Checking in + saying hi!

Sometimes this blog falls by the wayside simply because I can’t come up with a Serious Post Topic. We had a busy weekend, and I’ve been working on my WIP. “What? But that’s writing,” you might say. True, but that’s more fun than struggling for a Serious Post Topic™.

I did want to update the blog and say hello to everyone! Last week was crazy, and I only had time to launch my book club before disappearing again. What was I busy doing? I don’t actually remember. Stuff. Lots of stuff.

This Friday was our first time back at a favorite event since 2020. It was actually one of the final events we attended before the world shut down. Being Episcopalian and being from Dayton without being from Dayton, I didn’t exactly know what a Fish Fry was prior to 2018. It conjured up images of a school cafeteria full of elderly people in plastic rain jackets hunched over buckets of tartar sauce. When we started going five years ago, the vibe was a revelation for me. I hadn’t thought to picture a party tent, drinking, gambling, and live music amid the plastic rain jackets. If you’re local, it’s at Incarnation School, a school with which I have absolutely no connection, aside from attending this event yearly.

I never know what to wear to this event. The looks you see run the gamut from plastic rain jackets to polos to things I wouldn’t wear in what’s technically an elementary school (or at all). I wore an LL Bean Fair Isle and cords from J. Crew with oxblood loafers and didn’t feel horribly out of place. My casual weekend evening attire needs some work.

On Saturday, we had brunch with my parents and drove down to TopGolf in Union Center. This isn’t a sponsored review, just a haphazard blog post, but we had a lot of fun. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this either, as we’d never been to TopGolf. Each party gets assigned an individual bay that’s heated and has a heated sofa. Where can I get a heated sofa? Or a heated bed?? If you’ve never been either, basically, each person takes a turn hitting golf balls into the gigantic netted area - there are targets to hit for points - while everyone else watches or enjoys food/drinks from the comfort of the heated sofa. Personally, I thought it was more fun than real golf - the targets are much bigger than the holes on a golf course, and it’s a very low-pressure atmosphere.

It’s billed as family friendly, and I think it is. We all had equal playing time. I saw a lot of kids there. However, we brought one of Margaret’s clubs from home, which was smart because I didn’t see any kid-sized clubs amid the loaner clubs. The games are also challenging for a young beginner, so if your child is hyper-competitive and will throw a fit upon not winning, that’s something to consider. Margaret did get some points, which thrilled her. She has taken golf lessons/camps, and it was still a big challenge for her. Whereas I, an adult who is very mediocre at golf, somehow won one of the rounds. I’ll take it.

Another note about bringing kids - if you have a toddler, especially one who’s a runner, I would skip trying this with them. It would be incredibly easy for a little one to walk or crawl off the ledge. There is a safety net, but that’s not the ideal spot for your toddler to end up. I would say ages 4 and up could handle this experience without it being stressful for everyone.

I was unsure about attire for this one, too, and just wore golf attire - khakis, polo, sweater. The crowd was about 50/50 jeans and casual golf attire. I wore boat shoes instead of sneakers, and this was totally fine.

On Sunday, our houseful of introverts was tired and did nothing except a Chipotle run. I wrote everything but a blog post. Daylight Savings Time ‘Spring Forward’ is my least favorite thing of the year. If any politicians are reading this out of sheer unquenchable interest in fish fries and TopGolf, please legislate to keep us on Standard Time year round.

That is all. I hope you have a wonderful week! If there’s a topic you’d like me to cover here, please let me know in the comments, and I will gladly write about it.