Scenes from the Weekend: Volume 3

Hey, we're on volume 3!  This must mean this is a real thing now, right?

This picture is actually from during the week but I had to share.  So see the amount of sheet that is showing on the left?  That tiny bit, from the left edge towards the middle?  See where the comforter is open to?  That's the typical amount of space I get in the bed at night.  Not because of Marek (he's usually on the couch), but because of Claudius.  He scoots right up while I'm getting ready, makes himself comfortable, and is almost impossible to move once he's settled in.  Ridiculousness!

On Friday I finally made popovers.  A couple weekends ago we had gone into Bed Bath & Beyond for some spice jars (gift for a friend) and as we were browsing, I saw the popover pan.  We ended up buying it and I finally used it.  I used my old recipe from home ec class and added cheddar cheese and lots of fresh thyme.  They were so good!  Marek had never had popovers before - he ate three in one sitting.  I ended up making another batch that night for our trip on Saturday.  

This Saturday is my least favorite day of the year.  It is the anniversary of my grandfather's death (first grandparent to die), and it is always a hard day for me.  I usually take the day off from work and spend most of the day just sleeping...and crying. :(  I realize this probably sounds a tad dramatic, but I was very, very close with my grandfather and I still miss him after all this time.   This year was going to be the same, but we decided to get out of the house instead.

So on Saturday we got up nice and early and dropped Claudius at daycare.  I went to Pure Barre class over in Seattle and then we headed down to Mt. Rainier to check out some (AMAZING!!!!!!! (or so I've been told)) mountaineering boots for Marek's next big trip.  Most of the drive is highway and then this really awful stretch on a local "highway" that has lights every quarter mile...and lights that always seem to be red.

Once you're off that stretch though, it becomes a lot more rural and is very pretty.  Driving through this tree-lined street has always been one of my favorite parts of the drive.

After we got the boots, we headed back and stopped at a scenic lookout to get some pictures of the mountain.  We can see it from where we live (about 80 miles away), but it never fails to impress.  It's just beautiful!

One good thing about the red-light-filled stretch of "highway" is that there is a Popeye's on it, so we pulled in and got some.  Marek had never had any before but it turns out he doesn't like it because it is too crispy - which is exactly why I prefer Popeye's to KFC. :)

It was a really lazy Saturday - we hit up the mall on our way back and then went home a took a nap.  When we woke up, we still had a couple hours before we had to pick up Claudius, so we went and got dinner at a restaurant nearby that we like.  It's actually inside of a movie theatre, but has really delicious food.  We practiced taking some duckface selfies too.  Exciting night!

When we picked up Claudius, we also got him these little Care Bear toys that PetSmart was selling.  Some of the proceeds (only 10%, wish it were more!) go to benefit homeless pets, so I used it as a good excuse to get a bunch.  We got one of each bear except for Sleeping Bear or whatever his name is (they were all sold out).  Claudius took turns "kill shaking" each one and now the floor is littered with colorful bears.  Two of the bears already have holes in them (looks like they came home from the store that way) so are currently awaiting surgery!

On Sunday morning Marek got up nice and early and went for a hike.  Claudius and I took advantage of no early morning Pure Barre class and slept in really late!

After doing some housework and going on a nice long walk, we were on the couch, waiting for Marek to come home and refusing to read any more of Anna Karenina.  Practiced taking a serious face picture/selfie some more.  Check out my new glasses!  Got them about a month ago and I love them.  I wear them all the time!  They are black frames but the inside of the frames is this pretty emerald green.

I went to Pure Barre class in the afternoon and then we just hung around and ate dinner.  Claudius played with his new toy, which has treats inside and he has to figure out how to get them out.  It kept him entertained for a long, long time.  It's a great toy!  (Thanks, Bark Box!)

I dug up my old iPod Mini this weekend because I had an itch to listen to Kelly Clarkson's rendition of "Up to the Mountain", and this was the only iPod I have it on.  This iPod is so old - about 9 years I think - and still works great.  It hasn't been updated in about three years though because of iTunes silly synching requirement, so it's almost like a little time capsule of my music tastes at that time.

We ended the night watching the Pro Bowl and taking some more selfies...feeling goofy!  After the Pro Bowl I was going to go to bed but we started our musicals project (more on that later) and ended up watching "The Phantom of the Opera" before bed.  All in all, another great weekend! :)