weekend review

I promise that I won't begin all of my weekend reviews with a photo of cake, but this particular cake holds a special place in my heart.

Well, not this exact one as there is a visible crack and my mom's name is spelled wrong, but Publix's Chocolate Lover's Delight cake. It's the best cake, ever. Layers of chocolate cake filled and frosted with rich chocolate fudge frosting. This probably should have been my wedding cake, but I conformed to tradition and served a regular tiered vanilla cake. Oh well. Kent and I try to visit my parents every year around my mom's birthday and we always enjoy this cake during the trip. We visited later than usual this year, so Kent was honored with his name on the cake as his birthday is next weekend.

Yesterday, we took a 6am flight to Atlanta that put us in with exactly enough time to attend my favorite kickboxing class. The class was fun and challenging, and it was definitely worth the 4am wakeup call. Kent probably would not agree with that, but not everybody wins.

The weather was frigid yesterday, so we enjoyed some quality lounging inside until dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant called Lucia's located nearby the house. Aside from the delicious food served, the restaurant has a cozy atmosphere and features neat decor like this wine bottle chandelier.

Here are a few highlights from the meal:

spinach and pear salad w/ a walnut vinaigrette 

ciopinno (seafood stew: mussels, scallops, shrimp, tilapia, little neck clams)

obligatory couple photo

After dinner, we came home to indulge in the aforementioned cake. I was criticized indirectly for polishing off a good third of the cake myself. I reasoned that it's meant to be enjoyed. And it was most enjoyed.

My dad built us a fire to set the ambience for a comfy night in. My mom recommended A King's Speech for us to watch, but she was the only one who made it through the entire movie. Kent and I conked out from our early morning, and I think that my dad was just not interested in King George VI's speech impediment. 

This was one of the first few scenes. I don't remember much beyond this scene.

I woke up around 6:30 this morning feeling very well rested because of our early turn in last night. Kent is a sleeping champ, and he was still able to sleep until a reasonable weekend hour. I am pretty sure that I broke my toe this past Wednesday, so a Sunday morning run was sadly out of the question. I don't know how kickboxing didn't aggravate the pain, but it didn't and I refused to be sidelined. Instead of a run, I took a spin class. This class promised to be hardcore and awesome based on the demand for it. I was shut out from this particular class during Thanksgiving because I didn't know about the early sign up sheet. This morning I arrived 30 minutes early to claim a bike. These spinners were intense. They were already warming up on the bikes by the time I walked into the room. Maybe this is normal, but I was impressed by their commitment to this morning's ride and expected a great class. I'm disappointed to report that it was very blah. The music stunk, and I found myself watching the clock the whole time. I wanted to leave before the end, but I'm not one to quit a workout. Plus, I figured that I had taken a regular's bike and didn't want their seat to be taken in vain. 

I came home after class and ate a piece of cake to reward myself for putting up with such a boring workout. We all had lunch then ventured outside for a little outing. A new neighborhood is going up across the street from my parents, so we walked over as inquisitive neighbors. The model house was beautiful. It included all the bells and whistles money can buy and decorated impeccably. 

This home is identical to the model. Purchased for a mere $534,000.

Tonight my mom grilled salmon for dinner. I love coming home for her delicious cooking. I contributed with my roasted potatoes. We topped the meal off with a trip to our favorite ice creamery. Our tv lineup should be interesting considering that the four of us don't watch the same shows. Apparently there is an important basketball game on tonight. I might be overruled. 

I'm here until Wednesday, so I'm happy that I have a few more days of the comforts of home. I hope that you all had a good weekend! For those that have the day off tomorrow, enjoy! Stay tuned for a brownie recipe on Tuesday :)