Ohio Coffee Company

Well... not long after I started my blog, I found out we were expecting a little one! Getting ready for him, giving birth, and discovering how to live with a new person in our lives has taken quite awhile, so my blogging has been non-existant since October 2009! Now, almost a year later, I'm hoping to get things rolling again!

To start things off for the summer of '10, I'd like to share about a lovely discovery my husband and I have made in town. On the corner of Fifth and Ludlow downtown, there is a fantastic old building that a new "mom and pop" type coffee shop has moved into. The Ohio Coffee Company is locally owned by Rob, who is also frequently the friendly barista. Since my husband and I are all about supporting locally owned businesses, this place is right up our ally. I'm not the best judge of coffees since I usually sugar it up if I drink it, but I hear the coffee is really good! I'm usually up for the sugary girly coffees which they do offer... I enjoyed the peppermint patty mocha last time I was there, but there are dozens of other options to choose from! When I was trying to avoid some of the caffeine while being pregnant, I tried out the hot chocolate, which is creamy, rich, and delish! The other day while I was on a hot summer walk through downtown, I swung by and discovered their delicious fruit smoothies. Besides having a variety of beverages, they also have some fantastic lunch options. I recently had the chicken salad sandwich, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The time before that, I had the hummus wrap, which was equally as good. Everything is made to order and very fresh! They have a lot of really healthy and unique lunch options at fair prices on their menu. Their address is: 46 W 5th St, Dayton, OH 45402. Check it out next time you're downtown... or make a special trip!

Whew... it's been awhile!

Okay, so finally a new post! I have a back log of pictures waiting to be posted and talked about, I just haven't sat down for a post in awhile! Back in September for my wonderful hubby's birthday, we stopped by our favorite gelato shop in town. In Atlanta we had a fantastic gelato place that we loved and were sad to leave. However, we stumbled across another shop in our own backyard here in Dayton that is just as good! It's called Dolcessa and it's located on Brown street close to the University of Dayton. For those of you who have not experienced gelato, it is a must. I first experience gelato on my trip to Italy... they have shops on almost every corner and have the most unique flavors! I think we may even have had it for several meals during our visit! Gelato is, well, Italian ice cream. It essentially has the same ingredients of traditional ice cream, but has less fat and is churned differently so as to have a denser texture. Gelato is also typically served in a softer form. I'm not sure what the secret is, but the flavors are always rich and delicious! Dolcessa has anything from your typical chocolate chip (aka stracciatella), to fantastic fruit flavors, to really unique flavors such as pistacio. The last time we went I had a scoop of coconut topped with a scoop of mango, a fantastic refreshing treat!

Jarrett and I also love Dolcessa not only for its great gelato but also because it is locally owned. A young couple started the business, makes the homemade gelato, and runs the shop all on their own time. I believe they also serve a great panini for lunch which we have yet to try out! What a cute little shop with such fantastic gelato, you won't be disappointed! Check out their website for directions to the shop and to view their variety of flavors:

http://www.dolcessa.com/

Cool Films at the Victoria!

If you're looking for something unique to do for date night in the summer, check out a Michelob Ultra Cool Film at the Victoria Theatre! During the summer months, the beautiful historic Victoria Theatre in downtown Dayton opens up its doors on Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 and Sunday at 3:00 to show old classic movies on the big screen. $4.75 a person pays for the evening out. You receive free popcorn and a soda to enjoy while mingling in the lobby before the show. To add additional charm and nostalgia upon entering into the theatre, there is an organist playing familiar classic tunes for those who desire to sing along. It's great... I think this organist has been playing for at least 80 years! He and his organ sit on a moving platform that lowers down under the stage before the movie starts.

Several weeks ago, we went to Cool Films with some friends of ours and saw "American Graffiti". Us two young couples sat among dozens of couples who have probably been together for 60 years! You definitely can't be afraid of grey hairs to take part in this event. It is a great outing that attracts people of all ages. We throughly enjoyed the movie and topped it off with an ice cream stop afterwards. What a great night!

Flowers!

So far this blogging adventure is off to a slow start, I apologize! Jarrett and I have been very busy with play practice for our neighborhood Shakespearean play and a trip to Atlanta this past weekend for the wedding of some dear friends of ours.

Since we've been so busy, we haven't been doing much around town, but I've been wanting to share with you a few pictures of some lovely flowers I picked up from 2nd Street Market a few weeks ago. One way to certainly make any home sweeter is a fresh bouquet of flowers sitting around the house...and you don't have to wait for a special occasion! Every day is an occasion for bringing the beauty of the outdoors in. If you have a local farmer's market, that is a great place to pick up some inexpensively. I grabbed these one day on my lunch break and it made me so happy! I also have been known to clip a few stalks off the overgrown Russian Sage bush in our front yard and plop them in a vase for instant beauty and fragrance to our dining room.

Cheap Date!

This past Saturday morning my husband and I wanted to get out and enjoy this fantastic weather we've been having, so we set out for a game of frisbee golf at Indian Riffle park. All it cost us was the "special" frisbee golf frisbees we purchased several years ago. However, if you aren't wanting to be a pro frisbee golfer, the simple every day frisbees should do the trick as well! Our dog, Spencer, joined us for the fun outing and absolutely loved his morning hike around the course! It is a great date activity for those who are competitive as well as those who just want to get outside and enjoy the weather. The course at Indian Riffle leads you through a woods, to the crest of a grassy hill, and past a sparkling pond complete with ducks! Beware of the pond if you are not an avid frisbee thrower... your frisbee may vere off course into the pond, and you may have to do a little swimming! This particular trip, my husband, Jarrett, practiced his mad skills while I kept track of Spencer, but maybe next time we'll go for some friendly competition. I may need some practice of my own before then!

For equipment to play check out: http://www.frisbeedisc.com/products/golf/3pack.html (I think you can pick these up at your local sporting goods store as well).

For places to play in the Dayton area in addition to Indian Riffle check out the Dayton Disc Golf Association website: http://www.daytondiscgolf.org/courses.html

Why Teal?

So you may ask, why paint the town TEAL of all colors? Well, it's not because my favorite color is teal. It is because teal and I have had an interesting relationship. It started a few years ago when I was designing a space for a client and suggested teal as the accent color. Just so you know, I would not suggest that for every project, and not even very many projects at all, but this particular project needed teal. There was much debate over this color and the client was very hesistant, however, they trusted me and went with it. In my opinion the result was fantastic (see pic below)! Apparently since that experience where I gave teal a chance (after all, it has been a misunderstood color since the 80's when it was poorly used), it is forever grateful and has decided to follow me. Fast forward a year or so to this past Spring when my husband purchased our first home, a lovely Victorian home in a historic district. And of all colors, what color did our new home just happen to be? Yes, teal.

After having many visitors to our home, we have had an array of opinions about the color. In my opinion it gets away with it only because it's a Victorian. A ranch or tri-level would look awful in teal! So the typical question has been, are you going to repaint it? Since my husband and I knew our budget couldn't handle an exterior repaint for quite some time, we decided to embrace the color. In fact, I like it. It's fun, unexpected, and unique. Plus, it's easy to tell people that are visiting where we are at! So, now to how does this all go back to Dayton? Let's be honest, Dayton is not the most exciting place in the world, but it is the place I love, I grew up here, so many memories have been made here. So with all the negativity that is going around about this city, I am setting out to find the beauty here. Like the color teal, Dayton may at first glance not be very appealing or lovely, but once embraced, its beauty and uniqueness come about. So if you are willing to think out of the box a little bit, paint the town teal with me!