a favorite place...

I thought I would take you to a favorite place of mine...

a couple of weeks ago when Bobby got back in town

we were talking about dinner

actually Bobby talking about what sounded good

{food is always on his mind}

I'm just indecisive about dinner

for some silly reason
and usually I'm scrambling to cook something for dinner
or mid-day I send him an e-mail simply saying

dinner?
any ideas on what you want me to do?

typically I don't get a response so I have no idea why I even ask :)

don't get me wrong I enjoy cooking
chopping veggies
making a family meal

I'm not fantastic at it but probably just good enough
I have a really hard time planning meals ahead
I just cannot get into doing that

I'll mark recipes in cookbooks
all the time
but it seems weekends are really
the "try new recipe" times

or when I'll remember
I was going to make that yesterday but just forgot

I'm not your go-to mom for meal planning
or freezing meals ahead to pull them out of the freezer like all you good moms out there

So it was a short travel week that week for Bobby and on Thursday when he came home
he was talking about dinner and what to do
I have no idea why he still asks me what I feel like
because my answer is always the same

"I don't know
just pick and I'll make it..."

I'm really trying to actually cook him some of his favorites lately
because he will be gone shortly here for awhile

but I quickly chimed in that evening

"yesterday..."
{well this was a few weeks ago yesterday}

"I was craving Shakespeare's Pizza Bobby
I don't even know why I was thinking of it?"

I rarely say I'm craving pizza
don't get me wrong
I love it, love it

but I rather make my own at home just so I can add a gazillion vegetables
and extra spice to it

weird my husband says...yes I know...

but if you live anywhere near me
you know the closest Shakespeare's Pizza is an hour and a half away
where I have family from both sides

and shame on me in 15 years of being together
I have never actually physically taken him there
being a family favorite and all

he finally had it for the first time ever this summer
when my sister was in town and my parents got about 5 or so pizzas to-go
for everyone to eat after we drove back home

which he said it's not the same as it eating it there
he's right
part of the reason I love it so much is the atmosphere of the place

the wood and brick inside
the worn outside
the signs that make you smile on the inside

actually now they have two locations in the same town
but the newer location is just not the same as the one in the District

 as we were headed out of town for my friend's bridal shower and to see  family
he surprised me and said

"Let's stop on our way and eat there!"

Me:                  Really?
Me                    Are you sure?
Bobby:              Absolutely!

= big smile on my face

If you know us...
Bobby doesn't do sit-down meal stops when we travel

we barely can say "restroom!"

just kidding
we always have to stop for the girls {and me} for restroom breaks

Anyway thinking about it ~ it made me realize a bit that every trip we take even if 3 1/2 hours away
we never have room for being spontaneous...
 stopping when we see things we would like to look at
or a new place to eat

 when we travel we always seem to rushed
and in the end I was getting stressed because his family was wondering why we arrived later

side note: if you know Bobby he leaves out the details to people
so if he says 20 minutes
you know it's going to be more like 40-50 minutes

that's no joke

so it was only suiting that they didn't know we were stopping for an extra long lunch
{as I'm chuckling right now thinking about it}

it's just one of his quirks that does make me laugh
{after the fact}

we all know I have plenty that drive him nuts too
but I won't dare get started on those


but it was fun while we stopped
the girls looooooved it

and Bobby enjoyed it too

when I order my own little personal size pizza
I rarely order the same thing

I like to mix it up
keep it fun
it's a little inside joke Bobby and I have
because I tease him

he orders same ole'
same ole'
almost every place he goes
a little on the predictable side with food
unless seafood or steak is involved

me...
not so much at all

we have never shared a pizza because we never agree on toppings
he's a meat lovers
I'm not.at.all

So I'm standing there about to order
looking at their menu of toppings

{yes this was the only picture of the restaurant I took that day}

and piped out 

pepper jack cheese

jalopenos

tomatoes

and yes...pineapples for a bit of sweetness

as he stares at me like I've gone crazy

and orders pepporoni

I typically order wheat crust from there because it is sooo good but I simply forgot that day

 I devoured my little pizza except two mini slices

 Bobby was happy because he walked out with some new plastic cups

that sounded strange how I just typed that....

he didn't steal them

they do provide them with your beverage purchase

but just another reason why he said it was really good

 he adores plastic cups like they are going out of style
they are his favorite for

tea, water,

his favorite mixed drinks

he hoards them and collects them

like no one's business

I'd almost say to the point that if it were between the plastic glass and me

it would be the plastic glass

{kidding of course}

we used to go through this with ramekins in college oh boy

I finally had to put my foot down with the ramekins and say

it's either me or the 20 + ramekins you have taken
which those did not come with the meal

needless to say I never really got a response

they just slowly went away
until we were gifted with new ones when we got married

 but I was so grateful for our spontaneous stop for lunch

the little surprise he made happen for us

we need to do that sort of fun more often

now I just want to give him a big hug when he arrives home today

as I'm reminded of that lunch as I'm typing this

oh and stay tuned...

I met a new online shoppe owner at the festival that same weekend

and we got to talking

because I know you all love to support personal business owners

you're going to love her items

I'm head over heels and I know you will be too

just think...

vintage

hair accessories

pins

necklaces

I'll perhaps give you a sneak peak

and share all the details as she is getting everything up and running

xo