Successful Date Night 101

It is no laughing matter that my husband and I look forward to Date Night all week. Usually, if I am home from work before midnight, we knock this special event out on Friday evenings. We usually head to a fine eating establishment like Chipotle or (occasionally) Taco Bell when we are feeling particularly special that week. However, thanks to a coupon for a free appetizer, this week we found ourselves at Red Robin. Yummmmmm.

I consider it a great moral accomplishment when the words, "I'll have a water, please...no lemon," come from my mouth. Red Robin is home of one of my favorite beverages in the world, The Freckled Lemonade. A bottomless drink of sparkling lemonade, sprite, and crushed strawberries? I would go there just to drink six gallons of the stuff. And the only bad thing is the occasional chunk of strawberry that gets wedged inside the straw. I sidestep that problem in advance by asking for seventeen straws. Nothing should slow me down when I am trying to get my $3.99-worth! This drink is such a thirst-quencher and so sweetly delicious. But because it is so cold and because I drink it in large gulps because it is irresistible, it is easy to fill up on such summery goodness. For the past three months, I have been trying, not always successfully, to be careful on eating a certain amount of calories a day. Sometimes I throw this out the window (on Date Night, for example), but I still couldn't justify getting all that sugary liquid AND bottomless fries. So I picked one over the other, secretly contemplating a couples trip to Krispy Kreme later on for dessert (and luckily for our waist lines, we were both too full from dinner to make this a reality).

Our free appetizer arrived, and just in time for our ravenous appetites to growl so loudly that the table next to us left the premises in a hurry. The Tower Of Onions, with accompanying ranch and Cowboy Sauce for dipping. Ironically, neither of us are huge onion ring fans, but this stack of greasy, crunchy goodness is so crave-able and yummy that we kept looking towards the kitchen in anticipation. I had made up my mind to only eat a few, as I had a great meal on the way. However, something like heavenly onion rings (and a Tower of them at that) are not good the next day for leftovers. So I pulled my weight as a team member to help John devour the entire thing. I stopped counting as I pulled them from lower and lower on the metal pole, just so I wouldn't feel badly about myself later. We'll just say that he ate more of the rings than me, and that might possibly be true. They were incredible! The batter wasn't too thick but has such a perfect consistency. And the Cowboy Sauce is BBQ sauce combined with a little bit of mayonnaise. For someone who doesn't really like mayonnaise, this stuff was too good to skip! I am sure it helped that we hadn't eaten for eight hours in preparation for our Date Night. We would get them again and would highly recommend a Tower Of Onions appear on your own table in the near future.

John's main course was the Burnin' Love Burger. He likes spicy things and made no exceptions tonight. Well-done meat topped with deep-fried jalapenos (he insists these are NOT considered vegetables because they take a swim in oil first), pepper jack cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and spicy chipotle mayonnaise, all on a jalapeno-encrusted ciabatta bun. If ketchup wasn't too spicy for me, I may have tasted a bite of his burger to inform you how delicious this particular monstrosity was. Being the burger-snob that he is, John approved and ate the entire thing.

I ended up surprising myself by ordering my favorite thing on the menu, despite expecting all day to get the Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Wrap. I went back to my all-time favorite selection, the BaconLettuce Tomato/urkeyAvacado Croissant Sandwich. Lovingly known as the BLTA to us regulars. It is a rare sandwich that I actually enjoy sliced turkey, but it may have something to do with the gigantic slices of avocado that make me forget turkey exists on there somewhere as well. Holy cow, it was good. And with hot and seasoned bottomless steak fries dipped in ranch dressing? I was set for the evening. We accidentally ordered some more fries towards the end of our meal but almost finished them, just to be polite!

We rolled out of the restaurant and into the car to go to Wal-Mart for some errands. Walking around was good, however, since we probably burned off 1/1000th of our Date Night intake.

Date Nights can always successfully me measured by how full we feel afterwards. This particular night? An 11!

House Wishes

Considering how much time I spend in my day thinking about our future home, it's probably a miracle that I haven't made a Wish List Post prior to today. I am so house-hungry. I can't wait until I don't have to share a laundry room with the neighbors. I can't wait until I have an outdoor space all my own to keep meticulously weeded and watered. I can't wait until I have my dream kitchen. Some of these may actually be a reality some day! I thought it would be fun to share things in my head as to what I hope we have some day. It can't come soon enough!

Location is key. We love the Dobson Ranch area in Mesa near the 60 and 101 freeways, but it will be harder to find a house in this neighborhood since most of them have an HOA. John refuses to pay someone to tell him what he is allowed to do on his property, and I agree! So just east of Dobson Ranch is a beautiful area called Dobson Woods with no HOAs but same great location! We will probably settle in this area.

Two-car garage. Can I be so lucky as to have windows on the top of the garage door? I love that look!

Curb appeal. Being the self-proclaimed perfectionist that I am, I would love a beautiful front and backyard that I can feel proud of. I particularly like these two little numbers.

Kitchen. It might be the most important thing to me, since I love spending so much time in this room. I would love to have everything updated so we don't have to worry about it. Dark wood cabinets? Yes, please. And stainless steel appliances would make my heart go pitter-pat. Counterspace is important, since I still have that dream of doing some dessert catering some day. I would love a gas range to cook up a storm.

And double-wall ovens. Did I mention I would love to do a small amount of baking in the future? These would be a must! Convection ovens, if I have the ability to be really picky!

I would love a pretty view out of my kitchen window. I think it would be wonderful to watch the kiddies play in the yard while I slave away at dishes or cleaning inside. (Who am I kidding...if they are outside, it's to do yard work, and then they will be inside doing the dishes and cleaning while I prop my legs up in a comfy chair!).

A bathroom to die for. I know houses are sold because of kitchens and bathrooms, and this is another area in the house I hope is already done for us. I would love to add a personal touch of my own, but new fixtures and floors would be ideal. Tile showers would be nice, with a beautiful seamless glass door. I have always wanted a squeegee...

For me, an outdoor entertaining space is crucial. I would love a huge covered patio with enough room for our grill (non-existent as of now), an outdoor lounge set (also on the wish list), and a dining set perfect for all kinds of parties (I drool every time I am at the store). The weather is so nice here in The Valley eight months out of the year, and I can see an outdoor patio simply becoming an extension of our living space.

A pool. It's actually not important to us, since I think we are both intimidated by the maintenance of one. But if we found the perfect house and it happened to have a pool in the backyard, I don't think I would let it stop me from buying. In a perfect world, it would have a fence around the pool so as to prevent future children damage.

A yard is key. If we get stuck with a pool, there has to be enough lawn and grass for the kids to play in (mow, weed, fertilize, etc.). I can't wait to roll around in my own grass! Please forgive such a brash statement!

French doors. This is one of those things I have discovered is important to John, though not spoken plainly. He refuses to have sliding doors to any outdoor space, so French Doors are a must.

A great room. I never want to be stuck cooking in the kitchen with the party happening elsewhere in the house. I imagine a perfect, large room with enough space for a sitting area (perhaps near a fireplace?) and room for my desired gigantic dining table (I have about thirty possibilities picked out at twenty-nine stores). I want to be able to be a part of the action while I finish getting dinner ready, and a great room would provide that opportunity.


Kitchen storage is a must for me. And if you know me well, you know I can totally make my pantry look this good! I can't wait to have room to store everything my little heart desires!

I would love to have tall ceilings, simply because of the illusion created of more space. I like space. And I would love to have lots of light in that space. Neutral paint with white baseboards and recessed lighting? Well, alrighty then!

So there you have it. My dream home in a nutshell. I know we won't find a perfect house, but I have high hopes of finding the perfect house for us. Did I mention I can hardly wait?

Blessings Come in Small Bundles

What a wonderful, gone-too-soon weekend! My family was in town for the blessings of the two new babies in the family. We had such a lovely time together! It always is over before we know it.

Thursday

My sister, Charloe, and her family arrived in town on Thursday evening after driving from central Utah all day. Thanks to her new car DVD system, the two kids in the back seat had a great trip and only had to stop for a bathroom break every five minutes or so. To celebrate their arrival, we met up with them at Oregano's for a late dinner. T'liese, Joe, and Evan showed up, as well as Jeff, Megan, and Mayla. It was fun to watch as Charloe finally met these two babies! I doubt it will stop me from sending her pictures via text every time I get to visit them, though. Dinner was delicious for most, but all children present were incredibly tired. That made waiting for a deep-dish pizza to cook almost unbearable! Mayla was so tired that Jeff and Megan ended up getting their dinner to go! Sometimes I found myself sitting alone inside the restaurant while crying babies and running kids got some energy out of their lungs outside (John was home finishing homework so he could play the rest of the weekend). We parted ways shortly after 9:00 PM after leaving our mark on the restaurant patrons forever.

Friday

Charloe had come a day early so she could take her space-loving five year-old to the Children's Science Museum and Planetarium. Corban was so excited for the day to begin that they went without us! I arrived at T'liese's house and got to hold little Evan while she showered to get ready. It is tough sharing babies that are usually all mine when I am around! T'liese, Evan, and I met Charloe's family at the museum in downtown Phoenix, just in time for some lunch from the small cafe on the premises. Megan had gotten us admission for the day and even some passes to the 12:45 PM presentation of an interactive planet show. As the astronomer asked questions to the crowd, we heard Corban answering each one under his breath. What a smart kid! Afterwards, we wandered around the museum, trying to find room to explore among several school classes in attendance. It made for some good people-watching to see awkward teenagers trying to impress other awkward teenagers! Boy, I don't miss those days at all. It was a nice afternoon of learning for the kiddies, and soon we were all on our way back to our houses to rest for a few hours (hey, if they get naps, so should I!). I headed back to Mesa to wait for my man to arrive home from work.

We left for Phoenix around 5:00 PM to arrive at my brother's house just before six. We waved to Megan as she left to pick Jeff up from work just a few miles away, and we walked into the house to find my parents with baby Mayla! They had just arrived from their long trip from central Utah and were gushing over a beautiful baby dressed in a white onesie and a blue skirt. So adorable! Of course, no one could get enough of her. It only took twenty minutes for her to realize she didn't know any of these crazy people and wanted her mama! Charloe and her family soon arrived, and so did Jeff and Megan. We headed to Fuddrucker's to eat some dinner with the whole family! T'liese, Joe, and Evan met us there. The burgers were so yummy, and not a soul who got a milkshake complained! It was fun to be together as a group, but the evening ended early because of some tired kids.

Saturday

It isn't too far from the truth to say our weekend revolved around where we ate! I took Mom to Crackers a few months ago when she was down, and she could hardly wait for Merrill to try it! So we all met at Crackers for lunch on Saturday. I finally got breakfast there and was NOT disappointed. Holy cow, I would go there right now for some pancakes! They were perfect! (At least, I think the thing under all that butter was a pancake...) Then we headed to Costco for an hour so Megan and T'liese could finish shopping for the post-blessing dinner. The folks from Utah don't have a Costco close enough for them to utilize, so we had fun showing them the store and wandering around for nothing. I almost bought South Pacific to complete my Rodgers and Hammerstein Collection, but I put it back at the last minute! After Costco, we headed to the Legacy Golf Resort to swim and lounge at Charloe and Brian's hotel. The kids had fun...maybe a little too much fun, judging by Brynn's swimming suit. We watched and tried to soak up some sun before heading inside to chit chat while Mayla finished her nap. It proved to be too small of a room for sixteen people, so we piled in our cars and drove two miles to T'liese and Joe's home. While the boys played bocce ball outside, the girls watched and waited for the pizza delivery guy to knock. It was a fun day spent with family, and I almost got some much-desired sun.

Sunday

Blessing Day arrived! We met at 1:00 PM for church to start at T'liese and Joe's ward in south Phoenix. Joe did a great job giving his son a blessing, and it was really nice to see all of the men in our family join in the circle. After Sacrament, we snuck into a large, empty room in the basement to bless baby Mayla. Even though she cried through the whole thing, Jeff gave a wonderful blessing to his new daughter. Now it was, once again, time to head for some grub. This time, we went to The Mansion owned by Megan's parents who had politely invited the entire family to their home for the dinner Megan and T'liese had purchased from Costco the day before. Honey Bear's BBQ, hot dogs, potato salad, macaroni salad, chips, fruit, and lots of good beverages kept us busy for a few hours. Dessert may have been the best part, though, and I am sad to announce that I now know about the three delicious cakes at Costco (Chocolate, Red Velvet, Lemon Cooler...I am done for now!) It was fun to have Joe's family there as well. Such beautiful families and even sweeter parents. I enjoyed holding Stephanie's new baby girl, Kate. What a smile that girl has! After dinner, people slowly started to trickle out. Charloe left with her family around 6:00 PM to make it to an awaiting hotel in Page for the night. Breaking up a nine-hour car ride is never a bad idea with two kids. We hated to see them go, simply because it meant the weekend was over. After visiting with the rest of the family for a few more hours, it was time to say goodbyes and head back to our house.

It was such a great weekend, but it flew by too quickly. Now we have our family vacation in Sedona to anticipate! Come on, September!