La mismísima página

So. I've found out I am a terrible person to try to surprise. My mom has taught me to be a conspiracy theorist and it apparently has carried over into my personal life. I'd decided I was about to be surprised with a concert for my oh-so-favorite redhead, and then made myself nervous that I wouldn't be able to hide my disappointment if I were wrong in my guess. 

Luckily, I'm never wrong. :) 

 

I felt like I was being mugged when we walked in the door and a crazy-eyed girl did a fairly rough search of my purse. This little Brit played (almost) all my favorites, but I critiqued his every move. Poor Ed.

This one's a winner due to his little shrug. He was saying "Would you stay now, and let me hold you?" To me. And actually, he was singing it. Possibly not just to me.

So, since I got exactly what I wanted the night before, I owed Nate back by tagging along to one of his favorite things. The auto show in Detroit. It was much more enjoyable than I could have imagined. I found a red sparkly car that is now on my Christmas list for next year. This. Is the truck Nate picked for me.

To kick off our gluttonous weekend, we went to the casino restaurant called "Brizoll-A", according to the very effeminate, very-offended-by-Nate's-pronunciation, young worker. Our IPad menus momentarily distracted us from our food eating goal. We played on them looking at pictures and wine-pairings until Nate's battery got low. Then I watched Nate eat 3 rolls and 3/4 of the raw tartar before his lobster mac & cheese and steak arrived. While he was gone to the bathroom, the waiter came to keep me company and steal his bread plate and even the butter so that he wouldn't make himself sick before dinner :).

 

Even after filling up on carbs and raw meat, he was THIS happy to see his meat and sauce trio. The food was great, our waiter was better, and the sauce trio was awful. Seriously awful. I tried all of them, and then my own, and only tried it a second time to be really sure that it tasted like floral scented hand soap. It did. We had enough leftovers that Nate had to pull out some of his Tetris skills to pack this and 5 desserts into the hotel mini fridge for later enjoyment. 

Some of the weirdest things I've ever seen all on one street called Heidelberg. I enjoyed the polka dot house with a portrait of MLK Jr hanging on the porch ceiling. I did not enjoy the dirty stuffed animals hanging by their ears from the nearby tree. I did enjoy the old fashioned rotary phones and the Little Shop of Horrors-esque giant metal plant.

This is the house I picked for Nate.

 

Eating ourselves sick round two. Roast in downtown Detroit was the best food I can remember having in this lifetime. Well, the steak. I have had better fries, but they only just inch ahead...and the sweetbreads...were not sweet. They were creepy. I regret my clothing choice, but that just means I'll have to return. Next time I'll wear something solid. And fancy. But I think I'll order the same steak, and bring the same boy.   

Empezar de nuevo

 I went back and forth about whether or not to write a blog for my most recent trips. The reason? I have very little proof that they actually took place. The picture below serves as the sole photo proving I made it to Boston. It'll have to suffice. It also happens to hi-light who I made the trek with.

 

The idea started a few months ago when I met my newest favorite Czech love, Monika...better known and loved as Kiki. We met in an airport in Austin, TX and the rest is history. (Why didn't I blog about my Texas wedding trip!? To come.) So Kiki and I hadn't had enough of each other quite yet, and she insisted I come to Boston for New Years. I proposed the idea to Nate: mostly because I wanted him to join, but also, selfishly, so that I would have a date in a suit who could make me look good. (It worked). Anyways, we found little Monika and had a lovely reunion in her apartment filled with pairs upon pairs of men's athletic shoes that she insists are hers and a 2 month old pumpkin that hadn't even begun to rot.

  

In between hunting down friends, we spent every waking moment in Quincy Market...walking and rewalking the same strip until we finally settled on something particularly delicious that left us feeling full but slightly unsatisfied because there was Oh so much more to be eaten. A return will be necessary. And I need a recipe for buffalo mac and cheese.

 

Giant bagel morning at Quincy. If you go early enough you can snag almost any spot you want on the upper level overlooking all the other greedily-hungry tourists. Makes you feel so much less alone, but no less fat.

The bridesmaid's reunion! We owed it to (middle) Monica for not being even remotely useful during the November wedding. We looked up to her as the perfect little MOH and literally let her do ev.ery.thing. Luckily, no responsibilities on New Years lead to an almost repeat of the bachelorette party (except less rugby boys and no wipe outs). What I've learned being around these two: you can never have enough Monic(k)as. 

Somehow, we found more Mercy girls in Boston than I think I've seen since high school graduation. Some lovely girls, for sure. I can't say I got to see them all as much as I had planned, but I tried to stick close the the one in the gold dress. I wish I had pictures of our dinner the night before with the cotton candy and churros dessert! I also wish I had a picture of her "we're closed" face that Emmy tossed us when we tried to sneak into her work just 5 minutes after they had closed. Alas. This is our only friend proof. She and my Monic(k)as would, however, be enough reason to move to lovely Boston. Find me some Spanish babies to teach!

See? I was there. With this boy. I even have a New Year's horn, and he has an equally-as-flashy necklace. It was my favorite New Year's yet, though the one thing I really wanted was refused to me. Over and over again. Ke$ha: Die Young. I think I requested it over 10 times, leaning over the DJ's little table, climbing on the chair next to him, getting tugged on by security. All for Ke$ha. No dice. I'm honestly not sure how I could have been any bossier. We will find out next year.

(Also, HIMYM fans. The coat check girl on New Year's looked eerily like the coat check girl in the club episode when Ted tries on all of the coats. I should have asked her.)