Happy Presidents Day!
I’m coming to you later in the day than normal, but that doesn’t mean that we’re off from work today. (Plus, better late than never, right?) I wasn’t feeling awesome this morning, but I’m much better after some rest, so I wanted to at least say hello and share some weekend snapshots.
Did you have a good weekend and Valentine’s Day? Ours was pretty scheduled, but it was also filled with with lots of friends and food, making it a success in my book.
Friday
I finished working around 6:30 p.m. on Friday, so Scott picked me up and we went straight to our friend Liam’s house for a dinner party. Chicken and steak fajitas were on the menu, and we contributed Mexican rice and chips for homemade guacamole (one of my favorite things ever).
It was nice to catch up and hang with people that have quickly started to feel like family up here. (Thanks again for hosting, Liam!)
Saturday
My Saturday morning started earlier than I cared for after a late bedtime the night before. Once I got going, however, I was happy to be working at the gym. I had two group training classes, a 1 on 1 personal training session, and then headed out to complete a (cardio kickboxing) DVD with Scott at home all before Noon.
I love when my weekends start out on a productive and active note!
I had just enough time to change and grab Roadie to get over to an appointment at the vets soon after. He had a random growth (they think it’s an infected gland?) on his eyelid appear last weekend, so he’s been on meds and we went in for a follow-up to see how it’s healing.
(He always gets so nervous and sad at the vets. Poor guy.)
Here’s hoping the next week of meds continues to do the job without having to do further measures.
I had a little time to rest in the afternoon before it was time to get ready for dinner. We weren’t planning on doing much to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year until we got an invite to join our friends Alex and Alex for dinner and drinks at our favorite late night spot in the Detroit area.
It was a challenge to find reservations for four on the night before Valentine’s Day, but we were grateful that Alex snagged the last reservation at a new-to-us restaurant in the Royal Park Hotel called Park 600 Bar + Kitchen.
We had a cozy candlelit booth complete with a rose and specialty Valentine’s menu. It was a great environment!
Our table of four split a bottle of red wine, a few appetizers (beef tartar, calamari, and oven brussels sprouts), and Alex and I shared an entrée with sides for dinner.
The pan-seared scallops on savory sweet potato pancakes were amazing. I highly recommend them to anyone dining here in the future, along with a side of the goat’s cheese mashed potatoes. Yum.
We still had some room for dessert, so we ordered a chocolate mousse cake, crème brûlée (not pictured), and some kind of apple fritter goodness for the table. Everything was so good!
Thanks for letting us join in on your V-day celebration, friends!
After dinner, we made plans to have a round of drinks at The Oakland in Ferndale. I’ve mentioned this place a few times, and it continues to be one of my very favorite spots to visit on a night out. Hidden speakeasy types of bars are always fun, right?
Without fail, Alex and I ordered our go-to Juliet & Romeo (if you ever pay a visit you have to try it) and the boys enjoyed trying some new items from the menu, per our server’s suggestion.
(Polka dots & stripes? Kind of obnoxious, but sure.)
We ended up making a few more stops throughout the night and had a blast being out and laughing way too hard.
It was so nice to be able to spend time with them and enjoy time away from home after being cooped up in the below freezing weather all week!
Sunday
I was looking forward to meeting our friend, Natalie, at church on Sunday. It was the first time she had ever been to a very contemporary, non-denominational church like ours. She seemed to like it and we planned on grabbing brunch in Birmingham afterwards.
She had never been to Social before, so I obviously suggested it as our destination. I just love that place! (See more of my favorite spots to brunch in Metro Detroit here.)
We didn’t wait too long and loved the ambiance of the (covered and heated) outdoor patio. They always have the best tunes, too. They had an 80s playlist rolling that’s very similar to mine on Sunday. Good times.
I suggested the create-your-own skillet option to Natalie, and we were both happily on board.
(I loaded mine with almost every option, and the best part is the toppings: avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, and roasted red salsa)
We eventually wrapped things up mid-afternoon and headed back home to get some things done around the house. I ended up taking a nap (which was glorious) after doing a few loads of laundry, and our friend, Sarah, came over for dinner and to watch the 2016 NBA All Star Game soon after.
Scott and I have traveled to a handful of them in the past, and it was weird not being there in person with some of our friends since we only live 4-5 hours from Toronto, Ontario (Canada).
(Do you follow @lifenleggings on twitter? Let’s be friends!)
Maybe next year!
I was more than ready to turn in as soon as it finished, and just like that… the weekend was over. *blink*
All right. I’m about to head off to work a longer-than-normal shift at the gym, but I’m hoping to be back to posting more of a “normal” schedule this week. Thanks so much for popping in to keep up with what we’ve been up to. Have a great rest of your day!
» Linking up these weekend snapshots with Erin and Katie.
Questions of the Day
• Did you do anything special for Valentine’s Day?
• What is one of your favorite sporting events of the year? Have you ever attended it in person?
Scott and I have watched and traveled to the NBA All Star Games together since we started dating in 2008! It’s too bad that I never got to share our adventures here, as they all took place pre-blogging. Maybe we’ll get around to going to one again in the future… it’s always a fun, eventful weekend!

That sounds like a lovely vday weekend! My boyfriend and I are celebrating this coming weekend (oh long distance relationships) so I am very excited to see what he has planned!
Hilary recently posted…Whole 30 recap (day 1-14)
Aw, enjoy your time together! I’m sure it will be wonderful. <3
Wait you went to two group fitness classes and THEN a personal training session and THEN more?! That’s so intense, get it girl! Your Valentine’s Day looks like a blast! We also went out to dinner, to a lovely steakhouse we had never tried before. Anywho, thanks for sharing!
Elainea
toast the girl almighty
Elainea recently posted…5 Recent Thrilling Books
Oh no, lol. I taught two training classes (I don’t do the workout with the classes), then trained a client, then came home and finally did my own workout. I could and would never do that much in one day! 😉
Goat cheese mashed potatoes?!? I’m obsessed with goat cheese so why have I never thought to add it to my potatoes! I have a bunch of it at home so I have a feeling I’ll be trying it out this week 🙂
YUM, great idea!
Sounds like a wonderful, fun-filled weekend! Ours was originally super scheduled, then plans changed, people got sick, and we ended up just eating lots of brunch food and watching movies with macarons and ice cream. Which was pretty perfect in my opinion. I’m happiest when things are kept low key.
renaissancerunnergirl recently posted…Weekly Workouts and Weekend Updates: Frozen Edition 2/8-2/15
Brunch, movies, macaroons and ice cream sounds perfect. Have a great week!
Looks like a wonderful weekend. We also have a Rhodesian Ridgeback who is a scaredy cat when it comes to the vet!
Jennifer recently posted…Weekly Meal Plan/Workouts + Weekend Recap
Awww love Rhodesian Ridges! Our Roadie is definitely mixed with something… we’re thinking pitbull?
This weekend seemed to fly by! Your weekend sounds amazing! I went to the Florida State Fair with my boyfriend yesterday and we saw Deadpool with another couple on Saturday night- I definitely recommend it.
sarah recently posted…Recovery Challenges
That’s fun! We used to frequent that fair all the time. Good to know about the movie 🙂
Those goat cheese mashed potatoes look incredible! We went out to dinner Sunday night at a place my husband picked out and surprised me with. It was all so delicious but I think I liked the company best 🙂 I look forward to Opening Day for baseball ALL WINTER LONG!
Lauren recently posted…Valentine’s Weekend Things
Sounds like you had a great date. I still can’t believe we haven’t been to a Tiger’s Opening Day game here!
Sounds like a great weekend! My fiancé and I went to dinner at an Italian restaurant called Vivace. It was delicious (: All your foods looks yummy as well!
Italian date nights out are my fav. Have a great week!
Your weekend sounded like a wonderful way to celebrate and your dinner looked delicious! We went out for dinner — flash fried brussell sprouts, salmon, chocolate lava cake and a bottle of wine. I took my first ever Pilates reformer class and got in a couple of runs and we topped off the week with house hunting.
Rachel recently posted…Sunday Funday instead of Sunday long run day
Your dinner sounds amazing! I just date nights out. I still haven’t taken a Pilates reformer class! It’s on the fitness bucket list for sure.
I do not care for goat cheese but the rest looks amazing! I think I can guess which Alex you split your meal with 🙂 Your gray-and-white dress is so pretty!! It is super flattering but not annoying/try-hard if that makes sense – which can be a difficult balance to strike. Happy Valentine’s Day!
I’m not the biggest fan of goat cheese, but it sure was GOOD in these potatoes! And yes, you’re right about which Alex I split my meal with. 😉 Thanks! The dress is a throwback sweater dress from Express.
SO much delicious food! I’m glad you enjoyed the weekend!
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul recently posted…Weekend Snapshots
Thanks Erin! Have a great week and thanks for hosting 🙂
Sounds like a wonderful weekend and exactly what you needed and deserved 🙂
My husband and I adore american football and have been to a couple of the games that were held in London (UK) which was amazing! But now we live in Australia I doubt we will be seeing any of the games anytime soon – apart from the odd one on the TV!
Thanks, Jen. Aw… I bet it’s hard to be so far but man, Australia sounds pretty dreamy to me! <3
What a fun Valentine’s weekend! Both restaurants sound delicious!
That they were… hope you had a great weekend as well. Happy (belated) Valentine’s to you!
What a fun weekend! That dinner looks incredible. We went to NYC for the weekend to celebrate, which was so much fun, but far to cold for our southern bodies 😉
Hannah at Home recently posted…Weekending {2/15} NYC Valentine’s Day
How fun! We are flying out to NYC on Thursday and I CANNOT WAIT! <3
Glad you’re feeling better now! I hope the morning funk does not come back. Goat’s cheese mashed potatoes? That’s combining everything I love. And that chocolate cake looks insane!
Julia @ Lord Still Loves Me recently posted…Not NEEDING a Relationship: Single and Content
What breed (s) of dog is roadie? I have a jack Russell/mini dauchsand mix and she has had surgically removed infected sebaceous glands on her cheek near an eye and under her chin… We tried antibiotics to no avail and it kept growing… My doggie is doing great but it seems that these have crept up every few years!
Baseball is definitely where my loyalty lies! I’ve never been to a playoff game, but that would be amazing to do someday!
Aurora@Fitness is Sweet recently posted…Sleep and Sports Performance
That ‘create your own skillet’ option looks really unique. I’ve never seen anything like that before.