2016: A Year in Review

 January

{New Years in Seattle, Pittsburgh vacation, Jess's fab Birthday celebration}

February

{New house sneak peak, New fav brunch spot, Lo visits, stayed warm with fur robes and coffee}

  March

{Tropical themed Bridal shower, Bride-made cake, Mango Margs & beach-y restaurant vibes}

   April 

{Madison food tour, cocktails, food and more cocktails}

   May 

{Vegas for work and play, Bouchon, Lakeside at the Wynn}

June

{Minneapolis for Queen B, Kristin's Bachelorette party in Chicago, the start of Summer sunsets up north}

   July

{Allie's amazing wedding weekend, Bridesmaid bouquet, Fourth of July at Devil's Lake}

    August

{Adam's gorg wedding & gorg bride, Cotton candy skies, more weddings, outdoor patios while they last}

   September

{Badgers v LSU at Lambeau, Kristin's glam wedding, Friends reunited & it felt so good, Santa Monica sunset}

  October

{Fall walks, office decor, best days spent in my Nikes, Halloween decorations that scared the kiddos}

  November

{Homecoming weekend in Madison, brunch, Capital tour, Chasers nostalgia, State Street}

  December

{Christmas decorations, late night selfies, Tequila sunrise, sleeping beauty}

A fantastic year in the books. Here's hoping 2017 can manage to top 2016! 

Full disclosure, I did take a hard tumble off the blogger train while I was adjusting to the new house, a new job and a new routine. I am hoping to keep a much better schedule this year just as long as life doesn't get in the way. 

   

2015: A Year in Review

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

With work being so crazy the first week of the year, I had zero time to get this 2015 recap up until now. I knew I had a fantastic year but I didn't realize just how much happened until I put this together. Spending quality time with friends and family, traveling to new places, celebrating several weddings, getting a promotion, buying a new car and starting this blog were just some of the highlights of last year. I'm looking forward to what 2016 has in store.

   

Happy Holidays

Wishing everyone a holiday filled with love, laughs, family and friends. I am looking forward to spending time at home, eating way too much, getting competitive over an intense game of Scrabble and most importantly, being surrounded by people I love. We are off to Seattle next week for New Years so I will be back next year! Can't wait to see what 2016 has in store! 

   

Madison Before Dark

Madison Before Dark is a guide to my favorite eating and drinking spots in Madison for the not-in-college-anymore and can't-pretend-I'm-in-college-anymore crowd. This crazy thing happens when you get older, you have more money to spend on a night out but less tolerance for alcohol and when I say less I mean A LOT less. Since I am limited to only a few beverages in my old age (unless I want to wake up feeling like I got hit by a bus repeatedly) I try to make smart decisions when choosing where I want to go for the evening. I love the Capital Square area in Madison since college students tend to stay on State Street, away from the Capital bars, and there are several options within a few block radius so if one isn't tickling my fancy, I can easily walk somewhere else.

The Tipsy Cow - small bar with a great outdoor seating area off the Capital Square making this an ideal option for lunch and an afternoon drink. Burgers, cheese curds and fries are a staple here.

The Old Fashioned - retro-styled, Wisconsin themed bar known for mouth watering cheese curds, brats and large selection of beer. Great choice for lunch, dinner and an evening out. It is generally packed so the atmosphere is bound to be lively and fun. 

Brocach Irish Pub - Whiskey, Guinness and upscale Irish pub food bring the crowd to Brocach.

Madison's - good food, good drinks, nice outdoor area for pre or post-dinner drinks and a crazy dance floor that gets a little college wild after 10 pm. This is the one restaurant/bar on my list that may make you feel a bit old after 11 pm. Some college kiddos venture here to get sweaty on the makeshift dance floor. If you've been here since 9 pm you probably won't care (or even realize) but if you show up at 11 pm thinking it will be a classy place, you may be a bit disappointed. 

The Great Dane - Brew pub. Check. Pool tables. Check. Good food. Check. Great place to hang out with friends and family. Check. The Great Dane has it all. 


Cooper's Tavern - One of my favorite spots on Capital Square is Cooper's Tavern. They have amazing breakfast, lunch and dinner and a beer list that offers selections from all around the world. It will be hard to tell yourself it's time to go home. 

Merchant - modern place to have a nice dinner or drop in for some fancy schmancy craft cocktails at night. 

DLUX - the morning after you've had two drinks and wake up with a pounding headache, head over to DLUX for a build your own Bloody Mary Bar. Need I say more? 

   

Photos via 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9