When The Cat’s Away

Mommy is very sad!! Mazen and I only had a few days to spend together before he jetted off to Atlantis with Matt, Karen and that crew. The timing of our trips wasn’t ideal, but we spent as much time together as possible before he left.

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He is having a blast down in the Bahamas, and this morning KK surprised Mazen and his little cousin Ava with a dolphin encounter. Talk about a super cool experience for a little boy! Wish I could have been there to see his face.

Looking at the cup half full, I plan on making the most of the gift of extra time in my week.

The weekend started off with a dinner salad with chicken sausage, cheese, avocado, and a delicious side of vino.

On Saturday Thomas and I went hiking up Humpback Rock. The forecast predicted a warm 69 degrees, but it was far from warm up there! It’s February – what were we thinking?! I almost got blown off the mountain.

We had a picnic at the top with sandwiches from The Market and the best Route 11 dill chips. Turkey, cheese, herby mayo and cranberry relish:

We stopped at Pollak Vineyards on the way home. It was too cold to sit outside in the wind, so we moved inside after I took this photo. Love a good strawberry-hinted rose!

For dinner we joined T’s family at Lampo, which is one of my favorite restaurants in town. It’s not always easy to get a table, but they are expanding soon and there will be more room for all!

The BEST kale salad! Plus olives and brussels sprouts to share.

And three scrumptious pizzas. My favorite is the Hellboy, which isn’t on the menu but it’s often a special, and the Prosciutto with lemon and arugula. (PS. I have to look up how to spell Prosciutto every darn time!)

GAH and this dessert!! Chocolate and vanilla mousse with olive oil and this brulee-type crunchy sugar topping. Soooo good!

Sunday breakfast featured a huge pineapple, eggs, bacon, and toast.

On Sunday it actually was warm! I think we hit over 75 degrees – yes! I walked downtown to ACAC to meet a friend to hang on the rooftop for a while. Sadly, the rooftop pool is not yet heated and ready for dipping.

I had a late lunch at around 2 with leftover pizza and wine – because why not?!

I played around the house (aka tidied and organized things) for a bit with all of the windows open. Glorious! It was so quiet at home.

I ended the weekend by watching the UVA game and catching up on Nashville. So glad the show must go on!

(So if I had to compare Thomas to someone you might know, he would be a cross between Deacon Claybourne from Nashville and Matthew Mcconaughey. He gets comments about his Mcconaughey doppelganging (is that a word?) from strangers all.the.time. They are so similar in mannerisms, accent, and looks (especially when T doesn’t have a beard!) 🙂 )