It's the Little Things

Welcome back from your long weekends! (Well... my American and Canadian readers, anyway!)

Andrew and I kicked off our holiday weekend the best way we knew how: by celebrating with a big fat ol' check and a fancy dinner out!

I haven't mentioned it really on the blog, but about a month ago, Andrew had an interview for a new job. He'd been working full-time in shipping and receiving for a high-end retailer for the last eighteen months or so, and between the long hours at the store, the 45-minute commute each way and his full-time school schedule, we barely got to see each other! My poor guy was exhausted all the time, and with the price of gas these days, he was spending a HUGE chunk of each paycheck just to get back-and-forth between his two huge commitments (his school is in his hometown, which is, of course, 35 minutes away in the OTHER direction!). He had no set schedule, other than that he went to school all day Tuesday and Thursday and worked 8-hr shifts the other five days of the week (his shifts could be 7:30-3:30, 9-5, 10-6 or 12-8:30). It was putting a huge strain on us, both financially and emotionally...there were some days where I literally saw him when I woke up and that was it!

Well...HE GOT THE JOB!! It's a little bit less money at the moment, but because he can commute to and from via the T, it's going to end up SAVING us money in the long run. He's also close to the commuter rail, so if there's a car at his parents' house for him to use, he can actually take the train to school rather than drive, which is awesome (and less wear-and-tear on my car, since we're currently a 1-car family!). The best part? He FINALLY has a steady, 9-5 schedule and has weekends off! Honestly, he hasn't had a regular schedule since we met almost three years ago (he was raking in the big bucks at Fenway Park back then, and was at the mercy of the Red Sox and their schedule!). He started his new position last week and we couldn't be happier about it!

Luckily, His former employer let him cash out his earned time, so he ended up with a final paycheck that was double the amount he would normally bring home. We celebrated by going to the Met Bar, which is a pseudo-fancy restaurant that serves gourmet burgers and steak-type dishes. We started off with the Asian-inspired chicken tacos, two Sam Summers, and the bread basket. The tacos were SO good -- crispy little wanton squares with tangy kimchee slaw and saucy chicken. We actually split the last one right down the middle with me taking one of the biggest bites possible. Andrew had the fish and chips, which he deemed, "the best he's ever had" (and trust me -- he's a TOTALY fc snob), and I had the Mexico City burger, which had jalapeno, salsa, chipotle and pepper jack. It was pretty good, but for the amount it cost, I would have liked more of the toppings and maybe a sliiightly bigger burger (portion control is for the birds!).

Saturday morning, we headed down to his parents' Cape house for some 4th of July fun. It normally takes us an hour and ten minutes to get there from Boston, but it took 2.5 hours!! I didn't mind, though, since we were rocking out to the radio the whole time. Plus, as soon as we got there, we suited up and met his dad at the dock for some boat fun -- which is my FAVORITE way to spend an 85 degree day. His whole family was there, which is always a recipe for hilarity -- outdoor showers, barbecued ribs, more than a little beer, and hanging out ensued, and Sunday was more of the same... culminating in a loud Patriotic sing-a-long on the back porch at around 11pm with the entire family. I'm sure the neighbors love us.

And now for the real reason for this post: I'm beside myself with excitement -- after MONTHS of seeing all the southern bloggers rave about the whole do-it-yourself-froyo trend, and being insanely jealous, I FINALLY FOUND A DIY FROYO SHOP NEAR OUR APARTMENT!!

Enter: Berry Freeze.

I scarfed it too fast to snap a pic, but I enjoyed a tasty treat of coconut froyo with a teeny sprinkle of crushed oreo, a few mini pretzels, pineapple chunks and sliced banana. It might have been the highlight of my entire weekend.

It's the little things.