Lakefront Brewery - My Turn Series

Last week, I was at Groppis for work. As customers were weaving in and out of the photo shoot, I stood awkwardly and apologized - to which one Bay Viewian replied "That's fine, just don't get between me and my beer." 

When he made his way to the front of the store, we asked him about his interesting bottle - he explained that Lakefront Brewery was brewing small batches of brews called "My Turn." This unique series will come out about 5-7 times a year. The Lakefront staff will get a "turn" (get it.) to craft their own brew. The first is Dan's brew.

How awesome is that?

I'm finding that the older I get and the colder it gets - the more I like dark beer. Dan's brew was no exception. It was dark and it was yummy.

I'm excited to see what other beers will follow Dan's!

Photo from here.

After sipping on some beer - I was reminded of the great times my friends and I had this summer at the Lakefront Brewery. Dan and I (husband Dan not Lakefront Dan) have gone on this tour about three times - it's always an educational and drunken-enjoyable time.

A Milwaukee Must-Do - Lakefront Brewery Tour

So, grab one of these limited-edition beers and Prost! 

2012, so nice to meet cha!

During the Yearly Recap 2011, I glossed over the resolutions section and included some basic, predictable and boring resolutions.

Drop weight, save money, be healthy. Blah blah blah. I don't want to create Vision Board a la The Secret - but let's add some meat to these bony resolutions:  

Be healthy - Drop all baby weight by Ingrid's first birthday. Workout and practice yoga consistently. 

Be mindful - With Ingrid, while eating, at work - be present.

Be good to my back - Have good posture. 

Be happy - Go on dates with Dan, giggle with Ingrid instead of trying to keep the house clean and snuggle with Harper. 

Shop smaller - Feed my community and my family and shop locally. 

Or, copy Husband's resolution - Be Better. At first this resolution seems eye-roll-worthy, but as he explained - just think about what you're doing and ask yourself "Can I do this better?" Probably. This evening I probably could have put my clothes away better, but instead I shoved them in drawers. 

There's always tomorrow. 

Shopping Smaller.

One of my old Birmingham co-workers is challenging herself to shop locally for an entire year - she blogs about her tales here. Although I don't reside in Birmingham, I love reading this blog. It gives you the "shopping local warm fuzzies" - you know, that feeling you get when you visit a local shop, purchase something unique and wonderful. You actually talk to the owner and get actual recommendations from real smiley faced people.

You feel happy. You feel like you did something good for your community. You get the shopping local warm fuzzies.

I'll admit, I stumbled upon the shopping local warm fuzzies (ok, last time I'll use that phrase) by trying to avoid the panic, sweaty, horrible feeling I get when shopping at Pick n' Save on a Saturday morning.

You know the feeling. You elbow your way through every aisle. You forget peas - or some other small yet critical item and have to navigate back through the store. Everyone is stone faced, not saying anything as they try to cross this item off of their to-do list and move on with the day. Pleasant, right?

I know, I'm being a big dramatic. But after signing up for our local co-op and actually shopping there (vs. grabbing those amazing dips and treats) I noticed that I left with a little pep in my step.

What's this rant all about? It's about wanting to create real change in my spending habits. By putting something "out there" (i.e. this rant) hopefully, I'll continue to purchase from local businesses rather than giving into the notion that bigger is better and more convenient.

So here's to mindful spending and putting my hard-earned dollars where they belong - back to our community!