We made it to the weekend! I hope you all have a fun and/or relaxing weekend planned. Finn and I will be heading to Durham bright and early tomorrow morning to visit my parents. It will be Finn’s first time seeing them since we visited in October and went to the N.C. State Fair. We had to be so careful because Finn seemed to be picking up every bug at preschool and then there was the Omicron surge. My mom was so sick before her transplant that we just couldn’t risk her picking up any germs. Even when I went to visit before surgery, the visits were short and distanced. Finn just wouldn’t have understood.
Needless to say, she’s excited to be seeing Finn for the first time in five months and Finn is pumped to see Meme and P-Paw and sleep in a “show and tell.” (He still thinks this is what hotels are called and I don’t have the heart to correct him. It’s too precious.) I am mostly excited that she’s feeling up for the visit. I think it speaks volumes to her overall progress. I owe you guys an update on her recovery, and I’ll share one after the weekend!
What I have planned for this post is an overall look at our week through photos!
ADJUSTING TO THE TIME CHANGE
My sweet boy already loves his sleep and it’s not uncommon for him to sleep until 7:30-8a most days. Well, the time change threw him for a loop when it came to wake ups. The funny thing is that normal bedtime has been a breeze (8-8:30p) but earlier this week I was having to wake him up at 9a! I’m not complaining one bit and happy to have a good sleeper.
DOGGIE UPDATES
On the subject of sleep, one of Finn’s bedtime routines is to tell both of the dogs goodnight and give them a kiss. He also can’t fall asleep without the dogs in the room with him.
Zoey is generally loving life and has lost a bit of weight (was needed!) since I’ve been walking extra due to my back injury. I worry about her hips and have started seeing her slow down a bit and sometimes she has trouble with stairs and is slow to get up from the floor. Let me know if y’all have any joint supplements you love for older dogs. I can’t believe she’s seven. She’s still totally crazy, energetic and runs around in backyard but I want to do whatever I can to help her.
Benji is the definition of a Stage 5 Clinger and I’m pretty sure that if I had him certified as a service or emotional support dog where he could go with me anywhere, he’d be in heaven. He is my shadow and follows me everywhere. The sweetest thing is that when Finn is gone with his dad, Benji will get Finn’s things and bring them to me.
My best dog news is that my parents’ golden Sam turned 15 on Saint Patrick’s Day! They adopted him and his sister when they were seven. Missy passed away from cancer in 2018 but Sam has somehow made it to 15, which is old for any dog…especially a golden. He is so gentle and sweet and has been such a blessing to my parents through my mom’s illness. He’s become the mascot of the Marriott Residence Inn in Durham and the staff even got donuts in his honor on his birthday.
EVENING OUT AT OPTIMIST HALL
I visited Optimist Hall on Wednesday evening for dinner and drinks. It was my first time there since before the pandemic. It’s a food hall with fun food stalls, bars, restaurants and retail shops and I love it! I will definitely be visiting much more frequently as the days get longer and the weather warmer!
Our evening started with drinks and guac at El Thrifty and then moved to dinner at Botiwalla. El Thrifty is a Mexican cantina style hangout that serves food and drinks but also has a fun gaming area. They have things like air hockey, shuffleboard, a golf simulator, mini duck pin and more. It was my first time there and I would definitely go back, especially on a nice day where you can also enjoy the outdoor area. The service was super welcoming and friendly (our guac was comped after we said we were only having drinks).
Botiwalla is an Indian Street Food restaurant from the team at Chai Pani in Asheville (which is one of my favorite Indian restaurants ever). I had been wanting to try it out. The overall vibe was super casual. You order at the counter and they bring your food to your table. Most of the menu items are finger foods, fried, sandwiches/rolls, etc.
We shared…
- Paneer Tikka Roll – Paneer (Indian farmer’s cheese) marinated in yogurt, lime juice, Kashmiri chili paste, and north Indian spices, chargrilled with onions and bell peppers. Wrapped in hot-buttered naan with Desi slaw, cilantro, and chutney. Served with raita.
- Butter Chicken – Boneless chicken in an over the top tomato cream-butter sauce with jaggery, roasted garam masala, and aromatics. Served with rice and veg raita.
- Gobi 65 – a fried cauliflower snack made with yogurt, spices and herbs.
The *we* is a (new) someone that I am dating and definitely looking forward to sharing more with y’all when it’s the right time.
THIS WEEK’S WORKOUTS!
I had a solid week of workouts! Two 4.5 mile runs (one pushing a jogging stroller…oomph), two strength workouts at the gym and a couple of walks. I am just getting back to running after five weeks of no running due to my back injury. It feels so freaking good.
I could have totally gone either way on walking v. running today and asked Finn if he wanted to walk the doggies or ride in the stroller while mommy ran. Well, he chose the run and I’ll give it to him…he was a great cheerleader and told me I was doing a great job and was a strong mommy. I haven’t pushed the jogging stroller in MONTHS! Definitely have to walk up steep hills with how big Finn is now! It was a tough workout but I felt awesome after.
FRIDAY FUNDAY WITH FINN
I have Finn with me this weekend and I got to enjoy and extended weekend with him since his nanny was on vacation this week. We had a “Finn and Mommy” Friday funday. It started with swim lessons and a trip to the pet store to pick up dog food. He loves going to the pet store to see the fish and whatever else they happen to have. We also got some new bones for the dogs and they’ve been going crazy for them all day. My dogs have always loved these hollowed out femur bones and they last forever and ever. Great for strong chewers.
I promised him a stop by the bakery so we went to Villani’s. Finn chose macarons and I got a slice of lemon cheesecake that I will be digging into for dessert once I publish this post. Villani’s has the best cheesecake in Charlotte.
Our day date ended with a stop into Home Depot where we got some hanging plants for the side porch and scoped out the indoor houseplants and planters. I want to move my fern to a bigger planter and get another big indoor houseplant. I’m leaning fiddle leaf fig and found one I loved today but didn’t pull the trigger. They are an investment when you factor in a nice planter too!
While we were at Home Depot I had a moment where I thought to myself that it’s a right of passage to get dragged to Home Depot with your parents. I have many, many memories of weekend Home Depot/Lowes trips with my parents growing up.
And that’s all for me! Finn is down for the night so it’s cheesecake and TV time! 🙂
QUESTIONS
How did you and your kiddos do with the time change?
What kind of personality do your dogs have?
Do you like Indian food?
What’s something your parents always “dragged you along” for?
