Another Mother’s Day has officially come and gone!!! For the last several years we have attended the Mother’s Day Brunch at the Chautauqua Athenaeum Hotel. However, last year, I thought it would be fun to try something new. Total fail since we missed what had become a tradition of ours! Our lunch at a Buffalo steakhouse was delicious, but it just wasn’t the over the top fabulousness that we have grown to love at the Athenaeum Hotel!!!

This year, even if it was 40 degrees so we had to bundle up and not wear the most colorful, spring looks in our closets and it may have been raining as well. Boo!! I made it a point to document our experience so those of you googling away next year know that the Mother’s Day Brunch at the Athenaeum is a not miss event!!!

I’m not even going to deny it! This Mother’s Day Brunch is definitely on the pricy side. $45.95 for Adults and $14.95 for children. You do get what you pay for though. If the mom in your life loves to feel pampered and loves all thing elegant and fancy, this is the brunch for you. Worth every penny if mom is one who loves to dress up and see hubby in that tie!

The good news is, mom does get a complementary mimosa! You get to choose from Apple, Grapefruit & Traditional Orange. The Athenaeum Hotel does have a full bar, so if a Bloody Mary is more your thing or even a mixed drink or beer, they have it!!! Cheers to mom!!!

This is what everyone always asks me in the comments when I spam my personal Facebook page with my annual Mother’s Day photos! Is the food good?! What do they serve?

The food is definitely phenomenal. We wouldn’t be repeat guests if the food wasn’t out of this world. I’m a proclaimed wannabe chef, so good food is my thing & the Athenaeum delivers every year!!!!

As for what is served? They offer carving stations featuring prime rib, Turkey & ham! I’m not usually a turkey fan, but their turkey really is out of this world. You get to choose from a variety of sides like asparagus, salads, mashed potatoes, stuffing! The Athenaeum also has breakfast stations for those of you wanting to make your own omelets and enjoy a waffles, bacon and sausage. A cheese display, soups and desserts along with breads are also available. So much food it’s sort of overwhelming. Always a good thing when that happens!!

Y’all already know I love the Athenaeum Hotel Mother’s Day Brunch!!! I recommend it to anyone that loves to feel like a princess or enjoys history, old fashioned type of things. The Athenaeum is a historic hotel that has hosted everyone from celebrities to presidents!!! Just being in this hotel gives me this feeling of wow!!!!So many amazing people have walked the hallways of this fabulous establishment and I get to sit and eat brunch there!!!!

The food is also out of this world. If 4-5 star restaurants are your thing, this brunch is for you.

My my only complaint is the fact it’s not exactly kid friendly food wise. My daughter is a picky eater and she ends up eating toast and cupcakes every year. Since it is Mother’s Day, you would think maybe some chicken fingers, pizza slices or maybe hot dogs would be offered, but they aren’t. Thankfully, the child price is only $14.95, so it’s not a total waste. My daughter probably eats that in cupcakes and drinks that in milk alone lol.

Ahhhhhhh nothing better than fun, family friendly activities popping up during the winter. During the summer? It’s easy peasy to find good olé entertainment. In the winter however, ughhhh! I will admit, things are getting better in the winter entertainment department, but it’s nothing like glorious summertime!!!! So when we heard about Peek’n Peak Linar Lights Tubing? You best believe we hit it up opening weekend to get the full scoop on the latest winter fun here in Western New York!!

The all-new Lunar Lights Tubing will transform nighttime snow tubing into a thrilling and mesmerizing atmosphere, featuring an ever-changing light show produced by thousands of LED lights and projection lights. The lights will pulse, fade and change in coordination with an immersive sound system. On select dates, the massive sound and light program will be operated by a live DJ.

In between runs, tubers are carried to the top of the hill by a Magic Carpet Lift, which is similar to a conveyor belt. No need to struggle with hooking to a moving cable or hauling your tube to the top of the hill!

Cost ~ $20 Per Person 2hr Pass

Honestly? It was a fun evening!!! I went into this with zero expectations since I know this is Westeen New York, and boy was I blown away! Fun tunes we’re playing on a speaker the whole time! Think top 100 type songs that you would hear on the radio. The place was also ridiculously packed, yet the line moved really fast so we had minimal wait times. I couldn’t believe that! I’m guessing they really do only sell a certain amount of tickets to make wait times not a thing! You can also link your tubes together, so if you have little ones not quite ready to tube on their own. Yet link your tube to theirs before heading down!

The only disappointment I had was the fact that the rainbow LED lights didn’t shine the whole time. They would flash for about 5 minutes & then the regular lights would pop on for 5 minutes. We did go opening weekend, so this might have been a one time thing lights-wise. It made it hard for a blogger like me to snap those blog photos since I had to time things out perfectly to get those rainbow shots lol....

If you have been considering going? I totally recommend it! Totally worth the price and everyone young and old will have a fabulous time!!!

I finally had the chance to see “Hamilton” Thursday!!! The battle to score two tickets was ridiculous! I had to enter a lotto system through the host theater and keep my fingers crossed my email address was even drawn to ATTEMPT to purchase tickets the day tickets were released. That’s right, the lotto didn’t guarantee anything, but the chance to be on the ticket site when tickets went on sale. Apparently having a lotto system and a 4 ticket purchase limit minimizes the chance of scalpers scoring tickets.

Since I’m obsessed with musicals & try to not miss a show at Shea’s, I obviously entered multiple emails and lucky enough, one of the three emails was drawn! After the ticket site crashing multiple times, and having to wait about 15-20 minutes to even check out once my tickets were in my cart, I was lucky enough to score two balcony tickets for the December 6th show at Shea’s in Buffalo,NY.

​After all the drama to land tickets, I’m sure you are all wondering, was it worth it? Did It Live Up To The Hype? Or did all that political nonsense really lead to the ticket sales and the show was just “ok”? Keep on reading to find out!

This past Sunday we took a little drive out to one of our favorite places, The Peek n’ Peak, to take care of a few details to do with hubby’s work holiday party. Rooms are officially booked and I can’t wait to spend the weekend with the people my hubby spends his days with when not in my presence.

Before my daughter was born, Pine Junction was the place to go after you spent the day on the slopes at The Peek n’ Peak. Great food, awesome drinks and live music on the weekends. These days, Pine Junction makes a fabulous place for a family dinner. One of those places I love to take people from out of town since the decor is straight up wood cabin, county chic! Always a hit!

One of my favorite things about Pine Junction just happens to be the Beer Flights! I’m usually a wine girl , but when at Pine Junction I like to feel cool with a beer flight since they are pretty affordable! Only $8 and you get 4 decent sized beers of your choice.

Now, I’m not going to lie, this is probably the most unadventurous beer flight of all times, but it sure was yummy! Angry Orchard, Blue Moon, Blueberry & Yuengling. I never had an Angry Orchard with cinnamon & sugar sprinkled on top. Beyond delicious. I will be ordering all my cider beers like this for now on.

Now for the part you all have been waiting for, the menu!! Steaks, burgers, sandwiches, wings, pulled pork and my favorite chili!!!! Something for everyone. They also have a normal kids menu too. If you have been a The Trophy WifeStyle reader for awhile, then you know we are always on the hunt for normal kids menus. While I wish my daughter at kale, she’s more of a grilled cheese kind of gal & Pine Junction passed the Grilled Cheese test.

As I mention above, the chili is my favorite!!! After a long day of skiing, I love to order a bowl of chili loaded with cheese and onion! Since I was craving wings this past Sunday, I went with a cup as a starter.

If you’re a wing lover, you must try the wings! Hubby and I both ordered wings. Nothing better than an ice cold beer and wings on a football Sunday. The wings are a tad bit different, in a great way, compared to those dinky wings you get at a pizza shop. Super crispy, super big AND super yummy!

The steaks are pretty yummy as well. If I’m at Pine Junction on a Steak Fry night, that’s my meal of choice. I also love the pulled pork when in a bbq mood.

This past Saturday we took our Pomsky pup, Abby Cadabby on the longest walk of her life!!! A mile and a half long walk around Chautauqua Institution for all the fur babies at the Chautauqua County Humane Society during the Walk for Paws!

The Walk 4 Paws is our local Humane Societies largest fundraiser of the year!! You sign up as an individual or you can form a team. We walked under The Trophy WifeStyle this year! That’s right, we formed a team! Once you sign up and fundraise for the Chautauqua County Humane Society, you and your dog walk a mile and a half at Chautauqua Institution. This year all the participants were able to contribute over $30,000!!! WooHoo!!!

​Thankfully the weather was pretty fab for a fall day! It was chilly, but the sun was out and the rain stopped just long enough for us to start and finish the walk. I swear right when we got to our cars to leave after the walk, the rain came. Perfect timing.

I was also pretty proud of my 6 year old daughter & 4 month old puppy! Both made it about 85% of the way before they started to get sluggish. That’s huge for a puppy still learning to walk on a leash and a 6 year old who is in physical therapy!

The Wak 4 Paws also has a fun costume contest!!!! My daughter and I are all about themes, so of course Abby Cadabby HAD to dress as a unicorn. She didn’t win, but it was still fun to shop for a costume and have her strut her stuff at the event.

Going to a pumpkin patch and taking those insta-worthy photos is always on that fall bucket list! While I’m thankful we even have pumpkin patches here in WNY, the ones we have had the pleasure of roaming the past few years were just ok! Nothing fancy. Just pumpkins, jump pillows, goats to pet and corn kernels to roll around in. After like 30 minutes you are beyond ready to leave and scheming up ways to pull your kiddo out of the corn kernel pit.

When I spotted a Facebook ad last week about the Great Pumpkin Farm in Clarence, NY (buffalo) I was intrigued! They claimed amusement rides, haunted houses, food vendors, even a bar! The Great Pumpkin Farm looked to be a place for all ages! Something for everyone besides the wannabe Insta-models posing with pumpkins and toddlers swimming in corn.

The Great Pumpkin Farm started out in 1996 by hosting the World Pumpkin Weigh-off. The Great Pumpkin Farm ended up in the Guinness World Book of Records for the first 1,000-pound pumpkin! From there, the Pumpkin Farm grew each year to include more signature events, rides and attractions and, today, it’s one of Western New York’s signature fall events!

This year The Great Pumpkin Farm is home to a Hay maze, Petting Zoo, Boo Barn, Playground, shop & bakery, Witches Brew Bar, Food Venders, and many rides and attractions! The best way to describe The Great Pumpkin Farm is to call it a fair with signature pumpkin patch activities! Adminssion is Free weekdays and $8 on weekends. Check the schedule to make sure the attraction you are most excited is open the day you are trying to make your trip!

The Great Pumpkin Farm is home to TWO bars! That’s right TWO! I was pretty excited when I heard this, so the first thing we did was grab a cider beer then headed to the playground! Mama could care less how long you’re playing with a drink in her hand.

Just like every other pumpkin patch in the word, The Great Pumpkin Farm has all the traditional activities like Hay Rides, The Cow Train, Pillow Jumper, Animals. All included in your weekend admission price. Weekdays, some of these activities may cost you a fee.

The Great Pumpkin Farm definitely wins the award for most photographable pumpkin farm in WNY! So much artwork to pose in front of and soooooo many pumpkin setups! I wish it would have been a colder day (did I really just say that!) so I could have been dressed falltastic & not sweating to death in 80 degree heat. I would have loved a cute fall styled photo opt!

I think it’s safe to say we were blown away with The Great Pumpkin Farm! I will admit that I never took the chance to visit a pumpkin farm before I was a mom, so I only have two other farms to compare it to. Those other two have nothing on The Great Pumpkin Farm. Honestly, one of them costs more and has not even a quarter of the activities The Great Pumpkin Farm has. So much to do for all ages! We really had the best afternoon. I’m still on cloud nine today because of all the family fun we had. Beyond happy I decided to make the hour+ journey to check a new place out. So worth the long drive. New yearly tradition. Next year we will be bringing others with us to join in on the good ole family fun!

Ahhhhh fall!!! Tis the season of all things Apple!!! Since I’m not a pumpkin fan, I’m all about the apple deliciousness once fall hits! #TeamApple

Obviously the Busti Apple Festival is exactly that! A festival focused on apples. With a $5 per person admission fee per person, 12 under free, which goes to the Busti Fire Department, you are free to roam the grounds of the Busti Mill where craft venders, food venders and of course apples and cider are for sale.

I’m all about the snacks at these types of festivals. Last year while attending the Busti Apple Festival, I snacked on fried dough while hubby grubbed on curly fries. This year we were all about the mini donuts. So yummy! Wish I had some right meowwww!

If you follow me on Instagram, you know my daughter is horse & unicorn obsessed!!! She even takes riding lessons. So of course we always opt for the hay rides when we spot them! $4 a person for anyone curious :)

Such a fun day! I totally recommend attending the Busti Apple Festival if you’re in the area! Tons of crafts if you’re into D.I.Y decor, yummy snacks for all you foodies and of course the most delicious apples & cider you can get your hands on! Just make sure to wear shoes you don’t mind getting a tad bit muddy since you will be roaming a field & make sure to dress for that freezing in the morning & scorching in the afternoon weather. Sounds silly, but dressing appropriately can make or break your experience.