A splendid excursion

Little Dude and I have been spending a lot of time just the two of us, now that his sisters are back in school.  He and I have been trying to do some fun things in addition to the normal errand-running.  Fun things like going to the library & playing with the puzzles; a photoshoot at one of our local Metro Parks, followed by playtime at the play area; shopping for yarn (ok, that trip was admittedly all about me).  Yesterday, we decided to take a little trip to Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream in Columbus Ohio's Short North area, which is a strip of eclectic shops, art galleries and restaurants, known for its late-night gallery hop once a month.

Jeni's is an iconic Columbus establishment.  Jeni Britton Bauer started her first ice cream venture at the Short North's North Market in 1996 (the same year DH & I moved to Columbus) with a shop called Scream (what a great name).  That business unfortunately failed, but she took what she learned from the experience & started Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams several years later.  Jeni's is known for its one-of-a-kind, rather upscale flavors like Salty Caramel, Queen City Cayenne, Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet and many other intriguing year-round and seasonal flavors.  Here's the link to the website if you're interested (if you don't live in the Columbus area, don't despair - they ship!).

While we were there, I tried the Wildberry Lavender (it's a beautiful shade of lavender and tasted liked oranges) & the Sweet Corn & Black Raspberries (I just had to try corn ice cream).  Jeni's is big on letting you taste before you buy.  I really had to stop myself from not tasting all of the flavors.  I didn't want to embarrass Little Dude!  We both ended up with waffle cones: he had Ugandan Vanilla Bean (with sprinkles, of course), I had the Backyard Mint & the Buckeye State.  And we both had a fun Mama-Little Dude excursion, just chatting and taking our time. 

Next week, my little guy starts preschool.  He's getting to be a big kid!  And I need to remember to slow things down now & then and just enjoy hanging out together.  Perhaps regular excursions to Jeni's are just the thing - what a sweet way to spend an afternoon!

-Cheryl