What can I say about this weekend except that it was the very best because: after two years, we were back at Great American Beer Fest!  Saturday was low key and plan-free and Sunday involved a last-minute manicure and baking (because it’s fall now, ya know??).  I’d relive it all again in a heartbeat!

In truest Lauren form, I was EXTREMELY prepared for GABF — you do not even know how thorough my list making was — and my excitement level was OFF THE CHARTS.  Pretzel necklaces and Illegal Pete’s burritos are my favorite pre-fest rituals but this year was even better because Hannah and Mason dropped Josh off and I got to see that little babe crawl and bounce on our rubber cow and make only the best of faces ♥

The line to get into the fest was HORRIBLE (I think it wound the entire way around the convention center), but once inside, I forgot all about that ordeal.  Highlights included being the last group to taste Zombie Dust from 3 Floyds, a DEEP purple barrel-aged sour from Une Année, the Blazed Orange Milkshake from Hop Butcher for the World, a guy playing the saxophone on top the Melvin bus (who knows!) and get this… A SPAGHETTI GOSE from WeldWerks!  It smelled like spaghetti and tasted tomato-y in the most interesting way.  You’re probably thinking “EW!” but let me ask you this, do you like a Bloody Mary??  It’s not so different.  Mostly though, this was just the best night with the best people and I feel so happy about it.

Joey got up the next morning and ran 5 miles (HOW??) but I needed an iced oat milk latte to revive me.  It worked, thankfully!  I realized I’d put ALL my energy into preparing for GABF and forgot to plan anything for Saturday or Sunday, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it made for a real laid back couple of days.  I hit up the grocery, bottled some orange-vanilla-honey kombucha, napped, excitedly snapped a picture of my little library once Joey got it set up (♥♥♥) and then we made tacos and watched Set It Up (which isn’t going to win any Oscars but we laughed).

Oh and I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, bringing my HP re-read to a close and it is so so bittersweet.  I think I cried like 100x during that last book, starting on the literal first page which said something like “And now we bring you the final installment of the Harry Potter series.”  HA!

Sunday started with a run for both of us (TEN MILES for Joey and five for me) then breakfast together before we split up for the afternoon.  I booked myself a manicure and walked over to a surprisingly quiet Base Coat and on my way back, I peeped that little library and it made me so happy.  I tackled lunches before sitting outside to read for a bit.

Once Joey got home from watching football (really needed him to get our mixer down for me :P), I got to baking because it’s fall now and we MUST.  This recipe for Whole Wheat Applesauce Loaf is one of my very favorites and I hadn’t made it in years so obviously that had no change.  I always make em into muffins (same temp, just 30 minutes less to bake) and then Joey and I each ate one sitting on the couch in the dark because having the oven on without AC is still tough (but worth it for these!).  Hope your weekend was wonderful!