Toronto, Canada

We have friends that are currently living in Toronto and I'm so glad we were able to make a trip up to see them! 

We grabbed a surprisingly quick flight from Dallas to Toronto and arrived Friday before noon. Once we got settled and had some lunch, we walked around our their neighborhood (Liberty Village), popped into some cute shops on Queen Street and grabbed some coffee and macaroons at Nadege. Even though we were in a big city, I loved all of the charm the houses, stores and restaurants had. When we started to get chilly, we stopped in at The County General for some delicious cocktails!

For dinner, we had an amazing meal at Momofuku Daisho. Thanks to our friends, we got the royal treatment. All courses were amazing, but our favorite were the the Crispy Chicken buns, squash salad, Muscovy duck, and the beef tartare. It was a really wonderful meal!

Saturday, we were treated to a home-cooked breakfast. Afterwards, we drove an hour or so up to Niagara Falls. The falls were in all of their winter-glory! It was really beautiful to see. The town itself was a bit of a tourist trap (and that's putting it mildly), so we didn't linger long. It was also freezing!

 Afterwards, we warmed up at Ravine for lunch and a wine tasting. The burgers (and wine) were delicious! Next, we stopped at Tawse Winery where we tried sparkling, white, red, and ICE WINE. This was a first for us, and while I couldn't drink it every day, we really enjoyed the intense flavors of the Cabernet Ice Wine.

That night, back in Toronto, we watched 21 Jump Street (loooove this movie) and chatted for hours. Jake cooked us a delicious dinner and we played many hilarious (yet offensive) rounds of Cards Against Humanity. It's a good thing we've been friends for so long! We definitely made a dent in their extensive wine collection this night...

Thank you Jake for taking a break in your studying to hang out with us! And since you passed your Advanced Sommelier test (woohoo!!), I can breath a sigh of relief that we didn't mess you up or distract you too much!

Sunday, we got the chance to walk around High Park in the snow and eat lunch at La Cubana before we had to head to the airport. Sadly, the weekend just flew by, but it was so great to spend time with friends in their city. Thanks for having us y'all! A special thanks also goes out to Jason's parents for driving up to Dallas to watch our fur baby.

Up Next: We are (hopefully) heading to Sonoma soon for some more wine tasting! It is one of our favorite places, so stay tuned for this recap.

Brooklyn, NY

I was so glad that my cousin asked me to join in with her bachelorette party fun in Brooklyn this weekend. I've never really spent any time outside of Manhattan, so I was excited to check out her new digs. I arrived late Friday and caught the end of the Cardinals' baseball game.

This might have been the most fun and unique bachelorette weekend I've ever attended. Saturday started with NY bagels (and a concert by their upstairs neighbor, haha) and was followed by a trapeze class at Streb! We each got about 5 chances to swing - with the big finale of being caught in the air by an instructor! Below are some shots of the bachelorette in action.

This class was amazing and honestly, much harder than it looks! We all left pretty bruised, but feeling super accomplished! The only really "scary" moment was when you are being held onto by the instructor before you jump off.

Click below to see the video of my back flip and catch and release:

 

 

***Update - I totally failed to mention just how awesome Streb was. I honestly can't say enough nice things. Our instructors were amazing and made me feel safe and secure trying something completely out of my comfort zone. I felt encouraged the entire time and would LOVE to go back next time I'm in the area. I may even try to find some local place in Dallas!

 

After our class, we had a well-deserved lunch and drinks at Rosamunde Sausage Grill in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Later we watched the Cards win (we ARE all St. Louis born and bred!).

 

That night we went out for dinner and drinks at Sidecar. The food and drinks here were amazing and we had fun sampling the entire cocktail menu. We continued the fun at various bars in Jenna's neighborhood of Park Slope.

 

This guy just HAD to take a picture from above...? One of probably 10 he took.

 

 

Sunday morning, we watched Pitch Perfect (only the best movie ever) and then we had to head to LGA.

While the weekend was short, I always jump at the chance to hang out with my family. It was also great to get to know some of Jenna's friends. I can't wait to see everyone at the wedding in a month! It's just 2 days after our 4 year anniversary, so it will just be a weekend of celebrating love.

Next up: The wedding related to this bachelorette. We'll be heading to Lawrence, KS (home of the University of Kansas) in a month to celebrate!