I've Made A Terrible Discovery

You see this map? It looks pretty easy to follow, huh? It just so happens to represent 4.46 miles and would only take my 224,000-mile Ford Taurus nine minutes to travel, according to Mapquest. This is all good and well, but the destination, "B" above, is a See's Candy that I never knew existed.

I took a different way home from the gym the other day (I know, ironic, isn't it?) to visit some stores I needed to visit. I was happily driving along in my aforementioned Ford Taurus, singing along at the top of my lungs to "You're Just Too Good to be True" by Frankie Vallie on the Oldies station and simply minding my own business, for the most part. All of a sudden, my See'sDar started going crazy! I whipped my head around to see the beautiful but unmistakeable black-and-white checkered sign, the perfect Easter display in the window, and the parking lot literally bursting at the seams. Noooooo! It's way too close for me! I have been so safe knowing it is a ten-mile stint in any direction to get some of that chocolaty goodness in my hands, and, consequently, all over my face. The last thing that will benefit my mission to lose weight is knowing a See's establishment is just 4.46 miles away! And nine minutes? Puh-lease! That Ford Taurus can haul! I am the person who has been known to travel 35 minutes to get a caramel apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. If you've had one, you completely understand. My personal favorite is the M&Ms-slathered one...hey, wait! How does chocolate always get me off track like that?!

I'm just sayin' that having a See's Candy so close is going to be very, very bad. I think it will be weeks before we all recover from the initial shock that I didn't turn around right then and there to get a Chocolate Bordeaux piece! Maybe there IS an ounce of self-control left in me! We can hope.

I am off to get some chocolate to munch on while I ponder such a deep concept.

A Day With A Little Man

In honor of Evan's four-week birthday (can you believe that?!), here are some pictures of him from yesterday when I spent a few hours at his house. I went with the intention of watching a movie with his Mom, but we had so much fun visiting, looking at furniture online, and taking a walk through the neighborhood that we completely forgot about watching a chick flick. T'liese looks great and is such a good mama. It is fun to see her interact with her Little Man (I think she likes him), and I have already learned so much from her! John and I will probably have kids of our own someday, and it will be nice to have her and my sister-in-law, Megan, who had baby Mayla less than two months ago, to reference for questions when I have a little one on the way. My oldest sister, Charloe, has two kids and is practically a pro on every subject. See how smart I am for waiting to be the last to have kiddies?

The walk around her neighborhood was nice. Joe and T'liese live in a beautiful complex with a variety of homes covered in a variety of rocks. We spent our time talking about what we liked and didn't like, all the while hoping the windows weren't open when we were disagreeing with a neighbor's selection. River rock with that grouting color? Seriously? It was a gorgeous 78 degrees with a nice breeze, so it was perfect weather to be outside. Evan usually falls asleep on this daily walk, but not today! He wanted to enjoy the fresh air, fluttering butterflies, and smell of blossoms coming out on the trees. My, how I love Spring. Evan just keeps getting cuter and cuter, despite some minor balding issues and acne on his face from his skin adjusting to the real world. Luckily, it didn't stop either of us from kissing on him constantly. And he rolled over from his stomach to his back. What a strong little man!

Thanks for letting me spend a few hours with you. Hopefully next time we can drag Megan and Mayla away from their busy schedules to join us!

Date Night(s) Plural

This is the look that naturally occurs when you turn around after casually looking at golf equipment and see your wife wearing...

This lovely little number.

Our Friday Date Night began with a trip to Dick's Sporting Goods to find a bucket of softballs to hit with the recent addition to our family, a softball bat (Welcome, Cyclone Weir...23 ounces, 32 inches long!). After gasping at the prices of the desired bucket of balls, we went to Wal-Mart and bought a dozen balls for a fraction of the price. Before leaving Dick's, I found a great new pair of tennis shoes on clearance. They were much-needed, since my old shoes are falling apart and have given their all these past four years. To find my size on clearance was a real treat! (Update: I wore them today for the first time at the gym and was blinded every time I looked down on the elliptical machine. I guess I am not used to having new shoes in well-lit places!). After our trip to Wal-Mart, we decided to break in our new addition to the family, Cyclone, by heading to a local batting cage. We had a blast for half an hour, taking turns hitting 20 balls towards targets on the far wall. (Update: I still can't move, laugh, breathe, or wink without my abs reminding me of our activities in the batting cage...I must have forgotten those four-hundred muscles existed! They are still there, as they remind me even as this innocent-enough typing takes place. Ouch!). It was such a fun evening, and it felt great to get in some good exercise. I love hitting. I played softball all my life and love getting back into the swing of things, so to speak.

Usually when the words, "We could go to The Cheesecake Factory tonight," are heard in our home, they are coming from my mouth. And we both ignore the statement and go on with our evening, pretending I didn't yet again accidentally suggest my favorite restaurant for Date Night. After a wonderful Friday Date Night, which is our usual night to enjoy each other's company out on the town, John said he wanted to treat me again on Saturday. And where did my husband want to go? I know it's impossible to believe that anyone else could suggest The Cheesecake Factory, but I swear those hallowed words came from HIM this time! Who am I to ignore it when it comes from the leader of our family? I mean, come on, he definitely knows what's best for us. I shall never question or doubt his requests. Just happily oblige! So we got all fancied up and headed to Superstition Springs Mall for some dinner, a piece of See's candy for dessert, and then some wandering around some furniture stores for fun. It was so nice being with my honey, and when See's chocolate is added to the equation, it really equals the perfect evening. For dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, John ate his beloved Factory Grande Burrito. When it was placed in front of him (taking up 3/4 of the table, thank you very much), I joked with the waitress that he could easily eat the entire monstrosity. She chuckled, saying she had only seen that happen two times before. Not only did he eat the whole thing, but I am pretty sure the other two eaters were John on our previous visits! The man is a giant-burrito-eating machine! And I couldn't be more proud. They finally added something to their menu under 600 calories that isn't a $15 salad, so I enjoyed one-third of my grilled chicken, asparagus, tomato/arugula salad, and mashed potatoes for dinner. (Update: I had some for lunch today and still have enough to eat it for dinner tonight while John and his visiting brother eat some not-so-low-calorie chicken enchiladas that I made. Talk about value!). It's such a great place to eat and always a treat. I love that we had two great nights out together. Have I mentioned I am looking forward to post-graduate life? Only eight more weeks until he is mine, all MINE! Bwaahhaaaaaa!

Ah-hem. Sorry about that. I just like my husband. A lot. And not just because he let's me get a See's candy to top off the perfect evening. Though that certainly doesn't hurt my opinion of him in any way.