Follow the East Aurora Lights

I’m currently staying in the cutest town called East Aurora. Follow the Northeastern lights, am I right?! Now, I can’t take credit for this picture, it’s from AOL, but puns. 😉 East Aurora is about 20 minutes outside of Buffalo, and boyyy is it cute!

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Working mist-steam coming out of the giant coffee shop’s coffee cup!

The local art shop; it’s also gorgeous on the inside. Got to chatting with the artist inside, they also have regular classes and workshops.

The cute, old-fashioned neon lights movie theater on Main Street.

Guffaw worthy wine shop sign.

The shocking, but somehow warranted juxtaposition of this place next to places like this:

 

Ice cream from an old, converted train car? Yes please! The ice cream flavors are creative and delicious, Perry’s Ice Cream. *whispers: And if you push the button by the window, the little train on the top, which you can see, circles around on the mini train tracks!

 

Quirky places like this gem of a bookstore exist too.

 

The. Food. If you go to East Aurora, go to Elm Street Bakery. I tried their peanut butter granola, a couple of their baked goods, and their tea. BOOM. Done, in the best way.

 

Wandering around East Aurora last night, I stumbled onto this wonderful lit water fountain. At night, there’s not much right by it, so it was a wonderfully quiet, peaceful place to take off my shoes and dip my feet in the water.

I didn’t realize until I went looking for a bathroom that it was the front lawn for the Fisherprice Headquarters, a kids toy company. The building was locked, but looking in, I could see all the toys in the lobby. 😀 I was really pleased with the set up I noticed for their building: toys and lots of windows to look out at greenery. There are a number of musty office buildings which are poorly set up for their employees, but it was the opposite in there. Well done, Fisherprice, well treated employees are happier and more productive!

 

Lastly, I want to leave you with this thought: all over Mainstreet are trash cans like these. Each of the four sides has an environmentally slanted type of quote.

Philly’s Quirky Love, Part 2

Every time I drive into this city at night, my silly little heart sings. The colored lights bounce off the tall buildings of the cityscape, and this yellow-filled moon night was no different. Saturday, June 10th saw Azula, my noble steel steed, and I cruising into the city for a weekend of dancing. arriving at the dance studio, I was greeted by a wave of humid air. This was followed closely by joyful greeting exchanges with my people. A night of blissful, wonderful music and dances then followed!

A friend was lovely enough to offer up a place to stay that was close to the venue, so I crashed hard into bed that morning around 5am. The next morning, my friend and I met up with another friend to grab brunch. We set off through the jungle, in the words of Axl Rose. It was boiling outside that Sunday. BOILING, I TELL YOU. It felt like walking through a concrete desert. We trecked through this arduous terrain till we reached the oasis of our brunch restaurant.

Amari’s was awesome! They had a live band playing Jazz, friendly waitresses, and a relaxing atmosphere. The brunch food was pretty good too. Since the three of us were dancers, we ended up dancing and partner switching while we waited for food. 🙂 Just before we left the waitresses and the band thanked us for dancing. One of the waitresses joked that they should have tipped us for being the entertainment. Needless to say, when we left, everyone inside and outside of the place was happier.

Following, we took our time wandering around, ending up in Malcolm X Park. As far as cities go, I can’t say I’m impressed by the amount of trash to be found in some parts of Philly. There was a lot of trash in the park, blowing around, not in a trash can. There were plenty of trash cans, mind you, the trash just wasn’t in them. Nonetheless we cat napped on some benches in the park, basking in the shade. Eventually we made our way back out, but as we were turning the corner I noticed a large, gorgeous, fluffy dog.

Of course following good etiquette, I asked the lounging owner if I could pet his dog. Receiving an affirmative answer, I began to pet this wonderful dog and quite the conversation began! The man began to get up… and up… and up! He was quite tall and his face, no his whole body, was covered in tattoos! He had quite the beard going and what looked to be quite the comfortable kilt on. Here’s a shot of the two of us together, after the subsequent group chat:

His name was Shane Oddfellow. Mr. Oddfellow is a Strongman, and yes that’s one word. His performer name is Titano Oddfellow. Boy, is he one cool, quirky individual! We spoke a lot of life values. Mr. Oddfellow explained that he grew up in a town where people believed in trying new things, and if you don’t like them once you try them, then you try something new. He said that belief was a large basis for moving forward in life and trying a lot of different things. He shared some of the different things he’s done through the years, carpentry, leather-work, acting, being a part of different acts, and Strongman work. He told me once he decided to break a world record not because he felt he had something to prove, but just to show naysayers that it could be done. In one audition, he picked a man up with a few props and only his teeth (check out the NYT link for pictures and a more full story).

Mr. Oddfellow has done a lot of traveling in his life and based on his conversation, really lives his life to the fullest! It was an absolute pleasure to talk to him, and if you’re interested in learning more about this courageous individual who marches to the beat of his own drums, check out his website or the article that the New York Times wrote and published on him!

His website: http://titanostrongman.com/

The day was followed by another night of music and dancing. That night was the night for Spruce Harbor Park! The place is gorgeous, as always. If you don’t already know about this hidden gem, check out more about it in my previous post, Philly’s Quirky Love, Part 1!

(All of the information and pictures about and with Shane Oddfellow were posted with his permission.)

Philly’s Quirky Love, Part 1

Plans are turning into a reality! My travel journey began in earnest last weekend.

First stop: Philly!

Philadelphia is one of my favorites because of all the fond memories it offers. My first dance exchange weekend for social dancing was there some years back with the organization DJX. The team of dancers and humans who puts together the event is small, but efficient. The team almost always outdoes themselves for their fusion dance exchange weekends. The local dancers are friendly, fun, and gracious.

Some of my fond dance encrusted memories from this city include eating pizza the size of my face — I KNOW! “WHAT?!” you say, “that’s NYC’s schtick!” But friends, Lorenzo’s pizza place is where it’s at if you are hankering for face-sized slices of pizza in Philly. After your cheese fix has been satisfied, go around the corner on Sunday evening and you’ll find a jam session upstairs in the beautifully done interior of the Twisted Tail. Folks, I’m telling you, this place is gorgeous. But even more gorgeous then the interior and the beers? The musicians jam and the partner/social dancers who show up to make their ears happy and get their feet some kicks.

Oh wait!- you thought that was it? Nope, following the Twisted Tail, musicians, dancers, and dancing bears (kidding 😉 ) alike often make their way down to Spruce Street Harbor Park. You NEED to visit this place. Regardless of dancing or music this park is Pure *pick your own descriptive term* Magic.

Check out this link: http://www.delawareriverwaterfront.com/places/spruce-street-harbor-park

The name gives away the location by the water, but there’s a big ole ship within sight that’s often strung with twinkling lights. Enter the park and glide into a surreal location with fountains and hanging lit icicles that rotate colors. Sway with the swish of that hammock you just got comfy in (so many hammocks!). Hungry? No problem, there are food trucks and restaurants in easy walking distance. With all the light displays here, it’s clear that the best time to visit this park is at night so you can enjoy the lights that play with the trees and the river.

Been to Philly? Have a favorite spot in Philly? Share below in the comments!

Smoothie Science & Nutrition!

Recently, I’ve experimented with various smoothie and juicing options. It’s delicious, fast, and you can take it on the go in a thermos!

My favorite one is made with strawberries, bananas, and spinach, with a bit of milk, and some ice. Straight-up heaven!

However, there are some things I’d never thought about- when you blend, the friction of the blade creates heat. Heat changes the composition of nutrients, so they don’t do as much for you. Coldpress is an alternative option that presses without heat, however it removes pulp and therefore the fiber in veggies and fruit. Pros and cons of different styles!

If you are interested in watching more on the efficiency and basic nutrients of juicing and smoothies, check out this video:

https://screen.yahoo.com/reluctantly-healthy/juicing-mistakes-140000762.html

If you often take veggies and fruits in juicing or smoothie format, I highly recommend checking out some youtube videos on the common mistakes juicers and smoothie makers make. Some of them give you the right dose of science to ensure you’re getting max benefits from your deliciousness!

You Wouldn’t Believe

YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE THE NUMBER OF ITEMS I OWN!

Recently, I’ve been moving. I’m now in a two week transition process to move into my new place. I don’t count myself a pack-rat, but the sheer numbers of items I haven’t touched in the last 6 months staggers me. I’d forgotten I had half of it!

At the beginning of packing away my things, I wanted things just so. By the end of the first day, anything I hadn’t touched in the last 4 to 6 months that was inexpensive got thrown away, donated, or left for the ghosties to play with.

Moral of the moving story is! Do yourself a favor and get rid of things you don’t use on a regular basis, unless they’re kitchen items! You can always use more kitchen items!

~Happy Tummy, Out

Pumpkins, Here and There, I Want Pumpkins Everywhere!

Folks, Pumpkins may be my favorite type of squash to cook with. It’s also one of my favorite foods! It goes in stews, soups, by itself, with meat, in… PUMPKIN PIE!

Now don’t mistake, a fan of the Pumpkin Spice Chai Lattes, I am not. They’re too distilled and take away too much vivid flavor from my singing taste buds.

Pumpkin Pancakes! This particular recipe has Pumpkin and nutmeg. It ALSO has coconut oil, of which I am the biggest fan! Coconut oil has a huge list of what it can do for your health, hair, and skin. It also boosts memory! Who couldn’t use a bit more of that?

Hope you enjoy the receipe!

http://food52.com/recipes/31072-vegan-pumpkin-pancakes?yhoo=true

Australians Taste American Snacks

The reactions to these… snacks? are heart-stoppingly priceless and utterly hilarious. These snacks are gross, but being raised around these, well, hehe…

Check out these wonderful food reactions, and help me send positive thoughts towards the folks with an overload of all the sugar now running through their veins. Hope they put some padding on the halls for those folks at Buzzfeed since they’re probably still bouncing off the walls!

What does the word Fresh mean in conjunction with food?

Please enjoy the Fresh bread I caught catching rainbows! Isn’t it just SUCH a talented loaf of bread? In fact… is it fresh?

This video considers, in a lov-e-ly British tone, what the word FRESH actually means when applied to food. Any thoughts on what you think fresh should be?

 

Devour Good Food!

The most important people in my life know how to have a good time- especially with food!

When my best friend graduated recently, I took her to a tapas restaurant in D.C. A blast was had! The setting was a meeting of professional and date-night flow. There were candles, ambient lighting, and music. We were louder between the two of us than any of the other groups, laughed more, and probably ate more than any other group, even though it was only the two us. We also danced more in our seats than any other adult patrons, which wasn’t hard considering we were the only ones doing so.

We both felt light and happy afterwards. Cares fell away while we were enjoying ourselves. We might have had to roll ourselves back to the metro, but by GOLLY it was worth it!

Life is so much more enjoyable spending time with the positive people who make you laugh and appreciate life. So make sure to surround yourself with people who make you happy, who can share in your triumphs, heart-aches, and help you come up with kick ass ideas!