Good morning! I hope you are all having a good week so far.
I took a personal day before work yesterday. It just felt… needed. We’re taking life one day at a time around here. Once again, thank you all so much for the continued support and messages that we are still receiving. We love you guys.
Scott and I actually had a pretty busy weekend filled with outings and gatherings with friends, so we have some catching up to do! Here’s what we’ve been up to the last few days (warning: there’s a lot of pictures of food).
Saturday started on an early note for me by teaching at the gym. I only had two classes, so I was looking forward to getting home and resting before plans to meet some friends for brunch.
2941 Street Food Brunch
If you’ve visited the blog over the past month or so, then you probably already how much we love this new fast-casual restaurant in our area. 2941 Street Food is easily becoming our favorite go-to for fresh, fast Mediterranean food.
It’s not cheap, but it’s not expensive either. In my opinion, everything is fairly priced. Knowing that the ingredients are non-GMO and are coming from mostly local sources is reassuring, especially when we are in a hurry and want something healthy and delicious to eat!
That said, you can imagine our excitement when we found out they are going to start serving brunch on the weekends.
Their brunch items aren’t technically on the menu yet, so they’re doing more of a slow introduction without advertising. There are several different versions of frittatas, hashes, and breakfast favorites with Mediterranean flair.
I ordered the roasted vegetable frittata, Scott ordered the corned beef hash (with eggs), and they both came with a side of (delish!) breakfast potatoes. We shared a carafe of peach mimosas with our friend, Ryan, and the boys also each ordered a bloody mary to try out all of the fixings.
Two more of our friends showed up as soon as we got our food, and the group of us enjoyed dining and chatting without the pressure of taking up too much time at a table. Fast casual for the win!
As we were finishing up our entrées, the owner (who we’ve gotten to know pretty well) came by to gift us a Tahini roll. Instead of a classic cinnamon roll with icing, this one is made out of cinnamon bread with “icing” made out of pure date syrup and tahini topped in pistachios.
Oh my. If I wasn’t so full from my meal, I would have eaten it all myself. So good!
Eventually, we all went back to our house to play cards for a few hours. It was a great way to spend the day, and I got the itch to take Roadie out for a run before the sunset. It was my first run since… I don’t know… Thanksgiving?
I broke my toe that day, and the streets and trails were filled with snow and ice by the time it felt better, so I kept my distance.
It had been way too long. Luckily, I have been taking advantage of the unusually high temperatures for this time of year this week, and I think I found my running groove again. It feels so good to be back.
We caught the beginning of the sunset as we looped into our neighborhood, and I couldn’t believe it took me until the end of January to get back out there. It’s so peaceful.
Guess who’s back? Back again…
Roadie sure loved it. He had a smile on his face the entire time, except when I wanted to take a photo. That’s usually how it goes. We made a slow 3.1 miles around and came back to our friends just in time to get ready for dinner.
Bologna Via Cucina – Downtown Rochester
Scott and I had been wanting to try a new restaurant in Downtown Rochester, so we were pumped when our friends suggested dining at Bologna Via Cucina.
It’s a pretty and popular small space, so it didn’t surprise us to hear that there would be a wait. We put our names in and then went across the street to kill some time at a pub. (Oh yeah, Scott shaved his head! Time for some changes…)
An hour and a half later, we walked back to Bologna hoping to be sat.
Unfortunately, our quoted hour and a half wait time turned into two hours. We were getting a little hangry by the time we finally got seated around 9 p.m.
Our waitress was extremely nice, but I have to note that the service, in general, was unbearably slow. We didn’t get out of there until close to 11:00!
That said, everything I tried was delicious.
Scott and I split an appetizer while we were waiting across the street, so we decided to split an entrée too. We ordered angel hair bolognese that came with a side house salad (above), and we also ordered a side of the mushroom risotto (below) to try.
Do you remember that butternut squash risotto recipe I shared back in December? It came from Joe Bologna himself, the owner of this restaurant. Needless to say, we were big fans of both risottos. The pasta was good and had a bit of a sweet kick to it.
We said our goodbyes to our friends and headed home with full and happy bellies.
2016 Winter Jam Tour
We attended our regular morning church service on Sunday and came home to have a few hours of down time to get ready for the week. By 3 p.m., our friend Nichole came by to pick us up and take us to the 2016 Winter Jam Tour!
Every year, the Winter Jam tours around the United States and features popular Christian artists. Tickets are only $10 to get in, and ten percent of the proceeds go towards a local charity. You really can’t beat it.
This year featured Matthew West, Newsong, Lauren Daigle, Sidewalk Prophets, KB, Tedashi, Trip Lee, Red, Stars Go Dim, and headliners for KING & COUNTRY and the David Crowder Band. It was a strong line up!
There were a total of ten artists on deck to perform, and there was a quick break in between each set. We were there for close to five hours! When it felt time for dinner, Nichole and I made a trip to the concessions and found the new Maplewood Barbecue area. Oh my goodness.
Hungry, and knowing we would be splitting whatever we got with Scott, she ordered pork sliders with macaroni ‘n cheese and I ordered the chicken sliders with baked beans. We couldn’t pass up the banana split dessert, either. Again, oh my goodness. If you’re ever at the Palace of Auburn Hills for a Pistons game or event, do yourself a favor and check out Maplewood Barbecue for dinner and dessert.
I love attending concerts (or seeing any live music for that matter), but there is a point where I usually get bored. I couldn’t believe this one lasted as long as it did, but I legitimately loved every minute!
The artists were awesome and the show got everyone on their feet. My new favorite band might be for KING & COUNTRY. They were amazing performers and sure put on a show!
Christian music can be pretty cool, you guys. If you’d like a sample of some of my favorites, check out this playlist that features a lot of the songs that we heard live.
My favorite few minutes of the night, however, came when the crowd was quieted and we were asked to sing Amazing Grace a cappella. It gave me chills to hear 22,000 people come together and praise so softly. So cool.
When the concert was over, we went to say hello to a friend we met while working a summer camp in Orlando, KB. He’s a Christian rap artist that tears up the stage! And, he’s super nice. His music always pumps me up!
The tour is goes through April, and I would definitely recommend checking it out in a city near you. It’s a great experience for the whole family, and if you can’t make a concert, there’s a one-day behind the scenes movie event on April 19th in select cinemas.
We plan on seeing the movie for sure and hope you enjoy the concert as much as we did if you get to go!
Questions of the Day
• What is the longest you have ever waited to be sat at a restaurant?
• Have you ever attended a Christian concert?
Alyssa @ renaissancerunnergirl
Glad to see that you’re able to take life one day at a time from here on out, and to be able to enjoy the little moments even as you process the bigger things. It’s so important. Best wishes 🙂
Heather
Thank you, Alyssa. For being so far away from family, we really have been surrounded with so much love. <3
Lauren
That brunch spread, ESPECIALLY the tahini roll, looks so so good! I once waiting an hour and 45 minutes to eat at a really popular breakfast place here in Denver. I had just ran my first half marathon so I was HUNGRY, but the pancake flight I ate was so worth it 🙂
Lauren recently posted…Weekend Things
Heather
OH man, it would be so hard to wait that long after running a long race. I bet that pancake was the best thing EVER!
Erin @ Erin's Inside Job
I love all that food. It’s making me hungry. One of my favorite things about living in VA was being able to run on trails like that. It was so amazing. Since moving to Chicago running and I have taken a bit of a break, but if I’m ever around nature like that again I’m sure I’ll have a reason to get back into it!
Erin @ Erin’s Inside Job recently posted…How I Ate and Exercised to Prepare for My Fitness Photo Shoot
Heather
I feel you. Michigan sure has some pretty trails… it just takes extra motivation for me to enjoy them for half of the year. Fingers crossed this “warmer” winter weather sticks around!
Nikki
I’ve definitely waited an hour and a half- two hours before to be seated. I used to love in Chicago they would take your name and number and text you when it was ready. I think some restaurants are starting to do that here, and it is definitely helpful! I love Green Dot Stables, but the wait there is always so long, especially at peak dinner time!
Heather
I love that! Our favorite spot to eat in Chicago is the Purple Pig, and we always put our name in, go home to get ready, and then come back in time to be sat. Love when they call, too! Ohhh we enjoy Green Dot Stables too. The wait IS always super long.
Meagan Leanne
It has been so unseasonably warm in Michigan this year! We’ve had rain for a couple days straight now and I’m tired of being locked inside. I’ve seen Natalie Grant in concert before and a few other christian artists.
Meagan Leanne recently posted…Things these days + 6 month goals
Hilary
Ahh thank you for talking about the winter jam concert, it just happens to be in the city I live in this weekend, I just might have to go!
Hilary recently posted…It’s Not Goodbye It’s Hello
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul
Oh my goodness that brunch food!! I’m drooling!
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Lauren
I used to work for a Christian liberal arts college, in admissions, and part of the job was setting up a booth at all the different Christian music festivals. We’d take turns going to hear our favorite artists and it was always a lot of fun! I’ll always remember the first year I went to Creation (the biggest one in the state) and this really nice family had a craft booth next to us…at one point several guys came over to eat lunch with them and the dad was like, “Oh, this is our son and his bandmates. This is the first year their band, Tenth Avenue North, has performed here.” !! At the time I was just like, oh, that’s nice…now I kick myself for not getting autographs!! haha
So jealous your got to go to Winter Jam…I love K&C and Lauren Daigle is another one of my favorites.
Enjoying unseasonal temps here in PA too…at least for a couple more days 🙂
Bri
Glad you had a good weekend, Heather. You look gorgeous in the picture of you and Scott.
Mecca
That bloody mary was pretty legit. Glad to read that you had a good weekend.
Mecca recently posted…Tuesday
Paige
I have been reading your blog for years and have never commented! I find it so inspiring how strong you are! Keep it up x
Taylor
I love Mediterranean food! You are making me itch to get outside on a run. The treadmill just isn’t the same. Unfortunately we got 9 inches of snow from the storm yesterday so I’ll just have to keep hoping it melts. 😉
Elainea
Such a cute pup / running partner! The food pictures made me drool haha. Looks so yum!
elainea
toast the girl almighty
Hannah
For KING & COUNTRY! I saw them at the Ryman here in Nashville and they were incredible! (Gotta love friends working in radio with extra free tickets hah!) they’re a great group of guys.
Their song Shoulders has been a huge blessing for me through a huge health crises earlier this year, they may have played it at the show?
And lastly, I’m praying for you! I can’t even imagine what you’re going through and it’s incredibl hard but it’s also okay to grieve and not be okay for a little while. 🙂
Heather
Right? I love them. They’re music is so inspiring, and they are awesome to see live. YES! They played Shoulders. It was so great. Thank you so much for the prayers. <3