Once Upon an Adventure

I hope you're all staying warm!       I'm sure you're wondering why I'm posting about Halloweekends in MARCH. Because it's always Halloween in my soul. 👿 To be honest, I've been dragging my feet since October. Let me get on my soapbox for a minute. I am not happy with many of the park decisions made since the merger. Those decisions were glaringly obvious in the 2025 season. In vain, I had hoped that Halloweekends would be left alone, but I was highly disappointed. For me, 2024's Halloweekend was an 8 or a 9 out of 10. Since getting Mr. Midnight as an icon, I felt we were moving in the direction of more popular theme parks. I would put 2025 at a 5 out of 10. It felt like we took a huge step backward. Do the houses need updated? Desperately. They also removed the main stage, making us lose some great shows throughout the night, and increasing the wait time for others. The Opening Scareymonies was terrible. It was held at the train station in the back of the ...

 Welcome to 2025.     I hope you're all hanging in there. Whether you're starting fresh with goals, aspirations, and motivation for the new year or you're just hoping to get through it, I send you the best.      I'm going to start the year by talking about one of my favorite things: tacos. I happened upon Agave & Rye in Columbus, Ohio on a whim with a friend while we were driving around trying to figure out what to eat. I enjoyed it so much that when I heard there was a Cleveland location, I told my friend we had to go. This Kentucky original restaurant boasts EPIC tacos, tequila, and bourbon with a mix of street art and fine art. The words that came to mind in both locations were punk, graffiti, gothic, Cyndi Lauper, 90s, urban, eclectic, etc... There's even a disco ball in each bathroom stall. It looks like the kind of place where you can enjoy tacos, a great cocktail, and get a tattoo in the back if you're nice enough.      Both locati...

 Happy July!     It's bittersweet to say that since it means summer is halfway over. I'm trying to soak in all the sun, sand, chlorine and heat that I possibly can before I blink and it's winter. While we were visiting family in Indiana, we also went to Hard Truth Distillery on the recommendation from my uncle. Two of my uncles, brother, and grandpa did the bourbon trail in Kentucky last year, so my uncle wanted us to try this one. I am a whiskey and bourbon girl, so you don't exactly have to pull my arm to get me to go to a distillery.  Main building      Hard Truth Distillery is located in Nashville, Indiana, which is a cute little historic town full of shops if you ever get the chance to visit. The distillery is on a gorgeous piece of property tucked away on a side street on a hilltop surrounded by trees about 2 miles from downtown. It gave me Twilight vibes, minus the overcast sky. There is a tasting room/tours near the parking lot, the main build...

 Happy Summer!     Now that it is officially patio season, I have been wanting to review one of my favorite wineries since I started this blog 5 years ago-Oliver Winery. It is nestled in Bloomington, Indiana and is one of the largest wineries in the U.S. I have been coming here since I was a kid when my uncle worked there part-time while attending Indiana University. I remember him taking us on tours around the winery when we visited and I loved getting those rock candy suckers (which they no longer sell 😞). I vaguely remember meeting the original founder, Bill Oliver, a few times when I was younger.  Ownership changed a few years back, though Bill is still a board member. One of things he was passionate about was ballooning, and he got my uncle into it. The logo has been changed to a hot air balloon, which I love because it plays into the story so well.      The property is absolutely stunning with a garden out front, a waterfall, a large deck and pa...

 Hello Again!     We are continuing our little set of Disney World posts with one of the restaurants over at Disney Springs.  If you've been to Disney Springs you know the endless amount of restaurant options that are available (there are currently 69). Wine Bar George is known for being one of the top three most popular. It is also my personal favorite. We have been here a couple of times, but this is my first time featuring it in this blog. They serve brunch, lunch, and dinner along with a "quick service" walk-up outside (you can see the menus on their website ). We love the evening atmosphere inside the restaurant, so that is what I wanted to highlight.       Let me start off by saying I am a big fan of dim lighting in the evenings, and Wine Bar George delivers the perfect ambiance.  During the day the restaurant has massive windows that bring in the sunlight, but the evening brings in the Florida sunsets and then fades to dark. The l...

Hello Everyone,      My mom and grandma are fans of New Day Cleveland and wanted to take me to Little Birdie Wine Nest after seeing them featured on the show. They were voted Best Wine Shop in Parma and Cleveland. Their shop has coffee and wine flights, boards, pizzas, and desserts along with over 1,000 wines from all over the world. They also host a variety of events such as trivia, crafts, and wine pairings. Those book up fast so if you're interested, you may want to follow them on social media or get their newsletter.I had originally posted a story to social media with a few fun photos while we were there, and got a lot of interest and questions from people. It motivated me to go back and make a post about them.      The shop is located on a small strip mall off Broadview Rd. It has a small boutique feel to it with bakery and gifts in the front, 10 booths and tables in the middle, and an art/event section in the back. If you plan on dining in, head...