The last few months have moved quickly. I blinked, and we were instantly transported from Thanksgiving to nearly Easter! There’s much to anticipate this spring, but first: a recap of winter.
Things I ate
Where do I begin? Most notably, in February I enjoyed the best meal of my entire life at The Bazaar in Miami. As lovers of both tapas and José Andrés restaurants, it was our obvious choice for Brandon’s birthday dinner. The menu was incredible, and each dish was better than the last. Truly, I don’t think I’ll ever recover from this experience. Perfect in every way.
At the start of the new year, I set a fun goal to try a new recipe each month. In January, I re-created my favorite cinnamon rolls from a local bakery (perfection!), and in February, I tried my hand at tiramisu (disaster!). This month, I kicked things into overdrive by making four new recipes: cheddar biscuits, miso salmon, bacon and goat cheese stuffed peppers, and mojito margaritas. I found time to enjoy lots of key lime pie and empanadas while on vacation. And, on a rare local date night last week, Brandon and I tried a new restaurant that opened in Winston-Salem: Six Hundred°.
Where we traveled
Prompted by an incredibly generous Cyber Monday deal on airfare, we traded in chilly North Carolina for warm and sunny Florida to celebrate Brandon’s birthday. After flying into Ft. Lauderdale, we drove down and across the Florida Keys and back over two days, before spending a final night in Miami. It was a quick trip, but just the break we needed. In addition to Brandon’s birthday dinner at The Bazaar, another trip highlight was the sunset wine sailing we took in Key West.
What we watched
Brandon and I became hooked on “Yellowstone” this winter, and flew through all four seasons at the start of the year. “For All Mankind” is another favorite, and we’re impatiently waiting on a season three premiere date to be announced. We re-watched season one of “The Righteous Gemstones” and enjoyed seeing season two. I have recently been re-watching “New Girl,” which was our absolute favorite show when it was on the air. Our Schmidt is named after Schmidt on the show.
Home projects I completed
While Brandon worked in Tennessee for a week, I repainted our mud room and laundry room. I chose a bright yellow paint when we moved in five years ago, but my vision never really came to life. The new shade of charcoal/black/brown (you’ll see all three, depending on the light) is much more in keeping with the rest of the house.
What I played on repeat
Brandon’s vinyl obsession grew this winter, as has our library of records. Some of my current favorites include the “Dirty Dancing” and “Sound of Music” soundtracks, and anything Johnny Cash. The Beach Boys set the tone for our trip to Florida. Also, in music news: This winter, we bought tickets to see both Leon Bridges and The Lumineers in concert — have to wait until summer for the concerts, though!
Really good shows i saw
Thanks to the kindness of a friend, Alyssa and I headed to Durham in February to catch the Broadway tour of “Hadestown.” It was incredible; maybe even better than “Hamilton.” It comes through Charlotte in November, and I’m hoping to take Brandon to see it then. 15/10 recommend. Last weekend, Brandon and I enjoyed a beautiful local production of “Ragtime.” We knew nothing about it beforehand, and were pleasantly surprised (an understatement!) by the storyline, the music, and the actors.
On the horizon
I am so excited for spring. In six weeks, we’ll depart on our final 50 in 5 trip to Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. Planning for a trip of this length has been overwhelming, compared to our other travels, but I can’t wait to experience it all. While we’re in Washington, we’ll also celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary.
