I didn’t post much in November, but I was really busy for most of that month, so it’s time for a nice, long update on what’s been going on with me!
Designed a Cubs World Series Champions newspaper cover
I am not the biggest sports fan, but it was pretty awesome seeing the Cubs win the World Series again after almost 100 years. It was even more amazing to design a sports cover celebrating the victory. This is probably one of the coolest things I’ve gotten to work on during my time as a newspaper designer.
I visited Detroit
At the beginning of the month I took a way too quick long weekend trip to Detroit to visit some friends and family. I had a lot of fun and it was really nice seeing people I don’t see often but are very special to me. While there were many people I wanted to see while in town, I’m glad I got to see those who have come out to visit me during this past year 🙂
One of my good friends, Clare is a fellow cat lover. When I visited, we went to the Catfe in Ferndale, and it was both awesome and adorable. After, we stocked up on chocolate and snacks to enjoy while we hung out. We also went to a tasty local vegan restaurant called Om Cafe, where I enjoyed Roasted Celery Root Cream pasta with tofu and kale. It was AMAZING! And it was so nice to catch up with Clare!
The next day I met up with my good friend Rachel from Life of a Female Bibliophile at Just Delicious Scones and Tea Room, one of our favorite spots to catch up when I’m in town. We ordered their house assam tea. After talking over scones and lunch, we went bowling and did a little shopping. It was wonderful to see her 🙂
Later that day I saw my good friend and former roommate Shannon, and we went to our favorite restaurant, O’Connors, for dark beer and some Irish fare, then stayed up late discussing life, and our excitement about the Gilmore Girls revival that would be coming to Netflix later in the month (which I reviewed this week and was really happy about)!
The next day was breakfast and hiking with my Dad, at one of our favorite local trails. For early November, there were still a lot of leaves on the trees and it was nice to go for a walk in the woods and spend time with him.
On my last full day in the Mitten before heading home to Indiana, my brother and I spent a lot of time in Detroit. We visited Belle Isle, which was gorgeous, and again, it didn’t feel like November — more like a late September day full of orange trees and sunshine. After enjoying a picnic of food from Avalon Bakery, we spent time exploring the island. Later, we got dinner in the city, went to Greektown and I bought an awesome pair of running shoes from the Nike store for a great deal. It was an awesome day and we had a lot of fun.
And no trip back home is complete without a visit to Biggby Coffee. I didn’t get one in Detroit so I stopped in St. Joseph before crossing the state border, and took a walk along the beach while enjoying a coffee. This day was freezing and windy, but the water was beautiful.
Decorated for Christmas
This is just a preview, but in mid November we got all of our Christmas decorations up nice and early. I just wanted some sparkle, holiday cheer and happiness around the apartment, and clearly Freedom and Liberty love it and were happy to help out. Let me know in the comments if you want to see more of my Christmas decorations in a future blog post!
Photographed a Notre Dame game
On Nov. 16 I photographed my first Notre Dame basketball game of the season for The Pit Media, and went again yesterday. It’s nice getting back into sports photography. It’s a bit of a challenge for me and I don’t have the fanciest of equipment but I enjoy the feat capturing fast moving moments in time. I know I have a long way to go but I’m proud of how my skills have grown so far.
Hosted Thanksgiving (the weekend after)
While we worked Thanksgiving and majority of the week before, I made dinner the weekend after for some of my boyfriend’s family. It was fun and tasty and nice to be a host 🙂 I was so glad to see them.
Celebrated Damien’s Birthday
Damien’s 28th birthday was this month so we celebrated in style at one of his favorite restaurants downtown, Ditka‘s, followed by a walk around the city. Let’s all take a moment to admit though, he doesn’t look a day over 21, right?
Celebrated Freedom’s One Year Adoptaversary on Nov. 30, and photographed the event where we adopted him last year
On Nov. 30 of last year, the day before I started my current job, we adopted Freedom! He made our life so much better, by being so sweet, fun, playful and friendly. Still new to town, we stumbled upon the shelter during their black Friday pet sale event and a year later I’m so happy we did 🙂
In honor of the adoptaversary, this year I volunteered during the same Black Friday Pet Event, and somewhere around 70 pets found their furever homes that weekend! It made me so happy to meet some of the people who found their new furbabies and see the happiness of both them and the animals in finding love.
And another highlight lately…
I know I’m going to have some slip ups during the holiday season, but I’ve been trying very hard to stick with a dairy-free diet. I have lactose intolerance and in eliminating most dairy, I’ve solved a lot of my problems. This weekend we finally went to a local pizzeria, Tomato Bar, where I got the most delicious vegan, dairy-free pizza! I am so happy that this place is so close to my house. In the new year, my goal is to commit to a completely dairy-free diet for my own health, as well as continuing to incorporate more vegan meals into my diet.
And the first snow yesterday really got me in the mood for Christmas, so I will be doing lots of holiday-themed posts this month for your enjoyment!
What have you been up to lately? Tried any new recipes, restaurants or teas? Let me know in the comments below!
lifesacupoftea.com 