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Ready to Stock the Bar and Fridge? Here are my latest finds

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I hope your holiday season is going as well as mine. I have been spending lots of time with family and friends. Get out the basket… We’ve all seen those standard fruit, cheese, and meat baskets passed around during the holidays and other occasions throughout the year. The cheese is simply “cheddar,” or something just as generic. I was happy to hear from Murray’s Cheese about their selections, which are anything but ordinary. They sent me The MVP: Most Valuable Player . It includes: tasty Murray’s Gruyere, tangy Humboldt Fog, mild and delicious Grazier’s Edge, and hearty Point Reye’s Bay Blue cheeses, as well as an excellent Prosciutto San Daniele and a lean Creminelli Wild Boar Salami. The Pistachio Cranberry and Olive Oil Crackers were a perfect accompaniment, and the buttery Marcona Almonds are addicting.   One of the other things I love about Murray’s Cheese is that they let you build your own basket from all these interesting ingredients. Definitely give them a tr

Boyne Mountain Includes Spa and Zipline

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It was my final day at the Boyne Mountain Resort with my friends Brittany, Angela, and Kylie. We continued having a great time until the very end. After packing up our large three bedroom suite, we filled up during our final breakfast at Everett’s. I would miss the comfort and selection of this restaurant in the Main Lodge. The grounds of the Boyne Mountain Resort in Boyne Falls, Michigan are beautiful and very easy to navigate. Could imagine it is also a fun family atmosphere in the summer, but on this Sunday, we saw a lot of people coming to enjoy the winter sports for the day. We split up from that point. The younger women were going off to zip line through the snow. Angela and I were heading to the spa. The Spa, Salon & Fitness Center at Boyne Mountain is quite big and has everything you need for relaxation, as well as fitness classes and workout equipment. Angela and I were there early enough to enjoy the steam room, sauna, and whirlpools, whic

Downhill and Cross Country Skiing at Boyne Mountain

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It was our second full day at Boyne Mountain Resort in Michigan and we were having a blast. I had brought along my friends Brittany and Angela, and Angela’s daughter Kylie. Boyne Mountain put up in a very spacious Salzburg Suite in the Main Lodge. It had a cozy living room, full kitchen, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Angela and I each claimed the larger bedrooms and the (grown) girls had a lot of fun in the colorful kids room, which had two bunk beds. We once again had breakfast downstairs at Everett’s, where the buffet had a nice selection of choices and the Vanilla Bean Pancakes and French Toast, in a vanilla cinnamon custard, are amazing. From Everett’s we could also see snow-filled views of the Boyne Mountain’s Alpine Village . After breakfast we went down to the village and walked around the shops until it was time for Brittany and Kylie’s ski lessons. The Skier Services building is huge. It’s where you get equipment, register for lessons,

Winter Fun at Boyne Mountain

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Last year I had a great trip up to Boyne Highlands with my brother, youngest niece and nephew.  While we were there, we heard a lot of great things about its sister resort, Boyne Mountain . It didn’t take much convincing when I was offered a trip to go check it out for myself. I brought along friends Brittany, Angela, and Kylie for a girls/family getaway at this Michigan resort. The adventure began on Thursday morning as we headed up for the eight-hour drive to Boyne Falls . Boyne Mountain Resort has many different accommodations. We would be staying in the three bedroom, two bath Salzburg Suite, a duplex with a full living room and kitchen. We arrived early evening and checked in quickly. After we unpacked our groceries and got changed, we headed straight to the Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark . It is located in the Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa building we were staying in. The waterpark was a lot of fun and we enjoyed a few hours of sliding a

A New Edgewater Resort and Delicious Dines in Madison

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My friend Roberta and I woke up in our beautiful room at The Edgewater Resort & Spa in Madison, Wisconsin . I had been there on a “combo” trip – covering a college tennis tournament and checking out the city. It was our final day. The first thing on the agenda was tour of the hotel with Jessica Arendas, Marketing and Public Relations Manager of The Edgewater . I had actually been to this hotel before. It was 2010 and I was there for the Celebration of American Distilling . Since that time, The Edgewater had gone through a dramatic renovation. I didn’t recognize the place – except it’s lakefront location – and I was looking forward to checking out more of it. We met Jessica in the lobby and I remarked immediately how much I loved the spiral staircase and lighting fixtures. It only got better from there. The resort had taken on an understated elegance, enough so that you felt like you were staying someplace special, but not too much that you didn’t