Entertainment Weekly 10.28.17

Happy Halloweekend! One costume down, 2 to go here...and I still don't know what I'm wearing for tonight, oops! I've been baking up a storm the last couple weeks, especially since it's finally getting cool enough to use the oven on a regular basis.

I've also been

Reading: Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson. He also has an excellent TED Talk-and I got to hear him speak at a leadership conference this spring-and I'm a little obsessed. At work people are also working with the youth to address the systems that are impacting our youth, so reading this was pretty timely. The people's stories within it are heartbreaking, but the work being done through the Equal Justice Initiative is beyond inspiring. Read it, watch it, act on it.

Listening: The podcast Code Switch's series on school systems and race is excellent. I love learning about different approaches to empowering youth to succeed!

Watching: Getting caught up on The Flash-one of my coworkers also watches all the superhero TV, so he's been giving me a hard time about being behind and not being able to talk about it with me. I'm almost there!

I've been feeling pretty determined to empower our youth lately, clearly-I hope you do the same!

xoxoxo
Emma

Happy 60th Birthday, Dad!

Today is my dad's 60th birthday, and while I can't be there for the day itself, Lucas and I had a blast creating a whole surprise weekend a little early :)

I had no idea, but apparently I ordered the cake from one of the best bakeries around! LaSalle, you were great!

I picked Lucas up at the airport on Friday and we spent the afternoon eating, prepping, and avoiding running into Dad. Lunch at Tallulah's Taqueria and dessert at PVDonuts was a great way to do this!

We conspired with some of our friends (thanks Georgina, Manu, José, and Rici!) to show up at Dad's regular Friday evening haunt, GCB. It was a surprise when I walked in, since I am very rarely able to make it down on a Friday at all, let alone early enough, but Dad's reaction to Lucas was priceless, and totally worth hiding the fact that he was coming in from Denver.

After GCB, a few of us went to dinner at Lim's (our go-to!) and ate waaaay too much, but had to still have dessert! I made one combining Dad's favorite flavors-raspberry cream cheese brownies. Delicious and oh-so-rich!

Dad had to speak on a panel Saturday morning, so Lucas and I took advantage of this to clean a lot of the house and tried to play it off as one of his surprises. Naturally we also had to go to Rebelle Artisan Bagels-I think it lived up to the (my) hype! When Dad returned, we also filled him in on his next surprise-going skydiving! Obviously I would not partake in this (though Lucas did), but we all drove down to Newport to spend the afternoon there. We started with a yummy lunch at the Tavern on Broadway so they could fuel up for their dive. I, on the other hand, took the opportunity to wander around Newport.

The boys loved skydiving, but we had one more surprise up our collective sleeve-a party, of course! I told Dad I wanted to be back in time to watch the Michigan game (which wasn't untrue, but *sigh*...that game was a travesty), so we again coordinated with Georgina, Manu, and José to time it perfectly. Dad, Lucas, and I may have had a couple drinks on the porch of the Lobster Bar to both enjoy the sunset and delay our return.

We had so many lovely guests...thank you all for being a part of making this birthday so special! The party raged on until the wee hours of the morning and Dad had a blast.

The night is never complete without a group selfie!

Sunday morning we relaxed and went to breakfast at the Classic Cafe before Lucas had to make it to the airport. I hung out a few hours longer, managing to sneak in lunch and a strawberry milkshake from Three Sisters before driving back to Boston.

Had to get that family photo!

Dad, thank you for always being such a support to everyone in your life. I hope you have the most wonderful birthday; I'm so glad I got to celebrate to the extreme with you this weekend!

xoxoxo
Emma

Madison Wedding Weekend!

I was lucky to return to Madison so soon after my last trip there-this time to celebrate Caroline and Patrick's wedding! I didn't take a lot of photos there, as there's no way I could compete with the real photographer, but trust me when I say it was beautiful.

I arrived early Saturday morning-and when I say early, I mean 8:30am and nobody else was awake. Thankfully the hotel was able to give me an early check-in, so I swung by Tailgate Coffee (also a clothing shop!) and Dough Baby Bakery to pick up my favorite treats and chill in the room for a bit. I don't nap, unfortunately, so I was going to have to power through from my 3:00am wakeup.

I took a stroll up the street to find a card for the wedding-I knew I'd be able to find a cool one in one of the little shops that line the way to the Capitol. I am now obsessed with Madison Modern Market-but managed not to buy anything other than the card! I was very proud :)

A bunch of us Michigania people, plus Erica and Erik, met up at the alumni bar to watch as much of the game as we could before the welcome dinner. Michigan has not been playing up to expectations, but it's always fun to watch with my people.

I headed back to the hotel to meet up with Leslie and Michael (and snuggle their sweet dog Harley!), then headed over to the welcome party with them at a local park. It was super hot out, but still a good time! We eventually had to make our way to some air-conditioning, so of course went to our favorite piano bar, the Ivory Room, with the rest of the Michigania gang.

The wedding was Sunday afternoon, so Leslie, Michael, and I spent our morning walking around the UW campus area with Harley. We picked up more doughnuts (of course!) and nitro cold brew coffee from Colectivo before strolling over to the UW Memorial Terrace. My brother Lucas met up with us there (he happened to be in town for another wedding the same weekend!) to partake in the doughnuts as our brunch appetizer.

We then drove over to Everly, where we had a delicious-and super trendy-brunch. The matcha latté and summer salad were both gorgeous and delicious. If I lived in Madison, I have a feeling I would end up there a lot-I want everything on the menu!

Finally it was time to get ready for the wedding-which of course involved some sparkling wine! I must say, Leslie and Michael are one of my favorite couples to third-wheel, ha. We took an Uber over to Monona Terrace with Sheila, Cat, and Sam and did our best to stay in the shade until it was time to be seated. A gorgeous view, but boy was it hot-about 90 degrees! After the gorgeous ceremony, we had some drinks and nibbles, and of course our mini photo shoot. Who could pass up these lake views?

The reception was inside and so much fun. As always, I danced the night away, barely taking a break. I may be a terrible dancer, but I like to think that I make everyone comfortable to get on the floor! Caroline and Patrick did a great job of making sure they talked to everybody-and danced with them too!

My flight back wasn't until Monday evening, so I got to walk around Madison some more in the morning, and even meet Erica for lunch! We swung by the food carts then headed back to the UW Terrace to enjoy our food with a view. We even finally managed to get a picture in the chair-an oversized version of the ones all over the Terrace and a classic photo op.

After lunch I wandered some more, got my cheese curd and New Glarus fix at the Tipsy Cow, hit up Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, and eventually made my way to the airport. Of course this was the time my flight was delayed, but I made it home and even to work the next day. A weekend well worth it-congratulations, Caroline and Patrick! It was an honor to share in your special day.

xoxoxo
Emma

Maybe you can go home again... (Part 1)

Get ready for an epically long post... ;)
This summer, I took advantage of our shutdown time at work to take a full week off and drive back to Michigan. Yes, a little insane (especially with my insistence on making the drive each way in one day), but worth it to have the mobility once I made it there. It was so wonderful to get to catch up with friends from so many stages of my life, from childhood to my last job before leaving for Boston.
I drove into the Metro Detroit area first (after a slight disagreement with Pennsylvania, where road construction added a couple hours onto my drive...sigh) to stay with Shelley, one of my (old) work besties. She was dog/housesitting, so as a bonus I got to play with an adorable pup!

On Sunday, we participated in a fundraiser event put on by her barre studio, Barre Code Metro Detroit, at Atwater Brewery. Nothing better than barre + beer + raising money for an animal shelter! Naturally we followed this up with brunch-at Vinsetta Garage, a restaurant I had actually been wanting to try back when I did a show with Birmingham Village Players. It was worth the wait!

On Monday morning I drove into Ann Arbor to spend some time just wandering around my hometown (and shopping for Alvan's birthday present!) and spend time with friends who live there. I hit up Roo's Roast for breakfast-my favorite avocado toast in Michigan and amazing coffee-then wandered around all my favorite stores downtown. Naturally I went to the M Den (where I limited myself to just one sweatshirt!), but also made it into Shinola, Cherry Republic, Rock Paper Scissors, and Literati (where I did not manage to limit myself to just one book...oops). I need to do some more research into Boston bookstores, as I'm sure there are wonderful ones...but I just miss Literati so!

obsessed with the food & drink section here!

I then met Elizabeth, a friend from the Ann Arbor theatre scene (particularly Brass Tacks Ensemble) for lunch at Sava's and a stroll through the Arboretum. It was a hot and humid day, but there was no way I was passing on the Arb-I love it not only for the natural beauty but also memories it holds from my childhood all the way through Shakespeare comedy performances with the Residential College Players (you never forget it when you have to spring through the woods on a hot summer night in Elizabethan dress to beat the audience!).

I had to get some ice cream at Blank Slate Creamery, of course-they have the best flavors and I love that it is all made fresh from quality ingredients! I then decided to take full advantage of happy hour (as it doesn't exist in Boston-which just drives me crazy) at the Raven's Club. I always love trying out their seasonal infused vodkas!

That evening I got see a number of people-first dinner with Alex (we became friends in middle school when I did my first play with Ann Arbor Civic Theatre) at Jolly Pumpkin, then sangria with Megan (friends since I volunteered to be her buddy when she transferred schools in 6th grade) at Aventura, then some of my trivia crew-Joe, Steve A, and PJ-where Megan and I helped them secure first place in the final round.

Tuesday was pretty chill, as it was planned entirely around lunch and dinner plans. I did make sure to go by Zingerman's for breakfast-and a couple drinks to take home-where I wondered why I couldn't just have leisurely mornings with pain au chocolat and café au lait all the time.

Megan and I had made reservations at the Lunch Room's new restaurant, the Detroit Street Filling Station, as it was their soft open-perfect timing, right? The food was fantastic and I cannot wait to go back (someday) now that they have a full menu-and to hit up the Diner & Canteen for some vegan ice cream treats!

Megan refused to take a photo with me...so I made her dog, Sophie, take one instead!

Tuesday evening I got to have a reunion of sorts with my old coworkers, my warriors of love. Binh hosted us all and it was truly fantastic to get to catch up with everybody. I have become close with some of my coworkers here, but there was something magical about our relationships there.

Stay tuned for part 2...I promise it is waaaay shorter!

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 10.14.17

The first weekend in so long that I'm not traveling and don't have guests...it has been so fun but I must admit, I'm happy to have a weekend of (almost) no plans. I decided to go to Providence for the evening to hang out with Dad/avoid ruminating over (non-)relationships, and tomorrow I start at my new part-time job, but otherwise I get to just do me! More to come on the job front of course...I have a feeling it will result in a lot of Insta photos :)

favorite lazy Saturday activities: drinking coffee and baking

Reading: The Assistants by Camille Perri. I loved this book-a story of undervalued women, in underpaying jobs, fighting back in clever ways. Definitely check it out!

Listening: When I was in Nashville a couple weeks ago, I discovered that there is, in fact, some country music that I enjoy. Of course, it's closer to folk, but it still counts! Leaving Thomas is an adorable and talented duo from Canada who performed at the Bluebird when we were there...if anybody finds their song about online dating, please send it to me-I've been on the hunt!

Watching: All the Michigan football, of course! I did miss part of a game for my friend's wedding (I guess it was worth it...ha!) and it has been fun but stresssssfull. That last loss to Michigan State was painful, but hopefully we come back knowing we ned to up our game!

Have a great weekend, y'all!

xoxoxo
Emma