Becki "B-squared" B.'s Profile

Great party, as usual! A big thanks to everyone who made it happen (and Mariah for getting em all together!).

My favorites at the party (which is to say I also LOVE swag and am very proud of my lunchbox!!): the live music and the dj (apparently I hate silence), visiting with Vickie, Miriam, the On the Rocks Detroit ladies, and Liz & Rob (sorry for whoever I missed...), the cupcakes (especially the red velvet with the cream cheese frosting and the chocolate mint one), the cherry vodka with tonic - YUM!, and my hubby for company (hey, just being honest here!).

Notes to self for next time: don't lose another shoe on the tricky stairs, try to rest up during the day so you're up to being on your feet all night, get some coordination so you can stand and eat at the same time.

Oh, and sorry to the guy I walked in on in the bathroom. I promise I didn't see anything.

Overall, not bad. I'm not a beer fan, and probably ten years past their target audience, but we went here for a friend's birthday party. I had the Belgian (I think they called it blonde?) beer and it was fine, for beer ;) Hubby had the Alt. He didn't complain, but he didn't rave about it either. I think he got spoiled from all of his trips to Germany and may never find an Alt in the U.S. to measure up.

I shared the hummus and bread and the chips, bean dip and salsa with a friend and they were both fine for soaking up some alcohol, but nothing to write home about.

For the first couple of hours, my favorite part was the atmosphere. It's very casual and laid back. It was too cold to appreciate the outdoor seating, but that looked like it would be great in the summer. Once another group left we scurried to the couches by the fireplace and settled in :)

I gave it an extra star for the really cool glass bottle of Faygo Rock & Rye. Yum and fun!!

I like to try and post up the word about places my toddler and I can go for play dates, or just to get out of the house. Last week a friend invited us to Splitz open gym from 11:30 - 12:30 on Friday. My daughter was so excited to see her friend and do gymnastics (although there is no phonetic spelling for how my daughter says gymnastics...).

We got there, admittedly, at about 11:35 and had a hard time finding parking. There were three paved lots and one lot on the grass, but they were all nearly full. I finally got her out of the carseat and we headed for the building.

The doors face to the side, instead of toward the parking lot, so imagine our dismay when we got across the parking lot only to find a 'FULL - Open Gym is Full' sign on the doors. I still stepped into the doorway to try and call my friend to see if they'd made it in or not. My daughter was tearing off her coat in excitement.

Suffice it to say, I may try again, but I hope Splitz would address the problem, especially since the woman at the counter was saying it had also happened the week before. My suggestions? Offer pre-registration, especially since I overheard other people who were also trying to meet up with friends who had gotten in when they couldn't. Put the 'FULL' sign out by the entrance driveway so harried moms aren't struggling to get toddlers and pre-schoolers out of carseats and across the parking lot before dashing their hopes.

Wow. I guess I spoke too fast.

I've been trying to get lab results from my appointment two weeks ago, but no one seems to want to help. I called last week and was told someone would call me back 'shortly.' I called again today - four days later and asked if I might get a call back. The receptionist could only say that she passes on the message.
Since last time I ended up with emergency surgery for something that should have been caught much earlier, I'm not happy with the lack of concern for timeliness.

Back to the drawing board for a women's doctor?

My daughter and I were here a couple weeks ago for a Kindermusik free story time. It was great!

Moe got my daughter her own little cup of (not-quite) hot chocolate to go with mine, and she and I shared a bagel. No one seemed put out by a half-dozen little people running around mid-morning, and story time was a blast :)

Next time I'm out and wanting a warm drink, I'll definitely stop by this Biggby Coffee because of Moe.

I took my two-year-old daughter here with me last week for a networking meeting. The group, Mommy & Me Networking, has the great idea to meet in their party room. Mommies have meetings while the kids can run, jump and have fun!

At first I was a little nervous about whether my daughter would actually go play on her own, but I didn't worry for long! She latched right on to some of the older girls. When I went to peek as the meeting finished up, my daughter was jumping on her own in one of the huge bouncers.

I'm looking for one closer to me with such convenient drop-in hours, and I hope the atmosphere is just as toddler friendly as I found at the Shelby Township Pump It Up!

While I haven't been to the village when it's doing it's regular thing, we went a couple weeks ago to a wedding in the gazebo and it was gorgeous!

They actually shut the park down for private events like a wedding, so you don't have weird gawkers watching your wedding or whatever. It's very peaceful and beautiful surroundings.

If you are planning something here, make sure whoever is speaking can project their voice - the train runs pretty close, and they don't give you a heads-up on the schedule ;)

Yay!! Little did I know I was just getting the night out I'd need for the week before the rest of the stress. The night was fantastic and had me fully armed to face the rest of the week!

The drinks were fabulous (more than 'just' wine, by the way), and the appetizers were wonderful. An extra thanks to Christine - the birthday cupcakes were melt in your mouth spectacular!

I hadn't realized before that there was so much more than wine at Grape Expectations - it's on our list to head back!

Thanks Mariah for another fabulous Elite event!

I don't know that I'd ever be 'happy' to be going here, but the experience was as pleasant as possible. The office was a little challenging to find, as it was further down the street than my GPS thought. It's a large building with lots of windows.

Inside, the main waiting area is open and airy. The associates at the sign-in desk were patient and helpful. When I was concerned that my appointment time was 20 minutes past and I was still waiting, someone very kindly explained to me that more tests had been ordered on the previous patient and it would just be another ten minutes. It wasn't even that long, thankfully.

When I finally met with the technician, she was respectful and compassionate. I can't say anything for the results, but I doubt they'd have stayed in business more than 20 years if they weren't doing the basics right ;)

Todd's Snack Pak kind of rests on its laurels being the only 'convenience' store within walking distance of the beach and campground. Walking is the best way to get there, since there are only a few parking spots out front along the main road.

I stopped in once with a headache just needing a Cherry Coke to wash down an aspirin. The stock all looks kind of old and dusty, and there is a minimum purchase amount for a credit or debit card. So I ended up with a bunch of dusty candy and a regular Coke (since they had nothing 'fancy' like Cherry Coke...).

I suppose they get the job done, but it wouldn't hurt Todd to spend a little time in a 7-Eleven down state and see how we do things where there's competition in the market...