50 Shades of Soap: A Valentine's Day Collection by Fortune Cookie Soap

Valentine's Day is just around the corner.  Who is a 50 Shades fan?  Did you read all the books?  Are you planning on seeing the flick for your big night out next weekend?  I will admit I gave into the curiosity a couple years back and read the first book.  I had to see what all the buzz was about!  To me, the book was just kind of eh... but because it left its audience with such a nice little cliff hanger, I felt compelled to read the second book in the series (but not until I had thoroughly cleansed my palate with some tamer YA stories).  Now that the movie is on the verge of coming out and one of my favorite indie bath companies released a 50 Shades themed Valentine's Day collection, I figured it's about time I closed out the series and picked up the final book.  I'm still working my way through it, slowly but surely. 

I probably will see the movie, eventually, like when it's released on DVD and I can rent it for a buck.  But this series is definitely not my usual cup of tea.  I'm not mad I read it, because now I know what everyone's panties are in a bunch about and even learned a few new terms (thanks to google).  I mean, you never know when bondage and S&M is going to come up in trivia, right?! 

Okay, let's get into the soap already....shall we!?

 Fortune Cookie Soap launched this collection mid-January.  It's considered a "mini" collection, which basically just means it's a smaller (or "mini") collection that comes out between their main seasonal lines.  There is usually a handful of products, each coming in just one scent. 

This collection had eight different products and even featured a new product!  At the launch they even offered the ability to purchase the entire collection (limited to a few hours, maybe even a 24-hour block?) at a 10% discount.  If you weren't feeling the entire collection, you could also just pick and choose the items that spoke to you the loudest! 

I'm a sucker, and purchased the whole dang thing - but I can't resist sweet, fruity and floral scents so as I was seeing the sneak peeks leading up to launch I found myself practically drooling over the scent descriptions, and I knew I needed to have it all!

Bitten Lip Scrub  $8.99

This was my least favorite of all the products.  The scent description on the website says it's spicy cinnamon and cool mint.  I don't have any issue with the scent, but when using the product, it kind of tastes like lipstick, which is not cool...especially for a lip scrub.  I'll use this, but I definitely won't be licking it off!

Hard Limit Massage Bar $9.99

This thing is huge!  That's what she said!   But seriously, this is going to last a good while.  It also smells amazing...fruity and floral, perfect for Valentine's Day!  My nose really picks up the lime and apples first followed by the rose and a subtle jasmine finish.  And....how cute is the handcuff and little key!?!?! 

Inner Goddess Whipped Cream $10.99

Whipped Cream is Fortune Cookie Soap's version of body butter.  It's thick and creamy and packs a lovely floral scent that lasts all day!  The floral scent is light and clean mixed with a mild fruitiness.  It's really a very pretty scent.  One of my favorites from this collection - I've almost used up the entire pot!

Laters, Baby Fortune Cookie Soap $3.99

Another favorite!  I just started using this in the shower this past weekend!  This smells good enough to eat...vanilla, brown sugar, caramel and coconut - YUM!!!!  I find the cookies usually last about a week to a week and a half with daily use in the shower, longer if I use it on and off with other shower gels / body washes. 

Pleasure Bath Bombs $6.99

If I could eat the Laters, Baby cookie, OH MAN could I destroy the Pleasure Bath Bombs!!!!  They smell like a decadent, rich, caramelly dessert!  Unfortunately we don't have a bathtub in our apartment, so these are on reserve for now.  But, I cannot wait until I can drop one in a warm tub of water and just soak up the sheer awesomeness of this scent! 

The Red Room Body Wash $8.99

I didn't find this to have much of a scent before I used it in the shower.  Even then, it's pretty light, but still smells nice.  I really pick up berries, vanilla, and marshmallows, and not so much of the musk or sandalwood.  It lathers really well!  This wasn't one of my top products in the collection, but I don't have anything particularly negative to say about it....I think I've just been off body washes / shower gels lately and instead have been on more of a soap kick!

Twitchy Palm OCD Hand Sanitizer $2.89

Watch out!  This one's full of glitter!  If you're not so into the sparkle farkle, this may not be for you!  But, if you can live with a little glitz, this does smell terrific!  It's super fruity and delightfully sweet all around.  I really love the watermelon - lemon combination!  It kind of reminds me of the OCD from the Spring 2014 Soap Box, Afternoon Delight, which I also loved and was sad to use it up last Fall!  This is another of my favorite scents in the collection - even though I don't love, love the glitters! 

Vanilla Linen Spray $12.99

This is the new product Fortune Cookie Soap premiered this launch!  It's amazing!!  I absolutely LOVE linen sprays!  I mean, what's better than sniffing on refreshed and revitalized linens!  I love to spritz my pillow and sheets as the first part of my nighttime routine.  That way when I'm finally ready to climb into bed, the spray has had time to dry and I'm left with a lovely fresh scent while I  nod off to dream land!  This spray is anything but just plain 'ole vanilla - it's also got a little citrusy love from lemon and orange with some underlying jasmine and a touch of musk!  At least that's what I've smelled while inhaling my pillow at night!

Overall, I really loved this collection (other than the lip scrub) and am really happy I decided to purchase the whole thing!  I definitely would have had some regrets if I wouldn't have gotten some of these gems!! 

Have you tried any FCS products, and if so, did you check out anything from the Valentine's Day collection?  What did you think?  Favorites?  Unfavorites?

If you did want to check some of these things out yourself, I did just peek at the website and it doesn't look like anything is sold out right now!  I personally love this company and the awesome things created by their beautiful soapy minds so I love to spread the word when I can!!!! 

To DIY For: Homemade Face Mask!

Hello!!!

I have been dealing with some pretty awesomely crappy stuff at work, so you add that to my favorite monthly visitor and BOOM....pretty awesomely crappy skin!  Don't you just love when that happens?! 

Seriously, when one pimple finally fades away, another pops up somewhere else!  It was like playing {and losing}the very worst game of whack-a-mole ever! 

I was craving the freshly made goodness of a Lush Fresh Face Mask...but alas, our local Lush was all sold out - both times I tried to pick one up!  So, I turned to Google in desperation.  Plus I have kind of wanted to try making one from things in my own kitchen for a while now so this just kind of nudged my hand a little.

I found this super simple recipe online and decided to give it a go, but first - a few words of caution.  If you have sensitive skin or any sort of allergy to either of the ingredients....don't use this!  If you're not sure if you're sensitive, test a small amount on the inside of your elbow and wait until the next day to be sure you're safe before applying this directly to your face!  Heed this warning!  I'm not responsible for any adverse reactions you might encounter! ☺

Okay....so now that the boring part is out of the way, here we go!!

What You'll Need

• Honey
• Cinnamon
• A small bowl
• A tablespoon

What You Do

1. Combine 1 Tablespoon of Cinnamon with 2 Tablespoons of Honey and mix until well blended.  The mixture should become paste-like, spreadable, but not too thin. 
2. Apply the mixture to a clean face and leave on for 10-15 minutes. 
3. Rinse with warm water. 
4. Apply a toner and/or moisturizer. 
• Hint:  If you don't have a toner, you can make one with ingredients from your kitchen!  Just dilute a little lemon juice or apple cider vinegar with water and apply with a cotton ball.  You don't need much, but if you have leftovers you can refrigerate it for a few days. 

1.  Just plain old honey and cinnamon from my cupboard, nothing special!  2.  Combine the goods.  3.  Form a paste. 

I found this mask helped tame my break out and left my skin smooth.  The cinnamon and honey work together and provide your skin with intense exfoliation when you're rinsing it off. 

When rinsing is the only time I experienced a little bit of irritation (I don't have sensitive skin or any known allergies).  It wasn't unbearable, just a little tingly and my face was a bit red after, but not any more so than normal after using an exfoliating produce.  Though I don't have sensitive skin in the normal respects, I do turn red quite easily after touching or scratching my skin, so any type of exfoliating products tend to tomatosize me!  My doctor suggested I might have a mild case of dermographism or something similar, however, I have not been actually diagnosed with anything to date.  The redness in my case went away after around 15 or 20 minutes. 

Creature Feature! 

So if you've patch tested the mixture on your arm and didn't have any adverse effects, I hope you enjoy giving this mask a go!  I was rather surprised at how much it actually worked and will be using it again and again!  I especially love that it's so simple and I always have the ingredients in my kitchen!! 

Have you tried any homemade masks?  What did you think?  Please share your recipes if you wouldn't mind!!!   I'd love to try some more!

It's Friday! Michigan Beers!

Hooray, it's Friday!  In honor of this awesome day that kicks off the weekend, I'm going to share with you five of my weekly sipping delights! 

It's no secret I love beer, and that I especially love craft brews!  So, whether you're a seasoned Brewster or a total newb to the craft beer scene, grab a drink...if you're of age of course, and if not, grab some sparkling juice and join me for the ride! 

1.  Odd Side Ales' Chocolade Koffie Stout

• Brewery / Location:  Odd Side Ales in Grand Haven, Michigan
• Style:  American Stout
• ABV: 6.0%
• Notes: Rich Chocolate and Mild Espresso blend together in a delightfully creamy stout. 

If you are drawn to stouts, particularly to chocolate stouts, definitely give this one a try!  It's all around a really great sipper!  The chocolate has a delicious rich flavor that powers through to the finish and there's really no after taste. 

Odd Side has a ton of really unique brews, so if you're local to Michigan, or find yourself near Grand Haven, it's worth a visit!  Unfortunately at this time I don't believe they distribute outside of Michigan! 

2.  Founder's Swish Mountain Brown

• Brewery / Location:  Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Style:  American Brown Ale
• ABV: 6.0%
• Notes: A unique brown, still mild, but almost with a touch of pale ale flavor. 

This brown was different than any other brown ales I've had in the past, not in a bad way, just different.  It was fairly hoppy and less malty than most browns but it was still tasty.

3.  Founder's Session Stout

• Brewery / Location:  Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Style:  American Stout
• ABV: 5.0%
• Notes: An easy drinking stout, yet still has a nice robust roasted flavor. 

Yes, another Founder's Brew on the list this week!  It was Wednesday, and Mug Club Night so Rob and I made it date night and headed out for brews and dinner!  (Note:  Their sandwiches are to die for.  Seriously.)  This was the first time I've seen a session stout so I had to have one before we left!  It was very smooth, and easy to drink but still packed a great stout flavor.  Nothing too, too special, but it's nice to know I can make a drinking session happen with stouts now! 

Founder's is hands down my favorite local brewery.  If you have the chance to check them out, definitely do it!  I know a lot of folks come from out of state just to come there as the final destination.  I think that pretty much says enough about a place's reputation!  That, and they're on yet another brew house expansion! 

But, if you're not from the area, and you can't make it up to Michigan (I don't blame you....it's crazy cold and snowy here right now!!) I know Founder's has a pretty expansive distribution market that seems to be expanding all the time!

4.  Short's Strawberry Short's Cake

• Brewery / Location:  Short's Brewing Company in Bellaire, Michigan
• Style: Golden Ale / Fruit Beer
• ABV: 5.0%
• Notes:  Strawberries and Sweet Creamy Milk.  You can even taste the biscuits....it's so crazy, I don't know how those beer wizards do it!  It's seriously liquefied strawberry shortcake in a glass...but not in a gross, weird way!  Promise!

This is one of Short's seasonal specialty beers.  It's usually released in the summer and sells out quick!  Most places around here place a bottle limit (1-2 bottles per person, etc.) which really sucks, because it's so, so good!  I managed to find some left over toward the end of summer and squirreled it away in the back of the fridge for later!  And, with all this cold, I needed a nice little sweet, summer treat! 

Snag some liquid awesome if you're passing through Michigan!  I don't think Short's distributes out of state either! 

5.  B. Nektar's The Dude's Rug

• Brewery / Location:  B. Nektar Meadery in Ferndale, Michigan
• Style: Cider
• ABV: 5.5%
• Notes: Sweet apples with a punch of chai spices, cinnamon, clove and a subtle finish of black tea.  I love how present the chai flavor is in this cider! 

I'm actually drinking this now...as I type this post out for you!  "No one messes with the B."  It's simply delightful!

B. Nektar makes a whole bunch of fun and unique meads and ciders!  They even distribute to several states!  Check out their webpage in the link above for specific locations! 
Look what I picked up for Rob!  He loves Star Wars! 

{Edited to include this photo...because I totally spaced when I published this post!}

If you're interested in getting your paws on bottles of any of these magical elixirs or any other awesome brews, I found this distribution map!  It seems like an awesome resource!  Cheers!!

Hope your week's were also filled with some amazing beverages (beer, wine, cocktail, something non-alcoholic)?  What is your favorite beer?  Or is it something else that wets your whistle???  Either way, happy sipping!!

Linking up with these lovely ladies:  Christina, Darci, April & Natasha for Five on Friday and September Farm & The Farmer's Wife for Oh Hey Friday!  

 

Bestfriend Adventure Part Two: Maryland and the Road Home

We made it into Maryland...and promptly got swallowed by the thongs of traffic and turned around.  We eventually made it to the hotel, got checked in, dropped our belongings in the room and proceeded to layer ourselves in as many articles of clothing as humanly possible.  It was cold out there, after all!  Once we were ready to go we went back down to the lobby, met some pretty colorful fellow MSU fans, and got lucky enough to catch the Hotel Shuttle to the Stadium!  There was no way we wanted to venture back out in that traffic behind the wheel!  No way, Jose!  Navigating through that shit was INSANE! 

The shuttle trip proved to be rather interesting.  We rode there with the colorful fans I just mentioned...learned they were brothers who seemed to have a pretty rocky relationship, and that they drove most of the way to Maryland while drinking in the car.  One was ragging on the other so badly I thought at one point he'd start tearing up!  Also...did I mention they purchased tickets from some guy they didn't know and whom they had to track down and meet about 5 minutes before the game started!?  Yikes!  We were not sad to never see them again...to say the least! 

Once we finally got to the Stadium, we jumped out of that shuttle, tipped and thanked the driver and scooted right over to the line to get in!  But first, we had to take a photo so everyone back home could see what we looked like in Maryland! 

See for yourself!  Here we are!!!  Yay!!!!  Best Friends for Life!

 Then we started our journey up, up, up, way, way UP to almost the tippy top of the arena, which was three whole tiers high!  It was a little terrifying being up that high, but once we were seated we were okay, just had to be careful not to move too much...or fall!  To give you some perspective, the birds that flew past were flying lower than where we were physically located!  And, at one point, we were so high up, a helicopter was hovering pretty much parallel to our seats.  We were definitely thankful that we hadn't participated in any tailgating prior to the game!

The game was good, with some extra excitement in the fourth quarter, leading to a MSU victory!  Here's Allison celebrating and showing her Spartan Pride! 

The halftime show was also pretty awesome!  Maryland's band did Broadway Classics with songs from The Lion King, Les Miserables, and Wicked!  They even formed out these awesome visuals to go along with the music! 

Top:  Ruby Slippers, Middle: Broomstick, Bottom: Witch Hat (All obviously from Wicked!) 

And, I discovered a new hobby whilst among the birds:  Fashion Sniping! 

Basically, I just took pictures of things I saw girls wearing that I really liked! 

Like these boots:

Or this hat:

After the game Allison and I headed through the campus and out to what we assumed was one of the main streets in search of beers and grubs!  By then it was Midnight and a lot of places were closing, or didn't seem to be serving food any longer! 

We found the inspiration for Bob's Burgers!  Hah, just kidding!  Wo else loves that show??  But you never know...I mean, it could be!  You decide! 

Then we came across this place called The Board and Brew!  We could see a food counter from the window, it appeared they were still serving and brew was in the title so we made our way inside to further investigate!  Score!  They were still serving food!!!  We sat down and were instantly greeted by the most adorkably clueless boy server.  He had a blonde bowl cut and glasses, and we loved him!  We asked about the beer list and he brought us a list and then proceeded to tell us they only just started serving beer a few nights ago!  I ended up ordering a Root Beer flavored beer, which I would never recommend to anyone!  It was disgusting!  Allison made a much better choice, although I don't remember what she had. 

Adorkable Clueless Server Boy Memorable Moment:  When he brought our beers over, Allison asked for a glass.  Then he proceeded to ask if we wanted ice and/or a straw!  Awww! 

We ordered some sandwiches, which were surprisingly really good, then decided to try out a game while we were there!  The "Board" of the "Board and Brew" is for  Board Games....and a TON of them!  They had three, two-sided book cases almost floor to ceiling full of different games to choose from.  They charged $5.00 per person to play, but you could choose any game, switch as often as you liked and stay as long as you wanted! 

Allison chose the game Pandemic for us to play.  I had played the electronic version and had previously defeated the world with my Smegina virus.  But the board game version is totally different!  Everyone plays as one team against the board and the goal is to save humanity from outbreaks of different viruses.  It's a little confusing to start out, but once we got the hang of it, we LOVED it!  Unfortunately The Board and Brew had to close before we could find out if we saved the world, but I ended up getting the game for Christmas (thanks Santa Mom), so we're planning to play here in Michigan soon! 

On our way home the next day, we were back on the brewery trail and quickly came to the fourth brewery of our trip!

4.  DuClaw Brewing Co. in Bowie, Maryland

From what we could tell, DuClaw has several different locations, and is kind of like a Chain Brewery...if that's even a thing?!  We went to the one in Bowie, which was inside of a shopping center.  We each did a flight here, and made friends with some of the locals, who proceeded to give me Fantasy Football advice and made us promise that we would only make two brewery stops on our venture home!  Allison also finally talked me into joining Untappd here.  After over a year of trying I finally gave in and started checking in my beers, beginning with this flight!  I've got 73 check-ins now!  Woo HOO!  Look at me go! ☺

• Atmosphere:  Very friendly.  The booths were super deep and comfortable looking, and the bar was nice and big!  It almost had kind of a sports bar type vibe. 
• Decor:  There was a very modern, metally/cook feeling here.  Tons of TVs all over around the bar area.     
• Brews:  The beer was good!  They had a ton of options and some pretty interesting flavor combinations. 
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
• Food:  The food all sounded really good.  We didn't order anything, but Allison made friends with some locals who ordered an entire appetizer they weren't going to eat, so they passed it our way when the server brought it out.  It sounds weirder than it actually was, I promise! 

Then we were back on the road and headed toward our fifth and final brewery stop of the mini-vacation! 

5.  Antietam Brewery in Hagerstown, Maryland

Another strange type of Maryland Brewery!  This one isn't a chain-gang style but the brewery is actually inside of another bar, Benny's Pub.  Here Allison and I shared a flight!   

• Atmosphere:  This was very much a locals hang-out type of place.  As much so that as soon as we walked in the door we instantly became the source of many stares and whispers.  We were very obviously the out-of-towners in the joint!  But don't get me wrong, the folks there were also very friendly!
• Decor:  Typical small town pub décor, including tin signs and beer posters.  There were several smaller rooms that you could pop into, including the back room which held all the brewery fermenters and stuffs!     
• Brews:  We enjoyed the beer here too!  There were a few different styles that we had yet to experience on our Maryland tour to date, like some farmhouse and dunkels brews.  I think our favorite was the uber-fruity Otto's Orchard Boysenberry!

Boo!

After we left Benny's Pub we got back on the road and headed back home!  The homeward story is so much less exciting than the getting there story!  We really just focused on driving - it was a work day for both of us Monday and we were already aiming at getting home pretty late!  We ran into some weather, stopped at a couple truck-stops on the way, ate a little McDonalds as it was literally the only thing left open at the last one (we did share a 20-piece chicken nugget, so I can cross ordering one of those bad boys off my bucket list), ran into some more weather and then finally arrived home safely! 

If you have a chance to go on a road trip with your best friend(s), even a short weekender, do it!  It was an awesome adventure and we had a great time being silly and experiencing some new things together! 

If you missed Part One of the Adventure, you can check it out here!

What's a fun trip you've been on with your besties? 

 

Bestfriend Adventure Part One: The Road to Maryland

A {little} while back, my Bestfriend and I went on a bit of an adventure!  We went road tripping from Michigan to Maryland for the Michigan State v. University of Maryland game, and boy did we have a blast!  We stopped at a few breweries along the way, saw some interesting stuff, and made some new friends.  Not to mention came home with a bunch of wonderfully drinkable trinkets!  Here's part one of our journey!

We left Grand Rapids, Michigan fairly early (for us) and hit the road!  We made it to about Jackson, Michigan before  making our first pit-stop - Gas, "Breakfast" (meaning, snacks from the gas station), and a couple extra stops at some stores before we got back on the road!  We hit up Best Buy and randomly purchased some Blue Rays.  I was in the market for Maleficent and Allison picked up Hot
Tub Time Machine (one of her ultimate favorites...together with Terminator 2), and something else! 

Side track:  One of her favorite games to play with people is to ask them...if you were showing a personal film festival, what 5 movies would you play.  I always have so much trouble coming up with mine, but I'll take another stab at it again...

Megan's Film Festival

1.  The Wizard of Oz

2.  The Shawshank Redemption

3.  The Naked Jungle

4.  The Poseidon Adventure

5.  Kindergarten Cop

 

 

Okay, so back on the road for a few and then we come to our First Brewery Stop!!

 

1.  Original Gravity Brewing Company in Milan, Michigan

 

We each did a flight here, chatted with some of the locals and met one of the owners, Brad, and one of the brewers, who happened to be from Maryland!  They even gave us a little swag on our way out - some stickers and pins!  I would definitely go back if I found myself back in the neighborhood!

• Atmosphere:  Very open and relaxed.  You could tell as soon as you walked in that it's definitly a local hang-out.  It was very friendly feeling in there, which I like! 
• Decor:  Tons of University of Michigan stuff everywhere...EW!  Just kidding....well...kind of.  But the owners (I believe both of them) went to U of M, so it makes sense.  They did have one teeny tiny Michigan State flag hung up near the rafters.  If you get out your binoculars you'll be able to spy it!  The tables were gorgeous though - made out of huge old wooden doors! 
• Bar:  The bar wrapped aound and kind of formed an "L" Shape.  We sat at one end near some of the fermenters.  And, bonus...they had hooks for you purse under the bar!  Us gals always appreciate that little touch!
• Brews:  The beer was good, although overall they seemed to be pretty simplistic.  They did have a couple of small batch brews on that were more unique:  a Hibiscus Wit and a Cranberry Brown.  I liked these two the best! 
• Food:  We were told they had pretty amazing sandwhiches but we didn't actually look at a menu or eat here since we had just stopped. 

When we left Milan (pronounced "MY-LAN") we actually drove until we made it out of Michigan and into Ohio!  By the time we hit Cleveland, the weather had taken a turn on us and we found ourselves driving though a bit of a snow storm.  But that sure as heck didn't stop us from continuing our Brewery Tour to the game!  After driving around the same block a few times we found a parking spot, trekked through about a foot of watery slush and ankel deep snow to get to our Second Brewery Stop!

 

2.  Platform Beer Co. in Cleveland, Ohio

 

I just had a pint here since I was driving and the weather was getting worse, but Allison did a flight and I of course sampled a few of hers as well!  This place was fairly busy, so we didn't get as much individual attention as we did before, but we still managed to score seats at the bar. 

• Atmosphere:  It was pretty easy-going and fun in there!  They had a bowling game, which I though was a really fun touch!
• Bar:  The bar here wrapped aound and kind of formed a short "U" Shape.  They also had hooks under the bar for your purse! 
• Brews:  I really only had a pint of the Lawlessness Porter, which was pretty delicious!  From Allison's flight I remember thinking the Esther Christmas Ale was pretty unique and also pretty tasty! 
• Food:  They didn't seem to have an actual separate food menu, but there was a sign that said you could get Pizza by the Slice and I kind of got the idea you could place an order for Pizza or another local place to have delivered there. 

Allison's gotta check in her brews on Untappd!

Allison's Flight!

And....they had bowling.  Right in the brewery!

And, just up the way a bit, still in Cleveland, was our Third Brewery Stop!  We were trying to wait out some of the snow storm!

 

3.  Great Lakes Brewing Co.  in Cleveland, Ohio

 

We needed to eat. We each got a pint and some chow then did some pretty quick exploring and even quicker shopping before heading back on the road!  

• 

  So many choices!

  Atmosphere: Winding.  There were so many rooms and ham alls and little cavities of hidden things all over this place. Each little cove seemed to have a slightly different feel to it, ranging from cozy and more quiet to a bit rowdier, to...,"wait, is this still the same place?!"
• Bar: There were multiple. We sat at none of them unfortunately. 
• Brews:  Around ten or so drafts. I had the Christmas Ale!  It was boozey in that sneaky sort of way with a nice lightly spiced flavor bouquet. 
• Food:  Full menu, ranging from bar-esque appetizers to burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, and standard entrees.  We both got the Old World Burger which was your typical BBQ, onion straws on s patty deal.  Quite delightful and quite messy. My napkin may have looked like it was used to wipe up a crime scene.  

This is outside of Great Lakes Brewing, across the street from the Pub, where I taught Allison how to take panoramic photos!

After chowing down we hit the road and made it to just outside Pittsburgh before stopping for the night! 

Me, pumping gas....about to haul the crap out of Sheetz with my bestie.

The next morning we hit the road, passed a couple more Eat'n Parks (still not entirely sure what this is), and became acquainted with Sheetz...where we proceeded to haul a decent portion of the store.  I wish I had the haul photos. You would not believe how much damage two terribly impulsive shoppers can do in a convince store. 

We got a lesson in the strange alcohol sales laws of Pennsylvania, which, from what we were able to figure out, liquor and wine must be sold separately than beer. That in itself isn't too out of this world, but then we learned that beer is sold in grocery stores...still not too wild. But it must be done so completely separately and there has to be a cafe or some sort of food-ordering/serving deal available too. You are only able to buy singles and four/sixers here. If you're looking for larger quantities, you've got to find a case store. We're still not totally clear on what a case store entails, but it seems to be mostly self-explanatory.  

Anyway, we were able to score some pretty awesome goodies in Pennsylvania despite the foreign booze restrictions!  We succeeded in getting our paws on some brews not distributed to Michigan! 

 

My beer haul from the trip!  So many goodies!!

Turtle Power!

Allison and I did a couple of trades so we could try more things!  And also brought home some booze too!  The Gin was a travel gift for Rob and I got the Root for myself, although I have yet to try it! 

Coming up in Part Two - We actually make it to Maryland and sit with the helicopters, above where the birds fly!  Check it out now right here!

Hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year!