Tag: movie night

Weekend Things & My 29th Birthday

Lauren1 Comment

Today is my actual birthday but it’s felt like my birthday since last Thursday because since then, I’ve gotten a new car (!), had dinner at Linger (!), enjoyed a backyard movie night (!) and picnicked at City Park Jazz (!).  And all big exciting happenings aside, there’s also been like a million smaller things that have just made me feel extremely happy.  The end of 28 was simply amazing, so here’s to an equally lovely start to 29!

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Hi, here’s me looking like my happiest self because I’m now in possession of a brand new Subaru Crosstrek!  Mainly I’m excited about the touchscreen audio system, the backup camera, the all-wheel drive, the seat warmers, the moon roof, the new car smell.  So basically everything 🙂  I’m also the last person in the family to drive a Subaru, so it’s been a long time coming!

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Friday night, we headed to Linger for a birthday dinner.  I only made the reservation like 3 months ago, don’t worry about it.  Debated going to El Five again but the dinner menu at Linger looked so good (an entire bao bun section, guys!) and of all the Edible Beats restaurants, it just has the most special place in my heart.

Sort of wished our food hadn’t come out so fast because we were in and out in less than an hour and it made me feel like the whole experience was rushed but NO COMPLAINTS about the food because that India Cone Salad was an incredible compilation of flavors/textures (and most importantly, it involved HALOUMI CHEESE ♥), the two buns were unique and delicious and I made a last minute decision to order the (unpictured) lamb kabobs instead of the pork because: LAMB.

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Let me tell you about Saturday, because it was a perfect day.  We woke up, had breakfast and some ease-into-the-morning time, then hopped on our bikes and made our way to the Farmers’ Market.  Not going to lie, by the time we got there it was A) SO HOT and B) SO CROWDED.  So while my #1 thought was “GET ME OUT OF HERE!” I’m going to focus on the fact that I got out with peaches, shishitos, cherry tomatoes and a mini pie.

We were seriously debating fitting in a trip to the MCA but it has come to my attention that I am what my sister refers to as “an overbooker,” and honestly, it did sound kind of nice to just chill out at home and do mostly nothing, so that’s what we did.  There was lunch in the backyard, lots of reading time, garden gazing, a real leisurely trip to the grocery store, even a nap!  Who am I??  Also, please know our doggy had to have two teeth removed last week and I know we should feel bad for him, but he looks so silly without those two teeth!

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We made our fav broccoli tacos for dinner and without that trip to the MCA, I even had plenty of time to make tortillas!  It rained while we were cooking and I was sad because it seemed like any outdoor evening plans were off the table but the storm was in and out and actually made it the perfect temperature for dinner al fresco and backyard movie night.  My heart was so so happy as we settled into the hammock with out pup, popcorn and pillows.  Watched The Usual Suspects and don’t think I didn’t have serious misgivings about watching a Kevin Spacey movie.  Still, the story was good and the end of Scary Movie makes so much more sense now 😛

Perfect night ♥

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We got up Sunday for a 5-mile run and it was seriously hot already at 7:30 AM, ugh!  Afterward, Joey went to get us iced coffee and I used the rest of the challah to make more French toast.  We left the bread out over night so it could dry out a bit and it turned out to be our best batch yet!  Some time later, Joey headed outside to do whatever it is he does out there mow the lawn and I stayed inside to make Cobb salads and then I decided we should paint the Little Free Library (!!!!!) my parents gave me for my birthday.  I was like “are these the spontaneous decisions people who haven’t pre-booked every minute of their weekend do?!”  It’s a pretty sky blue now and all it needs is white trim, some stencil work, oh and that putting it into the ground part.

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Spent the evening at City Park Jazz and it was perfect!  Well except the brief wind scare when we first got there and the fact that we forgot plates and Joey’s Yeti koozie, but it all still felt perfect to me.  We gave serious consideration to each and every one of those jams/mustards and decided the red pepper jelly, blue cheese herb mustard and wild Main blueberry were the best.  Shared that teensy blueberry-lemon pie for dessert then scooted out so we could be home in time to watch Big Brother and read in bed.

If today is even half as good as this entire weekend was, I’ll call it a monumental success.  And considering I already opened the best presents from Joey and Andi this morning and we have plans to watch The Big Lebowski at Film on the Rocks tonight, I have every reason to believe it will be ♥

Weekend Things

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Joey was out of town this weekend and that was sad, but here’s some things that weren’t: Friday pizza night with my Mom and sister, Saturday morning yoga followed by two hours of reading in the backyard, a pink-red mani, wings and gelato at my parents’, a 5-mile run and playing fetch with my doggy, pretty tulips and perfect weekend weather ♥

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Thursday night, I gazed at tulips, walked Andi, poured myself a lavender soda and started watching Captain America: Civil War.  Guys, I just want to see Avengers: Infinity War so I can be part of the pop culture conversation, but I have some work to do because I saw Iron Man in 2008 and Black Panther in February and nothing in between (actually, I’ve seen like 80% of Guardians of the Galaxy but we left early to avoid Film on the Rocks traffic, ha!).  I only made it half way through the movie though because it’s many many hours long and it was a school night.

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I was going to be lame and have Hermit Night on Friday but then my mom and sister wanted pizza so out we went!  I made a list of like six pizza places we could go to, but we decided on Cart-Driver and I was so happy to introduce them to that little shipping container that busts out the best wood-fired pizza.  My sister suggested we do weekly Sister Dinners in Denver and I am so down with that idea!  Oh and my mom just got back from New Orleans (she got there the day after I left!) and brought back presents.  She is truly the best ♥

Back at home, I finished my movie and hey, I thought it was really good!  It’s ten years later but Iron Man is somehow still cool?  And I really appreciated that scene where Captain America is holding onto a helicopter with one hand and a building with the other and it was just a long shot of Chris Evans’ flexed biceps.  So subtle.

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Saturday!  The best day!  I woke up and ate pancakes before taking myself to a hot yoga class.  The fitness class next door was BLASTING their music and at the end of yoga my teacher said “Bow your head and say ‘Namaste.’  May you be free.  Free from pain, free from suffering and free from bass in your face.”  I thought it was so funny!  The library was only a few block from the yoga studio so I walked there to return a few books and pick up our May book club pick, then I got iced coffee and it all felt too good to be true.

Back at home, I parked it in the backyard to start a very important re-read and hold a cute pup on my lap.  His face looking up into the sun pretty much sums up how we both felt about basking in the summer-like weather.  By the way, I know it seems like I’m always watching/reading Harry Potter but this is seriously only the second time I’ve read books 4-7.  I’ve read the first one like eight times though 😛

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Sorry not sorry for showing you so many tulip photos but can you even believe that feathery one??  I realized I had booked a 5 PM manicure and the Kentucky Derby was set to go off at 4:50, so I anxiously stood in the living room, ready to RUN out the door afterwards.  I told Joey — who was in Vegas — to bet on Justified but he didn’t listen and lost it all.  I made it to my appointment right on time (phew!) and took my sister’s suggestion to go red (plus the color was called Emily and I felt like my cousin would approve) then I dashed over to my parents’ for dinner.  My mom was sick and still managed to make two different types of wings, roasted Brussels sprouts and mac and cheese.  We had Talenti for dessert and it was better than most ice cream I’ve eaten in my life.

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I went for a run Sunday morning and though I didn’t beat my time from the week before, I’m still loving these longer weekend runs 🙂  Came back to Banana Bread Overnight Oats, iced coffee, a new Cooking Light and… TULIPS.  Also gave Andi a bath then let him dry off outside in the sun.  Later on, we went back inside to watch the Rockies game (SWEEP!), cook beans, make California Caprese Bowls for lunch this week and start laundry.  Joey made it back home and we got to catch up outside — “tell me all the things you ate while I was gone” is a real thing he said to me — before heating up leftover wings and grilling some zucchini for dinner.  We started watching Thor Ragnarok and oh my god, I heard it was funny but it’s really funny.

It was nice all weekend, it’s going to be nice all week and I am fully in the summer spirit so I am pretending it’s not going to be chilly and rainy this weekend.