About two weeks ago, a friend asked me to plan an adventure for her and another mutual friend. They didn't want to know where they were going--they wanted it to be a surprise. The last week leading up to the day, I gave them hints, but most were non-informational, just tiny peeks, like how to prepare, what to bring, but I kept my secrets in preparation for the Friday when we would go adventuring!
And then, Friday finally came.
My plan? Whisk them away to the Westside Market in Cleveland, with a few other itty bitty surprises sprinkled in.
So hop in my van and ride along:)
See that photo up top? That's the market. I always marvel at the beauty in the ceiling there.
This is me on left with my friends Sheryl and Dawn. That's the skyline of Cleveland behind us.
Dawn and I both scored some of those delectable gourmet olives. I'm still saving a couple for a salty late night indulgence.
Not sure what they were mesmerized by. There are so many impressive things to capture your attention!
I'm pretty sure it wasn't this lamb. We didn't hang around him very long.
There are endless rows of fresh brightly colored vegetables and sweet, ripe fruits.
Also lots of fresh meats, everything from steak to scallops.
I was as intrigued by the people as much as the food. I love people watching, don't you?
We had no idea who this guy was, but he wanted to be a part of the picture. So we will name him Bill, the owner of the Longhorn bull we were standing under.
This incredible layered strawberry cake looked like it jumped right off of one Pinterest!
This pretzel bread smelled heavenly, too.
We also hit a couple of garage sales. I snagged this adorable yellow stand for $1.50!
I gave it new life with a spritze of lime green, and now it lives on our back porch. Love it!
The girls (Fee and Syd) were happy with these shoes. One buck!
Then we were off to find the perfect picnic spot by Lake Erie.
We found it at Lakewood Park.
I spread out Allen's grandmas quilt and set up a little table for our feast.
I served fruit kabobs with fresh black raspberries...
and asparagus tortes...
and fresh mint tea, which hit the spot as we lunched under the shade tree overlooking the calming water.
I snuck onto Facebook and borrowed photos of my traveling companions with their grandchildren, printed them out in black and white, and wrapped the chicken salad on crescent rolls in brown paper with their photos tied on with raffia. I wanted to make them feel as special as they are!
This sailboat was so relaxing to watch as we sat and pretended we were by the ocean.
We sat for a couple of hours and didn't even check to see what time it was.
This picnic was a highlight of our day.
But we weren't done yet! Our outing wasn't complete until we stopped off at The Cheesecake Factory to savor some out-of-this-world cheesecakes.
I left out a lot of details, like Dawn thinking she had a bug in her pants, and Sheryl being bossy and taking the ice to keep her corn on the cob cold (only to find out later that it did her no good, since it was to hard to eat;)). But just imagine those things, and lots of other fun moments. It was a great success!
Thanks for going along with us on our adventurous day!
Now go and plan one for you and your girlfriends, too!
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