home again, home again, jiggity-jig

We're back from our long weekend in Springfield. It was a good weekend, all-in-all! We had a big, crazy dinner with my whole family on Saturday evening at TGIFriday's. Love their fried green beans with wasabi ranch! I also enjoyed my mojito. :)

Sunday morning, my solo went really well at both services, and the music director and I went to Panera between services and had a nice time chatting and enjoying a pastry. I was feeling really attractive in my new size 8 black slacks and size small clingy, flattering top - it's a beautiful aqua-teal sort of color. I really can't wrap my brain around the fact that I can wear size 8 pants and jeans, but it's true!

Sunday afternoon, Brian and I went to the mall together while my Dad watched Nick, and we had a really nice time just walking around. And as usual, I got some absolutely killer bargains. I got this really thick, heavy, chunky cable-knit cardigan at Steve & Barry's, where everything is $8.98. It'll definitely keep me warm this winter, and it's grey, so it'll go with everything. At JCPenney, through the combination of a sale and two coupons, I got a $36 pair of jeans for a mere $7. At Payless, through sales and BOGO, I got myself a pair of silver ballet flats and Nick a pair of canvas slip-ons for a total of $14 (full retail would have been $38). At Bath & Body Works, I bought three hand-soaps and got two free, and at Godiva, we got some delicious truffles for half-off! I'm still riding the high from all this incredible cheapness. :)

We were going to go out for a fancy dinner last night, but when we were at the mall, we spotted this new restaurant in the food-court there called Cravin' Crepes. We were intrigued, so we decided to radically change our plans and just have dinner at the mall! We shared a savory crepe (they're plenty big for two) that had ham, apple slices, cheddar cheese, and dijon mustard - yummy! Then, we went back for a dessert crepe with Nutella, bananas, and strawberries and shared that one, too! A really yummy, unique dinner for a total of $12. We even decided to get one with caramel sauce, apples, and walnuts to take home for Dad and Nick, and they loved it! It's really cool, too, because you get to watch them make your crepe after you order it. I'm a huge fan, and I just hope that the place makes it in our mall. It's only been open for 3 weeks.

After that, we were so exhausted that we just spent the rest of the evening at Dad's, chilling out, watching TV, and looking through old photo albums. This morning, Brian had an appointment with a neurosurgeon in Springfield about his neck (he may need surgery, but needs more tests first), and then we headed home.

I'm getting caught up on email, etc., and waiting for the cable guy to come and install our high-speed Internet! I really need to work out this evening, as I've skipped three days now, but right now, I'm just so tired that it's the last thing I want to do. Must soldier through!