapbook! Although this isn’t a “house” project, I am in desperate need to catch-up with my scrapbooking, I am over a year behind and have plenty of photos to start posting into a page. This is the perfect rainy day project on the weekends.
7. Wallpaper Built-In’s: With the left over wallpaper from the stairs going up into our master, I’d like to wallpaper the insides of our built-in’s in our living room, we did this in the dining room and it makes an understated pop to the room and brightens it up!

The list could go on… I am sure there are a handful of other projects we will come up with, I know B has his own little list of things he is already planning in his head, like doing some updates to the laundry area in the basement and organizing that!  The projects are endless, and I knew after the attic was finished it wouldn’t be long before he started itching for a new one! Come on warm weather, we’ve got some things to do!!