Weekend Wonderful

Glory, glory! My husband was off this weekend! This is such a novel thing sometimes that I really don't know what we are going to do or think once we have normalcy in our lives (which kinda starts next week, by the way!). Harris starts training for his new job next Tuesday (he has Sunday and Monday to transition out of being a nocturnal creature), and then, officially, he is a Monday through Friday working man on January 1st.

At any rate, this weekend he was off, and we had lots of fun things planned!

Friday evening, after I got done with work, we headed over to grab drinks and wings for dinner before heading to a Norfolk Admirals hockey game. Now, my hubby loves hockey (fact: he loves most sports), and I really do enjoy going to games, but, man oh man, that was the worst played hockey I have ever seen! We still had a lot of fun (and really enjoyed laughing at the commentary provided by the 20 year old frat boys behind us), but I swear those guys couldn't even manage to keep from falling on their bums the whole game! We ended up winning, but by pure luck and nothing else! Regardless, though, we had a lot of fun together, and that's what really matters, yes?

Saturday I got up and went grocery shopping and errand running, and then the two of us went for a quick bite to eat and then a matinee of Catching Fire. I told Harris that I somehow felt that it was wrong to eat before watching a Hunger Games movie, but such is life. I was really, really impressed with the second installment, and it followed the book so closely I was delighted. I literally (actually, David Rehg, actually) knew what people were going to say before they said it because they literally (again, wrong usage, I know) pulled lines straight from the book. Love! Side bar: David Rehg is one of my coworkers based in Atlanta. He was an English major in college and he is also busting my chops for my incorrect usage of the word literally. However, as I like to tell him, I use it for its dramatic effect. I don't really care if it's wrong!

Sunday it was absolutely freezing here! I know this because I checked my weather channel app, not because I went outside at all. I somehow managed to convince my amazingly sweet husband to venture outside with Lucy all day - that's a good man right there! Harris worked on his paper a good bit on Sunday, we napped, made pizza, watched football, and just tried to stay warm!

And today, happy, happy birthday to my sweet wonderful Daddy! I wish we were there to celebrate with you, but we love you so very much! I am such a lucky girl to have you as my Daddy!

Although it went by quickly, as they always do, I was much less despondent going into this week knowing how incredibly short it would be! Yay for holiday weeks!!!

Weekend Recap: Tuesday Edition

Well, since yesterday's post was a special one, I decided to reserve the little weekend update for today. It was quite the epic weekend for us, so I didn't dare not share! As you may recall, I shared last week that Harris had made a hair appointment for me, and that I was contemplating some major (for me) changes in the hair department. I did, in fact, make some changes - I got bangs cut and ombred my hair!

In addition to the hair appointment, Harris also scheduled a mani/pedi for me - isn't he the best? It was so nice to get a little pampering and a new look. At any rate, the pampering was brought on as part of a grand scheme of Harris' to celebrate our 6 month wedding anniversary. After the pampering session, I came home to find these beautiful autumn flowers all over the house:

Harris then surprised me with dinner at this one restaurant called Todd Jurich's Bistro that we have been waiting to try. It was absolutely incredible! Everything we had was amazing! We started with a pork and shrimp spring roll (delicious!) then had a pumpkin and crab soup (omg!) then Caesar salad (somehow this was the best Caesar I have ever had!), and finally our entrees - filet with some kind of polenta and spinach for Harris and scallops over squash risotto for me (I can't even). I am so glad we finally tried this little gem (and learned they have some great happy hour specials). As wonderful as our dinner was, Harris was not quite done with the surprises. After our delicious meal, Harris and I strolled through downtown - our destination unbeknownst to me - until we arrived at the Virginia Stage Company! I hadn't really paid attention as we were walking past, so it wasn't until we got inside, and they had a basket of flowers with a card "for your own Daisy" that I realized we were going to see The Great Gatsby! Not only that, but it was also opening night and we had a private box! It was amazing! The set, the characters, everything was just so well done. My sweet hubs knows me so well, and I am so thankful for his thoughtfulness in planning such a wonderful evening!

Blurry shot of the set

Somewhat dark pic of the hubs in our box!

Afterwards - the bangs went up fast.

Saturday we had big plans to go to the Citadel alumni tailgate and then the Citadel vs. ODU football game! We met up with Harris' friend Clay (another Citadel grad), and his parents (his Dad being yet another Citadel grad) and had a great time at the tailgate where I was so hungry I had a BBQ sandwich with baked beans and coleslaw. If you know me at all, you know this really is a big deal because 1. BBQ is not my favorite food in the world (although I do like pulled pork a good deal, so this is probably a moot point after all), 2. I do not like baked beans, and 3. I do not like coleslaw, so there it is. Big deal. After the tailgate, we headed over to the game where we had a blast sitting in the Citadel section. 

I will say about the Citadel alum they are proud (as they should be) and they are intense football fans! The game was crazy! I have never seen a college football team pull the kind of antics that ODU pulled the other night. No disrespect or anything, but I think they knew their defense wasn't up to snuff, so they wouldn't give us back the ball, and still they only ended up winning 59-58. It was intense up until the last play, and it was so much fun! On the way home, we stopped for milkshakes at cookout and I finally, after 6 years, tried a milkshake that did not end in cheesecake (you know chocolate chip cheesecake, blueberry cheesecake, and so on). It was delightful.

Sunday morning, Lucy woke me up entirely too early, and I was a bit grumpy with her for a good 10 minutes, but then I got over it. After hitting up the grocery store, Harris and I prepared our usual Sunday fare of homemade pizzas (him being responsible for the yummy sauce, and me being responsible for crusts), and then watched football games and monitored our fantasy scores. We also managed to squeeze in a late-afternoon nap, which made me quite happy.

As you can see, it was a wonderful weekend! We are so thankful for these times, and feel so blessed to be living in such a great place that gives us these fun opportunities. Keep it up, Norfolk, we approve!

Hallelujah, It's Friday!

For your reading enjoyment this Friday morning, some rambling thoughts (don't you love these?!):

I have a hair appointment today. This is BIG news as I have not so much as had my hair trimmed since December (yes, that would be 10 months ago - judge away, Erica Segura, judge away). This is partly because getting my hair trimmed causes me anxiety (and who likes to willingly welcome anxiety in their lives?), and partly because I never think I have time. I said last December, you know the last time I got my hair cut before I got married, that after I got married, maybe I would try some "new-ness" with my hair. More to come.

As of last week, I have been the owner of 4 iPhones in just as many weeks. None of them were anything in the 5 generation. This one better last, Apple (please insert picture that circulates the web of a chubby baby shaking his fist. Okay, okay, I'll do it for you):

If you have not seen this on my Instagram (heck, even if you have), check out this video of the most adorable dog in the world (in my humble opinion, obviously):

Finally, Harris was off yesterday and is for the remainder of the weekend! We have a date night planned tonight, the Citadel vs. Old Dominion game tomorrow, and then Sunday things on Sunday. I am ecstatic!

Happy Weekend!!!

Weekending and Mondaying

It often seems like a cruel joke that the weeks are so long, and the weekends so terribly short. I swear, two days during the work week can seemingly drag on forever, while the weekend days just pass in a blur. Someone call Sheldon Cooper and find out what the scientific explanation is for this. I was so distraught about the passing of the weekend, I just could not bring myself to blog yesterday. Okay, so that is a total lie, but it sounds super dramatic, right? At any rate, my weekend was short, but good. I had lunch with a good friend, whom I haven't been able to catch up with in some time, I did all of my weekend things, like grocerying (I feel like grocerying is a way more fun verb than grocery shopping) and cleaning house, and taking wandering walks around the neighborhood with Lucy. I comforted Lucy through a ridiculous afternoon thunderstorm that seemingly came from nowhere (side bar: anyone use a thunder jacket on their dog, and does it work? This is a serious question). I drove the hubby to work so that he would not have to walk through the thunderstorm, lest he be soaked or struck by lightening. Other than that, I am not sure where my weekend went. I wish I could say I am reading some riveting new novel, but I have been in such a reading rut this year. For a girl who loves to read this is very discombobulating. Anyone have any must reads? Recommendations welcome.

This post has been very ho-hum, thus far, but get ready, the prolific use of exclamation marks is coming! Yesterday, while a Monday, was a glorious day, cause for celebration, in fact. The hubs rounded out another 10-day stretch of work (ugh), we were finally able to have a date night, AND we were finally able to toast to his success of finishing his first semester of grad school! Finally, finally, finally! I had a busy day of work and conference calls yesterday (I did manage to make some yummy cookies during a conference call though - recipe coming tomorrow!), so while I worked, he finally had a play day and headed over to the driving range for a bit. He was also kind enough, before he went a-golfing, to whip up some of his famous marinara sauce to simmer for dinner, and simultaneously torture me with amazing smells. Once the day of working was done, we settled in for some wine (mmm Cupcake Red Velvet - definitely a new favorite blend!), and got cracking on making some homemade pizzas! Harris, in all his kitchen prowess, made a Margherita (mmm fresh mozzarella), and a new (garlic, leeks, and pesto - ah-mazing!) for our eating enjoyment. We then proceeded to sit at our dining room table, sipping, chatting, and savoring our time together. A perfect evening. To round things out, Harris then suggested a family walk, where he led us to our favorite little froyo joint to grab a bowl, and then come home to watch the season premiere of Hell on Wheels. So glad for the time with him, and so, so glad he has this weekend off too!

Get This Party Started!

We effectively kicked off, or continued as the case may be, Harris' birthdaykkah (my personal take on making birthdays a festive week-long event) with an evening of baseball last night! Although the Tides did not win, we had an awesome time! Before the game, we grabbed a bite to eat at a new favorite restaurant - The Public House - where Harris partook in his favorite birthday food - fried chicken - and I had "white collar" (translation: bourgeois) macaroni and cheese - had the fancy cheeses and truffle oil in it! At the game, I got to sit between Harris and a highly comedic 9-ish year old little boy who entertained me with his commentary on both the game and people around us. All in all it was a lovely, lovely time!

Sunday Funday

Today is officially Harris' first day off from work in two weeks! Yay!!! We have big plans of either going to the downtown beerfest (depending on the weather), or taking in a double feature of The Great Gatsby and Star Trek: Into Darkness, followed by a dinner date, and then the series finale of The Office.

To be quite honest, I really could care less what we do, I am just super excited to finally get to spend some time with my husband! He has been working so very, very hard, and I am glad he gets to have the next few days off to recuperate and have a little fun. Unfortunately, I leave tomorrow for a week in Kansas City. But, I am sure he will still be able to find some things to entertain himself with. Besides, we have today to enjoy together, and, miraculously, Harris has Memorial Day Weekend off too!

If we make it to the movies, I will be sure to let you know what I think of them. I hope everyone enjoys their Sunday!

PS - Happy 1st Wedding Anniversary Erica & Michael! I cannot believe it has already been a year! Love you both!