Tag Archives: beer

My Birthday Weekend and Baby’s First Brewery

Well, it happened, I’m another decade. No more starting with a “2” to enter my age, now it’ll be a big “three-oh.”

I keep thinking I see gray hairs now, but Kelley just laughs telling me I’m crazy/paranoid. Secretly, I think she’s thinking, “Oh crap, those are gray!” Oh well, I’ve come to terms and am learning to embrace the thirties; and hey, at least it’s not the forties!

My birthday weekend was off to a “winning” start when Avery and I placed first overall in a small 5k run.

Avery and Daddy_5k Race Finish

After the race, we headed to a unique restaurant called Brewed that offers local food, coffee, and beer, and an atmosphere that would fit perfectly in Colorado. To us, that’s a good thing, we love Colorado and it’s health-focused environment!

I’ve mentioned before how I am averse to eating out as I am keen on knowing exactly how my food is prepared and want to keep it healthy, so I didn’t expect to eat there. I did see a tasty egg white omelet option, but I have those every day and don’t need to pay $8 for someone else to make it. I know, I’m a fun guy to go out with, huh? You know who else is? This guy….

Sorry, I crack myself up every time with this one!

So, I just ordered an Americano after the waiter promised to give me free refills of their drip coffee. Kelley ordered the egg white entrée and since it included mushrooms, she just requested those be left on the side and kept raw for me to enjoy. Yes, I love mushrooms!

Since I was the non-eater of the group, I held Avery most of the time so everyone else could eat. She was a little squirmy, nothing new, but we made the most of it.

Avery on dad's head_smiling_brewed

Since she’s so cute, I couldn’t keep her all to myself and she made her rounds at the table. While G-ma was holding her, Paul took a picture of Kelley and me since we thought the curtains made a great background. What do you think?

R.C. and Kelley_Brewed

Isn’t she beautiful? That guy in the picture…he’s pretty damn lucky!

The ultimate plan for the day was to visit a small, local brewery called Martin House Brewery, but it didn’t open until later in the afternoon so we had time to burn. We were right next to downtown Forth Worth and decided we’d check out the new (to us) area. I think the “new” things have been around for some time now, but since we don’t get out much (by choice), we haven’t seen it before.

We mainly wanted to see the new splash pad in the center of downtown and headed there first. Our initial thought was that we could let Avery get in there a little bit, but we soon realized the shooting water would be too much right now. So we just stood in front of it for a picture.

Avery and Daddy_Splash Park FW

Not sure what that look on my face is all about; I think I was talking. Meh, oh well. The sun was beaming down on us and with the buildings blocking any breeze, sweat was seeping through our pores like they were tiny faucets. Luckily, we found a nice shaded area to sit down and kill time until we were ready to head off to the brewery. Paul enjoyed a little Avery time as she grabbed at his face in curiosity.

Avery Grabbing Paul's Face

Finally, it was time to head out, so we journeyed back to our parking spots and drove maybe 5 miles to the brewery. They had just opened when we arrived which made for a quick entrance and kept us from standing in the sun. It cost $10 to receive their beer glass and a bracelet allowing 3 drinks.

Kelley was the designated babywearer and driver, so she didn’t have to pay. G-ma, Paul, and I all got our glass and had our first round poured in no time; refreshing!

Mom, Paul, RC_Martin House

Of course, since I just ran that morning and only had several cups of coffee, three beers would’ve put me way under, so I shared with Kelley. Besides that, I’m not the drinker I was in college, which saves a lot of money and my health, so it doesn’t take much anyway.

Within a few sips I was already feeling nice and warm…..oh wait, that’s because it’s Texas and almost Summer! But I was feeling good, and I think it shows in this picture with Kelley and Avery.

R.C. and Kelley_Martin House

G-ma let Kelley borrow her glass so she didn’t look out of place in the picture. Ummm, Kelley, I think you were the only one wearing a baby, so too late dear!

The beer was great and I’ll be buying several of their brews soon. As expected, it was loud inside the brewery with live music and groups of people trying to talk over one another, but that didn’t keep Avery from sleeping soundly.

Kelley and Avery_Martin House

How do they do that?

3 beers and several samples later, and I was feeling good, maybe too good. I was ready to leave as were the rest of us, so we said our goodbyes G-ma and Paul and headed back home.

I fully enjoyed my day with the ones I love and always wish it would last longer. We just need to remember to cherish the “now” and not worry so much about the past and future. I’m the worst about this and need to remind myself every day to calm down.

The day after, Sunday, was my actual birthday and it was spent with Kelley and Avery at home most of the day. I meant to share this day with you, but right now I have a baby calling my name (slash crying) and must tend to her needs. I’ll share the rest of my birthday weekend tomorrow….I think.

Do you celebrate birthdays for more than just one day?

Do you ever get caught up worrying too much about what’s to come or what happened in the past?

By the Time You Read This, We’ll Be Finished

It’s the night before my first race with Avery and I should probably be sleeping. But instead, I’m sitting down in my running shorts while eating and writing this post.

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Yep, my nightly big salad with a mix of kale, Brussels sprouts, salmon, broccoli, jicama, pumpkin seeds, and mustard and salsa for dressing. The perfect pre 5k meal! Hey, it worked for my 10k the other week.

So, ummm, yeah, like the title says, this will have posted 30 minutes after the start of the race and I’m fairly confident I will be done well before 30 minutes. Hopefully Avery is good and enjoys the ride!

Today is the eve of my 30th birthday, and my mom (G-ma) and her boyfriend, Paul, are meeting us at the race for a fun day together. We are going to a new restaurant called Brewed that serves local fare and then heading to a local brewery, Martin House Brewery.

Seems weird, huh? A guy who despises eating out and normally just shares a beer with his wife is doing this for his birthday? Well, it helps that Brewed serves local food and fair trade coffee and I’m still a fan of craft beer and will happily have a few of for a special occasion! I’ll probably skip on the food and just enjoy some good coffee; then head to the brewery for beer.

Hmmm, coffee then beer; I’m sure I won’t be going pee a lot….NOT! Oh well, despite my aversion to restaurants, it’ll be in good company and I’m sure we’ll all have a great time. Of course, Avery will have the final say on that!

Who me? I'm always good....
Who me? I’m always good….

I don’t ever get to a “buzzed” feeling often since I hardly have much alcohol when I drink because I can’t justify it’s non-nutritive contribution to my body. Yep, I’m serious. But for my 30th, since Kelley is offering to hold off and drive home, maybe I’ll have *gasp* 2 or 3 beers! Hey, that’s a lot for this lightweight!

I don’t want to be an alcoholic dad, and I’m perfectly fine with just sipping some good stuff every now and then. Enough with the drink talk though, I’m just thinking in the future at this point, so I’ll fill you in early next week.

For now, I should probably get some rest before our “big” race tomorrow. I’ll leave with one of my favorite pictures of Avery this week; her smile makes me grin every time and flushes away any stress I may have.

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There were about 10 carrots around here just a minute before this picture. She didn’t eat them, but strategically hid them in various places….the floor, her lap, her diaper (seriously), and behind her.

Any special plans for the weekend?

Do you ever go places you usually don’t enjoy but when you’re with your loved ones it’s okay?

Beers with my Brother and Avery with Her Mother

Hey, hey!

Friday has arrived and even as an at-home parent, I’m still excited for the weekend! With no travel plans, it means our little family trio can enjoy time together!

If the title scared you a little by making you think Going Mom and I are in a situation where we are sharing Avery, don’t worry, I just like to make rhymes. Really, I just went out to meet my little brother (Uncle Preston) for a couple of good beers while Kelley was home alone with Avery.

I made sure she was okay with this before making plans, and of course she was happy to set me free…..for a few hours at least. It helps that she’s going to be hanging out a with a group of other girls tonight and I will be the one home alone with Avery.

This could be scary having just me at home with our daughter……Oh wait, not much of a difference from every other day!

We both need our time out and thankfully we understand and work with each other on this. Great communication is key to a great relationship! Write it down, remember this, and never forget! I sometimes do forget and it gets me into trouble…..oops.

Preston and I went to a bar called The Flying Saucer which holds over 200 beers at one time. I’ve been a member, “beer knurd”, for 6 or 7 years now and once you reach 200 different beers, you get a saucer with your name and whatever quote you want on their wall.

After Wednesday night, I now have 53 beers. Yeah, I won’t have that saucer for a while, but I’m okay with that. I do love the occasional drink, but I hardly actually drink. When I do, I might split a good beer with Kelley or sip on bourbon, but that’s it.

Having not had dinner yet, I was feeling pretty good after two draft beers on Wednesday night, and then Preston and I shared a Belgium beer flight. I am confident in saying that Belgium and trappist style beers are my favorite!

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Every Wednesday night, The Flying Saucer has a special brewery night where you can get the beer and the keep the glass. I used to do this every Wednesday when I worked late and have a nice collection. I even asked about the prior week’s glass and our nice waitress gave it to us. That glass was a “420” glass from Stone Brewing Co, and although I’m not into that kind of thing, it was still cool.

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Here’s the 420 glass..

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I hardly ever go out, and when I do, I will not eat at the places we go. I’m a picky person who has to know exactly how my food is prepared, so I tend to do it myself. That said, I can enjoy a few beers as long as it isn’t too expensive, and I had a great time just hanging with my brother.

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We don’t get to see each other enough, so we were able to just talk about everything in our lives. For me, that’s Avery, but he had a lot of fun stories to share. Hopefully we’ll plan another outing in the near future and maybe I’ll make it to 55 beers!

It’s Preston’s 22nd birthday on May 1st, and I tried to get a free beer from the waitress; only problem was that I already paid. Dummy! Yeah, I don’t think things through sometimes, just ask my wife.

Oh well, like I said, it was a great time, and we were even treated to this as we were leaving….

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The van had a handicap sticker, but hopefully this isn’t a seeing drive dog!

Meanwhile, Kelley had a pleasant evening with Avery and even took her for a short walk in the Onya Outback. Everything was peaceful with Avery sound asleep when I arrived home. I can only hope for the same when Kelley comes home tonight!

Do you have any plans for the weekend?

Ever enjoy the simple things like just have a beer or two with friends or family? I feel I don’t do this enough!