Saturday, March 31, 2012

Land of Candy

I love Lafayette, California.  A quaint little area with nice restaurants, little shops, and great places to hike.  Today, after a went to be muscular-and-bone-adjusted by Dr Stacy, I popped in Powell's Sweet Shoppe.  Love it!

I am intelligent enough to know treats are much more expensive here- speciality shops like this, but who can resist!?  Fun, fun, fun!

Where Darien began today:
Pez in all shapes and sizes
Every flavor of Jelly Belly
Old fashioned candy bars (and by old I mean well before I was born as well as the 70's and 80's)
Gelato
Pop rocks, candy rings, and other fun "candy toyz"
Mints, mints and more mints
Every gummy known to man
Gourmet chocolate
Candy that oozes stuff (?)

Ok, I did not buy all of that- of course not.
But fun to look. And pretend I am Veruca Salt (better her than Augustus Gloop).

And the movies playing, music blaring and excited kids everywhere, the environment is addicting. Yep.

Well, I had fun.  The fun I had was worth the $20 I spent. 
Did I mention they have Scottie dog shaped licorice? :)

I heart Powell's Sweet Shoppe!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Do You Speak Italian?

Soooo sleepy.... even after 8-9 hours of (kinda decent) sleep, I am still whipped. Stress takes it out of ya. But, after many long work weeks, I welcome some relaxing weekend time every week.

After Mr. Big so wonderfully showed up with some gourmet cupcakes and pretty blooming tulips, we went out to try a new place for dinner (thanks for the recommendation Vanessa!)- Al Dente on Main Street (previously Jean-Louise). Yum!

Cozy booths and nice servers to start.
Fresh bread with whole garlic cloves & balsamic, Ice Blue martinis and tuna carpaccio to begin the meal- all tasty- beyond our expectations.
Next up- Chicken pesto fettuccini for him & standard spaghetti & meatballs for me. Shared a little. Ate alot.
No room for dessert- way too full!

And.... meals and cocktails for under $100 including tip is pretty good these days. Gotta love that.

Yep, sleepy today, but nice, relaxing time last night helped. And new Italian joint I will definitely recommend and visit again.
I guess I should hit the gym before I get too cozy on the couch today.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Weekend Wind Down

Pretty low-key weekend in California... let's see...

Friday night.... DVR catch-up. Still in love with "The Good Wife", "The Big Bang Theory", "Cougar Town" and I think I kinda like the new "GCB". Rumor has it... it really stands for "Good Christian Bitches", but they are saying "Belles". Huh.

Saturday... sleep in (nice), gym, and a little fun out for St Patrick's Day. Nothing major- just a chance to get out on the town for some grub.

Sunday... sleep in (again), gym (yes, again), and then the fun of a pedicure and a Target run (I really do find this "fun"). Ending with some steak on the grill and more DVR.

Not bad at all. A little disappointment- Target no longer carries Senseo coffee pods. Bummer. My Senseo is working again, but the pods are missing. Amazon.com? Will give it a try. Huh.

More good news. Let's focus on the good news:
Republic of Cake- cupcake shop in Orinda. Fun. Yum. Give it a try.
Table 24 for dinner in Orinda. Also yum. Try too.
House is clean. Errands are run. Also make for a relaxing weekend.

Back to work tomorrow? You bet. Oh well.

Friday, March 9, 2012

What is Exciting in March?

February was an excellent month and I am really looking forward to April. Cannot say there is much very exciting about March.

A trip to wine country
A few good dinners out
Visits to Park City for relaxation
Celebrating St Patrick's Day
A trip to the spa

Ya, I guess that is some good "stuff".... but most of that, aside from St Patty's Day of course, happens every month. I see a trend of my high-maintenance behaviors (wine, food, travel, massage)... I know... I know. But as I always say- work hard and play hard too. That is for sure. I do work alot and I truly believe I "need" the spa and wine.

I am getting spoiled when all my vacations fall together? Sundance in February, Florida in March and my birthday cruise in April? I guess so. Well, after those months, summer will be here and I will be thrilled. Nice weather. New clothes. Time at the pool. More trips to wine country.

Ok, March does not seem so bad now. I will stop being a whiner. Stop taking a good life for granted, right, Darien.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Fabulous Weekends Like This...

Ahhhh... sitting on the couch, with Casey cuddling, doors open with 65 degree spring breezes drifting in, and DVR'd "Revenge" on the TV. These are the weekends I adore.

Started on Friday night after a good, long work week.
Healthy dinner of steak & fruit salad and soup at Tender Greens followed by the movie "The Vow" with my friend/neighbor Jennifer.
In my own comfy bed by 10:30PM.

Saturday continues with sleeping-in (does 7:30AM count as sleeping in?) and coffee from my favorite press, while I talk with a cute Mr Big on the phone for a bit.
Hanging out, catching up on more DVR, doing "stuff" around the house, and relaxing.
Hitting the gym, grocery store and a haircut (I love having my hair washed!)

Home tonight... more plans of nothing, but DVR and relaxation.

Sunday brings another wine road event in wine country- Healdsburg to be exact. Jennifer, again, leads the way in her Mustang and brings us to new wineries to find our new favorites. Love, love, love wine country.

And I love these weekends. After working hard all week, these are the times I relish. Some sleep. Some fun. Some plans. Some relaxation. Makes for a ton of enjoyment in the Bay area.
Back to "Revenge"...