Coi ponds, Batmans and power outages

Wow, so I've been running behind on things all week. The fact that it's Thursday and I'm just now blogging the week end is a pretty good example of that.

On Friday, Roberto found out where our next station may very possibly be. Nothing is certain with the military until it's certain, however, and even then that means nothing until we're there (should be early spring). Nonetheless, it threw a wrench in my day. Not much a sweet husband who gets home early, a fruity drink and good flick can't fix, though.

Saturday we drove a friend of Roberto's to the airport and, while we were in the area, tried to catch a showing of Batman III. But when you show up to buy tickets 15 minutes late on a Saturday afternoon to a popular movie that came out less than two weeks ago, there's not going to be any good seats left (who knew). Which made me soooooo sadddd (remember how I hate packed movie theaters???). So we took the snacks we grabbed at Walmart for the movie (shh) and found a gorgeous little park in downtown Grapevine.

We didn't know about it until we stumbled upon it (21st century definition of stumbling = searching in the Maps app). But I love that we found it. Because I'm always looking for hidden gems just around the corner. I rarely find them, but I always believe they're there----it's just a treasure hunt, and the key is not to settle. For example, we almost awkwardly ate our lunch on a bench that sat about 30ft from a downtown curb----if it wasn't for my belief that there was something waiting for us nearby that was perfect.

We traded a bum hotspot for shaded cobblestone walkways, trail bridges, sunny courtyards and ponds teaming with coi. We ate our snacks under a canopy of trees at the peak of a miniature hill overlooking a nice area of the park surrounding a water fountain. It was like the park was made just for us.

As if I wasn't already as happy as a kid in a candy shop, Roberto pushed me on the swings and bought me froyo. Yeeaaaaap, it was my kinda Saturday afternoon.

Sunday we grabbed some snacks at Whole Foods after church before heading to the first matinee (empty!) showing of Batman III. And can I JUST SAY that Katie Holmes in the first Batman was a very confused look, tilt-of-the-head "seriously?" Maggie Gylenhaal in Batman II was an "I don't know how this happened, but I don't know where to begin." But when Anne Hathaway appeared on the screen, I thought insanity had turned to torture. Oh NO, I have to put up with THIS chick for the next two and a half hours?! But she actually fit her role quite well. I will say, though, that I'm not amused by the glamorization of shootings and bombings throughout the entire movie. Bad guy is featured as an ultimate bad-ass, shoots up a place, camera pans to close-ups of people in horror at his mercy, flashes to news casts and talk shows revolving solely around him. Even if the majority of human beings weren't as impressionable as children, they'd do a lot less for that kind of attention. Couldn't really get passed my overwhelming dislike of Hollywood and the general stupidity of society to be impressed with that movie. 

Annnnd Roberto longs for the day of simple answers when he asks me what I thought of a movie on the way out to the car.

Afterwards we went to Sweet Tomatoes!! Courtesy of a gift card I had received in the mail the day before from a sweet friend who obviously knows me well. Cause I love me some Sweet Tomatoes. 

Later that evening we woke up from a nap to orange light shining through our blinds and the sound of tornado sirens. We frantically began emptying the stairwell underneath the stairs when we lost power...

The storm passed quickly, but the house was dark and HOT for the next 28 hours. Night time was miserable but during the day we used the excuse to do some of our fave things. Our time was spent hopping between restaurants, shops and bookstores in an effort to avoid being at home, where our only option was to lay still. We for sure made the best of it though!

Thank God for the books, AC and the free wifi of B&N!

Don't you hate when the power goes out?

We lovvve Buca di Beppo. Their veggie pizza, which is thin crust, practically no cheese, chunky sauce, fresh veggies and breaded eggplant, is officially my FAVE. By the way, that pizza made at least four amazing meals.

Yea know, life treats me pretty good.

Gyros, recaps, and creepers

I have trouble hating Mondays. Yes, I couldn't fall asleep last night until 1am because Roberto and I ritually annihilate any sleep routine we may have developed by the time Friday night rolls around. Yes, I had to wake up at 4:50am because it was a weekday. And yes, I've already driven two hours, procrastinated the gym, fought (well, fighting) the urge to take a nap, have no idea what I'm making for dinner, and still have errands to run in a 130* car whose AC is flirting very intimately with me wanting to punch it in its face. Ya know, Monday stuff. But I'm realizing that if you play your weekend right, it's all ok.

Ahh Monday.

Until recently, I've spent the majority of every weekend trying to "get ahead"... Come to think of it, I guess that's how I've always kinda been. Editing, replying to emails, improving the website, finally cleaning the tile in the shower which had been staring holes into my head all week----you name it. But when Roberto started working 60+ hour workweeks, I let his off-time become a little more sacred----without realizing how much I would benefit. By the time Sunday night rolls around, I am ready to take on the world. I'm about to do a face-plant on the keyboard, but mentally, I'm ready to take on the world.

Friday night, we saw the Hunger Games.
Correction: Friday night, we finally saw the Hunger Games.
The three month delay was for a few of reasons:
--I don't like big, crowded movie theaters. The more popular the movie, the more people, the more likely I am to avoid it. The recent Colorado shooting has nothing to do with it----though I believe it's lead Roberto to share this preference.
--Not to be an annoying contrarian, but I usually assume a movie that the general populous finds fascinating to be a mind-vegetating waste of time. Unless it sounds like something we BOTH could find remotely interesting, which in that case it's a goldmine. Which is why we saw the Hunger Games.
--Once a movie hits "the cheapseats" as my family calls them, it's $2 for an evening showing in a cute little theater. You know, the ones with checkered tile floors and old red carpet that smells like 30 years of overpriced popcorn. Who can beat it? No one. No one can beat it.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, my fave part of the movie had to be when the guy said "I watched you walk home every day after school"----and the word CREEPER resounded in whispers throughout the theater. Made me smile...

Saturday evening was spent driving around the metroplex in search for gyros. We had a mutual craving; I was even prepared to temporarily abandon my vegetarianism (I later paid for this with a headache). Finally we found a place that didn't close at 6pm, wasn't a gross fast food restaurant that embodied why health inspections exist, and would allow you to step out of your car without being bum rushed by panhandlers because you were in the ghetto. We had read that it was a Mediterranean grill, however it took the entire customer experience + wondering aloud why it tasted nothing like any Greek food we've had before + a couple of hours to slowly realize that what we assumed to be Greek was actually more generally Middle Eastern (specifically Arab, I believe). Annnnd then we accepted the prize for being culturally-rounded geniuses. All in all, we found gyros that weren't handed to you in a bag dripping with grease, landed free parking downtown on a Saturday night, and tried something entirely new = a fun and exciting success. :)

Sunday was spent being bums, skyping my parents, and watching some of the oldest, oddest movies that Netflix has to offer. But, what else is new.

I think I'm going to use every Monday to recap the weekend. It guarantees something for me to write about. And anyways we always find something to do worth recapping... :)