lazy week and weekend!

So i know what you're thinking: Where has Julia been??? Maybe you aren't thinking that But it makes me feel better that some people might have missed me!! Anyway, We have been doing very little. I've really just been doing so little that i haven't had anything to blog about!! This week we hosted our friends Amber and Derek for a night while they went to DC. It was really nice to see them, but we wish we had more time together! After that things calmed WAY down and we haven't done much at ALL!! I've just been playing video games and chilling out most days!

This weekend we celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary. It was actually Wednesday, but we decided to go out on Saturday since Audie wouldn't have work and stuff that day. We were really celebrating Annifestabuel (rhymes with fuel) because we had been dating 4 years on Thursday too. And we have a kind of accidental tradition of going out for a nice dinner one year and then just getting each other gifts the next year, and i love years that we don't get gifts 'cause i'm the WORST gift giver ever!!! Anyway - So saturday we did a lot of errands- craft store to buy supplies for my next few projects (i'm really excited about these things, but i'm not going to ruin the surprise!) target to get a few things, the post office (only to figure out that it was closed at noon! not cool!) and then to the grocery store.

And taking a page out of Jessica's book I went to a new grocery store. Well new to me, because we have always shopped at food Lion, but a Lowe's food is right down the street from our new place. and while i love food lion, they don't have a great coupon policy (they take them and they give you plenty, but that's about it) I had been meaning to try out Lowe's food and it was on our way home from the post office, so we went in to do our weekly shopping. I'm pretty sure that lowe's food doesn't exist everywhere because i've only seen them in NC, but it is a LOT like publix, because it has plenty of organic stuff and has a pretty extensive meat area and good selection. It was organized a little different so it took us a while to find what we needed/wanted, but i think that it makes more sense the way they had it too. Audie hated the fact that it was really crowded, but it was a saturday at 2 pm, as well as a holiday weekend, and they were restocking some of the areas all of which could be cured by not going at a peak time or on a holiday weekend. So when i got to the register I asked about their coupon policy. they double coupons automatically up to 99 cents, they take competitor's coupons, and they have a value card program that gives you money back pretty frequently, and when you get to 5 dollars it automatically gives you a five dollar off coupon of any purchase. (we earned 75 cents towards our reward cash on a 35 dollar grocery bill and saved 4.75 with sales and coupons. not jessica worthy, but it wasn't too bad.) Another thing that they do, but not all grocery stores do is that if something is marked by one get one free or whatever they give you the sale price no matter how many you buy. I appreciate that a lot because we don't have a lot of cabinet space for food, so we can't really buy four things of pasta or whatever. I'm going to sign up to get emailed deals from them too, so that will help us save money some too!

OK sorry for the rabbit trail about grocery shopping, but anytime you can save some money it's a good thing in my mine!! Audie and I then went out to eat at a wonderful restaurant in Raleigh called Michael Deans! It was SO good!!! they have specials every night so I got a 5 dollar martini and it was so yummy, it was all strawberry and had a big piece of pineapple garnish and i loved every sip! We also both got a side caesar salad, which was really yummy and almost sweet tasting. They also had really good bread, kind of like carraba's but they sauce that you dipped it in was tomato based, so it tasted like eating pizza, sounds weird, but it was really good. We each ate steak and I got veggies on the side, and a bleu cheese potato cake. Audie got two potato cakes. Now i need to tell you about these things because literally it was the best thing i have ever eaten in a restaurant!
SO it was basically garlic mashed potatos with bleu cheese crumbles mixed in that was then breaded in panko bread crumbs and fried!! It was so yummy!!! audie brought one of his home and i'm so excited to eat it again!! After dinner we did order desert, the chocolate platter, which had a ton of different things on it, and all were delicious, and our waitress brought us two glasses of strawberry and champagne on the hosue since we told them it was our anniversary!! It was so yummy! So the best part is that it is kind of a fancy pants kind of place (not too bad, like not tie required, but just nice) and in looking at the specials on Monday they have a dinner for 2 menu for 40 dollars! it includes a choice of two entrees, two salads, a bottle of wine (not sure we'd care too much about that, but it's nice if you do care) and a desert or appetizer to split. we're definitely going there next time we have something to celebrate!!

Ok this has been the longest post ever! hope you guys are all having a great holiday weekend we have for sure!

Julia