Archive for the year 2018
Carrabba’s Wine Tasting Dinner
Posted on June 22, 2018 by Ching under Food and Drink.
Several weeks ago I picked up this silent auction package for a wine tasting dinner for four people at Carrabba’s Italian Grill at the SALSA benefit for Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center (WASAC). It was perfect because Brian and I love Carrabba’s and the money went to a worthy cause.
Though there were some exclusions listed on the certificate (no Friday or Saturday), it wasn’t hard to find a time redeem the package. The hardest part was finding another couple to share the experience with. We have lots of good friends who enjoy food and wine as much as we do.
We ultimately decided on inviting Jenni and her boyfriend Adam. We thought it would be a nice way to celebrate their recent engagement.
Here are a few pictures from our fabulous dinner.
It was a ridiculous amount of food! On top of that, we each got dessert!
As far as wine went, we really could have taken more advantage but we didn’t want to be wasteful. Plus, Jenni and Brian seemed to really enjoy this bottle of cab and they wanted to finish it. We didn’t get past this bottle. LOL. Perhaps next time we can try at least a couple more different wines.
I’m not usually a red wine drinker but I actually enjoyed this cab as well (much to my surprise). It’s rare that Brian and I find a wine that we can both enjoy. Unfortunately, this one is on the expensive end. We normally spend $10 to $20 a bottle. This one is about $60 a bottle so it’s not one that we will buying by the case as we typically do with our other wines. We did find it on sale for about $49 at Groves a couple of weeks ago so we decided to splurge and pick up a bottle (just one) for us to enjoy the next time we have something to celebrate.
Anyway, despite Joe not being at the restaurant that night, we still had a fabulous dinner. His team made sure of it. Next time I see one of these packages at the next fundraising benefit, I’m definitely going to try snagging it. It’s worth every penny!
Until next time. GNG!
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My New Favorite Bag
Posted on June 22, 2018 by Ching under Shopping.
I’ve been wanting the Stately Satchel (Kaleidoscope) for a long, long time and I finally pulled the trigger a few weeks ago. I just couldn’t get myself to spend the money on it because I’m too practical. We try not to by things just because we “want” them. There has to be a justifiable “need” for it. Anyway, a few months ago, Brian said he wanted my backpack. That created my need new work bag and so I was finally able to justify the purchase.
Here are some pictures of the “unboxing” when my new bag arrived last month.
I thought the note from the designer was a nice touch!
The bag is the perfect size for my (body) frame and my laptop. Laptop bags can sometimes be a tad oversized and overwhelming. This one looks more like slightly bigger purse/tote.
I really love the sleek design.
It also came with a storage bag, which is nice and will protect it when I’m not using it. For now, it’s my everyday work bag.
Here’s how it looks in natural light with all my stuff in it.
I’m so in-love with this bag. I’m super happy I got it. Actually, I’ve been super happy with everything I have ever purchased from Betabrand. Here are some of the things I’ve gotten in the past:
- Dress Yoga Pants (I have both the straight-leg and the leggings styles in various colors/prints)
- Round-Trip Dress (I have this color and the Black and White one, which I think was the very first color they offered it in)
- All-Day Coat (I two of these awesome coats, one in Marsala and one in Gray)
I’m a huge fan of Betabrand and highly recommend their products. If you want to check out their products, follow this link to save $15 on your first purchase of $75 or more. Happy shopping!
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Sweat in the City
Posted on June 20, 2018 by Ching under Events.
Here are some pictures from Joel and Sarah’s Sweat in the City Zumba Master Class featuring Gwen Atkinson. Joel and Sarah pulled off what is I’d consider the best Zumba event I’ve ever attended in Wichita.
The playlist was great. The venue (Distillery 244) was perfect, size and location-wise. They did a fabulous job of decorating the place. They even got the restaurant next door, Egg Cetera, to open and offer a taco special that night so our group would have refreshments. Oh, and I forgot about the cash bar with the “Zumbanade” specialty drink which was a super great deal at $4.
I also loved the event shirt which went really well with one of my Zumba leggings. Rose and I decided to wear identical outfits and I cut our shirts the same so we were twinsies almost head to toe.
My friend Lindsay, who has recently started really getting into Zumba, was there. It was an amazing turnout.
My Zumba besties and I had a fabulous time. Can’t wait until the next one! Hopefully, we won’t have to wait another year. Sarah hinted at perhaps doing one in the Fall. Until then, GNG.
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‘Tis the Season for Celebration
Posted on June 19, 2018 by Ching under Events, Family, Zumba.
The Wichita Zumba community has had two “Zumba in the Square” events so far this year and I’ve yet to teach at one. It’s been really hard because it’s been a super busy season for events. Last month’s “Zumba in the Square” event fell on the same day as Logan’s graduation party. We weren’t sure what time we would make it to Old Town so I popped in, danced a bit, and took some photos but couldn’t really help with the event. Here’s one of the group photos:
At least we were able to stop by for the “Zumba in the Square” event last month. They had another one on Saturday, which we missed altogether because we were getting ready for Brian’s birthday party at the house. We hosted it on Saturday, the 16th, because Brian’s birthday fell in the middle of the week and we couldn’t celebrate with friends the weekend before because we were Rosalia Ranch for Symphony in the Flint Hills (more on that next time).
As far as Brian’s birthday get together on Saturday, I didn’t take a lot of pics. Brian doesn’t really like having HUGE parties so we just had a few people over for pork and chicken street tacos. Others also brought food to share.
A few people went to do “Zumba in the Square” first and then came over. We kept it pretty casual because we knew we would be playing games and also we wanted people to come straight over from “Zumba in the Square” and not have to change clothes. However, there were two couples who went above and beyond.
Amy and Hideki showed up in coordinating outfits in Wichita State colors.
Todd and Missy did the all white thing. Both couples looked fabulous.
We had a lot of fun playing Disturbed Friends and Just Dance and just hanging out and visiting in general. It was a great birthday celebration overall but we’re not quite done yet. We are celebrating again this coming weekend.
Brian’s parents are coming up from Oklahoma so we can do our traditional joint celebration. We usually celebrate Brian’s birthday, grandma’s birthday (which is today, by the way — Happy birthday, Grandma!), and Father’s Day all in one go. That celebrating is happening this Saturday. We’re going to have a BBQ/cookout and this event will be family only.
I think that might be it, though, I wouldn’t be surprised if we come up with another celebration in honor of Brian’s birthday. The two of us have been celebrating all month long. We had a couple of dinners for just the two of us (Carrabba’s and Bonefish, two of our favorite restaurants). Then we spent a weekend volunteering at Symphony in the Flint Hills on Friday and then attending the event the next day. Then Brian got his latest Stitch Fix box (new birthday clothes). Then Brian got a new watch band and protector. Then he got a deluxe massage from Mindy (his favorite massage therapist) at Sveta’s. Then he got a Smove (basically a new toy to play with) but this was more my idea. LOL.
It’s not a milestone birthday but I sure hope it’s been a really good one!
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Pics From This Year’s Celebrity & Chef Cookoff
Posted on June 15, 2018 by Ching under Events.
The Wichita Orpheum’s Celebrity & Chef Cookoff was held almost a month earlier than usual this year. As luck would have it, I happened to be in town so Brian and I were fortunate enough to be able to attend. I was so happy because it’s one of Brian’s all-time favorite fundraising events. And, this year our VP of Customer Operations Jeff Beasley was one of the competitors.
He was paired with 6S Steakhouse‘s Kayson Chong and their team was dubbed “The New Guys.” Presumably because they’re both somewhat new in town.
Reverie Coffee‘s Stephanie Hand teamed up with Roger Scholfield. Their team was called “The Cookie Monsters” because Stephanie enjoys baking cookies and Roger enjoys eating them.
Team “Bon Appetit Artistes” consisted of Sienna Tuscan Steakhouse‘s Josh Rathbun and Mark Arts‘ Katy Dorrah.
District VI City Council Member Cindy Claycomb teamed up with Woodfire Grille‘s Jennifer Reifschneider, who happened to win last year’s event. Their team was known as “The Boss Ladies.”
Next there’s “The Cut Ups” team of Ben George from SAVOR at Intrust Bank Arena and Bill Gardner of Gardner Design.
Lastly, there’s Cynthia Wilson of Parsnipity Cafe and Lumpiapalooza, Jennifer Ray, owner of the Monarch. Their team was known as “The Downtown Divas.”
Jeff and Kayson looked like they were having a blast up on the stage.
Everyone was cooking up a storm up there.
We really enjoyed watching all the celebrities and chefs cook their hearts out that night. Defending champion Jennifer Reifscheider was looking for a repeat but it was not to be. The big winners that evening were Stephanie Hand for “best use of the main ingredient” and overall winner Josh Rathbun.
The craziest part of the evening was that Brian and I almost didn’t get in. I forgot to check my mailbox earlier and didn’t realize I was supposed to have tickets for the event. Luckily for us, Jimmy Washington came to our rescue and got us through the door without our tickets. You can do things like that when you’re a big shot. I found my tickets in my mailbox days later.
I’m usually out of town Monday through Thursday so I’m used to only checking my work mailbox on Fridays. The event was on a Tuesday night. I didn’t realize that I had tickets because I forgot to check my mailbox on Monday and Tuesday. I’m such a dingbat, I know. I haven’t forgotten to check my mailbox since!
Anyway, here are a few more photos from the event.
Here’s a picture of our great looking group. From left, starting with the lovely lady next to me, Erica and Jimmy Martinez, Jeff and Flo Beasley, Evette and Jimmy Washington, Bridget and Glenn Bowman, Don Sherman, and, of course, Brian front and center. He is the ultimate group selfie picture taker.
Obligatory selfie, just cause.
This is us earlier that night when were trying to figure out how to get in without our tickets and we ran into my friend from Leadership Wichita, Jessica Dunbar. We are very lucky that we still got to attend the event despite the whole ticket situation. I would have been really sad to miss Jeff’s Celebrity & Chef Cookoff debut. Plus, it’s such a fun event. I hope we get to go again next year.
Stay tuned for the next post! GNG.
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