downtown Archives | Ditching Normal

Library z-lib

Lifestyle

Ditching the Normal Date Night

March 20, 2016

Mat and I love “ditching the normal” anything. Hence the name of our blog. That means ditching the normal way to travel, ditching society’s views on how we should live, ditching the normal wedding ceremony, engagement rings, etc. That also includes date nights. Don’t get us wrong, we like to watch Netflix as much as the next couple, but after an entire winter of hibernating, it’s nice to get out try something different. To mix it up. That’s how we came up with the idea to have a “patio party” date night. It just so happened that we were able to score a few hours at an incredible downtown condo, not to mention the exact one that started our entire downsizing craze!

We wanted to keep it simple and romantic (and budget friendly), so we brought almost everything from our house. We brought cozy blankets, pillows and poufs as well as wine glasses and our Idaho cutting board. We stopped at Trader Joe’s to pick up some light appetizers, wine and flowers. Prepping for the date was half the fun!

We spent the afternoon drinking wine, checking out the gorgeous and intimate views of downtown from the patio as well as playing a little card game. Mat won. Weird. (<—Sarcasm. He wins everything.)

We were lucky enough to have Damon of Dynamic Shutter Photography tag along to capture it! Not only is he an amazing photographer, but it turns out he’s a craftsman/wood worker as well! The end table in the photos was handmade by him! How cool is that?!

If you find yourself growing bored of the typical date nights, keep in mind that your options aren’t limited to dinner and a movie. Get creative and don’t be afraid to ditch the norm! Let us know if you have any fun ideas that we should try for our next date night.

P.S. Even with the wind, how smooth does my hair look?! That’s all thanks to the Brazilian blowout that I had that day by the lovely Shawna Hines! This woman is a hair genius and is fun to hang out with while she is working her hair magic. If you are lucky enough to schedule an appointment with her, mention my name and you get $25 off. 🙂

All photos in this post are courtesy of Dynamic Shutter Photography

3 Peeps liked this so far.

3 Comments

Venture Meridian

Couples Workout with Venture Meridian Magazine

March 3, 2016

We are so excited to be a part of this month’s issue of Venture Meridian Magazine! This article is right up our alley focusing on a fun couples workout routine! We have been gym partners for years and love to motivate each other while of course, making exercising fun. We were fortunate enough to get to work with the amazing Ali Smith from Ali Smith Photography. We have worked with her in the past and her photography never disappoints; she is so great to work with!

Check out the March issue here and let us know what you think!

All photos in this post are copyright of Ali Smith Photography.

2 Peeps liked this so far.

3 Comments

Reviews

Guru Donuts

March 2, 2016

There aren’t many things I love more than sweets. Any type of sweets. Candy, cake, cookies, donuts….shoot, my favorite movie snack is raw cookie dough. Healthy, I know. There is a trendy little donut shop in downtown Boise that I absolutely adore. Guru Donuts is the perfect mix of welcoming, comfortable, hipster and family friendly. Mat popped in there for Valentine’s Day to get “a couple” donuts, and ended up coming home with nine. For just the two of us. That’s right, nine donuts. Two people. Don’t you dare think we let those go to waste!

The menu at Guru Donuts has something for every one: cake donuts, glazed, special monthly flavors, vegan…they even have donuts that include lavendar, basil and bacon! They also share a space with Boise Fry Company, so if you like to mix sweet and salty, order some fries with your donut.

One Sunday morning I was jonsing for some more of Guru’s “party girl” donuts, so we walked down and ordered a more appropriate number of donuts for two people along with some juice and coffee. It was such a wonderful morning! The sun was shining through their large windows, we sat on a huge comfy couch and read the Boise Weekly. It felt almost like we were at home in our own living room…except all of the other patrons of course. There was the MOST adorable family that sat with us on the couch. Oh my goodness they looked like they had just walked out of an Anthropolie magazine! I absolutely didn’t mind sharing the couch with their sweet daughters.

The staff, food, drinks and ambiance at Guru Donuts are on point, for sure. Dang, now I’m craving a maple bar.

4 Peeps liked this so far.

Reviews

“Downtown Boise is dying”….not.

February 15, 2016

Last summer my best friend was in town for a “bridal spa day” at a local spa in downtown Boise. My friend is originally from Boise, but hasn’t lived here in about six years, so she was chatting with her masseuse about the changes that have happened since she moved away. Guess what the masseuse told her? Word for word…”downtown Boise is dying.” All I can say is….that girl is an idiot.

When my friend was finished with her massage and relayed this conversation to me I was…enraged. Maybe enraged is too strong of a word, but I was definitely defensive. I mean, what does this girl think when she drives to work every day through NEW CONSTRUCTION?! In her brain new construction must = dying.

I am probably a bit more defensive than the average Boise resident because we live downtown. I will admit that the Village in Meridian has stolen two of my favorite stores, but that doesn’t compare to the new additions to the downtown scene. The other day Mat and I decided to see how many new projects we ran into just on our walk to the gym-which is only about a half a mile. Downtown Boise is dying? I think not.

Simplot headquarters (read more here) and JUMP (check out our post here).

Clearwater Analytics & Boise’s new underground transit system (read more here)

One Nineteen (see it here)

Hyatt (read it here) and Boise’s Boutique Hotel-Hotelier

Not to mention more projects just down the street….

The Afton (For real, we would love to live here)

Payette Brewing (We are hoping this will be our Maclarens *HIMYM reference*)

The Fowler aka “Roost”-Boise’s first mixed use apartment project! 159 apartments, live work units, retail and more. Where Old Boise becomes New Boise.

Coming soon directly across the street from our condo…Embassy Suits Hotel, Hilton Hotel and Parking structure, thanks to Gardner Company. Read about it here.

2 Peeps liked this so far.