The Best Weekend Ever!

Ben has had a break between graduate school quarters this week (He got an A in his accounting class! Hooray!), so we've had so much fun together! We got to catch up on TV shows we enjoy but never watch, sleep in together, hang out with friends, etc.

Our freedom culminated in an amazing weekend. Ben typically studies for a couple hours every morning and evening, plus almost all day on Saturday, so this weekend we really lived up having Friday night and Saturday to play :)

F.R.I.D.A.Y. night

We went to a great Greensboro restaurant, The Red Onion, which makes gourmet hot dogs with some friends from church: David and Sharon. 

Their menu is amazing-- you first choose the type of dog you want, then the toppings style.  You can choose from pre-selected combinations or make up your own. So far my favorite is the California Dog: a Nathan's dog wrapped in bacon (yum) then topped with a crunchy cabbage cole slaw with chili, lime, and avocado. 

They are cheap enough to order a couple special dogs each, and I have yet to eat one I hate!

We walked around downtown Greensboro after dinner, and stopped in for amazing deserts at Cheesecakes by Alex.  None of us got cheesecake, but I can tell you their crumb cake was delicious, and only $1.85!

It is a local legend bakery, but this was our first time going.  I am so glad we went, though! I just know we'll go frequently! 

Since March 2nd was the first Friday of the month, Greensboro celebrated it's monthly First Friday night! Many local stores and museums had poetry reading, interpretive dance, and musicians play for the crowds.

We stopped into one newly opened hair salon who used First Friday as an opportunity to open the newly renovated doors to the public.  It seemed like a cool salon, but I was way more impressed by the live artist and guitarist playing Beatles and Johnny Cash!

Me, Sharon, and David

Ben got a pic of the guitarist by making it look like he was taking a picture of me... I didn't know that's what he was doing...

S.A.T.U.R.D.A.Y.

Saturday was Perfect! We woke up lazily and spent the early afternoon reading together in the office.  Ben read a couple chapters in a textbook to get ahead in a class, and I read my current book, a biography on the marriage of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt (who are fascinating people!) This may sound boring, but it was heavenly to just share space and have the freedom to interrupt one another with something really interesting we had just read about. 

Saturday afternoon we went rock climbing at Greensboro's indoor rock gym, Tumblebee's. 

I have been wanting to go rock climbing for a while, and Ben's shoulder has healed well enough that it's safe again, but it is still too cold to go "real" climbing in the mountains. I was actually unimpressed with Tumblebee's, even though they have some of the best routes in the SE, but that may be more to do with my loyal personality-- I just much preferred the gym I'd been going to in Columbia, Stronghold!

But we still had tons of fun :)

That's right, Baby, you've been rock climbing!

I got tired really easily, so the best I could do before my muscles gave out was a 5.8-5.9 route.

Have you read Ben's blog post about shopping for the perfect "rock climbing" shoes? It's a must-read :)

There are a lot of precautions to take when climbing pregnant, like sticking to top-rope instead of bouldering, and to be careful not to hit your belly hard on the rock face, but I found this a really enjoyable pregnant activity.  I mostly used my arms and fingers, and my belly really stayed out of the way! The harness was comfortable, and the belay rope pulled it out, anyway!

After the gym we hurried home for showers and right back out the door for a movie.  We stopped at the Four Seasons Mall to get a Classic Cinnabon roll, something I've been craving for a while now! I used to work at Cinnabon for a year in high school, and could eat or take home whatever I wanted, but I haven't had any since. This baby knows his roots, though... and he said, "NOW!" 

How could that not make your weekend better?

Then it was off to the Sedgefield Cinemas for $1.5 showing of Sherlock Holmes! Unfortunately I fell asleep during the movie (I have mentioned that I am always tired, right?) but it was still the most perfect weekend ever!

On Monday it will be back to the busy study schedule.  I"ll miss you, Ben!