A blog about my life, fitness and fun! (...and maybe a few cat pictures...)

A blog about my life, fitness and fun! (...and maybe a few cat pictures...)

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

A Night Out with my Honey.

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Paul and I had a particularly fun Saturday, so rather than gloss over it in my Weekend Wrap Up, I thought I'd share more details with you in a separate post. 

So here we go... our wild and crazy Saturday!

We planned to go to a petition signing at Ever Grain Brewing Company in Camp Hill but it got canceled! We weren't sure what we were going to do instead, but after throwing out several ideas, we decided to make reservations at Penn's Tavern in Sunbury. It's a historic building from the late 1700s. I wanted to eat there for awhile and when I told Paul about it, he was really excited to try it out.

The only reservation time they had available was 5pm, which was okay for us! We worked out (to build up hunger!), then showered and got ready to go!



Chrissy helped me get ready.

We left the house at 3:30 and made the trek up to Sunbury. I was particularly excited for the part of the trip that was north of Millersburg (my hometown), as I had not traveled on that road for many years. Once we drove past Millersburg, it seemed like every minute or two I had a story or tidbit from my childhood or teenage years to share with Paul.

"That's where Ashley and I took dance lessons."

"Ooh I think we got our Christmas tree at that nursery one year!"

"There's the pink house was the door on the second floor that doesn't go anywhere."

"That used to be a skating rink but it burned down."

It was such a trip back memory lane and Paul was either truly interested in everything I had to say or he was good at pretending! I have the best guy. I mean it when I say I am truly not worthy. He is a much more patient human being than I am.



We got to Penn's Tavern a little early, but they had our table ready for us. It was the best seat in the house- right by the fireplace! 



The hostess was extremely nice and urged us to take a look around the establishment. There was the a historic 1700s room (the one we were in) a new micro brew room, another dining room, and a huge deck that overlooked the river. I made a mental note to come back in the summer and sit on the deck.






After we ordered our food, Paul stared at me and said, "You're so pretty." It was extremely sweet of him to say, and I don't say that to be... I don't know, over the top about anything, but it was just so genuine and nice of him to say that to me. I love him so much! And I know he loves he weird and crazy I am on the inside, and that's what really means the most!


I was going to order salmon but figured since they were known for their German food, I should get the Sauerbraten... "Traditional German beef roast marinated to perfection, served with spaetzel (German handmade noodle), glazed red cabbage" Paul ordered mushroom ravioli.

My favorite part of my meal was the spaetzel. It was crispy! The beef was good too but there was so much of it! I couldn't even eat it all, which is very unlike me. Paul let me have some of his ravioli and it was so good!



Now I know why the place was so awesome... they got their salt and pepper from ALDI!



The ambiance at this place was so cool. All the wood and stone reminded us of some of the places we have been to in Colorado. This is the first time we went somewhere and had such a tall candle lit at our table!




HE'S ALL MINE!!!

The staff was extremely friendly and I highly recommend checking out Penn's Tavern. It was about an hour drive for us but it was worth it! They have lots of beers on tap and you can peruse their menu on their website.

On our drive back to Camp Hill, we listened to some music. Normally we listen to podcasts in the car but lately we have been exploring the music scene. Paul had never heard the song Bridge Over Troubled Water (I know, right!!??) so I had him listen to that. He loved it. Then we saw a clip on Youtube of Elvis singing it so we listened to that. WOW. I didn't know how good of a singer Elvis was!



Paul recently started listening to the Puppini Sisters because he heard their music on a show he watches. He liked the song Good Morning and I told him it was from Singing in the Rain. So he watched the clip of that song from the movie. We both lamented how we wished we could tap dance. Then we realized, hey, why not take tap lessons???? So When we got home that night, I researched and found a really cool studio nearby. Yes, we are taking tap lessons! Well, not currently. We are waiting to hear back from the studio. I hope they accept us.

Before going home, we swung by the mall. Paul was looking for a pair of shoes that would be dressier than sneakers (even his "nice" sneakers) but not as dressy has his dress shoes. I love shopping for clothes and shoes for Paul!


We were going to go to DSW, but we both had to go to the bathroom. The nearest one was out of order, so we went into Macy's. The bathrooms were right by the men's shoes! After we went to the bathroom, we started looking. Paul immediately found the perfect pair and they were on sale! He loves them and I think they are pretty cool too.



I think it's funny we found the perfect pair of shoes in Macy's because the only reason we went in there was because we had to go to the bathroom!

As we were leaving Macy's, I passed a huge display of skinny jeans/jeggings in the juniors department. They were on sale for $19.99. The brand was celebrity pink, which I have bought before and liked. I have dark jeggings and medium wash jeans, but I didn't have anything really washed out. I found one pair in my size. I normally wear a 7 in juniors as long as the material is stretchy. I have a pretty ample backside and big thighs.


NOT my legs. Not by a long shot.

Unfortunately, the jeggings just weren't flattering on me. I think it was a combo of the color (light colors are not very forgiving) and the fact that they were just not cut right for my body. These jeggings did not leave anything to the imagination and as I looked in the mirror, I realized... my thighs are freaking HUGE. They are not fat, they are just big chunks of muscle. When I came out of the dressing room, I said to Paul, "Is it just me, or are my thighs MASSIVE?" His eyes got really wide and he said when I came out to show him the jeggings, he noticed that my thighs were huge!

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I mean, I run a lot so of course my quads are going to be big. And I do like being muscular but sometimes I am afraid of looking "big". This just comes back to the fact that even though I have largely overcome my eating/exercise disorder and body image issues, that there is still 5% of me that can be crazy about it. 5% is not bad at all, so I need to be happy with that. I am so much happier now than I used to be...

And the reality is, if I wanted skinny legs, I would have to stop running all together and probably stop eating so much. I am sure there are some runners with thin legs, but that is not how my body composition is. My quads have developed quite a bit of muscle and that's just how it is.

Okay, let's move on from body image issues to domestic issues...

We recently discovered that we needed more towels. I remember buying towels when we moved into our house but other than some beach towels, we haven't bought any new ones in like 8 years! Somehow, we were running out of towels. I guess we threw some away? I'm not sure. So while we were in Macy's, we headed over to the towel section. We found a generic brand that was the Deal of the Day! Bath towels were only $3.99! We got 6 bath towels, 4 hand towels, and two wash clothes.



The dude checking us out was taking forever, so while Paul paid for his awesome boots and our bounty of towels, I perused the clearance section. I found some Christmas pillows but was ASTOUNDED at the price. This pillow was originally $80!? WTF!? Who spends $80 on a pillow!!!!????




By now it was 8pm and Paul had to go take his meds in the car. I popped in DSW and told him I'd be right out. While I was in there, I found the cutest pair of oxfords. I could just envision all the outfits they would go with... black tights, leggings, my black dress pants.... I really wanted the oxfords, but they were $59.95! I chickened out and did not by them...
But when I got home, I went online and bought the shoes! I am so glad I did. They were really comfortable and my Dr. Scholl's flats that I bought two years ago have really seen better days....

I'm really excited for these to arrive!

On the way home from the mall, Paul ran into Big Lots for milk and I popped in the liquor store for sangria. We exited the stores at the exact same time and declared it fate and the perfect end to our fun day.

I love Paul. He is my best friend. We have so much fun together. I'm so lucky we found each other... On MySpace... nearly 12 years ago!
How often do you buy new towels?
What's the best quality your partner has?
Who sings your favorite rendition of Bridge Over Troubled Water?
Have you ever taken dance lessons?

23 comments:

  1. What a fun date! I love when Rick and I are able to do things like that. Did I tell you are goal for 2017 is to try a new restaurant every month? That is sweet that Paul said you are beautiful. Rick will say that, too, and it always catches me off guard (he said it at dinner the last night we were in Mexico). Mostly (as in every day) he says to me "you're so stinkin' cute" (guaranteed if I am wearing leggings. LOL). Wow, tap lessons. Awesome. We took dance lessons before our wedding--it was super fun. I am so glad you introduced Paul to Bridge Over Troubled Water. I mean, what the what?!? Never heard it. I grew up on Simon and Garfunkle (Neil Diamond, John Denver) so I think I knew the words to that song at a very young age. Better late than never, right Paul? Finally...you DO NOT have big thighs. Honestly, I don't think you see what others see. You have a great figure--perfectly proportioned!

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    1. Thank you, Susan! I do think I am pretty well proportioned and I am okay with MUSCLE. It's just sometimes I notice how big they are! I love John Denver. Paul grew up in a very musical family which is why I was ASTOUNDED that he never heard Bridge. I decided I want to go to Graceland but Paul doesn't want to go. :) A new restaurant a month sounds like fun! Oh they had bison burgers at Penn's Tavern and I thought of you!

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    2. I have been to Graceland and it was really fun! I would have been all over that bison (wow, that didn't come out right did it...LOL).

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    3. Do you think we would like Graceland even if we aren't huge Elvis fans? See I think we will! I just like tours and learning things. I hate football but touring the Broncos stadium was so fun! I really wasn't looking forward to it at all but ended up really enjoying it.

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  2. Aww you guys are too cute! Sounds like such a nice way to spend the day together!

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  3. Aww you make me want to check out Penn's Tavern this summer.

    Is your Macy's going out of business? The one closest to us is.
    I can NOT pull off skinny jeans or Jeggings! I guess it's runner legs and my height that don't make me a good candidate for them..lol

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    1. You and Scott should definitely go. OR make it a gal's trip with your sister. :) Our Macy's is not going out of business.

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  4. I just got tap shoes for Christmas. I was seeing a production of Singing in the Rain with my Mom and girls, and I said, "I think I would really like to tap dance"...so my mom ordered some for me for Christmas. The oxfords--I have them in Gray--LOVE them!

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    1. NICE!!! I think they are arriving tomorrow. I'm totally wearing them to work on Friday. :) That is so funny that Singing in the Rain is what inspired us both to finally tap!

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  5. You had such a wonderful night out! shopping included!

    You do not have fat tights ! stop it!! You have strong legs, don't make me stalk your photos on FB to prove you don't have fat tights! You are strong, smart and beautiful! Focus back on the comment from Paul on how you are so pretty! All, inside and out!

    It is my personal theory, that pants are smaller now than they were years ago... that plus muscular legs!

    I love the shoes, both yours and Paul's! Mine look almost exactly like yours, and they are comfy and super cute!

    Whenever I watch Singing in the Rain, I want to learn how to tap dance! My son and I practice the Singing on the Rain routine at home, maybe we need to join you and Paul at Tap dance lessons.

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    1. Okay I hope I didn't mean to sound like I think my thighs are fat, because they are not, they are solid muscle! They are just BIG! And the normal part of my brain likes that because it shows my hard work and without those big thighs I would not be able to do all the running I do. But the crazy part of me sometimes doesn't like when they look so big.

      So you have oxfords like the kind I got? I think they came in the mail today!

      I'm down for tapping, wherever, whenever! I will have to dust off my shoes. Still haven't heard back from the tap place yet...

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  6. OK, enough lovey dovey talk about Paul! haha!! That's awesome that you two are so perfect for each other. Alan told me something this weekend that really made me think - "You've been in my life longer than you haven't been in my life". Hmmmm - almost 25 years of marriage now and we got married at 24 yrs old. Crazy, right?? And yes, he's still my one and only too. Love a good love story! Congrats to you and Paul :) Your date night sounds great!

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    1. Aw I am sorry if I was too lovey dovey! :) ;) That is so cool you and Alan have been together over half your life! Paul and I are more like 1/3 of our lives at this point BUT it is hard to imagine life before him.

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  7. I don't wear skinny jeans as a rule. My thighs are muscular because of the sports I played growing up, and I wouldn't change them for anything. I can buy clothes that flatter them instead of buying what's "in" these days. The one note I wrote in Stitch Fix was "no skinny jeans!" or torn jeans for that matter...

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    1. I think I am too old for torn jeans! But who knows? I'm glad you wear what is comfortable for you!

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  8. I love your date story!

    I don't wear skinny jeans. I just don't feel comfortable wearing them. To be honest, I feel like boot cut jeans are more flattering that skinny jeans on almost all ladies and I wish the skinny jeans trend would end. I did see a lot more boot cut in Target the other day so maybe they are coming back?

    Looks like y'all had a wonderful date. That restaurant looks like my kind of place and I love long drives to restaurants and driving with Clay to places that take us down memory lane. Plus you were productive on your date and got a lot of shopping done. That's how dates go in marriage... our dates are to hardware stores or places like Costco, or going to Kohl's because Clay needs a belt or underwear or shorts, etc. The joys of marriage :).

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    1. You know what's funny, I think skinny jeans are flattering on everyone! If you have the right color, and the right fit (not to tight, night too skinny.) I have a couple skinny jeans that fit me well but these really light colored ones did not. Plus the light color just shows everything.

      I used to have lots of boot cut jeans. I think I finally got rid of them all so because of that they will probably come back in style. ;)

      A lot of our dates are running errands dates, but those are fun, don't you think?? I think it DEFINITELY helps that we don't have kids. I'm not sure we would have so much fun running errands together and not look at it as a chore if we had kids.

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  9. Awwww this is such a sweet post. You two are clearly such a perfect match! I think Adam is my perfect match as well and I feel lucky that we found each other too. I think being in a relationship with me isn't easy given my history and all of the insecurities that still rear their ugly head every so often. I appreciate that he loves me completely even when it must be hard to deal with me.

    I buy new towels every couple of years just because I get bored of our towel rotation and need to freshen it up! :D

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    1. To be able to find someone that loves all of us, even though we have faults, is more than I ever dreamed for myself! I'm glad you found that in Adam. :)

      You do strike me as the type of person that buys new towels and sheets and stuff when it's time to update. Paul and I will just use it till there's like holes or they smell to bad.

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    2. Hahah I just get bored with the colors I own and want new colors! Like, recently I bought purple towels because we've never had purple before! Someday we will own every color of the rainbow and all their variation!

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  10. Wow, quite the day! I love having a glimpse into how you and Paul spend your time together!

    My sister was a huge Elvis fan as a kid. She had a beach towel with his face on it and listened to his music all the time. We watched documentaries about him often, too. It was Elvis and Lucille Ball 24/7 for us lol. Your post made me so nostalgic!

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    1. Thanks! I like sharing day to day stuff with yas. It's fun to write about.

      I think I need to watch some Elvis docs! Maybe your sis can recommend a good one to me.

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