All posts by Mark.Owen

In Case You Are Unaware, Chicago LOVES Its Food!

Chicago Food

So each month we head out and try a new (or old) restaurant in the city. We usually choose a place that has been reviewed on a local station or in a newspaper. Sometimes we go big and check out places that are even on national TV shows like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. We like to see what the chefs and critics have to say and then go in and rate it ourselves. This week we definitely found a hidden gem! Nestled between two buildings and just below the ‘El’ train tracks is Macello. The street is dimly lit and the noise of the train every few minutes echoes for blocks. From the store front it looks like your average Italian butcher shop. But as you step inside and walk toward the back you are taken in by delicious aromas. The atmosphere is rustic with wooden beams and bright, boldly colored artwork. The brick oven definitely adds a cozy touch. We had a private section reserved just for E&A. The menu had so many scrumptious choices that we all had a hard time deciding what to order. Everything was made fresh right in the restaurant! Most of us ended up sharing and sampling eachothers delicious dishes. We also were in luck because it was ½ off wine bottle night! It’s so nice to meet up after work and share dinner and drinks and talk about our day. We decided that events like this make a long day at work worthwhile when we have something to look forward to at the end of it. There’s nothing like spending an evening with good food and good company. (Especially when the owner sends over a round of delicious limoncellos “on the house” for dessert!)

April Event Manager Chicago

Goodwill Toward Men And Bottomless Mimosas

brunch with singles

There are many words I’d use to describe brunch (tasty, slow, hangover cure), but until a weekend ago, connected, trusting, and meaningful weren’t among them.

It all started like any other: perfect local French bistro, a diverse and fun group of ladies (and me), lots of coffee and bottomless mimosas, and entertaining conversation about favorite books, good movies, plans for the holidays. You know, typical stuff.  So the sharing continued: pet owners, volunteering, children,  and then, perhaps a bit more unusual, a member shared her love for boxing.  Not watching, actual study and participation in the sport.  She brought up an observation about how men and women act differently to each other in the ring and how they behave afterwards.

Then in a wonderful way it got personal.  The different stories, the passion for their work, or maybe we just had a place and moment where we felt comfortable and more difficult questions were shared.”How do you know to trust someone out on the street when your heart wants to help but your mind knows it’s probably not a good idea?” “How do we keep the experience of sharing/caring when it’s necessary to protect ourselves as well.” “Sometimes a simple smile to someone on BART can make a world of difference in a better way.” We all nodded and sighed a little. We all felt a bit more calm, confident, and ready for the day. Goodwill toward men and bottomless mimosas. Perfect.

Bryan Event Manager San Franicisco

The Broadway Show Book of Mormon!

book of morman

Wow. What a performance! About 6 months ago, I purchased tickets to the Broadway show Book of Mormon. For those of you who don’t know much about Broadway, this is the number one show right now. Tickets were sold out within minutes & going on Stubhub for $500-$2000! I was able to purchase tickets early and for a discounted rate! So, I bought 60! With a sold out show, and the rave reviews, I knew this was going to be a great event! We had a huge group of members there, all dressed up for the theater! We had great seats in the Mezzanine & enjoyed a wonderful show! We all were cracking up through the “Hello” song & left the theater in high spirits. Afterwards, a group of us went for a drink at a nearby pub. It was a lot of fun watching the performance and seeing a couple jaw drops from others who were surprised at how far they took some of the jokes. Overall it was a wonderful experience. My favorite part would probably have to be the number of people we ran into afterwards who commented how lucky we were to get tickets. It really made me realize what a treat to be able to bring 60 members to a show that no one else could get tickets to!

Julie Event Manager Santa Clara

Another AWESOME Trip to New York!

singles in new york

Traveling with E&A is awesome. Not only do they do all the planning work, but we get to hang out with members of the other cities. I had such a great time! For many of us it was our first time in New York City. I got to experience the city with friends not only from Dallas but also Minneapolis, San Jose and Vancouver. I met a bunch of new friends from other cities too. I love that E&A scheduled the best stuff for us. Carnegie Deli, Radio City and the Rockettes, Hop on & off bus tour, boat tour around Manhattan Island with a fabulous narrator that knew, well, everything about the city’s history. The holiday lights are awe-inspiring. We had time to do our own thing, too. We got discount tickets for Broadway shows. Spiderman Rocked! Visited the Empire State & Rockefeller buildings-WOW. Sat in the audience of my first TV show. Really cool. We ate all kinds of delicious food (think I’ll be paying for that for a while). How can you stop when it’s EVERYWHERE? Thank you so much for a great trip! I’ll remember it forever!>

Making New Friends!

Santa Clara friends

E&A has definitely been a great time in my life. I have met some really awesome friends that I am so thankful for. For Thanksgiving, I spent the weekend not working at all (which is probably a first, and really only because I didn’t have any cell service or wifi). Instead, I was tucked away in a friends cabin near Pinecrest. It was a small group of 4, but we have all become extremely close. We met through E&A and have been close friends over the last 4 years. Charles & Stacy have always been dear to me (I even preformed their wedding ceremony), and this last weekend really helped me remember the great relationships that E&A creates. The fact that we all were brought together again and spent Thanksgiving weekend in their cabin was something that you can’t do with just anyone. You have to truly like the people! We drank wine, we ate TONS, watched movies, talked, and played Cards Against Humanity. Thanksgiving was special this year because of the friends I made through E&A.

Julie Event Manager Santa Clara

A Gourmet Feast!

Cooking Class

Seeing that we have already celebrated Thanksgiving here in Canada, it was fitting that we visited Kitchen Riddles in Burnaby last night and made a gourmet feast of our own.  Getting instruction from Chef Ben and being looked after by owners Antonio and Morgan, we surely dined in style last night!! While some of us do cook and have some chopping skills, not all of us knew the fancy names of certain dicing techniques, nor did we know how easy it was to make our own ricotta, (and cheaper).  We started by dicing and chopping mushrooms, shallots & garlic and added Ricotta to make our very own ravioli stuffing.  Next, getting our pasta thin enough to make ravioli, all kinds of shapes, some stuffed more than others, but all delicious.  Topped with a arugula salad we took our plated upstairs to dine together in candlelight!! Once we were finished our main, we made our way back down to the kitchen to learn how to make a delicious and rich, melting Chocolate Lava cake, of course with hand whipped cream flavoured with Bailey’s.  Now the pictures tell the true story – we are really big goofballs when it comes to cleaning up bowls and spoons with deliciousness all over!! Couldn’t have been tastier or more fun!!  We all left with full tums and a little more knowledge of how easy it is to cook really yummy food…Yum – Yum

Ambrea Event Manager Vancouver

Fighting Our Fear Of Heights….

High Ropes Challenge Course5

Rain, cold and bad weather was no match for our will to have fun!  Fighting our fear of heights, making new friends and getting the adrenaline pumping was our only goal last week as we took on the high ropes challenge at the Conroe YMCA.  We all got harnessed up and did our best not to fall off!  It was a little too muddy for the team wall so we’ll save that for next time! We may not be ready to join the circus but it sure was a heck of a time!

Reid Event Manager Houston

Being Thankful and Giving Back!

Sunday Funday

Thanksgiving is the time of year to give thanks but it doesn’t mean we can have fun!  We had a grand event at our clubhouse that saw over 30 singles stop by for good food, football and new friends.  Our turkey wrapped in bacon came out perfectly and we fryed up everything we could find in the deep fryer including Armadillo Eggs (stuffed jalapeño’s wrapped in sausage & ritz crumbs).  The football was good and we ended up with more food than we knew what to do with!  It was a fun day to celebrate after Sunday’s volleyball tournament/canned food drive that raised over 80lbs of food & $200 for the Houston Food Bank.

Reid Event Manager Houston

Live from New York… it’s Events & Adventures!

singles in new york

Flying in from all over the country… we’re finally here in the Big Apple!! Imagine meeting someone for the first time… in New York… for your first time in the city! If the distraction of the traffic isn’t enough, what about the buildings and architecture, the buzz of Times Square, the roar of the night clubs, or even the scents from the food trucks lining the street? For most of us, it was our first time here… as we walked to our dinner location this evening, I loved hearing the “OMG’s” and “Look at that!” from the group behind me, as I led them down 5th Avenue, then over to 7th, through Times Square… the light was enough to want us to put our shades on, but standing in the middle of the glowing lights, I saw the awe in their faces… as people surrounded us, walking about, not caring that it was our first time here… we took pictures, we looked at our maps… we were tourists tonight, and we were ok with that! As we walked, we thought about our feet and possibly questioned the shoes we wore today, but when we finally hit the famous Carnegie Deli, got seated at our own table and got right to ordering, we knew the walk was worth it! As we look at the menu, we see other plates going out to other tables… “Woah” and “Is that the size??” is what came out of their mouths… but as we got our own plates set in front of us, we couldn’t help but take some photos! And don’t forget the New York Cheesecake for dessert… I have never tasted anything like it… as we talked about what we wanted to see and to plan our next day of adventures, I couldn’t help but think about how great an opportunity this was to meet some fellow E&A friends from our clubs around the country, let alone, check off a New York City visit on our bucket lists! And on only day 1, all I have to say is… “Oh New York… we have only just begun!”

He Pops The Question…..Another Happy Couple!

sky diving

I love these kinds of stories! Will joined E&A last February. On our Cinco de Mayo dinner cruise Marcia brought her friend Lenea as a guest. Will and Linda immediately hit it off. Lenea joined the group shortly thereafter and she and Will have been inseparable. They are even joining us on the New York trip this week! A little bird told me this trip was going to be something to remember forever and Lenea’s smile said it all. A formal engagement was coming. Well, that little bird wanted there to be a surprise for Lenea. This past Saturday Will and Lenea had a few friends over for a wine party. I was one of the lucky guests. When Will was thanking everyone for coming he dropped to one knee, whipped out a beautiful ring and asked Lenea to marry him. She of course said Yes! Congrats you two! We look forward to your nuptials next fall!

Jacque Event Manager Dallas