Reverie – It’s Been Forever
Posted on February 17, 2023 by Ching under Food and Drink.
Our office relocated from the Ruffin Building on Douglas and Broadway in the heart of downtown Wichita further North on Central. Last week was our first week there. Initially wasn’t looking forward to the move because the old location was great for the plethora of coffee options within walking distance of our building. Now we actually have to hop in the car and drive somewhere to get it.
However, Reverie wasn’t within walking distance of the old location and now its an option so maybe there is some good to come out of this move.
It has been so long since I’ve been to reverie. I remember Brian and I used to go on a weekly basis for “coffee chats” but that was before pickleball turned my whole world upside down.
In some ways it is the same. In some ways it is vastly different.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the quality of their amazing coffee. Still one of my faves. And, they also have all these amazing pastries, which I’d conveniently forgotten about. Our new office locations proximity to Reverie is definitely a plus for the move.
This week when we went, Chris got a breakfast quiche and I had the pork carnitas breakfast burrito which was amazing! No pics because I scarfed it up immediately as soon as we got back to the office. I would totally get it again except they have so many good things to eat there.
I may have found my new “go to” coffee spot but it’s only been two weeks and I have much more exploring to do. Until next time, GNG.
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Kevin Coccetella’s Birthday Dinner
Posted on February 12, 2023 by Ching under Community, Events, Food and Drink.
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A new friend (Kevin Coccetella) I met through another new friend (Tim Satterfield) invited us to join his birthday dinner at Red Rock last weekend. I met Kevin at Tim’s 40th birthday celebration at Chicken N Pickle last October, which happened to be the same day as the pickleball cookout at Sedgwick County Park. There are no lights at Sedgwick County Park so we wrapped up pretty early. Brian and I drove separately that day so I could swing by Tim’s party on the way home. |
Kevin, who is a long-time friend of Tim’s, organized the birthday celebration at Chicken N Pickle, so that is how we met. The funny thing is, I met Tim through another friend I met through pickleball. So it’s kind of an infinite cycle — pickleball is a gift that keeps on giving.
I really didn’t know who else would be coming to dinner, other than I knew Tim would be there. Normally, I would avoid going out to dinner with a bunch of strangers because, believe it or not, I am somewhat anti-social; however, (a) Kevin is a nice guy and it was a good opportunity for Brian to meet him, and (b) Brian and I hadn’t been to Red Rock in a long time so it was as good an excuse as any to go.
The food was great as always. Here are some pics…
Kevin ordered some appetizers to share and he also ordered a couple of these amazing desserts. I remember it was one of our favorites too and really the main thing we liked about Red Rock when they change up their rotisserie chicken salad. Our table ended up eating all of our dessert and the other table’s dessert too.
As it turns out, Tim wasn’t the only person I knew. Braden and Stephanie McCurdy both attended the dinner also. Brian and I met them through Coley and Gina Cole. It was great to see them as we hadn’t seen either of them in ages. Stephanie and I used to attend Gina’s Zumba classes religiously ten years ago. Wichita is such a small world!
Anyway, I’m glad that we went to the birthday dinner. Kevin is such a nice guy and worthy of celebrating. Until next time, GNG.
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Missouri Work Trip
Posted on February 12, 2023 by Ching under Events, Food and Drink, Travel.
Made a trip up to Raytown a couple of weeks ago for an in person team/staff meeting and also we had a surprise baby shower for Alex. Here are some of the pics from that trip.
It was so nice to have everyone together to celebrate Alex. Specially, since many of us haven’t seen one another in person in such a long time.
After work, a few of us got together for dinner after work. Alex took us to this cute place in Lees Summit that’s only six minutes from our hotel.
Originally, it was just going to be me, Carmen, and Alex but as luck would have it, Alicia was meeting Julie and Nikki at Third Street Social too so we ended up with all six of us hanging together at dinner.
We were there in time for the tail end of happy hour so we got to enjoy some happy hour food and drinks. Here are some pics.
They made a fun, tasty mocktail for Alex.
They had $5 burgers on Mondays!
Julie ordered these cookie sandwiches and they were so good!
Anyway, Third Street Social is super cute. Food and drinks were great. I would highly recommend it to anyone who happens to find themselves in the area. I’m not sure when I’ll ever be back that way but this is a spot I would likely visit again.
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Queen of the Courts at Sandbox
Posted on February 5, 2023 by Ching under Food and Drink, Pickleball.
I haven’t been posting about the Queen of Courts because (a) we’ve had a few of them now, and (b) I think grandma is tired of reading about pickleball all the time. LOL. I have to post about the QoC we had at Sandbox last weekend, though, because it is quite special. Shawna Hight and Gloria Otis, a couple of ladies from the Tulsa, OK area, came to join us.
Here are a few pictures of Colby Fugit, who once again reigned supreme.
Colby was the reigning queen going into the session and won again on Sunday so she and Karen Fox are tied for the record of two back to back wins.
Shawna, Gloria, and I stayed for late lunch after playing. Here are some pics of our food.
It was so nice to have the two of them join us for QoC. I have driven down to OKC and Tulsa for DUPR sessions but never in my wildest dreams thought anyone would actually come up here to play with us. Anyway, this session had several new players participate in it also, so it was special in more ways than one.
I am so grateful for the wonderful pickleball community we have here. The ladies are so welcoming, and Shawna and Gloria fit right in. It’s awesome how this sport just brings everyone together.
Colby left her crown with me so we could play for it without her since she’s out of town the next couple of weeks but I am doing some mixed and men’s DUPR sessions instead that way she has the opportunity to also play and defend her title. I am looking forward to having our next QoC when she’s back. I am also looking forward to the next tournament when I can see Shawna and Gloria again. They are both so nice and so fun!
Until next time, GNG.
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You Can’t Pickle All Day If You Don’t Start at 7 AM
Posted on February 3, 2023 by Ching under Pickleball.
Huyen invited me play pickleball at 7:30 AM on Saturday before I found out about Katie and Marva coming through Wichita on the way to Great Bend last weekend. I had accepted because I can’t pass up a chance to play pickleball, specially with a solid group. Huyen originally invited Fong, Karen, Greta, and me and just took the first people to reply. Fong, Karen, and I replied first but so that was the foursome but then Karen had an emergency and backed out so Huyen reached out to Greta who surprisingly accepted. Anyway, at 6 AM on Saturday morning, Huyen texted me that we were short a player because Greta backed out. I was like, “What happened to Karen?” That’s when she told me that Karen backed out due to a personal issue and she got Greta. I was told Huyen I was surprised that Greta even agreed to play because she doesn’t do early mornings. “Did she think you meant 7:30 PM? LOL.” Huyen was worried we would have to cancel because we wouldn’t be able to find anyone to fill in on such short notice.
I told Huyen Katie was in town and she’s a morning person so I was pretty sure she’s already awake. Anyway, I texted Katie who was downstairs and let her know that we were short a player for the morning game. Thankfully, Katie was down to play and so we were able to complete our group and get our game on.
I was originally worried about inviting Marva also but Katie told me she’s not a morning person. Katie and I agreed that we should let Marva sleep in and just leave her a note so that she wouldn’t freak out when she wakes up and no one is home. Brian had Saki’s vet appointment and then grandma that morning.
I found this note from Katie downstairs today, still on the bar in the basement. I guess Marva never saw it. LOL.
It worked out great having Katie in town. She is so much fun and fit in with us Asians perfectly. I had a blast and I think as did everyone.
As we were wrapping up, I asked Katie if she had heard from Marva and she told me that Marva was finally awake and texted that she was cold. I texted Brian to turn up the heat, which he can do from his phone.
I had said goodbye to both of them on Friday night because I had planned to go to Chicken N Pickle in the morning and then go to check out the pickleball at Towne West Mall straight from there but, since Katie filled in, we just carpooled and so I brought her back home before going to the mall.
When we got down to the basement, Marva was cuddled on the couch with a blanket. She hadn’t seen a note and had no idea that we’d even been gone. She thought this entire time Katie was still sleeping her in her. She was like, “I guess she was really tired from last night.” And she just let her sleep. Or so she thought.
After taking a quick shower, the three of us took off. I took off for the mall and the two of them went on their way to Great Bend to make the 1 PM open play. Their tournament was the following day.
I made a short video of some of the pics I took at the mall. I finally met Heather Harrison, the brilliant woman who came up with the idea to make use of the commons area. No one was coming to the mall anyway so might as well make use of the space, right? She had been inviting me to come check it out on Facebook but I’d been out of town for tournaments and other things and, honestly, I’d been hesitant to check it out because I wasn’t sure I would like playing on the tile floors. But, much to my surprise, it actually wasn’t that bad.
I played a couple of games — which, I have to say, I did not hate — and I met so me new people — which is always my jam. I had a great time.
Bottom line, pickleball at the mall is not just a great idea, it’s a win for everyone. Firstly, it’s getting people to actually go to the mall. I’m pretty sure I haven’t been in Towne West in over 10 years (maybe even 20) and it gave me a reason to go. And, while there, I realized there’s like a Dillard’s Clearance store, which I didn’t even know existed. You better believe, I’ll be back to check out that winter sale in a few weeks. Secondly, it’s making use of unused space. Instead of the commons area just sitting empty, now there’s at least some activity happening there. Thirdly, with the lack of court availability in the winter time, it’s giving players another option. Yes, the tile floors aren’t idea but they’re not that bad and it’s better than not playing at all. Finally, it’s introducing pickleball to a whole new group of people who may not be familiar with the sport. Mall walkers are seeing how much fun the picklers are having and they’re getting curious and taking it up.
Heather promotes the open plays on Facebook and posts the times on PlaytimeScheduler. The open play drop in rate is $5 per person and then when open plays are not in session and the courts are available for rent, you can rent them for $12 per court per hour. She currently has three courts set up.
The Saturday open play sessions typically start at 10:00 AM and go until 12:30 PM. Tomorrow looks like a good day to check it out. You can sign up here. If you do go, tell Heather that Ching sent you! Until next time, GNG.
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