iCarabout.com

God, I love this city…

Cara Marie Lageson | Cleveland, OH | iCarabout.com

And it’s unique beauty…

Cleveland, Ohio | iCarabout.com

Jason is always finding all sorts of cool, little knick-knacks online.  I’m almost positive he only shows me about 1/4 of them, mostly because he knows how A.D.D. I am at work as it is.

BUT, he didn’t hold back this little gem…unfortunately. I’m now addicted to making “Search Stories” on YouTube.

CRAP.

Make your’s at your own risk. (http://youtube.com/searchstories) Next thing you know, it will be 2 hours later and you’ll have 8 search stories uploaded to YouTube.

Here’s My Story

It’s really funny, the emails, offers and such I hear about because of iCarabout. People contact me all the time for various reasons after seeing my blog, but this has to be the strangest offer yet.

And by “strange” I mean totally awesome.

Savvy Avenue Cleveland contacted me about a week ago to talk to about a great possible gift idea for Jason.  I was intrigued. When they emailed me back, I found out that they were going to have an offer going with Intimate Boudoir Photography by Leah and they wanted to give me a go at it!

Intimate Boudoir Photography by Leah | Savvy Avenue | iCarabout Cleveland

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I was a little intimidated by the thought of taking risque pictures with a stranger and then sharing my experience with all of Cleveland. BUT, I found out that wasn’t the case at all. The photos could be as revealing or conservative as you want them to be and you can even take the pictures with your guy if you want–and THANK GOD Jason wanted to! Plus, they’re just meant to be sexy pictures (like from a Victoria’s Secret catalog), not dirty or sleazy.

COUNT US IN!

What’s even better is this offer isn’t just extended to me! For a limited time Saavy Avenue is offering a major discount on this exciting experience for everyone to try.  You can try it on your own and surprise your man with some sassy pics, OR you can ask him to join you for a steamy photo session. Either way, it’s an awesome idea and we’re so pumped to try  it!

ANYWAYS — If you’re interested in giving this a shot for over 5o% off the normal price, head over to http://www.savvyavenue.com/cleveland and order now!

For more information on Intimate Boudoir Photography by Leah, check out her site http://intimateboudoirbyleah.com/ — She’s got some sample photographs up, so you can see what she’s all about. Leah’s pictures are gorgeous!

Once Jason and I have our shoot, I’ll post about our experience and MAYBE even give you a sneak peek at a photo or two!

It’s funny what you come up with for fun date ideas when the weather is great in Cleveland Plus.  I say this because we all have to live through like 6 months of winter and when we get the first nice day or two, we just come to life!

This past weekend was one of the first nice ones this year, so Jason and I wanted to spend some quality time together doing something outdoors that was also new and fun.  We decided that Friday we’d meet up after work, have a few cocktails on a patios, while exploring  Tremont and Ohio City.

First we hit up a few bars in Tremont with awesome patios, The Treehouse and Edison’s to be exact. If you’ve never been to either of these bars, please stop punishing yourself and go. The vibes are chill, the beer selections are vast and tasty, and the patios are the perfect sunny day treat after being stuck in an office all day.  I have to admit that I’ve been to both of these bars numerous times before, so it wasn’t exactly a “new” experience for me –  BUT after a long winter, it felt like a renewed experience for sure! Tremont has definitely become my “summer choice” for Cleveland nights over the years. There’s always so much going on, art walks, etc. The restaurants are beyond AMAZING, the bars are chill and they’re all within walking distance! BE-A-UTIFUL!

Next up, we decided to head over to Ohio City for some exploring and some dinner…and I’m so GLAD we did.  We stumbled upon Heck’s Cafe and Jason raved about it.  I had never been there OR even heard of it before, but it looked really cute and my boyfriend has great taste – I was in!

Right when we walked in, I saw that they had numerous awards for “Best Burger in Cleveland” and I was impressed. It was such a unique little space, the atmosphere was very laid back while still maintaining an air of sophistication.  Then we walked through to the back and WOW! There was this beautiful little garden room with a spiral staircase and gorgeous flowers everywhere! *LOVE*

Heck's Cafe | Cleveland Entertainment Reporter | iCarabout.com

And please don’t get me started on the food…seriously.  We had the hummus sampler to start (regular-roasted red pepper-lime cilantro), which came with warm pitas and was divine. Then I ordered the wild mushroom ravioli with goat cheese cream sauce and Jason got the cajun burger.  My entree came with a HUGE (and fresh) side salad, no skimping here! I mean, I shared it with Jason and it was STILL a lot! The ravioli was OMG-AMAZING. You know when you have a taste of something that is so good that you just sigh…yep, that’s what happened. The cajun burger was also really delicious and I can now see why they’ve won all those “Best Burger” awards!  Added plus, the tab wasn’t ridiculous either! Great food, Great atmosphere, Great prices = What the “Heck’s” was I waiting for?!

After a Friday evening full of exploring Cleveland Plus, Jason and I decided that we wanted to further enjoy the weather on Saturday afternoon – HIKING! He took me to the Lakeshore Reservation in Madison, OH (a Lake Metropark) and it was SO BEAUTIFUL! Even though it was more “walking” around then it was actually hiking, it’s just so great to get out and explore the natural highlights of the area. There is so much history to be learned and things to discover. It was great to see Lake Erie all thawed out and active too. It’s the perfect way to connect with your honey on a warm day and it ended our weekend perfectly.

Lakeshore Reservation | Cleveland Entertainment Reporter | iCarabout.com

More photos from hiking here!

I cannot express to all of you how inspiring it was to read all of the wonderful things Clevelanders are doing to help the needy of our city. When I started this contest, I didn’t realize how much these stories were going to touch me, but they truly have. There are amazing people in Cleveland making a difference everyday and I am so proud.

On that note, after LONG deliberation and thought, I’ve chosen a winner of the two tickets to Cleveland’s Market Under Glass event, April 22, 2010. CONGRATULATIONS Bridget Callahan! Your story about what your parents do everyday to help people in Cleveland was incredible. I really hope they enjoy the tickets to this wonderful event, which also helps the needy in our city. Please contact me ASAP with your information so I can get you these tickets.

Here is Bridget’s submission, in case you missed it:

I don’t want these for myself, but I would really like to win them for my mom. She’s a nurse at the County Hospital, working with HIV positive patients, and I’ve never seen anyone more devoted to her patients. At certain times, she even puts people up in her house until she gets them into a home. She takes her vacation every year and uses it to go to Catholic orphanages and schools in other countries to volunteer. So I know it’s not exactly food oriented activities, but she’s done a lot.
And then there’s my dad, who’s spent his entire career working on computer access for the underprivileged. Can we add his worthiness to hers for the win?
But of course, she doesn’t have a lot of money for going out. I think I go out more than she does. So once again, it would be really cool to send mom and dad there.

Also, visit her blog at http://www.bridgetcallahan.com/