2015 Cavs Playoffs ~ Round One vs. Boston

July 12, 2014 is the day LeBron James made his decision to RETURN to Cleveland and we had renewed hope. Kyrie Irving had already proven himself as a star player and with the addition of a few other pieces; we had high hopes that this would be the start of something great in Cleveland…again.

On August 23, 2014 the Cavaliers announced the acquisition of Kevin Love and the city was buzzing. The national media attention was excessive and the pressure was on. Sean and I attended the home opener with overwhelming excitement, only to be disappointed with the 95-90 loss and 17, 5, 4 performance by LeBron. He didn’t look the same. He didn’t have that same explosiveness and he was not the same LeBron we had watched the season prior.

During the off-season, he admitted to being on a strict diet which led him to lose an undisclosed amount of weight. During the first 38 games of the season, the Cavs went 19-19 and were the most disappointing team in the league. Although, we still maintained hope, it was frustrating. We vividly remember the 2007 NBA Finals, the 2008 Conference Semi-Finals, the 66 win season in 2008-09 and 61 win season of 2009-10. We wanted the city to experience that excitement again. At this rate, the Cavs were on pace to finish with a 41-41 record.

Next was December 30, 2014 when LeBron sat…and he sat. LeBron sat out for 8 straight games due to back and knee injuries and the Cavs went 1-7 without him. On January 13, 2015, LeBron made his return and he came back as the player who awed us. The player whose strength, athleticism and court vision is like no other player in history. The buzz was back. Since then, the Cavs went on to win 34 out of 44 games and finished the season with a 53-29 overall record and a #2 seed in the playoffs.

That brings us to today. The Cavs have missed the Playoffs during the past four seasons, so Steve and I have learned to celebrate mid-April and the end of the Cavs season. This meant a regular routine, evenings at home and weekends doing yard work in the anticipation of summer.

Side note:

Just in case you want to re-live the agony of the 2009 and 2010 Playoffs you can find my blog posts here:

2009 Playoffs

2010 First Round vs. Chicago

2010 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals vs. Boston

Due to Steve’s 20-year tenure with the Cavalier organization, he has earned Tier 1 status for ticket distribution. This means he was eligible to receive 2 tickets to all 41 home games (compared to only 20 home games for Tier 2) as well as 2 tickets to all 16 (possible) home playoff games (compared to only 8 For Tier 2). Yes, his responsibilities include working every single one of those games, but he happens to have a lovely wife at home who is pretty die-hard J

The yard work will just have to wait.

2015 NBA Playoffs – Round One – Best of Seven Series vs. Boston

Game One – April 19, 2015

I took Steve into work early so I could have his parking pass. He helped get me pumped up by sending me pictures from around the arena throughout the day. He even signed his name on the court!

Although Sean had been traveling a lot for work, he left Alex and the kids at home and joined me for the game. We wanted a blow-out, but the Cavs kept it close. Thankfully, the Cavs' Big Three of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love combined for 69 points led by Kyrie's 30 point performance.

 

Free "All-In" t-shirts and the Cavs win 113-100

1 Down…15 to Go

Game Two – April 21, 2015

My friend Lisa and I attended Game 2 together. I picked her up after work and we were able to get free parking at the Casino. We made it to Barrio for their awesome happy hour and tacos. We both absolutely love Barrio and with ½ priced margaritas and $2 tacos, it was a really cheap night! It was Lisa's first-ever playoff game, so we took it ALL IN.

Free "Together" t-shirts and the Cavs Win 99-91 – It wasn’t easy, but LeBron James and Kyrie Irving lifted their team in the 4^th quarter to score all of the team’s 24 points, finishing with 30 and 26 points respectively.

 Following a few fantastic dunks in the 3rd quarter, everyone in attendance was eligible for a free iced coffee from Dunkin' Donuts'. We happily redeemed on our way into work the next day.

2 Down…14 to Go

Game Three @ BOS – April 23, 2015

Game 3 is when Steve and I were finally able to enjoy the game together. We had been waiting to break into this special beer for this occasion. On March 25th, Brew Kettle Brewery released their limited edition "All For One" collaboration beer with the Cavaliers. It was only available for purchase at Brew Kettle Brewery, Quicken Loans Arena and all Heinen's locations.  As you'd expect, I made my way to Heinen's after work on the 25th and picked up two cases (48 beers) and it was not cheap! 

It took a lot of self-control, but we saved our first two for this game.

All For One Beer and Cavs win 103-95

3 down...13 to go

Game Four @ BOS – April 26, 2015

We were nervous for game four. We invited a few friends and family over with high hopes of a sweep. Although it was an ugly, ugly game, Kevin Love's injury is disconcerting. We must stay positive!

Although he's wearing a Kyrie jersey, Louie clearly LOVES LeBron.

Great friends and Cavs win 101-93

4 down...12 to go

Bring on Chicago.

Steve's 42nd Birthday!

Every year for my birthday in July, we make an effort to be on vacation. It’s always been a good excuse to be away and we've managed to stick to the plan! With Steve’s birthday falling in March, we never have the same flexibility with work, Cavs games, NCAA tournament, etc. so we’re limited to planning anything other than several (always awesome) small gatherings with friends and family.

This year, we began celebrating on Steve’s actual birthday, March 4^th. We dined together at Players on Madison and enjoyed a very nice meal at a place we've been visiting since we started dating nearly 15 years ago.

On March 5^th, we attended a Great Lakes Brewing Company beer dinner at our local Quaker Steak & Lube. Within a one mile walk from our house, we weathered the cold and set out on foot to enjoy a very gluttonous and entertaining meal.

This was the first collaboration dinner between Great Lakes and our local Quaker Steak, so attendance was slim. With only six guests (and two didn’t “care for” beer) we sure had a lot of food and plenty of beer. 

We started off with a Great Lakes seasonal beer, the High Striker: A Belgian Pale Ale. The four beer-drinkers of the group had success with finishing the growler. After all, we couldn’t let it go to waste! Next was our first course, Bavarian soft pretzels and cheese paired with Dortmunder Gold Lager.

Our second course was BBQ wings paired with Conway's Irish Ale. 

Our third course was slow roasted ribs paired with Eliot Ness Amber Lager.

Next was a Quaker Steak Q Burger with Commodore Perry IPA.

Finally was their four layer stout cake paired with Edmund Fitzgerald Porter.

At only $25 per person, this six beer/five course dinner was a total steal and we had a great time. We’re looking forward to the next time they host a similar event nearby and will surely spread the word. I even won an awesome Great Lakes growler after answering a trivia question!

The celebrating continued on Friday when we enjoyed dinner at Cerino’s in Lakewood with Sean, Alex, Louie and Josephine. It was their first night out to dinner with the entire family since Josephine was born, so we didn’t know what to expect! At one-month-old, Josephine slept through dinner and we kept Lou entertained. He particularly enjoyed the bottle openers we received at the beer dinner.

  

 

To make this year's birthday celebration even better, I wanted to get away. We hadn’t really taken any time away for ourselves since our trip to Mexico, so Steve’s birthday seemed like a good excuse. Geneva-on-the-Lake, OH is considered Ohio’s wine country and only one hour east of Lakewood. We had visited the area for a weekend for Steve’s 35^th birthday and we've talked about returning ever since.

Although there are a handful of bed and breakfasts in the area, The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake is a larger venue that sits on the shores of Lake Erie. Sure, the beaches of Lake Erie don’t quite measure up to the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, but we’ll take what we can get! There is a restaurant and bar on-site as well as a wine shuttle that takes guests to 4-5 wineries throughout the day. The wine shuttle is the #1 reason we stayed at the Lodge and the #1 reason why we’ll return. The last time we visited, I hired a car service and although it was a very personalized and thorough tour, it was not cheap! The wine shuttle is perfect.

We were visiting during the Grand River Valley Ice Wine Festival, so there were a few events going on that aren’t typical during the winter months. I had read online about a farm to table progressive wine dinner on Friday night and at only $50 per person, I considered it reasonable and adventurous.

The itinerary consisted of a visit to three different area wineries where we enjoyed four courses made with ingredients from local farmers. Each course was then paired with wine. I didn’t take note of the wines we drank, so just know they served two ½ glasses at each winery. We could choose between a pair of dry wines or sweet wines. We opted for the dry wines except for dessert. Ohio is known for their ice wine (surprise, surprise), so we enjoyed an ice wine with dessert.

Our first course took us to Grand River Cellars where we enjoyed a Bok Choy and Brussels sprout salad with a Maple Walnut Vinaigrette (Bissell Farms, Rock Creek) as well as a Beer and Cheddar Soup. (Cellar Rats Brewery, Madison & Middlefield Cheese Co-op).

Next was Debonne Vineyards where we had a pork chop (New Creations Farm, Chardon) topped with a Maple BBQ sauce (Bissell Farms, Rock Creek) along with with roasted potatoes and carrots (Rainbow Farms, Perry) served with fresh Amish dinner rolls (Denmark, OH).

We Finished at South River Vineyards with a dessert consisting of a sugar cookie with vanilla ice cream, cherries and ice wine syrup (Gartman Bakery, Painesville).

On Saturday, we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel before venturing out on the 11:30 am wine shuttle. Our first stop was Kosicek Vineyards.

 The next scheduled stop was South River Vineyards, but since we had visited the night before, we kindly asked the driver to drop us off at the nearby distillery. He happily obliged and Steve and I were able to enjoy a bourbon cocktail in addition to a glass of wine at a neighboring winery that wasn’t on the agenda. Leave it to us to get one more stop on the list!

Our third (fourth for the Schurs!) stop was at Debonne Vineyards, which was another winery we had visited on Friday for dinner. Coincidentally, they also have a brewery on-site. Cellar Rats Brewery has made their presence known in the Cleveland market, so we were happy to try their beer sampler. 

Our last stop was the Winery at Spring Hill. By this time, we had made friends with Thomas and his mom. Thomas had planned this trip for his mom’s 60^th birthday, so we enjoyed a glass of wine and cheese plate to celebrate.

That night, we enjoyed one of the best meals in our recent history at Crosswinds Grille. Located in the nearby Lakehouse Inn, we were able to comfortably walk the ½ mile down the road from our hotel. Always a bonus! I had read reviews and pursued the menu prior to our visit. The menu seemed like food Steve and I enjoy, but what really caught my attention was their beef menu. Sourced from a local farm, the Crosswinds butcher gets a whole cow and butchers the cuts of meat for the weekend diners. There is no telling what cuts will be on the menu each evening and all in limited supply.

First we enjoyed their farmer pizza with house cured bacon, sunny side eggs and Lucky Penny chevre.

The main event was their 6 oz filet with smashed purple potatoes and Brussels sprouts. We don’t eat beef very often, but when we do, this is how we want it! We shared both courses and finished the meal with a pair of dirty martinis. Overall, a great day and a great dinner.

 

 On Sunday we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel before heading out to our last stop. I had bought a Groupon for a tasting and cheese board at Laurello Vineyards, but it wasn't valid during the ice wine festival on Saturday. It actually worked out well and we enjoyed a relaxing lunch and glass of wine in front of the fire while chatting with the owner about farming grapes. 

In the end, I can’t express how nice it was to celebrate Steve’s birthday together, near and far. He is a loving, supportive and kind husband and he deserves all of the special treatment I can give him!

Happy Birthday Stephen Martin!

That’s about it! We are anxiously awaiting the NBA playoffs, which puts all of my trip-planning to a halt. We are booked for two weeks in July at the lovely Ocean Maya Royale in Playa del Carmen, Mexico with our friends Jean Marie and Ron.  In three words…WE CAN'T WAIT!