Unexpected Weekend of Nothing

Well, this weekend was pretty near perfect. It wasn't what we had originally set out to do, but it ended up being exactly what we needed.

Life has been really busy lately. You've probably noticed a lack of blog posts recently. Work life has had some stressful events and situations, personal life is always packed to the brim of activities and responsibilities, and we got a new computer. I haven't fully loaded everything on to it yet, so that's part of the reason for the lack of blogging.

But, you're in luck, because I have TWO of the remaining three 2015 To Dine Challenge restaurants scheduled for this week. I have a group headed to Thai Elephant in Kamm's Corner this Thursday evening. The more, the merrier. Anyone want to join? 

So, back to this past weekend. Mr. H and I attended an event last-minute on Friday evening. "An Old Brooklyn Nite" at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, to benefit the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation.

We don't really know anyone in our neighborhood, and we're leaning towards making this area our long-term home (if we can find a bigger, better house sometime in the next couple of years), so we decided to check out the event.

This event exceeded my expectations. About 200 guests gathered to enjoy dinner and drinks at the newly-built Stillwater Place at the zoo. They had a silent auction, and amazing desserts from Old Brooklyn businesses like Jack Frost Donuts...

...and a gorgeous OB-themed cake from Cake Royale.

You can also check out Cake Royale at the West Side Market.

We connected with people that live in our neighborhood, realized that someone we already know lives just walking distance away from us, and snagged a behind-the-scenes zoo tour in the silent auction. I didn't know what to expect from this first large fundraiser for the OB CDC, and our first event in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood, but it far exceeded any thoughts that I had previous to attending.

We were supposed to head out to Columbus the next morning to see Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper live. Alas, the show was postponed due to the Paris attacks. Let's pause. What the heck kind of world are we living in? It's so sad, and scary, at times.

So, we cancelled our trip to Columbus, hunkered down at home, and cooked some amazing food all weekend. Seriously, if you're not getting your fish and seafood at Catanese Classic Seafood in The Flats yet, then you're missing out.

It was a completely unexpected weekend, and sorely needed. We don't slow down enough. I'm guilty of over-booking us. FOMO? There is just always so much happening in Cleveland! Stay tuned for posts on our restaurant outings later this week.