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2019 Summer Trip | Day 3

August 2, 2019 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

2019 Summer Trip Day 3 | Tim Horton's | Meadville, Pennsylvania

Liliana and I got to sleep in before getting ready. We stopped and had breakfast at Tim Horton’s. They give out such good coupon deals so the meal was fairly cheap.

We stopped by Daniel’s hospital to drop off his food and coffee before heading out for our day.

2019 Summer Trip Day 3 | Chateau Christine | Meadville, Pennsylvania

As promised we started at Chateau Christine’s to check out her 80% deals. We got such great goodies!

2019 Summer Trip Day 3 | Vera Bradley Backpack from Liliana

This Vera Bradley backpack was 50% off! Liliana saw it and had to get it and I fell in love with it as well especially since my work backpack I brought with me was falling apart at the seams. I went online to see if they had more since they were out of stock at the store.

As we left the place and was driving to our next destination, Lily surprised me with the backpack. My heart … I feel so loved. Thank you, Lily!! I love it a million and cannot wait to use it for the first time in Ohio! This backpack is huge and cute and waterproof!! I also love that it isn’t a crazy pattern like usual Vera Bradley things.

2019 Summer Trip Day 3 | Conneaut Cellars Winery | Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania

We stopped by Conneaut Cellars Winery. Doesn’t Lily look adorable with her new umbrella? They’ve won so many medals throughout the years. It was pretty overwhelming.

They give out six complementary samples per person and you get to pick any six on their list. If you wanted the fancier ones you had to pay $2 for the first and $1 for every one after that. It was worth it to get the whole experience. If you buy one of those special bottles they waive the fee which was pretty cool. We just ended up buying the Merlot instead and called it a day.

2019 Summer Trip Day 3 | Pineapple Eddie Southern Bistro | Erie, Pennsylvania
Chicken Poblano Soup with Cornbread Muffins; Shrimp and Grits; Pork Belly and Grits

A late lunch at Pineapple Eddie’s Southern Bistro was a big hit! We loved everything we tried. I’m not a fan of cornbread and I was in love mostly because it wasn’t dry. This place is a must try. Don’t miss out! P.S. It seems to be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

2019 Summer Trip Day 3 | The Shops at the Colony | Erie, Pennsylvania

We walked for hours at The Shops at the Colony. They had many little shops with cute things. I will say that I’m surprised I haven’t bought as much as I thought I would this trip but it’s probably to early to tell.

2019 Summer Trip Day 3 | The Original Popcorn House | Erie, Pennsylvania

One of my favourite purchase is from The Original Popcorn House. Lily bought three bags and I bought two and I’m excited to take it with us on the ride to Ohio. Good road trip snack.

2019 Summer Trip Day 3 | Wal-Mart Crane Game Winner, Liliana

We went back to the house to drop our stuff off before heading to Wal-Mart for groceries. Liliana made a go at the crane game and actually won something for Daniel!

I volunteered to make dinner and we were having a guest over, Stephen, one of Daniel’s coworkers. I’m already a nervous wreck when I cook for others because I’m afraid they’ll hate it so having a whole new stranger try my cooking was nerve-wracking.

2019 Summer Trip Day 3 | Homemade Dinner by Mellie Dee
Appetizer: Guacamole, Salsa, and Chips | Entree: Crunchwrap | Dessert: Sopapillas with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Nutella Drizzle

I was surprised but everyone loved it! And even said that they can’t ever go back to Taco Bell anymore. I’m sure they were joking but it made me feel better. Daniel was nice enough to assist with the dessert since I’m not good at using their stove. I was the head chef giving orders as he executed them. I’m happy with how everything came out.

Once I’m back home, I’ll give the recipe for the crunchwrap. Oh, and did I mention Jack Daniel’s has their own Jack and Coke bottled? How crazy … Crazy cool!

2019 Summer Trip Day 3 | Voodoo Brewery | Meadville, Pennsylvania

We headed to Voodoo Brewery since it’s been on my list. Stephen had already dranked part of his drink so he wasn’t allowed to put it into the picture. They had mostly IPAs but it wasn’t too bad.

2019 Summer Trip Day 3 | Biker Festival | Meadville, Pennsylvania

They decided they wanted a bucket drink so we went through then Biker Festival crowd. There was a live band playing a lot of 90s music. I had fun twirling on the street in the nice weather.

2019 Summer Trip Day 3 | Chestnut Street Pub & Grill | Meadville, Pennsylvania | Bucket Drinks | Liliana, Daniel, Stephen

The three got their bucket drinks from Chestnut Street Pub and Grill. I was done with sugar so I didn’t want my own. I did take a sip of Lily’s and it reminded me of a Skittle. Very delicious but I was also very full to put anything else in my belly.

2019 Summer Trip Day 3 | Matching Bows and Blue and White Dresses | Liliana and Mellie Dee

This morning when we took food to Daniel at the hospital he took our pictures. Then he took another one later at night. Can you spot the similarities and difference between us?

We both have matching bow hair clips that we got from the railroad visit yesterday. It’s made out of wood and we just HAD to have them. We also didn’t know we’d both be wearing blue and white dresses and loved that we somewhat matched. Lily is also wearing her new pineapple shoes in the picture on the right so she fully matched to my blue shoes and our outfits were complete.

2019 Summer Trip Day 3 | Tops | Meadville, Pennsylvania | Scratch Offs

We hung out on the street while they chugged their drinks. Then we walked to Tops, a grocery store, so that I could buy lotto tickets. Stephen got Grumpy Cat ones and ended up winning $15 on the $4 he spent on the cards. Daniel and Lily spent money on the crane but didn’t end up winning. I’m saving my tickets for the ride tomorrow.

I had to call it a day since I was getting tired and we have a busy day tomorrow. Eeek! I cannot wait!!

Filed Under: Eateries & Drinkeries, Travel Tagged With: Bars and Pubs, Breakfast and Brunch, Breweries, Coffee and Tea, Meadville, Mexican and Tex-Mex, Pennsylvania, South American, Wineries

2019 Summer Trip | Day 2

August 1, 2019 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

2019 Summer Trip Day 2 | Outside Liliana & Daniel's

Look at the view from right outside their house. The fogginess makes this place a little eerie. On the right side you can kind of make out a horse having his morning grass.

2019 Summer Trip Day 2 | The Factory Restaurant | Saegertown, Pennsylvania
Sirloin Steak with Eggs, Home fries, and Texas Toast; Half order of Biscuit and Sausage Gravy with Hashbrowns

Liliana and I had breakfast at The Factory Restaurant with Daniel before he left for work. This was definitely too much food and I didn’t finish but I wanted to try everything. I’ve decided that although everything tasted fantastic, if I ever came back, I’d order the hashbrowns, eggs, and toast. Simple and delicious. Classic is always the best.

2019 Summer Trip Day 2 | Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad | Titusville, Pennsylvania

After breakfast, Liliana and I went to Wal-Mart to pick up some necessities and cash before heading to the Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad. Liliana had ordered First Class tickets for us which meant an air conditioned car.

Outside, there were some old cars that they used back in the day. It was so run down. Then they had a few cars that are hotels which I thought was a very cute idea.

2019 Summer Trip Day 2 | Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad | Titusville, Pennsylvania | Museum with Liliana

We walked around the gift shop and got so much stuff! Their gift shop is mixed in with their museum. They had a scale that was over a hundred years old that still worked very well and tongs to move huge ice cubes to cool first class cars and little ice cubes for food.

We got to play on a 1926 Kirkman Piano made in Buffalo, New York. You play by peddling with your feet or take off that function and it works just like a regular piano. There were many songs to chose from. My favourite was Rhapsody in Blue – brings me back to high school when we played at Carnegie Hall.

2019 Summer Trip Day 2 | Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad | Titusville, Pennsylvania | Raffles

A water for me that I chugged quickly and a Mountain Dew for Lily which she saved for the beginning of the ride. She entered in the Murder Mystery Raffle as well as a different Raffle that ends up having three winners.

2019 Summer Trip Day 2 | Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad | Titusville, Pennsylvania | First Class Goodies

Soon enough it was time to head onto the train. First class riders all received tickets for a free bottle of water and we were given books to look at old pictures and the history. The Drake well founded by Edwin L Drake was the the beginning of changing the whole world.

The train sold drinks, cheeseburgers, hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, pretzels, and hot dogs as well as some gift shop items. We were too full so we didn’t end up getting anything to eat like we had planned to.

2019 Summer Trip Day 2 | Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad | Titusville, Pennsylvania | Railway Post Office with Liliana & Mellie Dee

Once we were able to roam around the cars, we walked two cars down to the US Mail Railway Post Office where we wrote postcards to our loves and mailed them off. This was our favourite part of the whole ride and we had a lot of fun doing it.

This is the only railroad post office left in the United States and Mister McFeely from Mister Rogers used to travel to cancel mail for them. When I heard cancel, I was so confused until I researched and found out it meant that he made postal markings on the postage stamps to deface the stamps and prevent re-use before it was mailed out.

2019 Summer Trip Day 2 | Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad | Titusville, Pennsylvania | First Class Rotating Chairs

Soon enough we reached the halfway point where we would turn around. Our guide turned the chairs around so that we could face the right direction back. So much thought was put into this car. There was enough room to turn the chairs and even had foot rests where you could adjust the height. Also, if you wanted to face your friends if you’re in a group, you could do so by turning the chairs. This is such a sweet idea!

2019 Summer Trip Day 2 | Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad | Titusville, Pennsylvania | Rynd Farm

The halfway point was at Rynd Farm. We were excited because they said there would be ice cream there but Lily and I were a bit bummed it wasn’t the scoop kind back at the station. Instead it was just plain old packaged ice cream. Don’t be fooled!

2019 Summer Trip Day 2 | Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad | Titusville, Pennsylvania | Wabash Cannonball with Liliana and Mellie Dee

There wasn’t much to look at here so we took pictures in front of our first class cabin. I showed a girl how I wanted the picture taken (top) and she cut off half the train. Oh well. Better than nothing!

John Heisman of the Heisman Trophy grew up in Titusville and you can still see his yellow childhood home from the ride which I thought was pretty neat!

2019 Summer Trip Day 2 | Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad | Titusville, Pennsylvania | Liliana & Mellie Dee

During the ride there and back, we were able to get some cool shots at the back of the train and even saw some awesome scenic views. As I was making a hyperlaspe video, Lily tried to take a video as well and ended up getting tossed around from the bumpy trail. It was funny because I continued recording my video while reacting to what happened to her. We laughed non-stop but in all seriousness, I’m glad she’s okay.

The ride was very peaceful and calming. We seriously joked that next time she’d bring her sketch pad and I’d bring my Kindle. It was just that type of environment for that type of thing. Also, the weather was lovely and had a nice breeze even when the train wasn’t moving.

2019 Summer Trip Day 2 | Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad | Titusville, Pennsylvania | Mint Chocolate Chip and Moose Track Ice Cream

After two and a half hours later, we were back at the starting point. We bought some other things from the gift shop before we went and got scoopable ice cream. Mint Chocolate Chip for me and Moose Tracks for her.

As we ate, Lily called to see if there were any openings for reflexology. After walking back and forth non-stop on a moving train, our feet were tired.

2019 Summer Trip Day 2 | Aella Salon & Day Spa | Meadville, Pennsylvania | Reflexology

They were able to get us in at Aella Salon and Spa. This place looks like a house. I’m certain it’s a house. It’s super cute and fancy looking and they do many different services. They took us to the second floor where we sat and waited for our turn. It was very peaceful up there and I sipped on cucumber water and nibbled on some lemon snaps as Lily went and got her massage.

When it was my turn I fell asleep. She put a heated neck pillow on me as well as a heated bed. If I didn’t take my pants off, I would have been very uncomfortable so I’m happy I did that. Although it was 30 minutes for $45, expensive, it was worth it. She told me she could feel the toughness in my feet which I asked what that meant. She said it meant I had back and shoulder pain. I walked out refreshed and she was totally right. My back and shoulder pain was mostly gone! This only means one thing, I need more reflexology massages.

2019 Summer Trip Day 2 | Tarot Bean Roasting Co. | Meadville, Pennsylvania | Rwanda, Caramel Cinnamon Latte, Pepperoni and Cheddar Quichlettes
Rwanda | $2; Caramel Cinnamon Latte | $4; Pepperoni and Cheddar Quichlettes | $2.50

We stopped by Tarot Bean Roasting for coffee and shared the quichlette. Everything was perfect. The lady was even baking feta cheese quichlettes while we were there so you know it’s fresh!

2019 Summer Trip Day 2 | The Woolen Mill and Chateau Christine | Meadville, Pennsylvania

We walked and shopped a bit. They had deals everywhere and tomorrow Lily and I are coming back to Chateau Christine because she’s going to have up to 80% off in her store due to her expansion and needing to get old inventory out!

Summer Trip Day 2 | Road Sign Designs | Meadville, Pennsylvania

As we traveled back to the house, I fell in love with the road sign mural they had. This is just a small part of it. Although it was beautiful and everyone can see it, it’s not really in a good location where you can take pictures in front of it. This is very unique and I wish they sold some of their art in smaller pieces. I’d probably buy one for my future home depending on the design.

Summer Trip Day 2 | Daniel's Dinner
Appetizer: Brie Cheese, Salami, Crackers, and BBQ Pringles with Sangria | Entree: Rosemary Garlic Roasted Rack of Lamb, Homemade Mashed Potatoes, and Maple Syrup Caramelized Carrots with French Wine | Dessert: Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse and Dark Chocolate Shavings with Franc ‘n Berry Wine

Back at the house, Daniel let the dogs out to greet us. Then he started on dinner. While he did that, we snacked on the appetizer and I shopped birthday presents on Amazon, worked a bit, and then started transferring pictures to edit for the blog.

He paired three different wines for each course. Everything married together wonderfully. I don’t think I’ve had such a good home cooked meal in a long time. I asked for the recipe for the lamb and his answer was “I just threw stuff together.” Who are you? Ugh. I volunteered to cook tomorrow, but it won’t be anything fancy as this.

We started Netflix’s Red Sea Diving Resort as I blogged and worked but a third into the movie, they decided to go to bed which left me watching Orange is the New Black while working and blogging. I didn’t mind since it meant laying in bed with the pups. It’s been a successful first day of sightseeing and I’m thankful that Liliana is taking the time out to do these things with me. Cannot wait for the rest of the trip!

Filed Under: Eateries & Drinkeries, Travel Tagged With: Breakfast and Brunch, Coffee and Tea, Dessert, Ice Cream, Meadville, Pennsylvania, Saegertown, Sightseeing, Spa, Titusville

2019 Pennsylvania Trip | Day 5

April 8, 2019 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

2019 Pennsylvania Trip | Minie & Gohan

Look! Another dog, Gohan, getting wiped after being outside … And his owner is not Asian! Some people always thought it was weird. Also, Minnie has heartworms and cannot be jumping around so she’s been caged for a while. Poor girl.

2019 Pennsylvania Trip | Market House Grille | Meadville, Pennsylvania

Lily and I got ready and went to Market House Grille for breakfast. Per usual, everything tasted great but I couldn’t finish it again.

2019 Pennsylvania Trip | Post Office

We went to the market next door and then to the post office. My carry on ran out of room so I had to mail my souvenirs back home.

2019 Pennsylvania Trip | Presque Isle Drive | Erie, Pennsylvania

Liliana started driving to Erie and started taking me to a scary area. I bet it’s gorgeous once the leaves grew back.

2019 Pennsylvania Trip | Presque Isle | Erie, Pennsylvania

Pisque Isle was pretty. And freezing. I’m surprised there was a man bearing the cold just to fish!

2019 Pennsylvania Trip | Presque Isle Lighthouse | Erie, Pennsylvania

We tried to go to the lighthouse but it was closed. I’m assuming because of the weather. I have still yet gone into a lighthouse. Sigh …

2019 Pennsylvania Trip | Tom Ridge Environmental Center at Presque Isle | Erie, Pennsylvania

We went to the environmental center to learn about how the island has changed throughout the years. It was very interactive and free! The chairs are made from recycled material which I found really interesting since it looks like wood.

2019 Pennsylvania Trip | Bruster's Real Ice Cream | Erie, Pennsylvania

When your best asks you if you want ice cream while you’re bawling your eyes out, you say yes.

I think I’ve found my favourite ice cream, Graham Central Station, from Bruster’s. This is the first ice cream cone I finished without hesitation. Yum! I wish I could ship some back home!

2019 Pennsylvania Trip | Erie to Chicago

She stayed with me at the airport for an hour and a half as I waited to board my flight to Chicago. It’s been a while since we talked like this so it was nice.

2019 Pennsylvania Trip | Chicago to Houston

I didn’t have much time to grab anything to eat since I had to walk to my next gate. I’m currently sitting on the plane waiting for lift off. I cannot wait to be back in Houston. I only wished I was going home so I could cuddle Rizzo.

Filed Under: Eateries & Drinkeries, Travel Tagged With: Breakfast and Brunch, Erie, Ice Cream, Meadville, Pennsylvania

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