Weekend happenings and getting older

Lo's Birthday week (yes week...there is no way you can get everything done in a day anymore) is underway, and this is what we have been up to...

Friday night we went out with a couple of friends Rebecca and Michelle to a fantastic little joint called Comet Cafe. It's a half bar/half diner atmosphere and a favorite spot for Lo and I to frequent. Lo had the veggie gyro and I had the breaded chicken with buttermilk taters and ginger broccoli. Michelle had the seared tuna sandwich and Rebecca enjoyed the cheesy beef roast sandwich. If you get a chance to go, I would recommend the mac and cheese.

Saturday we spent the morning in bed. Before you go thinking that we stayed out too late, the truth is that I was not wanting to turn the heat on and the air outside of bed seemed threatening. So, it was nice and warm just hanging out under the covers. When we finally decided that we can't waste much more of our morning, and that the cold would not be the end of us, we got up and went to the farmer's market (bought a TON of squash from a funny little farm that offers a "blue light special" at the end of every summer -- fill up a blue bag and pay only $8. Our bag was almost splitting at the seams!) We then made our way up to Mequon to pick some apples and some pumpkins. After about 5 minutes into picking apples, it dawned on us that we forgot our camera...so, no pix. Sorry. We promise to be better at taking our camera with us in the future. (!!!)

Saturday evening, we made our way over to Izumi's and ordered some sushi. Typically, I do the ordering and call it in and we pick it up. Tonight, however, we decided to just go in and order and wait for it. It was close to 7 pm, so parking was limited. I told Lo to just hop out and order, and I would drive around and find a spot and then meet her in the restaurant. I drove around the block all of once and landed a sweet spot just around the corner. I walk in and see Lori's mouth drop open. She turns to me and says "I don't know what I just did?" The woman rang up everything I ordered, and it seemed a bit higher than normal. So I asked what she ordered. Spicy tuna, eel, the sashimi appetizer...everything seemed to be right. Then she proceeded to tell me that she ordered 2 of most things. Well that would explain it! Needless to say, there was no fear of going hungry that night. There was PLENTY of sushi to go around.

Sunday we decided to do healthy brunch at home and then make salmon for dinner. Lo (silly Lo!) had scheduled her annual doctor's appointment for Monday morning; so, she was looking forward to a fast for her cholesterol screening. The whole idea behind eating healthy on Sunday was that we would eat something not so bad so maybe the test would be not so bad as well. Brunch included fantastic "field meat" sausages and eggs with spinach and almond "cheddar style" cheese. As we were cooking, I declared that if we need to become vegan for health reasons, I would do it. Lo smirked. We ended up deciding that it might be a good thing to go a month as vegetarians because we are not sure that vegan is right for us completely. And if I can quickly comment on almond "cheddar style" cheese, it shreds wonderfully and melts great just like the package says. The one thing that the package does not address is the lack of cheddar style cheese flavor. In with the spinach and eggs there just did not seem to be a nice cheddar aroma or flavor. What I did like was that there was no noticeable "fake cheese" flavor or texture which is sometimes the case with non-dairy cheese. Regardless, this was our first adventure using almond cheese, and probably will not be our last.

Now...where was I? Oh yes, brunch. And then after brunch there was the Sunday Paper Reading. This is where Lo and I go through the Sunday paper and read the 4 sections that we like (Entree, Cue, Metro, Comics, and sometimes the Real Estate section just to see what houses are selling for in our area...). We also go through some of the advertisements that clutter the paper. This time it was Boston Store. And this time it was announcing that today is the last day for Capacity Days. Lo has been secretly needing some retail therapy, but with the new car and other financial crunches, the traditional "Take Lo Shopping for Her Birthday" seemed bleak. Until we decided that maybe we could just go and spend the rainy afternoon there. You know...just to look. :) So, we went and looked. She found some nice basic jackets and a couple of shirts for work which will replace those that have now been discarded from the closet and are waiting to be taken to Goodwill.

The birthday week continues tonight with a fantastic meal that we will discuss at a later date. For now...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LO!