It was a busy weekend in which a lot of fun was had and a lot of good food was eaten. And, for the first time probably ever, I didn’t take any food pictures! Bad blogger.

Anyway, on Friday night, I met up with my friend Deborah for dinner at Aladdin’s Eatery. I always enjoy their food and this is a particularly good spot for a Friday in Lent, when I’m not eating any meat. A berry smoothie, some hummus and hot sauce (seriously, isn’t their hot sauce the best?), and bowl of vegetarian chili provided satisfying and meatless sustenance.

On Saturday, I surprised my Mom with a “Grandma Shower.” As Mom will be our primary caregiver during the days once my maternity leave is over, she needs baby stuff too! Mom, two of her friends, and I met up for lunch at Creekside Restaurant.

After a tasty lunch (I recommend the burgundy mushroom burger), we got down to the business of presents and cake. From Sesame Street DVDs to hooded towels and bibs, we made a small dent in getting Grandma stocked up for the new arrival.

My favorite part of the shower was the cake, from Cakes by Nadine. They always do such a lovely job!

On Sunday, Matthew and I attended the dedication ceremony for our nieces Evian and Raylynn at their church. Evian and Raylynn were recently adopted by Matthew’s brother and sister-in-law and this was just another way of welcoming them into the family.

After the ceremony, we had brunch at Pufferbelly Restaurant. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful and loving in-law family! I always enjoy spending time with them!

After brunch, we stopped at Ray’s Place, a bar that Matthew loved when he was attending Kent State University. While the inside has been remodeled since his college days and the draft beer list considerably expanded, it still brought back fun college memories for him.

All in all, another successful weekend in the books! How was your weekend, CLE?