Post Christmas hit & a miss

Wanted to share a couple of post holiday memories and recs if you're ever in the area...

On the 27th, my aunt, cousin and sister were still in town. My brothers had left and Donnie had to work :(. We had been at the house all day on the 26th and I knew I wanted to get us out of the house and to show the family a few sites. The weather wasn't great with rain on and off all day. We all kept looking at the bright spot that at least the rain wasn't snow. It actually wasn't even one of those really cold rainy days. 

I decided to drive us to nearby Lebanon, Ohio. Lebanon is the county seat of our county, Warren. Geographically it's a decent bit bigger than Springboro is. However, Springboro experienced a huge growth in new home builds/ population since the 1990's so the populations of the two towns aren't that much different. (The size of Lebanon is about 13 square miles whereas Springboro is about ten square miles. Both towns have in the vicinity of 20,000 residents with Lebanon having just over 20k residents and Springboro having just under 20k)  With Lebanon being bigger, it has more chain stores/ restaurants than Springboro does as well as a much bigger historic downtown. It was the downtown where we headed. We went into some of the boutiques to shop and then had lunch at the Golden Lamb.

The Golden Lamb is an inn but around here, it's patronized as a restaurant (since if you live here, you likely don't need the services of an inn!). The inn is the oldest continuous operating business in Ohio (it's been in business since 1803) and the pride in the establishment's history is evident everywhere in Lebanon. Twelve US presidents and such notable public figures as Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, and Harriet Beecher Stowe have stayed in the inn.  The restaurant is known for its good quality food and sources as much of what it can from nearby farms. 

The restaurant's interior is just so charming and around the holidays that charm is bumped up significantly!!

Lots of Christmas trees and lots of reminders that you're in an establishment with the word "lamb" in it. 

Awww, how cute are these guys?? Kinda surprised that lamb is on the menu... but it is.

I had a chef's salad with house dressing- was very good. Abby and I had not eaten at the Golden Lamb in a few years.

That look on your face when your idea was a good one, lol! My aunt, sister, and cousin really liked the experience of eating at the Golden Lamb. Everyone's food was good (including those, who, yes, had lamb), the service was attentive and the ambiance with the fire in the fireplace on the rainy day combined with the festive Christmas decor all contributed to a feeling of placidity/contentment. 

After we ate, we went to the Golden Lamb's gift shop that was located on the lower level.

This beautiful and uniquely decorated fireplace is in the gift shop.

This gazebo is on the property of the Golden Lamb. I kinda wish it had more of a classic Christmas decor rather than the Grinch (but no one asked me for my input 😆)

The town's library is across the street from one side of the Golden Lamb (the GL is on a corner so two street are on its other side...). The library building is pretty and unique looking, I think. 

This town hall building is across the street from the main entrance of the Golden Lamb.

The following evening, we went out to a new to us Mexican restaurant in Centerville when friends invited us out with them. We are always (or were...) down for Mexican! There were thirteen of us at a table at El Asadero Bar and Grill. Before we sat down, I requested a couple of pictures.

Here I am with my friend Kristine and a very jolly old saint nick. Couple a things- notice my 'do? My sister cut and colored it the evening before. I love it when my sister is around to do my hair- saves so much money, time and making idle chit chat with a stylist- win, win, WIN!!

Also, I am wearing the same top that I had on the day before- I promise that I don't usually wear the same shirt two days in a row!! In my defense, as soon as we got back from Lebanon the day that I wore it there, I changed into a sweatshirt so I didn't have it on all day and it was not dirty. Plus, I had just received it for Christmas and really liked it (my mother in law got it for me from Garnett Hill- she knows I like that store and is so good at picking out great gifts!) and it's always fun to wear new clothes that one likes. The night I wore it to the Mexican restaurant, I had planned on buttoning up the cardigan more of the way so the shirt that I wore underneath it wouldn't show as much but for some reason I didn't :). (Anyway, I felt self conscious that I was wearing the same shirt two days in a row in the pics and wanted to explain!!)

Back to the restaurant... it was SO LOUD! Like crazy, insane loud. I know I'm old... but, yikes. Once at the table, it was hard to converse with the person directly across the table. The only person with whom I could talk to readily was the person right next to me. Just too loud for my liking. 

At one point while we were eating, the lights dimmed, the music somehow, misfortunately, grew louder and this robot? esque? thing came out and walked around and danced at tables. It was soooo odd. 

What the what?? Also, servers came around randomly and handed out free shots of tequila. Strange.

How was the food you may be wondering? It was okish. I should mention that my sister got sick twice over night after eating this food! Now she does not think it was food poisoning and I don't either because she and I ate the exact same thing! She split her meal, pictured here, with me and I in turn gave her one of my chimichangas. We also all shared an appetizer as well as chips and salsa. If the food had been bad, it should have impacted me as well but it didn't. My sister thinks it's because she is not used to eating so much fried, rich food. In Canada where she lives, Mexican restaurants are not common at all and she is not used to the onslaught of calories and fat from a Mexican meal out (also all the richness of foods from the previous days of celebrations could have impacted her stomach as well- we really don't think it's the restaurant's fault).

We all agreed that it was... an experience insofar as one is not used to seeing a robot looking thing walking around in a pulsating with sound dwelling. Personally, I wanted to click my heels and be transported to Lebanon and the Golden Lamb. However, if super loud music, being possibly given free shots and seeing a very odd looking lit up thing that dances, then definitely check out the Mexican restaurant :).