Good afternoon and welcome to a new week! How is it that weekends always seem to fly by but the work week seems to drag on? This past weekend was a good one for me. It was full of shopping, catching up with old friends, and meeting a new dog.
On Friday I headed to the mall on a mission to find a new pair of jeans. The ones I have been wearing are too big (woohoo for my hard work paying off and losing weight). Unfortunately there was only so much that my belt could do and my jeans were starting to look funny – aka baggy – and that’s not a good look on anyone.
The last pair of jeans I had bought were from Eddie Bauer and I really liked how they fit before they got too big, so that was my first stop when I got to the mall. Unfortunately it was a bust because they only had skinny jeans. They never fit right because I have big calves.
I ended up trying jeans on at 3 or 4 other stores before I finally stopped at Gap. I was getting frustrated at this point and was determined to walk out of the store with a pair of jeans. I’m pretty sure I tried on nearly every single fit of jeans that they had in the store minus the skinny ones. I finally decided on this pair.
I think part of the frustration is that sizing varies so much from store to store. Between the 4 or 5 stores I went to I tried on 4 different sizes! I’m not someone who enjoys shopping so it just added to my impatience. I honestly didn’t think it would be that hard to find a pair of jeans that fit. One day when I have lots of money I’m going to hire a personal shopper so I don’t have to go searching the mall for clothes.
Friday night was a quiet night in and I finished reading Olive, Again (affiliate link) by Elizabeth Strout. It’s the second book that I’ve read so far in 2020. My goal is to read 40 books this year, so I’m slowly but surely making a dent.
Olive, Again is actually the sequel to Olive Kittenridge, which I haven’t read. I didn’t even realize it was the second book until part way through Olive, Again. Do I think you need to Read the first one before this one? Nope. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything.
Here’s the synopsis from GoodReads:
The iconic Olive struggles to understand not only herself and her own life but also the lives of those around her in the town of Crosby, Maine. Whether with a teenager coming to terms with the loss of her father, a young woman about to give birth during a hilariously inopportune moment, a nurse who confesses a secret high school crush, or a lawyer who struggles with an inheritance she does not want to accept, the unforgettable Olive will continue to startle us, to move us, and to inspire moments of transcendent grace.
Saturday morning my brother and his friend stopped by with her dog, Taquito. My brother has told me about her dog before, but this is the first time that I got to meet him. He was pretty funny to watch checking everything out and sniffing all the corners.
While I’m used to bigger dogs (we used to have a Cocker Spaniel and my boyfriend has an English Bulldog), Taquito seemed so small weighing in at just 12 pounds. He has such an expressive face. I’m so glad that I got to meet him. It felt so good to have a dog in the house again.
Saturday night I cooked up some breaded pork and Brussels Sprouts. I cooked the pork in the air fryer and did the Brussels sprouts in the Instant Pot. I added some beef jerky to get in enough protein to reach my protein goal for the day.
I was pretty excited to head to the gym on Sunday morning because there was a new Group Power release. We got to do the January 2020 release for the first time and I have to admit that I really liked it.
Since I attend Group Power classes 3 or 4 times a week it’s always nice to switch it up and get some new music and exercises with the new releases. Have you done the January 2020 Group Power release yet? What do you think of it?
I’ve had Meet Me in Monaco (affiliate link) by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb on hold at my library for what seems like forever, and I finally got to the top of the list. I was very excited when I got the email that it had been downloaded to my ebook app from my library.
I got to spend a few days in Monaco the last time I was in Europe back in 2006, so it’s pretty cool that I can remember exactly what the scenery looks like. Although the book is set in the 50’s, I know that the beaches and water would have been pretty similar back then. I’m about 100 pages in and really enjoying it so far.
For lunch on Saturday I met up with a friend of mine. While we were having lunch we realized that we’ve known each other for just over 20 years now. Her and her family moved to Calgary a few years after my family did. It’s hard to believe that I was a teenager and she was a kid 20 years ago. It was great to have some time together to catch up and we’re hoping to make getting together a more consistent thing.
I headed to see my boyfriend for dinner on Sunday. We took his dog for a walk before we went to eat. Sunday was the first time since the cold snap started a week before that it was warm enough for him to go for a walk outdoors. My boyfriend had been taking Winston for walks in his parkade all week when it was -40 with the windchill. Winston was clearly pretty happy to be back at the park and getting pets from people on his usual route yesterday.
We dropped Winston off at my boyfriend’s place and then the two of us headed out for dinner at Vagabond. I was craving a burger so that’s what I went with – on a lettuce bun instead of the usual bread one. They have the best side salads there, so I chose that over fries.
What was the highlight of your weekend? Tell me about it in the comments below.
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