Fathers Day Things to Do

Father's Day is just around the corner and if you're like me, I prefer to spend the day with my Dad doing something he enjoys rather than buying him some gift that he will just put to the side. So, I thought I would compile a list of some things you could do and places you could go with your Dad.

Golf Courses:

• Diamond Hawk (Cheektowaga)
• Greenwood (Clarence)
• Harris Hill (Bowmansville) - I just found out this is not open because they are building condos where the driving range used to be - so disappointing.
• Delaware Park (Buffalo)

Brunch Spots:

• Cecelia's
• Providence Social
• Trattoria Aroma
• Elm Street Bakery

Other Activities:

• Canalside - kayaking, water bikes, boat tours
• Niagara Falls - Maid of the Mist, Cave of the Winds
• Brewery Tours - with Craft Breweries being so popular - go on one of your own brewery tours - Flying Bison, Resurgence, Big Ditch, Rusty Nickel are just a few to check out!

-B

Allentown Art Festival 2015

I hit the road and headed to Delaware Ave. and Allen St. this past weekend to go to one of my favorite festivals of the summer - the Allentown Art Festival. I am not an art junkie and I probably won't ever purchase an expensive piece of art work at least not anytime soon, but I do like to look at the photographers and artists work. This year I found myself liking more of the vendors participating in the "Allen West Festival" that takes place off of the main festival street by Nietzche's. Here are a list of some of my favorite vendors this year:

• Bruce Odell
• Mia Sohn
• PS Enjoy Yourself
• Jman Photo
• Axetreme Creations
• Geometrical Cards
• Everything Buffalo
• The Public
• Ella Rae Bowtique
• Vintage Chameleon
• Daggett Designs - awesome Buffalove work he had displayed

Who were some of your favorites? Did you walk away with a piece of art you love?

-B

Allen Burger Venture

Polish Eggs

Allen West Festival

The first piece of artwork I saw when I approached the festival

These cards are part of a perfect gift for a friends upcoming birthday. Thanks JuNxtaposition!

#BuffaloLinks

Today kicks off the North Buffalo Farmers Market. A place I'm looking forward to checking out this summer.

Also, tonight at 6pm Makers Buffalo is hosting their Grand Opening of their new space and Once and For All is celebrating their new line at Modern Nostalgia!

Saturday at Ralph Wilson Stadium is Namastadium - a yoga event with proceeds benefitting the new Children's Hospital. To learn more about the event click here.

I'm super excited for Bases Merloted this year! Wine, great weather, fun games and so much more. To find out more details go here.

Hello June!

It's June 1st! I can't believe summer is officially going to be upon us in just a few short weeks. With this month comes my list of "to-dos'."

- Bases Merloted Wine Event this Saturday - I'm looking forward to this event and all the new vendors participating this year!

- Celebrating some of my closest friends birthdays

- Exploring this wonderful City - with a few open weekends I want to just go on a day adventure exploring different places and meeting new people around town

- Attending the Buffalo Science Museum's Summer Solstice event on June 20th

What are some of the things on your "to-do" list for this month? Any fun events, adventures or travels you plan to take?

-B

Buffalo Marathon

{Buffalo Marathon prep}

Sunday morning 7,500+ people took to the streets of Buffalo to run either 26.2 or 13.1 miles. The course took you through all parts of town and the community came out to show their support. People lined the streets to cheer for loved ones and complete strangers. This was my second half marathon and my first time doing the Buffalo Marathon and doing it by myself. It was an experience and words honestly can't describe how I feel. The support and encouragement from complete strangers and the beautiful scenery I ran through makes me love this city even more. To everyone involved in the race, thank you for creating an event that I will always remember.

-B

{Lined up and ready for the start}

{Post race}

{My number one fan - My Dad}

{Mission accomplished!}

A Night to Remember

{A walk down memory lane - all 30 years}

A few weeks ago I celebrated my 30th birthday and all I really wanted was my friends and family that mean the most to me, all in the same room for just a few hours. Now a days its hard to get everyone together, so for people to share a Saturday night with me was really special. The party took place at the Foundry on Elmwood. I was a little nervous because I was receiving mixed reviews on the service and food, so I didn't know what to expect, but the night turned out to be everything I wanted {except that whole crying part, that was thanks to my friends}. Don, who was my contact went above and beyond to make sure I was happy with everything. I couldn't have asked for a better person to work with.

Before I knew it the night was over, but the memories and the smiles will be with me for a long, long time. So to everyone who came, words can't describe how thankful I am to have you in my life. xo

-B

{Group Shot}

{DIY Just a Blonde in Buffalo Candy Table - thank you Buffalo Cake Pops for the cookies!}

{Little favors with special messages in the bottle for people to take home}

{FYI this is such a simple and easy favor to make, check out my upcoming post later the week on how to create them}

Showin' Love at Larkinville

Larkin Square - aka "Larkinville"- one of the newest hot spots in Buffalo with so many food truck and social events that are taking place its one of my favorite places to go, especially in the summer time. For a complete list of upcoming things to do click here

-B

A Place to Be A Kid

A place where anyone can be a kid, the Buffalo Science Museum. Each year there is always at least a handful of events that draw me in. Today, its Messfest! Science is messy and today you can get ooey and gooey and have fun doing it! Have a great Sunday!

-B

St. Patrick's Day Parade

In honor of the St. Patty's Day parade that is taking place today, I thought it would be appropriate to share my favorite memories of the parade in years past. Its one of the most fun, insane and memorable parades to go to.

-B

Down by the Water

A lot has happened down at Canalside and the Naval Park over the last few years and you can't not feel the "Buffalove." Its one of my favorite places to go any time of year. I'm curious to see how their Scavenger Hunt goes this Saturday. For more info on the event click here.

-B

Delaware Park and the Elmwood Village

Another part of Western New York that I love is the Elmwood Village and Delaware Park. Being able to walk up and down Elmwood and visit different shops and restaurants can make for a fun day and if you're not from the area it can be a unique experience. What I love even more is walking around Delaware Park and making a pit stop at the art gallery or history museum. The amount of activities you can do in the summer months around the park is one of a kind, making Buffalo a pretty awesome place.

-B

Animals!

The Buffalo Zoo and Aquarium of Niagara Falls are two of my favorite things in Western New York. I love animals and to be able to learn more about them and visit them in our area is pretty cool. Some cities aren't lucky to have a zoo and/or aquarium, so when I hear some people say these places aren't as great as other big cities, we should be thankful we even have any in "our backyard." If you take the time the next time you visit the zoo or aquarium you will see they actually have more to offer than you think.

-B

Hello, March!

Hello March! Since its my birthday month I've decided that I'm going to share at least one of my favorite things about Western New York for the next 30 days. Yes, I know March has 31 days in it, but since I'm turning the "big" 3-0 in just a couple shorts weeks, I thought it would be the theme for this month.

So today I'm kicking off my first favorite thing - Buffalo Indie Weddings! Nope, I'm not married or engaged, but the ladies behind these fun DIY bridal parties are Ali {Made by Anatomy} and Erica {City Lights Studio}. They are creative and fun, offering a fresh take on those regular bridal shows that take place. I always love seeing what new things they come up with and more importantly I love meeting new people at their events {a majority of the vendors are local!}.

-B

{Check out their event today at the Foundry}

YOU Are Beautiful

You are beautiful. That was the theme this past Saturday at HEAL BFLO’s event. {H.E.A.L standing for - Health, Energy, Art and Love}. The yoga retreat and wellness event was much different than other health and wellness events that take place. It was more intimate – offering an all-day yoga retreat for those who wanted to participate and on the other side a vendor based event open to the public featuring local boutiques and businesses.

While I didn’t attend the yoga retreat {looking back I wish I did}, when I walked into the Foundry you immediately felt a calmness and community bond at the event. Over 30 vendors participated and the venue was packed with positive energy.

To learn more about HEAL BFLO and the ladies behind the event click here and here.

-B

Because the Makers are Gonna "Make, Make, Make"

{Picture above: Photo credit - Makers Buffalo}

This past Sunday I attended my 3rd Makers Buffalo class. This time it was being held at Revolution Buffalo and it didn't disappoint. We were making DIY workout shirts! My sister came along with me and we created shirts that I can't wait to wear.

The class was $28 and included all of the supplies - screen printing {we got to do this ourselves}, shirts and all the other craft materials we needed. The wonderful ladies at Rev provided champagne {delicious mimosas to go along with Sunday Funday!} and healthy snacks - salsa, chips, hummus and fruit!

It was a fun Sunday afternoon. If you haven't taken a Makers class yet, you should, I haven't taken a class that doesn't disappoint yet!

-B

{Getting the shirts prepped for screening}

{Gretchen from Makers, showing us the next steps to take}

{My shirt choice}

{My sister's shirt choice}

{Putting the finishing touches on the shirts.. stamping it with the word Rev}

Tuesday's Tastings...

Like we have done for the past few years, my friend Karen hosted her annual birthday wine tour on the Niagara Wine Trail this past Saturday. While we have been to all of the wineries I'm about to mention before, this time I tried to take a different approach on each place... instead of going to just drink, I observed more -picking out what I liked, didn't like, etc. about each place. While I am no wine expert, below is my review.

I'd love to get to the Finger Lakes and do a comparison of wine trails in the months ahead.

Cheers!

-B

Honeymoon Wine Trail - while it is nice and cozy with the fireplace, I won't purchase wine or tasting from this winery. After what I think was poor customer service, I decided that even if we go there I won't support a business that I think needs some attitude adjustments.

I will mention they did have an artist painting this wine barrel which was pretty cool to see, but she was set up right by the bar area making it a little crammed when groups came in for tastings.

On my top 3 wineries on the Niagara Wine Trail: Niagara Landing Wine Cellar. I love just about all of their wines {minus the chocolate one}. I love the wine bottles, the layout of the winery and you can't beat the price - $3 for 6 tastings, that's a deal to me!

Perfect idea for those couples looking for something to do on Valentine's Day weekend...

Part of the wine trail group!

So many options to choose from...

Schulze Vineyards, while I'm indifferent with this winery, I used my tastings on a lot of their red wine, but did sample the Chardonnay last which was pretty good. The only winery that uses the nicest wine glasses to sample from, the tasting room was nice and clean, along with their bathrooms.

Freedom Run, this made the top of my list of favorite wineries. Not only because I love their barn they use for private functions and weddings, the customer service was amazing. While I don't know the gentleman's name who poured are wine, he was the nicest and most informational man I've met on all of the tours I've been on. Not only was the staff great, but it was a spacious tasting room with unique seats made from wine barrels.

You can't beat the sweet and hot pepper relish and apple butter snacks they had out as well.

Becker Farms, you can't go wrong there, while I opted out of the wine at this stop I ordered a pint of the Winter Ale {I believe that is what it was called}. It was a nice stop and I love all the areas where you can walk outside.

The last stop of the day was at Leonard Oakes, while I liked a majority of their wine and the layout of the tasting room, I didn't like are pourer. I felt like she was a little rude and hurried us along. Offering not only wine, but beer flights as well I thought the flights were a little on the higher price {$8 for 4 5oz. samples}.

#Itsjustfun My Ellicottville Day Trip!

This past Monday my friend, Annette and I took the day off and decided to make a day full of fun in Ellicottville. We knew we were going to grab brunch at Katy's before heading to Holiday Valley to try out the ski boards. As we got closer to the date, we decided on either doing cross country skiing or tubing to save a couple bucks {because I'm "living on a budget" more now a days}.

{I love these coffee mugs at Katy's}

When we arrived in Ellicottville it was a little later than planned {this was my fault because I arrived late to Annette's house}. Katy's only serves breakfast until noon {note to self if you plan on doing the same thing}. So we grabbed lunch which was pretty good {I had the Firecracker Panini and Annette had the Tannenbaum Panini} and then decided to go to tubing.

{Holiday Valley Tubing - Open Thursday thru Sunday}

We went down the street {because Holiday Valley tubing isn't located on the main resort that the skiing and snowboarding is on}. When we arrived, the parking lot was plowed, but no one {I mean NO ONE} was there. To our surprise they are closed Monday thru Wednesday. Yes, I say to our surprise because I assumed it was open the same hours as the main resort is {don't ever assume}. So we decided to head to the main lodge and get an adult beverage and then decide if we wanted to hit the slopes. When we arrived, the bar was closed {we literally laughed out loud at this point}. We then decided to just head back in to town and grab some drinks at EBC {Ellicottville Brewing Company}.

{Some of the slopes}

{The view was so pretty}

{Beer flights at EBC! I found some new beers I like beside my go to Blueberry Wheat}

While the day didn't go as we planned, we still made the best of it and had a fun day off { #itsjustfun - Holiday Valley's tagline}.

As much as I dislike and never really post anything negative about places I go on my blog, I am always honest with what I share and share my opinion, so here it goes... I love Holiday Valley, I think its a great place to go, but I do think that their website is a bit confusing and isn't as "straightforward" as it could be. I feel like it takes multiple clicks and pages to get to the information you are looking for.

I will also say, it seems {comparing to my last year's snowboarding experience} that weekends and nights are their busiest time, so instead of having coupons geared for more of the Canadian clientele or offering coupons for your peak hours, why not offer coupons or discounts for those "off peak" hours. There wasn't nearly as many people on a Monday afternoon as compared to a weekend.

I understand Holiday Valley is ranked in the top 10 for best resorts in the East, but for those people on a budget and not as experienced in skiing or snowboarding {like me}, it can be expensive and steer people away. While are plans for a adventure packed Monday didn't go as we had planned, we still made the best of it and have new memories we made.

Until next time.

-B

February To-Do

We are in the second month of the year and not to get to boring, but the beginning of 2015 hasn't gone exactly as I wanted {yes, I know that's how life goes}. While I focused so much on what I didn't do and what didn't go right for me, I need to think of what did. I met some amazing people and did some pretty cool things. I, {like I think most people are}, am my worst critic, I focus on always improving myself and the things that I didn't do, that I don't take the time to enjoy what I've accomplished.

February is about getting back to me - focusing on my goals and enjoying the things I do for me and not being so hard on myself {or at least trying to - this isn't going to be an overnight switch-a-roo}. So today I'm kicking it off by heading to Holiday Valley for the day. I took the day off and am looking forward to a day of Ellicottville fun with Annette.

A  couple other things  I have on the calendar that I'm looking forward to this month are trying some new fitness classes out {Barre at Catalyst, Pound at BikeorBar, incorporating a little yoga in my life - if you know of a good studio to go to let me know! and learning more TRX at Revolution Buffalo}, a Makers Buffalo Class is always fun!, a Niagara Wine Trail wine tour for a friend's birthday, the Polar Bites event benefiting the Buffalo Zoo and planning the finishing touches for my 30th birthday party next month. Who knows what else will come up, but sometimes its those "unplanned" adventures that make the best memories.

What are some fun things you are looking forward to this month. Leave them in the comments section below and I'll pick a random person to win a gift card to 716!

-B

A Saturday Morning Well Spent!

Over the last couple of years I've grown more "in love" with farmers markets in the area. Being that we live in Buffalo and it would be difficult to hold one during the winter, outside, I have had on my list of places to go, The Winter Market at Horsefeathers. What an awesome place! A couple weeks back my Dad and I took a drive down to Connecticut St to experience the indoor market. From fresh eggs at Prudom Farms to delicious pierogi and polish sausage from Betty Crockski. Maybe its the unique building and the unique concept of bringing local farmers and vendors {like The Public, Lockhouse Distillery and Public Espresso} inside each week that make it a neat place to check out, I'm not sure, but its definitely a place to go on a Saturday.

The best way to stay up to date on what's going on each week is to follow on social media. Facebook  Twitter  & Instagram

-B

{Green Heron Growers}

#WinterBUF Canalside

Over the holidays my friend Agnes and I hit up Canalside. Agnes who is from Buffalo originally, lives in Chicago and was home for the Holidays, so I wanted to show her all of the progress going on downtown. Being it was a Tuesday afternoon, we hit up 716 first to fill our bellies and enjoy some brews before hitting the ice. When we arrived outside, we thought it wouldn't be a problem to grab some ice bikes from Ice Bikes of Buffalo, but we were wrong...there was a two and a half hour wait and the line to ice skate was long enough that we didn't want to stand in it! So we had to change up our strategy and we decided to just walk around the area check out all of the skaters and take in the new vibe that is happening at our waterfront.

Even though I was bummed we didn't get on the bikes {even if we wanted to it would have been so crowded} it was nice to see all of the people {on a Tuesday afternoon} down at Canalside. I'm hoping when I go back in a couple weeks, I'll have my chance at one of the bikes. In the meantime I'm enjoying all the updates and pictures I've been seeing on social media.

If you haven't been down to Canalside yet, this is the perfect weekend to do so {as long as you don't mind crowds}. Harborcenter is hosting a three day Winterfest, full of fun activities for everyone. For more info click here.

-B

{Filling our bellies with delicious food from 716}

{Experience your adventure}

{Ice Bikes of Buffalo}

{My panoramic shot of Canalside/Harborcenter}

{Make sure to get in on Visit Buffalo Niagara's social media fun and use the #WinterBuf when posting.}