here we go brownies, here we go

With summer coming to end means we head into my ultimate favorite season - fall! It means leggings with tall boots and wrap sweaters and jackets and football season. Oh, I love football season. I have fond memories of attending high school games and painting myself with my girlfriends and sitting in the end zone couch. At college, I attended a few games because they started serving beer at the Kent State games. (Yes, the added alcohol to the games to increase attendance my senior year.)

And now I've graduated to tailgating at the Browns games. I'm not the girl who goes to actually "watch" the game. I like to go for the social aspect of it. I like to hang out in the morning, cook out with everyone and have a great time before the game and at the game.

Ask the BF. It drives him nuts because I somehow watched my brother play football all through high school and college and still don't understand any of the rules. Hell, my brother was a senior and I could answer the question, "What position is your brother?" (He was a tight end if you are interested.)

Through my Gotta Love Chevy relationship, we were both invited to attend the Browns Training Camp yesterday. I was a little hesitant to go because I've had a lot going on this week and I wanted a night to myself, just to relax. I'm glad I went because it was fun to meet with the Tesa and Amelia and see the players and how receptive they were to the fans. They came right over and were signing autograph after autograph. I assumed they would only sign for kids, which I can understand, but anyone who wanted something, those boys were ready to sign and armed with sharpies.

Reps from the Browns immediately greeted us and gave us goodie bags filled some Browns gear, including preseason tickets to next Thursday's game. That was totally unnecessary but the BF is extremely appreciative and is "debating" if he takes me. I'll show him "debating"....
 

View from the tent

Only person wearing non-Browns gear because the BF left my t-shirt at home

Signed by Josh Cribbs for the BF's coworker's kids

malibu-ing around Cleveland

If you follow me on Twitter, you knew I was all over the frickin' place this weekend in the Malibu.

On Friday night, my friend Katie and I escaped the boys and had a dinner out together even though they all said "we aren't staying out all night." While they didn't stay out all night, I ended up getting home the same time as the BF.

On Saturday, I had to drive back to my hometown of Amherst to pick up my mom for my cousin's wedding shower. Because of our Mexican adventure vacation, I'll be missing the wedding but sipping on several umbrella drinks with friends.

After the shower and some quality time with my parents, I drove back to the Cleveland to meet the BF to then drive an hour east to go to an outdoor reception. I was hoping the rain would hold but there was no such luck. When we arrived, they had tents (yay!) and I only managed to get rained on a little bit versus the torrential downpour that everyone else got caught in before the sides of the tents were up.

We left there to head to the mojito party back in Cleveland. (Told you we did a lot of driving.) My friends have heard about the Malibu and begging me to take it over to them, so a few of them were able to see a night time preview of it.

Are you tired yet? Me too.

I had been looking forward to Sunday all day because it was the ONLY day we could go to the Feast. Ever since I've moved to the east side, I'm been going with the BF for the past four years. I didn't capture many photos because A) it was hot and B) I was sweating profusely walking up and down the hill and C) it was ridiculously hot.

We were there long enough to grab fried dough (oh, how delicious), strombolis and a gyro and walk back up the hill. I'm pretty sure we were in and out in 30 minutes to come back home, shower and eat all the delicious and greasy food.


malibu-ing according to the Flip

malibu-ing around Cleveland from Allison Peltz on Vimeo.

To follow my journey along with other Cleveland bloggers, click here for more videos and blog posts of my Gotta Love Chevy adventure.

it's about the small things.....

I’ve officially had the Malibu for a little over a week now. I’ve driven to lots of my usual spots but drove it down to my friend’s wedding this weekend, which is the farthest drive I’ve gone in it and it's a whole 20 minutes away.

I bring it up because I forgot what it was like to enjoy driving a car. Let me first back up to explain.

Over a year ago, my lease was up on my Ford Fusion and I decided I wanted  “zippy and sporty” car and decided to get a Mazda 3. This was a great on paper idea – it really was, or at least so I thought. After six months, I tried to unsuccessfully return the car and upgrade to a better model because I didn’t realize what I had given up in a car. The guy looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Wait, you want to return the car?"

Fast forward six months and I’m still driving that car and not enjoying it. While I know you can’t compare the cars apples to apples, I like driving the Malibu. I enjoy getting it into it. It’s more comfortable, more steady and I don’t feel like I’m being blown all over the road when I’m on the highway. It also has a decent horn so when I lay on the horn when I'm cut off, I feel like the person takes me seriously versus the high-pitched beeping they receive in the Mazda.

The other tiny feature I’m enjoying is when you start up the car. When you start it up, you hear nothing, just the hum of the engine. When I fire up my current car, there is this incessant beeping until I put on my seat belt.

It is the most annoying sound that I have to listen to for the next two years. People actually ask me, "What IS that noise?"

I don’t know about you but when I start up my car, I don’t have my seat belt on. I start the engine and then put my seat belt on. (I ALWAYS wear my seat belt and wear my helmet when on a motorcycle. Safety first.) I can’t put my seat belt on fast enough with my 3 but with the Malibu, I don’t have to worry about that noise.

It’s peace and quiet. No beeping.

At least for the next three weeks that is. 

To follow my journey along with other Cleveland bloggers, click here for more videos and blog posts of my Gotta Love Chevy adventure.

the wedding of the decade

Screw Chelsea Clinton, I was part of the wedding of the decade this weekend in honor of my good friends Erin and Brian.

I met Erin way back in 2003 at Kent State University in speech class and we then ended up living together in a house with eight other friends.

This weekend, we all gathered to celebrate our friends in Cleveland at the Ritz-Carlton to party til our pants came off.

Instead of describing what I thought was a kick ass party, I decided to let the pictures tell the story and a little video I shot during mostly during the reception.

The bride getting dressed

The kiss!

Kent State friends

Too heavy to move into the main room

With the BF

What I didn't catch was the cute laughter during the ceremony where the groom's voice kept cracking and my friend had everyone laughing. I also missed their dance to "Don't Stop Believing" (the Glee version) where they took dance lessons to learn the choreographed moves. But, don't think for a minute I didn't try to bring some Gaga to the wedding where I got down on the floor and tried to imitate the Alejandro video. There are pictures to prove it somewhere but those don't need to be uploaded here anytime soon.

So, here's the wedding according to my flip:


Erin and Brian's wedding extravaganza from Allison Peltz on Vimeo.

director's cut

As part of my Chevy test drive for the month, I have to film a few vlogs to accompany my posts both on my blog and here. I asked the BF to help me film a simple, yes a simple intro, and nothing with him every turns out to be simple with him as you will see below.

Here is the actual video:

Mission 1: Grocery shopping at Heinen's from Allison Peltz on Vimeo.



And here is what it took to get there:


The outtakes from Allison Peltz on Vimeo.

the one where I give a toast

I have to give a speech this Friday.

I have to give a speech this Friday at a very good friend's rehearsal dinner.

Have you been to a wedding where you have heard the worst best man or maid of honor speech? You probably don't have to think that hard with that question.Well, I'm trying to avoid that whole catastrophe and give one hell of a kick a** toast to my dear friend, Erin, whose bachelorette party I shared last month.

In order not to blow the three minutes where everyone is watching me at the rehearsal dinner, I've started searching online for what to do and not to do.

Here's what not to do:
- Give a drunken speech
- Share inappropriate stories of the bride
- Talk for an incredibly long time to make the guests roll their eyes as I speak

 To those of you who have given amazing speeches, please feel free to send any tips my way. My plan is to start off with a short story about how we met and go into something that someone smarter than myself wrote that is funny versus being heavily emotional. I'm probably thinking way more into this than necessary but I would like to my friend proud versus being remembered as that bridesmaid who talked entirely too fast about nothing significant.

Let the search begin.....

If you want to follow along on my Chevy Malibu journey, check out my drop-off video here where I receive my Malibu for the month. 

Weekend Getaway

I'm back from a whirlwind trip to Chicago and back.

On Friday, the BF and I visited friends in the windy city and I didn't take a picture to prove it.

Can you believe it?

Not a single photo but if you follow me on Four Square, I was all over the map. But I was in Wicker Park and Lincoln Park and visited the Wicker Park Festival, stopped a friend's friend's house, had pizza at Piece, shopped in Akira and then stopped in for cupcakes at Sweet Mandy B's. We attended a surprise birthday party a month earlier than her actual birthday and at a late-night meal at El Barco Mariscos with our great hosts for the weekend.

Then, because the BF decided not to take 90 E,  he decided to stay on 94 and delay our time even farther when we ran into traffic connecting back up to 90 E.

On a separate but related note, I wanted to share that I've been selected as part of Chevy's Girlfriend Getaway Northeast Ohio program where I get to drive a Chevy Malibu for a month. While I should get the car early this week, they are sending me on weekly excursions with my friends and the BF and I'll be sharing my experiences through my posts and vlogs on here and over here as well.

Follow me and other bloggers Amelia and Tesa along on Twitter @chevyneo and on Facebook.

So, here is the first vlog I shared where I talk about my pretty stellar driving record, which only includes one accident and a handful of tickets.At 27, that has to be some kind of record, right? (Sidenote: I totally have a nasally voice and listening to myself is incredibly weird.)


Chevy NEO Video Bio on my driving history from Allison Peltz on Vimeo.


DISCLOSURE: Ahem, dear FTC:  The NEO Chevy Girlfriend Getaway Program is sponsored by the NEO Chevy Dealers and provided me with a 2011 Chevy Malibu to test drive for 4 weeks and blog/video about my experience driving the car. Girlfriend Getaway has provided me with some fun projects to do and will be giving gift cards to cover expenses.