Double Date Nights

After 3 days with the stomach bug and eating bits of Saltine crackers washed down with ginger ale, my appetite sure has come back with a vengeance. Before I came down with the flu or whatever that was, Matt and I had been planning to have a date during vacation, so I was really glad I was finally feeling well enough to go on Friday. I spent the morning cleaning up the house from the holiday and our whirlwind of guests, and then we dropped Riker off at daycare and went out for a lunch date. Hey, sometimes moms & dads need a day. :)

We've been wanting to try a new nook of an Italian restaurant down the road called Brooklyn Bistro, so figured now was as good a time as any. It's a family owned restaurant and everything is homemade, and we were definitely impressed. I was still feeling a little queasy so stuck with pasta; their house family recipe included tomatoes, raisins, pine nuts and breadcrumbs, so I was intrigued. I barely ate half, but it was delish!

After lunch we headed to part two of the date: the movies! I've had a Fandango gift card in my wallet for over a year - no joke - which is seriously sad, so it's about time I used the thing. Django Unchained was the ticket of choice.

It was a great theme and definitely in typical Tarantino style, but a little too violent for my liking. I spent half the movie with my eyes squeezed shut and my fingers in my ears. If you plan to watch it, you've been warned.

***

Yesterday I woke up with the dawn to get a head start on being productive for the day. I wanted to run a bunch of errands and use some gift cards we got for Christmas, but first we had a house project to finish...

Putting together new office furniture! Matt gave me a seriously awesome gift this week - the gift of a new home office. I really disliked my office before and hated being shut in there all day every day. I've been wanting to renovate, but we never seem to have the time. So this week, Matt surprised me with a new desk, chair and book case, and painted the whole room for me as well. Can't wait til it's complete!

Then it was errand time, and of course we left the house before eating, so had to stop for a quick bite halfway through our list or else Matt might've eaten my arm off. We made a pit stop at Qdoba for tacos.

I got veggie tacos with rice and pinto beans. They were good, but I called it quits after eating one and a half.

And thennnn it was time for date #2. This time a quadruple date with some of our best friends.

We left Riker with a real life babysitter for the first time last night, and Matt and I were definitely both a little on edge when we pulled away from the house. It was kind of scary leaving him with a stranger for the night, even though she came highly recommended from Matt's coworker. Of course everything was fine and she did a great job, so hurray for not having to ask the parents for a favor every time we need a sitter!

Our little troop had dinner plans at a local cozy seafood spot, Harpoon Willy's. It's right on the water and is so cozy and warm in the wintertime, with a fire, twinkling white lights, a rustic wooden bar and live music.

We ordered a bunch of appetizers (buffalo shrimp being the table favorite - so good!) so I really wasn't very hungry for my meal, but I took down a few bites anyway.

All us girls ordered the crab cakes, and they were really good. They're the size of my face!

For my sides I ordered garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach. Looks like I have both lunch and dinner for today too.

And now, after 2 weeks worth of eating out and holiday dining, it's time to get back on the healthy eating wagon. I'm heading out with my little fam now for some exercise in the park. Enjoy your Sunday!