.Flowers and Romance.

G surprised me with an outdoor dinner date this weekend.  We know that little makes me more happy than good conversation outside.  We spent hours talking, laughing, people watching, and enjoying both our meals so much that we had to switch halfway through just to make it fair.  

Getting to throw on a little something special and smiling your way through a great meal because you're having the best time every now and again... well... it makes it okay when life does gets in the way and it can't always be flowers and romance.  But the flowers and romance part is always welcome too.

.There are few better ways...

There are few better ways to spend an evening than getting all dressed up in an electric blue dress, high suede and studded heels, a messy updo, and a little dramatic eye makeup for a baby-less date in a brick-exposed and industrial-styled restaurant, having thought-provoking dinner conversation with your husband, and enjoying the ridiculously mild winter while walking arm in arm downtown...

...except maybe hours later when the baby is picked up, and the family is all in their night clothes, and you continue talking over chocolate icecream in bed.

.Just the Girls.

Stares from patrons aside, this new kind of girls night… with baby dates included… is a whole new level of fun.   Speaking of fun, I'm talking about things I have to be thankful for over at Pretty and Fun today.  Come on over! 

* Pictures borrowed from Lori- {thank you!}

.Dylan Loves Brunch, and Small Restaurants, and Crowded Cafes.

... because it means that much more lovin' on she'll get to start off her day, especially in a confined space where she can maximize on the attention from others.  She doesn't discriminate... waitresses and strangers included.  My girl just loves love.

Thanksgiving week is here.  Let the holiday celebrations, short work weeks, and breaks from school commence!  Also, today I'm talking about the power of writing on Sarah's blog.  Stop by, won't you?

.Roswell.

This weekend we went to visit my old college friend, Alexandria, and her family .  Sadly due to distance, I hadn't seen her since I was in her wedding over two years ago.  Happily though, her and her husband recently moved much closer to us and we were able to start where we left off.  Since then we've both had little girls, so it was doubly fun as they got to meet. 

Alexandria took us to the ever-so adorable historic Roswell district, where we had lunch at the Salt Factory and walked around in the fall air to explore the little shops.  If you were to ask my thoughts about the restaurant this weekend, I would have said that the service and setting was wonderful.  Three bouts of food poisoning later, I would not.  The last few days have been miserable.  Never again.

Recent sickness aside, Willow and Dylan couldn't have been any better and had several admirers everywhere we went.  Finishing the day off with homemade dinner and baby play all evening was just icing on the decadent cake.  We can't wait for another visit very soon.

.Glorious Afternoon.

Before our departure from our babymoon, we had only a few more things to cross off our to-do list.  We hit Patriot Point on our way to Folly Beach and although we didn't have time to take the tour we were able to see the USS Yorktown, and replicas of a Cold War submarine and Vietnam Support Base.  We then headed to the expansive and very windy Folly Beach where we surveyed the pier and took the walk to the historic Morris Island Lighthouse.  In fact, it was so gusty I had to change outfits in the car in order to maintain any decency while sightseeing! 

The best part of our outing was lunch at Lost Dog Café.  We had the most enjoyable eating experience all weekend here because of the charming character.  The service made you feel like you had been a regular for years and the furnishings made you smile, especially if you're a dog person like G and I are.  There were pictures of pups everywhere surrounded by quotes like, “Happiness is being one of the gang.”  The diverse menu options was just the cherry on top of the cake.  The most interesting quote posted there said, “Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know jealousy or evil or discontent. To sit with a dog on a beach on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden where doing nothing was not boring, it was peace.”  Ah dog lovers after my own heart.

Hopefully my Charleston chronicles the last several posts (1,2,3, 4, & 5) has provided a vibrant picture of the remarkable place and memories we made.  I can't wait until our next adventure.

.Make Life Sweet.

If you've been reading this blog, you know I can take or leave (usually leave) sweets.  That was... until this pregnancy.  Baby must be her father's daughter because the past seven months sweets has been the hardest craving to control.  Charleston had several dessert shoppes, which was good for baby and G but bad for me.  I heard from several people that we could not miss out on Kaminsky's Most Excellent Café and they were obviously right because every time we passed it on Market Street the line was out the door.  By the end of our first night nothing sounded better than taking their delectables to-go, and enjoying it in the comfort of our beautiful b&b.

On Saturday for G's birthday dessert I wanted to do something a little different than past years and surprised him by "stumbling" upon Cupcake while we were biking on King Street.  Of course, it was totally intentional and we ordered a dozen cupcakes consisting mostly of his favorite thing in the world: chocolate.  Chocolate, Smores, Vanilla, Black Bottom, and Red Velvet to name a few; I think even he got intimidated by the sugary goodness awaiting him.  It sure didn't stop him from having another one as his breakfast the next morning though.



* Are you out of the loop?

Catch up here, here, here, and here!

.Charleston Dinners.

Friday night we were so exhausted from the day's activities that we were craving a casual dinner as we had specific self-indulgent dessert plans in mind. All our Italian recommendations didn’t feel right for our mood and a friend suggested The Noisy Oyster, so we tried the seafood locale off Market Street. It was definitely more tourist-centered, but we had a good view of the town preparing for their evening excursions and it was walking distance to our dessert venue.

Saturday night we had set aside to celebrate G’s birthday and his only request was that we eat at a rooftop restaurant in order to be able to take in the panoramic of the town during table talk. Surprisingly there were a few to choose from, so we settled on the Pavilion Rooftop right off the coast. The sweeping views were romantic, the food was beyond, and the ambiance was laidback, yet decadent. Luckily, the service was also efficient, so we were able to take advantage of the setting sun and have a sweet walk hand-in-hand in Waterfront Park.

* Charleston posts one, two, and three here.

.Happy Nights.

Go girl, seek happy nights to happy days.

.William Shakespeare.

Last Saturday night I had a delightful dinner with my friends Alicia and Mary.  It had been too long since we last caught up and shared our thoughts on life, love, and adult matters. Baby Tyler must have been in a mood though because I wanted the strangest things for dinner!  In my defense, while not particularly nutritious... it all sounded incredibly appetizing... so why not live a little?  I'm not ashamed. 

Now stop judging me. I already couldn't face G with a straight face when I got home.  Go enjoy your weekends!  My spring break has started and while that still consists of work, without class that's half the battle gone.  We have a little adventure planned for next weekend {G's birthday weekend!} so I look forward to using the next few days to catch up on life.

.Royal Treatment.

Tiffany and Grant's rehearsal lunch took place in a romantic, french restaurant located in the historic Pike Place Market called Maximilien.  The staff was charming and gave the meal authenticity, and we enjoyed it with a spectacular view of the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.  The weather was frigid but we were determined to think warm thoughts in our dresses, which turned out to be quite easy with the several moving toasts from family and friends that took place as we waited for our magnifique Creme Brulee.

*Read about the rest of our Northwest weekend here and here.

.Girl's Day.

After a frantic week, a girl's day was beyond necessary.  Ashley, Lori, and I spent our sunny Saturday afternoon in Atlanta shopping at Scott's Antique Market and Atlantic Station.  Browsing for hours through vintage items gave me plenty of inspiration for housing decor and people-watching was just as engrossing.  Poor Ashley had to put up with the two pregos who had to eat+use the restroom every hour on the hour, so a late lunch at Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro was a relaxing and tasty reprieve. 

Of course, I wasn't complaining too much about my swollen feet when I got to bring my treasures home to revel in my day's successes.

* 22 1/2 week bump

.Night on the Town.

G surprised me Friday night with plans for a night on the town... just us two.  I was thrilled, as we have been strictly hibernating since the temperature dropped and the addition of school work to my duties.  We ate here, which was a nice change of pace from our usual time-efficient meals and dinner was full of quality conversation that G and I hadn't been able to share for quite some time with our multi-tasking schedules.  In other words, the entire evening was just what I needed.

*

* My 19 week bump

.Fondue Fun.

My mother is quite the foodie.  She likes what she likes and she can probably make what she likes better than any restaurant around.  While G and I enjoy the fruits of our labor, many times we are much  too  lazy uninspired to come home after a long day's work to prepare a suitable entree.  Suffice it to say, it took convincing to get my mom to agree to experience this amazing place.  G and I had only been once before years ago, but distinctly remembered our bellies thanking us afterwards.  We kept it simple this time with only the cheese and chocolate platters... but my... was it still oh so decadent.