Details of the Weekend

Happy Monday, friends!
I am so excited for this week - for a couple reasons: it's a short work week, spending time with the family and of course the food ...
So here's to hoping these next few days fly by!

If you follow me on Instagram [@amandapattison_] you may have noticed a few hot air balloon postings over the weekend.
That is because on Saturday what was originally a dinner date with two friends turned into an unexpected adventure.
Lori Jill and I decided to check out Balluminaria.
 The event takes place at Mirror Lake in Eden Park, one of the many Cincinnati parks.
11 hot air balloons lined up around the lake and for 2 hours put on what is called a 'balloon glow'.
We entered in on the backside of the lake so we were right in the middle of the action, which made for some pretty cool pictures.
Though the coolest pictures came at the end of the night when we made our way around to the other side.
 From there you could see the glow of all 11 balloons and their reflections in the lake - check out this amazing shot someone captured!

This is definitely something I plan on making a yearly tradition.
If you are in the Cincinnati area I highly recommend putting this on your list of things to see next year.

Lately

Here's a little peek of what's been going on around here lately:

Falling in love with my city at night.

 Cincinnati <3

Vintage inspired perfume bottles make the perfect addition to my vanity. Nights spent on the patio with friends + good wine. Cheering on my Buckeyes and Reds {at the same time}! Pretty baubles found antiquing.

Two words: good food!

Find these snippets and more by following me on Instagram @amandapattison_

Saturday Night + Lights

This past Saturday night family + friends were downtown celebrating my big brother's engagement. 

The building had an amazing rooftop view so I had to snap a photo of beautiful Cincinnati. Oh, and Great American ballpark was looking extra pretty since The Reds had clinched the NL Central title a few hours earlier.

You can find more snippets on Instagram @amandapattison_

Sneak Peek: Downtown Digs

My best friend recently ditched the 'burbs for a downtown condo so I thought I'd share a little sneak peek of his progress. There are still a few projects, like painting, that need to be finished but um, wow.
The amount of amazing work he gets done in such little time always leaves me speechless.
 My favorite piece has to be his grandfather's old work bench, a few coats of polyurethane did wonders.
And after seeing it I immediately told my mom I will doing the same to my grandfathers.

So what do you think? Pretty amazing, right?
Oh, these photos were all snapped on my iPhone so ignore the quality!

Sunshine

With the current temperature of 50 and a high of 63, today has me ready for bright colors sunshine & warmer weather.

What about you? 

Ready to say goodbye to winter?


{images via Pinterest}

A Branch of the Family Tree

On Sunday I spent the day doing something with my parents that my mom has wanted to do forever:

Visit the Promont House is Milford, Ohio.

This Victorian style mansion was built around 1865 and was home to John M. Pattison, the 43rd Governor of Ohio.

He also happens to hold a place on my family tree ... kind of neat if you ask me.

The home was absolutely gorgeous: a grand staircase, intricate moldings in every room, and even 14 foot ceilings.

The home is now owned by the Milford Historical Society.
They have done an amazing job with the upkeep and decorating it as it would have looked in 1865. 

I wish I had more pictures to offer, however there was a "no photography" rule.

But I managed to sneak a few!

Queen City

Happy Monday!

How was your weekend? Fabulous I hope!

For me this past weekend was full of haunted fun:

Friday I spent the evening walking one of the country's most endangered historical areas, The Gateway District of Over the Rhine, on a haunted tour.

The Queen City is Haunted Tour.

This amazing tour was put on by American Legacy Tours.
A few friends and myself spent a little over 2 hours listening to stories of Cincinnati's German background, Over the Rhine and its' horror stories of disease, murder, and body snatching from graves. Some of these stories involved presidents, hospitals and even a local college.
I don't do well with scary movies but true stories of the past, especially about the beautiful city I call home, fascinates me.

Eric and I had such a blast we went back for a different tour on Saturday night.
On this tour we stepped foot in two extremely haunted buildings in the Gateway District with electronic devices used to detect the presence of spirits.
I felt like I was on a paranormal activity show on the Travel Channel or a member of the Ghost Busters!

After experiencing these two amazing tours I've already made future plans to attend a few of the company's other tours.
One being the Queen City Underground: Bosses, Breweries and Burials Walking Tour.
This tour actually takes you underground in the tunnels that run beneath the city.

I definitely suggest these tours for anyone in the Cincinnati/Newport area.
 If you aren't local, take a look at your city to see if there is anything similiar!