Memorial day weekend.

Weekends. What a wonderful invention. We stayed home over the long weekend and worked in as much rest and play as possible.

Friday
Something I'm trying to work on is establishing a regular weekly date night with the husband. To show him how much fun this would be, I decided to plan the first one. This consisted of actually staying awake for the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2nd attempt) and boxed wine (1st attempt...why didn't I try this sooner??). Yes, we are very fancy.  

My main thoughts on the Hobbit: Why is there so much singing at the beginning? Are those their real singing voices? Gollum is the most horrifying creature I've ever seen. Where are all the girls? 

Overall, hated the movie. But I think it meant a lot to Braden that I dedicated date night to watching it. I definitely owed him for watching an entire season of Juan Pablo the Horrible. 

This face will haunt me for days. {via}

And this one will haunt Braden. Wahaha. {via}

Saturday
Saturday started with big, productive plans. We ended up doing none of them. But we had a ton of fun instead. Friends came over for some games of Munchkin and Nertz and then we went to our favorite hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant. This led to a conversation about whether or not restaurants are tricking us by serving sliced up pig rectum instead of calamari. I really, really hope not ... but it made for riveting dinner conversation. Thank you, Amanda Whitton. At dinner it was also discovered that Braden and I had never seen Armageddon. Considering my mom wouldn't let me see The Lion King when it came out, I'm not surprised I was not allowed to see a movie about the potential end of mankind in 4th grade. It was decided that we needed to see Armageddon ASAP so we recommenced at the Whitton's to make it happen. There is something exciting about watching movies that show where you live. Now that I live in New York, this happens all the time. My favorite part of Armageddon was an areal view of the city where I spotted the smokestacks right next to my school. Then the Chrysler building fell over. I could have been killed! If I were in the movie. Which I wasn't. 

Yajai Thai {via}

Sunday
Our church meets in the evening so Sunday mornings are a glorious time of extra rest. After a slow breakfast, Braden and I gathered up all of our plants and took them out to the sidewalk for re-potting. A couple of our neighbors were outside sitting on the front steps and we all chatted as Braden and I worked. Oh how I miss having a yard, or even a small balcony, but it's moments like these that I appreciate city living. How often would I chat with my neighbors if I had my own space to work on my plants? This city feels uniquely communal and I love that. I started new basil and cilantro plants and I can't wait to start cooking with herbs grown in my own kitchen window! The day ended with an impromptu date to Astoria Bookshop and Starbucks. It was the best. Isn't browsing books so fun? I pick up so many interesting books and then remember all the unread books that fill our shelves at home and walk away empty-handed yet satisfied-- determined to read more. Great feeling. Starbucks was wonderful too. We had a gift card (Thank you to the Easter bunny, aka my brother-in-law's sweet mom who hosted me for Easter!) and I ordered a cinnamon dolce latte in a mug. Drinking out of a real mug makes everything taste better. Plus I'm pretty sure they give you more whipcream to fill up the top. I had a great conversation with my hot date and he let me linger while sipping, which I love to do. We wrote lists of priorities and aspirations on our napkins. I love my husband. 

{via}

Monday
No work! We had a picnic with friends at Gantry State Park which I told you about last week. I kicked around a soccer ball with Braden and he said he feels better about the athletic potential of our future children! Very high praise. I also practiced my rollerblading skills and longingly watched puppies play in the dog park. You guys, I really want a dog. But I also don't. I don't like fur and don't like the idea of needing to let a creature out to go to the bathroom at all hours of the day. But other than that, I really want a dog. Someone to snuggle, take on walks, make me laugh...then again, I guess I have Braden :)

Who says New York doesn't have enough grass?

Did I mention the weather was completely divine?

One last anecdote from Monday. A trip to the grocery store:

Braden:  (Points at beer) Look, it's on sale.
Audrey: (Points at Naked Juice) Look, it's on sale. 
Braden: I'll scratch your back if you'll scratch mine.
Braden and Audrey: (Both reach for on-sale, still over-priced, completely unnecessary drinks. Continue on, smiling). 

But seriously, this stuff is amazing. 

And pretty darn healthy!

And that's how marriage works. Happy Memorial Day!