As I’ve mentioned before it’s a rare thing for Manfriend and I to have date nights. He’s often working late on Fridays, and our weekends are packed with errands, laundry, and social gatherings.
But this weekend…we set a record!
On Friday after work I called Manfriend to find that he was heading home from Lancaster early! We decided to take advantage of the rare Friday night freedom and grab a drink at The Hollywood Way which is a short walk from my place.
I enjoyed the Sam Adams Seasonal Winter Brew, and Manfriend had a Jack and Coke.
Saturday we grabbed breakfast, and headed to the laundromat. I know I’ve ranted about my laundry woes before…but Saturday was especially insane. It was packed and loud and crazy. I was not digging it. There’s another (brand NEW) laundromat that’s been “COMING SOON” for weeks and I die a little each time I drive by and it’s still “COMING SOON.” Please open, and save me.
Manfriend received several gift cards as a ‘Thank You’ on one of his last shows to McCormick and Schmick’s. So we decided to use those babies! We had a wonderful dinner.
We decided to order a bottle of our current favorite red wine:
It’s super yummy. I think it has something to do with the name ;)
I ordered Lobster Bisque:
Soup doesn’t look pretty when you take a photo of it. I don’t know how Campbell’s does it.
Then, for an entree I had Stuffed Atlantic Salmon. It was stuffed with Crab and Brie:
It was so super rich, but very good.
Pardon the photos, it was dark in the restaurant, and I attempted to make them better but it was a fail.
After breakfast on Sunday Manfriend and I prayed a big prayer…”Dear Jesus, please help us to survive Christmas shopping today, find a parking spot, and not punch any babies in the face. Amen.”
And it worked! We made it out alive! I completed almost all of the remaning items on my list, and Manfriend made a decent dent in his too. It’s hard to shop for each other when we’re together, so we both have to do that…but we made progress!
Sunday evening we had tickets to The Nutcracker at the Alex Theater in Glendale. The show was preformed by the Red Chair Children’s Production Company. We grabbed dinner before the show at Olive Garden – which is something we almost never get to do (the one at Empire Center is always so busy). We walked across the street to grab Starbucks before the 6:30pm show and enjoyed the December weather.
Manfriend’s close friends are very involved with Red Chair. All three of their daughters were preforming, and even Dad was in the show! Mom is a founding member of the Company, and was backstage keeping the show rolling.
Manfriend had never seen The Nutcracker, and he really enjoyed the show. I took a music appreciation class in college and studied Tchaikovsky at length so it was fun to see the music come to life. Whenever I see ballet I am amazed at how easy they make it look. Watching them balance on their feet made my ankle hurt…I couldn’t even imagine dancing like that. I also realize my bionic ankle would be a career ender for any dancer.
Another weekend down, and another one closer to Christmas.
Tonight is the Biggest Loser Finale! Manfriend and I are having a gift wrapping party and you know what we’ll be watching :)
Happy Tuesday!
The Merfett 